11/13/2011

Three Black Chess Masters--Under Age 14!

Fewer than 2 percent of the 47,000 members of the United States Chess Federation are masters — and just 13 of them are under the age of 14.
Among that select group of prodigies are three black players from the New York City area — Justus Williams, Joshua Colas and James Black Jr. — who each became masters before their 13th birthdays. [Read more]

11/02/2011

Rick Santorum Needs to Join Occupy Wall Street

In the United States, economic inequality is also driving down marriage rates. Men who experience worse economic circumstances -- lower earnings, unemployment, and less wealth -- are less likely to marry, or, if they do marry, to stay married. For the past three decades, policymakers have favored policies that have benefitted economic elites at the expense of average working men. By forcing more and more men into worse economic circumstances, these polices have also pushed down American marriage rates. [Read more]

Banks Extract Fees On Unemployment Benefits

The state of Oregon, where Linville lives, deposits his weekly benefits on a U.S. Bank prepaid debit card. The bank allows him to make four withdrawals per month free of charge. After that, he must pay $1.50 for each visit to the ATM and $3 to see a teller. Managing his basic expenses, including rent, bus fare and groceries, typically requires more than four withdrawals, he says. Unexpected needs -- Linville recently bought a sport coat for $20 to prepare for a job interview -- entail more. He's afraid to withdraw his full benefits in one shot, knowing that the bank could sock him with a $17.50 overdraft fee if he exceeds his balance. So he pulls out small amounts of cash as he needs it, incurring about $15 in fees in the last two months he says. [Read more]

11/01/2011

Soda marketers target blacks and Hispanics

KAI RYSSDAL: You know how there's been this big push the past couple of years to clean up ads directed at children, mostly about junk food and sugary drinks? Well, there's a new study out about those drinks. Researchers at Yale say kids are actually seeing more ads for that stuff than they used to. It's a pattern that's especially true for black and Hispanic children and teenagers. [Read more]