12.5.11
VOL. 59, I SSUE 6
War in Iraq to end in near future
STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL CONNECTS WITH STUDENTS ON FOREIGN POLICY
By
President Obama shakes hands with America’s soldiers. Credit: Associated Press By
Keona Prude
Mounting over eight years, more than $1.3 trillion spent, over 4,400 military members killed and 32,000 plus soldiers wounded, President Barack Obama declared that the US troops “will definitely be home for the holidays,” and the war in Iraq will be over by the end of the year. “…our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home,” Obama said. Sophomore journalism major Anthony Irabor is excited to know that his cousin will be home for the holidays after a full tour ,1 year, in Iraq, and his aunt after serving three years of her
life in Iraq. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming,” Irabor said. “After we realized that the war was irrelevant, finding out that the troops are coming home erases the dark cloud that was over our heads.” The announcement has been made and will be followed with pulling out nearly 40,000 troops and bring them home. Among 150-200 troops left in Iraq as part of embassy security is the Defense Attaché’s Office and Office of Security Cooperation. Although a common practice, it is still a threat to American troops as bombings and other violent acts are expected to occur.
The US occupied Iraq in March of 2003after reports that Iraq was mounting weapons of mass destruction, which has since been discredited. Since the invasion, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and more recently, Moammar Gadhafi have been executed. All in all, Americans can feel a sense of relief knowing that the soldiers in Iraq will be coming home. “The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing the American people stand united in our support for our troops,” Obama said.
Blacks develop high blood pressure faster than whites Keona Prude
African-Americans with prehypertension (blood pressure ranging between 120/80 mm Hg and139/89 mm Hg) can develop high blood pressure faster than Caucasians by one year, according to research report the Journal of the American heart Association. According to health records of 18,865 adults, blacks with prehypertension have a 35 percent
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FROM MY OBSERVATIONS, BLACK PEOPLE ARE MORE INTO FAT-FAST FOOD AS OPPOSED TO WHITE PEOPLE...
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greater chance of progressing to high blood pressure than whites. “The fact that African-Americans progress faster to hypertension has a direct link to the higher prevalence of hypertension and its complications, such as stroke and kidney disease, in blacks than whites,” Anbesaw Selassie, Dr.P.H., lead researcher and an - Story continued on p. 3
BeTHany CarTWrIGHT
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Cheryl Benton visited Norfolk State to inform students about the Bureau of Public Affairs and how it affects students and young people directly. “Our mission is to communicate the foreign policy priorities of the president and the secretary as well as the secretary’s initiatives,” said Benton. Benton’s role in State Department is that of domestic outreach and educating citizens. She has a public liaison group that conducts foreign policy briefings and brings students and society members into the State Department to brief them on their priorities. “What I set out to do in my agenda was to bring in those segments of the community that are our natural allies but we’ve never reached out to them,” said Benton. “If we want to connect as the government or as leaders then we have to meet people where they are.” Benton made it a priority to have four major press conferences to reach out to diaspora communities. They have now doubled that amount and continue to have more conferences. An annual conference reaches out to HBCU’s. Last year, 350 students attended a conference where they discussed policy priorities from around the globe, including Africa and China. Benton also expressed her concern about students being aware of how - Story continued on p. 3
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