(Akiit.com) About a month after the hazing-linked death of FAMU band member Robert Champion, Miami-area U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson has announced plans to introduce a bill that would address hazing on a federal level, reports the Miami New Times.

“Hazing is demeaning, dangerous, and, sadly, deadly,” said Rep. Wilson in a release. “It’s time that we put an end to this horrible and humiliating ritual once and for all, so that no more students suffer the way that Robert and others have.”

Several states, including Florida, already have laws that target hazing activity. In Florida, anyone who participates in hazing can be charged with a third-degree felony.
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(Akiit.com) Entering 2012, President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects are essentially a 50-50 proposition, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. It found that most Americans say the president deserves to be voted out of office even though they have concerns about the Republican alternatives.

Obama’s overall standing in the poll suggests he could be in jeopardy of losing re-election even as the survey showed that public’s outlook on the economy appears to be improving. For the first time since spring, more people said the economy got better in the past month than said it got worse. The president’s approval rating on unemployment shifted upward – from 40 percent in October to 45 percent in the latest poll – as the jobless rate fell to 8.6 percent last month, its lowest level since March 2009.

But Obama’s approval rating on his handling of the economy overall remains stagnant: Thirty-nine percent approve and 60 percent disapprove.

Heading into his re-election campaign, the president faces a conflicted public. It does not support his steering of the economy, the most dominant issue for Americans, or his overhaul of health care, one of his signature accomplishments, but it also is grappling with whether to replace him with Republican contenders Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich.

The poll found Americans were evenly divided over whether they expect Obama to be re-elected next year.

For the first time, the poll found that a majority of adults, 52 percent, said Obama should be voted out of office while 43 percent said he deserves another term. The numbers mark a reversal since last May, when 53 percent said Obama should be re-elected while 43 percent said he didn’t deserve four more years.

Obama’s overall job approval stands at a new low, with 44 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving. The president’s standing among independents is worse: Thirty-eight percent approve while 59 percent disapprove. Among Democrats, the president holds steady with an approval rating of 78 percent while only 12 percent of Republicans approve of the job he’s doing.

“I think he’s doing the best he can. The problem is the Congress won’t help at all,” said Rosario Navarro, a Democrat and a 44-year-old truck driver from Fresno, Calif., who voted for Obama in 2008 and intends to support him again.

Robin Dein, a 54-year-old homemaker from Villanova, Pa., who is an independent, said she supported Republican John McCain in 2008 and has not been impressed with Obama’s economic policies. She intends to support Romney if he wins the GOP nomination.

Obama, she said, “spent the first part of his presidency blaming Bush for everything, not that he was innocent, and now his way of solving anything is by spending more money.”

Despite the soft level of support, many are uncertain whether a Republican president would be a better choice. Asked whom they would support next November, 47 percent of adults favored Obama and 46 percent Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. Against Gingrich, the president holds a solid advantage, receiving 51 percent compared with 42 percent for the former House speaker.

The potential matchups paint a better picture for the president among independents. Obama receives 45 percent of nonaligned adults compared with 41 percent for Romney. Against Gingrich, Obama holds a wide lead among independents, with 54 percent supporting the president and 31 percent backing the former Georgia congressman.

Another piece of good news for Obama: People generally like him personally. Obama’s personal favorability rating held steady at 53 percent, with 46 percent viewing him unfavorably. About three-quarters called him likable.

The economy remains a source of pessimism, though the poll suggests the first positive movement in public opinion on the economy in months. One in five said the economy improved in the last month, double the share saying so in October. Still most expect it to stay the same or get worse.

“I suppose you could make some sort of argument that it’s getting better, but I’m not sure I even see that,” said independent voter John Bailey, a 61-year-old education consultant from East Jordan, Mich. “I think it’s bad and it’s gotten worse under (Obama’s) policies. At best, it’s going to stay bad.”

Despite the high rate of joblessness, the poll found some optimism on the economy. Although 80 percent described the economy as “poor,” respondents describing it “very poor” fell from 43 percent in October to 34 percent in the latest poll, the lowest since May. Twenty percent said the economy got better in the past month while 37 percent said they expected the economy to improve next year.

Yet plenty of warning signs remain for Obama. Only 26 percent said the United States is headed in the right direction while 70 percent said the country was moving in the wrong direction.

The president won a substantial number of female voters in 2008 yet there does not appear to be a significant tilt toward Obama among women now. The poll found 44 percent of women say Obama deserves a second term, down from 51 percent in October, while 43 percent of men say the president should be re-elected.

About two-thirds of white voters without college degrees say Obama should be a one-term president, while 33 percent of those voters say he should get another four years. Among white voters with a college degree, 57 percent said Obama should be voted out of office.
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(Akiit.com) Christmas Day has come and gone.

While Christians want to bitch and moan that Jesus is allegedly being taken out of the celebration of Christmas, it is my contention that the representational sentiment of Jesus is being removed from too much by far too many.

Even many so-called Christians.

The representational sentiment of Jesus is found in many other religious icons.

That sentiment is of kindness and gentleness. That sentiment is of efforts to be beautiful humans and beautiful to other humans.

