Although details of her death was sketchy as at press time, THISDAY gathered that the musician popularly known for her collaboration with Eldee D Don died at Reddington Hospital at about 11 p.m. last night.

Her death was allegedly confirmed by her best friend and entertainer, Derenle Edun.
Also some posts by her management on some of her social media platforms; twitter and facebook, confirmed her death.
The posts read: “It is with heavy heart that I have to announce to you all that Goldie passed on this night (last night) shortly after arriving Lagos from Los Angeles. May her soul rest in the eternal peace of the Lord… Amin.”

According to reports, the deceased was full of life days back but suddenly fell ill and was rushed to the hospital where she reportedly died.
Signed on the Kennis Music Label, she became more popular when she went to represent Nigeria in the Big Brother Africa (BBA) show tagged the Star Game as part of the seven celebrity housemates at the seventh season of the show.

The deceased attended  Green Springs Montessori Primary School and then St. John’s College, Palm Grove before moving on to attend  the University of Sunderland where she studied Business Management.
She joined Kennis Music label in 2010 and had her debut album titled Gold but her most popular songs include, “You Know It”, “JawoJawo” and DTMB (Don’t Touch My Body).

Goldie won the best female video at the 2010 SoundCity Music Video Awards  for the  video ‘You Know it’ and also picked the award for best use of costume at the Nigerian Music Video Awards; while her song DTMB picked up best Afro Pop video at the 2011 Nmva’s.
In 2012, she garnered about 10 awards including the Exquisite Lady of the Year (ELOY), Best Female Artiste award and City People Best Female Artiste of the year, amongst others.

The deceased who also dabbled into designing was  an ambassador of Project Alert and also an inductee into the Federal Celebrity Special Marshal Corps alongside other notable Nigerian celebrities.-This day live

Source: www.jambonewspot.com

With a second chance to fulfil some of the expectations that greeted his election in 2008, Obama used his soaring victory speech – by far his best of the entire campaign – to press for a bipartisan approach to politics and returned once again to his theme of hope.

In a speech that lasted more than 25 minutes, Obama told the ecstatic crowd of supporters at his victory rally in Chicago: “Tonight in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way  back. And we know in our hearts that for theUnited States of America the best is yet to come.”

After paying emotional tribute to his wife Michelle, and his daughters Malia and Sasha – as well as to his vice-president, Joe Biden – Obama returned to the message that first brought him to national attention.

“We are not as divided as our politics suggests,” he said. “We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will be, the United States of America.”

The address was the finale to a night that had begun with many of the swing states too close to call but ended with an overwhelming victory as Obama held seven of the nine battlegrounds upon which his presidency had been founded. With votes still being counted in Florida, Romney managed to secure victory in just one state, North Carolina.

After one of the most closely fought and polarised campagns in recent history, Obama held Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Shortly before 1am ET, Romney phoned the president to concede. In a gracious concession speech in Boston, Romney told his supporters: “The nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work.”

He continued: “This is a time for great challenges for America and I pray the president will be successful in guiding our nation.”

Romney paid tribute to his wife, Ann, and running mate, Paul Ryan, as he said they had given everything to the campaign.  “Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign. I so wish – I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader.

Obama, in a speech that saw a return to the kind of oratory he produced regularly on the campaign trail in 2008,  offered a practical example of the kind of bipartisanship he had in mind, saying he had offered to sit down with Romney in the coming weeks to see if they could work together.

He was gracious about Romney, talking not only about his challenger but his father, the former governor of Michigan. “The Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service,” Obama said.

Obama now has the chance to build a real legacy – his victory on healthcare reform – but also to preside over a possible US economic recovery. Obama has also promised to make immigration reform a priority along with major investment in education.

But he faces immediate challenges, not least finding a way to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of tax rises and automatic spending cuts that are due to kick in at the end of the year. As in his first term, he will have to deal with a hostile, Republican-led House of Representatives.

