U.S. Government Unveils New Design for the $100 Note

21 Apr 2010 15:15 Africa/Lagos

U.S. Government Unveils New Design for the $100 Note

Government to Currency Users: Know Its Features So You Can Know It's Real

WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the United States Secret Service today unveiled the new design for the $100 note. Complete with advanced technology to combat counterfeiting, the new design for the $100 note retains the traditional look of U.S. currency.


"As with previous U.S. currency redesigns, this note incorporates the best technology available to ensure we're staying ahead of counterfeiters," said Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner.


"When the new design $100 note is issued on February 10, 2011, the approximately 6.5 billion older design $100s already in circulation will remain legal tender," said Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Ben S. Bernanke. "U.S. currency users should know they will not have to trade in their older design $100 notes when the new ones begin circulating."


There are a number of security features in the redesigned $100 note, including two new features, the 3-D Security Ribbon and the Bell in the Inkwell. These security features are easy for consumers and merchants to use to authenticate their currency.


The blue 3-D Security Ribbon on the front of the new $100 note contains images of bells and 100s that move and change from one to the other as you tilt the note. The Bell in the Inkwell on the front of the note is another new security feature. The bell changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted, an effect that makes it seem to appear and disappear within the copper inkwell.


"The new security features announced today come after more than a decade of research and development to protect our currency from counterfeiting. To ensure a seamless introduction of the new $100 note into the financial system, we will conduct a global public education program to ensure that users of U.S. currency are aware of the new security features," said Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios.


"For 145 years, the men and women of the United States Secret Service have worked diligently to protect the integrity of U.S. currency from counterfeiters," said Director Mark Sullivan. "During that time, our agency has evolved to keep pace with the advanced methodologies employed by the criminals we pursue. What has remained constant in combating counterfeiting, however, is the effectiveness of consumer education initiatives that urge merchants and customers to examine the security features on the notes they receive."


Although less than 1/100th of one percent of the value of all U.S. currency in circulation is reported counterfeit, the $100 note is the most widely circulated and most often counterfeited denomination outside the U.S.


"The $100 is the highest value denomination that we issue, and it circulates broadly around the world," said Michael Lambert, Assistant Director for Cash at the Federal Reserve Board. "Therefore, we took the necessary time to develop advanced security features that are easy for the public to use in everyday transactions, but difficult for counterfeiters to replicate."


"The advanced security features we've included in the new $100 note will hinder potential counterfeiters from producing high-quality fakes that can deceive consumers and merchants," said Larry R. Felix, Director of the Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing. "Protect yourself - it only takes a few seconds to check the new $100 note and know it's real."


The new design for the $100 note retains three effective security features from the previous design: the portrait watermark of Benjamin Franklin, the security thread, and the color-shifting numeral 100.


The new $100 note also displays American symbols of freedom, including phrases from the Declaration of Independence and the quill the Founding Fathers used to sign this historic document. Both are located to the right of the portrait on the front of the note.


The back of the note has a new vignette of Independence Hall featuring the rear, rather than the front, of the building. Both the vignette on the back of the note and the portrait on the front have been enlarged, and the oval that previously appeared around both images has been removed.


For a more detailed description of the redesigned $100 note and its features, visit www.newmoney.gov where you can watch an animated video, click through an interactive note or browse through the multimedia resources for images and B-roll.


Also, visit www.newmoney.gov for information on how to order free training materials for cash handlers, or you may download the materials directly from the Web site. The training materials for the $100 note are available in 25 languages.


Source: Bureau of Engraving and Printing

CONTACT: Dawn Haley or Claudia Dickens, Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, +1-202-874-2778; or Sara Messina, Federal Reserve Board,
+1-202-452-2727; or Edwin M. Donovan, Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Secret
Service, +1-202-406-5708; or Patricia Pincus, New Currency Program Media
Support, +1-202-530-4887


Web Site: http://www.newmoney.gov/

Is James Ibori the Only Corrupt Politician in Nigeria?

Is James Ibori the only corrupt politician in Nigeria?

The EFCC should also go after all the criminals indicted in the Halliburton bribery scandal.

