Category: National News

KONY 2012 video goes viral

The KONY2012 campaign uses the power of social media to support the capture of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.

Who is Joseph Kony?

An online video aimed at raising awareness about the Ugandan guerilla leader went viral yesterday, taking Twitter and Facebook by storm. Non-profit group Invisible Children said they made the 29-minute video to further expose the practices of the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The video itself has over 36 million views and counting, while “#StopKony” continues to trend on Twitter.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court and stands accused of mass kidnapping and abduction, sexual abuse and murder, among a multitude of other offenses. Many estimates put the number of children abducted by the LRA at 30,000 or more. The ongoing human rights violations have prompted activism in the West for intervention in the conflict. Activists succeeded in getting President Obama last October to dispatch 100 “combat-equipped US forces” to assist region militaries fighting the LRA.

The video hopes to rally support from both cultural icons and political policy-makers.

To watch the KONY 2012 video, click here.

To learn more about the cause and ways to get involved, click here.

The red string bracelet is part of the campaign put together by non-profit group Invisible Children.

Severe weather outbreak

The white-colored region is where the greatest threat from tornadoes is expected to hit this Friday. Courtesy of The Weather Channel.

Tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail are all in the forecast for today, according to the National Weather Service.

A strong low pressure system over Missouri will continue to develop and move towards Ohio. This is currently pushing a warm front across the region, bringing with it widespread showers and thunderstorms throughout Central Kentucky. These storms will produce large hail, heavy rainfall and lightning through the afternoon.

Then the cold front will approach our area from the west. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected around 2-4 pm. The storms will produce large hail, damaging winds and some tornadoes. These storms will continue to the east, reaching the bluegrass region of Kentucky most likely after 4-5 pm.

 It cannot be stressed enough that there is a significant threat for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes this afternoon and evening.

Please stay aware of the current situation, since any thunderstorms this afternoon could pose a significant threat to life and property.

March, unique holidays

Since 1972, every March 1st is celebrated as National Pig Day.

For Kentuckians, March madness and everything to do with basketball is probably the first thing to come to mind when we think of the month of March. But what about some of the other unique traditions celebrated this month?

Here is a list of what March is also known for:

Today, March 1, is also:

  • National Pig Day
  • National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day

What’s the point of a leap year?

Every four years, February 29 makes an appearance on the calendar, and what a difference that one day makes. But why do we add that extra day to the calendar anyway?

The answer is partly in our man-made calendar, and partly in the way the earth moves. The earth goes around the sun once in 365 and almost a quarter day. Almost, but not quite. To fix this, we have to periodically add an extra day to the calendar. The idea is to keep the summer and winter solstices as well as the spring and fall equinoxes close to the same day on the calendar each year.

Without an extra day every four years the seasons would gradually shift and after enough time, throw our calendar completely out of sync. 2012 will actually be longer than a typical leap year, adding a leap second on June 30th to sync atomic clocks with the earth’s rotation.

Some Leap Year traditions include:

  • In Britain and Ireland, it was a tradition that  women could only propose marriage on leap years.
  • Children born on February 29 are called “leaplings” or “leapers.” It was once thought that leapling babies would be sickly and hard to raise.
  • It used to be said that beans and peas planted during a leap year would grow the wrong way.

 

Black Student Union, Diversity Education hosting lecture with Professor Griff

Professor Griff will give a lecture tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Student Center’s Center Theater in conjunction with an exhibit about Malcolm X.

The exhibit contains more than 200 artifacts on the life and legacy of Malcolm X. Original letters, handbills, photographs, newspapers, magazines, figurines and other memorabilia will be featured in the exhibit. The displays start with items from slavery that build a context around what produced a revolutionary mind such as Malcolm X in America. The displays end with his influence on the powerful conscious voices in hip-hop culture.

The exhibit will be shown in Student Center room 206 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.

Professor Griff was a member of the hip-hop group Public Enemy. The group has been named on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.

Read more about Black History Month events on campus here.

Congressional internship opportunities for UK students

“Wildcats in Washington” is now giving UK students an opportunity to intern in the District of Columbia.

