BRIA’S OWN WORDS…

(CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton got her campaign back on track with projected wins in the Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries.

 Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed victory in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island.

Delegate-rich Texas and Ohio were considered must-wins for her campaign.

Obama, who claimed victory in Vermont, had won 12 straight contests since Super Tuesday on February 5.

Texas also held Democratic caucuses Tuesday, but it was too close to declare a winner.

“For everyone here in Ohio and across America who’s been ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up — this one is for you,” Clinton said before supporters in Columbus.

“You know what they say,” she said. “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. Well, this nation’s coming back and so is this campaign.”

Obama congratulated Clinton on her victories but downplayed his losses. CNN’s political team weighs in on the results »

“We know this: No matter what happens tonight, we have nearly the same delegate lead as we had this morning, and we are on our way to winning this nomination,” Obama told supporters in Texas.

Sen. John McCain swept all four Republican contests on Tuesday to become his party’s presumptive nominee. Read about McCain’s victory

McCain won primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island, giving him more than the 1,191 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

Don’t Miss

• Full March 4 results
• McCain wins GOP nomination
• Exit polls: Clinton winning Latino vote in Texas

“I am very, very grateful and pleased to note that tonight, my friends, we have won enough delegates to claim with confidence, humility and a great sense of responsibility, that I will be the Republican nominee for president of the United States,” McCain told supporters Tuesday night. Watch McCain claim victory »

Mike Huckabee dropped out of the Republican race after the results came in.

“It’s now important that we turn our attention not to what could have been or what we wanted to have been, but now what must be — and that is a united party,” Huckabee told a crowd in Dallas. Watch Huckabee bow out »

McCain is slated to go to the White House on Wednesday to receive the endorsement of President Bush, according to two Republican sources.

The Arizona senator’s campaign — his second run for the White House — was largely written off for dead last summer amid outspoken opposition from the party’s conservative base, a major staff shakeup and disappointing fundraising.

But McCain said earlier Tuesday that he was confident he would emerge as the presumptive nominee by the end of the night.

McCain overwhelmingly won moderates and conservatives in Ohio, but he lost the evangelical vote to Huckabee, according to exit polls.

Obama’s campaign pressed to extend voting by one hour in two Ohio counties. See county-by-county results in Ohio

“Due to reports of ballot shortages in Cuyahoga and Franklin counties, we requested a voting extension in those counties,” said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.

A judge ruled to keep parts of Cuyahoga county open an extra hour.

In Texas, Clinton held a two-to-one advantage over Obama with Hispanic voters, while ObamaSee county-by-county results in Texas had the overwhelming advantage with black voters in the state’s Democratic primary, according to CNN’s exit poll.

Eighty-three percent of blacks voted for Obama, while 16 percent supported Clinton, according to the exit poll.

Meanwhile, 64 percent of Hispanics backed Clinton, while 32 percent went for Obama.

Early exit polls indicate a distinct “age gap” in both states.

Obama appealed most strongly to younger voters while older voters favored Clinton. Among Ohio Democratic primary voters aged 17 to 29, 65 percent went for Obama, and 34 percent went for Clinton. Among those age 60 and older, Clinton led Obama 67-31 percent.

The same pattern held true in early exit polling from the Texas Democratic primary. Among voters aged 18 to 29, Obama led Clinton 61-39 percent, and among voters 60 and older, Clinton led Obama 63- 36 percent.

Poll workers in Collin County, near Dallas, estimated that nearly three-quarters of the Democratic voters would participate in the Democratic caucuses to be held after the polls close.

In an unusual system, the 193 delegates that Texas will send to the Democratic National Convention will be split between Obama and Clinton according to the results of both the primary and the caucuses.

State party officials say the dual primary/caucus system promotes participation in the party. Both Clinton and Obama have encouraged supporters to do the “Texas two-step” and vote in both events.

Obama came into the day with momentum on his side. He had 1,378 pledged delegates and superdelegates to Clinton’s 1,269.

Neither candidate is close to the 2,025 needed to win the Democratic nomination. Allocate delegates yourself and see how the numbers add up »

Former President Bill Clinton said in February that if his wife won Ohio and Texas, she’d go on to win the nomination. source

Here’s a sight for sore eyes! I haven’t seen Dick Gregory since he was peddlin’, promoting his weight loss goods! I heard it was a success too. We may not have seen D.G., in recent years but some things never change…including Dick Gregory.

