tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71858356015041848172012-01-28T01:49:17.016-04:00Nipping at the heels of The Man, one day at a time.EGHnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2071100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-4861088930526865092007-11-13T12:48:00.000-04:002007-11-13T12:54:43.352-04:00

If you live in the Gulf Coast, that is. This MSNBC article corroborates what lots of local activists and residents have suspected for a long time: that not only the travel trailers, but also the mobile homes (read: bigger, nicer) that have been provided by the government to Katrina victims are producing extremely high levels of formaldehyde--levels that are making the people living in them sick

EGHnoreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-13574941796227899762007-11-07T16:16:00.000-04:002007-11-07T16:44:19.798-04:00

WE did! My friends and I, that is. Last night, at a little spot called the Blind Pig here in Manhattan, my buddies and I hosted an event designed to raise a little money for the children of Renaissance Village, a FEMA constructed trailer park down outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I met a few of the kids who are living there (all victims of Hurricane Katrina) when I was down in the region this

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-32578910908087613662007-11-02T10:31:00.000-04:002007-11-02T12:16:26.400-04:00

I suppose it couldn't have been any more predictable--you knew it, I knew it, even the family dog knew it: Don Imus has made it back onto the air. He's signed a deal with WABC Radio that will have him filling the morning drive-time slot (6 am to 10 am), and, we can assume, making a whole lotta money doing it. It's amazing to think that a whole six months has passed since the brouhaha that got

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-87801912877975006652007-10-30T15:03:00.000-04:002007-10-30T15:28:02.205-04:00

Looks like NPR has wised up to the fact that there are plenty of us out here in our 30s who'd love to listen to them on much more regular--if only they provided us with programming a little bit different from what our grandparents are listening to. The answer to this age old (old age?) problem has come in the form of the relatively new "Bryant Park Project," a morning news show from NPR that

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-50209865898363623362007-10-30T08:35:00.000-04:002007-10-30T08:51:20.514-04:00

So I had this idea last night, as I was trying to drift myself off to sleep, that I should start trying to post in the morning, well before the day has jerked off into the annoyingly usual busy-ness that has come to be the norm more recently. So here I am, dressed, loafers polished, and sitting down for just a moment to jot a few things down before I jump on the train and head for work.Last

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-75729080713850589482007-10-19T13:47:00.000-04:002007-10-19T13:59:06.254-04:00

Can't say how I missed it (except that sometimes Slate boooores me), but apparently the lady-folk over there (including a former classmate of mine) have taken to blogging: political blogging from the female perspective, to be precise. Now, there's lots of chatter out there that this bad, because it ghettoizes women, and that it's totally banal, because all these ladies have to talk about are

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-88570373653355325592007-10-17T15:32:00.000-04:002007-10-17T15:43:02.568-04:00

And I do mean a little: the city is poised to receive $11.2 million from 10 philanthropic organizations to help rebuild affordable and mixed housing units that were lost in the storms. Bill & Melinda Gates led the way (natch), with a whopping $3 million gift, and a number of other names you might recognize (Kellogg, Rockefeller, etc) are following suit at differing levels. It's not quite half of

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-63734937540912827342007-10-16T15:34:00.000-04:002007-10-16T16:08:04.303-04:00

Great piece in last week's issue of The Nation on the status of Lt. Ehren Watada, who is the first commissioned officer to refuse to serve in Iraq. In case you missed what's happened lately, Watada's military court trial for his failure to deploy ended in a mistrial; however, the military courts have threatened to re-try him--contravening, Watada argues, his constitutional right to be spared

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-83263771262925903652007-10-15T12:38:00.000-04:002007-10-15T12:40:54.923-04:00

Clinton-Obama Quandary for Many Black Women

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-1487968901232315382007-10-15T11:50:00.000-04:002007-10-15T12:05:45.623-04:00

I liked this post on Salon's Broadsheet about the enigma that is Doris Lessing as much as anything else that was written about her last week. Anyone who can toss of a "I couldn't care less" comment in the wake of learning she's won literature's highest prize get a vote in my book--not because I don't value the prize, and not because I wouldn't about die if I won it myself, but because its just so

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-16886410389818619032007-10-11T15:20:00.000-04:002007-10-11T15:49:52.918-04:00

God bless America! I have absolutely no excuse for going this long between posts, except to say that things here at work have been 100% mad, what with having to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month and trying to keep up with the various other management related tasks here on the j-o-b. But still, no excuses, and no more laying off the blogging--I'm done with that, I swear.So here's the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-38397550265041190192007-10-04T21:08:00.000-04:002007-10-04T21:12:27.139-04:00

And the hits just keep on coming:Marion Jones Admits Doping Before 2000 Games

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-91072884349877827052007-10-03T14:00:00.000-04:002007-10-03T14:30:25.237-04:00

Would that Fox Sports columnist Michael Rosenberg were right: In light of yesterday's revelation that Isiah Thomas is guilty of sexually harassing former colleague Anucha Browne Sanders, Rosenberg is betting on--and calling on--NBA commish David Stern to take action against the not-yet-disgraced-enough-for-my-taste Knicks head coach. It's clear enough to everyone who's ever read anything about

