culture

“Under the general heading of, ‘the light skin and the long hair will get you in trouble every single time’, former Chief of Staff to former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced this week to five years probation with the first 120 days served in jail for her role in the scandal that brought down Kilpatrick’s administration. Christine…

We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but what about Fat Tuesday? Nope, not the one heralding Mardi Gras. No, no. This is the Fat Tuesday that follows your holiday meal binge—you know, the one after all the turkey and pie and festive drinks, when you realize your pants are tight, the scale is…

Plaxico Burress won the Super Bowl, shot himself in the thigh and now may be looking at an abrupt loss of freedom if convicted of felony weapons charges. Stephon Marbury was living the dream; he was playing in the NBA for his hometown team, one of the storied franchises in the history of sports. He was…

During my “real education” years, you know, post-undergrad and confused, there were five major players in the shaping of my consciousness: Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Henry Dumas, Toni Morrison and Odetta. I would sit in my living room in San Francisco, uncombed, Thrift Store gear and read excerpts of Angela Davis, Etheridge Knight with Odetta evoking…

Politico and Huffington Post are reporting that Gregory, NBC News’ chief White House correspondent, will replace Tim Russert on Meet The Press in February 2009. However, NBC has said they will not and have not made an official announcement today. So maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. Regardless, it’s buzzin’. And what’s a little buzz without…

Poor hand-eye coordination could land Plaxico Burress in prison for at least seven years. He was arraigned Monday on weapons charges stemming from a nightclub shooting early Saturday morning…in which he shot himself. A witness saw the New York Giants wide receiver toying with his waistline just before his .40-caliber Glock pistol discharged, sending a…

William Balfour, the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, has been arrested in the murders of the actress/singer’s mother, brother and nephew. Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found shot to death in their South Side Chicago home Oct. 24. Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found dead from gunshot wounds in an…

This is how I knew from the very beginning that my mother loved me: Every morning, like clockwork, she would pull out the Green Monster, and every morning, as soon as I saw the thing, I would turn the other way and run. She would chase me around the living room of our brownstone with…

The economic downturn is affecting people worldwide and restaurants are often the first busineses to take hits, as people eat out less and less in hard times. One Japanese restaurant cut its staff of waiters and replaced them with monkeys that only work two hours a day, but bring in tourists and business from around…

The National Bureau of Economic Research released a statement that the United States has been in a recession that began in December 2007. Recessions are characterized by a decline in production, wages, and employment, among other factors. As we enter into the holiday shopping season, this news will likely serve as a shock to consumer…