No Monopoly on Melting

what is the right recipe for a proper Melting Pot? i live in a place that has pulled it off smashingly in some ways and not so well in others. Oakland breaks down something like this: black 34%, white, 31%, hispanic 24% and asian 11%. i think we get along quite well. but in other ways, like when one looks at the lack of integration in our schools, something has gone seriously wrong.

in Panama there is incredible diversity. again, everyone seems to get along great! but there, too, is something deeper that causes the skin to noticeably pale as one looks higher up the socio-economic scale. sure we can't waive a wand and cure all the ills of history: colonialism, slavery, etc. but where is the intelligent dialog about how to deal with problems that haven't gotten better or

we have some evolving to do. the recent hubub in germany as the world cup approaches make that perfectly clear. over how many hundreds of thousands of years has our little xenophobic gene been making itself at home in our bodies? i'm a firm believer that enlightenment can curb the influence of our instincts. it's harder, but it has to be done when society changes. it's really still evolution - and those that adapt to these changes will be successful. those that isolate and fear and hate will ultimately fail. the world's landscape is littered with ruins of walls that are a historical curiosity.

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below are some pictures from panama. they are kids so comfortable in thier skin and they makes me smile.

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oh to be comfortable with everyone's skin.