But sadly, the current season of giving and loving begins to fade when people return to work and begin to face the check placed on their metaphysical table for the spending during the holiday season.

When the season fades away, much of the spirit of that season fades away as well.

People go right back to being selfish and greedy, focusing more on what they will get as opposed to what they grudgingly are forced to give.

Few remain focused on the conscious evolution pursued by Jesus of Nazareth.

That conscious evolution was more than a slogan for a season and more of a way of life.

That conscious evolution, when embraced, brought about a lasting season.

I have undergone my own journey into a conscious evolution.

There are a number of key events in my life that moved that evolution along, but none more significant than becoming a father and becoming a kinder, gentler person with the love I give and receive from my son.

Indignant morons can still get a verbal beatdown, but mostly I avoid confrontations where possible.

And I hold dearest the fond memories from when life itself was all about love and beauty

The days of my very own childhood.

It was cold in Chicago when I was a child, and since my fortitude against the elements had yet to develop, it seemed even colder then.

I remember playing outside in the wintertime until my feet and hands were numb and frozen. Running in the house, my mother was always there to rub them until they got warm and to make me feel better.

And she always had a hug ready.

My mother’s hugs could make a bitter, cold day seem warm and turn any frown upside down. Her powerful hugs provided comfort for all things wrong and simply made the world make sense.

When she died, there was no hug strong enough to comfort me. For years, I felt empty inside, and even when my heart finally began to heal, there remained a place that couldn’t be reached.

Some years later, I found myself in my house alone and sick. My girlfriend was out of town and trying to play “Macho Man,” I neglected to call on friends or family. In the middle of the night I awakened, and in my illness-induced stupor, I began to search for my mother to comfort me.

Once my mind cleared and I realized that it was years after my mother’s death, my eyes filled with tears. Then, my mind flooded with all the goodness of a son’s memories of his mother. The warmth of those memories surrounded me and held me like a hug.

That hug felt real to me. And it became real, along with its healing properties. The place that previously couldn’t be reached was touched and filled by the goodness of my memories.

That hug was powerful, helping me in the healing process and fortifying me to be more receptive to the power of hugs.

After my last breakup, I was also carrying the burden of professional turmoil. My heart was broken and my life was in disarray. I knew instinctively that I had to be in Chicago where there was an abundance of loved ones to help me shoulder my burden.

Being around my friends and family gave me comfort, but when I held one of my best friend’s daughters, I literally felt the ache and the pain and the stress and the strain melt away.
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(Akiit.com) We’ve watched the Republicans dropkick President Obama for months now… the ones in Congress, the pundits on FOX, the wannabee candidates (Palin and Trump), and the gonna be candidates for the Republican nomination in the 2012 election. The race to get beat by Obama has been a funny one. Mean, but funny. It’s funny to watch eight people try to dropkick the President while trying to dropkick each other. Their party hasn’t done anything to help them as Republican obstructionism has become the failing mark of American politics lately. It’s about to be on though, as the American public get their turn to dropkick somebody. We’ll see what kinda impression they make in Iowa.

The Republicans finally played themselves last week when the House tried to dictate to the Senate after the upper house left for Christmas vacation. The House threatened not to pass the bi-partisan Payroll Tax extension passed by the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said “Go for it. We ain’t comin back in session.” With the eyes of the world on the House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner, who had been walked out on a plank several times by the Tea Party activists—Particularly Rep. Eric Kantor (whom he can’t control)—finally grabbed his nuts and came on in the house and told his party to “Shut da f*#k up,” while he announced the House was signing the bill. The Republican Party is on the verge of imploding in Congress, and they want to lead the country? Not even the Republican candidates for President can figure out this Congress, so what signal could they be sending to the American public?

What makes the Republican primary candidates interesting to watch is waiting to see which one says the most outlandish comments, knowing someone else is going to try to top it. I must say that the campaign has been a lot less entertaining since Herman Cain left. Cain was good for at least two five star dumb gaffes a week, followed by Rick Perry’s one, Mitt Romney’s “me too,” Ron Paul’s “what for,” Newt’s “It wasn’t me,” and Michelle Bauchmann’s “Partridge in a pear tree” stare. Without Cain to “set it off” we now see the candidates turning on each other and ideas about solving problems falling by the wayside. Funny how they can ignore the foolishness going on in Congress (for the most part) but can focus on President Obama for not providing leadership in Washington. What would they do with a Tea Party led Congress? Well, we’d know what Newt would do, but the rest would have no solution for legislative obstructionism. So stop frontin.
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(Akiit.com) Sam Rivers, an internationally-known jazz musician who played with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, has died. He was 88.

Monique Rivers Williams says her father died Monday night from pneumonia. The Oklahoma native was a saxophonist, flutist and composer.
He started his career in Boston, where he performed with Herb Pomeroy’s big band in an ensemble that included future music producer Quincy Jones. In 1964, he moved to New York and was hired by Davis. He played with a diverse group of musicians there that included Gillespie, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker.

He moved to Orlando in the early 1990s and regularly played with a group of jazz musicians whose day jobs were at Walt Disney World.
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