Washington Informer

U.S. Labor Department figures show that with employers having added 155,000 jobs in December, a steady gain in work existed in spite of the tense fiscal cliff negotiations that have occurred in Washington.

According to the Department, while the unemployment rate remained at 7.8 percent last month, there was a slight revision November's rate which was revised from the 7.7 percent that was initially reported.

Most of the additional hiring has been in manufacturing and construction. Over the last nine months, 25,000 jobs were gained in manufacturing, and with 30,000 construction jobs added in the last 15 months, it's likely that the need to build new homes or to rebuild dwellings lost or damaged in catastrophic storms have been a contributing factor.

Overall, the labor report shows that although some worries about the fiscal cliff have been eased, the economy continues to struggle to gain momentum.

The funeral for Lillian Miles Lewis, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 7, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Mrs. Lewis, 73, died on Dec. 31 at Emory University Hospital. She and Rep. Lewis, whose 5th District includes Decatur and most of the city of Atlanta, had been married 44 years.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), which published a full-length article and obituary, the cause of Mrs. Lewis' death has not been released. The newspaper also reported that President Obama has called Rep. Lewis to express his condolences.

Many thought the couple were a perfect match.

"She was a feisty lady," Temi Silver, an event planner and longtime friend, was quoted as saying in the AJC. "He was so sweet and gentle; he needed her to take care of his back. And she was the one to do it."

The article went on to state that, Lillian Lewis, whose father owned a small contracting business, attended Los Angeles High School with the late Johnny Cochran and received an undergraduate degree in English from then-California State College at Los Angeles and a master's degree in library science at the University of Southern California.

She developed a lifelong interest in Africa when she taught in a student program in Nigeria in 1960, returning later as a Peace Corps volunteer to teach for two years in Yaba, Nigeria. It was after taking a job as a librarian at Atlanta University that she met her husband at a 1967 New Year's Eve party at the home of Clayton, a television personality and civil rights activist. Clayton and another movement veteran, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, played matchmaker.

"I figured he needed a partner like Lillian, and Lillian needed someone who was moving into such important areas," Clayton said. "She was a sober-minded, level-headed intellectual."

The AJC further reported that while Lewis forged his political career, his wife continued her career as an educator with an international perspective. She was associate director of the Institute for International Affairs and Development at Atlanta University from 1984 to 1989, a job that called on her to help develop a major in international studies, with an emphasis in Africa and the Caribbean. In a 1984 Atlanta Journal-Constitution story, she called the assignment "the moment I've been waiting for." From 1989 to 2003, she was director of external affairs in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Clark Atlanta University.

Mrs. Lewis is survived by her husband and her son, John-Miles Lewis.

(Sources: Patch.com,Altanta Journal Constitution)

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA. – The National Football League announced today that Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 17. His selection marks the first time a rookie running back and rookie quarterback (Robert Griffin III – Weeks 1 and 11) from the same team have won the award in the same season.

Morris (5-10, 218) is the first Redskins rookie running back to receive the honor, and the team's first running back since Clinton Portis in Week 5 of the 2008 season to win the award.

In Week 17, Morris rushed 33 times for 200 rushing yards with three touchdowns, all career highs, helping the Redskins defeat Dallas, 28-18, for the team's first division title since 1999. With 200 yards last Sunday, Morris finished the season with 1,613 yards, second-most in the NFL, breaking Portis' team record for rushing yards in a season (1,516 in 2005). In addition, he became the fourth rookie in NFL history to reach the 1,600-yard mark rushing, joining Eric Dickerson (1,808 in 1983), George Rogers (1,674 in 1981) and Ottis Anderson (1,605 in 1979).

Morris' 200-yard rushing performance is a Redskins rookie record and is the first by a Redskin of any experience level since Gerald Riggs' team-record 221 yards on Sept. 17, 1989, vs. Philadelphia. The 33 carries were the most since Portis had 36 rushing attempts on Nov. 4, 2007.

For the season, Morris, 24, finished first in the NFL in broken tackles (22) and first in the NFC with 13 rushing touchdowns. He also led all NFL rookies in rushing attempts (335), total first downs (86), rushing first downs (83) and rushes of 10 or more yards (55). Morris and Griffin III became the first rookie running back/quarterback tandem to post 1,000 yards rushing and 3,000 yards passing

NEW YORK -- The Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal and the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard have been named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.

