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The Big 5-0
Prince, Michael Jackson and Madonna. One last name, three big birthdays. The big 5-0. Mike crossed the threshold on August 29. Madonna hit it on August 16, and Prince is the elder of the bunch, having turned 50 on June 7. Fifty? How did that happen? To some, 50 is a marvelous milestone; to some…
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Serena at Center Stage
Great athletic careers typically come in three acts. In act one, a player bursts onto the scene, possessing skills that immediately put them in the elite of their game and exuding charisma that make them media friendly and accessible. In other words, they are the sports version of a star is born. In act two,…
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Triumph, Bold and Clear
For several weeks, there has been a tiresome, two-part drum beat, the sort of somber thumping one associates with a funeral procession or wake. One droning beat came from the press. Can the Democrats unite? Will Hillary and Bill support Barack? Is there any hope that working-class whites or feminists will find a way to…
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Yes You Can, When Can We?
There has been much talk and much written about the significance of Barack Obama’s candidacy to African Americans. But Obama’s acceptance of the Democratic Party nomination is an unprecedented moment for blacks Europeans, too. As we watch, we do so with the hope for similar strides in our communities, in our countries. To see this…
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Boston to Denver, Nonstop
It is hard to separate out all the different levels of astonishment and euphoria attached to Barack Obama’s acceptance speech tonight. For many people, Obama’s triumph thus far so fundamentally shatters the worldview of what is possible in America that there are no words up to the task of describing what they feel. For black…
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Our Stage, Our Speech, Our Time
Yes, I did think this moment would happen. I believed that an aging, maturing democracy was capable of separating itself from race to evaluate the merits of an exemplary candidate. I believed that while the Clintons are formidable, my party would not resist the chance to capture lightning in a bottle. I believed from the…
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Obama's iPod Anthem
“I decided, you are the him for me.” —Solange Back in the day, KRS-One penned “Jack of Spades” for Keenan Ivory Wayans’ ‘hood Robin Hood in the blaxploitation send-up I’m Gonna Git You Sucka because, “every hero should have his own theme music.” We probably won’t see a reconstituted BDP performing “My Philosophy” behind Sen.…
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A Team Redeemed
The U.S. national basketball team, dubbed the Redeem Team, won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics with a 118-107 win over Spain—very late—Saturday night. It was the culmination of a three-year program to rebuild the national team and restore American primacy in basketball. However, the gold medal isn’t the end of a long, arduous…
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How Low Can You Go?
With thousands of Olympic tourists flooding out of China this week, now may be a good time to book a trip east. With the streets relatively quiet—well, as quiet as they get in Beijing—it is likely a great time to hit the markets and find a bargain. If you’re adventurous and impulsive enough to strike…
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The Senator from Scranton
One of the most remarkable things about Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden as his vice presidential nominee—apart from the fact that he managed to keep it secret—is that in this remarkably contentious election season, it did not seem to anger anyone. That is a remarkable feat for a party so desperate to win and…