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-37704487201358486812007-10-03T13:53:00.000-04:002007-10-03T13:57:09.209-04:00

Douchebag.Bush Vetoes Child Health Insurance Bill

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-89465103480221096022007-10-02T11:49:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:14:19.574-04:00

Guess what? AIDS may be a global problem, but it still happens here in the United States, too. And if you're person of color, it happens a whole lot. African Americans may represent 12 percent of the total U.S. population, but we were estimated to account for 50 percent of the HIV and AIDS cases diagnosed among adults in 2003.Think that's bad? Well, if you're a woman of color it

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-23054365399022300762007-09-25T15:34:00.001-04:002007-09-25T15:50:06.688-04:00

Thanks to Media Matters--and my mother--for tipping us off to this juicy little tid-bit: apparently Bill O'Reilly thinks Black people curse a lot. And are generally crass. And use profanity to request service. All the time.I'm not even going to attempt to go further than that in describing what he said; I'll just let you read it here. Keep in mind that this was his response after dining at the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-58289762067890325222007-09-24T13:27:00.000-04:002007-09-24T13:34:13.036-04:00

Turns out that the NY Times does have a conscience--or at least it turns out to have one under mounting scrutiny of its potential wrongdoing. The paper of record has now admitted that the discount it gave MoveOn.org to run the infamous General Betray Us ad was "a mistake"; apparently someone inside decided it was time to come clean about the fact that journalists just like liberals better.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-56541322129946464222007-09-20T14:30:00.000-04:002007-09-25T15:28:10.443-04:00

Getting involved is even easier than it used to be. Today, MTV Networks launched Think.MTV.com in beta, with an eye to giving them young folks an even better way to do good and--crucially for this generation-- "be recognized" for it.The idea behind Think is that young people are great force to mobilize for action (duh), and that they would be well served by having a place where they can learn

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-16991857382440032122007-09-17T15:40:00.000-04:002007-09-17T17:52:12.975-04:00

If you watched last night's primetime Emmy Awards, you will have noticed that this year marks the 30th Anniversary of the airing of Roots--the epic mini-series that finally brought the history of black America into millions of homes, black and non-black alike.Now, wouldn't it be nice to think that 30 years later, the bigger racial battles were behind us? It would be, but we can't--as episodes

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-6110873992958417242007-09-14T12:54:00.000-04:002007-09-14T13:09:58.793-04:00

Want to be a journalist? Apparently all you have to do is make shit up.Alexis Debat, a consultant to ABC News and, until yesterday, a senior fellow at the Nixon Center (counterterrorism is his specialty), has been found to have fabricated a whole host of interviews he claimed to have done with esteemed public figures like Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-38951353502730353272007-09-11T12:47:00.001-04:002007-09-11T13:29:24.774-04:00

I've mentioned the Jena 6 to you before; nice to see it getting some national coverage here and there. This is a travesty, and a miscarriage of justice we all speak out about. As Mos Def put it, "That shit is whack"--and it's time to get off our rears and do something about it.Visit ColorofChange.org to learn more about how you can help.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-31792699002739541902007-09-11T12:03:00.000-04:002007-09-11T12:11:57.911-04:00

This one is a little old (I somehow missed it in all the madness leading up to the Katrina anniversary), but well worth glancing over: Grist's list of 15 Green Colleges and Universities. I'm proud to say that not just one, but two of the universities I attended made this list. Plus, there was that summer I spent at Middlebury, so that's gotta count a little bit, too. Interesting to see how these

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-34187969259213896692007-09-10T12:35:00.000-04:002007-09-10T12:55:13.218-04:00

I've been on vacation for a week (bliss!), so apologies for the extended radio silence. But I am back now, and must begin by reporting what all Giants fans by now already know: this is going to be another loooong season. The 45-35 loss to the Cowboys may have done wonders for Jessica's Fantasy Football team, but darn it if it didn't make me wonder if there's some kind of hellish curse hanging

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-89538259482366561212007-08-31T09:38:00.000-04:002007-08-31T10:07:53.878-04:00

Yes, Iowa. Kids, you know things are getting pretty strange in the world when a state known best for... well... hmmm....maybe corn?...has found a way to give the nod to same-sex marriage before so-called bastions of liberalism like New York has. But in this case, strange is fine by me.The story: Yesterday, an Iowa county judge ruled that the state's law "allowing marriage only between a man and

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-1819630126193005192007-08-30T15:29:00.000-04:002007-08-30T15:50:17.841-04:00

Just when I think I've lost all my love for Gawker, they go and remind me why I once loved them so much: in this case, by posting this remarkable clip of MSNBC's Tucker Carlson admitting that he once physically attacked a gay man who made advances on him. Gawker asks: Did Tucker Carlson just admit to a crime? The answer is, absolutely--and I hope the man whose civil rights he violated comes right

EGHnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-40385513215301252782007-08-29T10:09:00.001-04:002007-08-29T10:13:09.700-04:00

