Journalist, author, poet and activist Kevin Powell — whom you'll remember from the first season of MTV's "The Real World" — is running for higher office. Powell's seeking a seat in Brooklyn, New York's 10th Congressional District. Powell, who's running on a platform that includes education reform, better access to health care, economic development, financial literacy and "job training instead of jail sentencing in poorer neighborhoods," said the events of 9/11, as well as the war in Iraq and the government's shortsighted response to Hurricane Katrina, encouraged the move. "I want to use my voice, in Washington, D.C., on a national stage, in a way that affirms our humanity, not denies it," he said. "It is time for new leadership, a new generation, to push us forward, and I want to be a part of that wave of fresh ideas, of new visions, for these times, for the 21st century." For more on Powell's campaign, check out KevinPowell2006.com. ...