Republican activists were stunned by suddenness with which victory was declared for Obama. At a so-called ‘victory party’ in Tampa, there was a stampede for the door when the announcement came.

Among those who remained was Brad Evans. “I really don’t know what happened,” he said. “He should have hit Obama a bit harder on Libya.”
Summer Turner simply refused to accept reality. “I remember going to bed crying when they declared Al Gore the winner and I remember waking up and he was no longer the winner. So I don’t believe it,” she said.

The campaign almost throughout has been a referendum on Obama. Although there was widespread disillusionment with the slow pace of economy recovery and a high unemployment level, Americans decided to stick with the incumbent.

Historically, it would have been a disappointment for African-Americans and many white liberals if the first black presidency had ended in failure, halted prematurely.

Romney fought a largely lacklustre campaign, with only one flash, his overwhelming win over Obama in the first presidential debate on 3 October.
The Republicans now face a lengthy period of bloodletting.

While some rightwingers will argue the defeat is because Romney was not conservative enough, there is a new generation of younger Republicans such as Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio who will lead the argument for a new, inclusive coalition that will welcome women, Latinos and African Americans. Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, unlikely to be tarnished despite running on a losing ticket, is also likely to be part of the debate.

Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer said he had always regarded Romney as being no more than “a transitional figure”.

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential challenger in 2008 and one of the undeclared leaders of the Tea Party movement, told Fox she could not believe “the majority of Americans would do this”. She added: “It’s a perplexing time for many of us right now.”

Romney secured at least one consolation prize when he took North Carolina, an unexpected win in the south by Obama in 2008.

The rightwing commentator Erick Erickson saw the loss of Pennsylvania as crucial. “At this point, I am thinking game over,” he tweeted.

Turnout was reported to be at record levels in many states, reflecting the strength of feeling aroused by the long election campaign. There were still long queues of people waiting to vote after polls had officially closed.

Early exit polls showed the economy was the dominant issue for voters, with four out of 10 saying the economy was getting better – more than in 2008. Forty-six per cent said the country was headed in the right direction, while 52% said it was on the wrong track. More than half of those surveyed blamed the economic mess on George W Bush.

Asked about what they regarded as the biggest economic issue, 40% said unemployment, 37% rising prices, 13% taxes and 8% the housing market.
Eight out of 10 said they had made up their minds who to vote for in September, suggesting that neither Romney’s victory in the first presidential debate nor Obama’s widely praised handling of Sandy were major factors.

Final estimates show the election was the most expensive in US history, with Obama having raised close to $1bn and Romney more than $800m. When figures for spending by supporters – mainly by the Super Pacs – are included, the total is well over $2bn.

“We believe it was a suicide,” Oceanside Police Lt. Leonard Mata said. “There is no indication of foul play.”

Police Chief Frank McCoy said Seau’s girlfriend reported finding him unconscious in one of the bedrooms with a gunshot wound to the chest and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, McCoy said. Police said no suicide note was found and they didn’t immediately know who the gun was registered to.

Further details of the shooting weren’t immediately released.

“I don’t understand … I’m shocked,” Seau’s mother, Luisa, cried as she addressed reporters gathered outside her son’s home.

Her son gave no indication of a problem when she spoke to him by phone earlier this week, she said.

“He’s joking to me, he called me a ‘homegirl,’ ” she said.

According to U-T San Diego, Seau texted his ex-wife, Gina, and their three children individual messages on Tuesday, saying: “I love you.”

“We’re all in shock,” she said. “We’re beyond sad and beyond shocked. The kids and I are just huddled together at home. There is no way to make sense of this.”

“All of us are deeply saddened about Junior Seau, a great player loved by teammates who also worked hard to serve his community,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement released by the league. “Junior and his family will remain in our thoughts.”