If you followed my instructions a few weeks back and checked out the posting I was doing from down in Mississippi and Louisiana during our Media Justice trainings, you'll be happy to see that there is now video evidence of the work we did while we were there.This video, created by Jacquie Soohen, gives a great peek into what the process of putting together a radio documentary really looks like.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-48126871647498062932007-08-28T13:49:00.000-04:002007-08-28T15:18:18.668-04:00

Ahh, the sweet smell of hypocrisy: in case you don't live in a city like New York where our daily tabloids splash everyone's business all over their front pages, just wanted to share the story of Senator Larry Craig of Idaho--Republican, natch--who was recently busted, and plead guilty to, engaging in lewd sexual (read: homosexual) conduct in an airport bathroom.Now, far be it from me to revel in

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-29163748573960633772007-08-27T10:08:00.000-04:002007-08-27T10:17:38.624-04:00

Proving once again that good things come to those who wait (and that there is some small justice in the United States), Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has tendered his resignation.According to the CNN report, Michael Chertoff, head of homeland security, is being cued up to take over his post; the President--still on vacation at his Crawford, TX ranch--is expected to make the official

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-77193070163002218302007-08-24T09:51:00.000-04:002007-08-24T10:07:21.010-04:00

Well, it seems like at least one does--for the moment. Today, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is set to outline his plan for a system of health care reform that would enable states to extend coverage to some of the millions of currently uninsured Americans. It's a model he put in place while he was governor of Massachusetts--and it's nice to see that he hasn't returned to the dark side on this,

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-24598743073141999332007-08-23T11:35:00.000-04:002007-08-23T11:39:46.902-04:00

Deposed LSU women's basketball coach Pokey Chatman has found a new place to build a championship caliber team: Russia.Nice to see that the Russians are more forgiving than we are here in the States.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-13655363262995544662007-08-21T13:28:00.000-04:002007-08-21T13:43:34.202-04:00

Not because I feel the need to provide a huge media conglomerate with more space in the universe than it already takes up--but because I really can't get enough of Christiane Amanpour. Which is why both tonight and Thursday night, I will be glued to my seat from 9pm until whenever it ends, watching her special on fundamentalists and religion, called, appropriately enough, "God's Warriors."Tonight

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-81102811938945875172007-08-20T14:40:00.000-04:002007-08-20T15:31:56.773-04:00

Not that this is any kind of surprise, but Michael Vick has just agreed to enter a guilty plea on the dogfighting charges pending against him. I thought I'd be happier to hear news like this, happier to watch all those apologists turn crimson and turn tail. But actually, I just find myself a little depressed at the waste of it all: another black man--one who had a real shot at "making it," as we

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-59661926215274148382007-08-20T11:31:00.001-04:002007-08-20T11:48:01.410-04:00

Listen: I've read a lot of articles about Karl Rove and his tactics, and if any one gets it right it's this one by Juan Cole. It's not just that Cole is able to make an interesting historical connection between Rove's way of being and that of the infamous Joseph Goebbels (while also being quick to say, "Rove is no Nazi."). It's that, better than anything I've read in a while, this article gives a

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-35046383175905053452007-08-16T12:59:00.000-04:002007-08-16T13:12:09.914-04:00

Luckily enough, this week both the Huffington Post and AlterNet ran a piece I wrote while down in the Gulf Coast. It's about one woman's struggle post Hurricane--in particular her struggle with FEMA to fix a massive leak in the trailer they gave her to live in.I wish every one of you could meet Vicky Cintra and hear her tell her tale face to face... or meet any of the kids who live in the trailer

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-53252484553024851182007-08-14T16:22:00.000-04:002007-08-14T16:42:49.051-04:00

My friend Lulu here at work turned my eye today to this little quiz on a site called BellaSugar, which is one of her faves. The quiz is about 20th Century foxes, and is a fun little test of your pop culture knowledge of the winningest ladies of times gone by.Now, since I'd never been to or heard of BellaSugar before, I decided to poke around a little and see what else they talk about over there

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-91071242348871445922007-08-13T16:36:00.000-04:002007-08-13T16:45:08.454-04:00

Karl Rove is going home.AP: Karl Rove to leave White House

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-75702831338318408092007-08-09T16:39:00.000-04:002007-08-13T16:49:04.918-04:00

Seriously. This place is hot. And wet. And tho in some instances that might be a good combination, for my taste this environment is nowhere near hospitable. The physical environment, that is. The emotional, human component makes up for a lot, tho. That, and the unbelievable food.Since I've spent just about every minute of the last 4 days thinking about the lasting devastation of Hurricane Katrina

EGHnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-40740497915033515912007-08-06T17:08:00.000-04:002007-08-06T17:12:56.769-04:00

Just as a heads up to all my loyal readers: this week I'm traveling in the Gulf Coast for work, attending trainings the Ms. Foundation is supporting that will teach our grantees the art of radio documentary, and blogging about the process. So my guess is that my ability to post here will be limited. That said, if you want to keep up with what I'm up to, check out KatrinaRadioProject.blogspot.com.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-49084550070249584642007-08-04T09:35:00.000-04:002007-08-04T09:44:30.324-04:00

