From Alexander:

That day, Rumsfeld announced a major initiative to streamline the use of the private sector in the waging of America’s wars and predicted his initiative would meet fierce resistance. “Some might ask, how in the world could the Secretary of Defense attack the Pentagon in front of its people?” Rumsfeld told his audience. “To them I reply I have no desire to attack the Pentagon; I want to liberate it. We need to save it from itself.”

The next morning, the Pentagon would literally be attacked as American Airlines Flight 77—a Boeing 757—smashed into its western wall. Rumsfeld would famously assist rescue workers in pulling bodies from the rubble. But it didn’t take long for Rumsfeld, the chess master of militarism, to seize the almost unthinkable opportunity presented by 9/11to put his personal war— laid out just a day before—on the fast track…

Watchdevil: Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, by Jeremy Scahill

North Olmsted School Superintendent Cheryl Dubsky is another good candidate for a Meet the Bloggers interview.

“We need to talk together about 21st century learning and how to collectively help young people achieve the skills and attributes that will allow them to survive and thrive in the new global economy,” she said. “Teaching and modeling the skills of leadership, work ethic, collaboration, communication and problem solving are within the power of every individual and institution within a community and within this room.”

Dubsky: Globalization changing education

If you had a program that would shut down commenting after a certain number of days, would you use it? Why? How many days would you set it to if you did?

While the specialty coffee industry seems monopolized by big chains like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, it’s really still an entrepreneur’s business. Of the 23,900 specialty coffeehouses in the United States, 57% are independent operations with one to three shops.

Globalization in a cup

In the 21st century, there are only two kinds of people. Not Black or White, or rich or poor, or foreign or national. The two kinds of people in the world today are those who are educated and those who are not.

Will Globalization Destroy Black America?

• Geoffrey A. Landis
  Just finished “A Walk in the Sun” in “The Hard SF Renaissance”
• Jeff Hess calls on the Dali Lama to stop praying and to start marching

From this week’s PostSecret, fuck

Yeah, so do I.

Roldo emailed this article:

The Shadow of Debt
Slavic Village Is Fast Becoming a Ghost Town. It’s Not Alone.

By Jim Rokakis
Sunday, September 30, 2007; Page B01

CLEVELAND

Let me tell you about a place called Slavic Village and the death of a girl named Cookie Thomas. You’ve never heard this story before — talk of housing markets and hedge funds, interest rates and the Federal Reserve has drowned it out.

Twenty years ago, the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland was a tightly knit community of first- and second-generation Polish and Czech immigrants. Today, it’s in danger of becoming a ghost town, largely because a swarm of speculators, real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders saw an opportunity to make a buck there.

You could say it was because of them that 12-year-old Asteve’ “Cookie” Thomas lost her life on Sept. 1, shot in Slavic Village when she stumbled into the crossfire of suspected drug dealers. The neighborhood wasn’t always a haven for criminals — not until hundreds of foreclosures destabilized the community. Houses (800 at last count) and then entire streets were abandoned. Crime increased as vacant properties offered shelter to people who had a reason to hide…

The Shadow of Debt - washingtonpost.com