Listen as he tells black americans about themselves, ourselves. Thanks Twin!

 

This story is a little too in depth to sum up in Bria’s Own Words. I will add some of my words…but I’m totally exhausted. *sigh* I read about this idiot 1st at Wayne’s blog, Electronic Village, and then on Eurweb.com .

Send an email to HRC (Human Rights Campaign-committee dedicated to fighting for equality in GLBT communities) I did:

hrc@hrc.org

Stupid and Ridiculous can only be used a certain amount of times…

READ ON:

ACTIVISTS PROTEST AGAINST BLACKFACE CHARACTER: Web site launched to ban “Shirley Q. Liquor”; Bev Smith’s radio show in the fight.

*Several activists are coming out in force to express outrage with Charles Knipp, a 45-year-old, gay, drag comedian best known for performing in blackface as his alter ego character, Shirley Q. Liquor – nicknamed “the Queen of Ignunce.”

Charles Knipp in tasteless character (complete w/blackface),”Shirley Q. Liquor”

Knipp describes Liquor as being “an illiterate welfare mother with 19 kids who guzzles malt liquor and drives a Caddy.” Her conversation is saturated with malapropisms. For example, she says her cat needs to get “sprayed,” and she pronounces K-Mart and Wal-Mart “K-Mark” and ‘Wal-Mark.”

The character attends Mount Holy Olive Second Baptist Zion Church of God in Christ of Resurrected Latter-Days AME CME (a reference to historically African-American churches).

Knipp’s is also known for mocking the black American holiday Kwanzaa and makes fun of stereotypical-sounding black names in a music video entitled, “Who Is My Baby’s Daddy,” where his character Shirley Q. Liquor tries to recollect the names of her “chirrun,” “…Cheeto, Orangello, Chlamydia, and Kmartina…”

WWW.BanShirleyQLiquor.com has been launched in an attempt to ban Knipp’s minstrel show. Also, “The Bev Smith Show” on American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) will dedicate its entire broadcast today (8:12 p.m.-10 p.m. ET) to the campaign to ban Shirley Q. Liquor and spread the word about his upcoming performances.

National Black talk radio “The Bev Smith Show” on American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) will dedicate its entire Monday, March 3 (7p-10p ET) broadcast to the campaign to ban Shirley Q. Liquor and spread the word about his upcoming performances. AURN is the only African-American owned network radio company in the United States. It is the largest network reaching urban America, with more than 200 weekly shows, AURN reaches an estimated 20 million listeners.

“We believe that if Mr. Knipp is a true talent, he can find plenty of folks who look just like him to present in 3-dimensional caricature,” read a statement from Smith’s camp. “If he really is funny, then he can find more than enough insulting and stereotypical elements of his own group, their background, and their culture, to mock. HE DOES NOT NEED OURS. As it is said, we have enough problems.

“As if injury could further be added to this insult, a recent posting to his website allegedly included the headshot of well-respected journalist/activist Jasmyne Cannick–a woman who daily responds to and fights for the rights and dignity of persons of color and the LGBT communities–edited atop the body of a naked and hefty-breasted woman.

Understand this, please: One of our journalists has been insulted. Would Charles Knipp have done this to an AP journalist? Would the head of Mike Wallace or Cokie Roberts or Jorge Ramos be used this way without response from their respective communities? We think not.”

Cannick added: “Imus may have called Black women ‘nappy-headed ho’s,’ but it’s Knipp who routinely tries to bring that image to life onstage as Shirley Q. Liquor. The hypocrisy is sickening. Isaiah Washington was unable to escape the wrath of gay America, but Charles Knipp, a white gay man, can perform a blackface minstrel and be rewarded by gay Americans to the tune of $90k annually. Someone has some explaining to do. This has gone on for far too long under the radar.”

(Image Source)

***I didn’t paraphrase this article, cuz it’s long and I’m in the last 5 minutes of my lunch break-please don’t let it (length of article) deter you from reading it ***

NEW YORK (CNN) — Consumer confidence is at the lowest level in more than 14 years according to the Conference Board, a business and research organization that publishes the index.