You can't be looking for scapegoats while former President Chief Olusẹgun Matthew Okikiọla Arẹmu Ọbasanjọ,GCFR, and his former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Turakin Adamawa),GCON, and the other million dollar bribe takers are still dining and wining in their mansions and VIP clubs in Lagos and Abuja.

NOBODY SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW OR THE LAW IS BULLSHIT.


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Before We Sweep the N27 Billion Halliburton Bribery Scandals Under The Carpet

Before We Sweep the N27 Billion Halliburton Bribery Scandals Under The Carpet


It is very funny how majority of people in Nigeria have deliberately developed goose pimples and slowly ignoring the most important and urgent situation, the prosecution of the 81 persons indicted by the United States law enforcement officials for partaking in the N27 billion Halliburton bribery scandals.
Even the dead among them must have survivors who must account for their shares of the bribes.

Americans, Europeans, Asians, Arabs and Australians would have been addressing this preposterous state graft until all the criminals have been punished, but typical of hypocritical Nigerians, they are mischievously turning to less important issues, because many of them, including the electorate are beneficiaries of these criminals who have been destroying Nigeria.

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan does not have the balls and guts to prosecute the criminals and in fact, he recently appointed one of them as his security adviser.

I have been watching how he has been dodging from facing the challenge of their prosecution and this only proves that he is a weakling and cannot be a competent head of state.
It would be better for him to hand over to General Muhammad Buhari (Rtd) who is not afraid to even prosecute himself if found to be complicit in the corrupt practices destroying Nigeria.

We must destory the rule of kleptocracy in Nigeria.

Christiane Amanpour and Dr.Olufunmilayo Olopade to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Christiane Amanpour


Christiane Amanpour and Dr.Olufunmilayo Olopade to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences


Christiane Amanpour the CNN chief international correspondent and Nigerian born Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade are among 229 Achievers to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences according to a press release from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.



Dr.Olufunmilayo Olopade


Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FACP, is a Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics and Director, Cancer Risk Clinic. She has been recognised "as an international leader in breast cancer research."

"Dr. Olopade continues to help scientists gain a greater understanding of the disease. Her current research interests include identifying the source of ER-negative breast cancer--an aggressive form of the disease, which is resistant to hormone therapy. Dr. Olopade aims to improve screening standards and early detection for moderate- and high-risk populations. She has a special interest in women of African descent, who are at higher risk for the more aggressive breast cancer and more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age. Dr. Olopade has lectured on topics such as breast cancer and cancer genetics at several national and international conferences."

The following is the press release.

19 Apr 2010 18:00 Africa/Lagos

American Academy Announces 2010 Class of Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two hundred and twenty-nine leaders in the sciences, social sciences, the humanities, the arts, business and public affairs have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The new Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members announced today join one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. A center for independent policy research, the Academy celebrates the 230th anniversary of its founding this year.


A complete list of the 2010 class of new members is located at: http://www.amacad.org/news/a2z10.pdf.


The scholars, scientists, jurists, writers, artists, civic, corporate, and philanthropic leaders include winners of the Nobel, Pulitzer, and Shaw Prizes; MacArthur and Guggenheim fellows; and Grammy, Tony, and Oscar Award winners.


Scientists among the new Fellows include: astronomer Geoffrey Marcy, who discovered more than half of the currently known extrasolar planets; chemist Joseph Francisco, whose research revolutionized our understanding of chemical processes in the atmosphere; Evelyn Hu, a pioneer in the fabrication of nanoscale electronic and photonic devices; Chung Law, whose research on combustion has implications for new classes of transportation fuels; Microsoft's chief software architect Ray Ozzie, creator of Lotus Notes; Christopher Field, whose research in global ecology has helped in the assessment and understanding of climate change; Timothy Ley, who led the group that sequenced the first human cancer genome; and physician-scientist Olufunmilayo Olopade, whose revolutionary findings on the genetics of breast cancer were translated into interventions for women around the world.


Social scientists include Nobel laureate economist Myron Scholes; demographer and U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves; archeologist Kathryn Bard, who has conducted pathbreaking excavations in Egypt; Edward Glaeser, whose empirical study of urban economics has helped explain housing bubbles in U.S. cities; environmental geographer Ruth DeFries, who uses satellite-imaging to help map and understand the environmental effects of agriculture and urbanization; and legal scholar and Lewis Powell biographer John Jeffries, Jr.