“I have no words to describe the passing of Junior Seau,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said in a statement released by the team. “It is a sad, sad day for not only me, but for the whole sports community. I worked with Junior here and later in Miami. I can tell you no one had more character and true leadership ability than Junior. He brought passion to the game of football that was unmatched. His commitment to charitable causes in the community was inspiring. It was an honor to know him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Chargers president Dean Spanos said: “I can’t put into words how I’m feeling right now. I’m shocked and devastated. Junior was my friend. We all lost a friend today. Junior was an icon in our community. He transcended the game. He wasn’t just a football player, he was so much more. He was loved by everyone in our family, our organization and throughout the NFL. This is just such a tragic loss. One of the worst things I could ever imagine. My prayers go out to Junior’s family. It’s heartbreaking.”

Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dee praised Seau’s impact on the South Florida community during his time with the team.

“Junior was one-of-a-kind. The league will never see anyone like him again,” Dee said in a release. “He will be missed, and on behalf of the Miami Dolphins we want to extend our condolences to his family.”

“We were shocked to hear of the initial reports regarding Junior Seau earlier today and are deeply saddened by the news of his death,” the New England Patriots said in a release. “We were fortunate to have had Junior join the Patriots in 2006 and are thankful for his many contributions to the team over the next four years. He had a legendary NFL career and his unrivaled passion for the game quickly made him a fan favorite here in New England. This is a sad day for the entire Patriots organization, our coaches and his many Patriots teammates. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his many friends who will mourn this loss.”

Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell said he knew Seau well and that the football player hosted Bible studies at his home. He said he visited Seau in the hospital after his car accident in 2010 and he was crying, happy that he had survived.

“He was just grateful to be alive … and he said the angel of God had protected him,” Mitchell said.

“He was Superman, and Superman is no longer with us,” Mitchell told NFL Network.

Family friend Priscilla Sanga said about 50 friends and family members gathered in the garage where Seau’s body lay on a gurney, and they had the opportunity to say goodbye.

“Everybody got to see Junior before they took him away,” Sanga said. “He looked so peaceful and cold. It was disbelief. We all touched him and kissed him.”

Seau said last August after the Chargers announced he would be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame that, “to be part of this kind of fraternity, to be able to go out and play the game that you love, and all the lessons and the friends and acquaintances which you meet along the way, you can’t be in a better arena.”

In October 2010, Seau survived a 100-foot plunge down a seaside cliff in his SUV, hours after he was arrested for investigation of domestic violence at the home he shared with his girlfriend. The woman had told authorities that Seau assaulted her during an argument.

There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol involved in the crash, and Seau told authorities he fell asleep while driving. He sustained minor injuries.

Seau ended his career in 2009, after playing 20 years in the NFL — 13 in San Diego, three in Miami and four in New England. He was selected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls while with the Chargers and was named first-team All-Pro six times. He amassed 545 tackles and 56.5 sacks in his NFL career.

Seau led the 1994 Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance at Super Bowl XXIX.

Seau was a graduate of Oceanside High School. He was drafted fifth overall out of USC by the Chargers in 1990.

Source: www.nfl.com

If you’re a serious revolutionary, then you are not looking for an autocratic revolution, but a popular one which will move towards freedom and democracy. That can take place only if a mass of the population is implementing it, carrying it out, and solving problems. They’re not going to undertake that commitment, understandably, unless they have discovered for themselves that there are limits to reform.

A sensible revolutionary will try to push reform to the limits, for two good reasons. First, because the reforms can be valuable in themselves. People should have an eight-hour day rather than a twelve-hour day. And in general, we should want to act in accord with decent ethical values.
Secondly, on strategic grounds, you have to show that there are limits to reform. Perhaps sometimes the system will accommodate to needed reforms. If so, well and good. But if it won’t, then new questions arise. Perhaps that is a moment when resistance is necessary, steps to overcome the barriers to justified changes. Perhaps the time has come to resort to coercive measures in defense of rights and justice, a form of self-defense. Unless the general population recognizes such measures to be a form of self-defense, they’re not going to take part in them, at least they shouldn’t.

