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Howard U. President Wayne A. I. Frederick thanks China,
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Trice Hickman is author of Looking for Trouble, Page 7
Volume 86 • Issue 18
‘Disney Legend’ Floyd Norman Visits Atlanta,
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GA Tech’s Shayla Bivins joins Good Works Team, Page 9
December 5 - 11, 2013
New Atlanta School Board New East Point Mayor Elected in Run-Offs
By Dion Rabouin ADW Digital Editor Unlike the Atlanta City Council and mayor’s office, the city’s school board will look radically different when it begins its tenure in 2014. Reuben McDaniel, who has led the board as chair for the last two years, was ousted in Tuesday’s run-off elections, and voters chose a grand total of six new members for the nine-member school board. In a surprising turn of events, McDaniel was defeated handily in the run-off for the District 8 At-Large seat by attorney Cynthia Briscoe Brown. McDaniel led all candidates in the Nov. 5 general election in which he faced four challengers, but lost to Brown by nearly 5,000 votes in the run-off. His loss followed that of Brenda J. Muhammad in November. Four other members of the board did not seek reelection. Also on Tuesday night, Steven Lee, Eshe Collins and Jason Esteves were victorious in their run-off elections, winning District 5, District 6 and District 9 At-Large seats, respectively. Lee won by some 600 votes, Collins by just over 400,
and Esteves defeated challenger Lori James by more than 6,000 votes. Both at-large districts were on the ballot for all Atlanta voters, while the other posts were on the ballots only to voters in their respective districts. After Tuesday’s runoffs, Brown, Esteves, Lee and Collins join Leslie Grant and Matt Westmoreland, who won on Nov. 5 as new members. They will join incumbents Courtney English, Nancy Meister and Byron Amos to complete the nine-member APS school board. The incoming board will be expected to make some big decisions quickly, including hiring a new superintendent. Current Supt. Errol Davis is set to leave the post next year. In greater Fulton County, the City of East Point elected Jannquell Peters as its new mayor. Peters defeated Clyde K. Mitchell to replace Mayor Earnestine Pittman, who finished third in a four-person race in November. East Point also decided two City Council races in runoffs, with Sharon Shropshire defeating Sharonda Hubbard for the Ward A post, and Deanna Ingraham defeating Jackie Gibbons to win in East Point’s Ward D. In Sandy Springs, Andy Bauman won his contest over John Stoj for District 6 representative and in John’s Creek, Cori Davenport beat out Karen Richardson in their City
Council race. On Nov. 5, Atlanta voters overwhelmingly gave Mayor Kasim Reed their stamp of approval as he cruised to a landslide victory over a trio of challengers. Reed received almost 40,000 votes (39,665) in the municipal election, while not one of his challengers amassed more than 3,000, according to data from the Fulton County government’s website. Like some of the school board incumbents, City Council incumbents Aaron Watson and H. Lamar Willis, who occupied two of three at-large seats, were defeated. After starting the night ahead, both Watson and Willis fell behind in their races and never caught up. Watson faced Mary Norwood, who held the District 2 At-Large seat until 2009, when she challenged Reed as mayor in an effort that fell just short. This year, Norwood got 53 percent of votes (24,628), with Watson netting 47 percent (22,005). In the Council Post 3 At-Large race, Andre Dickens received 53 percent of votes (22,478), with incumbent H. Lamar Willis getting 47 percent (19,993).Willis was disbarred by the Georgia Supreme Court in October.
