It was in the summer of 1995, as I was recuperating from major surgery, that I got the call from Cousin Abbie. In true diplomat fashion, dad always went through intermediaries. “O is in Paris,” said Abbie. “He wants to visit with you in three days.” I explained I’d just had major surgery and wasn’t yet up to driving or caring for a guest. Could he perhaps give me a bit more time? “Not to worry, the embassy will provide a driver. You are able to make his coffee?” Continue reading Daddy’s mementos
All posts by Rima Regas
On Doug Belkin: Test Finds College Graduates Lack Skills for White-Collar Jobs
By DOUGLAS BELKIN
Updated Jan. 16, 2015
Four in 10 U.S. college students graduate without the complex reasoning skills to manage white-collar work, according to the results of a test of nearly 32,000 students.
Continue reading On Doug Belkin: Test Finds College Graduates Lack Skills for White-Collar Jobs
Racism leads to police brutality | #BlackLivesMatter
This week, North Miami police were caught using actual booking photos as targets at their shooting ranges. Sadly and unsurprisingly, the pictures were exclusively of Black men . Continue reading Racism leads to police brutality | #BlackLivesMatter
Minnesota 6 year old’s hanging death: case closed?
January 15, 2015 11:57 AM
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — Police in Minnesota have closed their investigation of a 6-year-old girl’s hanging death by ruling out foul play, and said the evidence points to an accident or suicide.
Continue reading Minnesota 6 year old’s hanging death: case closed?
Pittsburgh police chief puts self under investigation for…
The Pittsburgh Chief of Police does something decent, you know, to show solidarity with the people his department serves. The union boss calls him in and… another city, another tail wagging the dog. Madness! Continue reading Pittsburgh police chief puts self under investigation for…
A quote from the introduction to James Baldwin’s Nobody Knows My Name
Few writers speak to me so directly as does James Baldwin. The way he asks the fundamental questions “who am I and why am I here,” is precisely how I’ve always asked them of myself. I can only hope to achieve the kind of courageous self-examination he did. Continue reading A quote from the introduction to James Baldwin’s Nobody Knows My Name
Answering Jeffrey Toobin: Who should investigate Police? | #BlackLivesMatter
In his December 30, 2014 piece in The New Yorker, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin concludes:
“Schneiderman’s idea has considerable appeal; his judgment in the Eric Garner case would surely have had more credibility than the one rendered by Donovan. Still, special prosecutors are not necessarily good or bad. Like the locals they replace, they are only as good as the cases they bring, or refrain from bringing. That, ultimately, will rest on the good judgment of the individuals involved, and no one has yet figured out a way of putting the right person in place all the time.”
Continue reading Answering Jeffrey Toobin: Who should investigate Police? | #BlackLivesMatter
#NYPD turn their backs, again. Why are we surprised? | #BlackLivesMatter
January 4, 2014
We were again treated to the spectacle of NYPD officers turning their backs on their mayor. The press, again, fails to properly characterize Commissioner Bratton’s memo to his rank and file. Bratton didn’t plead for decorum. He left it up to his officers. His memo, as reported by the AP, read as follows: Continue reading #NYPD turn their backs, again. Why are we surprised? | #BlackLivesMatter
David Duke, Scalise, Jews and… Nicki Minaj?
David Duke is reported by Time magazine as repudiating Steve Scalise and saying: Continue reading David Duke, Scalise, Jews and… Nicki Minaj?
UPDATED: Bratton: between #NYPD, de Blasio, and #BlackLivesMatter
Gothamist put out a piece on a recent Bratton appearance where he “bemoans all the work it takes to explain police shooting Black men.” Here is an excerpt. Please go on to read the material from December for context. Bratton has gotten away for far too long with a public perception of him that is polar opposite of what he actually stands for. Continue reading UPDATED: Bratton: between #NYPD, de Blasio, and #BlackLivesMatter