If you get to a point where the existing institutions will not bend to the popular will, you have to eliminate the institutions.

May Day started here, but then became an international day in support of American workers who were being subjected to brutal violence and judicial punishment.

Today, the struggle continues to celebrate May Day not as a “law day” as defined by political leaders, but as a day whose meaning is decided by the people, a day rooted in organizing and working for a better future for the whole of society.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

One of the doctors who treated Mr Mutharika said the president was “clinically dead” on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest.

State media are still reporting that he has been flown to South Africa for medical treatment.

If confirmed, his death would spark a constitutional crisis, analysts say.

According to the constitution, the vice-president takes over if the head of state is incapacitated or dies in office.

But Vice-President Joyce Banda and Mr Mutharika fell out after a row over the succession in 2010, and she was expelled from the ruling party.

Mr Mutharika’s brother, Foreign Minister Peter Mutharika, was chosen instead of Ms Banda to be the presidential candidate of the governing Democratic People’s Party in the 2014 elections.

The BBC’s Raphael Tenthani in the main city, Blantyre, says that ministers have been meeting all night to discuss the situation.

The doctors and ministers say that Mr Mutharika’s body was taken to South Africa while a decision is taken about what to do next.

Government sources have told the BBC that efforts to resuscitate President Mutharika had failed and that an official announcement is being prepared.

Mr Mutharika came to power in a 2004 election. Soon afterwards, he dramatically abandoned his United Democratic Front (UDF) party to form the DPP, after accusing leading UDF members of opposing his campaign against corruption.

Since being re-elected with a large majority in 2009, critics allege he has demonstrated an increasingly authoritarian streak.

The president has been under mounting pressure to resign, amid accusations of nepotism and economic mismanagement.

The criticism has led to a souring in relations with major foreign aid donors, especially the United Kingdom.

Last year, Mr Mutharika expelled the UK High Commissioner, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet, after a leaked embassy cable quoted the diplomat as saying that the president could not tolerate criticism.

The Malawian leader said he could not accept “insults” just because the UK was his country’s largest aid donor.

In response, the UK expelled the Malawian envoy to London and cut direct aid.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 75% of the population living on less than $1 (60p) a day.

The country has suffered shortages of fuel and foreign currency since the UK and other donors cancelled aid.

Source:BBC

And the best thing: Not only will taxpayers not be on the hook for even one cent of the stadium cost, they will be given a stipend every month once it’s finished, courtesy of the Spanos family.

April Fool!

Indeed, April 1 means April Fools’ Day, that day of mirth, merriment, gags, practical jokes, pranks, well-timed insults and flat-out lies, is upon us once again. What many folks might forget is AFD is a BFD — it’s widely celebrated throughout the West, and even in at least one country that would be shocking to most, but more on that later.

Also unknown by many is that April Fools’ Day (aka All Fools’ Day) has a history that goes back many hundreds of years. The first mention of April 1 and silly behavior is found in Chaucer’s Cantebury Tales, written in 1392. History has it that April Fools’ Day really started gaining traction in France, circa 1582.

Under the rule of Charles X, France junked the Julian Calendar and replaced it with the Gregorian Calendar, which shifted New Year’s Day to January 1. Apparently, the old New Year’s was April 1, and some local folks continued to ring in the new year on that day, either out of ignorance or a desire to stick to tradition.

Regardless, these folks were chided by those considered more enlightened, and they were sent on “fools errands” or subjected to be convinced that something apocryphal was actually fact.

How April Fools’ Day is celebrated differs in some countries. For example, in the United States, France, Italy, South Korea, The Netherlands, Ireland and other locales, April 1 is an all-day prank-a-thon. In France and Italy, the custom calls for children to tack paper fish on each other’s back while shouting “April fish” in the local tongue. That would be “poisson d’avril” in French and “pesce d’aprile” in Italian. Kids have been known to stick the fish on adults (who are also known to participate), but only on those they know well.

