President-elect Obama has vowed to make the misleadingly titled Employee Free Choice Act, better known as “Card Check,” the “law of the land” and that’s bad news for Americans who want to keep their jobs. If Sen. Saxby Chambliss loses in the Dec. 2 run-off election, Card Check will indeed become law, driving more jobs overseas and decimating what’s left of the American economy. My column in this week’s paper explains why Georgians need to send Chambliss back to Washington to defeat this disastrous legislation.

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I'm excited for The Sunday Paper's Nov. 23 issue to hit the streets this weekend, although admittedly, I'm biased. (Full article and comments)

This interactive web applet uses Prefuse to show the percentage of certain jobs held by men and women over the span of 150 years, and how those statistics changed at the turn of each decade. In addition to marveling at the saturation of males and females in the job market as a whole, we noticed that while there's been a predictable change in the number of farmers and farm laborers in America since 1850, "Craneman/Hoistman" has just never been all that popular a gig. (Full article and comments)

Everyone's wondering who might replace Oprah Winfrey. The answer is right here in Atlanta. (Full article and comments)

Author Carlos Moore will host an event in Atlanta this Sunday to celebrate the release of his new memoir "Pichón: Race and Revolution in Castro’s Cuba" (Lawrence Hill Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, November 2008).
Moore will give a joint presentation about race in Cuba with Afro-Cuban painter Tomás Esson. The event is free and open to the public, and takes place on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Hammonds House Gallery (503 Peeples Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30310).
"Pichón" is a compelling autobiography that reveals Moore’s lifelong resistance to the official denial of the racial realities he perceived in Cuba. It’s particularly timely considering that President-elect Obama’s intended initiatives to loosen travel restrictions and consider direct talks with Cuba would be a significant change to U.S. foreign policy.

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“The Secretary of Defense said about a week ago that he was postponing any decision on a location of AfriCom until 2012,” says Vince Crawley, spokesman for AfriCom in Stuttgart, Germany, where the command is currently located. “There is long range interest in a base on the [African] continent, but also in having a substantial number of staff based somewhere not on the continent.”

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Are we so cynical, so jaded, so conditioned to expect failure that one loss (or two or three) automatically makes us feel foolish for feeling proud of what's been accomplished so far? (Full article and comments)

Beloved drag queen RuPaul (pictured) turns 48 on Nov. 17. Remind us—why is he famous again? Other than dressing up as a woman?

 

Former boy-bander Isaac Hanson makes it to 28 Nov. 17. Let him serve as a reminder to the Jonas Brothers about the fleeting nature of fame.

 

Famous for carefree, freeloading roles, it's hard to believe Owen Wilson is almost over the hill; he’s 40 on Nov. 18.  

 

With advancing technology and HD, Larry King may want to consider some new lighting to keep him looking "youthful." He’s 75 on Nov. 19.

 

It's been a big month for Joe with the election—Joe Biden, that is, not the plumber. Our vice president-elect is 66 on Nov. 20.

 

Icelandic sorta-hottie Björk is 43 on Nov. 21. Our birthday wish? The return of that infamous swan dress, just for our own guilty pleasure.

 

Jamie Lee Curtis has something new to scream about; the actress hits the big 5-0 on Nov. 22.

Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images

 

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There will be a candlelight vigil at the corner of Piedmont and 10th this evening at 5 p.m. in support of same-sex marriage rights. I plan to be there, not just to support my co-worker Kirsten Ott, the Sunday Paper's fashion editor, but also to make my support of equal rights crystal clear.
I seldom make public appearances these days, but this is important.
Please join me in responding with a clear rebuke to California's prop 8 and similar legislation elsewhere. I'll bring some extra candles, but try to remember to bring your own. There's a lot of darkness out there to lift.
Signs are welcome. (Full article and comments)

This weekend is ICE 8, the best holiday shopping in Atlanta!

This year, ICE has over 100 vendors from all over the country selling amazing handcrafted items. (Full article and comments)