Daily News Feed 5.18.2009/Vocab: pernicious

Michelle Obama’s Commencement Address
Following is a transcript of Michelle Obama’s commencement speech at the University of California, Merced, as provided by the White House. MICHELLE OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you so much, Class of 2009. (Applause.) All I can say is wow, and good afternoon, everyone. I am so proud of these graduates. We have to just give them one big round of applause before I start. This is just an amazing day. (Applause.) I want to thank Dick for that lovely introduction. He makes for a good companion when you have to go to an inauguration. (Laughter.) So I’m glad he could be here with me today. I appreciate all that he has done to make this day so very special. (Continue Reading…)

Steele: Obama Teasing ‘Just Good Love Between 2 Brothers’
Michael Steele says he takes no offense to President Obama’s teasing at last week’s White House press corps dinner. “That was just good love between two brothers,” the chairman of the Republican National Committee explained Sunday. Obama ribbed Steele, who is also black, at the correspondents’ dinner for his frequent use of slang and attempts to bring a hipper approach to the Republican Party. “Michael Steele is in the house tonight, or as he would say, ‘in the heezy.’ What’s up?” (Continue Reading…)

Violent Hazing at Times in College Band Repertoire
When two first-year French horn players in Southern University’s marching band were beaten so badly they had to be hospitalized in intensive care, it exposed a dirty secret: Hazing isn’t reserved for fraternities.
At least one expert says the beatings are a growing problem at historically black colleges, where a spot in the marching band is coveted and the bands are revered almost as much as the sports teams for which they play their rousing fight songs. “It’s something that deserves more attention,” said Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., who has researched band hazing cases at historically black colleges nationwide and has been called as an expert witness in more than a dozen court cases involving hazing.
“And I’m just talking about violent cases — there could be a ton of those silent cases, the ones that could have been reported but weren’t,” he said. (Continue Reading…)

pernicious \pur-NISH-us\ , adjective: