POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Those of you who follow this blog have probably noticed that last spring I suddenly became a much less frequent contributor to this blog. The reason for my absence has been fairly straightforward. We began negotiations on a new contract in January 2017, and we still don’t have a contract. Our…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The first 2018 issue of the Boston Review [http://bostonreview.net/] is devoted to the appreciation of, reflections on, and reconsiderations of the many elements of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The contents include the following contributions: FORUM MLK Now, Brandon M. Terry King in Context, Barbara Ransby…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH “Let’s not judge the president on what he says.” New GOP Senate Candidate Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) In case you are wondering whether the context might somehow make the comment less dubious, here is an excerpt from an article written by Darrel Rowland and Jessica Wehrman for the Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Rep.…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH This is an item by Jeva Lange for The Week: President Trump’s alleged word choice when referring to African nations during an immigration meeting on Thursday has sparked bipartisan and international condemnation. The latest scathing rebuke, though, has come from … the dictionary. It is surely no coincidence that Merriam-Webster’s word of the…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH We often hear concerns expressed about Division I athletes who help to generate significant sports-related revenue for their universities but who do not complete degrees and who do not have extended professional careers or do not even get professional contracts. But when one considers that Division II players typically do not…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH This is a summary, provided in the News Hour daily newsletter, of an article titled “College Football and Presidential Politics,” written by Lisa Desjardins for PBS: Last night’s college football championship sparked a nerdy late-night question: If a handful of states can dominate a particular sport, is the same true for…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The following excerpts are from an article by Larissa Lawrie written for Salon: On November 7, Kansas voters elected Brandon Johnson to serve on the Wichita City Council for District 1 and elected Angela Becker to serve on the USD 373 Board of Education. As political outsiders, their elections were watched closely.…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH Kansas Legislator Tries to Reframe Racist Comments as an Expression of Racial Empathy This is from the Daily Beast Cheat Sheet: A Republican Kansas legislator apologized late Monday night for employing openly racist logic to explain why he believes marijuana should remain illegal. “Marijuana is an entry drug into the higher…
POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The following news release has been issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists: As U.S. President Donald Trump announces his “Fake Media” awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists names its global Press Oppressors—world leaders who use rhetoric, legal action, and censorship to try to silence their critics. The list features leaders…