Miami Gardens students celebrate MLK with oratorical contest

The elementary school winner of the Miami Gardens MLK Oratorical Contest brought the crowd to their feet after his performance—which included a spoken-word poem and an a capella rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing.

This was Micah Clarke first oratorical competition and he was excited to win.

“I was shocked when they called my name,” said Micah, 8. “Actually my teacher signed me up. I didn’t know I was going to be in it. This is my first time doing an oratorical contest.”

The third grader, who attends Parkview Elementary in Miami Gardens, competed against 18 other elementary students. The competition took place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 21, at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Center in Miami Gardens. This was the city’s ninth year hosting the event, which is open to students who live or go to school in Miami Gardens.

Each contestant wrote an original speech centered around the theme: "What needs to change in America and/or the world in order for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to be realized?” Each student was to focus on one thing they thought should be changed and explain why and how making that change would better adopt King’s dream.

Tamilla Mullings, who works in the Miami Gardens Events and Media department, planned and organized the King day event. Mullings, who is also a Miami Gardens resident, said that seeing all the talent in the students gave her hope for the future of Miami Gardens.

“Our youth have a lot to say about our society in this day and time,” said Mullings. “The contest gives our young people a voice and platform to showcase their multitude of amazing talent.”

Germa Clarke, Micha’s mother, suggested that he sing as well as recite his speech. Clarke said that performing is what Micah loves to do, although this was his first oratorical contest.

“It was not the first time I’ve seen him perform, actually he’s involved in church. He’s preached before,” Clarke said. “His talent is singing so to incorporate that with the speech, I thought that would have been best.”

Denise McArthur, 19, a judge for the contest who is a spoken-word artist, said that originality and confidence made the winners stand out from all the rest. She said she made to that each winner effectively expressed the judging guidelines. But it was no easy feat to chose a winner.

“They were all very talented and did very well,” said McArthur. “But I looked for uniqueness. It kind of was a tough decision but the winners captured me.”

Among the elementary school finalist were second place winner Ronzell St. Louis, 10 who attends Hibiscus Elementary, and third place winner Nykalia Buddle, 8, who attends Parkview Elementary.

The high school students also brought their flair to the completion with their interpretation of continuing King’s legacy. Second place winner Crystal Richards, 17, who attends Miami Norland Senior high school explained how African Americans in Miami Gardens must break the cycle of violence in their communities to fulfill King’s dream.

Each winner earned a certificate and a $100 Visa gift card.

Samantha Bryant,16, was the high school winner for the oratorical contest. Samantha is junior who attends New World School of the Arts in Downtown Miami, and has been writing poetry since the sixth grade. She learned of the contest a week before it took place.

Her piece spoke of the little talked-about color complex in the African American community — which she called “internalized racism”. Her piece mentioned how it serves a weight that keeps blacks from lifting one another up.

“Growing up I was always the lightest, and I was always preferred” said Samantha. “But I never really understood that.”

During her oration, she told the story of her being a second grader and her grandmother telling her that she wouldn’t win a spelling bee against a white girl because she believed white people were smarter. Samantha that she remembered King’s words and that gave her the encouragement to study hard, which led her to win.

“It was a personal thing that affected me and I think it’s one of the things that affects the African American race. It causes division.” said Samantha

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Telecoms boom leaves rural Africa behind

JOHANNESBURG/FREETOWN (Reuters) – While mobile phone usage has exploded across Africa over the last decade, transforming daily life and commerce for millions, it’s a revolution that has left behind perhaps two thirds of its people.

Poor or no reception outside the towns helps explain why the continent’s mobile penetration, in terms of the percentage of the population using the service, is far lower than previously thought, and the cost of providing that service to impoverished, sparsely populated areas remains prohibitive.

In rural Sierra Leone, a country where GDP per capita is less than $ 400 a year, money doesn’t grow on trees, but mobile reception can, says street trader Abass Bangura in Freetown, the West African country’s capital.

In parts of Tonkolili, a district in the center of the country, or Kailahun to the east, it’s the only way you can get reception, he said.

“You climb stick, like mango tree, before you have network,” he said.

