All I want for Christmas is to never hear about Michelle Obama's ass again. Unless it's at my barbershop.
Now come, ye faithful readers. Gather round. Let's read together by the kinara:
1. The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has Seoul and Washington bracing for an uncertain transition of power in Pyongyang and a perhaps the next big war on the Korean peninsula.
2. As part of the AP's effort to expand coverage in North Korea, chief Asia photographer David Guttenfelder was granted unprecedented access to parts of the isolated communist country and returned with a collection of images rarely seen by outsiders.
3. "Mobutu Sese Seko" has a virtual library of Ron Paul newsletters -- more than 50 of 'em -- over at his site, declaring "game over" (presumably) for Paul's longshot bid for the GOP presidential nomination and his attempts to brush off accusations that he's a racist. Seko has argued previously that Paul "is apocalyptically insane."
4. Over at the Washington Post, Jonathan Capeheart argues that Paul "should be disqualified out of hand" as a presidential candidate.
5. And if Sully still refuses to listen to reason, Tom Levenson makes his own case against legitimizing Paul.
6. PB blogger emeritus Jamelle Bouie suggests ignoring Politifact in the wake of the fact-checking website's claim that Democrats were lying about Republican Medicare policies.
7. This week marked the soft launch of poet/activist Bassey Ikpi's The Siwe Project, a non-profit organization which aims to remove the stigma of mental illness within communities of color.
8. Dutch magazine, Jackie, un-apologizes for its racist representation of Rihanna's personal style.
9. Clutch brings you five terrible takeaways from black romantic comedies.
10. In the wake of Christopher Hitchens' death, Tami Winfrey Harris wonders about the virtue of saying controversial things. "It is indeed commendable to speak truth to power, or to stand up for right in the face of wrong. But just to say unpopular shit? Why should anyone get cookies for that?"
11. Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, author of highly acclaimed memoir "Harlem is Nowhere" and another in a long line of great Houstonians (ahem), talks with dream hampton about "her amazing debut, her next two books, land shark realtors, earthquakes and floods."
12. Thinking of making a grand romantic gesture to your paramour this holiday season? PB's own Stacia Brown cautions that you may wanna slow your roll.
13. Louis C.K. is apparently as shrewd as he is hilarious, and the NYT says his new, one-hour online special justifies all the hype.
14. To commemorate the start of the NBA season on Christmas, GQ's Bethelem Shoals previews the rise of the Clippers, the fall of the Lakers, the arrival of Ricky Rubio and the return of League Pass.
15. And if you're still in the giving spirit -- and it's understandable if you're not anymore (not really) -- check out the website for "Brooklyn Castle," a promising new documentary about an underserved middle school's national championship chess team. "Brooklyn Castle" takes us far beyond the board and into the homes of the precocious players, who must deal with their own challenges even as school officials grapple with tough choices in the face of more than $1 million in budget cuts. About that giving spirit: the film has a fundraising deadline of Monday and needs a little more than $5,000. Share the wealth, the word or both, if you're so inclined.
Wherever you are, we at PB hope that you're spending the holidays in good spirits and better health. If that's not possible, we strongly defend your right to be something other than happy.
Peace and see y'all next week.
The is a collection of links from the entire PostBourgie family, and compiled and edited by J.D. Bell.