In the humanities and arts, new members include: theologian Harvey Cox, Jr.; Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Daniel Howe; Middle East historian Ervand Abrahamian; philosopher Christopher Peacocke; novelist Marilynne Robinson; installation and conceptual artist Dan Graham; Suzanne Farrell, former New York City Ballet principal dancer and founder of her own ballet company at the Kennedy Center; actors John Lithgow and Denzel Washington; director Francis Ford Coppola; violinist and conductor Jaime Laredo; jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins; and baritone Thomas Hampson.


Among those elected to the Academy from public affairs are U.S. Special Envoy to North Korea Stephen Bosworth; the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero; National Endowment for the Humanities Chair James Leach; and G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.


Business leaders in the 2010 class of new members include Roger Ferguson, Jr., President and CEO of financial services company TIAA-CREF; Marjorie Scardino, CEO of international media company Pearson PLC; and Samuel Palmisiano, Chairman and CEO of IBM.


Higher education and foundation leaders in the new class are: Joseph Aoun (Northeastern University); Gene Block (University of California, Los Angeles); Scott Cowen (Tulane University); John DeGioia (Georgetown University); Susan Desmond-Hellmann (University of California, San Francisco); Robert Gallucci (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation); John Jenkins (University of Notre Dame); Jim Yong Kim (Dartmouth College); Morton Schapiro (Northwestern University); and Luis Ubinas (Ford Foundation).


The Academy also elected Foreign Honorary Members from Australia, Canada, Finland, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. They include: the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams; Israeli high-energy physicist and advocate for Middle East cooperation Haim Harari; Australian Academy of Science president, Kurt Lambeck, whose geophysical research elucidates changes in climate and sea levels; Michel Mayor, director of Switzerland's Geneva Observatory; Linda Partridge, specialist in the biology of aging; Spain's former Minister of Education and Science, Jose María Maravall Herrero, who is credited with democratizing the Spanish educational system; British filmmaker and playwright Mike Leigh; Japanese architect Toyo Ito; Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen; and Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, India's largest conglomerate.


Established in 1780 by John Adams and other founders of the nation, the Academy undertakes studies of complex and emerging problems. Its membership of scholars and practitioners from many disciplines and professions gives it a unique capacity to conduct a wide range of interdisciplinary, long-term policy research. Current projects focus on science and technology; global security; social policy and American institutions; the humanities and culture; and education.


"We are pleased to welcome these distinguished individuals into the Academy," said Leslie Berlowitz, Chief Executive Officer and William T. Golden Chair. "We look forward to drawing on their knowledge and expertise to provide practical policy solutions to the pressing issues of the day."


"The men and women we elect today are true pathbreakers who have made unique contributions to their fields, and to the world," said Academy Chair Louis W. Cabot. "The Academy honors them and their work, and they, in turn, honor us."


The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on October 9, at the Academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Since its founding by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots, the Academy has elected leading "thinkers and doers" from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the eighteenth century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the nineteenth, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the twentieth. The current membership includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.


Source: American Academy of Arts & Sciences

CONTACT: Paul Karoff of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences,
+1-617-576-5043, pkaroff@amacad.org


Web Site: American Academy of Arts & Sciences


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Elie Wiesel and 6 Nobel Laureates Counter Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky on Israel

Bishop Desmond Tutu

17 Apr 2010 13:00 Africa/Lagos

Six Nobel Laureates, Connected with Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, and Elie Wiesel Counter Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky's Statements on Israel Divestment Issue at UC Berkeley


Noam Chomsky


LOS ANGELES, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the debate on whether or not to divest from Israel discussed by the student senate at University of California, Berkeley moved toward conclusion, six Nobel Laureates connected to Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and a seventh Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel, independently wrote to the senate arguing in opposition to divestment support advocated by Desmond Tutu.


Elie Wiesel


Scholars for Peace in the Middle East represent more than 55,000 academics and scholars on more than 3500 campuses world-wide. SPME opposes boycotts and attempts to divest from Israel as they are forms of the ongoing attempt to demonize Israel. This student legislation rather than fostering dialogue and trust that might lead the Israelis and the Palestinians toward peaceful negotiations only has created an atmosphere of division and distrust. Moreover the one sided nature of the legislation is clearly a cause for concern as pointed out by Kenneth Arrow, Nobel Laureate in Economics, Stanford University.


