The rap star Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, was able to see first-hand the food crisis in the Horn of Africa region during a field visit to Somalia and Kenya this week that was hosted by the United Nations food relief agency.

Mr. Jackson, who last year made a public commitment to provide one billion meals for the hungry, has been visiting various sites with the World Food Programme (WFP) such as a refugee camp in southern Somalia where thousands of women and children fleeing from drought and conflict have taken shelter.

BILLIONS OF US DOLLARS. Homeowner Assistance Mortgage Relief.

THE POLITICS OF BIRTH CONTROL. Government Out Of Religion.

LINE ITEM VETO BILL PASSES SENATE. Meets Most Standards.

LA SCHOOL TEACHERS REMOVED. Entire Staff Replaced.

OUR ECONOMIC WOES. Young Adults Hurting Most.

The United Nations and the League of Arab States are considering sending a joint observer mission to Syria to try to end the crisis engulfing the Middle East country, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning today that recent attacks against civilians in the city of Homs were “a grim harbinger of worse to come.”

Mr. Ban briefed the Security Council this afternoon on the latest developments in Syria, where well over 5,000 people have been killed as a result of a Government crackdown since a pro-democracy uprising began in March last year.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is sounding the alarm about the plight of children caught up in the bloodshed in Syria, where nearly 11 months of violence have led to the deaths and injuries of hundreds of young people.

“There are reports of children being arbitrarily arrested, tortured and sexually abused while in detention,” the agency said in a statement, adding that reported heavy shelling by Government forces of civilian neighborhoods in the city of Homs in recent days is no doubt causing further suffering for more children.

3 VICTORIES FOR SANTORUM. Conservative Alternative.

POWELL HOME EXPLOSION. 911 Frantic Phone-calls.

NJ/NY GIANTS PARADE. Confetti Blizzards.

DRONES OVER US? Congress Says Yes.

HAPPY VALENTINES. Court Order.

JOURNALISM WEB SITES

Center for Investigative Reporting, http://muckraker.org/index.html
Cyberjournalist.net, http://cyberjournalist.net/
The Dart Center of Journalism & Trauma, http://www.dartcenter.org
Duke University Online Op-Ed Resource, http://www.pubpol.duke.edu
Environmental Journalism Home Page, http://www.sej.org/
Freedom Forum Online, http://www.freedomforum.org/
Journalism, http://www.writerswrite.com/journalism/
Journalism and Communication: http://www.markovits.com/journalism/
Journalism and Mass Communication http://bailiwick.lib.uiowa.edu/journalism