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Hundreds Feared Dead in Haiti Earthquake
The U.S. government and international relief organizations scrambled overnight to mobilize a response to a disaster in Haiti whose dimensions are still unknown. The devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince late Tuesday afternoon destroyed the National Palace, many government ministries, major hotels and private residences in the 250-year-old capital city. Most communications with Haiti were…
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Saving Haiti
Some countries are just not lucky. Haiti is one of those places where bad things keep happening. The massive earthquake that destroyed a large part of the 250-year-old capital city, Port-au-Prince, is just the latest blow for a country that can ill afford any more disasters. In the last two decades, Haiti has suffered a…
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The Whack-A-Mole Approach to Terrorism
Is the Obama administration about to open a third front in Yemen? A visit by Gen. Petraeus to Sana’a this week was a strong sign that the military option is fast becoming the first reaction to a terrorist event. We’re still in Iraq; we’re escalating in Afghanistan; and we’re already crossing the border from Afghanistan…
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Celebrating Miles Davis
PARIS—Jazz has always had more respect as an art form in Europe than in its home country, where appreciation too often gets tangled in the politics of race. We Want Miles: Jazz Face to Face With Its Legend is an extensive exhibition on the life and work of legendary Miles Davis at the Cité de…
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Facing the American Future
To our readers, Less than a month ago, I agreed to take over as the managing editor of The Root. I am very excited at the opportunity to work with Editor-in-chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. and our great team of editors and writers. I am also awed by the challenge. The role of African Americans…
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Winners and Losers in Copenhagen
Who won in Copenhagen? Americans like to keep score and the question is inevitable as the world digests the inconclusive and disappointing outcome of the UN’s climate change summit. The answer depends on what you read. The Washington Post says China is the big winner. The newspaper’s analysis argues that one outcome of the summit…
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FLASH: Tiger Woods Seeks Asylum in France
We know that the French find our sex scandals and our Puritanical public dialogue amusing, so it’s no surprise they’ve really gone to town on Tiger Woods’ woes. However, the Gallic media tend to find American outrage more interesting than American sins. They’ve got plenty of their own. Our sister site in France, Slate.fr, ran…
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Say No to Rudy
Hiring the former New York mayor to help reduce Rio’s horrific crime rate is a really bad idea. Rio has hired Rudy Giuliani to tackle its crime problem. When the idea first came up, I kept hoping the mayor of my favorite Brazilian city would come to his senses before he made a big mistake.…
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The Last Dance
The King is dead. Long live the King. King Nando’s death on February 2 didn’t get much media attention. There was just a brief mention on Billboard’s web site. His last hit records were heard on stations that catered to Latinos in New York and Puerto Rico in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