In South Sudan, the world’s newest state, it’s a similar story. Less than a year old, the country already has five mobile operators, and its capital, Juba, is teeming with giant billboards advertising mobile phones, but go just a few kilometers beyond a handful of fast-growing towns, and cell phones become useless.

Multiple SIM cards help users navigate patchy network coverage and take advantage of price promotions from rival operators.

That is typical of much of the continent.

With a population of just over a billion people, Africa has over 700 million SIM cards, but with most users owning at least two cards, penetration is only about 33 percent, according to a study released in November by industry research firm Wireless Intelligence.

“If we look at the fact that the rural population of Africa is about 60-70 percent of the population, and if we look at the degree of penetration into the rural market, it’s very, very low,” said Spiwe Chireka of advisory firm IDC.

In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, there are more than enough SIM cards for everyone, but penetration is only 61 percent, according to a 2012 study by research firm Informa.

The average mobile phone user in Nigeria owns an average of 2.39 SIM cards. Globally, only Indonesia is higher, with an average of 2.62 SIM cards per user.

Even in Africa’s biggest economy, South Africa, SIM numbers comfortably exceed the population, but given the number of people using multiple devices, actual population penetration is closer to 80 percent, says market leader Vodacom.

“You’ve got a lot of people buying SIMs, but maybe not enough phones to put it in,” said Olayemi Jinadu, an executive with the Sierra Leone arm of Indian telco Bharti Airtel.

COST VERSUS BENEFIT

The unserved rural millions could represent another growth opportunity for Africa-focused telcos like South Africa’s MTN Group, Bharti Airtel and Kuwait’s Zain, but first they have to figure out a cost-effective way to push into sub-Saharan Africa’s remote corners.

“There’s great potential, but the big concern for us is operational costs,” said Andre Claasson, chief operating officer at Zain South Sudan.

In rural Africa, the cost of running a network tower often exceeds the revenue it reaps. Fuel is typically about 40 percent of a tower’s operating cost, and in remote areas companies burn more diesel by bringing fuel to towers than is used powering them.

Although roughly 73 percent of Africa’s land has cell phone coverage, according to market research firm IDC, that still leaves vast tracts of rural Africa without network access.

Africa has 170,000 mobile towers now and needs another 60,000, according to tower company IHS Group, which at an average $ 200,000 each means an outlay of $ 12 billion.

“If you are an operator asked to spend $ 200,000 to build a site and another $ 2,000 a month to run it in an area with 500 people herding cows, it doesn’t make sense,” said Issam Darwish, IHS’s chief executive.

Average revenue per user is also low. It can vary between $ 1 and $ 10 per month, much lower than in developed markets such as the United States, which delivered ARPU of $ 51 in 2012 or Britain, $ 27.

Bharti, sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest telecom group, says it makes $ 6.40 per user in Africa, which is higher than its home Indian market, where it makes only $ 3.30 a month, but the cost of operating in Africa is much higher and there isn’t a comparable middle class ready and able to spend more.

“You either have a handful of people in the affluent part of the society or you have lots of people who can’t afford the services,” its Chairman Sunil Mittal said last year.

Operators can save money by sharing towers, but even then, some sites will never make sense without government subsidies, analysts say.

African expansion has not been cheap for telcos. Over the past five years, mobile operators have spent a combined $ 16.5 billion on capital expenditure in the key markets of South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and Ghana, according to Wireless Intelligence.

Bharti has earmarked $ 1.5 billion for capex this year, while fourth-placed France Telecom is spending $ 9.3 billion between 2010 and 2015.

Spare cash is increasingly rare for debt-strapped European telecoms operators, which are cutting their dividends to cope with falling revenues and network upgrade costs in their home markets.

Some African regulators have set up funds to promote coverage, to which operators are expected to contribute.

In Sierra Leone, the Universal Access Development Fund (UADF) is yet to subsidize the cost of putting up a single mast, though it has been active for several years. The regulator complains networks do not contribute the fees they should.

“If we can’t subsidize, they’ll never erect towers there,” said Bashir Kamara, Project Manager at UADF.

($ 1 = 0.6350 British pounds)

(Additional reporting by Hereward Holland in Juba and Chijioke Ohuocha in Lagos; Editing by David Dolan and Will Waterman)

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Beyonce Talks About Her Miscarriage

Beyonce is speaking out about her miscarriage for the first time ever in her new HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream.

