News for October 7

Race, and the White House

Months after Democratic presidental nominee Sen. Barack Obama’s speech in Philadelphia, the issue of race has not risen to the foreground of U.S. political chatter. As Election Day approaches, political journalists are taking a closer look at what role race will play in determining the next president. Links include:

Politico |  “Racial issues tend to hover in the background in much of the public analysis of the Obama-McCain horserace — often mentioned but not usually as the dominant factor. By contrast, it is increasingly the subject of obsessive interest in the nonstop, not-for-attribution conversation that takes place between reporters, political analysts and campaign sources in the heat of an election As a result, much of the news coverage and commentary that the media will produce over the next month will flow from the assumption that racial antagonisms are an unexploded bomb in this contest.”

Michael Tomasky @The Guardian |  “The always edifying Nate Silver runs some numbers on Georgia and how a huge black turnout could make things very interesting.”

Salon |  “Calling Obama a traitor, un-American and dishonorable may be somewhat effective, but the best thing McCain and Palin have going for them is that Obama is … black. The subliminal message of all their ads is “scary, black, unknown, black, alien, black, un-American, black.” The challenge for McCain, however, is that he can’t be explicitly racist: It’s no longer acceptable to run Willie Horton-type ads. But ingenious minds find a way to get around this.”

SNL and Fey Beat the Press on Palin, Biden and Ifill  |  Z on TV

The point of this post is how socially relevant comedians of today are doing what the press isn’t. Remember how SNL last season turned the press on its ear with a sketch contrasting the treatment received by Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama? As much as comedians like Fey and John Stewart are a treasure, you have to ask yourself: Is the level of socially conscious comedy that great today, or is the press that bad in recognizing and acknowledging its own sins?

The Biggest Human Rights Problem  |  Alex Felipe Photography

Human rights must be recognized and desired by the ruling classes for them to be implemented. And ruling classes will only desire them if it serves their own interests. … In a semi-feudal society like the Philippines, there is a distinct division between the rulers, and the masses they rule. … The government is made up of elites and rules for the elites, thus it cannot be truly democratic. How can human rights be respected if the people are not represented?

In ‘Sweetie and Dear,” a Hurt Beyond Insult for the Elderly  |  NY Times

Studies are finding that the insults can have health consequences, especially if people mutely accept the attitudes behind them, said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University, who studies the health effects of such messages on elderly people.

A New Silicon Valley on the Oklahoma Prairie?  |  Huffington Post

You’re heard of California’s Silicon Valley. Now get ready for Oklahoma’s Carbon Prairie. It’s here, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, that could be the home of one of the cutting edge technologies of the 21st century. It’s called single-wall carbon nanotubes, and it has the potential of replacing environmentally damaging plastics, making faster semiconductor chips, producing lightweight materials stronger than steel, and even reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy treatment for cancer.