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Oprah Tops Highest Paid TV Stars
Oprah Tops Highest Paid TV Stars Oprah Winfrey tops a list of the highest-paid television stars in the FOX's '24' to Feature Female President Tony Award-winning actress Cherry Jones will be tasked with leading the United States through the latest terrorism crisis--and signing off on Jack Bauer's maverick missions--as Day 7 dawns on the FOX network's "24." Leadership happens in a refreshingly quiet political environment on the show. "24" never debates whether the nation is ready for a female or black president; it simply assumes it is. In the absence of such a discussion, the leaders are judged solely on character, not race or gender. The message that "24" seems to send is that the presidency is not about race or gender but about choices, told The Atlanta Journal Constitution. (See also: Oh, Jack Bauer! Does '24' Discriminate?) Obama Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is reaching out to black voters in Click here for more news about Election '08. Harley-Davidson Woos Female Riders American women are the fastest-growing part of the motorcycle business, buying more than 100,000 of them a year. "Fifty percent of the population is female and there is pent-up demand," said James L. Ziemer, Harley-Davidson's chief executive. "We need to remove barriers." So they are producing more motorcycles that are low to the ground--so women can plant their feet firmly at rest--with narrower seats and softer clutches, and adjusting handlebars and windshields to make bikes more comfortable for smaller riders. They are selling more clothes, too, in bright colors and with rhinestones, rather than the standard-issue black-and-orange leather jackets. Even the skull motif that appears on some of the clothing sold at Harley outlets has undergone a makeover to include wings and flowers. Read more. Senate Votes to By a vote of 95 to 0, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved legislation to renew the Higher Education Act that would, among many other things: raise the ceiling for the maximum Pell Grant to $6,300; make it easier for students to apply for federal financial aid; sharply restrict the relationships between lenders and colleges; and scuttle the Education Department committee that recognizes accrediting agencies. The passage of the legislation means that within the space of five days, senators passed two mammoth bills (the other a budget-reconciliation measure that would shift billions of dollars in federal funds from lenders to students) that could reshape federal higher-education policy for years to come. Read more. (See also: Blacks, Latinos Caught in Battle to Cut College Costs) Lesbian Ex-Wife Gets Alimony An Orange County, Calif., judge has ordered a man to continue paying alimony to his ex-wife, even though she's in a registered domestic partnership with another woman and uses the other woman's last name. California marriage laws say alimony ends when a former spouse remarries, and Ron Garber thought that meant his alimony payments stopped when he learned his ex-wife had registered her new relationship under the state's domestic-partnership law. However, the judge ruled that a registered partnership is cohabitation, not marriage, and that Garber must keep writing the checks, $1,250 a month, to his ex-wife. Garber plans to appeal. Read more. YouTube Presidential Debate Ignores Immigration The YouTube/CNN presidential debate Monday night made history with its unusual format, but not with regard to immigration, one of the most heated and critical issues facing the nation. Some bloggers are angry. The only question on the topic was about healthcare for undocumented immigrants, but nothing on how to handle the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the (See also: YouTube Viewers Grill Democrats During Online Video Debate) Women Air Force Generals Talk About Work/Life Balance The Air Force's Gen. Terry Gabreski, Brig. Gen. Dana Born and Maj. Gen. Linda Hemminger talk about balancing military life and personal life. General Gabreski says in her 33 years in the Air Force, the percentage of women has increased and the number of career fields in which they serve has expanded considerably. As a woman and a leader in what is considered a male-dominated career field, she says the best way to defy stereotypes and change negative perceptions is to be knowledgeable and competent. Born, the first woman dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy in Youth Literature Features Diversity Books for children and teenagers featuring lead characters of color have become extremely popular among book publishers. Local children's bookstore owners, publishers and authors attribute the growing diversity to demand from consumers. According to research collected by Kimani Press, publisher of the KimaniTRU line of books targeting black teen girls, the population of Americans ages 15 to 19 in 2003 was 20 million, a 14 percent increase from 1990. Of that 20 million, 3 million were black and about half were female, with $49 million in buying power. Examples of new titles include Volume 1: The Pox Party, which is about a black teen from New Rules Led to Medicaid Decline, Says Study New documentation requirements caused Medicaid enrollment to decline in many states, but most of the drop-off appears to be among people eligible for coverage--not undocumented immigrants, as thought. A law that took effect Schools Spend More Time on Math, Reading Roughly two-thirds of elementary schools surveyed by the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy reported increasing math and reading time since the law was passed in 2001. The report, released Wednesday, says that of the districts reporting an increase, elementary schools are spending on average 37 minutes more per day on reading, math or both since No Child Left Behind was passed. Nearly half of the districts said they have cut time in elementary schools for non-tested subjects such as social studies, science, art, music and gym. Read more. Get a 'Second' Life When First Americans Graduate From Free Cuban Med School Four New Yorkers, three Californians and a Minnesotan, all people of color, have studied in Havana since April 2001, forming the first class of American graduates from the Latin American School of Medicine. One other American previously graduated from the school after transferring from a U.S. university, but the six women and two men graduating Tuesday were the first Americans to complete the entire six-year program since Cuban dictator Fidel Castro offered the free medical training to U.S. students. The offer followed a meeting a delegation from the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus. The curriculum matched much of what is taught at U.S. medical schools, but there was more of an emphasis on preventative medicine. Read more. Can New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has run a state, served in a president's Cabinet and gone around the globe solving diplomatic crises, but as his presidential bid lags behind Democratic frontrunners Clinton and Obama, he's trying to showcase his record.
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