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When A President Leads Hope Does Spring Eternal


A Lifetime Waiting for Change

115-Year-Old Woman Votes in Southern Sudan Referendum

With nearly 4 million registered to vote in southern Sudan’s referendum on independence, and over 60% turnout confirmed, it is to be expected that voters would come from all aspects of society. Everyone from a 115-year-old woman to a murder convict has cast a ballot in what they say is a vital vote for southern Sudan's future.

At the Sadaka primary school polling center, Rebecca Kadi comes to cast her ballot. She looks frail as she arrives in her wheelchair – with good reason. At an estimated 115 years old, she is thought to be the oldest person to vote in southern Sudan’s referendum.

Rebecca Kadi Loburang Dinduch, believed to be the oldest south Sudanese, left her polling station after casting her vote in Juba on January 12, 2011.

Kadi has seen many changes in southern Sudan in her lifetime. The country has gone from colonial rule to civil war and now, she hopes, to independence. She waves a secession flag at the crowds who have gathered to watch her cast her vote.

“We are voting for the referendum and it’s our goal. There is nothing else we need to do but separate from the north,” she says. “Let Salva Kiir lead people as God wants because there is not any other way we can stay with Arabs.”

Her granddaughter, Sarah Modi, says Kadi has always talked about the importance of independence from the north.

“She is saying that she is not voting for herself but for the young ones because she would like to leave the young ones in peace by the time she is not alive,” says Modi.

Who Says the Revolution Won't Be Televised?

President's Weekly Address

A Moment of Silence

A Moment of Silence
President Barack Obama and first lady Michele Obama observe a moment of silence to honor those killed and wounded during the Tucson AZ. shooting.

Senators Rice and Cunningham

The First Lady Battling Child Obesity

RICE-CUNNINGHAM BILL REQUIRES NJ SDA TO REPORT MINORITY CONTRACTS AWARDED

A bill sponsored by the Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, Senator Ronald L. Rice, and caucus member Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham received final legislative approval. It will require the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (SDA) to report on the number of contracts awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses.

“Women- and minority-owned contractors bring a different perspective to their work, and deserve fair treatment under our State’s contracting guidelines,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “New Jersey’s set-aside rules exist particularly to combat the entrenched prejudices which often deny opportunities to hard-working and capable contractors. This bill ensures that we honor New Jersey’s contracting rules when going out to bid for work on much-needed repairs and renovations to our public schools.”


CAUCUS CHAIR CALLS ON GOVERNOR TO APOLOGIZE TO SPEAKER OLIVER

Text Messages Show Governor Christie is “Plain Wrong”

TRENTON – On behalf of the members of the Legislative Black Caucus, Senator Ronald L. Rice, the chair of the caucus, called on Governor Chris Christie to apologize to Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, a Caucus member, whom the Governor called a liar in response to her remarks that she had sought meetings with the Governor to discuss his “tool kit” measures and reach a compromise with him on arbitration reform. Electronic communications between Speaker Oliver’s staff and the front office support the Speaker’s assertions.

“We think the Governor is just plain wrong in his assertions, and we think he owes the Speaker a sincere apology,” said Senator Rice. “It’s understandable for two well-intentioned people to disagree over policy, but character assassination over whether someone sought meetings or not is completely unacceptable, particularly coming from our State’s top elected leader.

BLACK FARMERS/NATIVE AMERICANS SETTLE LANDMARK CLAIMS

Black farmers who were discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for decades are only a presidential signature away from receiving a landmark $1.2 billion settlement from the federal government after the House of Representatives approved the payout.

The House voted 256 to 152 on a measure to approve the black farmers’ settlement - and a $3.4 billion settlement for Native Americans discriminated against by the Interior Department - but not without some heated debate in which some Republican opponents said the settlement is rife with fraud and amounts to nothing more than slavery reparations.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee said in a written statement, “Our actions make amends to the many black farmers who lost their farms as a result of decades of racial discrimination and Native Americans who suffered because the federal government mismanaged their land held in trust. Today we have righted that wrong.”

Enough Already!
ORLANDO --

As of Wednesday morning, snow is on the ground in 49 out of the 50 U.S. states.

The lone state without a single snowflake? Florida.

