DALLAS – Former Burundi diplomat Jean-Marie Ngendahayo will speak at the University of North Texas Dallas Campus on the issue of human rights and democracy in Africa at 1:30 p.m. May 4. The public and media are invited to attend. In the visit encouraged by State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo (District 42), Ngendahayo will also talk about his personal experiences in the government of Burundi. In a letter to UNT System Chancellor Lee Jackson, Raymond called Ngendahayo “a man who combines clarity of thought and experience with a profound and courageous commitment to democracy and human justice” in his homeland and across Africa. Born in 1956 in Burundi, one of Africa’s smallest nations, Ngendahayo is of royal lineage but has been an advocate for democracy over the course of his political career, according to a biography written by former U.S. Senator Robert Krueger, who also served as ambassador to Burundi and Botswana. During the conflict between the minority Tutsi regime and the Hutu majority, Ngendahayo joined the Hutus in calling for free and fair elections in 1993. Melchoir Ndadaye, the first democratically elected president, named Ngendahayo to his cabinet as his minister of communications and government spokesman. ...

On one of the local sports talk shows, they have a staple segment during football season called "overreaction Monday."  The premise is that after a Dallas Cowboys game fans of the team will overreact one way or the other.  The sky is falling if they lose, we're going to the Super Bowl if they win. Today, I expect to hear lots of talk about how we are overreacting to the H1N1 virus, and I expect to hear a lot of that discussion in the media.  I think much of it will center around an article in the LA Times and others that says H1N1 is a relatively mild strain of flu, and the outbreak will be less deadly than the average winter. So now people will start pointing fingers.  I heard it this morning on Fox 4's morning show asking whether or not Ft. Worth ISD overreacted by shutting the district down for a week.  It's a fair question.  But I have a hard time accepting it from television, especially when they are running "breaking news" sounders, playing ominous music, and plastering swine flu banners all over the screen. On Tuesday CNN was blaming Twitter for spreading misinformation while a journalist in Mexico ...

The Bloggers Roundup segment has been wildly popular, and more people are listening to the Shawn P. Williams Show than ever before. Kristin and I couldn't be more thrilled about the guests that we've had, including our two heavy hitters joining us this week. Click here to listen to an archive of last week's show. Thursday April 30th - Bloggers Roundup Guests:  Wayne Hicks, Electronic Village & Vanessa Byers Vanessa: Unplugged! , on the black hand side and others. Topics:  H1N1 Virus (swine flu), Obama's 1st 100 Days Time:  9PM Central and 10 PM Eastern Call in # - (347) 215-9337 Join in online and stop by the chat room which has been really jumping.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has issued a disaster proclamation for the entire state of Texas in relation to the spread of swine flu.  This will allow Texas to access additional resources, including 25 percent (850,000 courses) of the Texas allotment of antiviral medication from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Strategic National Stockpile. The governor has echoed the suggestion of other health officials in how to best deal with the H1N1 virus (swine flu): •Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others. •Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues. •Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. For additional information on the swine flu, please visit: www.dshs.state.tx.us/swineflu www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ To reach the Texas Department of State Health Services press office, contact Doug McBride, DSHS Press Officer, 512-458-7524 or 512-532-4950. ### UIL Schedules Altered Due to Swine Flu Media Contact: Kim Rogers Phone: 512) 471-5883 Fax: (512) 471-6589 Email: uilpr@mail.uil.utexas.edu Date: 04/29/2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUSTIN, TX— On the recommendation of Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, and in consultation with Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott, the University Interscholastic League is altering its schedule of events due to the outbreak ...

