AP Interview: Winfrey celebrates 1st graduates (AP)

HENLEY-ON-KLIP, South Africa ? Oprah Winfrey makes no apologies for spending millions on an elite school for underprivileged South African girls. But she's also looking for ways to make her money stretch further to help more struggling Africans.

Winfrey spoke Friday on the eve of the first graduation at her school. Of the 75 students who started at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007, 72 who will graduate Saturday.

All are headed to universities in South Africa and the United States to pursue such studies as medicine, law, engineering and economics.

Across South Africa, more than half a million members of the class of 2011 disappeared before the 496,000 remaining took their final exams. Only a quarter of those who graduated did well enough to qualify for university study.

"We're taking a victory lap here, for transformation," Winfrey said. "Every single girl is going to leave here with something greater to offer the world than her body."

South Africa is struggling to overcome the inequalities of apartheid, which ended in 1994. The country has too few schools at all levels, and many lack such basics as libraries and are staffed by undereducated teachers.

Earlier this week, a stampede at a Johannesburg university campus killed a mother who had accompanied her son to an in-person application day. Thousands were vying for a few hundred spots at the university.

Winfrey, who spent $40 million on her campus, said her focus was "just to change one girl, affect one person's life." But she acknowledged hers "is not a sustainable model for most people in most countries."

Another new class starts at Winfrey's school next week. But to help more young Africans, Winfrey said she would be working with established philanthropies to identify schools around the developing world that can be strengthened with money.

She hopes to adapt some of the practices of her school, including creating strong support networks for students.

"It takes a lot of support, it takes a whole team," she said, saying teachers and communities would have to be active participants.

Her focus on girls was not among the strategies she would change. Winfrey said studies have shown helping girls helps entire communities, in part because girls and women give back so much.

"I know what it's like to be a poor girl with your heart's desire to do well in the world," she added. "I chose to use my philanthropy to do what I know."

Winfrey said she also might work more quietly in the future, to spare those she helps the kind of scrutiny celebrity draws.

The achievements at Winfrey's school came despite turmoil in its first years.

A woman working as a dormitory matron at the school was accused of abusing teenagers soon after it was opened. She was acquitted in 2010. Winfrey, who has spoken of being abused as a child and called the allegations against the matron crushing, and has said the trial's outcome was "profoundly" disappointing.

Winfrey settled a defamation lawsuit filed in Philadelphia by the school's former headmistress, Nomvuyo Mzamane, who claimed Winfrey defamed her in remarks made in the wake of the scandal.

Last year, a baby born to a student at the school was found dead. The events would have been newsworthy had they involved any school, but drew particularly frenzied attention because of the Winfrey connection.

As a celebrity, Winfrey said: "All of your mistakes are amplified and show up on the evening news."

Winfrey said there were times when she wondered if her project would fail, but she could not give up, both for herself and for Nelson Mandela, who she says inspired her to build the school.

South Africa's education problems result from decades of blacks being denied resources and dignity under apartheid. Since the dawn of multiracial democracy in 1994, progress in righting the educational and other wrongs of the past has been slow and fitful.

Graeme Bloch, an education specialist at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, said he is among those who worry elite schools like Winfrey's can produce elitists. But he praised Winfrey for trying to ensure her students understood they needed to give back to their communities.

The Winfrey students, who call their school's founder Mam Oprah, lectured in their communities about AIDS, created and ran breast cancer awareness campaigns, even picked up trash in the streets of Henley-on-Klip, where the school is located.

Winfrey's was among just 544 out of some 6,500 South African schools whose entire graduating class passed national final year exams last year. Many of the schools with a 100 percent pass rate were either private like Winfrey's, or among the best public schools that had been reserved for whites under apartheid and received the bulk of public school funding.

Black students attend South Africa's elite schools ? on scholarship or because their families are among an emerging black middle and upper class. But Winfrey's is among the few top schools that can say all the students it shepherded through the exams were from poor families, most of them black.

Laurence Corner directs the Student Sponsorship Programme, which for the past decade has raised funds from corporations and individuals to place promising students from South Africa's poorest communities in its best schools.

Corner said that while his own program and schools like Winfrey's can enroll relatively few students, they have wide impact.

Entire communities start to see their young people have potential, and people are inspired to become philanthropists, he said.

"It's very important for disadvantaged communities to have role models from their own communities," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_on_en_tv/af_south_africa_winfrey

harvard yale joe paterno lung cancer joe paterno lung cancer john tucker must die uk basketball iowa state faroe islands

CEOs urge court to throw out SEC-Citigroup ruling (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? A group of chief executives at more than 200 large U.S. companies urged a federal appeals court to undo a judge's controversial decision making it harder for companies to settle Securities and Exchange Commission fraud cases.

