The News Journal had a story on a local philanthropist who allegedly tried to block the purchase of a nearby house by a black man. The buyer was alerted to these attempts by his Realtor and was calling shenanigans. Here is a selection of reader comments:

“Who knows Mr Rocker may not have been able to afford the house so now he is looking for a way to pay the morgtage and that way is crying Racism and suing for Mr Hunter for something he did not do just to rasie the money. My Rocker move back to Dahood where you belong, and find a section 8 apartment with all the other brothers.”

“I think it is high time that the racist NEGROS tried a new alibi. They get extra legal care from the government, and extra points to pass tests.
This is why I don’t believe in slavery – I wouldn’t give a dime for any of them.”

“Why do all black people think that they have to move into a white part of town. Do they just want to trash everything and make it look as bad as where they live. And to all black people get a life and stop crying about being a slave. no black people alive today were slaves but they don’t want to hear that through history more white people have been slaves than black people. quit yer ***** get a job and leave the white women alone.”

“What gets me is WHY would a black family want to move into a all white neighbor? Seems they would rather be among their own???????
You can’t blame someone from not wanting trash to move into their neighborhood. I once lived in Monclair???? today if I tried to walk by my self in that place you could be murdered. Blacks moved in….whites umoved out. Ride by there in the daytime only and look at the old cars parked in the yards, garbage over the yrard and maybe a dozen government children in the yard with NO dads.”

“Well if this isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. Thanks to those porverty pimps Jackson, Sharpton and Farrakhan black people are the most racist people in this country.”

“White people are discriminated against on a daily basis, by blacks in particular. As a previous poster stated, we are being overrun…blacks-only entertainment, colleges, telephone companies, and specialized grants and funding ‘jus fo us’…”

“I am so sick and tired of hearing about ‘Racial Discrimination’. If things don’t go someones way they want to cry Racial Discrimination. There should be no reason why they need to cry Racial because they get anything they want. They have a Black Pageant, Black College, Black Council, NAACP. If the Whites dare have a White Pageant, White College, or a White Council we would have the NAACP after us. If a deputy arrest someone that is black, they start shouting Racial Discrimination. I am so tired of that. Slavary was 100 years ago or longer, its over, its in the past , why keep bringing it up.”

Now, a few words on maternal leave.

Federal law requires employers to grant all employees up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave to care for newborns or sick relatives — Bradley plans to take six weeks, and I took three days — after which time they may return to their same job without penalty.

That seems fair, right? I mean, sure, we’d all love to have paid leave, but surely no employer in any nation could afford to do that! ‘Cept maybe those few remaining Communist regimes. Or Europe.* Right?

Now let’s all take a little trip over to the Wikipedia entry for parental leave, which has a very helpful comparison chart of allowed paid and/or unpaid leave organized by country. As expected, both Communist and European countries are well-represented in the “Paid Leave” columns; what’s surprising is just how much the parents get. Vietnam gives up to six months at 100% pay, while China gives about three months. Sweden and Norway give more than a year at 80-100% pay, split between both parents (to encourage involvement of the father). Germany and France give about 3-4 months at 100% plus two or three years of unpaid leave. Russia? Twenty weeks at full pay.

“Sure,” you’re thinking. “But what about the countries a little closer to our high American wages and productivity, like Japan, England or Australia?”

Japan gives 14 weeks at 60% pay. England gives 6 weeks at 90% pay, plus 20 weeks at a fixed rate (currently about $200/week). Australia is about the only other industrialized nation that doesn’t require paid leave, but they’ll let you take a whole year off without penalty.

If fact, there are only a couple countries with parental leave policies equal to or ‘worse’ than the United States: Lesotho and Swaziland are the same with twelve weeks of no pay, and Papua New Guinea is worse with six weeks unpaid leave. Am I alone in thinking we should maybe have better peers with regard to our new parents and the care of our future generations?

* …But then, who would even notice if a European didn’t show up to work? Am I right, fellow Americans? High five to our awesomeness! Wooooo!

Our second child, Carey Washington (”Wash”), was born February 13, 2007 at 12:03pm. He was 8 lbs, 4 oz.

Bradley was in labor for about 14 hours — without an epidural — and is recovering quickly and happily.

Like his sister, he was born with a lot of personality, and it’s hard not to contrast them. Whereas Tori was curious about everyone and everything around her — and could make a heckuva noise if she wasn’t happy — Wash seems quieter and more focused. (Last night he was entranced by the pattern on his mama’s hospital gown.) He’s a good looking boy with a shock of long dark hair. His facial features are very similar to Tori’s and to a couple of his cousins.

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