culture
-
Trevor Rhone, Famed Jamaican Playwright, Dies at 69
Jamaica has lost one of its brightest stars as Trevor Rhone passed at the age of 69. From NewsOne: Trevor Rhone, a prominent Jamaican playwright and screenwriter who co-wrote “The Harder They Come,” a film classic that helped introduce the island’s pop culture to a global audience, has died. He was 69. His brother Neville…
-
Woman Beaten in Front of Daughter at Cracker Barrel
Human decency never ceases to amaze. Army Reservist Tasha Hill was heading into an Atlanta Cracker Barrel with her seven-year old daughter when she was nearly knocked down by Troy West, who was on his way out. Rather than apologize, Hill rained down blows on the 35-year old mother. From Fox Atlanta: Hill, a 35-year-old…
-
The Woman Who Would Be King
Some people play in cover bands or flag football leagues when they’re not working. Peggielene Bartels is the king of a Ghanaian village. From the Washington Post: The king folds her own laundry, chauffeurs herself around Washington in a 1992 Honda and answers her own phone. Her boss’s phone, too. Peggielene Bartels lives in Silver…
-
Social Networks in Ghana Used to Entrap Gays
Internet scams are nothing new, but the targeting of gays in Ghana is on the rise. From Fast Company: [G]ay Internet community members are being trapped, kidnapped and robbed, often with the aid of the police. Homosexuality in Ghana is a felony offense, which has put the country’s gay population in a particularly vulnerable position…
-
Death by Samurai Sword for Man Who Broke into Student's Garage
Breaking into peoples’ houses is an extremely risky proposition. Sometimes, you get some stuff. Other times, undergrads from Johns Hopkins come out and end your life with a samurai sword. From the Washington Post: Baltimore police say a Johns Hopkins University student armed with a samurai sword killed an intruder in his garage. Police spokesman…
-
Lockerbie Bomber's Health Worsens
It appears Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi’s time grows nigh. The health of the man convicted of bombing Pan Am flight 103 in 1988, who was released on compassionate grounds due to terminal prostate cancer, seems to have taken a turn for the worst.From Al Jazeera: “He is at a special ward at Tripoli Medical Centre. His…
-
Big, Fat and Not Wack
Season four of The Biggest Loser is about to kick off, so get ready for the blood, sweat and tears as we tune in to cheer on our favorite fatty. Fans will sit riveted as they strip down to shorts and bras—topless for the men—kick off a few ounces of flip-flops and mount the platform…
-
Actor Patrick Swayze Succumbs to Cancer at 57
From ABC News: Patrick Swayze has died after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze’s publicist Annett Wolf says the 57-year-old “Dirty Dancing” actor died Monday with family at his side. He came forward about his illness last spring, but continued working as he underwent treatments. It was 1987 when Swayze became a star…
-
Body of Missing Yale Student Found
On the day she was to be married, the remains of missing Yale med student Annie Le have been found. From CNN: Le’s body was discovered Sunday, hidden in a basement wall in a medical research building. The 24-year-old graduate student in pharmacology, who had been scheduled to get married the day her remains were…