If he fails to find a consensus, though, he will have to take the rap for what is sure to be a very unpopular reform.

ECONOMIST: The chancellor gets his deal

Mr Schroeder's failure to take the rap with good grace has only won him more criticism for quibbling rather than tackling the problem head on.

BBC: Jobless put Schroeder on the line

Convinced that the only way to solve the problem is to hand more power to the mayor, so that he can get things done without resorting to subterfuge and also to take the rap if things go wrong Mr Riordan has appointed a commission to rethink the city's charter.

ECONOMIST: Los Angeles: Riordan��s hidden government | The

Rand also noted that only an ethic of rational selfishness can justify the pursuit of profit that is the basis of capitalism -- and that so long as self-interest is tainted by moral suspicion, the profit motive will continue to take the rap for every imaginable (or imagined) social ill and economic disaster.

WSJ: Is Rand Relevant?

Shahrum does take pains to point out one enduring double standard: Often only women take the rap.

CNN: Just Fooling Around

Five young brothers showed how to take hyper-violent hardcore rap and give it the sweetest twist of gangster finesse.

NPR: 'Straight Outta Compton,' 20 Years Later

Even with its street-lingo name, Skechers is one of few popular fashion brands to take off among suburban teens without first being embraced by the rap crowd.

FORBES: Sole Survivors

The former Heisman Trophy winner and sportscaster beat the criminal rap in 1995 in Los Angeles, but is now doing time in Nevada for attempting to take back his football memorabilia from collectors in Las Vegas at gunpoint.

FORBES: Looking At Options On A Day Of Strange Confessions From O.J. To Google