culture
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Who Cares About Black People?
It’s been two and a half years since Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans. And now, walking through the French Quarter or downtown, one sees absolutely no physical sign that the catastrophe ever happened. Walk through a neighborhood in the Lower Ninth Ward and the same is definitely not true. Acknowledging the contrast, my mind…
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I Don't Do Brackets, and Here's Why.
One of the few joys of approaching the ripe age of 48 is that curmudgeonliness comes much more naturally than it used to, and I get a good strong dose of it every time the NCAA basketball tournament nears. You see, I’m a big basketball fan but I don’t do brackets. I feel my hackles…
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Bernard Madoff: The Villain America Needed
Dear Mister Madoff: Before it’s too late, I wanted to thank you for all that you’ve done for America. It’s been reported that Thursday you will plead guilty to 11 criminal charges, meaning you will spend the rest of your life in jail. A legacy like yours should not go unmarked as you fade into…
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Where's the Title IX for Black Men?
Nationwide we are seeing a growing disparity between male and female students enrolling in college. This gender disparity is most severe in the African American community. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have enrollment ratios approaching 65 percent female to 35 percent male. One would think that these schools would want to find creative ways…
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Lies and Consequences
Call it a comedy of editors. Looking back on the initial media blitz surrounding Love and Consequences, the auto-myth-ography by Margaret B. Jones (nee Margaret “Peggy” Seltzer), laughs come first, but anger comes hardest. Take last week’s 2,000-word New York Times profile about the author and her tall tale of gang life in South Central…
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Black Sexual Health: Condition Critical
As the nation pours over the dirty details of yet another political sex scandal, federal health officials this week quietly made some sex news that matters. A study discovered that more than one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted infection. And sadly, researchers found blacks once again hardest hit by a health problem:…
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O-Dog Speaks. And So Nicely
Every so often, we all have an experience that completely changes our life. The Wire was mine. I still have trouble believing that I was blessed for two seasons to appear in one of TV’s most admired programs, a show that many college students like myself—and even Sen. Barack Obama—feel is the coolest on TV.…
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My Son the Drug Enforcer
My middle son is a cold-hearted drug enforcer who brutally murdered a young man poised to leave a life of crime. His father and I couldn’t be prouder. Darrell, 22, has for two years played O-Dog on The Wire, the searing HBO series about life on Baltimore’s drug-strangled streets that ended last night after a…
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Eco-Soul Kitchen: The Rebirth Brunch
DERIVATIVE Equinox-Easter; Rebirth and resurrection are synonymous. Betsy-Katrina; Rebirth and resurrection are synonymous. —b. terry I bet you’re already thinking about this Sunday’s Easter dinner. Come on. Admit it. Visions are dancing in your head of succulent honey glazed ham surrounded by sweet, caramelized, roasted root vegetables; rich, creamy mac and cheese with a golden…
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A 'Wire' Addict on his Jones
My name is Steve, and I’m an addict. David Simon is my dealer. He got me in the early days with the five-part HBO mini-series, “The Corner,” and now, I’ve moved up to a full hour in front of the television, every, single, solitary Sunday night. Nine p.m. Sharp. I don’t answer the phone. I…