The Wall Street Journal includes a thought-provoking column this morning that suggests there would be less of a shortage of black women marrying black men, if more black women were open to marrying white men.

     The article is well worth the read, especially the discussion of some of the reasons black women do not want to marry white men.

[The article from the about to be released book ""Is Marriage for White People?: How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone" by Ralph Richard Banks.]

This day in history - July 8, 1889: The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published

By Richard K. Barry

The Wall Street Journal is the largest newspaper in the United States by circulation and, sadly, since 2007 owned by the Rupert Murdoch news empire, which also owns the Fox News Channel among many other media entities.

In a week in which another Murdoch-owned media outlet, the British tabloid News of the World, announced that it will shut down due to despicable invasions of privacy, it seems important to remind ourselves what a cancer on the world of journalism Murdoch has been.

Despite earlier assurances from him that he would not turn the Journal into a right-wing advocacy rag, that is exactly what he has done.

And Fox News is just another "objective news source." Yeah, right.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

Down The Drain

     Four Jefferson County Legislators have filed suit over a sewer rate hike ordered by the court-appointed receiver who trying to get the county out from under its massive sewer debt...a public works project that sent people to jail and almost bankrupt the entire county.

     I hope those legislators at least have an alternative plan to lay on the table to block bankruptcy, which the Wall Street Journal reported this week, would have an impact well beyond Jefferson County, seriously impacting the ability of all Alabama entities to sell bonds.

     Otherwise what is it? A turf war as the county teeters on the edge? Now that's smart!

    

A Very Big Guitar

Turn to The Wall Street Journal this morning to read about and see the image of giant guitar grown into a field in Argentina. Great story....and a love story to boot.

Where NOT to work.

     Certain industries are headed for the job creation morgue, claims a story in the Wall Street Journal today.

     They quote IBIS, a research group as determining the top (or bottom) ten:





Wired Telecommunications Carriers



Mills

Newspaper Publishing

Apparel Manufacturing

DVD, Game & Video Rental

Manufactured Home Dealers

Video Postproduction Services

Record Stores

Photofinishing

Formal Wear & Costume Rental

SOURCE: IBISWORLD

 

     NO shock about newspaper publishing, textile mills and record stores (Daddy, what are records?).....in fact all of them are fairly predictable in a world of cell phones and digital everything.

     The Mills and apparel companies that provided generations of  Alabamians with careers are long gone. And developing film? Bye Bye.

 

     But one industry that employes a lot of Alabamians is also on the list, and it may be a surprise: "Manufactured Homes"..i.e. Mobile Homes. According to the Alabama Manufactured Home Association, 24% of new home sales in Alabama are actually mobile homes.

         There are thirteen manufactured home building companies in the state churning out almost 7,500 homes last year. Another dozen or so import homes into Alabama. You might think they would coordinate all of this and keep the homegrown homes here. But The Alabama Manufactured Homes Association says about three-quarters of the homes made in Alabama are exported out of the state...perhaps answering Andy Rooney's long-ago question: if they're mobile, why don't they GO somewhere?"

     There actually is a regulatory agency for mobile homes in the state. The Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission here in Montgomery. Note from their website picture that their headquarters building is not a mobile home.