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December 5 - 11, 2013
By Dion Rabouin ADW Digital Editor
In a historic move, China’s highest-ranking education leader, Vice Premier Madam Liu Yandong, announced the award of 400 two-week scholarships over four years to students in districts of the Congressional Black Caucus, to study in China. The Chinese government also will provide 1,000 scholarships to Historically Black Colleges and Universities for longer-term study in China, ranging from three months to two years, for undergraduate or postgraduate studies. “We hope that our collaboration with the Congressional leaders and universities and colleges will go a long way towards people-to-people exchanges between the U.S. and China,” said Madame Liu Yandong, vice premier of the People’s Republic of China. “I’m here to announce a decision by the Chinese government to award 400 scholarships for college and middle-school students to study in China,” she said on Capitol Hill today. The scholarships are part of continuing efforts for increased U.S.-China educational exchange. Additionally, the relationship-building work by the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation with the CBC and HBCUs is designed to more competitively position America’s diverse students in the 21st century global marketplace. Today’s meeting was held at the U.S. Capitol, and attended by HBCU presidents from Howard University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Morgan State University,
Motley had previously called the treatment of residents in the areas, “insulting, insensitive, demeaning, dishonest, despicable and deceptive,” and accused the City Council of changing the wording of a deal between the neighborhoods and the city for the Falcons stadium. “It gives the city the ability to put that plan and others on the shelf. We want an agreement, a binding legal contract,” said Motley. The community benefits plan ratified on Monday night calls for initiatives such as community-based job training opportunities, affordable housing, environmental mitigations, special event enforcement programs, historic preservation, health and wellness programs and economic development. “For those of us who live in Vine City as I have for 22 years, residents and stakeholders of English Avenue, Vine City and Castleberry Hill have no tolerance to allow these community benefit investments to be plagued by the same mistakes made with previous investments to uplift these neighborhoods,” said City Councilman Ivory Lee Young Jr. “We have spent months engaging the impacted neighborhoods to perfect the development of this community benefits plan without pre-determining which project or organizations were best suited to respond to the plan priorities. Invest Atlanta and The Arthur Blank Family Foundation have a great track record in working with the community to implement T:9.75” the community’s priorities. I am confident that this is the S:9.25” start of a transformative process that finally reaches the people who need it most,” Young said.
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and Tougaloo College, and Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, who led the first African-American leadership delegation to China in 2010. The meeting was hosted by the CBC Chairwoman Marcia Fudge, who was joined by several CBC members, including: Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13), Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD7), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Rep. Charles Rangel (NY-13), and Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA-2). “We welcome Madame Liu Yandong to our nation’s Capitol, and are proud to be part of this historic event,” said CBC Chairwoman Marcia Fudge, Congresswoman (OH-11). “Through this generous award to CBC districts, and the continuing efforts of CUSEF, the National Urban League, and HBCUs, the CBC looks forward to providing 400 young scholars the opportunity to experience studying in China, one of the world’s leaders in global commerce, industry, culture and education,” Fudge said. Earlier this year, a delegation of CBC members traveled to China and met with Vice Premier Liu, as did educators from
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CBC chairman Marcia Page with Vice Premier Liu Yandong
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Alexander Tzang (from left), special advisor to the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), stands with Dr. Beverly Hogan, president of Tougaloo College; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18); Dr. Norman Francis, president of Xavier University of Louisiana; CBC Chairman Marcia Fudge (OH-11); Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA-2); Vice Premier Liu Yandong; Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-7); Dr. Wayne Frederick, interim president of Howard University; Dr. David Wilson, president of Morgan State University; Ms. Julia Wilson, CEO and founder of Wilson Global Communications and appointed liaison representative for CUSEF.