Given the state of the Fourth Estate--it's elite stature, its more recent synonymy with lunches at Michael's and hobnobbing with the stars--it's become pretty easy to foget that digging for the facts can still be a deadly job. Case in point: Chauncy Bailey, an editor at the Oakland Post (and formerly a beat reporter for the Oakland Tribune) was just executed, right here in the good old US of A,

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-25593211105071001982007-08-03T10:16:00.000-04:002007-08-04T09:31:35.570-04:00

A little late to the punch on this one, so perhaps you already know, but on Thursday, the Senate approved a health care bill that will increase funding and expand coverage for low-income children--despite the President's threat to veto the bill. Even better, the win was by a large enough majority that W can't override the legislation even if he wants to--a true, bipartisan victory that will

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-16670348902672046322007-08-02T09:42:00.000-04:002007-08-02T09:48:38.298-04:00

Sad to spread this news, but it looks like our sister friend at ABC News, Robin Roberts, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her surgery is tomorrow, with treatment to follow. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for her, and our prayers leveled in her direction.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-46006569752793025822007-07-30T15:06:00.000-04:002007-07-30T15:33:38.272-04:00

To date, I haven't spent a whole lot of time on this blog writing about football--largely because so far this blog has existed solely in the off-season. But for better or worse, my guess is that that's about to change--because for those of you who don't know, football season is right around the corner: training camps have already begun and before you know it the air will be filled with the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-57797998585024374882007-07-27T11:37:00.000-04:002007-07-27T13:01:05.018-04:00

Call it a miscarriage of justice, call it just plain fat-ism, but whatever you call it, it stinks to me: a court in Missouri ruled this week that a man who planned to adopt his infant cousin--and happens to weigh 500 lbs--is unfit to become the child's adoptive parent...because of his weight.Now, I understand that a 500 lb person might have health issues (which is what the court appointed

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-53367262532811386462007-07-26T12:59:00.000-04:002007-07-26T13:24:39.141-04:00

It's a question that's long plagued my mind: when will bookstores realize that providing us avid readers comfy chairs in which to do our perusing might be working against them? Well, now it seems as if that a number of stores have come to precisely that conclusion, and are thus beginning to do away with the plush seating that has thrilled so many of us for so long.As it turns out, it's just a

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-33121343367338042292007-07-25T13:31:00.000-04:002007-07-25T13:40:32.008-04:00

Anyone else heard about this yet? It's a new search page from Google, with one major difference: the screen is black. What's the point? The dark screen (it's black, with white type) uses less energy--which is good not only for the environment, but also for your wallet. Plus, at the moment, there are none of those pesky little Google ads to contend with. Phat.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-60888206514041152942007-07-24T15:51:00.000-04:002007-07-24T17:27:10.927-04:00

Interesting and evocative post on HuffPo today, written by a champion debate coach, on who really won last night's election. Looking at the technical aspects of the thing, the author finds that Richardson was the winner overall, and if I had been paying any attention to what he was saying, rather than gabbing to Jess about one or the other of Hillary, Barack, or John Edwards' preceding statements

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-81196411757147889642007-07-23T21:09:00.000-04:002007-07-23T21:27:25.168-04:00

Tonight's You Tube/CNN debate, which wrapped up just moments ago, crystallized one thing for me once and for all: John Edwards won't be getting my vote. Why? Because despite the fact that I think his wife is dope:1. I don't have any interest in hearing again about how "difficult" the gay thing is for you personally. Struggle with it all you want; let your little Southern baptist heart twist and

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-25669233250343230502007-07-23T13:07:00.000-04:002007-07-23T13:16:23.653-04:00

It's a legitimate question. And from the tone of this piece of crap published a week ago in the WaPo, I'd say, pretty darn far: Why Bush Will Be A WinnerFor a great counter, read Eric Alterman's piece on the HuffPo.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-66071936882739334502007-07-23T12:19:00.000-04:002007-07-23T12:41:14.598-04:00

I bet it feels to you like it was just last night you were watching a debate between the candidates for the presidency of the United States. It certainly feels that way to me. But lo and behold, it is now time for those motley crews to gather together again and try not to offend each other too much while tearing apart the policies of their colleagues on the other side of the ideological divide.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-229267224043979122007-07-20T12:07:00.000-04:002007-07-20T12:25:06.590-04:00

It's a little late notice, I know, but if you happen to be anywhere near New York this weekend I highly recommend checking out the Harlem Book Fair. It's legendary in these parts, and unlike other book related events it features food so good, and so Southern fried soulful, you'll think you're in back in Dixie. And the book stuff is pretty dope too: this year Walter Mosley, Amiri Baraka and Eloise

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-57988764713199778762007-07-19T11:17:00.000-04:002007-07-19T11:28:11.311-04:00

Don't know any more about this than what is outlined in this letter (which was posted on my Yale Black Alumni list-serve), but it's a story I haven't seen elsewhere and clearly needs some attention.Last fall in Jena, Louisiana, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-73038039698821471592007-07-18T11:48:00.000-04:002007-07-18T13:04:37.564-04:00

