National
Kham See Xiong remembered as devoted soldier, son, husband and father
The community this week is mourning the death of U.S. Army Private First Class Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, who was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, in Fort Hood, Texas.MORE »
St.Thomas Law School: You're Out of Bounds
Tackling Torture at the Top (T3), after successfully chasing Condoleezza Rice out of town, returned to its work at the University of St. Thomas Law School and Prof. Robert Delahunty of the-Geneva-Conventions-do-not-apply-to-al-Qaeda-and-Taliban-detainees fame.MORE »
I bet they're hiding under the bed
One of the wonders of modern society is how even minor controversies can snowball into intense political and sociological debates where, apparently, the future of the country hangs in the balance.MORE »
Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to Host 82nd Oscars© Ceremony
Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards©, Oscar© telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman announced November 3.
"I'm happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin," said Martin in an Academy press release.MORE »
For Hispanics, two steps back
No sooner did I celebrate a timely focus on Latino issues (see my previous post) than a couple of developments erupted this week to let me know Hispanics have not quite earned full acknowledgement of such oddball concepts as civil rights and basic dignity.MORE »
MOVIES | Thrills and chills at the Chicago International Film Festival
The beautiful 21-screen AMC Theater in downtown Chicago hosted the 45th annual Chicago International Film Festival, and I didn't mind the blustery rain and windy conditions outside over the four days I was there with fellow Daily Planet writer Erik McClanahan and KFAI's Peter Schilling, taking in nine films overMORE »
Entering a symbiotic relationship
Not too often do I encounter multiple Latino-centric stories just days apart. But this bonanza of attention occurred this week. The reason is not happenstance, or a strange cosmic alignment, or even the majority culture's abrupt realization that Hispanics aren't going away anytime soon. MORE »
Obama won’t prosecute medical marijuana users in states where it’s legal
Although medical marijuana use is still illegal on the federal level, the Obama administration said today that it won't go after patients or their providers in states where it is legal. MORE »
Health care or health scare
Insurance companies, along with pharmaceutical companies, receive large profits each year by basically denying countless Americans coverage or cheaper health care options. Many Americans don’t have health insurance and choose not to go to the doctor because of the expense.MORE »
Palin-Bachmann 2012!
At first glance, it's not entirely clear what the point of the Bachmann-Palin 2012 website is: selling cheesy bumperstickers (emblazoned with the flag Bush/Cheney '08 used), promoting an unlikely far-right dream team, or mocking such a pairing.MORE »
