Remember Colin Powell?

He who once the most respected man in the country… before that little thing call the Iraq War kind of knocked him off his pedestal?

Well, Powell is back and he is doing a little knocking this time.

On Sunday, former secretary of State l appeared on NBC’s meet the press where he discussed defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, foreign policy and the questionable actions of some of the members of his own party.  

Though Powell voted for President Obama in the past two elections he still considers himself to be a Republican.

 In his interview he echoed the sentiments of many in the months since the Republicans lost the election saying,

“The country is changing demographically and if the Republican party does not change along with that demographic, they are going to be in trouble.” 

Powell also boldly and rightfully called out members of his party for racism and their repeated devaluing of minorities.

He brought up the instance, when an unnamed former governor (hello Sarah Palin)  said that the President is “shucking and jiving” ( a slave term).

He also went on to say that the Republican Party is suffering from a “dark vein of intolerance.”

Finally, he asked the question,

“Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party?” 

When it came to discussing former Senator Chuck Hagel, Powell was a little more conciliatory.

Powell believes Hagel, who is currently a professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University,

“Knows what war is and will fight a war if it’s necessary, but he’s a guy who will do it with great deliberation and care.” 

Seems like when it comes to a fight Colin Powell is not afraid to have one with other Republicans. Do you blame him?

Watch the full interview with Colin Powell here. 

Annual campaign finance reports released this week indicate three fundraising leaders among potential Democratic candidates for Maryland governor: Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (taking in $1.25 million), Attorney General Douglas Gansler ($1.24 million) and Howard County Exec. Ken Ulman ($1.14 million). A fourth potential candidate, Montgomery County Del. Heather Mazeur, collected $248,671 in 2012, leaving her with $380,000 in cash on hand.

Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy, told the Baltimore Sun that Ulman’s fundraising figures were particularly surprising, saying, “You would think the other candidates would be ahead of him, but he’s been out there on the hustings.” Regarding relative newcomer Mazeur, Norris notes that the little-known delegate would face long odds in a gubernatorial race but, “This is very early and is very fluid. A lot of things can happen.”

Leading potential candidates from the Republican party include Harford County Exec. David Craig and Frederick County Commission Pres. Blaine Young.

For the sixth time since 2000, UMBC associate head men’s soccer coach Anthony Adams has been recognized by College Soccer News as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation.

The web publication cited Adams among 15 assistant or associate head coaches at the NCAA Division I level. He earned his fifth accolade after the 2010 season, and in 2003, he was one of 27 college coaches in the nation (all sports) to be honored as an Assistant Coach of the Year by AFLAC.

Adams earned four letters for UMBC from 1992-95 and was a starter in the backfield in his final three seasons. The Dundalk, Md. native (Calvert Hall) started his UMBC tenure on the bench with head coach Pete Caringi, Jr. in the fall of 1997. The coaching tandem has led the Retrievers to three conference titles (1999, 2010, 2012) and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances and three additional regular season championships (1999, 2002, 2003) since 1999.

The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) awarded Dr. Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, Department of Biological Sciences Professor, the 2013 Excellence in Mentoring Award “[i]n recognition of exemplary career contributions to a future generation of scientists.”

View the official announcement and see other award recipients at the American Association of Immunologists website.

For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights, the exhibition currently on display in the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture was mentioned earlier today in Baltimore Arts, the blog of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts.

Visit the blog: baltimorearts.org