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 "Toast”—
an economical, dual-purpose word meaning to
honor OR to
roast. Check here
every month for our take on the good, the bad and the ugly in money
issues and current events. You’ll quickly figure out which meaning
we’re using to “toast” each of our “honorees.”
TOAST with cherry jam
to Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times Op-Ed columnist
Nicholas Kristof for his impassioned and relentless focus on
disenfranchised women around the globe whose lives are threatened
for no good reason. Latest case in point: his recent columns on
Aisha Parveen, a Pakistani woman who escaped from a brothel. Her
country’s courts planned to send her back to the brothel owner, who
threatened to kill her. Perhaps as a result of the national exposure
given her case through his column, the government changed its
position and is now providing 24-hour police protection for her,
instead. Check out his columns on
http://www.nytimes.com.
Kristof and the Times are sponsoring a once-in-a-lifetime
chance for any college student: the winner of the “Win a Trip with
Nick Kristof” essay contest will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to
Africa with Kristof, where s/he will be able to share perspectives
and report on experiences. “You won’t be practicing tourism, but
journalism,” promises Kristof. If you know any budding journalists,
let them know about this opportunity. Visit
http://www.nytimes.com/marketing/winatrip/ for more details,
official rules and application. Entries must be received by April
20.
A
TOAST with champagne preserves to
Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s first female president, and Ellen
Johnson–Sirleaf, Liberia’s—indeed, Africa’s—first elected female
president. While we’re at it, let’s toast the voters who elected
them. Here’s hoping that electing female heads of state is a trend
that catches on in this country. Not that electing a member of the
“fairer sex” guarantees wiser leadership. But wouldn’t it be nice to
see how one of us would do as Commander in Chief for real and not
just on TV? Isn’t it about time?
BURNT TOAST to this shameful
milestone, reported in the New York Times: According to a
study conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2005
was the first year on record that a full-time worker earning minimum
wage couldn’t afford a one-bedroom apartment anywhere in the country
at market rates. Those of us who aren’t concerned about this
statistic are living in a housing bubble.
Send
your suggested
TOASTS
and BURNT
TOASTS,
or comments regarding those we publish, to
editor@makingbreadmagazine.com.
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