We hope that our collaboration with the Congressional leaders and universities and colleges will go a long way towards people-to-people exchanges between the U.S. and China. - said Madame Liu Yandong
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December 5 - 11, 2013
China’s Vice Premier Awards 1,400 HBCU Scholarships
City Council Unanimously Approves Benefits Plan for Communities Around New Falcons Stadium The Atlanta City Council mowed down another potential barrier to the Falcons’ new downtown stadium Monday night as it unanimously approved a $30 million community benefits plan for the areas that will surround the new stadium. The plan is designed to direct funding to bolster the neighborhoods surrounding the new $1.2 billion Falcons stadium, according to a release from the council. Approved by a vote of 14-0 and required before the initial $200 million in bonds backed by hotel-motel taxes for stadium construction can be issued, the plan was developed in concert with stakeholders in the English Avenue, Vine City and Castleberry Hill neighborhoods. These communities are directly impacted by the planned development of the new multi-purpose Falcons stadium. Prior to Monday night’s vote, the council had been met with mounting opposition from members of the affected communities, with many residents still concerned that the plan included only a list of broad suggestions on how to spend the redevelopment money, rather than guarantees about which projects would be funded. “I’m appealing to you to reject the document that falsely and deceptively represents the wishes of the community,” Anthony Motley, pastor of Lindsay Street Baptist Church, told radio station WABE. In November, Motley and other residents of Vine City and English Avenue released a video demanding that city leaders fix their neighborhood and called for a binding legal agreement before the stadium is built.
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riences that enable their students to provide leadership and service in diverse and multi-cultural environments,” he said. The HBCU delegation’s visit to China was organized in the U.S. by Julia Wilson, as the appointed liaison representative for the China – United States Exchange Foundation. The Foundation’s African American Initiative focuses on people-to-people exchanges between American and Chinese leaders in education, media, business, and civic affairs. Alexander Tzang, special advisor for the Foundation, explained the Foundation’s purpose. “Our goal at CUSEF is to Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick foster a better
eight HBCUs, as participants in the HBCU Leadership Visit to China delegation. Those universities were: Howard University, Hampton University, Spelman College, Morgan State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Tougaloo College, Bowie State University, and Delaware State University. The core mission was to explore opportunities for educational exchanges and collaborations for HBCU students and faculty with leading Chinese universities, and to explore the Chinese government’s Confucius Institute (CI) and Chinese Classroom programs for more HBCU campuses. Of the more than 300 CIs worldwide and 80 CIs in the U.S., Xavier University of Louisiana became the first HBCU to Howard is committed to providing a diverse receive Chinese govand global education to its students. ernment approval to establish a Confucius - said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick Institute. Xavier began offering classes in Chinese culture understanding between Chinese and Amerand language in January 2012. Howard ican people, through interaction and direct University serves as the HBCU alliance’s lead personal experiences,” Tzang said. “Organizcoordinator. ing and sponsoring China study programs “Howard is committed to providing a for American students is one of the activities diverse and global education to its students,” we conduct for such a purpose,” he continsaid Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard ued. “Through the recent China visit we orUniversity’s interim president. “Howard Uni- ganized for the presidents and leaders of the versity, along with each of the other HBCUs, HBCUs, we hope they now have a better and looks forward to the educational exchange more realistic understanding of China and opportunities with China and its worldits people. And, we hope they will share such class universities. As America’s population knowledge with their faculty and students. becomes more diverse, and people become We look forward to more HBCU visits in the more globally connected, our universities future.” and colleges must offer educational expe-
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December 5 - 11, 2013
‘Giving Tuesday’ Follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The holiday season is when most charities and philanthropic organizations earn the lion’s share of their keep. In 2012, many decided to mark the occasion with an official day that was dubbed Giving Tuesday, following Black Friday and immediately after Cyber Monday. More than 8,000 nonprofits nationwide were part of this year’s Giving Tuesday. They are listed in a searchable database on community.givingtuesday.org. The site highlights the works and goals of some of these groups so you can more easily find organizations that match your personal interests. Of course, the holiday is taking flight in Atlanta. Tolli Love, vice president for individual fundraising and marketing for Atlanta-based CARE, said the last quarter of the year is a big fundraising time for the global organization. “Every time you turn on the TV or radio, you hear people Lee Taliaferro (Tolli) Love talking about Black Friday or Cyber Monday,” she said. “To me, Giving Tuesday feels like a no-brainer. Why not create a national day of giving? My hope is that donors and supporters will do more with their wallets than just shop.” CARE marked Giving Tuesday with a contest, a donor appreciation telethon and a video promoting an annual day of giving. Charitable organizations also encouraged those interested in giving to make sure their donations count. The easiest way to research national charities is with the three major charity watchdogs: Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. They rate charities based on how they spend their money, protect donor privacy, govern themselves, and more.