Even Hawaii has snow covering its mountaintops, with about 7 inches of snow atop Mauna Kea, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"As of Jan. 11, 69.4 percent of the contiguous United States is covered by snow," NOAA posted on its website. "This is more than double the snow cover from last month."

Florida may be flake-free, but elsewhere, it's a much different story.

The northeastern U.S. is expected to get a big visit from a Nor'easter, part of the same storm system that left icy roads and bitter cold across the Southeast, including Atlanta, which has caused thousands of flight cancellations in the last week.

Up to 15 inches of snow is forecast for some areas of New York, and officials have begun getting emergency plans in place.

In Chicago, the Windy City has become the "Snowy City."

Officials sent 174 trucks to clear the streets of Chicago as the snow continued to fall.

Traffic has been a nightmare in several spots, and the snow has also caused problems at Chicago's airports.

USPS Featured Historic Stamps

USPS Featured Historic Stamps
Author, educator, and one of the most prominent African American scholars in United States history.

Rep. Barbara Jordan: The first African-American elected to the Texas Senate after reconstruction and the first Southern black woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives

No End to African American Stamps

A disturbing petition swirls about the Web claiming the African American commemorative stamps so proudly released by the US Postal Service will soon be discontinued. Fortunately the rumors of their demise are gravely exaggerated.

“Nothing could be further from the truth," explained David Failor, Executive Director of Stamp Services, U.S. Postal Service. "These rumors continue to resurface around this time of year."

This year once again, there was a deluge of inquiries about the possible discontinuance. The release of a new Black Heritage stamp regularly sparks this insecurity. Similar rumors can be seen online from 2005, 2007, and 2009. In 2011, this hapless albatross continues to circle new editions. This year the featured release commemorates legendary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX). This stamp will join the memorials of 2009 featured African American notable Julia Anne Cooper, who at the age of sixty-five, became the fourth black woman in American history to earn a Doctorate of Philosophy degree, and the 2010 featured stamp of director/producer Oscar Micheaux, the first African American feature filmmaker, the latest in a long list of historic portraits. Sources at the Postal Service calmed this philatelist’s apprehension, but fans of cultural history can rest assured too.

"As a main component of our annual stamp program, the Black Heritage series is alive and well, and here to stay,” Failor said. “Black Heritage stamps, as with all commemorative stamps, generally remain on-sale for one year or as long as supplies last. If a local Post Office has sold out, and has yet to replenish its supply, customers can easily order all stamps online at The Postal Store (www.usps.com/shop) or by phone at 800-STAMP24."

To locate hard to find Black Heritage stamps or stamps featuring African Americans, also visit www.blackhistorystamps.com.

Music Education Matters

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Helpful Hints for Spotting Fake Emails

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

1.05.2011

E-cigarettes


Bombarded by health concerns and the related skullduggery of the tobacco industry, smokers have been forced to either drown out the continuous warnings and admonishments, or give up smoking all together.  To ease the transition to a non-nicotine habit, the free marketplace has filled the void with cigarette substitutes. From cloves to lettuce leaves, each tobacco alternative has created its own niche while never gaining the momentum for general market acceptance.  Such seemed to be the case until now. 

E-cigarettes have emerged as the latest and greatest among the smoking alternatives currently wafting through the marketplace.  Invented by  Hon Lik in 2003, the Beijing visionary says he was inspired by a dream.  Then a three-pack a day smoker, the 52-year old pharmacist imagined himself coughing and drowning, when the water lifted up in a fog.  His inspiration resulted in a device that simulates the physical properties of smoking, but includes none of the carcinogens risking user health.


The e-cigarette itself looks very similar to a regular cigarette, though current versions are also available in the shape of a pen. It doesn't really burn, but uses a small lithium battery that atomizes a liquid solution of nicotine, imitating the sensations of burning. What you inhale looks like smoke, but it's a vapor similar to the "stage fog" used in theatrical productions. It even has a teeny red (LED) light at the tip that lights up with each drag, just like the ember of a real cigarette.

Unlike nicotine patches, or prescription drugs, e-cigarettes make no claims to help benefits. Nor do they make any assertions in helping you to stop smoking.  The e-cigarette was actually invented as a safe alternative to smoking, not quitting.  At a price point of about $45 for the accompanying devices and a month supply of refills (with better deals for trials or disposables), the e-cigarette may be the financial answer for a nicotine-fiend feeling the pinch on a $7 pack of smokes.
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