Thursday Night

It was one heck of a busy day at work. You know, on a day like this I can't help but be reminded that when we screw up, the hammer comes down hard, but when we bust our butts and do great work we don't hear a bloody thing.

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The front's blowing in. Gettin' chilly out there. I'm glad I ran last night.

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Class tonight was a tad disappointing. I guess I wasn't the only one just worn out, as everyone was unusually quiet.

And the topic, Native Americans, was one I was keenly interested in.

But the whole thing lacked zip, and it was clear that it's just not a subject Dr C is all that familiar with.

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I thought I'd share a few things I learned from the text though:

From 1500 to about 1900, they experienced a 98% reduction in population and a 97.5% reduction in territorial lands.

Today, unemployment ranges from 60 to 90 percent.

In 1989, 34% lived below the poverty line. This was nearly double the number of any other ethnic group.

Average life expectancy is 55 years.

73.2% of Indian traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.

Indians were not granted the right to vote until 1946.

Their suicide rate is double the national average.

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We've been reading Native Son by Richard Wright. Has anyone else read this? It's this novel about Bigger Thomas, a young black man who murders a white woman. It's brutal, and we're told it "changed the world."

It's the subject of much debate in class, and in fact, some of us are going to the prof's house Saturday night for an extended discussion of the book.

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I wonder how it's going in Surprise?

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Ya'll take care.