This practice also exists in parts of Belgium. A Flemish tradition sees kids locking out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they vow to bring them treats the same evening or the next day.

In Canada, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere, the joke is on you if you pull a prank afternoon, earning an “April Fool” taunt.

Despite its European roots, April Fools’ Day probably dates back to an unlikely place — Iran, hardly a haven for fun and games. On the 13th day of the Persian new year — which is either April 1 or 2, Iranians subject each other to jokes and good-natured mischief. This practice is called “Sizdah Bedar” and goes all the way back to 536 BC, so if a dispatch comes out of Tehran saying, “Ahmadinejad to Buy Padres, Wants to Bring Back Adrian Gonzalez and Sign Tebow”, dismiss it as poppycock.

On that note, there has been a cavalcade media-led pranks tossed out on April Fools’ Day throughout the years; here are a few of them.

1957: The British Broadcasting Company television show “Panorama” ran a segment showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. Many viewers subsequently called the BBC for advice on how to do it themselves. This remains one of the most hilarious AFD pranks ever.

1965: The BBC allegedly conducted a test that showed odor could be transmitted from TV sets, making it “Smell-O-Vision.” An Australian network followed suit years later. The fact is “Smell-O-Vision replaces television” was a line uttered by Bugs Bunny in a cartoon years before either of these stunts.

1993: A San Diego radio outlet convinced many listeners that the Space Shuttle had been diverted from Edwards Air Force Base and was on the verge of making an emergency landing at a local commuter airport.

1996: Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in the otherwise staid New York Times announcing that it had bought the Liberty Bell to ease the country’s debt and renamed it the “Taco Liberty Bell.” Showing a sharp sense of humor, White House press secretary Mike McCarthy, when told of the bogus Taco Bell sale, remarked that the Lincoln Memorial had also been purchased and would be known as the “Ford Lincoln Memorial.”

1998: Truly pushing the envelope of good taste off a cliff, Boston radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony of WAAF reported that mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car accident. Menino was on a flight at the time and couldn’t be reached, giving some credence to the story. It turned out he was alive and well, and the two radio personalities were canned. However, their notoriety helped them land a syndicated show.

1998: San Francisco radio station KITS changed its call letters to KGAY for an hour, during which it played only gay-themed songs.

Finally, there have been several notables born on April 1, among them: TV political commentator Rachel Maddow; country music legend Merle Haggard; horror film star Lon Chaney; actresses Ali MacGraw and Debbie Reynolds, former long-time Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler; singer Susan Boyle of “American Idol” fame; baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, who won 316 games during a 24-year career.

But last but not least among those of note born on April 1 would be this reporter, your favorite SanDiego.com pundit. And that’s not a joke or prank.

But you might want to be careful before you load it up. Google (jokingly) warns that, “Your system may not meet the requirements for 8-bit computations.”

Accessing 8-bit Quest Maps is easy: Just fire up your normal Google Maps web app and click on the “Try it now” button on the left-hand menu. Once you do, your default map will transform from the pretty, MapsGL-enhanced view of the world you’re used to seeing into a map more akin to something you’d find in the game Dwarf Fortress, or perhaps even SimEarth.

But, in true Google tradition, the 8-bit map isn’t just for show. You can still perform the same functions in your “oldschool” map view as you could in your normal Google Map. Driving directions are still available, for example, but it’s probably going to be a lot more difficult to discern where the 8-bit roads actually are. Zooming all the way down within 8-bit Maps brings you to the default Google Street View – no pixelated buildings there, alas.

“In our pursuit of new digital frontiers, we realized that we may have left behind a large number of users who couldn’t access Google Maps on their classic hardware. Surprisingly, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was unsupported, despite its tremendous popularity with over 60 million units sold worldwide,” wrote Google software engineer Tatsuo Nomura on the Google’s Lat Long blog.

