CNN has an opinion piece today called “My mother deserved to die with dignity“, in which the author details her mother’s 17-year battle. First it was stage-4 cancer, and a 6 month prognosis, which she fought, but, two years later, she faced a brain tumor, then breast cancer, and, ultimately, after a diagnosis of cancer on the spine, she killed herself with a drug overdose. In the meantime, her husband left her, she was dependent on an ostomy bag, and... Read more
That’s my middle son, ready for the Halloween festivities at school today. Read more
There have been a lot of revalations lately: An article at PJMedia and elsewhere that a cross-check of voter records and jury duty questionnaires in Maryland revealed that enough noncitizens voted (that is, individuals who claimed ineligibility to serve on a jury due to being a noncitizen, yet voted nonetheless) that, depending on the particulars in a given race, this could shift elections. In North Carolina, Jame O’Keefe got campaign officials to openly state, via hidden camera, that there’s nothing... Read more
Here’s an article from the Wall Street Journal, via marginalrevolution.com, “Newest Legal Laborers in Bolivia: Kids; Newly Re-Elected President Morales Bucks World Trend in Legislating the Right for 10-Year-Olds to Work.” (Behind a paywall; google the text below.) Bolivian government officials say the new law simply recognizes the harsh realities of a largely indigenous country where 42% of the population remains poor and children often help support their families. The new law, the officials say, creates a wider safety net... Read more
This is just one of many articles summarizing a longer article documenting the massive failure of the Red Cross after Hurricane Sandy. I read a book about the failures of American charities a while back, but I really, really would not have expected the situation to be this truly awful at the Red Cross. We’ve donated to them multiple times, usually motivated by some specific natural disaster. Won’t happen again! But who to, instead? Read more
New on the blogroll: the Squared Away blog by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, where they posted a pie chart on retirement spending, with, as a surprising “headline” item, the fact that retirees ages 75 – 84 spend 42% of their income on housing — much more than you’d initially expect when they should all have, in principle, paid off their mortgages. So I followed the link. And the numbers are interesting in a number of ways. These... Read more
Here in Illinois, school districts don’t necessarily follow city limits. The high school district (because primary and secondary education is generally through two separate school districts) was originally based on the township, but grew beyond that, and now has half a dozen high schools in several neighboring suburbs. My son’s school draws largely from three areas: neighborhoods in my own town, mostly upper-middle-class, mostly native-born white with a smattering of Asians (Korean, Filipino, Indian); neighborhoods in the adjacent suburb, a... Read more
Imagine if Orbitz’s airfare section was structured the same as its hotel section. You type in the details of location and travel dates, and up pop your choices — except that instead of just selecting based on price, you click on a further screen with details on the airline and the airplane. We scrutinize the hotel we’re looking at, not just for the cheapest price, but the amenities, the decor, the size of the room, the number of favorable vs.... Read more
Yes, I am following the election, but it’s hard to get excited about it in Illinois, and I just don’t feel up to trying to say something insightful, so here again, blogging about completely non-election-related topics. In today’s Tribune: The CHA opened its wait lists for new residents for the first time in more than four years. Agency officials expect more than 250,000 families to apply for spots on three waiting lists — one for public housing, one for housing... Read more
From today’s Tribune: Dear Amy: I’m a woman in my late 20s. For several years, my friend “Terence” has always been there for me. He has helped when I’ve gone through breakups, when my mother had cancer and when my house was vandalized and all my stuff was stolen. He does little things for me, like dropping off soup when I’m sick or sending me flowers. I know he has feelings for me. He and I have talked about dating... Read more
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