Big Sole Blog (BSB)

In this video, A.P. Tureaud Jr. (son of the famous Civil Rights attorney) and Louisiana historian Alfred E. Lemmon discuss the musical history of Louisiana's free people of color. Their information is pretty accurate. For instance, it's true that prior to the cultural Americanization of Louisiana and before the Civil War, Louisiana neighborhoods were not as segregated as they became later.

Real-life "Olivia Pope" inspiration, Judy Smith, has been hired by Jill Kelley of the Petraeus fiasco, reports AdAge. I came across this tidbit while reading Margaret Colson's column at Bloomberg in which she discusses the differences between how the media treats women during such media spectacles and how the media treats men. Of Kelley hiring Smith, Colson observes that both Kelley and Paula

Today is Memorial Day, and as I did last year, I remind readers again that CNN has a resource that helps us reflect on the number of soldiers' lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, its casualties map. You can move your cursor over the spots on its map of the United States to read the names of soldiers who have died from those areas.

I heard the news about North Korea shelling Yeonpyeong Island on Tuesday, but I didn't have time to think much about it then. Now, reviewing the news, including how American officials "scramble to limit hostilities," I'm having trouble convincing myself that American citizens (many of whom didn't know the Republicans won back the House during our own midterm elections) even care about the

What is WikiLeaks.org and why is it in the news? The White House says the website is a security risk. Here are some resources so you can learn more.The WikiLeaks.org website appears to be offline currently, probably because it's getting so many hits or maybe its enemies are jamming it. According to a post at The Guardian's Comment is Free, WikiLeaks is "a Sweden based non-profit website that

I saw the remake of The Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan yesterday. Some critics have been hard on the movie, but I liked it. Anyway, early in the movie, while Dre, Jaden's character, is looking for Mr. Han, Jackie's character, the Gorillaz-Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Year Remix) is playing, which made me remember the original song, also called "I need a gun," which used to be

In the fallout of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his staff's impolitic comments published in a magazine article, President Barack Obama today accepted the general's resignation. He announced his decision from the White House Rose Garden as the media anticipated the general would be fired. The president said:"... war is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general, or a president.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyWelcome back to Obama Wheel of Fortune! Here is where we spin to see whether Lady Luck is smiling on President Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States of America, or frowning sourly. So far the week doesn't look good for our cool Commander in Chief. Sources such as the Huffington Post report