Peter Haas, SPME's President commented: "The situation at UC Berkeley did not have to reach this level. Had the university administration taken a more principled solid stance against one-sided anti-Israel activity earlier, they could have saved themselves and everyone else a lot of trouble. We hope the lesson has been learned."


Edward S. Beck, SPME's Immediate Past President who coordinated the effort for SPME, added, "It was important that students hear from these Nobel Laureates on this important issue who know and believe that the situation in the Middle East is not comparable to the situation in South Africa and are aware of the real issues and history of the region."


Sam Edelman, SPME's Executive Director worked with UC Faculty during this effort and observed: "The one sided nature of this resolution; the ignoring of massive human rights violations on the part of both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas make it imperative that the AS President's veto be up held."


The full texts of the Nobel Laureates letters are as follows:

Dear Members of the University of California- Berkeley Student Senate:


May I respectfully urge that you not adopt the one-sided and unjust resolution which condemns the state of Israel and urges divestment. The resolution ignores that Israel is a democratic state, respecting the political and civil rights of its Arab minority. Above all, it exists in an environment in which its very existence has been threatened ever since its inception. Proposals and negotiations which would have led to Palestinian independence have always been rejected by the Palestinians from the 1968 "three nos of Khartoum" to Yasser Arafat's refusal to accept President Clinton's very favorable proposals, a refusal followed by a campaign of pure terrorism, directed against vulnerable civilians, called, "the second intifada." A withdrawal of Jewish settlers from Gaza, enforced by the authority of the state of Israel, was followed, not by renewed efforts at negotiation or even by quiescence, but by a steady barrage of rockets against unquestionably Israeli towns.


The world is full of states with abominable records on human rights, including most of Israel's neighbors. A failure to mention Saudi Arabia, for example, must be regarded as approval for discriminatory treatment of women (they cannot even drive!) and, of course, of homosexuals. Hamas, in Gaza, has not only consistently inflicted whatever harm it can against Israel but has bloodily suppressed Arab political opposition within its boundaries. Israel's independent judiciary has no counterpart in the area.


I trust you will reconsider your original vote and uphold the veto.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely yours,

Kenneth J. Arrow
Stanford University
Nobel Laureate in Economic Science, 1972.


Dear Members of the University of California- Berkeley Student Senate:


We, the undersigned Nobel Laureates, urge the members of the UC Berkeley student senate not to adopt an immoral resolution singling out the state of Israel, a liberal and democratic state seeking peace with the Palestinian people and neighboring Arab states, for condemnation and divestment.


We commend your idealism and desire to provide leadership to the university; but true moral leadership requires taking responsibility, accessing knowledge and making correct, not ideological and radicalized, choices. The resolution before you is wrong in many points of fact and it is unjust by intention: Israel is an imperfect democracy defending itself in a threat environment by Western standards of warfare and checking itself constantly by way of a fiercely independent judiciary committed to international standards of human rights.


A decision by the Berkeley Senate to single out Israel for condemnation, rather than any of the myriad real human rights offenders in the world - including the majority of contentious states surrounding Israel such as Iran, Libya, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon is frankly a decision of the highest moral obtuseness, which we trust you will not pursue.


It is our hope that the UC Berkeley Student Senate who represent future leadership in the world will find a more constructive and effective way - but primarily a moral and just way - to address the difficult and complex issues of Middle East peace rather than siding against one side in the conflict. In no way can your resolution advance peace, as it is an expression of the very radicalism and historical blindness that drives the conflict and blocks reconciliation.


We have faith in your ability to rise to the occasion and shed light instead of hatred on this most difficult issue. Please defeat this wrong resolution.


