http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/rapper_sings_praises_of_educat.html
NEW ORLEANS METRO REAL-TIME NEWS
Breaking Local News from New Orleans, Louisiana
Rapper Snoop Dogg sings praises of education to kids in event organized by Rev. Toris Young
by Brendan McCarthy, The Times-Picayune
Thursday May 07, 2009, 10:46 PM
JENNIFER ZDON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNERapper Snoop Dog signs autographs for students and faculty at Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School in the 9th Ward where he visited with Rev. Toris Young to denounce crime and the inspire the kids to get an education Thursday. See More Pictures
The students at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary climbed over each other Thursday, pressing their hands and faces to the classroom windows.
Girls puffed their cheeks and covered their mouths with both hands. Boys arched their eyebrows and unleashed a collective gasp.
Snoop Dogg, the controversial rapper and pop culture icon, was here to teach a lesson.
"You should love yourself, " he told them. "Love each other."
Dogg, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., proved to be an intriguing assembly speaker Thursday afternoon, preaching a message of education and anti-violence.
Some might challenge the performer's credentials for this bully pulpit: Broadus' past travails include stints in jail for drugs and a murder charge on which he was acquitted. Last year, for a time, he was banned from Australia -- although that may be of scant concern around New Orleans.
The brief speech and a question-and-answer session was coordinated by the Rev. Toris Young and the Louisiana Ministerial Alliance of Churches For All People.
Young coordinated another irony-laden news conference last month with local rapper C-Murder, who is on house arrest and facing trial for murder in Jefferson Parish.
Young and associates are touting a program that they say will debut this summer and will help keep children off the streets. With a few phone calls, Young secured an appearance by Broadus, who happened to be hosting a concert Thursday night in New Orleans.
So Young sent out a four-page news release with lots of capital letters. Shortly after 2 p.m., Broadus and an entourage dressed in fine suits showed up the St. Claude neighborhood school. Two of his hip-hop colleagues -- both members of the rapper's "Dogg Pound" posse -- joined him. They are named Soopafly and Kurupt (pronounced like the word corrupt).
"All this black-on-black crime needs to stop, for real, " Broadus said in a quick speech before meeting the students.
One of his handlers then warned reporters: "You must be positive about this, think positive."
As awestruck students fidgeted, Broadus asked: who listens to rap? All hands shot up.
He gave highlights of his rags-to-riches story, stressing the importance of going to school. He said his favorite subject was math and suggested that everyone become a calculus wizard. He said he likes football.
He briefly mentioned his scrapes with the law, saying that when he got out of jail he didn't "handle drugs" or "hang with thugs" and decided to do right. He also said that his priorities changed after he became a father.
The students hung on every word and clamored for autographs. After a half-hour, the lithe hip-hop figure with the short ponytail said goodbye.
"Snoop Dogg loves y'all, " he said, winking toward the children as he headed out to his next engagement, at nearby Frederick Douglass High.
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
Friday, May 8, 2009
Jerusalem worried over breakdown of U.S.-Israel cooperation under Obama
By Aluf Benn and Barak Ravid
Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu
Senior officials in Jerusalem expressed concern recently over the sharp decline in the coordination between Israel and the United States on security and state affairs since President Barack Obama's entered the White House and especially since the formation of Israel's new government. Senior White House officials told their Israeli counterparts that Obama will demand Netanyahu completely suspend construction in the settlements, the officials said. "Obama's people brief their Israeli counterparts in advance much less about security and Middle East policy activities than the Bush administration used to," the officials said. In addition, when they do brief Israeli officials, they don't consult with them or coordinate their statements in advance. This has caused several coordination "malfunctions" between the two states in the past two months, they said. The last incident was the statement of Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller, calling on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The statement had not been coordinated with Israeli officials in charge of the nuclear issue and they heard it first from the media. This followed other equally problematic incidents. The American policy shift toward Syria and opening direct talks with Damascus followed minimal coordination with Israel. For example, Israel was not briefed about senior American diplomats' trip to Damascus, which the U.S. had initiated. Another incident concerned U.S. envoy for Iranian affairs Dennis Ross' trip to the Gulf states a few days ago for talks on Iran. Israel was briefed on the trip in general details, but no consultations or message-coordination took place before the trip. In addition, Ross did not pass through Israel on his way to the Gulf or back to brief Israel on the talks' outcome. The American policy toward Iran has remained generally ambiguous as far as Israel is concerned and the administration has not outlined to Israel its plan for a dialogue with Iran in an orderly way. Many of the details Israel learned about this plan were obtained via European channels. The Israeli officials said the problem also stems from the government change in both states and because clear work procedures between the sides have not been set established. "This will be one of the most important things Netanyahu will have to settle with Obama," a senior official said. However, the official said the new administration no longer seems to see Israel as a "special" or "extraordinary" state in the Middle East, with which the U.S. must maintain a different dialogue than with other states. "The feeling is that the dialogue and coordination with the Arab states and with Europe is today no less important to the U.S. and perhaps more so than with Israel," the official said. Uzi Arad, the official in the Prime Minister's Office