As we end Black History Month I will make note of an exceptional African American I met four years ago. Charles Harrison, a retired industrial designer, was brought to Virginia Tech in observance of Black History Month by the Colleges of Engineering and Architecture and Design. He did workshops for students and offered a public … [Read more…]
See at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s76RrWiLWo8
In this month of celebrating black history let us take note of the recent passing of a significant historical figure, African American classical singer Mattiwilda Dobbs, who died in December at 90 years of age. A soprano, Ms. Dobbs was the first African American to sing a leading role at La Scala in Italy in … [Read more…]
The Debate between Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders last Thursday was interesting in several ways. For me the most remarkable occurrence was the frank discussion of structural racism by both candidates. They used the terms “institutional” and “systemic.” It appears that Hilary Clinton is pushing hard to retain her problematic hold on black voters for … [Read more…]
Sometimes we just have to pass the word. Below I share the last two paragraphs of the article by Charles Blow in the NY Times today. The article is entitled, “White America’s ‘Broken Heart’.” “America has a gauzy, romanticized version of its history that is largely fiction. According to that mythology, America rose to greatness … [Read more…]
Under Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law, the state can take over financially struggling cities by handing complete authority to an appointed “Emergency Manager.” This happened to Flint in 2011. These emergency managers assume charge of all aspects of local government. In 2014 they changed Flint’s water source to save an estimated $5 million per year. In switching … [Read more…]
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the so-called “Obamacare,” is a rousing success. ACA has reduced the number of uninsured persons. While I would like a plan that would reduce this rate of uninsured persons to zero–a universal health care plan–the ACA, as developed by conservatives at the Heritage Foundation, was not designed for that purpose. … [Read more…]
Many people are questioning the situation of the armed radical militiamen taking over the National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, and some are suggesting there would be a different reaction from the police if armed African Americans occupied this federal land and made similar threats, i.e., they would kill and be killed if necessary. Well, we … [Read more…]
A few weeks ago Vice-President Joe Biden decided not to enter the presidential nomination race. At his press conference, he threw a zinger–presumably at Hillary Clinton–about partisanship, as if the failure to collaborate across party lines is the fault of Hillary or other Democrats. That is strange considering how often Republican leaders in Congress expressed … [Read more…]
This is a message to non-sports fans as well as sports fans. On December 31, four college football teams from big-time football schools, the old Division I-A which is now called the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), will start a three-game playoff for the so-called national championship. These three teams are Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State, and … [Read more…]