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GOP House to Vote on Debt Ceiling
On Friday, House Republicans announced an upcoming vote on the debt ceiling, with a stiff addition. At a GOP retreat, Speaker John Boehner and other House leaders agreed, according to CNN, that if there isn’t an agreement in three months, pay in the House and Senate should be cut. The added condition to the short…
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Robert Chew, Prop Joe From 'The Wire,' Dies
Robert Chew, the actor who played Proposition Joe on the cult crime drama The Wire, died of a heart attack in his Baltimore home on Thursday. He was 52, reports the Washington Post. Known for his practical advice, Chew’s character was an integral part of the HBO show’s gritty depiction of Baltimore. Robert Chew grew…
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Hollywood's New 'It Girl' Keeps It Real
(The Root) — On the night before the Oscar nominations, Quvenzhané Wallis was a 9-year-old hopeful working the room at the party Quincy Jones threw for filmmakers at Spago in Beverly Hills. Two days later, after she became the youngest person ever to be nominated for best actress, Wallis, now a seasoned pro, entered the…
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Is It Gun Control or Crime Reduction?
(The Root) — Barack Obama came to a gunfight Wednesday with a rocket launcher. After almost completing his entire first term while deftly dodging any substantive discussion on gun control, 33 days after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, the president came out blasting. He called out Congress, announcing it’s time for Capitol Hill lawmakers…
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Dating While Smart: Extra Hard for Black Women
Writing at Clutch magazine, Kalisha Buckhanon says that for educated and accomplished black women, bad dates often come with a unique problem: being “stricken with the heavy task of overturning stereotypes that demean the experiences we ought to have in this world.” … That is the problem. They have been discussed, ad nauseam, by writers…
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Buckwheat's Road to the Inauguration
(The Root) — An enormous stretch Humvee limousine — with an American flag waving from a rooftop antenna and red, white and blue bunting decorating the hood — was pulled up at the door of the Home for Retired Racial Stereotypes. Charlie Chan, Tonto and the Frito Bandito were loading suitcases into the trunk, while…
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'All My Babies' Mamas' Cancellation a Missed Opportunity?
The world will never see Oxygen’s reality special about Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo and the 10 mothers of his 11 children. NPR‘s Gene Demby wonders whether viewers are missing out on a program that might have made them question stereotypes. … One of the odd side effects of many reality shows — even those shows…
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This Is What Anti-Gun Legislation Looks Like
(The Root) — It took me a long time to become comfortable with the n-word*. I see kids today throwing it around with wreckless abandon, but the n-word was incredibly hurtful for me when I was growing up. Having it hurled at me as I walked through school and in my neighborhood was something I…
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Ray Nagin Faces 21 Corruption Counts
Ray Nagin faces 21 corruption counts: The former New Orleans mayor’s charges including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering and result from a City Hall corruption investigation that has resulted in guilty pleas by two former city officials and two businessmen, the Associated Press reports. Tiger Woods proposes to Elin again? According to the National…
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Integration Pioneer James Hood Dies at 70
James Hood became one of the first black students at the University of Alabama when he faced down Gov. George Wallace at the school’s door to help integrate the university 50 years ago. He died on Thursday in his hometown of Gadsden, where he’s being remembered for proving wrong the saying “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow,…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
