After 32 years as a morning radio personality in Washington, D.C., Donnie Simpson bid an emotional farewell to his listeners. According to the Washington Post, Simpson wept as he played Lionel Richie's "Jesus Is Love," his traditional closing song. This followed a parade of calls from celebrity well-wishers and other supporters.

The case of the third so-called White House party crasher gets "curiouser and curiouser," as Alice in Wonderland would say.

Three days ago, Hush Society Magazine CEO Carlos Allen repeatedly told Politico that he did not attend a White House state dinner for the prime minister of India back in November 2009 -- the same event reality-show wannabes Michaele and Tareq Salahi slipped in to without invitations and snapped photos with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Allen denied he was there despite video footage that appears to show him entering the White House with a delegation of Indian business people who were invited guests.

A criminal case over misused holiday gift cards and the ensuing scandal have toppled the three-year-long administration of Baltimore's first female mayor. Today Mayor Sheila Dixon entered an Alford plea to one count of perjury and pledged to tender her resignation on Feb. 4. An Alford plea is one in which the defendant admits there is enough evidence for a conviction but does not acknowledge guilt.

During a news conference on Wednesday evening, however, Dixon said, "I take responsibility for some of the choices that I made," adding, "I think I've disappointed myself to some degree, and I think I've disappointed citizens." She stopped short of giving an apology to the citizens of Baltimore, as some have called on her to do. A video of the news conference is below.

Last month a widely-covered U.S. Census Bureau report revealed that non-Hispanic whites are projected to be in the minority by 2050, barring an all-out ban on immigration. Fueling most of the trend will be an increase in the Hispanic population, which will rise from 14 percent in 2010 to as much as 31 percent in 2050.

This news spawned a spate of articles about how whites' time in the majority is almost up. What struck me was the news that despite the radically shifting landscape, blacks' share of the population will remain virtually unchanged, at 12 percent. We're treading water while the proportions of Hispanics and Asians in this country are growing. Why on earth would that be?

If you're considering getting an HP computer with a built-in Webcam as a holiday gift, you might have to get out a paper bag first and check your complexion. Turns out the HP TouchSmart Webcams won't track dark faces, or at least that's what the video below appears to demonstrate.

In a brief speech this morning at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, President Barack Obama pressed the world's nations to agree on how they'll combat climate change. "I believe that we can act boldly and decisively in the face of this common threat," said Obama in a 10-minute address (shown below) that took on climate change deniers and promised billions in aid to the countries that can least afford to deal with the effects of climate change.

When you hear news reports about the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which is wrapping up this week in Copenhagen, it's tempting to think: "That's nice, but black people have enough problems closer to home that aren't being addressed, such as unemployment and inadequate health care."

It's tempting, until you think about this old adage: When America coughs, black people catch a cold. In the case of climate change, that cold (or heat, depending on how you look at it) may come in the form of job losses when climate shifts force industries to shut down or change locales. It may also come in the form of heat-induced health problems, such as asthma, which already disproportionately affect blacks. To add insult to injury, African American households, on average, emit 20 percent less carbon dioxide than white households. These were among the conclusions of a 2004 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Report (PDF).

I'll admit it: I have an addiction to cable TV shows that show human behavior at its most extreme: 'Intervention,' 'Hoarders,' 'Bridezillas' and 'Secret Lives of Women' are among the shows that keep my DVR busy. I guess the attraction of these shows is being reminded that no matter how crazy things get in my life, they nowhere near approach the drama that defines some peoples' lives. It's the old "at least I'm not that bad" syndrome.

So anyway, recently I was watching an episode of the 'Secret Lives of Women,' titled 'Born to Breed.' It's about the evangelical Christian Quiver Full movement, whose followers are inspired by Psalm 127:3-5 to have as many babies as possible. That passage says children are a reward from God and likens them to arrows in a man's quiver. It is in that spirit that the stars of a reality show TLC's '18 Kids and Counting' just had their 19th child.

Yep, that's a mighty full quiver for the Duggar family of Arkansas.

Oh, the cats have their claws out for Desirée Rogers! The stylish White House social secretary is on the hot seat for the lapse in security that allowed Michaele and Tareq Salahi to crash last week's White House state dinner for Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur.

The Secret Service has taken the blame for the lapse (as they should). Still, the fact that no one from Rogers' staff was on hand to check guests against the official list, as had been the custom for previous presidential administrations, has led to speculation that she spent too much time that evening basking in the spotlight rather than taking care of business.

It looks like Mayor Sheila Dixon and the city of Baltimore are getting a lump of coal as an early Christmas present. A jury convicted Dixon today on one count of embezzlement, a misdemeanor, for stealing $630 worth of holiday gift cards. It acquitted her of three other charges, including the most serious felony theft charge.