In case you'd like to educate yourself a little more deeply on the intersection between race and immigration policy, take a peek at Rinku Sen's new piece, "Are Immigrants and Refugees People of Color?" on the Applied Research Center's site.Sen correctly points out that despite our national tendency to sublimate the racial elements of the debate over who is welcome within our borders and who is

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-76597738492518574562007-07-18T11:29:00.000-04:002007-07-18T11:35:08.952-04:00

Need I say more?To buy this and other yummy Barack paraphernalia, visit: www.barackobama.com

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-40003268660858557292007-07-17T17:15:00.000-04:002007-07-17T17:33:18.381-04:00

Remarkable article from the Media Consortium's Brian Beutler (via AlterNet) on worker abuses in the Gulf Region in the wake of Katrina. Anyone who thinks the effects of the Hurricane are ancient history has another thing coming, and what this article makes clear is how yet another version of the Bush Administration's policy of neglect has helped workers (read: poor people) get screwed again--even

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-5165465853964395342007-07-17T11:15:00.000-04:002007-07-17T11:39:06.917-04:00

If it's not enough that the US lures migrant workers here for little pay and no insurance, and then kicks them out unceremoniously whenever "immigration" becomes a hot button issue, here's news of an even worse gift we're giving the folks who silently make our economy go 'round: increasing numbers of migrant workers are being infected with HIV and then taking it home--back to rural communities in

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-36909878211459333842007-07-16T16:06:00.000-04:002007-07-16T16:44:49.228-04:00

Via HuffPo, Broadcasting & Cable reports on Star Jones' recent commentary on the need for a permanent person of color on The View.Not that I find myself agreeing with Ms. Jones on much, but on this one she's absolutely right... When BaWa started the show (what is it, 10? 11 years ago now?), she did something quite novel and appropriate by trying to mirror back to us what our national demographic

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-18511103539410365492007-07-13T11:20:00.000-04:002007-07-13T11:35:22.111-04:00

Not that I'm unhappy that the Detroit News gave a little page space to the descent of thousands of feminist activists onto their home turf, but I'm a little tired of hearing the same old news about how old feminists and new feminists (such as they apparently are) don't see eye to eye. Yes, we know: things are different now. We don't get them and they don't get us. But can we get over promulgating

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-85734456363914886042007-07-12T12:00:00.001-04:002007-07-12T12:17:41.874-04:00

So dizzied am I by the combination of my job demands and the pesticides my super has decided to spray in our building that I can't anymore recall how I got to this site I'm about to tell you about... (Oh wait! The use of the "history" tab finally comes in handy: It was a link found in my weekly GirlieGirl Guide. Much better.) But anyway: the point is, I love this new-found site, the Green Girl

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-35286795908288694462007-07-11T15:27:00.000-04:002007-07-11T15:53:53.875-04:00

Most of us think of FGM (female genital mutilation) as a procedure that happens only in darkest Africa. And though its popularity on that continent dwarfs its impact in the west, it remains true that many, many young women who are citizens and residents of non-African nations continue to find themselves at the mercy of this culturally popular but medically unsafe (and unnecessary) procedure.Given

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-80295878239161603042007-07-10T15:41:00.001-04:002007-07-10T16:08:48.969-04:00

Jane is closing its doors.Not that I've bought a copy of the magazine in years, or even more than glanced at it while getting my nails done, but still... you don't like to see magazines like this one--irreverent and thought-provoking at its best--die. And you definitely don't want to hear from folks like magazine editor Sally Koslow that this kind of thing was inevitable because, well, nobody

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-24527450236986811242007-07-09T16:01:00.000-04:002007-07-09T16:04:08.460-04:00

Kinda makes me feel like folks are finally starting to get the picture: Army Misses Recruiting Goal For Second Straight Month (via HuffPo)

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-49442355131840649562007-07-09T14:00:00.000-04:002007-07-09T14:32:44.243-04:00

Apologies for the absence, but chalk it up to the 4th of July holiday in combination with the fact that Jessica and I just moved our home: from mid-town east to the upper east side. And it's been no easy transition: had to move our stuff out of our old place on June 29, but couldn't move our bodies into the new place until July 7, which meant a week of living in the homes of our wonderful and

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-57018591135185125462007-07-02T11:56:00.000-04:002007-07-02T12:18:35.718-04:00

Yesterday, while lounging on my friend Katie Sherwin's couch, I decided to indulge myself a bit by picking up the remote and seeing what there was to see. As it turned out, "Ghandi" was on, and so, for the next 3 hours and 15 minutes, I indulged myself by learning again about the life of one rather tiny man, and his mission to cure the world of our violent tendencies.I don't think I'd seen the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-20481796093347543232007-06-28T15:49:00.000-04:002007-07-18T13:09:30.739-04:00

Luckily, this time New Orleans' water problem doesn't involve the kind falling from the sky. Instead, there's concern with the kind that comes out of your tap. I don't know why I never bothered to think about this before, but it turns out that NOLA has some pretty gnarly issues with "consumable" water. The city's drinking water comes straight out of the mighty, murky Mississippi--the great river