"About two years ago, I was pregnant for the first time," she says in a candid scene, according to Us Weekly. "And I heard the heartbeat, which was the most beautiful music I ever heard in my life. ... [but] I flew back to New York to get my check up -- and no heartbeat. Literally the week before I went to the doctor, everything was fine, but there was no heartbeat."

Related: An Intimate Look at Beyonce's Candid & Personal Pics

Beyonce's husband Jay-Z first opened up about the tragedy in his song Glory, written about their now one-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, but this is the first time Beyonce herself has discussed the heartbreaking loss.

"I picked out names," Beyonce recalls. "I envisioned what my child would look like . . . I was feeling very maternal."

It turns out Beyonce used the tragedy as inspiration for "the saddest song" she's ever written, though she doesn't name the song.

Pics: Blue Ivy Turns One!

"I went into the studio and wrote the saddest song I've ever written in my life," she shares about the aftermath. "And it was the best form of therapy for me, because it was the saddest thing I've ever been through."

Life Is But a Dream debuts February 16 on HBO.

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Hershey's fourth-quarter profit rises on stronger sales

Hershey said its net income rose 5.5 percent in the fourth quarter, as sales of its Kit Kats, Reese's and other candies boosted revenue.

The company, based in Hershey, Pa., noted that it gained market share across categories during the quarter and raised its outlook for the year. Its shares briefly hit a new high.

In the year ahead, the company plans to step up investments in five brands — Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Ranchers and Ice Breakers — that it believes "can transcend borders around the world."

For the October to December period, The Hershey Co. said it earned $149.9 million, or 66 cents per share. That's up from $142.1 million, or 62 cents per share, in the year ago period.

Excluding one-time items, the company earned 74 cents per share. By that measure, analysts on average expected earnings of 76 cents per share, according to FactSet.

Sales rose 12 percent to $1.75 billion from $1.56 billion a year earlier. Analysts expected $1.7 billion.

During the fourth quarter, the company said its adjusted gross margin improved on higher pricing and cost savings, although that was partially offset by higher costs for ingredients. Selling, marketing and administrative expenses, which includes advertising, rose 19 percent, reflecting increased investments overseas.

For 2012, Hershey earned $660.9 million, or $2.89 per share, up from $628.9 million, or $2.74 per share, in 2011. Revenue rose to $6.64 billion from $6.08 billion.

Hershey expects earnings to increase by 10 percent to 12 percent to $3.56 to $3.63 per share, above the 8 percent to 10 percent increase previously forecast. Analysts expect $3.60 per share on average.

It reaffirmed it expects total sales for the year to increase by 5 percent to 7 percent, driven primarily by a boost in volume.

Its shares rose 87 cents to $79.16 in morning trading after rising as high as $79.50 earlier in the session. That was its highest level ever, according to FactSet.

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Mompreneur jumps into the ‘Shark Tank’

It all started with a 4 a.m. email nearly a year ago: “Do you think a baby bib could change the world? I do...”

Then Susie Taylor included a link to her website, bibbitec.com, and off it went to Shark Tank, the popular ABC television show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to investors on the show — and by extension, 7 million viewers.

Four months later, as the “mompreneur” was leaving her Biscayne Park home to pick up her kids from school, she got a call from the show asking her to pitch on the spot. Driving with her phone on her shoulder, she told the Bibbitec story.

Shark Tank bit. After a few more back and forths, her segment was filmed last summer.

Friday night, Taylor is scheduled to be on the show pitching Bibbitec’s main product, “The Ultimate Bib,” a patented generously sized, stain-resistant and fast-drying child’s bib made in the USA — Hialeah, to be exact. Bibbitec’s $30 bib can be a burp cloth, changing pad, breast feeding shield, full body bib, place mat, art smock and more, Taylor says.

We won’t be getting any details on what happens Friday night when she and her husband, Stephen Taylor, get into the tank with Daymond John, Mark Cuban and the other celebrity sharks; Taylor has been contractually sworn to secrecy. But whatever the outcome, she believes it will be worth it for the marketing pop.