“As the first NES cartridge to be released in nearly 18 years, we’re working hard to make Google Maps 8-bit for NES available in the Google Store as soon as possible. A mobile version for Game Boy is also under development,” Nomura added.

While nifty, the 8-Bit Maps “upgrade” isn’t going to be as celebrated by Google Maps users as the company’s most recent (official) update to the web app. Google finally slapped travel time estimates back into Maps just the other day, a feature missing from the browser-based version of the app since this past summer. Google had initially taken away its app’s ability to guesstimate a user’s travel time due to the fact that the calculation used less precise historical traffic data.

Now, however, Google Maps estimates users’ travel times in real-time based on the current traffic conditions that exist for a particular area. So long as your location is one that Google tracks for traffic, the measurements of how long it’ll take you to get from Point A to Point B should be much more accurate than before.

>>> last night, while we were on the air covering super tuesday, there was a storm on the surface of the sun . and that energy, those waves are traveling toward us at over 4million miles an hour right now, which means it could arrive as early as between 1:00 a.m . and 5:00 a.m . eastern time tonight. it could affect a lot of things. past storms like this have knocked out power grids here on earth, attacked communications and gps, and already some commercial airlines have recruit routed flights to avoid interference from hit. tom costello has a look at what we might be in for.

>> reporter: i have been on the folks with noaa. in simple terms the atmosphere around the sun has been blown away, leaving charged particles and magnetic fieldwhich are now speeding towards the earth, as you said, 4 million miles per hour. it’s been several years since we have had a storm like this. there is the potential it could interfere with power grids , but that likelihood is low. it can also interfere and affect gps systems, and it could cause communication problems affecting radio and satellite systems, especially high-frequency kinds. while it is a good dose of radiation, it’s big, not extreme, though. nasa is monitoring it but doesn’t feel the need to take any unusual precautions on the orbiting stations. but flights they’re rerouting because they want to stay in continuous communication. noaa tells me the peak of the storm could come around 5:00 a.m ., they think. 1:00 and 5:00 a.m . eastern time . but 5:00 a.m . is a good time. they also insist no danger to us on earth other than the communications. brian, it could mean some really incredible northern lights perhaps as far south as the great lakes tonight. back to you.

>> all right. tom costello with the latest from washington. we’ll keep an eye on it, obviously.

Source: msnbc

But that’s not really what I wanted to write about. In 2010, Breitbart told The Times that three events in the late 1980s and early ’90s galvanized his political consciousness, turning him from an apathetic “jocular goofball” into a right-wing activist. All three seem odd candidates for an epiphany, but one in particular has some connection to my own life, and it’s as good an indicator of any of the way Breitbart’s mind worked — or failed to work.

In 1986, while Breitbart was a student at Tulane University, his best friend, Larry Solov, was attending Stanford. When Solov mentioned that Stanford had an African American-themed dorm, Breitbart was outraged.

“He just matter of factly said there was a black dorm, and I was like, ‘What the friggin’ hell? Are you kidding me?,” Breitbart said. “And then, when I found out that it was not segregation in the sense of white people doing it, I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Why aren’t we working toward the colorblind ideal?’ ”

This is Breitbart in a nutshell — a man flying into a half-cocked fury over an explosive topic he only dimly understood. Later in life, this pattern would repeat itself frequently, with the difference that by then he was an Internet entrepreneur who could instantly post his screeds online whenever a topic arose that piqued his ire. Issues of race seemed to incense him more than anything, prompting him to provide an outlet for conservative activist James O’Keefe III’s video attacks on the inner-city advocacy group ACORN and to assassinate the character of Shirley Sherrod, an African American official with the Department of Agriculture whose comments on race and government aid were heavily edited and taken out of context to make her appear to be a racist, then posted on one of Breitbart’s websites.

