After Burying N-Word, NYC Moves to Next Target

New York City council members are hoping the symbolic citywide ban of the N-word earlier this year will create a domino effect. Councilwoman Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn is now pushing for the city to ban "bitch," a derogatory term often used against women, which she describes as hateful and deeply sexist. Mealy says the word creates "a paradigm of shame and indignity" for all women. But can it really be done? According to Mealy, when circulating her proposal, she found that several members of the city's political ruling class are guilty of using the term, even when referring to their wives. Read more.

(See also: Which Words (And the Celebrities Who Use Them) Are Most Offensive? and Will the N-Word Ever Die?)

Why No AP Black History?

Members of the College Board, the not-for-profit association responsible for establishing the SATs among other standardized tests, are considering whether they should add black history to the list of advanced-placement (AP) offerings. Participation in such programs are an advantage for students applying to colleges, but there is yet to be an AP course in black history. Several school district officials support creating one, but the College Board says that its past attempts to pursue an AP black-history curriculum have gotten much criticism from college educators. College Board officials also say that they've found that college officials would prefer to teach black history themselves, as opposed to having students enter college with AP credits in the subject, but that if colleges were to have an AP offering in black history, they would be open to the idea. Read more.

Republican Presidential Hopefuls Spar Over Religion

An e-mail that many easily ignored is being touted as the most heated battle and personal rivalry between Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. The e-mail was sent to two Brownback supporters comparing the religious backgrounds of Huckabee, a Baptist pastor and Brownback, who is Roman Catholic. It was written by Rev. Tim Rude, a pastor of an evangelical church in Walnut Creek, Iowa, who has a large following in the state and also volunteers with Huckabee's campaign. After the message found its way into several blogs last week, Huckabee issued a statement saying that his campaign neither disseminated nor condoned the message. He called Brownback a "Christian brother" and added, "As believers, we don't have time to fight each other." Read more.

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Muslim Footbath Causes Controversy

Universities across the country are endeavoring to accommodate the growing number of Muslim students attending U.S. colleges. Public institutions such as the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where more than 10 percent of the student body is Muslim, and Eastern Michigan University have recently installed foot-washing stations for Muslim students to perform the ritual ablutions required before their five-times-a-day prayer, which also involves washing their feet. While Muslim students are rejoicing over the new foot washroom, this special accommodation has left other students who are not Muslim divided on the issue. They are especially concerned about the possible "Islamification" of the university and whether the footbath is a legitimate accommodation of students' rights to practice their religion or if it is unconstitutional government support for the religion in school. Read more.

First 'Gay Street' Opens in Rome

The LGBT community in Rome, Italy, is celebrating the opening of its first "Gay Street" with colorful flags and banners. Campaigners roamed the streets Aug. 3, welcoming a 325-yard zone in the center of the city filled with shops and bars. City officials are calling it an area where LGBT people can feel at ease. This news comes days after a gay couple claimed they were detained by police for kissing near the Colosseum in a predominantly Roman Catholic country. The two men were reportedly detained for what the police described as lewd acts in public, a crime that can carry a sentence of up to two years in jail, states The Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

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