EDITORIAL

The blame game

A common practice among young children is to blame someone else for their own misbehavior. When that practice survives into adulthood, the consequences are unappealing. Mature adults are expected to be responsible to a great extent for their own destiny. More »

"Come On People"

In their book "Come On People," Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint have set a new agenda for black leadership. African Americans can expect that this new approach will be challenged by spokesmen under the age of 50 and those who thrive on their ability to strike a responsive chord among the black masses by harping on the racial abuses so common during the civil rights era. More »

Panhandler tale taps into problem with modern mindset

I loved Daniela Caride's story, "A look of recognition: Inside the life of a Harvard Square panhandler" (First Person, April 17, 2008). It certainly came to me at an interesting time. More »

OPINION

Incarceration vs. education: Reproducing racism and poverty in America

Since 2004, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards campaigned across the U.S. with a simple message: that there are essentially "two Americas," separated by a chasm of inequality, defined largely by race and class. It was a truthful message that the vast majority of Americans didn't want to acknowledge, or even hear. Yet the larger meaning of Edwards' message may be more significant to the future of U.S. politics than even the historic presidential campaign of Barack Obama. More »

ROVING CAMERA

Do you think the governor's CORI package has gone far enough?

The only part I agree with would be for people working with children, to check to see if they were arrested on [charges of crimes] against children. No one else's background should be looked into by the public. More »