Daily New Feed 1.16.09/Vocab: euphonious

Raven-Symoné is Combatting Body Critics
When she needs a self-esteem boost, Raven-Symoné can count on her biggest fan: her mom. “She’ll call me and say, ‘You’re very pretty,’ ” says the former That’s So Raven star. “I’m like, ‘Thanks, Mommy!’ and that’s my confidence for the day.” On Thursday, the singer-actress will be helping to boost some of her young fans’ confidence when she hosts a hundred 11- and 12-year-old girls at a Dove-sponsored self-esteem workshop in Cape May, N.J. “It’s going to be so much fun,” the 23-year-old, who’s been working on her fifth album, tells PEOPLE. “We want to build their self-esteem and give them tools to face the world the next day without us there.” (Continue Reading…)

Former DOJ Civil Rights Official Apologizes for Racist Email
As we wrote earlier this week, the most recent inspector general’s report on the politicization of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department reminded everyone just how big a joke the department had become under the Bush administration. Now, someone has apologized, but even the apology is a farce. In a short letter to Mary Frances Berry, John Tanner, the former head of the voting rights division, apologized for his remark saying that he liked his coffee “Mary Frances Berry style- black and bitter.” The insult was revealed in an email to Brad Schlozman, former head of the Civil Rights Division, cited in the IG report. (Continue Reading…)

Death, Drugs Tarnish Motown’s Legacy
Some time during the 1970s, Marvin Gaye reflected on his turbulent career in an obscure tune called “Dream of a Lifetime.” “I thank God for my wonderful life,” sang the Motown Records enfant terrible. “I’ve had my ups and downs, but I thank God.” Gaye’s life ended violently in 1984. His father, a former preacher, shot him dead during a domestic dispute the day before the singer turned 45. As Motown celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout 2009, the record label and music fans will no doubt focus on the upbeat songs and fresh-faced performers who brought joy to millions of people around the world. Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder have become legends in their own lifetimes, but fortune was not as kind to other artists and composers who toiled in the spartan studio at “Hitsville U.S.A.” near downtown Detroit. (Continue Reading…)

euphonious \yoo-FOH-nee-uhs\, adjective: