Uncategorized
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Working Through It
Lehman Brothers. When we hear of rich corporate giants going down, it’s easy to forget that these are institutions where thinking, feeling human beings work. People who face the same problems we all must deal with. I was reminded of a story I did last year about a woman who battled breast cancer and how…
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A Bitter South African Divorce
Out of the frying pan into the frying pan… That’s what I thought when I returned to South Africa after four months of sizzling U.S. politics. My adopted home in South Africa is also sizzling with the sounds of change. The breaking news is the breakup of Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC), the oldest…
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Before I Forget…
“Your hair looks very nice today.” “Thank you, Grandma. How was your day? Grandpa said you two went to church this morning. How was the sermon?” “…Oh, I can’t remember, but it was nice. I like your hair. Have I told you that already?” “Yes, Grandma, you did.” “Oh…sorry.” “It’s okay.” My grandparents raised me…
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A Gray State for Obama?
John McCain has decided that if he is to have any chance of winning the election, he must win Pennsylvania. It is a shrewd, maybe desperate, calculation that speaks to today’s difficult political landscape. Pennsylvania has the second oldest population, and therefore is a natural demographic target for McCain. Not so fast. There has been…
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Sister Sarah She Ain't
An evening at the Urban League of Central Carolinas was advertised as a discussion of the black women’s agenda with a multigenerational panel. And it followed the program, until the topic turned to Sarah Palin. That’s when it got really interesting. You think Barack Obama exposed a racial divide this election season? Bring up the…
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Hey Ump, You $!#*&@* Suck
Even if they don’t have a gun, it seems as if the men who run baseball will find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. The 2008 World Series should have been a showcase for a plethora of new stars, a platform for two emerging powerhouses, and a chance for the sport to display…
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The Step-Parent Two-Step
Black women talk so much about the lack of “good” black men, but what I want to know is, who’s screening these applications? You know—who’s making sure the men you think are so hot actually past muster? Seems like a lot of young ladies end up with down-lows or fresh-outs, putting them up in some…
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Love Thy GOP Neighbor?
My sister and I live in Lake Wylie, S.C. in a house sandwiched between two Republican families. Normally, proximity to people of a different party is not even a blip on our emotional Richter scale, especially when the people are our dear friends. But this is the first election year I have lived in a…
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Our Man in the White House
I found Buckwheat in the woodworking shop of the Home for Retired Racial Stereotypes, chiseling something on the face of an elaborate oaken plaque. “What are you making?” I inquired. “I is here carvin’ de trophy we gonna give George W. Bush if Bro’ Barack Obama wins de ‘lection,” squeaked the famous Our Gang character.…
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Market Crash Course
It will be interesting to see how people reflect on this economic crisis in years to come. Will it be remembered for the trillions of dollars the government will likely throw at the problem before it’s over? Will it be remembered for the failures of financial industry giants like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers? Will…