Archive
The Lineup: Week of Oct. 3-9, 2011
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Columbus Day Questions
Many of us will never forget that famous elementary school rhyme: “In fourteen hundred ninety-two / Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” At the time, it’s not likely that we would have sensed any looming controversy behind those grade school lessons. With Columbus Day just around the corner, however, it’s worth asking whether affection for the holiday is really a serious case of misguided nostalgia.
A Long Shadow of Doubt: The Execution of Troy Davis
September 21, 2011 was a sad day for American justice. On that date at 11:08 pm, the state of Georgia administered a lethal injection into the body of 42-year-old Troy Davis and put him to death.
Solyndra’s Implosion Burned Taxpayers
You may have heard about Solyndra, the solar start-up that went belly up in August.
New Rules will Support Farmers and Jobs
Several lawmakers are proposing a time-out on new regulations to supposedly generate a more job-friendly environment. To some that might sound reasonable given the nation’s entrenched unemployment, but there’s one set of new rules in particular that should not be blocked.
Free the College Football Market
The burlesque show that is college football has gone about as far as it can go. Each fall it arrives clothed in garments of academic integrity (the players are scholar-athletes, don’t you know) only to peel them off one at a time as the year goes on.
Wendy’s ‘Improved’ Burger
At first blush, you might think that “Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy” is the title of a pornographic movie. Actually, it’s only a hamburger.
The Environment Could Use Some Rich Friends
It seems likely that the environment here on Earth is doomed. Sure, we all want clean air, clean water, biodiversity, pretty coral, precious neighborhoods, and the like. But there are other things we seem to cherish even more: gasoline, air conditioning, heat, cheap food, bright lights, swift highways, and meat.
Doubt’s Shadow
The Lineup: Week of Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2011
It began when an employee of a company with a government contract attempted to expedite his deportation even though the Obama administration had announced that cases like Ramos’s are officially a low priority.