Metro Atlanta Alpha Phi Alpha Men Celebrate 107 Years of Service
Special to ADW
The Metro Atlanta Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will gather at the Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in DeKalb County, on Dec. 8, at 11:45 a.m. to culminate the celebration of the 107th year of the founding of their organization. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was founded on Dec. 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. The Rev. Dr. William E. Flippin is the senior pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church, and a member of this fraternity. “There are more than 500 active members of Alpha Phi Alpha in our metro chapters; but there are thousands of Alpha brothers who live in this area,” says Dr. Flippin. “We are inviting and encouraging all of the men of Alpha to come to Piney Grove with their families and get into the spirit of service of Alpha.” Men of Alpha Phi Alpha will come from the following alumni chapters, which include Eta Lambda (Atlanta), Nu Mu Lambda (DeKalb County), Omicron Mu Lambda (Cobb County), Rho Sigma Lambda (Henry County), Rho Kappa Lambda (Gwinnett County), Omicron Phi Lambda, (South Fulton County) and (Pi Gamma Lambda (Clayton County). College chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha include Alpha Rho (Morehouse College), Zeta Mu (Georgia State University), Nu Mu (Georgia Institute
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Following a meeting with leaders of the China International Cooperation Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (CICASME)
METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Public Input Meetings:
Proposed Title VI Policies IItems to be discussed::
MARTA is holding public meetings to receive feedback about its proposed Title VI policies. These policies are designed to ensure fair and equal treatment for minority and low-income groups when service or fare changes occur. MARTA wants public input in the decision-making process for all proposed policies, and coments will be shared with the MARTA Board.
• What is Title VI? • How does this affect MARTA riders? MARTA needs and wants your input! Please come to one of our public meetings to share your thoughts on the proposed policies.
MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED FOR:
Mon., Dec. 9 Tues., Dec. 10 Thurs., Dec. 121 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. MARTA HQ 2424 Piedmont Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30324 Riding MARTA: Lindbergh Station bus routes 5, 6, 27, 30, 39
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Decatur Recreation Cntr. MARTA HQ 231 Sycamore Street Decatur, GA 30030 Riding MARTA: Walk two blocks east of Decatur Station
December 5 - 11, 2013
By Roz Edward, RTM National Content Director
At Your Finger Tips!
PLEASE JOIN US! State University), Nu Mu (Georgia Institute of Technology), Tau Epsilon (Clayton State University) and Tau Zeta (Kennesaw State University). The Founder’s Day program, chaired by Marshall Taggart of Omicron Phi Lambda Chapter, started on Dec. 4 and includes campus tours at Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College, and a candlelight vigil at King Chapel at Morehouse. This day concluded with the Brotherhood Banquet at Clark Atlanta University Student Center. Other activities in the Ice Cold Alpha Founders Day Weekend include a Public Policy Forum on Dec. 5 at the School of Medicine at Emory University on the subject of the Healthcare Act; the networking mixer held on Dec. 6 at the Lowes-Atlanta Hotel and an evening at the Reign Nightclub at 9 p.m. at 1065 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta. On Dec. 7, the service project with the Favor Academy of Excellence, located at 408 Sawtell Avenue, S.W., Atlanta, will take place at 10 a.m. These public events are free and open to the public. For more details about the Alpha’s weekend, visit the following link http://www. eventbrite.com/e/alpha-phi-alpha-foundersday-weekend-2013-tickets-9431105691 or www.alphasofatlanta.com.
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Real Times Media’s CEO Reports: China is Open For Business
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2424 Piedmont Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30324 Riding MARTA: Lindbergh Station bus routes 5, 6, 27, 30, 39
If you cannot attend a public meeting and want to provide comments, you may leave a message at (404) 848-5299; write to MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; complete an online Comment Card at www.itsmarta.com; or fax your comments no later than December 20, 2013 to (404) 848-4179.
The meeting space is accessible to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation (such as American Sign Language Interpreters, handouts in alternate formats, etc.) and/or language assistance to fully participate, please contact David Scarbor at 404-848-4037 or dscarbor@itsmarta.com before December 5th. Such accommodations will be provided free of charge.
For many Americans, China, officially the People’s Republic of China, represents an enigmatic country that is viewed in a multiplicity of ways. On one hand, some Americans equate China with the deadly 1989 pro-democratic protests involving thousands of students in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, which ultimately resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent Chinese civilians. But other Americans recognize China’s quantum leap in human rights, as well as its political and economic evolution over the past few decades that has transformed the country into the world’s most populous nation (more than 1.35 billion people), the world’s fastest growing major economy, the globe’s largest exporter and importer of goods, and host of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. For Hiram E. Jackson, CEO of Detroit-based Real Times Media, China represented a country of mystique that offered more complex questions than answers about its government, people, culture, education system and religious beliefs. Further intrigued by the growing world status of China, Jackson embarked on a media, business and cultural fact-finding trip to the East Asia country several months ago to experience the People’s Republic of China up close and personal. “I have always been interested in learning more about China’s long history, people and culture,” said Jackson, whose company publishes the Michigan Chronicle, Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier and Atlanta Daily World, as well as annual Who’s Who publications that salute African-American achievements in 25 U.S. markets. “Therefore, I was excited by the opportunity to travel to China on a business and cultural mission.” Jackson was one of several Black media professionals to make the trip. He was chosen because of his executive acumen in overseeing the massive reach of his company’s print and electronic media platforms to African Americans throughout the United States. Other members of the delegation traveling with Jackson, under the banner of the African-American Media Leadership Visit to China, included Cloves C. Campbell Jr., delegation leader and chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA); Warren Ballentine III, former host of “The Warren Ballentine Show,” a nationally syndicated radio program; George E. Curry, editor-in-chief, National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service; Kierna Mayo,
editorial director, Ebony Magazine (digital); and Elizabeth Ragland, chief photographer, George Curry Media, LLC. The China trip was organized and coordinated by Julia A. Wilson through her Washington, D.C.-based company, Wilson Global Communications. Wilson, an international social entrepreneur who also made the trip, served as the liaison between the China travelers and sponsor and host, China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a China-based organization dedicated to strengthening and improving relationships between China and the United States. Tung Chee Hwa is CUSEF’s founding chairman. The other sponsor and host was the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), a Chinese organization founded 64 years ago by the late Premier Zhou Enlai. The organization was created to study world issues and facilitate exchanges with statesmen, scholars and other noted individuals representing various countries in order to better understand each other and form friendships. Yang Wenchang serves as the organization’s president. After several months of planning, the media delegation visited three cities in China: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Beijing (four days) Following a long flight from Chicago, Jackson and the delegation landed in Beijing, which is located in the northeast sector of China.The city is home to approximately 19 million people. To put the 3,000-year-old city in perspective, its population is twice that of New York, America’s most populated city. “Beijing was everything that I thought it was and nothing like I thought it would be,” said Jackson with a laugh. “You see a lot of Western images as soon as you land in Beijing. You see billboards for General Motors, the largest importer of cars to China. You also see fast-food establishments that are recognizable, such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and KFC.” The group’s first stop in Beijing was to the office of China Daily, the nation’s premier newspaper that is printed in English. The publication reaches more than 400,000 readers worldwide. The group was welcomed by the publication’s Mr. Qu, deputy chief editor, as well as Mr. Zhu, the newspaper’s former editor-in-chief. No trip to Beijing would be complete without seeing and walking the Great Wall of China. “The wall is incredible,” said Jackson. “It’s very difficult to describe just how massive the wall really is. It is thousands of miles long. It was built to keep China’s enemies out.”