in charge of the liaison with the American administration, maintains ties with various American officials but has not yet forged a direct channel to his counterpart, National Security Advisor General James L. Jones. Arad is scheduled to go to Washington next week to prepare for Netanyahu's trip. Arad will outline the first chapters of Israel's new foreign policy, with an emphasis on the Palestinian and Iranian issues, at his meeting with Jones next Tuesday in Washington ahead of Obama's meeting with Netanyahu May 18. The Americans are expected to tell Arad what Obama expects of his meeting with Netanyahu and coordinate the meeting's agenda, issues and the two men's statements in the news conference after the meeting. The Americans are also expected to brief Arad on the talks between American and Syrian officials in Damascus on Thursday. During the Olmert government, Israeli officials kept very close ties with their counterparts in the American administration. This included advanced briefings about almost every American move. The Israelis were even briefed about former president George W. Bush's speeches or former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice's foreign policy statements. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert used to have regular conversations with Bush while former foreign minister Tzipi Livni kept in touch with Rice. Olmert's chief of staff Yoram Turbowicz and political advisor Shalom Turgeman coordinated foreign policy activities with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and his deputy Elliot Abrams.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1083998.html
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu
Senior officials in Jerusalem expressed concern recently over the sharp decline in the coordination between Israel and the United States on security and state affairs since President Barack Obama's entered the White House and especially since the formation of Israel's new government. Senior White House officials told their Israeli counterparts that Obama will demand Netanyahu completely suspend construction in the settlements, the officials said. "Obama's people brief their Israeli counterparts in advance much less about security and Middle East policy activities than the Bush administration used to," the officials said. In addition, when they do brief Israeli officials, they don't consult with them or coordinate their statements in advance. This has caused several coordination "malfunctions" between the two states in the past two months, they said. The last incident was the statement of Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller, calling on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The statement had not been coordinated with Israeli officials in charge of the nuclear issue and they heard it first from the media. This followed other equally problematic incidents. The American policy shift toward Syria and opening direct talks with Damascus followed minimal coordination with Israel. For example, Israel was not briefed about senior American diplomats' trip to Damascus, which the U.S. had initiated. Another incident concerned U.S. envoy for Iranian affairs Dennis Ross' trip to the Gulf states a few days ago for talks on Iran. Israel was briefed on the trip in general details, but no consultations or message-coordination took place before the trip. In addition, Ross did not pass through Israel on his way to the Gulf or back to brief Israel on the talks' outcome. The American policy toward Iran has remained generally ambiguous as far as Israel is concerned and the administration has not outlined to Israel its plan for a dialogue with Iran in an orderly way. Many of the details Israel learned about this plan were obtained via European channels. The Israeli officials said the problem also stems from the government change in both states and because clear work procedures between the sides have not been set established. "This will be one of the most important things Netanyahu will have to settle with Obama," a senior official said. However, the official said the new administration no longer seems to see Israel as a "special" or "extraordinary" state in the Middle East, with which the U.S. must maintain a different dialogue than with other states. "The feeling is that the dialogue and coordination with the Arab states and with Europe is today no less important to the U.S. and perhaps more so than with Israel," the official said. Uzi Arad, the official in the Prime Minister's Office in charge of the liaison with the American administration, maintains ties with various American officials but has not yet forged a direct channel to his counterpart, National Security Advisor General James L. Jones. Arad is scheduled to go to Washington next week to prepare for Netanyahu's trip. Arad will outline the first chapters of Israel's new foreign policy, with an emphasis on the Palestinian and Iranian issues, at his meeting with Jones next Tuesday in Washington ahead of Obama's meeting with Netanyahu May 18. The Americans are expected to tell Arad what Obama expects of his meeting with Netanyahu and coordinate the meeting's agenda, issues and the two men's statements in the news conference after the meeting. The Americans are also expected to brief Arad on the talks between American and Syrian officials in Damascus on Thursday. During the Olmert government, Israeli officials kept very close ties with their counterparts in the American administration. This included advanced briefings about almost every American move. The Israelis were even briefed about former president George W. Bush's speeches or former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice's foreign policy statements. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert used to have regular conversations with Bush while former foreign minister Tzipi Livni kept in touch with Rice. Olmert's chief of staff Yoram Turbowicz and political advisor Shalom Turgeman coordinated foreign policy activities with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and his deputy Elliot Abrams.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1083998.html
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
Oil groups to end 40-year exile from Iraq
Oil groups to end 40-year exile from Iraq
By Carola Hoyos in London
Published: May 6 2009 23:33 Last updated: May 6 2009 23:33
International oil companies are preparing to go back into Iraq by the end of the year, in spite of Baghdad’s failure to pass an oil law and continuing concerns over security.