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-73011968364182288452007-06-27T10:33:00.001-04:002007-06-27T10:55:06.304-04:00

Did you know that each day, more than 13,000 people across the globe are newly infected with HIV? Or that here in the US, HIV is the largest killer of African-American women ages 25-34? Or that the rates among all US women have skyrocketed in the last 20 years, from 8% of total infections in 1985 to more than 27% today?Well, if you didn't know, now you do. And, as we say in the African-American

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-14207622286392458702007-06-26T11:35:00.000-04:002007-06-26T11:56:57.380-04:00

Amidst all this Paris Hilton nonsense, it's nice to be reminded here and there of what journalism's really supposed to be about. Today in the NYT, Nina Bernstein's piece on the 62 individuals who have died in custody since 2004 (after being detained on alleged immigration violations) is a perfect example of what kind of horrors we're ignoring while we bury ourselves in US Weekly.Interestingly,

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-13004814875348805912007-06-25T11:50:00.000-04:002007-06-25T12:16:32.466-04:00

This weekend, Title IX--the crucial piece of Civil Rights legislation that made it illegal for educational institutions that receive federal funding to discriminate on the basis of sex--turned 35 years old. That's something to celebrate, even despite (or especially because of) the fact that the amendment has recently been given a swift kick in the gut by the Bush Administration.In today's HuffPo,

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-52187379028041018432007-06-22T11:19:00.000-04:002007-06-22T11:26:13.454-04:00

On Wednesday, Trent Lott, the Republican Senator from Mississippi, offered yet another example of why it is best we take control of our nation back from the set of hateful people who are currently governing it. Speaking in reference to the immigration bill that is gasping for breath in the Congress right now, Lott informed a gathered crowd that all we need to keep them furrnerrs out is a good,

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-26286966050358534492007-06-21T12:05:00.000-04:002007-06-21T12:11:27.460-04:00

The Times is Raising Newspaper Prices

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-67112158048355955532007-06-20T10:15:00.000-04:002007-06-20T10:31:45.081-04:00

If, like me, you love your dog more than life itself (cats count here, too), give this article on the pet food recall a read. It reveals more than a few of the pet food industry's nasty secrets (including how they use pieces of euthanized dogs and cats to make food for our living dogs and cats), and pretty much compels you to think twice about pouring out another few cups of Purina for your

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-2721736780109615812007-06-19T11:32:00.000-04:002007-06-19T11:43:07.747-04:00

I have no idea how long this remarkable series has been running, but I just found out about it via one of my list serves today. It's an interactive experience that's not only thoroughly engaging and moving, but also multifaceted (see the inclusion of gay black men AND women in this conversation for proof).Kudos to the Washington Post for taking up the life and times of the black American male

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-71404270222085517542007-06-18T12:49:00.000-04:002007-06-18T13:04:41.956-04:00

Late last week I got an email from Media Matters informing me that (no surprise here) I've been in the right all along: extensive polling and research has now found that the majority of Americans are, like me, PROGRESSIVE.Never mind what the conservative thought leaders and media-makers tell you--the majority of us in this country believe in Government taking responsibility for its citizenry--

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-44657091273967065372007-06-15T11:22:00.001-04:002007-06-15T11:32:00.872-04:00

In case you forgot that the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ even exists within this administration, here's a good review from Talking Points Memo's Muckraker of what the NYT is reporting the division has been up to since Bush, Ashcroft, Gonzalez, et al have been minding the farm. (Here's a hint: black people lose.)

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-18572876490900563602007-06-15T09:55:00.000-04:002007-06-15T10:10:54.838-04:00

To be honest, I didn't really enjoy living in the state of Massachusetts when I had to be there for graduate school. Boston was too cold for me, and too parochial in too many ways. But despite my own hard feelings about the place, today I find myself wanting the legislature of Massachusetts a big old pat on the back for defending the rights of gays in their state to marry.Yesterday, the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-80554199569522637942007-06-13T14:50:00.000-04:002007-06-13T15:01:33.961-04:00

I've admitted before on this blog how taken I am with Miranda July and her work. Today, via the Powells Books newsletter, I've found a great new interview with our Quirky Queen, who expounds on, among other things, the exhaustion of coming face to face with her public (been there--and yes, it really can be a mind-numbingly depleting experience). Worth a read, if you love kooky as much as I do.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-24200201821789545312007-06-12T14:31:00.000-04:002007-06-12T15:00:21.182-04:00

Is Dan Rather so piqued by his lack of a career these days that he's got nothing better to do than bash Katie Couric? Yesterday on MSNBC the veteran deposed news anchor gave Couric a tongue lashing for sullying the evening news by, in his estimation, "dumbing it down" and "tarting it up."Mostly, this is just embarrassing for Dan, who, before engineering his own demise, really was a trusted name

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-76365436787000850952007-06-11T13:41:00.001-04:002007-06-11T13:55:30.858-04:00