Xi’an (one day) After a two-hour flight from Beijing, the delegation landed in Xi’an, a city of about 9 million people. Located in central-northwest China, Xi’an is one of the original birthplaces of ancient Chinese civilization. The city is more than 3,000 years old. “I was amazed by Xi’an’s historic heritage,” said Jackson. “I really enjoyed touring a community in Xia Yang County, where we visited the homes of several Chinese people. We were well received by everyone.” While Jackson saw many fascinating sites in this ancient city, he was most impressed by his visit to the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, where he saw the original underground sites of more than 7,000 life-sized pottery figures of the Terracotta army warriors and horses. The figures were buried more than 2,100 years ago, but were unearthed in 1974 by peasants digging a well. “I was told that the clay pottery figures of soldiers, archers and horses were made and buried to protect the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who at the age of only 13 ruled ancient China,” said Jackson. Shanghai (two days) Flying from Xi’an to Shanghai, a two-hour flight, Jackson and the group continued their cultural excursion. Jackson was spellbound by Shanghai and learned that it is China’s largest city and has a strong economic, commercial and financial core. “Shanghai is like New York City on steroids,” said Jackson. “It is very futuristic, very contemporary and very metropolitan, yet it has a great blend of cultures and features of mod-
Julia Wilson, CEO and founder of Wilson Global Communications, exchanges words with Alexander Tzang, special advisor to CUSEF. ern and traditional China, with some Western influences. The city has some of the most breathtaking skyscrapers that I have ever seen.” While in Shanghai, the delegation visited the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, an elite education center for top Chinese leaders to gain needed skills to compete in the 21st Century. The group also visited Huawei Showroom, a company that provides next-generation telecommunications network solutions. The day concluded with a cruise on the Huang Pu River, which gave the delegation an incredible view of Shanghai’s stunning downtown skyline. “My impression of China before the trip was that it was a closed, almost monolithic society with limited political freedom,” Jackson said. “Although much of that does exist, I saw that China was developing and had more freedom than I thought. There’s music, there’s fashion, there’s nightlife in China! “Before going to China, I wasn’t sure what the Chinese people thought about African Americans,” he said. “However, I found that Chinese people have a great curiosity about the African-American community. “While there is a great hunger for China to do business in the United States, the country views African Americans as possible allies in doing future business in the People’s Republic of China.”
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entertainment
Gucci Mane Arraigned on Federal Gun Charges, Could Face 20 Years in Prison By ADW Staff
Atlanta hip-hop standout Gucci Mane, known to the federal corrections system as Radric Davis, has been charged in federal court with two separate counts of possessing a firearm while being a felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported recently. Davis is charged with two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon after two September incidents during which he showed a gun and threatened police. Both charges carry the possibility of 10 years in federal prison each. “The indictment charges that on two separate occasions, this defendant, a convicted felon, threatened individuals, including the police and his attorney, with a gun,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “This is how people get hurt, and we are committed to ensuring that convicted felons not have guns.” Police say Davis became “increasingly agitated” and threatened officers. He was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct, marijuana possession and carrying a handgun. The federal prosecutor’s news release indicates, however, that there were two incidents in September, two days apart and on the same week that Atlantic Records reportedly dropped Gucci Mane from its roster of artists. “When offenders such as this use firearms to threaten individuals, including law enforcement officers sworn to protect our community, ATF takes this very seriously,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Shaefer in a statement. “ATF remains on the frontline of preventing violent crime along with our law enforcement partners and will continue to pursue those who violate the law, regardless of their celebrity status.” Atlanta Police Chief George Turner even weighed in on the case, thanking the federal authorities for getting Gucci Mane off the streets and essentially calling the “Lemonade” rapper a menace to society. “The Atlanta Police Department has made it a priority to take violent repeat offenders off our city streets
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and see that they are held responsible for their actions,” said Turner in a statement to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “We are thankful for the cooperation with our partner agencies, especially the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in bringing Mr. Davis to justice. We cannot tolerate convicted felons ignoring the law by carrying firearms and endangering our citizens.” According to Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court in two separate instances, on Sept. 12 and Sept. 14, Davis displayed a loaded firearm, acted erratically and made threats to individuals, including police and his attorney. Davis, 33, who hails from Atlanta, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 19. He made his initial appearance and was detained in custody pending his trial. Each charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. In March, Davis was arrested for hitting a man over the head with a champagne bottle at Harlem Nights nightclub in downtown Atlanta. The man told police who arrived at the scene that Davis hit him over the head after he told him he was a fan and tried to start a conversation with the rapper. The soldier was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital after the altercation, where he received 10 stitches. In 2010, Davis was also arrested in Atlanta for violating a number of traffic laws, but the charges were dismissed.
