Tag Archives: Grapes of Wrath

Gambling at Goldman? Shocked, Shocked!

By Robin Bates | Published: April 26, 2010

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault famously exclaims in Casablanca, only then to be secretly presented with a bribe from the winnings.  Why did this scene come to mind when I heard about the shenanigans of Goldman Sachs this past week? It did so, I suspect, because […]

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Remembering the West Virginia Miners

By Robin Bates | Published: April 15, 2010

Ma, Tom, and Pa Joad in John Ford’s Grapes of Wrath      I don’t know a lot about the details of the Massey coal mining accident that killed 29 miners in West Virginia last week, but, from what I’ve been able to make out, it was a non-union mine owned by a heavily fined company that […]

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March Madness, Lightning Strike or Slog?

By Robin Bates | Published: March 27, 2010

Sports Saturday Once again March Madness is gripping America.  Once again we see Cinderella teams upsetting the giants (Northern Iowa upsetting top-seeded Kansas, Butler upsetting mighty Syracuse) and games won or lost on remarkable shots made in the waning seconds (Murray State, Michigan State).  Maryland, the team I was rooting for, made a miraculous last […]

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