Beal lead all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.4 ppg) and total assists with (41) in December. He had six games with 15-plus points during the month and made a career-high eight field goals in a 100-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Dec.18.

Lillard led all rookies in scoring (18.4 ppg), assists (6.3 apg) and is tied for third among NBA point guards with 16 games of 20-plus points. On Dec. 13 against the San Antonio Spurs he became one of just 12 NBA players to record at least 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a game this season.

Here is a recap of the month for Beal

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Dec. 11 @ New Orleans: Posted 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 77-70 victory over the Hornets.

Dec. 12 @ Houston: Recorded 20 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 99-93 loss to the Rockets.

Dec. 15 @ Miami: Tallied 19 points and three rebounds in a 102-72 loss to the Heat.

Dec. 18 @ Atlanta: Had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 100-95 loss to the Hawks.

As legislation that keeps the nation from going over the fiscal cliff awaits President Barack Obama's signature, new conflict surrounding taxes and spending are expected to crop up in Washington in the coming weeks.

In a vote of 89-8 by the Democratic-led chamber, the bill which was forwarded to the House late on New Year's Day, would significantly reduce spending at the Pentagon and other government agencies and give permanence to the Bush administration's tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 per year and couples earning less than $450,000.

In addition, the deal -- which was brokered by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) -- calls for raising roughly $600 billion in new revenues over 10 years, and extending unemployment insurance. The bill would also delay for two months, the threat of sequestration -- a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts in federal spending.

Meanwhile, with a new Congress convening on Jan. 3, lawmakers will quickly be confronted by the need to raise the federal debt ceiling and, as also reported by CNN, what to do about the still-hanging sequester -- a legacy of the last battle over the debt ceiling, in 2011.

A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the legislation was sent on Wednesday to the White House. And, although President Barack Obama --who's with his family vacationing in Hawaii -- is expected to sign the bill into law, no date has been projected on when that might occur.

(Source: CNN)

The Safety of Children

The awful events of the past week that took place in Connecticut were completely mind blowing. It was very hard for me to listen to the news accounts on television. As a parent, I can't even imagine the pain and anguish those parents must be going through. Your front-page story, "Area Parents Wrestle with Newtown Tragedy," by Michelle Phipps-Evans, reminded all of us of how safe or unsafe our own children are each and every day.

We as a society will never get rid of all the guns in the hands of criminals or law-abiding citizens, so the question is what do we do? Arm someone in every school like some are calling for? I can see that side of the argument; it is possible that that person could have saved some of the children, but would he or she have saved all of them? Is one better than 20? I don't think so if you are the parent of that one.

Kenny J. Hanson

Washington, D.C.

The National Children's Museum Reopens!

What a magical photograph by your photographer Roy Lewis that appears on the front-page of the December 20, 2012 issue of the Washington Informer. The facial expressions on all of the participants are so inviting and happy. And what can you say about the sister, Pat Lawson Muse? That facial expression is just great. She is so beautiful anyway, that just adds to her awesome personality. Then add the Muppets from Sesame Street, what a shot!

Looking at the photograph made me feel like a child again. I can't wait to take my kids to the new National Children's Museum. At this time of the year when there is so much bad news and horrific events surrounding us, this was a treasured moment for me.

Lindsay W. Walker

Oxon Hill, Md.

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan recently spoke with Dr. Boyce Watkins of "Your Black World"  about the controversial new movie, "Django Unchained."

Both men agreed that the film could spark heightened racial tension between blacks and whites. Minister Farrakhan, who said the movie "is preparation for a race war," added however that to him, the movie had purpose. He further commented that:

"Black people could sit there and remember his words 'I am one in ten thousand.' He played his part. And when they asked him about the word "nigg*r" that was used so much — I think about 110 times — he said, 'Well, you know, I had a chance to work off my frustration.'

"He was killing all these white folk. Well, how does a white person see that? How do white people who feel the guilt of what their fathers have done to us, how do they feel? Do you think that they don't think that if black folk had a chance to do to them what they had done to us — that's what the movie is saying — that one out of ten thousand will be like that and maybe more.

"So to me, I loved his part. He played it well. Samuel Jackson, he played his part well. I mean if I were a Tom sitting in the theater — I mean he played Tom to the max — so, a lightweight Tom would want to get out of being a Tom just looking at the way he played Uncle Tom. DiCaprio, he played the white man jammed up."