Taylor was inspired to create her bib after a long and very messy plane ride with her two young sons and started Bibbitec in 2008. She and her team — her husband is CFO, her sister, Heather McCabe, handles sales and marketing, her uncle, Richard Page, is in charge of production, and her aunt, Marcia Kreitman, advises on design — have expanded the line to include The Ultimate Smock for older children and the Ultimate Mini for babies. Coming soon: a smock for adults.

Taylor already got a taste of what a national TV show appearance can do for sales. In September, Bibbitec’s sales jumped 40 percent after she was on an ABC World News "Made in America" segment. “Within 30 seconds, we started getting sales from all over the country and they didn’t even mention our name on the air,” Taylor says. She said that confirmed her belief that a Shark Tank appearance would be worth it.

Plus, Taylor has been hooked on Shark Tank since the first time she watched it in 2008 as she was developing her product. Trained in theater, she admits she didn’t know much about business and learned from the show. She would practice how she would answer the questions.

“I’m all about empowering women who are sitting on the couch watching, because that’s what I was four years ago,” says Taylor. “All I wanted to do was to be on Shark Tank because I believed if I got on Shark Tank the world will see what I am trying to do and that’s all I need. I know it’s a great product.”

Will that theater training come in handy Friday night? Stay tuned. Shark Tank airs at 9 p.m. on ABC and Taylor hopes viewers will join in on Twitter using the hashtag #sharkbib.

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Teen accused of school-bus shooting restricted to school, church

The 15-year-old South Miami-Dade student charged with a girl’s fatal shooting aboard a school bus can leave his house only for classes, church and to meet with lawyers, a judge said Wednesday.

Jordyn Howe, now charged as an adult with manslaughter with a deadly weapon, made his first appearance in circuit court.

“There will be no hanging out at the mall, no hanging out the friends’ houses,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer told the slender teen with a baby face.

Jordyn, who is out on bond, also was ordered to attend mental-health counseling.

Miami-Dade police say Jordyn was showing off his stepfather’s pistol to classmates about a school bus in Homestead just before Thanksgiving. The weapon accidentally discharged, fatally striking Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus in the neck as her 7-year-old sister looked on.

Lourdes, 13, attended Palm Glades Preparatory Academy. Jordyn has since returned to school at Somerset Academy Silver Palms.

Wednesday’s court hearing also marked the first time that Lourdes’ mother, Ady Guzman-DeJesus, saw the shooting suspect and his family in person. Visibly shaken, she began to bawl as the judge instructed Jordyn.

Adding to the pain: Lourdes’ father committed suicide after his daughter's death.

“This family has been torn apart,” her lawyer, Ron Book, told reporters after Wednesday’s court hearing.

The lawyer said that DeJesus recognized the boys’ stepfather as a man who had once employed her at a restaurant.

Book also said that the family is dismayed that Jordyn is allowed to go to classes at the same school that Lourdes’ little sister attends. He also questioned why the boy’s stepfather had not been charged for not properly securing the weapon, which Jordyn had taken to school “not once, not twice but on multiple occasions.”

Jordyn had been in juvenile custody, but prosecutors charged him as an adult last week. He is also charged with possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying a concealed weapon.

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RIM starts glitzy BlackBerry 10 launch parties

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Research In Motion Ltd on Wednesday kicked off a string of global launch parties for a long-delayed line of smartphones it says will put it on the comeback trail in a market it once dominated.

The new BlackBerry 10 phones will compete with Apple‘s iPhone and devices using Google‘s Android technology, both of which have soared above the BlackBerry in a competitive market.

They boast fast browsers, new features, smart cameras and, unlike previous BlackBerry models, enter the market primed with a large app library.

(Writing by Janet Guttsman; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Highest Earning American Idol Alums

Who's No. 1?

By JACKIE WILLIS

January 30, 2013

American Idol is in the business of making music stars, and in turn, has made lots of money for some of their contestants. Forbesreleased their list of the top-earning Idol alums of 2012 a few names on this list are sure to surprise you.

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WATCH: Te'o hoaxer 'fell deeply, romantically in love' with Notre Dame football star, Dr. Phil says

AP

Dr. Phil McGraw, left, interviews Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. The interview is set to air Thursday and Friday.

The mastermind behind the Manti Te’o hoax was lovestruck — and is "confused" about his sexuality according to a new report.

