culture
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Chicago Man Arrested While Trying to Save His Dog From Burning Home
Around 2 p.m. last Friday, Samuel Lee Bassett arrived at his Chicago home to find the place on fire. Police and firefighters were already outside battling the blaze, which had grown intense. Bassett was reportedly told to get back, but the 48-year-old wanted to save his dog. In an attempt to get into his home,…
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The Problem Is the Abuse of ‘Broken Windows,’ Not the Policy
The irrepressible “broken windows” debate is a battle between two camps: the scientific one that questions whether it works and the practical one of old-fashioned common sense. But in the movement to do away with broken windows, let’s not get comfortable with the notion that we suddenly don’t need police in communities that still need a police…
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The City of Selma Is Hoping to Cash In on Selma
Almost 75 percent of the registered voters in Selma, Ala., and the surrounding areas went to the polls in the 2012 general election, casting a majority of their votes for President Barack Obama and Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell. The movie Selma depicts the 1965 struggle for voting rights in the Alabama town where cotton…
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Bye, Phylicia Rashad. Your Romanticizing of Cosby—and Cosby—Is Wrong
Editor’s note: In an interview with ABC’s Linsey Davis, Phylicia Rashad said that she never said “forget those women.” Instead, the Tony Award-winning actress claims that she said, “It’s not about these women.” Showbiz 411’s Roger Friedman insists that Rashad did, in fact, say “forget these women” but that the intent has been misconstrued. “[Rashad]…
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Sorority Sisters Cast Member Speaks Out About the Controversy
VH1’s Sorority Sisters, the network’s latest reality series with an ensemble cast of African-American women, has been embattled in controversy since a trailer for the show leaked in June. That trailer inspired a petition to keep it from airing, which was signed by thousands. Despite the backlash before the show even began, Sorority Sisters debuted…
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NYPD Reviews Security in Light of Paris Terror Attack; Obama Releases Statement
The New York City Police Department is taking a hard look at its security protocols in light of the terror attack in France on Wednesday, in which masked gunmen stormed into the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper, and killed 12 people, including top journalists, cartoonists and two police officers, the New York…
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NAACP Colorado Chapter Target of Bombing; Person of Interest Sought
The Colorado Springs, Colo., chapter of the NAACP was the target of a bombing Tuesday, and while no members of the organization were injured in the explosion, the chapter is adamant that its work must continue. “We believe in civil rights for all, and really we won’t work in fear and we won’t be deterred,”…
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UFC Champion Jon Jones Checks Into Rehab
On Saturday, Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defended his title, beating Daniel Cormier in a five-round decision, and on Tuesday, Jones announced that he is entering a drug-treatment facility after testing positive for traces of cocaine. According to Yahoo Sports, Jones was tested on Dec. 4, some weeks before his title defense,…
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Liberian Civil War Escapee-Turned-US Entrepreneur Named to Advisory Council of Federal Reserve Bank
Adenah Bayoh immigrated to the U.S. when she was just 13, escaping a civil war in her native land, Liberia. She put herself through college by working three jobs, one of which was as a teller for a bank, where she rose up the ranks, became an executive and saved enough money to begin her…
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NJ Police Captain Arrested in Stalking and Attack on Newark Councilman
An Irvington, N.J., police captain is under arrest on charges she reportedly stalked and assaulted a Newark, N.J., city councilman. On Monday afternoon Monique Smith, 43, attended a ceremony promoting her to police captain. Later that evening she attended an event at a club in Irvington to celebrate that promotion, according to authorities who spoke…