The Business Roundtable said companies face "protracted and expensive litigation" if the "novel, and potentially dangerous" reasoning used by District Judge Jed Rakoff to scuttle an SEC fraud settlement with Citigroup Inc is not thrown out.

In that November 28 decision, the Manhattan judge rejected the SEC's long-standing practice of not requiring settling companies to admit or deny its charges.

The regulator had accused Citigroup of selling $1 billion of risky mortgage securities without telling investors that it was simultaneously betting against that debt.

But Rakoff said that by not forcing Citigroup to address whether it did anything wrong, the SEC left him no way to know whether the $285 million settlement was fair.

In a court filing on Thursday, lawyers for the CEOs told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Rakoff's decision improperly adds legal burdens to companies already facing increased regulation, including the recent Dodd-Frank financial reforms and the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Mark Perry, a lawyer for the CEOs, said allowing Rakoff's reasoning to stand would result in courts having to start "micro-managing" agencies' enforcement decisions, and delay recoveries for victims of alleged corporate fraud.

"The ability of an agency to set forth clear rules and obtain speedy relief for injured parties often outweighs the agency's interest in obtaining admissions of wrongdoing and a final judgment," Perry wrote.

Last Friday, the SEC said it will no longer include "neither admit nor deny" language in civil fraud settlements where defendants at the same time admit to or are convicted of criminal violations.

Such cases, however, comprise only a small minority of SEC enforcement actions. The policy change also would not have affected the Citigroup case, which has no criminal component.

Business Roundtable members run companies that generate more than $6 trillion of annual revenue.

Citigroup chief Vikram Pandit is a member of the group.

Other members are Goldman Sachs Group Inc chief Lloyd Blankfein, JPMorgan Chase & Co chief Jamie Dimon, and Bank of America Corp chief Brian Moynihan, whose banks agreed in the last two years to pay more than $850 million in major SEC fraud cases. None admitted wrongdoing.

The 2nd Circuit last month temporarily halted proceedings in the Citigroup case. It plans on January 17 to consider an SEC request for a longer halt so it can appeal Rakoff's decision.

The cases are SEC v. Citigroup Global Markets Inc, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 11-5227; and U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-07387. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, editing by Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120112/bs_nm/us_citigroup_sec_businessroundtable

new york giants mlk mlk super bowl 2012 focus on the family packers vs giants giants score

Video: America ? one nation divided?

'Bootylicious' fly named after Beyonce

Beyonc? may be one of the biggest pop divas out there, but she isn't the only diva with that name. A previously unnamed species of horse fly with a glamorous golden butt has been named Beyonc? because it is the "all-time diva of flies," researchers say.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45992111#45992111

stuffing brandon mcinerney brandon mcinerney black friday 2011 deals nfl power rankings week 12 nfl power rankings week 12 brine turkey

Crapgadget CES, round three: EZ Gas Check draws you into danger

Remember kids -- when you're hovering over copious amounts of leaking gas, that yellow icon means you're basically safe. Maybe.

Crapgadget CES, round three: EZ Gas Check draws you into danger originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/12/crapgadget-ces-ez-gas-check-dangerous/

oklahoma state university badgers badgers mendenhall nbc sports network demarcus cousins mount rainier

Samsung has Smart TVs with dual core CPUs, cameras and more

Samsung's CES 2012 press conference is going on right now, and it's unveiling new products including the top of the line ES8000 LED model that packs a dual core CPU to run its apps, and an integrated camera and microphone for "Smart Interaction". Beyond that, the "Smart Evolution" feature will let users swap out that dual core processor for something heftier later on if they want to upgrade. Finally "Smart Content" is the umbrella term for a wave content and apps including, of course, Angry Birds, and an upgraded version of AllShare that pulls from the cloud, and can even control other compatible devices. The ES8000 edge lit LED line ranges in size from 46- to 65-inches, and features Smart Interaction cameras and mics for videoconferencing as well as voice and gesture control. Check after the break for the press release with all the details, or follow along with our liveblog.

Continue reading Samsung has Smart TVs with dual core CPUs, cameras and more

Samsung has Smart TVs with dual core CPUs, cameras and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/samsungs-has-smart-tvs-with-dual-core-cpus-cameras-and-a-55-i/

amas 2011 black friday elliot elliot la galaxy la galaxy david blaine

Area college sports notebook

New Philadelphia High graduate Danielle Ledrich was recently chosen ESPN Cleveland Falcon Athlete of the Week as a member of the Notre Dame College women?s basketball team.

