culture
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Not My Newports! Tobacco Bill Focuses on Menthol Cigarettes
Maybe President Obama is a turncoat after all. A man known to in a sqaure from time to time, he is expected to sign a bill giving the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products this week. According to Reuters, the bill which will outlaw flavored cigarettes such as strawberry, clove and chocolate but did…
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Colin Powell: Minority Dropout Rate is a 'Catastrophe'
52 percent. That is the average rate of 4-year graduation among Black and Hispanic high school students in the United States, according to a study. The national average is 70 percent. Both these statistics are troubling, particularly the latter, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell hopes to bring both up. Through America’s Promise Alliance,…
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A Road Trip Worth Taking
Away We Go is your classic road movie; the two protagonists—in this case, a mostly happily unmarried couple—use all manner of methods, from planes to trains to automobiles, to get to where it is that they happen to be going. And like all road movies, the true journey is really an internal one; in this…
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Is Black Music Worth Celebrating?
Imagine a music world without Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Billie Holliday. It’s a scary thought. Now turn on the radio. Hurts, doesn’t it? Thirty years ago, when President Jimmy Carter first designated June “Black Music Month,” it was intended for all Americans to appreciate black music and its place in the nation’s blended musical landscape.…
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Jada Hits Primetime
The hospital drama is a staple in the pantry of prime-time television, and recent events in Washington to restructure the nation’s health care system could prolong the subgenre’s shelf life. The latest entry, Hawthorne, which debuted this week on TNT, begins in the midst of real-life health emergency, as President Obama advances a plan to…
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A Father's Right to Choose
Dr. Eric Wallace of FJM Blog asks a question often overlooked on the reproductive rights’ landscape: What rights and say does a father have in the life or death of his unborn child? Wallace writes: “In many ways, the parental rights of expectant fathers are blatantly ignored and fathers are, in a court of law,…
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Slugger Sosa Failed '03 Drug Test
Another one bites the dust. According to the New York Times, Sammy Sosa tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in the 2003 season while with the Chicago Cubs. Sixth on the all-time home run list, he has been the subject of suspicion for years, particularly with regard to his relationship with disgraced trainer Angel Presinal.…
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Relax, Father’s Day Isn’t Mother’s Day
The trick to shopping for a Father’s Day present is to understand that this isn’t Mother Day. Unlike the second Sunday in May, which is prepped for and marketed months in advance, replete with brunches and church services and graduation exercises, the third Sunday in June is a day when dad gets breakfast in bed;…
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How I Paid Down $50K In Debt
For years, I told my friends the same thing. “I made this mess; I’ll fix it!” The mess I made wasn’t uncommon; I had gotten myself deep into credit card debt. How deep? About $50K deep. Ugly, I know. But I retired that debt, plus about $15K owed to the IRS, and it took only…
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Video: Going Real Green — Detoxing on a Raw Food Diet
This approach is hard core and the detox process can be a bear, but the benefits are huge.