Bill Gates's scholarship invidious?

Despite his billions, Bill Gates is too " new rich ", too nerdy, too original , too independently brilliant to be associated with some sinister, entrenched American "ruling class " ( THEY probably meet once a year now in some tasteless, luxury hotel to plan - in vain - who our next president should be. )

In today's news I read that he and his wife, Melinda, will donate $1 billion for minority scholarships - a very generous gift to be sure. NOBODY with academic talent should be deprived of a quality college education.

Good news for bright black kids, hispanic kids, and American Indian kids . But another " forgotten minority " has been left out of the Rainbow coalition - poor white kids!

Are they the "new niggers"?

Tragedy -The Lord can't lose !

Another sickeningly familiar headline this morning: " 8 die in Texas church shooting ". The story tells us nothing about the monster who - of course! - killed himself.

I don't think these horrible stories are impossible to understand. The scene of the massacre was a Fort Worth Baptist Church. And in the midst of it something more real than ballyhooed Faith in God (" See You at The Pole ", Santa Clause ... see you in heaven, God. " ) : ordinary human love and heroism - a girl laying on top of her best friend to protect her ... " and she got shot. "

The mental health system in this country STINKS ! Murder-suicides are the act of individuals in a nihilistic rage, individuals who feel that the game of life is all over for them, the cards had been stacked against them, they had been cheated and betrayed by many people who should have cared but did not. For too many of us watching other people drown in the rat race is a spectator sport.

Perhaps " desperation hot-lines " can be established in our bigger cities - to assist and cool off enraged individuals feeling " at the end of the rope ".

How many horrors might have been stopped by a few kind words, sincere attention - and a petty loan ?

I read about people thanking the Lord that THEIR kid was spared. And at the funerals they will thank HIM for taking their kid to Heaven. The Lord can't lose!

But common humanity can still win.

Michael Stanton - hate crime victim?

I used to live in the neighborhood where your investigative reporter, Michael Stanton, was brutally assaulted by local thugs who hang around Sollitto's Liquor Store.

The neighborhood was once -decades ago-" a nice place to live." Now it breeds thugs as well as excrement breeds maggots.

I just passed the area on the Warwick Ave. bus. My friend Paul, also on the bus, speculated that the incident might be "Cianci's Revenge". He is not above this
hoodlum stuff, you know.

But I suspect that it was just a few moments of recreation for bored and drunken denizens of New Puerto Rico or the New Azores. In zoology you call this
antagonism to the passing stranger "territorial protection".

"You messing with ME, man? You messing with me". There might even be an element of racial profiling here. A petty hate crime incident!

Best wishes to Michael Stanton . Let the investigation continue.

For Adults Only!

Check out your " Kidsbeat " section today- page F3 . We learn that at least 1 of every 5 children is obese today.

How to deal with this problem ? "The biggest thing we encourage is self-esteem ", says Lauren Leary . Okay , but nothing original here.

But this is questionable, to be sure : " Kids love MARITAL arts. "I have heard that this is a good way for ADULTS to build self-esteem and lose calories.

Fat kids will not lose weight watching marital arts on TV.

Tell them to walk more . And put a lock on the refrigerator !