I was an undergrad at Stanford in the mid-1980s and well familiar with Ujamaa, the black-themed dorm, as well as Okada, an Asian dorm, and Casa Zapata, a Latino dorm. These dorms were controversial then and remain so now, but they have survived over the years because they offer an important educational and social experience. They are not entirely segregated; no more than 50% of each dorm can house individuals fitting the “theme” ethnicity. To live in one of them, you have to agree to take on a project fitting the ethnic theme — so Ujamaa residents of any race might have to write an essay about some aspect of the black experience on campus, for example. There are also educational and cultural programs within the dorm.

To the extent that these dorms were controversial on campus during my time, it was mainly because they stimulated a tremendous amount of discussion about race — and with that discussion came tension. In a school peopled mostly by privileged white students, it was a little shocking to hear about the resentment and isolation sometimes experienced by black students, or the anger simmering under the surface in a Latino community that in the mid-80s was still arguing over whether to call themselves “Chicanos” and whether fighting for their rights was really as critical a goal as integrating with American society. But amid all the tension, something miraculous happened: learning. White students learned to put themselves in the shoes of their multicolored peers, and minority students, I think, learned that communication fosters understanding.

I understand why the idea of themed dorms outrages some people; it seems like an attempt by minority students to isolate themselves, to avoid the intermingling that is supposed to be part of the college experience. And to some white people, it seems unfair: Why do black people get to have their own dorm, when a similar white-themed college dorm would bring down liberal fury? The simple answer to both concerns is that white people aren’t minorities. We don’t have to go out of our way to be around people like us — they’re everywhere. Minority students on an overwhelmingly white campus are under constant pressure to “represent” their race; it must be a great relief to go home to a dorm where they aren’t the only black person in the room.

Maybe if Tulane had had themed dorms, Breitbart would have learned some of these lessons. But I doubt it. Learning, or trying to understand life from another person’s perspective, were never his strong suits.

For Obama, it was an emphatic plunge into the latest flare-up on social issues. Democratic officeholders and liberal advocacy groups have accused Republicans of waging a “war on women” because of GOP stances on contraception and abortion rights, and Limbaugh’s tirade on his radio talk show was seen as an escalation.

In addition to her call from the president, the third-year Georgetown University law student, Sandra Fluke, was backed by members of Congress, women’s groups, and the administration and faculty at her Roman Catholic university.

Demands for Limbaugh’s sponsors to pull their ads from his show rocketed through cyberspace, and at least four companies, Quicken Loans, LegalZoom online legal document service, and bedding retailers Sleep Train and Sleep Number, bowed to the pressure.

Obama considers Limbaugh’s remarks “reprehensible,” according to White House spokesman Jay Carney. He said the president called Fluke to “express his disappointment that she has been the subject of inappropriate personal attacks” and to thank her for speaking out on an issue of public policy.

“The fact that our political discourse has become debased in many ways is bad enough,” Carney said. “It is worse when it’s directed at a private citizen who was simply expressing her views.”

Obama reached Fluke by phone as she was waiting to go on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”

“He’s really a very a kind man,” Fluke later told The Associated Press. “He just called to express concern for me and to make sure I was OK and to say that he supported me and to thank me for speaking out about something that’s so important to so many women.”

As for Limbaugh’s remarks, Fluke said, “I just thought that they were really outside the bounds of civil discourse.”

By calling Fluke and injecting himself into the Limbaugh controversy, Obama sent a message to more than one law student. He was reaching out to young voters and women — two groups whose support he needs in this re-election year. And he was underscoring that the White House, despite bungling its rollout of the birth control policy, sees it as a winning issue and welcomes Obama’s name next to it.

Fluke was given a chance to talk to Congress on Feb. 23, even though lawmakers were on a break and just a few Democratic allies were on hand to cheer her on. The previous week, a Republican-controlled House committee had rejected Democrats’ request that she testify on the Obama administration’s policy requiring that employees of religion-affiliated institutions have access to health insurance that covers birth control.

