Uncategorized
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Obama and the Suicidal Left
During the Democratic National Convention in Denver, I sat on a panel about hip-hop and politics with a number of well-read and highly regarded thinkers in the black community. At one point a fellow panelist commented that it was impossible to criticize Barack without being considered a sellout. That statement inspired a thread of commentary…
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All in the Family
The Internet was buzzing with rumors that Gov. Sarah Palin’s 4-month-old son is actually the child of her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol. To silence these rumors, Camp McCain-Palin released this bombshell: Bristol couldn’t have had the infant because she is five months pregnant. Whew! This is the stuff of Access Hollywood. McCain claimed he knew about…
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High on Art
After 1968: Contemporary Artists and the Civil Rights Legacy High Museum of Art June 7–October 5, 2008 Contemporary art isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but, if there was ever a moment when museum-grade contemporary images for/by/about black people could have particular crossover appeal, this would be it. Many of the headlines from this increasingly chaotic…
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Who's Racist Now?
Republicans are trying to get their national nominating convention underway after deep worry about the effects of Hurricane Gustav, but the Grand Old Party faces other significant challenges, including an unpopular president and a country frustrated with both the economy and foreign policy. And a Democratic ticket—led by a charismatic African American that has enthralled…
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Back to School Fitness for Grown-ups
YEEEEHAW! It’s back to school time. All across the country parents are doing the happy dance as their precious offspring are finally getting out from under them and returning to that godsend of an institution that houses them for seven or so blissful hours a day. Back to school means getting things in order, tightening…
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The Conversation in St. Paul
It was striking, the tears that welled up in the eyes of Texas delegate Anne Price Mills as she spoke of her devotion to her candidate at the Democratic National Convention. She was talking to CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux on the convention hall floor. The way she gushed about inspiration, experience and presidential credibility seemed emblematic…
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Ending 'The Clone Wars'
A couple of minutes into the midnight opening screening of Star Wars: The Clone WarsinCincinnati this month, I took a moment to survey the other members of the audience. The four or five dozen people occupying the theatre came from all over the geek spectrum, from the hopelessly anti-social to the more lovable (like Eric…
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What is fueling political instability in Pakistan?
The deeply divided political system in Pakistan makes for strange bedfellows. Former President Pervez Musharraf’s resignation on August 18 shed light on one marriage of convenience, a short-lived ruling coalition led by two of Pakistan’s largest political parties—the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The December 27, 2007 assassination of PPP…
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Katrina, the Ultimate Party Crasher
If you hear the dogs, keep running. That’s what Hillary Clinton told us Tuesday evening, invoking Harriet Tubman shepherding runaway slaves through the dark night toward freedom. It was an inspiring refrain, especially given the fact that, to many, it is still controversial to suggest that the U.S. government should apologize for the barbarity from…
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The Other Pride Parade
You’ve never been ostracized and excluded from mainstream society. Your basic human rights were never stripped of you, and you’ve likely enjoyed a life free of death threats. Still, you believe you’ve been ignored for far too long, and now your time has come. Here is your moment to look back at the people who…