BP and Royal Dutch Shell are among companies expected to bid for oil service contracts in June, with the long-term objective of being allowed to develop the world’s third-largest oil reserves.
Executives from many of the world’s biggest oil companies – expelled almost 40 years ago – have assured Iraqi officials they plan to commit to working in the country.
Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, said his company was participating in the bidding process and that the new contract terms had made it more attractive to invest there. “Yes, sure. In the end, you have to make up your mind,” he said.
The service contracts, which are divided into six groups of fields, include up front guarantees of soft loans totalling $2.6bn (€2bn, £1.7bn).
A BP spokesman said: “If successful, we could see ourselves back in Iraq by the end of the year barring any unforeseen delays.”
For five years, following the US invasion of Iraq, oil executives had been insisting on better security and the passage of a hydrocarbon law – seen as crucial by the previous US administration as an indicator of political stability – before they would be willing to invest billions of dollars. Now the companies say they are prepared to return to Iraq even though the country’s oil law remains bogged down by political discord and its fragile peace faces two imminent tests: the forthcoming elections and the US military’s departure.
Thamir Ghadhban, chairman of the advisory board to Iraq’s prime minister and a former oil minister, told the Financial Times that the coming bidding round – the first since the end of the 2003 war – would be heavily subscribed.
“International oil companies are short of reserves and opportunities and us countries control almost 88 per cent of oil reserves. The only real opportunity is Iraq.”
He said an oil law would no doubt make the companies “more satisfied, but we are not working from a void. We have laws”. He said not a single company had come to him with second thoughts or to declare it would not bid because of the absence of a hydrocarbons law. “The oil companies will bid and it will be competitive.”
BP, Shell Total and ExxonMobil were part of the consortium of oil companies whose assets were appropriated by Baghdad when the country nationalised the industry in early 1973.
Iraq, which produces about 2.4m barrels of oil a day, holds reserves of about 115bn barrels, which are relatively easy and inexpensive to tap.
Only Saudi Arabia and Iran hold more oil, but both are off limits to international companies, which have had to move into increasingly remote or expensive areas such as the Arctic and Canada’s oil sands.
The breakthrough on Iraq’s contracts comes after months of negotiations between Iraqi officials and oil company executives.
Alex Munton, analyst at Wood Mackenzie, the industry consultant, said: “There has been an effort to try to go as far as they can so the oil companies’ concerns, raised by the absence of a hydrocarbons law, can be met through the contracts.”
He added: “Iraq may be at the bottom of any scale ranking investment climate – even for hardened oil companies – but it is at the top of any scale ranking the attractiveness of its oil reserves.”
Bids are due at the start of June and the winners are expected to be revealed by the end of that month. Iraq’s cabinet plans to ratify the agreements before the end of August, which would mean companies have to begin work in November or risk losing the contract.
“Iraq is not interested in signing contracts that will not be worked on,” Mr Ghadhban stressed, noting that the contracts committed companies to begin work three months after ratification.
Given Iraq’s recent record, delay and derailment remains a possibility. For Baghdad, however, getting the contracts signed has become more urgent since the collapse in oil prices – to $50 a barrel from $147 last summer – left a gaping hole in its budget.
For the companies, the drop in the oil price may have drastically reduced available cash but not so much as to force them to forgo the biggest investment opportunity since the fall of communism lifted the barriers to Russia and the Caspian.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/86834368-3a6c-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
By Carola Hoyos in London
Published: May 6 2009 23:33 Last updated: May 6 2009 23:33
International oil companies are preparing to go back into Iraq by the end of the year, in spite of Baghdad’s failure to pass an oil law and continuing concerns over security.
BP and Royal Dutch Shell are among companies expected to bid for oil service contracts in June, with the long-term objective of being allowed to develop the world’s third-largest oil reserves.
Executives from many of the world’s biggest oil companies – expelled almost 40 years ago – have assured Iraqi officials they plan to commit to working in the country.
Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, said his company was participating in the bidding process and that the new contract terms had made it more attractive to invest there. “Yes, sure. In the end, you have to make up your mind,” he said.
The service contracts, which are divided into six groups of fields, include up front guarantees of soft loans totalling $2.6bn (€2bn, £1.7bn).
A BP spokesman said: “If successful, we could see ourselves back in Iraq by the end of the year barring any unforeseen delays.”
For five years, following the US invasion of Iraq, oil executives had been insisting on better security and the passage of a hydrocarbon law – seen as crucial by the previous US administration as an indicator of political stability – before they would be willing to invest billions of dollars. Now the companies say they are prepared to return to Iraq even though the country’s oil law remains bogged down by political discord and its fragile peace faces two imminent tests: the forthcoming elections and the US military’s departure.
Thamir Ghadhban, chairman of the advisory board to Iraq’s prime minister and a former oil minister, told the Financial Times that the coming bidding round – the first since the end of the 2003 war – would be heavily subscribed.
“International oil companies are short of reserves and opportunities and us countries control almost 88 per cent of oil reserves. The only real opportunity is Iraq.”
He said an oil law would no doubt make the companies “more satisfied, but we are not working from a void. We have laws”. He said not a single company had come to him with second thoughts or to declare it would not bid because of the absence of a hydrocarbons law. “The oil companies will bid and it will be competitive.”
BP, Shell Total and ExxonMobil were part of the consortium of oil companies whose assets were appropriated by Baghdad when the country nationalised the industry in early 1973.
Iraq, which produces about 2.4m barrels of oil a day, holds reserves of about 115bn barrels, which are relatively easy and inexpensive to tap.
Only Saudi Arabia and Iran hold more oil, but both are off limits to international companies, which have had to move into increasingly remote or expensive areas such as the Arctic and Canada’s oil sands.
The breakthrough on Iraq’s contracts comes after months of negotiations between Iraqi officials and oil company executives.
Alex Munton, analyst at Wood Mackenzie, the industry consultant, said: “There has been an effort to try to go as far as they can so the oil companies’ concerns, raised by the absence of a hydrocarbons law, can be met through the contracts.”
He added: “Iraq may be at the bottom of any scale ranking investment climate – even for hardened oil companies – but it is at the top of any scale ranking the attractiveness of its oil reserves.”
Bids are due at the start of June and the winners are expected to be revealed by the end of that month. Iraq’s cabinet plans to ratify the agreements before the end of August, which would mean companies have to begin work in November or risk losing the contract.
“Iraq is not interested in signing contracts that will not be worked on,” Mr Ghadhban stressed, noting that the contracts committed companies to begin work three months after ratification.
Given Iraq’s recent record, delay and derailment remains a possibility. For Baghdad, however, getting the contracts signed has become more urgent since the collapse in oil prices – to $50 a barrel from $147 last summer – left a gaping hole in its budget.
For the companies, the drop in the oil price may have drastically reduced available cash but not so much as to force them to forgo the biggest investment opportunity since the fall of communism lifted the barriers to Russia and the Caspian.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/86834368-3a6c-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Homeland agency pulled back extremism dictionary
Black power, white supremacists, abortion foes make list
By Audrey Hudson (Contact) | Tuesday, May 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — The same Homeland Security Department office that categorized veterans as potential terrorists issued an earlier report that defined dozens of "extremists" ranging from black power activists to abortion foes. The report was nixed within hours and recalled from state and local law enforcement officials.
Whites and blacks, Christians and Jews, Cubans and Mexicans, along with tax-hating Americans were among several political leanings listed in the "Domestic Extremism Lexicon" that came out of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) in late March.
The lexicon lists definitions for key terms and phrases used by Homeland Security analysts "that addresses the nature and scope of the threat that domestic, non-Islamic extremism poses to the United States," the report said.
Click here to download a PDF of "Domestic Extremism Lexicon"
Black separatism was defined as a movement that they said advocates the establishment of a separate nation within the U.S., and its members "advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence directed toward local law enforcement" to advance their goals. Black power is a "term used by black separatists to describe their pride in, and the perceived superiority of the black race," the report said.
Under the listing "antiabortion extremism," the lexicon cites a movement that "advocates violence against providers of abortion-related services." It notes that some people in the movement "cite various racist and anti-Semitic beliefs to justify their criminal activities."
"The lexicon was not an authorized I&A product, and it was recalled as soon as management discovered it had been released without authorization," said Amy Kudwa, Homeland Security spokeswoman.
"This product is not, nor was it ever, in operational use," Ms. Kudwa said.
Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the report "causes further concern that Congress needs to get to the bottom of exactly how DHS determines what intelligence products to distribute to law enforcement officials around the country."
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WASHINGTON — "Although we have evidence that some of the groups described in this and other DHS intelligence products are an active terror threat to our nation, I would be interested in knowing why this lexicon mentioning left-wing extremist groups was deemed inappropriate by DHS and recalled, yet a similar report focusing on veterans, antiabortion activists and anti-illegal immigration activists was fit for distribution and sent out by DHS to law enforcement agencies across the country," Mr. King said.
The 11-page lexicon document lists terms from A through W, beginning with "aboveground," which is defined as extremist groups or people who "operate overtly and portray themselves as law-abiding," and ending with "white supremacist movement." The listing notes six categories of white supremacists: Neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan, Christian identity, racist skinhead, Nordic mysticism and Aryan prison gangs.
A "left-wing extremist" is described as someone who opposes war or is dedicated to environmental and animal rights causes, while a "right-wing extremist" is someone who is against abortion or for border enforcement.
The same "right-wing" definition appeared in a report last month that prompted an outcry in the veterans community for also suggesting that veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were targets for extremist groups to recruit for attacks against the U.S.
That report was not recalled; however, the department said it has instituted changes to more carefully review these reports before they are sent to local law enforcement agencies.
"Since this happened prior to our last experience, our new internal protocols were obviously not in place," Ms. Kudwa said.
Roger Mackin, the head of the I&A responsible for the report that suggested veterans were being recruited to commit terrorist acts in the U.S., was replaced late last month. Ms. Kudwa said then that the personnel moves were categorically not related to the veterans-related story reported by The Washington Times in mid-April.
She also said Mr. Mackin would move outside Homeland Security, to the cybersecurity section at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The new detail for Mr. Mackin had been planned for several weeks and predated the April 7 report, Ms. Kudwa said at the time.
The latest report to become public, the lexicon on domestic extremism, stated that people involved with anti-immigration extremism "may have been known to advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism to advance their extremist goals."
"They are highly critical of the U.S. government's response to illegal immigration and oppose government programs that are designed to extend 'rights' to illegal aliens, such as issuing driver's licenses or national identification cards and providing in-state tuition, medical benefits, or public education."
"Cuban independence extremism" is defined as those who "do not recognize the legitimacy of the Communist Cuban Government and who attempt to subvert it through acts of violence, mainly within the U.S."
Mexican separatism defines those would advocate an armed struggle to take back Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, the report stated.
Environmental extremism is described as those "who use violence to end what they perceive as the degradation of the natural environment by humans."
And, the "tax-resistance movement" is described as "groups or individuals who vehemently believe taxes violate their constitutional rights."
The criteria in the listings are a willingness to advocate or engage in criminal activity or plot acts of terrorism.
The report lists traditional extremist groups, such as racist skinheads or lone terrorists who might plot against the U.S., as well as some obscure groups. Racial Nordic mysticism is listed as an ideology adopted by many white supremacist prison gangs "who embrace a Norse mythological religion, such as Odinism or Asatru."
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/05/homeland-pulled-back-extremism-dictionary/?page=2
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Is It Possible The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Is Still Physically Alive???
Have you read the book that profoundly explains how the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad escaped his death plot? This book has helped the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan rebuild the Nation of Islam. You can now put in your order with distributor Brother Hannibal Muhammad of Houston.
Price: 1 book for $14.00 or wholesale for $9.00 w/ a minimum purchase of 10 books
Call Brother Hannibal at 832-352-0928
hannibal_muhammad@yahoo.com
brotherhannibal.blogspot.com
(The following is an excerpt from the letter written to Brother Jabril Muhammad Is It Possible The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Is Still Physically Alive??? by Brother Jabril Muhammad
I received your letter, which had me smiling for a while of what you quoted in your letter from Prophet Daniel of the Bible, and over the dream you said your wife dreamed of me and words the Saviour said to her in the dream. This is very true; I cannot go through with this burden without Him helping me and, that He is doing.
Price: 1 book for $14.00 or wholesale for $9.00 w/ a minimum purchase of 10 books
Call Brother Hannibal at 832-352-0928
hannibal_muhammad@yahoo.com
brotherhannibal.blogspot.com
(The following is an excerpt from the letter written to Brother Jabril Muhammad Is It Possible The Honorable Elijah Muhammad Is Still Physically Alive??? by Brother Jabril Muhammad
I received your letter, which had me smiling for a while of what you quoted in your letter from Prophet Daniel of the Bible, and over the dream you said your wife dreamed of me and words the Saviour said to her in the dream. This is very true; I cannot go through with this burden without Him helping me and, that He is doing.
