Each successive budget saw the prices reach newer heights, making bigger and bigger holes in the pockets of the smokers.

Lesser men changed to cheaper brands or vainly tried to tame their smoking habits. But KC was made of a sterner stuff. One fine morning he made the irrevocable decision to say goodbye to smoking and has never looked back.

KC was not perturbed when his landlord approached him to increase the monthly rent by Rs 200. The man had come prepared for sure resistance but consider his surprise when KC readily agreed to pay the enhanced rent from the following month. However, in the bargain, he persuaded the landlord to allow him to sublet a small spare room to a needy student. Thereby, he netted a cool Rs 300 and got a helping hand who brought his daily requirement of milk from the market.

Langston Hughes Lecture to focus on civil rights predecessor

When Randal Jelks was seven years old, the city of New Orleans closed the community swimming pool near his boyhood home. The pool's dry, cracked concrete was Jelks' daily reminder of the divided world he lived in. Jelks' skin was too dark to swim in that pool.

Hamline University remembers ‘The Last Days of King’

Instead of highlighting Martin Luther King, Jr.s life and accomplishments, Hamline University in St. Paul chose a different approach in its annual commemoration of the late civil rights leaders life, philosophy and legacy.

The Last Days of King, a two-hour, multi-generational program held January 22 in Sundin Music Hall at the schools St. Paul campus, looked at the final days of Dr. King, leading up to his death in April 1968. Several faculty members vividly recalled those days.

Hamline professor Earl Schwartz showed CBS News footage that was aired the night of April 4, 1968, a few hours after Dr. King was assassinated in front of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. [The idea for showing the clip] came up in a planning session a month ago [and was suggested] by a student, said Schwartz on the black-and-white news clip.

Illinois Employment Report: Employee Confidence Index Slightly ...

The Illinois Employee Confidence Index declined 0.3 points to 49.7 in January, according to the latest Spherion(R) Employment Report. The monthly survey of Illinois workers, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of Spherion Corporation, indicates that more workers are concerned about the economy. However, the survey also shows that workers are more confident in the future of their employer.

"From month to month Illinois has remained a stable market for job seekers, despite widespread economic concerns. Although there was a small decrease in the Confidence Index in January, job seekers looking for employment throughout the state are not having experiences that reflect this," explained Jodie Wood, regional director of Spherion Staffing Services in Illinois.

Interim process may get tricky

The jury's verdict forms the basis of the ouster suit. In the lawsuit, Moncier singled out Moore and Pinkston because other commissioners "did not participate in Open Meetings Act violations; admitted their conduct; or did not make false statements in an effort to support a defense."

This Winter Barbados is Hotter Than Ever!

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Barbados is sizzling with excitement, as one of today's hottest pop stars, Barbadian Rihanna, returned home on Thursday, February 21st for a celebratory bash of her Grammy win. Simultaneously, this winter, Barbados is host to Holders Season, the island's "Biggest Social Event of the Year."

Holders Season is hosted by the renowned Wendy Kidd, mother to Jodie and Gemma Kidd -- the UK's current super-model of choice plus ingenue/Countess, respectively.