THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press SecretaryThe Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged our Nation to recognize that our individual liberty relies upon our common equality. In communities marred by division and injustice, the movement he built from the ground up forced open doors to negotiation. The strength of his leadership was matched only by the power of his words, which still call on us to perfect those sacred ideals enshrined in our founding documents.
“We have an opportunity to make America a better Nation,” Dr. King said on the eve of his death. “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” Though we have made great strides since the turbulent era of Dr. King’s movement, his work and our journey remain unfinished. Only when our children are free to pursue their full measure of success — unhindered by the color of their skin, their gender, the faith in their heart, the people they love, or the fortune of their birth — will we have reached our destination.
Today, we are closer to fulfilling America’s promise of economic and social justice because we stand on the shoulders of giants like Dr. King, yet our future progress will depend on how we prepare our next generation of leaders. We must fortify their ladders of opportunity by correcting social injustice, breaking the cycle of poverty in struggling communities, and reinvesting in our schools. Education can unlock a child’s potential and remains our strongest weapon against injustice and inequality.
Recognizing that our Nation has yet to reach Dr. King’s promised land is not an admission of defeat, but a call to action. In these challenging times, too many Americans face limited opportunities, but our capacity to support each other remains limitless. Today, let us ask ourselves what Dr. King believed to be life’s most urgent and persistent question: “What are you doing for others?” Visit www.MLKDay.gov to find Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across our country.
Dr. King devoted his life to serving others, and his message transcends national borders. The devastating earthquake in Haiti, and the urgent need for humanitarian support, reminds us that our service and generosity of spirit must also extend beyond our immediate communities. As our Government continues to bring our resources to bear on the international emergency in Haiti, I ask all Americans who want to contribute to this effort to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake.
By lifting up our brothers and sisters through dedication and service — both at home and around the world — we honor Dr. King’s memory and reaffirm our common humanity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2010, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service programs in honor of Dr. King’s life and lasting legacy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
In the aftermath of a 7.0 earthquake in the impoverished island nation of Haiti, some of the world’s poorest citizens are dealt an ever more challenging hand than they had been faced with previously. With so little by way of resources in the best of times, folks in Haiti are now faced with having to rebuild whatever semblance of normalcy they might be able to regain with even less than the zero resources they had pre-quake. Follow me over the jump to a list of links to relief organizations where your help (either monetarily or voluntarily) is needed desperately. 
I used to have a number of Elvis Presley LPs and 45’s (you old folks know what those are) that I played on my little suitcase phonograph when I was a kid in the early 1970s. But, I was never a huge devotee of Elvis Presley until I stopped to visit Graceland, Elvis’s home-turned-museum in Memphis during my third cross country trip; this time from California to New York in early 2003. The totality of his achievement in music and his impact upon popular culture is overwhelming when you see, first hand, the monumental display of his life’s journey amassed in one place. A subsequent reexamination of all his music blew me up into a true believer. Alas the King is Dead – Long Live the King! Over the jump, enjoy a link to a fantastic slide show of a young Elvis on the cusp of superstardom in 1956, courtesy of Huffington Post. Enjoy! 
I don’t know about you, but I am 
In the current job market, there are four different generations working, the first time in American history that this is the case.
It was announced today that President Obama has reversed a deeply immoral and perverse policy that has been in effect for the last 22 years. For the last two decades, if you had AIDS or HIV, you were precluded from entering the USA. This neanderthal policy, according to Obama, was at odds with our efforts at becoming thought leaders in the fight against HIV. In light of advancements in treatment of HIV and AIDS it was even more silly for the US to continue the ban. It kept us in the company of notoriously regressive countries like Saudi Arabia and Libya. I support this change. How do you feel about this? Sound off in the comments. 
Well, its time to break out the horns, blowers, and noisemakers. Crack open a bottle of Champagne and reflect on the year that was. Auld Lang Syne to you from your favorite online education blog. We’ll see you here next year!!! Have a safe and happy New Year! 
I was born at the beginning of the 70s. It was a time commemorated by super huge collars on orange paisley, polyester shirts and high heeled, white patent leather, zip-up boots for menfolk. We think of the Flower Power generation, Viet Nam and the Nixon years as the 60s. Gordon Gecko’s “Greed is Good” ethos characterized the “Me Decade” known as the 80s and the 90s were the era of Bill Clinton, the OJ Simpson trial and Grunge Rock. So what do we call the first decade of the new millennium as we draw to the close of the 2000s? Follow me after the jump for some ideas and to leave some o’ yer own!