links for 2009-12-30

"One quarter of Detroit-area Arab Americans reported personal or familial abuse because of race, ethnicity or religion since 9/11, leading to higher odds of adverse health effects, according to a new University of Michigan study."

(tags: arab arabamerican discrimination ethnicity race)

Sigh. This is the cash cow that keeps squirting rancid milk. "You've heard of a man's man. Marchand is the quintessential man's woman: She appears to have it all. And, yet, she's still single. She has plenty of company. Forty-two percent of U.S. black women have never been married, double the number of white women who've never tied the knot."

(tags: dating race relationships black africanamerican SteveHarvey)

"In Dune, off-worlder Paul Atreides is forced to kill to gain acceptance with the locals when his own kind finally forces him into the wilds. In Avatar, however, Jake only has to show up on a fancy ride. Instead of becoming a nonentity after their earlier aikido warmup, Na'vi chief-to-be Tsu-tey could have drawn a line in the moss: I represent the caution and tradition of my people, and you'll have to beat me down to change and lead us. If Jake has to defeat, even kill an ally who hates him, it tarnishes his character–but Pandora is red in tooth and claw, after all, and it is what he's fighting for."

(tags: Avatar film filmmaking movies hollywood)