Scrap Papers: I Like Ike!

Somehow, President Dwight D. Eisenhower (also known as Ike) is always left off my mental list of U. S. presidents that did their part to make America and the world a better place. While listening to The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC this morning I realized that he was a pretty cool president. Read more...

Scrap Papers: 9/11 Memorial

Image courtesy of Squared Design Lab

I didn’t know a New York without the World Trade Center; I grew up in the city using the Twin Towers as a navigational marker, helping to orient myself after emerging from the subway. When the planes flew into the buildings, none of us thought it would be possible that the buildings wouldn’t survive, it seemed inconceivable. Read more...

Link Round-Up: Troy Davis

A lot of press was given to last week’s Republican debate during which the audience applauded Rick Perry’s record of 235 executions during his 11 years as Governor of Texas. Three days later, the Supreme Court stayed the Texas execution of Duane Buck because of evidence of racial bias in his sentencing hearing. Now there are only two days left before Troy Davis is executed in Georgia.

 JasiriX

• If you believe there is #TooMuchDoubt about Davis’ guilt for the execution to proceed, sign the NAACP’s petition to the Georgia Parole Board calling for clemency.
• The case is in Georgia’ s Parole Board's hands as in March, the Supreme Court rejected Davis’ most recent appeal. This follows the Court’ s 2009 decision that Davis was entitled to a court hearing presenting evidence of his innocence. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. held the hearing and decided that the defense had not provided new evidence of innocence.
• In addition to the nearly 200 demonstrators rallying outside the Parole Board meeting today, over 300 international rallies have taken place and 200,000 signatures have been collected.
• The family of James Anderson, victim of a hate crime in Mississippi this June, has asked the district attorney not to seek the death penalty because of their faith. “Executing James’ killers will not help to balance the scales. But sparing them may help to spark a dialogue that one day will lead to the elimination of capital punishment.”

It’s time for us all to have a serious conversation about capital punishment. Sign the petition if you believe there is too much doubt to execute Troy Davis. Add your voice.

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Why Are You Single?

By Karima E. Rustin

Created by Charles SchultzWhy are you single? There you have it, the most repeated question I’ve heard for the past five years. My marital status fascinates, befuddles, and annoys quite a number of friends, colleagues, family members, and even random people. The belief is I should be coupled with someone; why would an attractive 35 yr-old woman with a sparkling personality choose to stay single? What can I say, I’m a late bloomer. As a teenager and in my early 20s, my goal wasn’t to meet a guy, get married, and have children. I didn’t imagine my adult life as a potential wife and definitely not as a mother. So I was attracted to strange men who were wildly eccentric and unreliable. I wanted to hang out with guys who had the same likes and dislikes in film and music, and who showed talent in the “midnight exercises” department. Read more...

Parenting: Yikes! It's the First Day of School!

By Lydia Holt

I expected to be a ball anxiety and nerves on my oldest son’s (let’s call him A) first day of kindergarten. On his last day of preschool, back in June, I expressed my worries on my personal blog which no one reads but me. I had to get out the feelings but wasn’t ready to share it with the World Wide Web until now. Read more...