Thanks to Maureen Dowd's column of yesterday, I was alerted to an op-ed piece that ran in the Times last Friday, written by one Stephen Benjamin. Benjamin was formerly a petty officer in the United States Navy, serving as an Arabic translation specialist--a post in which, in case you hadn't heard, our military is severely understaffed.About a year ago, Benjamin was expelled from service under the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-49219421127180550652007-06-11T12:26:00.000-04:002007-06-11T12:45:44.614-04:00

[Spoiler alert: If you haven't already seen last night's final episode of The Sopranos, you may want to skip this post.]Besides Phil Leotardo that is (truly, truly a brilliant scene). Jess and I spent several minutes trying to parse what we think might have happened after our screen went black (and yes, we were among those people who thought their cable had gone out). Is it Meadow who takes the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-76640445317694575552007-06-08T15:53:00.000-04:002007-06-08T16:10:41.817-04:00

There is, believe it or not, a price to be paid for spouting your hatred in the open air. It may take half a year for that tax to be levied, but levied it shall be... at least of you're part of the cast of Grey's Anatomy.Isaiah Washington, he whose tendency to rail against a specific co-star with homophobic epithets has been well documented, has now been released from his contract, according to

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-1148416947801264452007-06-07T10:38:00.000-04:002007-06-07T10:45:38.011-04:00

Further to my last post, check out Andrea Otanez's opinion piece from yesterday's Seattle Times (via the Women's Media Center). I'd say it's not just a turning tide, but a tidal wave of opposition to women's voices and issues we're witnessing--but whatever your metaphor of choice, this piece gives some good food for thought... and a touch of hope.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-20942002907733806522007-06-07T10:10:00.000-04:002007-06-07T10:16:51.622-04:00

So somehow I forgot to mention that I'm now also blogging for the HuffPo, and yesterday, my first piece ran. It's about violence and women and sports and dogs, and if you'd like to take a gander at it, you can find it here.If you read the comments section, and you're a thinking person, you'll get a good laugh... It's great when folks get outraged and claim that violence against women isn't a "

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-568496938875209712007-06-06T13:35:00.000-04:002007-06-06T13:45:33.891-04:00

Turns out, it depends on what state you live in. Via Grist, news today of a ranking of all 50 states in terms of their energy-efficiency, put out by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Topping the list: California (way to go, Governator), Vermont and Connecticut, who all tied for first place.As a born and bred New Yorker, I was pleased (and, frankly, shocked) to see that we come

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-62179477271377724732007-06-05T16:40:00.000-04:002007-06-05T16:46:52.927-04:00

My friend Katie is not a real pirate, but she did sail around the world, which we think gives her a bit of credibility (and a really good opener at bars). In any case, I had some questions about pirates that Katie never seemed to be able to answer for me--but thankfully, Slate has come through and set the record straight, answering once and for all a question that has kept many of us up and

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-42402584801194427792007-06-04T14:48:00.000-04:002007-06-04T15:02:17.276-04:00

Or, sort of for real: Eric Alterman, columnist for The Nation and sometime HuffPo blogger, explains the how and why behind his arrest last night at the Democratic debate hosted by CNN. The story that was originally reported by CNN spins a much feistier tale of Alterman's arrest; Alterman's own clarification on the HuffPo paints a picture of a rather milder sort of "misunderstanding." Best part of

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-56297819984774569972007-05-31T14:07:00.001-04:002007-05-31T14:19:33.846-04:00

Did you know that one in every 4,000 to 5,000 girls is born without a vagina? Well, via Slate we learn that this is true, and also that there is new hope for women born without all the necessary equipment.An Italian doctor has just developed a new method of growing vaginas in the lab, from stem cells, and then transplanting them onto humans. This will allow girls born without vaginas to avoid the

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-71174729577830154452007-05-30T16:49:00.000-04:002007-05-30T17:14:09.512-04:00

Via Salon's Broadsheet, news today of a report on AIDS in Africa that finds that "greater social and economic inequality between the sexes directly correlate[s] to the HIV risk faced by African women."What does that mean? Essentially, that when women are poor, their incidence of AIDS infection rises. And the inverse also seems to be true: greater equality means less risk for women of becoming

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-38454333080622688212007-05-30T14:20:00.000-04:002007-05-30T14:50:34.295-04:00

I feel pretty certain that I read a hauntingly similar piece about this topic a few months back (way to be on top of it LA Times), but for those of you who missed it the first time around, here's another chance to better understand the provenance of one of the best snack foods ever created: the unholy and utterly delish Twinkie.Long story short, there ain't much good in there, or natural either.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-51154963105443853892007-05-29T15:10:00.000-04:002007-05-29T15:26:11.196-04:00

At last! A plan from our buddy Barack. As part of a campaign stop at the University of Iowa, Obama finally unveiled his plan to fix our doddering health care system--you know, the one that leaves nearly 47 million Americans without an ounce of coverage.His goal is to provide universal coverage, and yes, it's going to cost something: probably something int he neighborhood of $50 to $65 billion.