 

 

Some of the most stable jobs are often found in education, health care and government.

One of the biggest fears for Americans: a weak job market.

The growth rate for jobs falls seven months before a recession and continues to fall during a recession, according to Hugh Johnson of the financial services firm Johnson Illington Advisors. But about five months into a recession, the job market begins to pick up steam, says Johnson.

In fact, the job market gets stronger even before the stock market goes up.

Retail and industrial jobs get axed first in a slowing economy, according to Johnson. But, those same jobs are the ones that pick up first. The steady jobs tend to be in education, health care and government jobs.

No matter what industry you’re in, recession-proofing your own job is vital.

 

 

 

Financial Security Watch

 

Gerri Willis answers your financial questions Today on CNN
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see full schedule »

First, gauge your risk of getting a pink slip. To do that, start to investigate how other companies are faring in your industry. Are there lay-offs at similar companies? Have you heard from other people how difficult it is to find a job in your field? Perhaps your company nixed the annual picnic or cancelled sponsorships in the community. This could be a sign that belt-tightening is on the way.

In addition to the external signs, there are some internal red flags that indicate you could lose your job. If you’re not invited to meetings that your peers are; if you don’t get copied on e-mails, or get passed up for good assignments. That’s a sign your job could be in trouble, according to Kate Wendleton, president of the job search organization the Five O’ Clock Club.

Pay special attention to the relationship you have with your boss.

“If you don’t like your boss, chances are, your boss doesn’t like you either,” said Wendleton.

If you’ve ever undermined your boss, watch out! It could come back to haunt you.

Whether you’ve experienced these signs or not, here are a few strategies you can use to protect your job:

 

Make sure your skills are up-to-date. If you find your own skill set is outdated, it may be time to take a course at your local community college or a professional trade group.

Look at employment postings on job sites that mirror your own position.

Take note of what special qualifications or training is required. Ultimately, you want to position yourself as a specialist in your industry, according to Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success.

“In a tight job market, employers can hold out for the perfect fit,” Trunk advises.

Another tactic: Don’t do the grunt work.

“You want to be the person who gets the leading edge assignments,” recommends Wendleton.

If you’re willing to pitch in and help in any capacity, your company may be less likely to keep you. Employees working on high-profile jobs are often perceived as more important or valuable. Volunteer for assignments that will raise your profile and politely turning down menial jobs — is just as important as cherry picking the right assignments.

In a tightening job market, doing your job well just isn’t enough. It’s all in how you market yourself. Do your best to make sure that not only your boss knows how hard you work, but that your boss’s boss knows what you’re working on.

If you’re in the elevator with someone higher in the corporate pecking order, don’t just comment on the weather. Talk about what project you’re working on or how great the results are expected to be. The more well known you are, the better you’ll weather possible job cuts.

And don’t forget the importance of networking. One way to boost your visibility is to become involved in an association within your field. Not only will this make it harder to fire you, but you’ll have contacts for other job opportunities.

Online social networking is another story. Don’t put too much of yourself out there. Before you blog about last night’s date or post pictures of you and your friends in the midst of St. Patty’s Day revelry — remember that employers routinely look at social-networking Web sites to see what people are saying about themselves, according to Wendleton.

Before you put anything out there in the public realm, make sure in a way that you wouldn’t mind your employer or a potential employer to see you. Ask yourself, “Do I want my boss to see that?” If the answer is no, then remove the photos or comments from your personal page and step away from the keyboard.

One of the best approaches to protecting your job is to schedule a meeting with your boss. Experts recommend that you find out what it takes to keep your job. Ask your supervisor if you’re doing a good job and what steps you might take to improve.

“The fact that you care, matters,” said Wendleton.

It’s much harder to turn around and fire someone after you’ve reassured them that they’re on the right track.

Finally, keep yourself out there on the market — even if you don’t think you’ll ever lose your job.

Research from the Five O’ Clock Club indicates that people who are out there interviewing for other positions tend to develop more self-confidence, reduce their vulnerability and get better assignments on their current jobs.

It may be a hard lesson, but remember that keeping your nose to the grindstone isn’t always a surefire way to protect yourself from that dreaded pink slip. (source)