I hear people say we should raise the stakes in Afghanistan. Or we need to raise the stakes in the War on Drugs. But you rarely hear talk of raising the stakes in the war on poverty. Why is that? If we are going to “raise the stakes,” we should do so for jobs, women’s rights, the environment, health care, financial reform and schools.

Drug cartels exploit illegal immigrants by forcing them into economic bondage or prostitution. “Drugs are only sold once,” Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the chairwoman of the House Homeland Security border subcommittee, said in an interview. “But people can be sold over and over. And they use these people over and over until they are too broken to be used anymore.”
Quotation from Josh Meyer, Drug cartels raise the stakes on human smuggling
(The Los Angeles Times)

PHOTO: Jack London’s Palace Hotel for Pigs.

In the Valley of the Moon, there has been laughter among ranchers over the latest achievment of Jack London. He built what the valley dwellers call a “Palace Hotel for Pigs.” The structure is all of concrete, circular in form, with a feedhouse in the center of the ring. “In twelve years, I’ll save the price of the thing in saving of labor, by feeding in the center of the pens,” said London in defense of his scheme.
Quotation from San Francisco Examiner, 1915

In some countries, Friday is the equivalent of Sunday, meaning Saturday is the beginning of their work week, or my equivalent Monday. Some consider Friday to be an unlucky day to begin a voyage, but others say its a lucky day to plant potatoes. It proves not all Fridays are the same; there are Good Fridays, Black Fridays, First Fridays, Casual Fridays and Friday the 13ths. But I shouldn’t complain. Some people work seven days a week– for them, Friday doesn’t really exist at all.

Always strive to excel, but only on weekends.
Quotation from Richard Rorty

Bathrooms are safe havens, like embassies. They should be treated as “native soil” for anyone seeking peace and a sense of place. They are a place of refuge. No trespassing!

What the Pakistani People Would Tell Obama (LA Times)

There’s been a view that the U.S. is willing to sacrifice Pakistan’s democracy to preserve its own.
Quotation from Fasi Zaka