(The Honorable Elijah Muhammad: November 25, 1966)
College graduates surfing for jobs, drowning in debt and seeking a bailout
HOUSTON, Texas - Many college students, past and present, are wondering how banks and auto makers are being bailed out while there is no lifeline for those drowning in student loan debt while jobless or making little money with a college degree.
“It can be extremely depressing at times,” said Saeeda Shabazz, 23, who graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a major in theatre studies. Since graduating in 2008, things have not gone according to plan.
Because she had no job offers coming out of school, she resorted to babysitting after returning to her parent's home. She was making enough to get by until she lost that job. Now she's even having trouble getting employment at a local bookstore and the interest rate on her student loans is increasing.
“I have a degree and can't even get a job at Borders or Barnes & Nobles. I have already put my loans in deferment twice. So at this rate I will pay them off by the year 2028,” she said. “Many of my friends are working at malls with degrees and have student loans as well. Where is the bailout for the college students?”
According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, New York attorney Robert Applebaum is pushing an online campaign to ask that all student debt be forgiven. In late January, he launched a Facebook.com networking group and has more than 160,000 members to go along with 50,000 signatures on a petition that will be delivered to the halls of Congress.
“I see it as targeted relief to people who are obviously lower and middle class, and it rewards responsibility,” said Mr. Applebaum, who owes over $95,000 on law school loans. “These people didn't take out these loans to live high. They did it to better themselves.”
Mr. Applebaum estimates that total student loan debt nationwide is roughly $600 billion, which he says is nowhere near the figures handed out to banks. Although the idea is being disputed by many economists, the online forum created by Mr. Applebaum has been covered in news outlets throughout the world.
Mr. Applebaum estimates that total student loan debt nationwide is roughly $600 billion, which he says is nowhere near the figures handed out to banks. Although the idea is being disputed by many economists, the online forum created by Mr. Applebaum has been covered in news outlets throughout the world.
“For the record, I have never defaulted on my student loans, nor do I intend to. This group is about promoting an idea concerning a different way of accomplishing the goal of stimulating the economy,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
“To bailout student loans would only mean that we would have to pay our tax dollars for somebody who made the decision to go into debt. Would that be fair?” asked Brenda Washington, a financial advisor in Houston. “Don't get me wrong, I believe something should be done about the student loan debt but I don't know if his suggestion will stimulate the economy.”
Is a college degree worth the hassle?
Hannibal Muhammad, 25, is only one semester away from finishing at Texas Southern University with a degree in business management. But he has had no internships, was purged one year for lack of money, suspended due to low grades and does not see any job security when he finishes.
“I am not surprised that I don't have a job locked down in my major because this is the time to create a job for ourselves,” said Mr. Muhammad, who is originally from Phoenix. Since moving to Houston to attend college his sources of income have been a job at Wal-Mart and working as a senior level banker at First Convenience Bank.
He has since launched Sirboya Enterprises to provide marketing, graphic designing and business consulting services. “So what I am doing at this point is learning as much of the theories from class and seeing how I can use it to build up my business. College students need to start thinking about what type of businesses they want to own.”
The average national cost of total college expenses has increased nearly 100 percent over the last 30 years from $7,857 in 1977-1978 to $15,665 in 2007-2008. But the median household income has only risen 18 percent over that same period, from about $42,500 to just over $50,000. This means, college costs have gone up more than five times the rate of incomes. For parents, that is an issue.
“I can see how so many students decide not to go to school. They are seeing the damaging effects of getting student loans and their parents can't afford it,” said Jackie Thompson, whose daughter attends Southern University at Shreveport. “If my daughter had not received a scholarship, I don't know what we would have done. So many children in poor families can't go to college. But some families have the money.”
Such is the story of Plez McConnell, 24, who graduated in 2007 from TSU with over $30,000 in student loan debt. He will have his loans paid off by next year because “I am blessed to have parents and family members who help me out. I didn't have a job in my major upon graduating. I worked at a radio station and a law firm. Having a job coming out of college is really dependent on the field you study,” he said.
According to the 2008 National Report Card on Higher Education, a family in the country's lowest-income bracket now has to pay, on average, 55 percent of their total income (up from 39 percent in 2000) for a child to attend a four-year public university. For a middle-income family, the average is 25 percent (up from 18 percent in 2000); and for an upper-income family, 9 percent (up from 7 percent).
Financial aid disparities?
