From inspiration to repudiation

In his achingly slow steps toward repudiating the repugnant words of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama has run the risk of serious political damage by leaving vague what it was that attracted him to this outspoken critic of American society.

In the rational part of Wright's appearance Monday at the National Press Club, before he got to the self-justification and the denunciations of our government and the nation's values, he offered some clues to that question. They came in the form of his succinct interpretation of the historic goals of the black church.

They can be boiled down, he said, to three words: liberation, transformation and reconciliation.

To Wright, liberation means more than opposing all forms of oppression. It also encompasses freeing oneself from any feelings of inferiority or superiority and recognizing that "being different does not mean one is deficient."

Transformation, in his terms, is all-encompassing: "Changed lives, changed minds, changed laws, changed social orders and changed hearts in a changed world."

Reconciliation, he concluded, "means we embrace our individual rich histories, all of them.


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Success crucial for 2008 Celebration of Excellence

As the signature event and largest fund-raiser for the Boys & Girls Club of East Mississippi, the success of the annual Celebration of Excellence is essential to the youth-serving organization. This year, the significance of that success is even greater. "Because of increases in costs for the program, especially the summer program, this year's dinner has to be successful," said Ricky Hood, chief executive officer. Plans for the 16th Annual Celebration of Excellence were announced Wednesday by the board. The event is set for July 17 at the Frank Cochran Center in Meridian's historic Highland Park. Area youth, staff and volunteers will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the club. A seated dinner will be provided and attendees will have the opportunity to win door prizes from area businesses.


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MARKET TALK:CBOT Soy Futures Down, Bearish Psychology

1245 EDT [Dow Jones] - CBOT soy futures are on the defensive, taking on a bearish psychology. Spillover weakness from falling crude oil, metals and Asian soybean and vegoils markets continue to feed bearish thoughts in the market, analysts say. Technical pressure has helped pinned prices in negative territory, as bearish momentum surfaced following the markets ability to penetrate near term chart support Monday, traders say. Meanwhile, uncertainties tied to 2008 acreage amid corn planting delays and concerns surrounding future export demand as Argentina works on their issues with farmers keep traders limiting their risk exposure, analysts add. July soybeans are 10 1/2 cents lower at $12.87, and Nov soybeans are 1/2 cent lower at $11.96. July soyoil is 73 points lower at 57.75 cents per pound, and July soymeal is $3.70 lower at $331.80 per short ton.



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I do not believe in marriage: Salman Rushdie

London, Apr 30: After marrying four times and perhaps heading for the fifth one, author Salman Rushdie has ironically attacked the institution of marriage, saying he does not believe in it and that women rush to tie the knot only because they want to wear the wedding dress.

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Sharing the spotlight in Edwards

EDWARDS, Colorado � Faced with an abundance of guy talent and a shortage of guy roles, musical directors at Vail Christian High School this spring arrived at a unique solution.

They cast two students to play the lead in �Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.�

Senior Blair Halverson will play Joseph tonight; fellow senior Galen Jacobs plays Joseph on Friday. The teens learned the same songs and perfected the same moves, bringing consistency to the part they share.

�Actually, we�re both kind of blending into one being,� Halverson joked.

While directors routinely cast understudies for leads, giving two actors equal stage time as the same character is rare. Teachers said they didn�t want to shortchange either actor by denying him the starring role.


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Job titles get quirky

Four Legacies Mortgage customers don't work with a loan officer. Instead, they are connected with the company's chief motivation officer or its wealth creation specialist.

"We wanted to be creative with our titles," said Brent Rauch, chief inspiration officer at Four Legacies in West Des Moines, Iowa. "And I help inspire financial freedom for customers."A growing number of companies are looking at clever job titles to create a buzz and set themselves apart from competitors. And it's not just the technology and advertising firms that are ditching traditional titles in favor of fun and funky ones.Companies sometimes use nontraditional titles to mix things up at a company, said Paula Morrow, marketing professor at Iowa State University. Or it signals a change in leadership in which executives are trying "to show they are different than what's been in the past," Morrow said.Computer repair chain the Geek Squad, a division of Best Buy Inc., hires special agents, field marshals and mission controllers to operate on the front lines, while back-office operations still are conducted by the chief executive and a bevy of presidents and vice presidents.Food service employees tend to have unique job titles.



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Building wealth: Truth or consequences

Above the strains of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and beneath the fragments of light spilling from an enormous crystal chandelier, 244 fortune hunters file into a Toronto hotel ballroom on a cold and dim February morning. They're here to brighten their financial futures through Donald Trump's "Way to Wealth" seminar, which, according to materials promoting this event, will reveal the secrets of real estate investing and business management.

Could it possibly be so simple? You bet, says "personal Trump instructor" Rick Brown, upon taking the stage and congratulating attendees on the "tremendous step forward" they've taken. It's not long before Brown is unleashing a flurry of tidy platitudes from the stage, such as "Money's a game; you know the rules, you win." He also confides that most people's biggest mistake in the business world is to fail to give themselves a "consequence," defined roughly as an investment of time or money in an objective, such that one's failure to work toward that objective will result in a material loss.


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