culture
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Kermit Gosnell: Who's to Blame for Weak National Coverage?
The facts emerging from the case of abortionist and alleged murderer Dr. Kermit Gosnell are horrifying. Slate‘s David Weigel looks at how the national media gave the tragedy such shoddy coverage. Republicans weren’t talking about it either; they were talking about that Planned Parenthood video, because taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood is an active political…
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Can a Hungry Child Learn Well? Probably Not
Imagine how hunger affects your progress at work; now imagine being 7 years old, hungry every day and haunted by the fact that how you do on a math test could determine whether your family gets dinner next week. Legislation proposed by two congressmen last week would make such a scenario all too real, and…
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Kevin Hart Held for Drunk Driving, Tweets Response
Funny man Kevin Hart was arrested early Sunday morning in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving. Hours later, he made light of the situation on Twitter. When the cop asked me to take the sobriety test I said “WHY WASTE OUR TIME…I’M DRUNK MAN” …..#TrueStory On some real shit….drinking & driving is not a…
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Watch This: DMX on 'Iyanla: Fix My Life'
After numerous commercials depicting rapper DMX cursing at OWN’s Iyanla: Fix My Life host Iyanla Vanzant — and her stopping him in his tracks — the highly anticipated episode aired on Saturday. Just before its debut, Vanzant spoke to Essence about the show’s direction and lessons. ESSENCE.com: What made you choose DMX? IYANLA VANZANT: His…
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Police Officer Fired for Trayvon Martin Targets
On Friday, Sgt. Ron King of Florida’s Port Canaveral Police Department was fired for using shooting targets fashioned to look like Trayvon Martin, Skittles included, reports the Orlando Sentinel. In a YouTube video posted late Saturday, King said he did not intend for the Trayvon target to be used for shooting. It was designed “to…
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Amid North Korea Tension, John Kerry Meets Japanese Leader
On Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry met in Japan with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida regarding North Korea’s recent nuclear threats, reports CNN. “We cannot in any way allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons,” Kishida said. Also, “we agreed North Korea must stop its provocative speech and and behavior.” North Korea threatened in early…
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Drake on Chris Brown: I Treated Rihanna With Respect
The tension between Chris Brown and Drake is well-documented, from club brawls to barb-filled interviews. Saturday was no different, when the Toronto MC was asked about his adversary, according to MTV News. “Don’t ask me sh— about that man when I come up there and leave that man alone. Stop preying on his insecurities,” Drake…
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Does a High School's Size Matter?
(Special to The Root) — “Is it better to have my son in a small school with fewer resources and supportive teachers, or a larger school with more resources but administrators who aren’t exactly nurturing?” —Monica Blakely Thank you for your question. It is a good one that many parents ask themselves when thinking about…
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So You Want to Be a Relationship Expert!
(The Root) — Something amazing is happening today. Your favorite musical icons from the 1990s are putting down the microphones and picking up the pens (or paying someone to do it for them) and writing books giving relationship advice aimed primarily at black women. The success of Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like…
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I Have a Watermelon Birthmark, but I Hate the Fruit
Man’s mother eats lots of watermelon while pregnant, man is born with watermelon-shaped birthmark, man grows up to hate the fruit. This is Theodore Johnson’s story, and although he’s aware of the historical significance of the red and green fruit, he writes on the Huffington Post that he’s tired of the weight blacks allow the…