Uncategorized
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Black Star Power
Not since the civil rights movement, when stars like Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Sammy Davis Jr. led marches and protest rallies, have so many black Hollywood denizens actively engaged in the political process. In his bid for the presidency, Barack Obama has engaged a new cadre of African-American celebrities, drawn to his campaign’s themes…
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Debate Results: McCain Down, White Women Up
Sept. 29, 2008—The Sarah Palin Effect is over. Palin and McCain joined forces last week to make sure that no one took them very seriously, and they did every thing they could to help Obama open up a small but increasingly solid lead on McCain. With the Palin bump neutralized, Obama’s still nagging concern are…
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Running the Numbers
Despite its failure in the House yesterday, a massive taxpayer-financed bailout of the nation’s various financial institutions remains a near certainty. Black taxpayers in particular, who have been disproportionately affected by the housing crisis, have reason to be anxious about how they will fare in the rescue scenario. If only numbers runners held the kind…
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No Backbone, No Bailout
John Boehner wept. Roy Blunt fiddled. Nancy Pelosi lamented. And on a day when the stakes could not have been higher, or the situation graver, nothing worked in Washington. On one of the most chaotic and stunning days on Capitol Hill in recent memory, the 110th Congress rejected the $700 billion proposed bailout of troubled…
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Music for Grown Folk
More than a decade after their solo debuts, Eric Benet and Kenny Lattimore have managed to survive a recording industry hopelessly invested in the whims of young listeners and the apparent pursuit of ringtone sales. Years before “grown and sexy” became a marketing scheme to sell music to 30-somethings, Benet and Lattimore both made music…
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Just His Imagination
They buried Norman Whitfield on Saturday. He died in Los Angeles of complications from diabetes on Sept. 16. He was 68 years old. The name of the dear departed and the fact of his passing generated scant attention in today’s breathless mediascape. But in a year already crowded with mourning, this was another huge loss…
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Phylicia Rashad's Mission
Peripheral artery disease or PAD is probably the most common and dangerous medical condition you’ve never heard of. Although it affects as many as 8 million Americans and increases the risk of deadly—and better-known—diseases like heart attack and stroke, most of us have no idea what it is. But knowing the signs and symptoms of…
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Debate Results: McCain Down, White Women Up
The Sarah Palin Effect is over. Palin and McCain joined forces last week to make sure that no one took them very seriously, and they did every thing they could to help Obama open up a small but increasingly solid lead on McCain. With the Palin bump neutralized, Obama’s still nagging concern are those Hillary voters…
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How Could Anyone Still be Undecided?
If you have not made up your mind about whom to support for President, last night’s debate about foreign policy and the ongoing economic crisis may not have helped you. Neither Republican John McCain nor Democrat Barack Obama committed a major gaffe or landed a knockout punch. Neither expressed a new idea. So I suggest…
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Soul and Food with Mary Wilson
An original member of the Supremes, Mary Wilson has been performing since she was 14 years old. Since the group disbanded in 1977, she’s established herself as a solo performer, an author and an advocate for humanitarian causes, In 2003, she was named a Cultural Ambassador for a Department of State program to improve international…