Sponsored by the University of Kentucky Student Government, students can work in the offices of:

These congressional positions are an opportunity for students to work with lawmakers and governmental agents.  Each internship ranges from four to six weeks.

Students must go through an application and interview process. If chosen, it includes a $1,500 living stipend.

The internships are open to all University of Kentucky students returning for fall semester 2012, require a one-page application sheet and corresponding Congressional Internship application of the Congressman to which a student applies. Those documents and all other required materials should be completed and submitted by 3 p.m. to the SGA office, 120 Student Center, by Thursday, March 1.

Students who do not know their Congressional district should access Kentucky Voter Information Center to see their registration and district information (
https://cdcbp.ky.gov/VICWeb/index.jsp
).

For more information including application requirements and materials, please visit 
http://uksga.org/applications/wig-internship
.

“Buy local, buy fresh” proposed in new Kentucky bill

Wouldn’t you like to know where the food on your dinner table is really coming from? A new bill in Kentucky would let families get closer to the source of their food.

A bill came before the Senate Agriculture Committee last month that would sanction “cow sharing.” The practice would let people buy into a herd and share the resulting dairy products. Supporters like Sen. John Schickel say raw milk is more nutritious and delicious. Senate Bill 47 would allow people Kentucky to get the benefits of fresh raw milk without having to buy their own dairy herds.

Presidential candidate Ron Paul has filed legislation in Congress to legalize raw-milk sales.

Opponents say the bill could be dangerous.

The Kentucky Dairy Development Council released a statement saying they are worried if the bill passes it could lead to selling unpasteurized milk. Drinking unpasteurized milk could be dangerous, having the potential for E. coli and salmonella contamination.

Kentucky Department of Public Health regulations prohibit the sale of milk that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization involves heating milk to kill dangerous bacteria.

Raw milk sales are already legal in several states. It could be a potentially lucrative market for Kentucky. The bill has the backing of the Community Farm Alliance, which supports small family farmers.

Where can you find raw milk in Kentucky? Click here .

President Obama releases new budget plan

President Obama released his new budget plan for 2013 on Monday. The goal is to cut the deficit by $3 trillion over the next 10 years. It includes $476 billion for infrastructure and transportation and $300 billion in stimulus. Obama says this can be achieved by $1.5 trillion in new taxes, $800 billion in money saved from pulling out of the war, and other massive spending cuts.

 It’s being call “the blueprint to protect the middle class,” as the president spoke about creating opportunity especially in education and taxing those who he thinks needs to be taxed the most. ”Warren Buffet is doing fine. I’m doing fine. We don’t need the tax breaks,” Obama said.  Republicans believe that this plan with have the same fate as the plan Obama proposed in 2009 which was looked at as a failure.

It is not expected for this proposal to pass in Congress as it is being called a gimmick just for the up coming election. Financial analyst believe that there just is not enough time or money for a new plan.

The national deficit is now $15.3 trillion.

Muslim Student Association hosts Understanding the Misconceptions of Islam lecture

The Muslim Student Association is conducting a lecture Thursday Jan. 26 at 7p.m. titled “Understanding the Misconceptions of Islam:  Jihad and more.”

The lecture will take place in the Grand Ball Room of the UK Student Center and will feature Abdel Rahman Murphy as the guest speaker.

Dinner will be provided.

For more information contact: Humza Qureshi at (859) 699-6370  or Aqsa Qureshi at (859) 699-6558

UK Prof. Nikky Finney named finalist for National Book Award Poetry

A University of Kentucky professor who teaches creative writing and is part of the Affrilachian Poets group has been named a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award in Poetry.

Poet Nikky Finney

Prof. Nikky Finney, of the Department of English and a Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor, was named today for the prestigious award for her recent work, “Head Off & Split.”

The National Book Awards Finalists announcement is one of the most anticipated events in the publishing world.  Others named as finalists for the poetry award include Bruce Smith, Carl Phillips, Yusef Komunyakaa and Adrienne Rich.

Finney, a Lexington resident, has taught at UK for decades and is a member of the Affrilachian Poets group that includes Frank X. Walker and Kelly Norman Ellis.