Ledrich, a 2010 Quaker graduate and a Falcon sophomore guard, averaged 12.7 points per game over three contests. She hit a team-high seven 3 pointers over the three games against Slippery Rock, Mercyhurst and Concord.

Ledrich, a daughter of Al and Kim Ledrich, came off the bench netting a game-high and career-tying 17 points in a loss to Slippery Rock.

She finished the week with a 15-point showing in the Falcons? victory over Concord.

In a loss to Urbana on Saturday, Ledrich scored a team-high and career-tying 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting including 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point line.

On the season, she is averaging 9.4 points per game, shooting 43 percent on 3-pointers and hitting 89 percent of her free throws.

? ? ?

River View graduate Kari Daugherty is averaging 21.6 points, 11 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game at Ashland University.

In a recent game against Findlay, Daugherty had 12 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists as the Eagles won their 11th straight game.

? ? ?

Claymont High graduate Josh Brindley scored 19 points, and New Philadelphia product Logan Kimble added 13 as Muskingum University downed host Otterbein, 67-66, in overtime Saturday night.

The Muskies improved to 2-5, 5-9 on the season.

Source: http://www.timesreporter.com/sports/x1468792944/Area-college-sports-notebook

stephen hawking jesse ventura drew barrymore keri russell will kopelman portland trailblazers bill o brien

Arizona remembers deadly day with bells, tears (AP)

TUCSON, Ariz. ? This time, in the supermarket parking lot, there were softly ringing bells breaking the morning silence instead of the terrible sounds of gunfire and sirens.

More bells tolled later Sunday at Tucson's packed St. Augustine Cathedral as the names of the six people killed in the shooting rampage were read.

With hugs and tears, southern Arizonans remembered the dead, the shattered lives and those who acted heroically after a gunman opened fire at an outdoor meet-and-greet that severely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and stunned the nation and this close-knit community.

The day of remembrance began with the ringing of church bells and hand-held bells throughout the city at 10:11 a.m., the exact time the gunman shot Giffords in the head and methodically moved down a line of people waiting to talk to her during a public event outside a Safeway supermarket on Jan. 8, 2011.

"Even in the midst of this troubling year, the healing, the courage that we have experienced in our community ? each one of us can notice how our cups overflow with the blessings of our lives," said Stephanie Aaron, Giffords' rabbi, who recited the 23rd Psalm at an interfaith service at the cathedral Sunday afternoon.

Relatives of the six dead walked solemnly down the aisle with a single red rose, placing the flowers in a vase in front of a picture of a heart.

Hundreds of people at the cathedral ? including Gov. Jan Brewer ? stood and chanted, "We remember, we remember, we remember with grateful hearts." Some closed their eyes while others held each other.

Girls in white dresses and red sashes danced down the aisle as a song called "Hero in the Dark" played, and a pastor called on everyone to celebrate those who were lost and those who acted to save lives during the shooting.

Ron Barber, a Giffords staffer who survived two gunshot wounds, said he woke up Sunday dreaming about Giffords, who was severely wounded, and Giffords staffer Gabe Zimmerman, who died.

"You have to think about the six people whose loved ones don't have them today," Barber said before the church service began.

At the Safeway memorial, Bruce Ellis and his wife Kelly Hardesty, both 50, held each other tight and wept as the bells rang.

"It's shocking to have a massacre like this occur in your backyard," Ellis said. "It's something that happens on the news, not in your neighborhood."

About 30 others rang bells, hugged each other and cried as the time of the shooting passed. Many bowed in prayer.

Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, went to the scene of the shooting Saturday. They also visited University Medical Center, where Giffords was treated after the attack, and a trailhead outside Tucson named in honor of Zimmerman.

The couple was to join thousands at an evening candlelight vigil at the University of Arizona, with Kelly expected to speak. At an afternoon event at the University of Arizona, Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who was born and raised in Tucson, spoke about Giffords.

He praised Giffords for working for the good of the country, and said other politicians can learn from her and move away from incendiary comments.

"Although Gabby now struggles with her words at times, we know what she's trying to say," Udall said. "It's a simple concept. Words matter, and these days you don't hear our elected officials using words to bring us together. Too often words are used as weapons."

Of 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, her two best friends recalled a girl who aspired to dance with Beyonce, to be the first woman in Major League Baseball and one day be elected president United States.

"She wasn't afraid of boys or sports or anything," Serenity Hammrich said, wearing a black dress and standing with Jamie Stone on stage while many in the audience wept. "When she made student council, I was so happy for her. She believed it was impossible to help others to try to make a difference in the school and to put others first."

The Rev. Andrew Ross, spoke for shooting victim and his congregant Phyllis Schneck.

