Politics
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Obama to Ramp Up Stimulus Spending
President Obama announced today that he’ll crank the stimulus amp up to eleven in the next three months, creating or saving 600,000 jobs in the process. National parks, youth summer jobs, schools and police department are just some of the beneficiaries of this increase in spending. POLITICO reports that though President Obama is pleased with…
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Video: Jews in Israel Not Exactly Thrilled with Obama
This video from Livesteez might get your Irish up. Some strong language ensues which you may hear clearly if you’re not busy shaking your head. We understand passionate jingoism, but we expected a chosen people to exhibit better vocabularies.
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Speaking the Language: Obama's Greeting at Cairo Sends Message
The use of Aabic greetings are no longer the purview of Black men in bow ties who terrify (white) people. While speaking in Cairo Thursday, President Obama opened his speech with the greeting “Assalamu alaykum”—meaning “peace of Allah be unto you”—and blogger Amy Alexander feels the move was a pivotal moment in our relations with…
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Video: American Sphinx? Obama Sees Self in Hieroglyph
We’ve known for a little while that the president’s G was out of this world, but out of this century? While studying pyramid walls, President Obama saw a hieroglyph that had a striking resemblance to the man himself, ears and all. Is Obama the American Sphynx? The CBC and Alpha Phi Alpha sure hope not.…
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The American Sphinx
This week, President Obama delivered his long promised speech on outreach to the Muslim world. And then he turned into a tourist. Is this guy cool or what? Write your own captions in the comment space.
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First Lady Replaces Chief of Staff
The First Lady has replaced her chief of staff Jackie Norris with White House attorney Susan Sher. Obama met Norris during the Iowa caucuses—Norris having been in charge of arranging many of President Obama’s visits in the state—and got to know her in the course of their travels. The WASHINGTON POST is reporting that though…
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Journalist Thinks California Gays Need to Chill Out
Jasmyne Cannick of the LA. WATTS TIMES pretty much takes the white gay community in California to the woodshed in her latest piece titled “A White Gays Guide to Dealing with Black People.” Cannick, a lesbian herself, pretty much says the gay community needs to fall back while California deals with other issues—unemployment, health care,…
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No Hold(er)s Barred: AG Eric Holder Sits Down with Essence
Cynthia Gordy of ESSENCE sat down with Attorney General Eric Holder for an interview as the media-reluctant lawyer-in-chief discussed a few hot topics of the day. Regarding the criminal justice system and Black America’s expectation of a Black President and Attorney General, Holder recognized the need to manage expectations while remaining committed to making “substantive…
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Koko Taylor, Blues Legend, Dead at 80
CNN is reporting that Koko Taylor, Chicago Blues legend, has died at age 80. Born Cora Walton in West Tennessee, Taylor left home at 24 with her future husband to pursue her Blues dreams in Chicago. By day, she worked as a cleaning woman and in the evening hours, she hopped from club to club,…
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Why We Need a Human Rights Commission
When political leaders face urgent problems and a polarized public, a commission that honestly gathers facts and encourages a consensus is needed. Yet at a time when Americans are struggling to address torture, hate crimes, marriage inequality, police misconduct and racial profiling, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is either silent or on the wrong side of…