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo said in an interview to run tomorrow and Friday on “Dr. Phil,” that his relationship with the college grid star was basically a love affair.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“This was a deep, romantic connection that was two-way between Ronaiah and Manti,” psychologist Phil McGraw told “Entertainment Tonight.”

McGraw told NBC’s “Today" show in an interview aired this morning, that Tuiasosopo is “confused” about his sexuality.

“Here we have a young man that fell deeply, romantically in love,’’ McGraw said.

“I asked him straight-up, ‘Was this a romantic relationship with you?’ And he says yes. I said, ‘Are you then therefore gay?’ And he said, ‘Well when you put it that way, yes.’ And then he caught himself and said, ‘I am confused.'"

Te’o led his Notre Dame football team to an undefeated regular season. He inspired millions of fans by playing through emotional pain caused by the Sept. 11 death of his grandmother and loss of his girlfriend a day later.

But Te’o’s dead girlfriend “Lennay Kekua” turned out to be an online hoax -- hatched by acquaintance Tuiasosopo and embellished by the star linebacker. Sports Web site Deadspin uncovered the the massive scam two weeks ago.

Tuiasosopo told “Dr. Phil” that the fake, online romance was consuming his life.

“I wanted to end it because after everything I had gone through, I finally realized that I just had to move on with my life,’’ Tuiasosopo said. “I had to start just living and let this go.”

Tuiasosopo, a Christian musician from Southern California, sounded like a TV show producer explaining how Te’o and online gal pal Lennay would fall in and out of love at his discretion.

“There were many times where Manti and Lennay had broken up, but something would bring them back together whether it was something going on in his life or in Lennay’s life, or in this case, my life,” Tuiasosopo said.

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Tablets take their screen tests

Screen quality is critical to a great tablet, and in 2012 we saw the quality of tablet screens advance in leaps and bounds, especially in terms of clarity. Here are our favorites.

Barnes & Noble Nook HD

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)

The good: A light, comfortable design with a sharp screen and a well-implemented user profiles feature. Books, videos and magazines look great and the microSD slot takes some of the sting out of the lack of internal storage.

The bad: App, movie, TV show and game options are thin and there’s no native music service. It’s missing some typical tablet features and 8GB is low for the price. Fingerprints easily sully the screen.

The cost: $199

The bottom line: The Barnes & Noble Nook HD can’t match competing tablets in media library breadth, but as long as you’re not looking for bells and whistles, its sharp screen and comfortable body make it an ideal tablet choice for books and magazines.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: High-resolution screen rivals the new iPad’s display in sharpness and clarity. Also, apps launch quickly, GPS works well and its rear camera is the best we’ve seen on any Android tablet. The tablet’s body has the same great thin and light design as the Prime.

The bad: So far, not enough Android apps take advantage of the TF700’s higher pixel count. Also, its battery life isn’t as good as the Prime’s.

The cost: $479.88 to $590.37

The bottom line: The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of the fastest Android tablets out there, combining an already proven design with a better camera, a faster processor, and a beautiful screen.

Google Nexus 10

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)

The good: A beautifully sharp screen is light, durable and has the fastest processor of any Android tablet. Photo Sphere is an incredibly cool concept. Google’s content ecosystem is only getting better.

The bad: The included charger isn’t fast enough to power the battery while playing a game; even while idle, it charges painfully slowly. There’s no storage expansion option, and apps that take full advantage of the screen are currently few and far between. Navigation isn’t quite as smooth as on the Nexus 7.

The cost: $399

The bottom line: The Nexus 10’s superior design and swift performance make it one of the best Android tablets to date. We expect post-launch updates from Google to make it even better.

Apple iPad (fourth generation)

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: A6X processor adds extra system speed and graphics power. Improved worldwide cellular compatibility makes the LTE model a more appealing proposition. And the iOS App Store remains best in class, with the widest selection.

The bad: The fourth-gen iPad is otherwise identical to its recent predecessor — same size, weight and Retina Display screen. It’s heavy to hold in one hand, and most older accessories won’t work without investing in a pricey Lightning adapter.

The cost: $499 to $539.99

The bottom line: The latest iPad adds several tweaks and improvements to secure its position at the top of the tablet heap. It’s better all around, but third-gen owners don’t need to upgrade.

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