Roald Hoffmann
Nobel Prize-Chemistry, 1981
Cornell University

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
Nobel Prize-Physics, 1997
College de France Paris

Dudley Herschbach
Nobel Prize-Chemistry, 1986
Harvard University

Dr. Andrew V. Schally
Miami, Florida
Nobel Prize in Medicine 1977

Steven Weinberg
University of Texas
Nobel Prize-Physics, 1979

Source: Scholars for Peace in the Middle East

CONTACT: Samuel Edelman, Executive Director, +1-530-570-8137, or
spmeexecdir@gmail.com, Peter Haas, President, Peter.haas@case.edu, or Edward
S. Beck, Past President, +1-717-576-5038, or ScholarsforPeace@aol.com, all of
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East


Web Site: http://www.spme.net/


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Umuoja Dance Cultural Troupe Performed at the 3rd Lagos Black Heritage Festival

Gabriel Okoro at the 3rd Lagos Black Heritage Festival


Gabriel Okoro and his Umuoja Dance Cultural Troupe performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 3rd Lagos Black Heritage Festival. The troupe did the Sango Bata dance.

Umuoja has perfomed other dances such as the popular Ekombi Dance from Akwa Ibom state in South Eastern Nigeria.

The following is the description of the Ekombi Dance by Gabriel Okoro, the Artistic Director of Umuoja.

The Efiks inhabit the coastal area of South Eastern Nigeria and are very well known nationally and internationally partly because of the prominence of Calabar in Nigerian history and also due to their rich cultural heritage.


Ekombi is a very graceful dance from Akwa -Ibom State done by both male and female dancers in very beautiful and colourful costumes and sweet melodious songs. Performed at festivals and social gatherings.


Umuoja performing the popular Ekombi dance.

Votes are in - Best of Citysearch Hotels 2010

SOFITEL, MIAMI, BY THE POOL.

Slideshow
Send a postcard

16 Apr 2010 17:51 Africa/Lagos


Votes are in - Best of Citysearch Hotels 2010

FIND OUT WHO TOOK HONORS IN BEST LUXURY HOTEL, HIGHEST RATED HOTEL POOL, MOST COMFY BED AND MORE

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Citysearch, a leading online local city guide and operating business of IAC (NASDAQ:IACI) , today announced its 2010 Best of Citysearch Hotels winners. Categories ranged from hotels offering the most value for the buck to those with the sweetest poolside views. Users nationwide cast their votes for the best of New York, best of Los Angeles, best of San Francisco, best of Seattle and more best hotel categories, including:


-- Boutique. Small luxury hotels offering premium services, often located
in a fashionable or up-and-coming neighborhood
-- Budget. Affordable hotels with comfortable accommodations perfect for
money conscious travelers
-- Business. Hotels providing quality rooms and innovative amenities for
today's busy executive
-- Comfy Bed. Hotels with beds that leave guests feeling rejuvenated and
well rested every morning of their stay
-- Extended Stay. Ideal for business travel, temporary housing or weekend
getaways, these hotels offer the comforts of home away from home
-- Family-friendly. Hotels and resorts that offer a variety of amenities
that cater to families with children
-- Hotel Pool. The best pools, for when the atmosphere is as crucial as
the swim
-- Luxury. Leading hotels specializing in the finer points of high-end
hospitality

POPULAR HOTELS IN THE US
Aria
Bellagio
Luxor
Ritz Carlton South Beach
Wynn
The Standard
Mandalay Bay
MGM Grand
Fitzpatrick
Belvedere Hotel
Mondrian Hotel
Waldorf Astoria
The Glenn
Parc
Hudson
Warwick
Mission Inn
Aqua Hotel
Rittenhouse
James Hotel
Edison Hotel
The Tides
Hermitage Hotel
Hotel 1000
Chateau Marmont

For more information and the complete list of winners, visit Best of Citysearch.


About Citysearch


Citysearch LLC is the leading online local media company, meeting the changing needs of consumers, publishers and local advertisers. Citysearch LLC enables consumers to stay connected with access to neighborhood restaurants, bars, shopping, beauty and professional services information nationwide through its premium local brands, which include Citysearch.com, Urbanspoon and Insider Pages. The largest local content network, CityGrid, connects consumers and merchants across the Web, by distributing local content to publishers. Citysearch LLC is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ:IACI) . For more information, visit www.citysearch.com


For more information contact:
Brandi Willard for Citysearch
310-775-3738 or brandi.willard@citysearch.com


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081119/LAW061ALOGO-b)

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081119/LAW061ALOGO-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Citysearch

CONTACT: Brandi Willard of Citysearch, +1-310-775-3738,
brandi.willard@citysearch.com