Republicans have faulted parts of Obama’s health care reform as unconstitutional, including an initial requirement, since withdrawn by the president, that contraceptives be covered under the insurance policies of businesses, including those with religious affiliations.

Fluke said that Georgetown, a Jesuit institution, does not provide contraception coverage in its student health plan and that contraception can cost a woman more than $3,000 during law school. She spoke of a friend who had an ovary removed because the insurance company wouldn’t cover the prescription birth control she needed to stop the growth of cysts.

On Wednesday, Limbaugh unleashed a lengthy and often savage verbal assault on Fluke.

“What does it say about the college coed … who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex?” Limbaugh said. “It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.”

He went on to suggest that Fluke distribute sex tapes of herself.

“If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it,” he said. “We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.”

The backlash began quickly and showed no signs of abating as scores of Democratic members of Congress denounced Limbaugh and urged their GOP colleagues to do likewise.

The Republican speaker of the House, John Boehner, responded through a spokesman.

“The Speaker obviously believes the use of those words was inappropriate, as is trying to raise money off the situation,” said Boehner aide Michael Steel.

Later, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the committee that blocked Fluke’s original testimony, issued a letter repudiating Limbaugh’s comments but also excoriating the Democrats and their supporters.

“I ask that you join me in a broader condemnation of the attacks on people of faith … and the regrettable personal attacks that have come from individuals on both sides of the issue,” Issa wrote to Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.

Boehner and Issa are among the GOP leaders accused of waging the purported “war on women.” The topic has been cited often in recent fundraising pitches by many liberal advocacy groups, and they recently have shown more aggressiveness.

In early February, after a three-day furor, the Susan G. Komen breast cancer charity dropped plans to withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood, a leading abortion provider. And more recently, after incurring protests and ridicule, Republican politicians in Virginia backed away from a bill that would have required invasive vaginal ultrasounds as a pre-condition for many abortions.

Amid this controversy, polls show that Obama’s support among women has been increasing.

At Georgetown, more than 130 faculty members signed a letter praising Fluke for her “grace and strength” and condemning Limbaugh’s remarks. The university president, John J. DeGioia, did likewise.

He said Limbaugh and others responded to Fluke “with behavior that can only be described as misogynistic, vitriolic, and a misrepresentation of the position of our student.”

On Thursday, aware of the firestorm he had ignited, Limbaugh was unapologetic.

“I think this is hilarious. Absolutely hilarious” he said on his show. “The left has been thrown into an outright conniption fit!”

On Friday, still defiant, Limbaugh scoffed at the concept of a conservative “war on women.”

“Amazingly, when there is the slightest bit of opposition to this new welfare entitlement being created, then all of a sudden we hate women! We want ‘em barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen,” he said. “And now, at the end of this week, I am the person that the women of America are to fear the most.”

Longtime Republican strategist Terry Holt suggested voters might see Obama’s response to an over-the-top radio host as “pure pandering” to woo women’s votes.

“This conversation seems to serve Rush Limbaugh and President Obama equally well,” Holt said.

Fluke, in Washington, issued a statement expressing gratitude for the support she’s received and resolve to continue speaking out.

“No woman deserves to be disrespected in this manner. This language is an attack on all women, and has been used throughout history to silence our voices,” she said.

“The millions of American women who have and will continue to speak out in support of women’s health care and access to contraception prove that we will not be silenced.”

Rick Santorum, one of the Republican presidential contenders seeking to oppose Obama, commented to CNN about Limbaugh’s remarks.

“He’s being absurd,” Santorum said. “But that’s, you know, an entertainer can be absurd.”

While campaigning in Ohio for the Republican presidential primary, Mitt Romney was asked about Limbaugh’s comments and steered his answer away from the uproar.

“It’s not the language I would have used,” Romney said after a campaign event in Cleveland. “But I’m focusing on the issues that I think are significant in the country today and that’s why I’m here talking about jobs in Ohio.”

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