Two major world figures were attacked recently: President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. The U.S. President and the Pope are famous for the security that surrounds each person 24/7. While neither were injured in the recent attempts, W’s detail was breached more successfully. There’s no way that someone should have been able to throw a shoe at the president…

The Root is saddened to report that Eartha Kitt, legendary songstress, actress and dancer died on Christmas Day. Kitt, 81, died of colon cancer in Connecticut. Her career as a performer stretched across six decades during which Kitt won two Emmies and took on various roles on Broadway and in films. Born on Jan. 17, 1927 in South…

Each year, Newsweek pays homage to those who we have lost in the past year. Buzz would like to echo our partners at Newsweek and take some time out to remember some of our memorable friends lost this past year. As we enter the New Year, we would like to remember Bo Diddley (Dec. 30,…

To most Americans (i.e. not Bernie Madoff, AIG execs., etc) the dwindling value of the dollar has been nerve-racking, to say the least. It has also had an impact internationally. The BBC reported one country, in which, the dollar might actually be helpful. Zimbabwe is undergoing a “dollarisation,” which seems to be offering some temporary…

The Root is having a ball! An inaugural ball, that is. And you have a chance to join us! To kick off inauguration week, The Root is throwing a grand, invitation-only, black-tie gala on Sunday, Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C. The evening event will be brimming with all of our favorite writers, movers and shakers,…

America has never had a terribly forthright relationship with its history. No surprise, then, that three years after Katrina laid bare the deep, deadly inequality festering in our nation’s cities, we’ve already blotted the memory. In a breathtaking article in this week’s edition of The Nation magazine, investigative reporter A.C. Thompson (you can read my…

There’s been a great deal of mystery—OK, hype—surrounding Will Smith’s newest movie, Seven Pounds. Critics were embargoed from revealing the plot twist, and in an interview with Barbara Walters, Smith cautioned her against saying anything about the flick that he was plugging: “Don’t ruin my movie, Barbara.” Watching the trailers, it’s hard to figure out…

A large chunk of the program for Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration was announced today. Liberal groups greeted the news that evangelical pastor Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church in California, will deliver the invocation with responses ranging from “grave disappointment” to cries of “BS.” But close observers of Obama’s rise should not be surprised by…

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown teamed up with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki to announce the withdrawal of British troops by July 2009. Amidst some criticism from British conservatives, Brown reports that his troops have completed their job. When I saw this on BBC, I wondered: “Where is the ‘Mission Accomplished‘ banner? Why isn’t he…

After an Iraqi journalist pelted a shoe at President Bush in a press conference yesterday, the New York Times reports that “Hitting someone with a shoe is a strong insult in Iraq. It means the person is as low as the dirt underneath the sole of a shoe.” My question is: Why is the first…