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Send in your news and events for our special sections in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day (deadline: January 9, 2004) and Black History Month (deadline: January 25, 2004). Send news and events via email to: editors@unityfirst.com or call 413-734-6444.

---Denny's plans to raise $1 million for The King Center---Denny's, the largest full-service family restaurant chain in the United States, has issued a nationwide New Year's challenge to Americans and its own employees to volunteer in their communities as it announces its own pledge of 12.6 million minutes of community service and its plan to raise at least $1 million for The King Center this year. This nationwide call is based on an online survey the company conducted showing that only four percent of more than 500 respondents said volunteering in the community was high among their 2004 resolutions. The initiative takes Denny's "Realization of a Dream" campaign one step further in realizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of The Beloved Community, where we serve one another by giving our time, energy, talents and resources to our neighborhoods and communities in order to become a stronger nation. In fact, Denny's and The King Center have partnered so that those interested in accepting the challenge can find a community service opportunity near them by logging on to www.thekingcenter.org. Denny's will donate 20 cents from the sale of its popular All-American Slam(R) breakfast entree to The King Center to fund the development of the program. "Denny's is helping us realize the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. for America by teaching the critical importance of service and how it can mold and build a local community," said Mrs. Coretta Scott King, founder of The King Center. "My husband's dream was to make community service a way of life, not just a single day of service that we celebrate on the King holiday."

---Jobs Today---
Nearly nine out of 10 Americans (88%) say they "regularly do extra work" to achieve the objectives of their job, according to a recent study by Opinion Research Corporation. The survey of more than 5,000 fulltime employees across the United States also showed that nearly the same percentage (84%) are "satisfied" with their job. However, despite the high satisfaction rates, only two thirds (65%) report they "feel happier in my job than I did a year ago." Although the findings were remarkably consistent across all demographic groups, employees who reported doing extra work at percentages higher than the national 88% level were those aged 25-34 (91%), Hispanics (90%) and those with household income greater than $75,000 (90%). When asked about job satisfaction, employees reporting being most satisfied were those with household income above $50,000 (89%) and college graduates (86%). Least satisfied included workers aged 18-24 (81%), blacks (81%) and those with household income below $35,000 (80%). "These findings show that those historically marginalized by society are less satisfied, and even frustrated by the obstacles of discrimination and less access to quality education.

---Connecticut: New Hartford Mayor---
Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, a former gang leader who grew up in Hartford's multicultural North End, will be sworn in for a second term. He is now considered one of the 'most powerful' mayors in the city's history.

---Oprah remains America's favorite TV personality---The Harris Poll asked Americans to name their favorite TV personalities. In this year's survey, Oprah Winfrey retains the number-one position she held last year. In the eleven years that Harris Interactive has conducted this survey, Oprah has always been one of the top-three favorites. This is the fourth time she has been number one; she also topped the list in 1998, 2000 and 2002. David Letterman moves up to #2 and Bill O'Reilly of Fox News takes the #3 spot. Ray Romano has fourth place and Jay Leno is #5. While Oprah Winfrey is tops with women, with whites and blacks, David Letterman is #1 among men. There are also big differences among those of different political views. While Oprah Winfrey is tops with Democrats, Bill O'Reilly is the favorite among Republicans, and Independents pick Jay Leno.

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