In 2007, The Congressional Quarterly named Flint, Michigan the third most dangerous city in America. The city, which is home to only about 120,000 people, has seen such a sharp decline in industry and jobs that it recently laid off 48 police officers and closed the city jail despite its high crime rate, according to Newsweek. And yet, with all the things one would hope worries the police force, the biggest news from David Dicks, the city’s new interim police chief, is sagging pants. More »

Snakes, the most modern of reptiles and one of the most widespread mythological symbols, have come to represent evil. In Genesis Chapter III, “the serpent” tempts Eve and causes the fall of mankind. Some believe a snake’s forked tongue indicates their inclination for doublespeak, hence the deceitful tag. This distinction has carried over into urban slang, as a “snake” is a disloyal and deceptive person. In a dice game, rolling snake eyes (double 1’s) on the first roll equals an automatic loss. Regardless of the negative reputation, people won’t be fooled when you slide thru in these Reebok EXT Lux Snakeskin’s.

Esmin Elizabeth Green, a 49-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York, was a native of Jamaica, where her six children still lived. She worked hard as a caretaker for the elderly and at a local daycare, and She spent a lot of time at the Jesus Is Lord Church in Canarsie. This devoted Christian and Brooklyn community member had been experiencing anxiety attacks since January and had been hospitalized several times for psychiatric treatment over the past months. More »

In a pact believed to be the first between a U.S. airport authority and a foreign government agency, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has contracted Israeli officials to bolster Los Angeles International Airport’s anti-terror strategies. According to reports, Al Qaeda has singled out LAX as one of its top terror target in the western United States. Because of this distinction, Villaraigosa wants to integrate measures used at that Ben-Gurion Internatinal Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Israel and considered the one of the world’s most secure. More »

In 1938, Popular Mechanics magazine called hemp “the new billion dollar crop.” At that time it was used in more than 25,000 products, ranging from dynamite to Cellophane. That same year the Marihuana Tax Act essentially ended Hemp production in the United States (Hemp is the common name for Cannabis sativa, the crop that breeds Marijuana). Despite it’s reputation, Hemp has continued to flourish as one of the world’s most industrious crops. More »

Ethanol from corn, we are learning, is a huge, time-released Rube Goldberg device that is more energy-intensive than it’s worth. The main reason we’re looking to corn for our energy is because the Iowa Caucuses go a long way to determine the presidency, so no one is going to speak out against Iowans. If the first primary in the nation were the Vermont primaries, we’re likely be looking to make ethanol from maple syrup. And if it were the New York primaries, there’d be a call to harness the rage that fuels New Yorkers every day. More »

I recall a time in my life when I refused to go back to an ex-boyfriend. Once the ties were cut between us it was time to move on. My motto was, “there’s was no going back only moving forward.” More »

It has become common place to tell youth to “be themselves” in almost any given situation. “Be yourself. Seemingly genuine people will get to know the real you and like you all the better for it. Be yourself.” I can’t count how many times I must have heard that growing up. While this may sound like good advice, it is an unrealistic ideal in the Black experience. More »

The Mexican Mafia (or La Eme), one of the oldest prison gangs in the U.S., formed nearly 50 years ago in the DVI to protect members against other prison inmates and COs. Emulating the disciplined ideals of the Italian Mafia, the gangs narcotics trafficking and contract killing now extend far outside of the prison. The 1992 film, American Me is pop culture’s most celebrated depiction of the gang…

Serving up its own depiction, Stussy’s “Our Gang” collection returns with its second installment of gang themed attire. Zoom in here.

With everyone buying and losing houses, the fed distributing more and more “funny money” and the government giving lenders get-out-of-jail-free cards, Monopoly™ is more relevant then its ever been.

While analysts estimate that one Monopoly Dollar is worth about US$ 0.000231176, its educational value is worth many times that. More than a board game, playing Monopoly was probably my first experience managing money. It introduced me to banking and also put me on to what my friends call “the white man’s dope game”— real estate. More »