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-14085100667081006532007-05-29T12:53:00.000-04:002007-05-29T13:14:48.245-04:00

If you ever needed any insight into how much of a dork I actually am, note that this article on the favorite fonts of authors and the accompanying slide-show on the rise of Helvetica rank for me as two of the dopest pieces of journalism I've seen in a while. I can't deny it--I am a total font geek.And for anyone who's wondering, I tend to write in Times New Roman--though I do really understand

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-12561653517521638352007-05-25T09:27:00.000-04:002007-05-25T09:33:03.317-04:00

"Americans want to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status and to create a guest worker program, a Times/CBS News poll found."You don't say...Immigration Bill Provisions Gain Wide Support in Poll [NYTimes](photo via Seattle Times)

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-34998421966441071042007-05-25T08:46:00.000-04:002007-05-25T09:17:22.199-04:00

Last summer, when Jess and I spent about 10 days in Ethiopia with the organization AMREF, we came up with a little joke to make ourselves feel better about our status in a country (nevermind a continent) where our relationship is illegal. We took to calling each other "Criminal Smallz" ("smallz" being our most common nickname for each other), and it's a moniker we still volley about in jest from

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-64326889517683504252007-05-24T15:33:00.000-04:002007-05-24T16:18:38.269-04:00

Today's cover story over at Salon is, unsurprisingly, about the 2008 election. The Republican slate of candidates, to be more precise. The shocker? The candidate they're focusing on is actually not a candidate at all--or at least not at the moment. But if the people at ThinkCondi.net have their way, that won't be the case for long.That's right: there's now a movement to draft Condoleezza Rice to

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-27053020807881136042007-05-23T09:01:00.000-04:002007-05-23T09:18:22.552-04:00

Ever wanted to own a Rothko? I have. Don't ask me why, but something about these abstracts--we have a print of one hanging in our living room--always gets me thinking, and smiling, and best of all, wondering just what Rothko had in mind in putting these pieces together--which, apparently, is precisely the reaction the artist was always after.Well, as it turns out, I am now ever farther away from

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-89238182547548260142007-05-23T08:42:00.000-04:002007-05-23T09:18:44.555-04:00

It's probably a blessing in disguise that I'm here in Miami, rather than home in NY, simply because if I had been home yesterday, I would've been tempted to squeeze my way into this auction of Gotham's remarkable wares before their doors shut for good.Another one bites the dust... Fingers crossed, they'll find a new place to take up residence-- otherwise, we might as well just stamp a big Barnes

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-1723639740427525452007-05-22T23:14:00.000-04:002007-05-22T23:47:14.184-04:00

Though I see that the Very Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, and thus head of the worldwide Anglican Communion (which includes those of us who are American Episcopalians--for now), was trying to stem controversy by not inviting V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay bishop, to the big, once a decade party he's throwing next year, I find myself crushed by the thought process that brought

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-57535428674848739842007-05-22T22:35:00.000-04:002007-05-25T09:19:49.125-04:00

Because I couldn't sleep with the last post resting at the top of my page (why do we feel such shame about our pop culture fetishes???) I wanted to provide some real news about how the right is reclaiming, and reframing, the abortion debate.Today's NY Times featured a front page article (print edition) by Robin Toner on how Kennedy's recent decision is increasingly being used as a stepping stone

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-4789413646695930152007-05-22T20:48:00.000-04:002007-05-22T21:01:51.292-04:00

Did that sound like a dis? It actually wasn't... It's just my way of telling you that there's a new place for us all to indulge in our not-so-secret obsession with pop culture--but with a new female spin.As of yesterday, Gawker Media is the proud parent of yet another (brilliant) trash talkin' website: Jezebel. This one aims to tackle "Celebrity, Sex and Fashion--Without the Airbrushing"--a.k.a.,

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-57435618578317613922007-05-21T20:02:00.000-04:002007-05-22T23:48:18.325-04:00

Call it the luck of the (black) Irish: I've been sent to Miami for three days to observe a convening of the Foundation's Reproductive Rights grantees--and so far so good. Today was mostly travel, check-in, and settling in to our surroundings. Tomorrow, though, the hard work begins. Which is why I spent my evening "enjoying my own company," as I said to Jess (who is currently on a company

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-58452910150106978842007-05-18T15:12:00.001-04:002007-05-22T23:00:32.364-04:00

You know how sometimes you'll be given a piece of information, and interesting as it might be, it kinda flies out of your head--only to be resurrected days or even weeks later through some odd consequence of fate? Well, this is one of those times.10 days ago, when I was at the Georgia Rule premiere, a friend of mine mentioned, very late in the evening (and after numerous glasses of wine), that

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7185835601504184817.post-87793774284557198842007-05-18T12:27:00.000-04:002007-05-18T15:30:47.463-04:00

From today's New York Times, a profile and video offering on the wife of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. As much as I like Obama, I must say I like Michelle even more, and sometimes have that same feeling when watching her stump for her husband that I did watching Kerry Kennedy Cuomo stump for hers--i.e., that SHE ought to have been the one running, rather than playing the role of back-up

EGHnoreply@blogger.com0