If you haven't already heard, we are having a mega event to urge people to Vote NO and Save Dallas. We expect 500+ people. BRING YOUR VOTER CARD OR LICENSE WITH YOU! Vote No and Save Dallas! When: Wednesday 4/29 – music starts at 4PM City Hall Plaza Akard and Young Street, at the fountain Rally Location (Google Maps) http://tinyurl.com/saveourcitydallas Add to your outlook calendar (link) Many of you moved to Dallas and live here because of the opportunities available to you. You moved here because Dallas is a growing city. Dallas has been losing everything of value to the suburbs. *We lost the Cowboys to Arlington. *Nokia Theatre is in Grand Prairie. *The Texas Motor Speedway is in Fort Worth instead of on I-20 in Oak Cliff. *Don’t you want to do things in Dallas? More than $2.5 billion dollars of economic impact and $800 million in direct spending is waiting for us if we VOTE NO! One group is trying to prevent that from getting to Dallas. If Dallas becomes less business-friendly, we lose. The economic future and opportunities of our generation depends on whether or not we VOTE NO! We didn’t like the last Mayor because she shot down every project and now we have a Mayor with great ideas for a great ...

It doesn't seem like very long ago when we watched with joy and anticipation as the transfer of power was underway. Some were in D.C. in the freezing throng who witnessed history as it went down. Others watched on T.V. screens, even standing during the oath of office as a show of respect the man the Land of Lincoln. But the feeling of euphoria didn't last long, as President Barack Obama himself went to work on day one. He's pushed his agenda at a dizzying pace while addressing issues that have popped up (swine flu, nominees and taxes, $300 Air Force One photo op) over these first 100 days. Check these pics from the White House Photo Office of President Obama's first days in office. There's nothing special about a President's first 100 days in office, but it is often used as a benchmark for media and pundits. In a New York Times/CBS poll of 1,000 adults, President Obama has a 68% approval rating. His rating among African-Americans polled was 96%. I was asked by Gordon Jackson of the Dallas Weekly how I would grade President Obama's first 100 days. Grading and predicting isn't really my thing, ...

King Hedley II By: August Wilson Directed By Laterras R. Whitfield Review By: Carla Lacy I was fortunate enough to be asked by my good friend Shawn Williams of Dallas South to visit a play this past Saturday. He asked me to write a review for submission on Dallas South. I was honored that he would even consider asking my opinion! Little did I know, that I would the soon feel that same excitement/pride/ joy and, Yes, honor on Saturday night. My guest Terrance and I strolled in to the Bishop Arts Theater Center (home of TeCo Theatrical Productions) lobby not quite knowing what to expect. We entered the dark theater, to find the play already in progress. As the first moments passed I thought, all of these actors look so young… but I watched on. Terrance leaned over and whispered, “Are they students?” “I guess so” I expressed, but from the characters that leapt from the stage you may not know it. As I began to read the program I learned that these young actors and actresses were part of the T-An-T (Teenagers And Theater) Acting Troupe! Yes, these were high school and Jr. High ...

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today: “Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not. Let’s be honest-Senator Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.”

I'm still not sure if this actually aired on T.V., but here's the video from my CNN "Bloggers Bunch" appearance. Many thanks to Mike Orren and Pegasus News for allowing me to use their facilities. I was having technical issues at Williams Manor. It was a lively discussion and a comfortable format, similar to what we did at "News and Notes." I'll have to find out more about the blogger from Huff Po. Let me know what you think. Embedded video from CNN Video Looks like a round table brining together bloggers via Skype. Above is the segment Baratunde Thurston was on Monday where they discussed torture. Kind of looks like the Brady Bunch (get it?) . Should be fun.

I was responding to a message from a friend this morning and figured I'd post what I typed on the blog. Shawn, Just read your latest post. Why is the hotel so important? I don't live in Dallas and I don't have a say but what is it expected to bring. I have heard of conferences but with so little entertainment to offer I don't see that being a big pull. I think it is great that this mayor wants to build up Dallas but I am not sure what or why you all think a hotel is the way to go about it. Friend ### Friend, That's a good question and a question I plan to answer in the next few days. The hotel is important to a city like Dallas because convention and tourism is the lifeblood of major cities. New Orleans is taking their time to rebuild living space, but they wasted no time making sure that tourism was protected and back up as soon as possible. Dallas is the only city in the top 20 convention markets that does not have a convention hotel. Even most opponents agree that the city will benefit from such a venue, they just don't ...