Search results for: “node/Science”
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Texas Judge Being Pressured to Give ‘Affluenza’ Kid Jail Time
The Texas judge whose lenient sentencing of the drunk-driving teen who killed four people yet was given probation is being pressured to sentence him to prison, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Sixteen-year-old Ethan Couch was given 10 years probation by the judge, who believes that rehabilitation is actually better for the teen than prison, after…
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Nominate the 2014 Young Futurists!
Who are the young black trailblazers in your community? The Root is putting the spotlight on the young African-American leaders and innovators of the future, and we want your help. We are now accepting nominations for The Root 2014 Young Futurists list, to be unveiled in February. Young Futurists are between the ages of 16 and 22 and committed…
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10 Things The Root Would Like to See More of in 2014
While 2013 saw a number of setbacks, including the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act and George Zimmerman’s acquittal, some good things happened, too. The roster of black high-ranking lawmakers expanded, and actors and filmmakers saw success at the box office, with 12 Years a Slave, Fruitvale Station and The Best Man Holiday. Hoping to…
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Mandela’s Challenge for South Africa’s Black Intellectuals
Some years ago I initiated a research program on African identity at the Human Sciences Research Council, which is the largest government-funded social science research institution in South Africa. The highlight of the program was a series of lectures by author and playwright Wole Soyinka, professor and The Root Editor-in-Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. and…
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Mandela Was a Revolutionary, Not a ‘Lovable Cardboard Character’
“More than 2,500 foreign press are expected to visit South Africa to cover the memorial services and funeral this week of the man described as ‘the father of the nation‘,” according to South Africa’s Channel 24. The memorial service began Tuesday at 4 a.m. EST (11 a.m. Johannesburg time) and was scheduled to be repeated…
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2 Men May Face Death Penalty in Beating Death of Black Teen
Two Ohio men accused of beating a 16-year-old black boy to death in an apparent drug robbery gone bad were arraigned Tuesday and could be facing the death penalty, WHIO reports. Michael A. Geldrich, 36, and Michael J. Watson, 39, were charged with aggravated robbery and murder. Judge Rupert Ruppert set the bond at $1…
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White, Wealthy South Baton Rouge Wants to Secede From Poor, Black Northern Areas
Some residents of south Baton Rouge, La.—a predominantly affluent and white area of the city—want to secede from the city and create a new one named “St. George,” the Raw Story reports. A study by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber has already concluded that incorporating a new city would most likely end in Baton Rouge…
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The Pitfalls of Parenting
Hitting your child is bad. (But don’t yell at me for writing it. Yell at science. Multiple studies say so.) Most school districts have moved away from corporal punishment entirely, and even though you will find some very staunch pro-“whoopings” enthusiasts, they remain greatly outnumbered by the multitudes who think that any hitting of a…
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Was a Black Man on the Titanic?
Editor’s note: This article was originally published Dec. 2, 2013. For those who are wondering about the retro title of this black-history series, please take a moment to learn about historian Joel A. Rogers, author of the 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof, to whom these “amazing facts” are an…
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Poll: Americans Do Not Trust Each Other
Have you ever felt a twinge of mistrust as you handed your credit card to a restaurant server? How about the grocery clerk? No worries. They probably feel the same about you. A new poll shows that Americans’ trust in each other has been on the decline for about four decades, the Associated Press reports.…