"I remember just shaking and as I shared with my congregation, my immediate response was anger, in fact rage, that someone would once again do this to a member of our flock," Ross said. "And so it's good for us to be honest and admit it's not easy remembering this day. We have to be honest about that."

President Barack Obama called Giffords on Sunday to offer his support and tell her he and the first lady are keeping her, the families of those killed and the whole Tucson community in their thoughts and prayers, according to the White House. He said Giffords was an inspiration to all Americans.

Barber said he spent time with Giffords on Friday and Saturday.

"Even though it's a hard weekend for her and all of us, she wanted to be here with her community to remember," he said. "She's sad, we're all sad, and she's glad to be home."

Giffords, 41, has spent the last year in Houston undergoing intensive physical and speech therapy in a recovery that doctors and family have called miraculous. She is able to walk and talk, vote in Congress and gave a televised interview to ABC's Diane Sawyer in May.

But doctors have said it would take many months to determine the lasting effects of her brain injury. The three-term congresswoman has four months to decide whether to seek re-election.

Jared Lee Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. The 23-year-old, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort to make him mentally ready for trial.

Sunday's events were designed to bring Tucson residents together the way they did a year ago.

On the night of the shootings, more than 100 people showed up outside Giffords' office on a busy street corner in frigid temperatures, holding candles and signs that simply read "Peace" and "Just pray." Strangers hugged, most cried and many sang anthems like "Amazing Grace."

In the days and weeks that followed, thousands of people contributed to makeshift memorials outside the office, the Tucson hospital where Giffords and other shooting victims were treated and the grocery store where it happened.

Others that came later included a 9-foot, 11-inch sculpture of an angel forged from World Trade Center steel in memory of Green.

At the Safeway, Gail Gardiner, 70, who lives about a mile away, tied a balloon Sunday that said, "Thinking of you," to a railing next to a memorial of the shooting that reads: "The Tucson Tragedy ... we shall never forget."

Albert Pesqueira, assistant fire chief for the Northwest Fire District in Tucson, was one of the first responders to the shooting. He came to the Safeway on Sunday to remember and to heal.

His most vivid memories from that day are the sounds of moaning and crying among shooting victims in the aftermath of the attack.

"I can still hear them," Pesqueira said. "We'll never be the same. We'll never be normal again because of what occurred."

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at http://hosted.ap.org/interactives/2011/congresswoman-recovery

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120109/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot_anniversary

city of ember city of ember virgin diaries kevin smith kevin smith carlos mencia packers stock sale

trifalatzas: Nice work, Steve. RT @stevekilar Story from tomorrow's front page // Immigrants key to reaching mayor's population goal http://t.co/UDwmdvfb

  • Passer la navigation
  • Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
  • Passer cette ?tape
  • Connexion
Loader Twitter.com
  • Connexion
Nice work, Steve. RT @stevekilar Story from tomorrow's front page // Immigrants key to reaching mayor's population goal baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/? trifalatzas

Pied de page

Source:

kourtney kardashian pregnant wormwood bcs bowl games jose reyes college football bowl schedule college football bowl schedule double mastectomy

Gila National Forest hiring for summer seasonal temporary jobs

SILVER CITY - The Gila National Forest has begun hiring for summer seasonal temporary jobs in several programs, including archaeology, clerical, fire, hydrology (water-related projects), range, recreation, and wildlife biology.

Positions are posted on the Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gila/about-forest/jobs

For these jobs, applications can be submitted at any time during the year. However, those looking for work for the 2012 spring/summer field season should submit their applications as soon as possible.

Applications are submitted through on-line vacancy announcements at: www.avuecentral.com

The announcements for these temporary positions are posted on the federal jobs database, USAJobs: www.usajobs.gov. Individual announcements have specific opening and closing dates. Interested applicants must apply by the closing date of the announcement.

The Forest is also looking for a logistics dispatcher, which is a permanent, full-time position. That position will be posted within the next few weeks. For more information on that position, contact Juan Ortiz at: jrortiz@fs.fed.us

The number and location of temporary positions to be filled will depend upon individual Ranger District or Supervisor's Office needs. Pay rates vary depending on location. See the Office of Personnel

Management website www.opm.gov for more information on pay rates.

For veterans, a copy of the DD-214 is required. If disabled and applying for special consideration under certain disability programs, proof of disability is also required.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact specialists at the Supervisor's Office or the Ranger District office they wish to apply for, to get specific job information and job availability. Forest office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Source: http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_19693939?source=rss_viewed

sickle cell trait ron paul michigan football michigan football sugar bowl presidential candidates mild kidney failure