Web Site: http://www.citysearch.com/


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President Barack Obama Needs Support for Wall Street Reform

President Barack Obama Needs Support for Wall Street Reform

President Barack Obama has called for support for his populist proposal for financial regulatory reform. The Wall Street Reform will end misappropriation of funds by reckless Wall Street speculators who are gambling with the savings of shareholders and manipulating the loopholes in the financial system to exploit and rip-off ignorant depositors and investors. The revolutionary reform is to save American taxpayers from being asked to bail out big banks again when the cookie crumbles, to save Main Street from the greedy king-pins and lobbyists of Wall Street; to protect consumers and American families and prevent future meltdown.
The following is the e-mail from President Obama on the importance, relevance and significance of the imperative Wall Street Reform.

It has now been well over a year since the near collapse of our entire financial system that cost the nation more than 8 million jobs. To this day, hard-working families struggle to make ends meet.

We've made strides -- businesses are starting to hire, Americans are finding jobs, and neighbors who had given up looking are returning to the job market with new hope. But the flaws in our financial system that led to this crisis remain unresolved.

Wall Street titans still recklessly speculate with borrowed money. Big banks and credit card companies stack the deck to earn millions while far too many middle-class families, who have done everything right, can barely pay their bills or save for a better future.

We cannot delay action any longer. It is time to hold the big banks accountable to the people they serve, establish the strongest consumer protections in our nation's history -- and ensure that taxpayers will never again be forced to bail out big banks because they are "too big to fail."

That is what Wall Street reform will achieve, why I am so committed to making it happen, and why I'm asking for your help today.

Please stand with me to show your support for Wall Street reform.

We know that without enforceable, commonsense rules to check abuse and protect families, markets are not truly free. Wall Street reform will foster a strong and vibrant financial sector so that businesses can get loans; families can afford mortgages; entrepreneurs can find the capital to start a new company, sell a new product, or offer a new service.

Consumer financial protections are currently spread across seven different government agencies. Wall Street reform will create one single Consumer Financial Protection Agency -- tasked with preventing predatory practices and making sure you get the clear information, not fine print, needed to avoid ballooning mortgage payments or credit card rate hikes.

Reform will provide crucial new oversight, give shareholders a say on salaries and bonuses, and create new tools to break up failing financial firms so that taxpayers aren't forced into another unfair bailout. And reform will keep our economy secure by ensuring that no single firm can bring down the whole financial system.

With so much at stake, it is not surprising that allies of the big banks and Wall Street lenders have already launched a multi-million-dollar ad campaign to fight these changes. Arm-twisting lobbyists are already storming Capitol Hill, seeking to undermine the strong bipartisan foundation of reform with loopholes and exemptions for the most egregious abusers of consumers.

I won't accept anything short of the full protection that our citizens deserve and our economy needs. It's a fight worth having, and it is a fight we can win -- if we stand up and speak out together.

So I'm asking you to join me, starting today, by adding your name as a strong supporter of Wall Street reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/StandForWallStreetReform

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Highly Recommended: U.S. News & World Report: Obama's Financial Regulation Reform: 7 Things You Need to Know

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Sub-Saharan Africans Deeply Committed to Christianity and Islam

15 Apr 2010 05:01 Africa/Lagos


Sub-Saharan Africans Deeply Committed to Christianity and Islam

New Pew-Templeton Survey of 19 African Nations Finds Signs of Tolerance and Tensions Between the Faiths

WASHINGTON, April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The vast majority of people in many sub-Saharan African nations are deeply committed to one or the other of the world's two largest religions, Christianity and Islam, and yet many continue to practice elements of traditional African religions. Most people support democracy and say it is a good thing that people from other religions are able to practice their faith freely. At the same time, many also favor making the Bible or sharia law the official law of the land. And while many Muslims and Christians describe members of the other faith as tolerant and honest, there are clear signs of tensions and divisions between the faiths.


These are some of the key findings of a new survey released by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. "Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa" is based on a major public opinion poll exploring religion and society in the region. It is funded by a generous grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, which aims to increase people's knowledge of religion around the world.


