Archive for "peace"

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize UPDATE: Media Responds

October 9th, 2009

obama

The nation’s first African-American President woke up Friday morning to receive another prestige honor; Nobel Prize recipient.

In what was a complete surprise to the President, the Norwegian Noble Committee awarded Obama due to his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”

Obama is the first sitting US President to win the Nobel Peace Prize since Woodrow Wilson in 1919.

While some bloggers ask legitimately if Obama accomplished enough–with only being President for nine months–to earn the award. Of course, Obama’s political opponents are not cheering who they perceive as the first “Affirmative Action Nobel Prize Winner.”

UPDATE: FOX NEWS RESPONDS

SO DOES MSNBC:

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World News: Nigerian Husband of 86 Wives Arrested; Share Your PEACE With The World

September 17th, 2008

Nigerian man who married 86 wives is arrested. A Nigerian man, who has 86 wives, was arrested for refusing to divorce all but four. Mohammadu Bello Abubakar, a Muslim preacher, was charged by the country’s Niger state (a government that operates under Muslim law) with “insulting religious creed” and “unlawful marriages.” But Abubakar, who has 170 children with his wives, insists that the Koran does not state any punishment for having over four wives.  According to Muslim scholars, up to four wives are allowed providing that they are all treated equally. He is being held without bail until a hearing on October 6. Local authorities previously told Abubakar he had to divorce 82 of his wives by the end of August, or he will face eviction from his home. But last week he won an injunction that stopped them for evicting him for that reason. They will hold a hearing Thursday to determine whether or not that order was a violation of his human rights.

Share your PEACE with the world. Ever wished for a chance to spread peace around the world? Well, the United Nations is giving anyone with a cell phone that opportunity. In honor of the International Day of Peace on September 21, cell phone users in the United States are being encouraged to create a 160-character message on peace beginning with the word “PEACE,” according to a press release. Peace wishers should text their messages to the number 69866. After receiving them, the United Nations Department of Public Information will collect the messages and post them on the Web site. They will also give the messages to leaders from around the world when they come to the General Assembly meeting on September 23. The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 and every year the U.N. looks forward to this “day of ceasefire and non-violence.” People all over the world, including in war torn areas like Sudan and Afghanistan, will participate in this year’s celebrations.

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National News: Gang-Banger Peace Activist Dies; Don’t Count On Jesse, Colin In Denver.; Second Noose Found On Tennessee Construction Site

August 15th, 2008

Darren “Bo” Taylor gave up his life with the Crips to foster harmonydarren-bo-taylor_300x200.jpg
Darren “Bo” Taylor, a one-time gang-banger who survived the mean streets of Los Angeles to bring about peace between rival gangs following the 1992 L.A. riots, lost a battle with cancer on Monday. He was 42. The former Crips member was perhaps the most unlikely peace activist. “Through his UNITY One organization, Taylor worked painstakingly to reduce street violence and to teach life skills to inmates. You don’t find many in the gang-intervention world who can be effective in the street, effective in the courtroom, effective at City Hall and effective in the prisons,” civil rights attorney Connie Rice told The Associated Press. “He could calm everyone down and make us work together.” Survivors include his wife, Marlene Oglesby-Taylor, and mother, Charlene Taylor. (Photo/ Los Angeles Times).

Don’t count on Jesse or Colin in Denver.

Colin Powell Jesse Jackson 

Secretary of State Colin Powell downplayed reports that he’d be standing next to Sen. Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention in Denver later this month. During the primaries, Powell had kind words for Obama, stoking speculation that the first African-American secretary of State might throw his support behind potentially the first African-American president. Go to BET.com/News for more..

Second noose is found on Tennessee construction site. For the second time this month construction workers at the BlueCross BlueShield building site in Tennessee Thursday found a noose at the worksite in Cameron Hill. It was constructed of plastic building material, FBI Agent in Charge Ed Galloway told The Chattanooga Times Free Press. He said his office is investigating. Skanska, the company in charge of the construction project, is offering diversity and sensitivity training, the newspaper reports. “We’ve added a tremendous amount of security at the site,” John Reyhan, general manager for the project, Reyhan said. “And at our job-wide meeting every morning we are encouraging anyone to come forward with any reports of intimidation.” The first noose was found last week.

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