A 2006 report by The Education Trust titled Engines of Inequality, revealed that most schools in 2003 spent a little over $170 million in aid on students from households making less than $20,000 a year. About $257 million went to students from households earning over $100,000 a year.
“And just think, it is far worse than that now,” said Dwayne White, an economist based in Austin. “More and more historically Black colleges and universities have seen an increase in White students enrolling over the last eight years or so and they are getting the larger share of financial aid. Plus laws surrounding student loans are getting tighter.”
A 2008 poll by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that 31 percent of those polled believe that a college education is necessary for a person to be successful in the work field; more than 60 percent believe that many people who are qualified don't have the opportunity to go to college; and 59 percent said college prices are rising as fast or faster than prices for health care.
The poll also found respondents were aware that financial aid is available (mostly in the form of loans), but 78 percent agreed, either strongly (60 percent) or somewhat (18 percent), that students have to borrow far too much to pay for higher education. And according to their research, the majority of those impacted are Black and Hispanic households.
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FCN is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties. Original content supplied by FCN and FinalCall.com News is Copyright 2009 FCN Publishing, FinalCall.com. Content supplied by third parties are the property of their respective owners.
Monday, May 4, 2009
China has 'canceled US credit card': lawmaker Monday, May 4, 2009 10:51 AM
China has 'canceled US credit card': lawmaker
WASHINGTON (AFP) — China, wary of the troubled US economy, has already "canceled America's credit card" by cutting down purchases of debt, a US congressman said Thursday.
China has the world's largest foreign reserves, believed to be mostly in dollars, along with around 800 billion dollars in US Treasury bonds, more than any other country.
But Treasury Department data shows that investors in China have sharply curtailed their purchases of bonds in January and February.
Representative Mark Kirk, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and co-chair of a group of lawmakers promoting relations with Beijing, said China had "very legitimate" concerns about its investments.
"It would appear, quietly and with deference and politeness, that China has canceled America's credit card," Kirk told the Committee of 100, a Chinese-American group.
"I'm not sure too many people on Capitol Hill realize that this is now happening," he said.
The Republican lawmaker said that China was justified in concerns about returns from finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were bailed out by the US government due to the financial crisis.
Kirk said he was the first member of Congress to tour the Bureau of Public Debt, which trades bonds, and was alarmed at how much debt was being bought by the US Federal Reserve due to absence of foreign investors.
"There will come a time where the lack of Chinese participation may have a significant impact," Kirk said.
"We should track that, because up until last month they were the number one provider of currency to the United States and now they're gone."
With China's economy also hit by the global economic crisis, Premier Wen Jiabao has openly voiced concern about the status of his country's investments in the United States.
China has also floated replacing the dollar as the key international currency with a basket of units bringing in the euro, sterling and yen.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.
Guns Bought This Year Could Outfit 2 Armies
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96677
WND Exclusive WEAPONS OF CHOICE
Guns bought this year could outfit 2 armies
Report cites surge that coincided with last year's election
Posted: April 30, 2009
10:55 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Guns purchased legally in the United States this year could outfit two armies – and not just any armies, the armies of China and India, according to new government reports cited by a website for sport-shooting enthusiasts.
The federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System database statistics show there were more than 3.7 million background checks during the first three months of this year, compared to about 8 million annually not even a decade ago, according to the documentation assembled by Ammoland.com.
That's not individual guns, that's background checks, the organization pointed out. If a purchaser obtains two, three or even four guns at a time, often there is only one background check.
"You also bought 1,529,635,000 rounds of ammunition in just the month of December. Yeah, that is right, that is billion with a 'b.' This number takes no account of reloading or reloaded ammunition," the report said.
According to the Global Security website, the Indian army is estimated to have about 1 million soldiers. A news report from several years ago estimated the Chinese army at 1.7 million, although recent estimates put that at 2.25 million.
Here is a table documenting the federal gun background checks by month:
Federal statistics on gun background checks
The report cites the quote from Admiral Isoruko Yamamota, a World War II leader for Japan, who said, "You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."
The report said the evaluation on firearms and ammunition purchases are "based on low end numbers."
"The numbers presented are only PART of the overall numbers of arms and ammunition that have been sold. The actual numbers are much higher."
That's because no private individual-to-individual sales would be included, and there's no assessment of how many guns are purchased through each background check.
"Law abiding citizens appear to be concerned about our 'right to own and bear arms,'" said one forum page participant.