Farrakhan also commented on the film's impact surrounding gun control legislation:

"To me the movie changed the direction of guns against a focus on a government that's not working well, to a threat from black people who have suffered and endured the worst form of slavery in human history," Farrakhan said.

(Source: Your Black World)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. shoppers spent cautiously this holiday season for the worst year-over-year performance since 2008, a disappointment for retailers who slashed prices to lure people into stores and now must hope for a post-Christmas burst of spending.

Sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods in the two months before Christmas increased 0.7 percent compared with last year, according to the MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report, the first major snapshot of holiday retail sales.

That was below the healthy 3 to 4 per cent growth that analysts had expected _ and it was the worst performance since spending shrank sharply during the Great Recession. In 2011, retail sales climbed 4 to 5 per cent during November and December, according to ShopperTrak.

This year's shopping season was marred by bad weather and rising uncertainty about the economy in the face of possible tax hikes and deep spending cuts early next year. Some analysts say the massacre of schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, earlier this month may also have chipped away at shoppers' enthusiasm.

Retailers still have time to make up lost ground. The final week of December accounts for about 15 per cent of the month's sales, said Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis at MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse.

Still, this season's weak sales could have repercussions for 2013, McNamara said. Retailers will make fewer orders to restock their shelves, and discounts will hurt their profitability. Wholesalers will buy fewer goods and orders to factories will likely drop in the coming months.

Steep discounts weren't enough to get people into stores, said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at the market research firm NPD Inc.

''A lot of the Christmas spirit was left behind way back in Black Friday weekend,'' Cohen said, referring to the traditional retail rush the day after the Thanksgiving holiday in late November. ''We had one reason after another for consumers to say, 'I'm going to stick to my list and not go beyond it.'''

Holiday sales are a crucial indicator of the economy's strength. November and December account for up to 40 per cent of annual sales for many retailers. If those sales don't materialize, stores are forced to offer steeper discounts. That's a boon for shoppers, but it cuts into stores' profits.

Spending by consumers accounts for 70 per cent of overall economic activity, so the eight-week period encompassed by the SpendingPulse data is seen as a critical time not just for retailers but for manufacturers, wholesalers and companies at every other point along the supply chain.

The SpendingPulse data released Tuesday captures sales from Oct. 28 through Dec. 24 across all payment methods. A clearer picture of holiday sales will emerge next week as retailers like Macy's and Target report revenue from stores open for at least a year. That sales measure is widely watched in the retail industry because it excludes revenue from stores that recently opened or closed, which can be volatile.

In the run-up to Christmas, analysts blamed bad weather for putting a damper on shopping. In late October, Superstorm Sandy battered the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, which account for 24 per cent of US retail sales.

Shopping picked up in the second half of November, but then the threat of the country falling off a ''fiscal cliff'' gained strength, throwing consumers off track once again.

Lawmakers have yet to reach a deal that would prevent tax increases and government spending cuts set to take effect at the beginning of 2013. If the cuts and tax hikes kick in and stay in place for months, the Congressional Budget Office says the nation could fall back into recession.

Shopping over the past two months was weakest in areas affected by Sandy and a more recent winter storm in the Midwest. Sales declined by 3.9 per cent in the mid-Atlantic and 1.4 per cent in the Northeast compared with last year. They rose 0.9 per cent in the north central part of the country.

The West and South posted gains of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, still weaker than the 3 per cent to 4 per cent increases expected by many retail analysts.

Online sales, typically a bright spot, grew only 8.4 per cent from Oct. 28 through Saturday, according to SpendingPulse. That's a dramatic slowdown from the online sales growth of 15 to 17 per cent seen in the prior 18-month period, according to the data service.

Online sales did enjoy a modest boost after the recent snowstorm that hit the Midwest, McNamara said. Online sales make up about 10 per cent of total holiday business.

(The Economic Times)

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world are expected to converge upon New York City's Times Square this evening to ring in 2013.

The giant ball that is also traditionally dropped, will be covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and illuminated by more than 32,000 LEDs in red, blue, green and white, according to reports.

Security will be tight, with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stating that Times Square will be the "safest place in the world on New Year's Eve."

Joining uniformed police who will be using barriers to prevent overcrowding, checking handbags and enforcing a ban on alcohol, will be plainclothes officers assigned to blend into the crowd.

Reports also state that there have been no specific terror threats related to the celebration.

(Source: Wire Reports)