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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
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Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
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Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
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January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
May 3, 2007
/ 15 Iyar 5767
Audition for political idols
By
Clarence Page
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
NEW YORK Could America's next black leader be on YouTube today? Rev. Paul Scott, a black and very unorthodox Baptist minister from Durham, N.C., has launched an offbeat Internet search to find out.
You can find Scott, who also calls himself "The Truth Minista" with an emphasis on "the truth, " in a video headlined "America's next black leader" on YouTube, the superpopular video-sharing Web site.
That headline, with its echoes of the TV show "America's Next Top Model," captures a widely known but underacknowledged truth: Since the days of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, mainstream news media have enjoyed the convenience of a single "Black Moses" to speak as a proxy for millions of black Americans.
Since the death of Martin Luther King Jr., Americans don't seem to know who the black leaders are until the media tell them. Get your name into the Rolodexes of enough newsroom assignment editors and you, too, can be America's next top black leader.
Scott, using the democratizing influences of the Internet, offers an opportunity for the public to get in on the selection process.
Is he serious?
Well, why not choose America's next black leader the same way that callers and text-messagers help choose winners on "American Idol"? Imagine the judges. Simon Cowell growling in his British accent, "That was oh-full!" Paula Abdul chirping, "I want to judge you by the content of your character, not the color of your skin." Or Randy Jackson shouting, "You're going to the Promised Land, dawg!"
In fact, the idea was explored in "African-American Idol: The Search for a New Black Leader," a short, satirical independent 2003 movie you can find at AfricanAmericanIdol.com.
In that spirit, Scott invites you to step up and post your best video pitch on YouTube "if you feel that you are sharper than [the Rev. Al] Sharpton, bring more action than [the Rev. Jesse L.] Jackson and create more drama than [Sen. Barack] Obama."
Is he serious?
As serious as the black American condition, he says. Scott was motivated by the many complaints he has heard from African-Americans about the declining relevance of national black figures in addressing the everyday struggles of black Americans left behind by the civil rights revolution.
"If you get a roomful of black folks together to talk about the condition of our community, you can bet that the hottest topic of the evening will be 'What the heck is wrong with black leadership?' "
Alas, Scott's invitation has generated little response so far. After almost two months, only four response videos were posted this week. They included a young woman who was not volunteering for the job, but nevertheless wanted everyone to know what sort of black leader she thought should have the job.
When I reached Scott by telephone at Messianic Afrikan Nation headquarters in Durham, he expressed some disappointment, but no regrets. "If nobody wants the job of black leader," he said, "I win it by default!"
Yes, it's a tough job, but he's willing to do it.
I don't know whether Scott will reach his goal of national Afro pre-eminence, but if self-promotion is any measure, he's on his way. So far he has appeared on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" and numerous other TV and radio programs. When I first interviewed Scott a few years ago, he was rallying public outrage against Phat Boy Malt Liquor and rap star Nelly's "Pimp Juice" for degrading black culture and glorifying such self-destructive professions as pimping.
Scott's frustration, shared by many of us, is with the many disconnected and undereducated young people the civil rights revolution left behind.
Turning 40 this year, which almost makes him a senior citizen to the hip-hop generation, Scott strives to lure young folks away from the degrading images and self-destructive "gangster" behavior glorified by many rap stars, music and videos.
He can't do it alone. Against that massive cultural tide, the few big-name leaders are nothing without a lot of local leaders, the unsung heroes who show up in the everyday lives of our nation's children.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment on Clarence Page's column by clicking here.
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