culture
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Mandela's Room Resembles ICU Ward, Ex-Wife Reports
Nelson Mandela is still unable to speak because of tubes that help keep his lungs clear of fluid, his former wife told the Sunday Independent and the Associated Press reports. According to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former South African president is “quite ill,” although he is relaxed. She added that 22 doctors are treating him at…
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Moms and Sons: Serving Time in Fake Jail
We drove home in silence, and I could tell that it was killing my son. If I had gone full-blown-hand-waving-talking-through-gritted-teeth-just-wait-till-I-can-get-you-home crazy, I might have Iet slip what was in store for him, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. No, jail would have to be a surprise. Moms raising sons alone too often find…
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On the Rise, MMA Tries to Figure Out the Hip-Hop Generation
As throngs of former collegiate wrestlers, contact sportsmen and current street fighters look to the new beacon of athletic hope that is mixed martial arts, one must recognize the shift in the talent pool. It is a shift that, although gradual, came from a place of desperation once the prospect or at least the perception…
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The Culture of Disrespect, Race and President Obama
The following is an excerpt of Charles M. Blow’s column from Sunday’s New York Times: “In an interview with the BBC this week, Oprah Winfrey said of President Obama: ‘There is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs. And that occurs, in some cases, and maybe even many cases, because he’s African-American.’ With that remark,…
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Making the Case for the MMA
There was once a family that hailed from beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The family was surprisingly stocked with boys who all seemed to walk to the pied piper movement of their father, a martial artist. However, his form of combative exercise was not atypical to his surroundings, which spawned the fighting dance of capoeira.…
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Film Explores One Man’s Vision of Race, Culture and Identity
Lauded British-African filmmaker John Akomfrah’s aesthetically captivating and poignant homage to Jamaican polymath, cultural theorist and British intellectual Stuart Hall is a real must-see, and one that I am all the richer for having seen. Currently showing as a multilayered video installation at Tate Britain for the next six months, this three-screen film montage is…
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Mike Tyson's Undisputed Truth Set to Premiere on HBO
Mike Tyson is a walking, talking anomaly. People fitting the pedigree of the former heavyweight champion of the world rarely get to tell their side of the story. Their lives and tragic deaths are usually cautionary tales whispered by school teachers, guidance counselors and group-home workers to children in need of “straightening out.” At one time, he was…
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Scandal Recap: 10 Shocking Twists
Wow. Just wow. Last night’s episode of Scandal was packed with so many scream-worthy twists I’m sure most of you are hoarse. Today I can’t even whisper the word “gladiator” without feeling faint. Just when you thought Olivia Pope had the “My Family’s Secrets Are Worse Than Your Family’s Secrets” contest on lock, here comes…
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Sen. Cory Booker Said to Be Dating Entertainment Lawyer
As the mayor of Newark, N.J., Cory Booker was always protective of his personal life, particularly when it came to romantic relationships. In fact, he was so evasive that many questioned his sexuality, believing him to be gay. But he may not be guarding his relationships so heavily as the newly elected senator of New…
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Woman Gets Racist Text From Limo Company
A Detroit woman looking to get a party bus for her mother’s birthday instead got a huge dose of racism. Candis Doss, 25, told Fox 2 that she called Detroit Limo Party Bus—a company that she found on Craigslist—to get a quote while she was driving. Her phone dropped the call, she says. Before she…