Good morning Qcity! Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Imagine life as a poor black kid

Forbes contributor Gene Marks is a middle class white man who admits that life has been easier for him than it has for many others. He also admits that his children, who he says are no smatter than their inner city counterparts, also have it easier simply because the world is unfair. In a controversial editorial column, Marks imagines a world in which he wasn’t born with the skin color and social status that he believes were his tickets to having an easier life. In the opinion piece “If I was a poor black Kid,” Marks proceeds to deliver his prescriptive solutions for black youth to overcome inequality. For starters he says he would make it his “#1 priority to be able to read sufficiently” even if he was stuck at “the worst public middle school in the worst inner city.” (Read more)
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Response from a ‘poor black kid’

Baratunde Thurston is a comedian, writer, and author of the book “How To Be Black.” He fired back a response to Marks. In a commentary piece for CNN, Thurston writes a letter from a hypothetical poor black kid. While completely fabricated, Thurston's letter has a stronger basis in reality than does Marks'. (Read more)
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Charles Barkley is losing like a man

He’s one big hilarious “Round Mound of Rebound,” but soon we will be seeing a lot less of NBA legend and TNT sports commentator Charles Barkley. Following in the footsteps of Jennifer Hudson and other shrinking celebrities, Barkley has signed on as the latest face of Weight Watchers. Commercials tracking his weight loss will begin airing Christmas Day. (Read more)  
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Shunning Facebook

Facebook has more than 800 million active users around the world. In America, two out of every three people are Facebook members, but the company is running into a roadblock in this country as some people, both young and old, steer clear of the social network. Some cite Facebook’s main selling points - that it builds closer ties among friends and colleagues – as the reason for their resistance. (Read more) 
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What’s for breakfast?

For sure you’ve heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But if you’re not careful, it can also be the one meal that can derail your entire diet plan. A McDonald's Big Breakfast® With Hot Cakes contains a whopping 1,090 calories--over half your day's worth--and over 55 g of fat. Not only that, it’s also sky-high in sodium: 2,150 mg. Click here for five other fast-food breakfast options that are laden with fat and calories. 
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Frank Lucas going back to jail?

Frank Lucas - whose life was portrayed by the movie “American Gangster” - once ran a billion-dollar business smuggling heroin. Now the 81-year-old ailing, former drug dealer is facing the possibility of spending more time behind bars after being charged with Social Security theft. (Read more)
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