The survey is based on more than 25,000 face-to-face interviews conducted in more than 60 languages or dialects in 19 countries. The countries were selected to represent different geographical areas and reflect different colonial histories, linguistic backgrounds and religious compositions. In total, the nations surveyed contain three-quarters of the population of sub-Saharan Africa.


While 90% or more of the respondents in most of the countries surveyed identify as Christian or Muslim, many people retain beliefs that are characteristic of traditional African religions, such as belief in the protective powers of sacrifices to spirits and ancestors. Many keep sacred objects such as animal skins and skulls in their homes and consult traditional religious healers when someone in their household is sick.


The report finds that on several measures Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa hold favorable views of each other, and in most countries relatively few see evidence of widespread anti-Muslim or anti-Christian hostility in their country. But Muslims and Christians also acknowledge that they know relatively little about each other's faith. And substantial numbers of African Christians (nearly 40% or more in a dozen nations) say they consider Muslims to be violent, while Muslims are more positive in their assessment of Christians.


Additional findings from the survey include:

-- Sub-Saharan Africans generally rank crime, corruption and unemployment
as bigger problems than religious conflict. However, substantial
numbers of people (including nearly six-in-ten Nigerians and Rwandans)
say religious conflict is a very big problem in their country.
-- The degree of concern about religious conflict varies from country to
country but tracks closely with the degree of concern about ethnic
conflict in many countries, suggesting that they are often related.
-- Many Africans are concerned about religious extremism, including
within their own faith in some countries. Indeed, many Muslims say
they are more concerned about Muslim extremism than about Christian
extremism, while Christians in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia
say they are more concerned about Christian extremism than about
Muslim extremism.
-- In most countries, at least half of Muslims say that women should not
have the right to decide whether to wear a veil, saying instead that
the decision should be up to society as a whole.
-- Religion in sub-Saharan Africa often involves intense, personal
encounters with God, divine healings and other experiences often
associated within the Christian community with Pentecostalism. But
many of these beliefs and practices are common among African
Christians who are not affiliated with Pentecostal churches.
-- Majorities in almost every country say that Western music, movies and
television have harmed morality in their nation. Yet majorities in
most countries also say they personally like Western entertainment.
-- In comparison with people in many other regions of the world,
sub-Saharan Africans are highly optimistic that their lives will
change for the better.


The 19 countries represented in the survey are: Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.


The report, including a summary of findings and an interactive Web component, is available online (http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=515).


The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life conducts surveys, demographic analyses and other social science research on important aspects of religion and public life in the U.S. and around the world. As part of the Washington-based Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy organization, the Pew Forum does not take positions on any of the issues it covers or on policy debates.


The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life.


The John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for research and discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality. The Foundation supports work at the world's top universities in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. It also seeks to stimulate new thinking about freedom and free enterprise, character development, and exceptional cognitive talent and genius.


Source: Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life

CONTACT: Mary Schultz, +1-202-419-4556 or Robbie Mills, +1-202-419-4564,
both of Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life

Nigerian Journalist Attacked during Political Clash

15 Apr 2010 12:43 Africa/Lagos

Nigerian Journalist Attacked during Political Clash / Channels TV Cameraman Felix Vincent taken to Hospital

ABUJA, April 15, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- A cameraman working for Nigerian broadcaster Channels Television was assaulted on Tuesday in a clash that erupted following an attack on the vehicle of the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, according to local media reports, and Channels Television News Editor Ronke Raji.


Felix was attacked when he attempted to film the violence. He sustained a deep cut to the head and was taken to hospital.


In a telephone conversation with IPI, Raji said: “Some thugs were trying to attack the politicians. Felix was trying to film the attack.”


IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “It is unacceptable that journalists be attacked simply because they are doing their job. We call on the authorities to launch an investigation into the attack and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”


Asked about the current environment in Nigeria for journalists, Raji noted: “It is better than it was under military rule, although there have been a few cases here and there. But there are no more arbitrary arrests.”

In March, as reported by IPI, two sports journalists – a South African and a Nigerian - were abducted along with their cameraman while travelling to an airport in Owerri city near the Niger Delta region, an area notorious for kidnappings.

Gunmen stopped the bus carrying media professionals from the South African sports channel M-Net SuperSport as it travelled through Imo State. The cameraman managed to escape the following day. His two colleagues were released a few days later.



Source: International Press Institute (IPI)