The statistics show that U.S consumers sought 3.1 million gun background checks every three months last year, for an annual total of 12.7 million. The annual averages had been about 8.4 million for a number of recent years, but there was a surge starting last October, when check requests rose suddenly from 970,000 a month to nearly 1.2 million. Totals have remained at that higher level.
The answer is finally here to the real reason why guns and church must mix!
Another forum participant added, "It's logical that gun sales took sharp upturn. The concern is that the super majority of Democrats in Washington will make firearms either harder to obtain or outright contraband. … As for myself, I have all the weapons I could possibly need, so I've just been stocking up on ammo because I think ammo will be subject to new regulations and increased taxes under this president and Congress."
Steve Sanetti, the head of a shooting sports organization, said, "Americans concerned about their ability to purchase many types of home defense, hunting and target shooting firearms in the future are continuing to purchase these products in record numbers today."
WND reported that the usually liberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is "deeply rooted in this nation's history and tradition" and long has been regarded as the "true palladium of liberty," so it therefore must be applied against state and local government weapon restrictions as well as federal gun limits.
But the decision appears to run counter to the general direction sought by the administration of President Obama three months into his tenure.
He's already advocated for a treaty that would require a federal license for hunters to reload their ammunition, has expressed a desire to ban "assault" weapons, has seen a plan to require handgun owners to submit to mental health evaluations and sparked a rush on ammunition purchases with his history of anti-gun positions.
Obama also supported the handgun ban in Washington, D.C., before it was tossed out last year by the Supreme Court.
Bob Unruh is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
WND Exclusive WEAPONS OF CHOICE
Guns bought this year could outfit 2 armies
Report cites surge that coincided with last year's election
Posted: April 30, 2009
10:55 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Guns purchased legally in the United States this year could outfit two armies – and not just any armies, the armies of China and India, according to new government reports cited by a website for sport-shooting enthusiasts.
The federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System database statistics show there were more than 3.7 million background checks during the first three months of this year, compared to about 8 million annually not even a decade ago, according to the documentation assembled by Ammoland.com.
That's not individual guns, that's background checks, the organization pointed out. If a purchaser obtains two, three or even four guns at a time, often there is only one background check.
"You also bought 1,529,635,000 rounds of ammunition in just the month of December. Yeah, that is right, that is billion with a 'b.' This number takes no account of reloading or reloaded ammunition," the report said.
According to the Global Security website, the Indian army is estimated to have about 1 million soldiers. A news report from several years ago estimated the Chinese army at 1.7 million, although recent estimates put that at 2.25 million.
Here is a table documenting the federal gun background checks by month:
Federal statistics on gun background checks
The report cites the quote from Admiral Isoruko Yamamota, a World War II leader for Japan, who said, "You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."
The report said the evaluation on firearms and ammunition purchases are "based on low end numbers."
"The numbers presented are only PART of the overall numbers of arms and ammunition that have been sold. The actual numbers are much higher."
That's because no private individual-to-individual sales would be included, and there's no assessment of how many guns are purchased through each background check.
"Law abiding citizens appear to be concerned about our 'right to own and bear arms,'" said one forum page participant.
The statistics show that U.S consumers sought 3.1 million gun background checks every three months last year, for an annual total of 12.7 million. The annual averages had been about 8.4 million for a number of recent years, but there was a surge starting last October, when check requests rose suddenly from 970,000 a month to nearly 1.2 million. Totals have remained at that higher level.
The answer is finally here to the real reason why guns and church must mix!
Another forum participant added, "It's logical that gun sales took sharp upturn. The concern is that the super majority of Democrats in Washington will make firearms either harder to obtain or outright contraband. … As for myself, I have all the weapons I could possibly need, so I've just been stocking up on ammo because I think ammo will be subject to new regulations and increased taxes under this president and Congress."
Steve Sanetti, the head of a shooting sports organization, said, "Americans concerned about their ability to purchase many types of home defense, hunting and target shooting firearms in the future are continuing to purchase these products in record numbers today."
WND reported that the usually liberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is "deeply rooted in this nation's history and tradition" and long has been regarded as the "true palladium of liberty," so it therefore must be applied against state and local government weapon restrictions as well as federal gun limits.
But the decision appears to run counter to the general direction sought by the administration of President Obama three months into his tenure.
He's already advocated for a treaty that would require a federal license for hunters to reload their ammunition, has expressed a desire to ban "assault" weapons, has seen a plan to require handgun owners to submit to mental health evaluations and sparked a rush on ammunition purchases with his history of anti-gun positions.
Obama also supported the handgun ban in Washington, D.C., before it was tossed out last year by the Supreme Court.
Bob Unruh is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.
Information Researched By: Sister Anonymous
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