December 5 - 11, 2013
‘RHOA’ Star Porsha Stewart Keeps Fans Waiting at Fla. Event “Real Housewives of Atlanta” starlet Porsha Stewart is being accused of pocketing thousands of dollars for a paid event to which she showed up hours late, arriving 20 minutes before it was scheduled to end. The organizer of the event, Tanika Oliver, told TMZ that she hired the 32-yearold socialite to appear at an Ocoee, Fla., event at a rate of $4,000 for four hours. Oliver alleges that she paid Stewart an upfront fee of $2,000. The Thursday night tented Porsha Stewart event with its throngs of Stewart fans who paid money to meet her, waited patiently for the reality show diva to arrive. The fans waited and waited and waited … and reportedly, Stewart was a no-show, until the event’s planners had actually begun taking down the tents which was about 20 minutes before the festivities ended. When Stewart finally arrived to Oliver’s function, she offered up a whirlwind of excuses from flight delays, to being driven
to a wrong hotel by a cab driver, and then having to make a quick change into an outfit for the event. Oliver relayed to TMZ that Stewart’s excuses were pretty lame, and to add insult to injury, she even had the audacity to demand the remaining $2,000 that was owed to her for appearing briefly at the event. The women’s disagreement over the negotiated fee took a heated turn and police were called to quell the argument. The dueling duo were advised to settle the beef amongst themselves. Oliver hesitantly gave Stewart the remaining money, but now she’s had a change of heart and has put a stop payment on the check. Oliver feels that Stewart did not uphold her end of the bargain and wants all of her monies back pronto.
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December 5 - 11, 2013
‘Looking for Trouble’ by Trice Hickman Just 60 minutes. Oh, how you wish you had it so you could reach back in time and spend it with your great-great-grandmother. You could ask her questions, find out about her life, learn about yourself and ask for advice. Imagine the things your forebearers would tell you – then imagine how it would change your life if they did. In the new book Looking for Trouble by Trice Hickman, a little guidance from the past is a welcome thing. Alexandria Thornton tried Trice Hickman to fight it. She had always known that she had a “gift.” As a little girl, she played with spirit-children and she was always able to predict the future. But lately, an older woman’s voice came to her ears and it was loudly insistent, telling Alexandria that someone was going to protect her. Protect her from what, Alexandria didn’t
know. Maybe from her own heart, which surely needed help these days. Her boyfriend, Peter, was Mr. Wrong and there was nobody else on the horizon. Maybe, if she could tame this person in her head, she would know what the heck was so important. John Smalls wondered if his girlfriend, Madeline, was The One. Sometimes, he thought she might be. She was the total package: smart, beautiful and elegant. Then again, she could be demanding, bossy, and crass. Now they were in John’s hometown of Nedine, S.C., to see his family and he had a feeling he’d find out about the real Madeline soon enough. And he was right – Madeline did nothing but complain, and she was rude to his parents. He knew his mother didn’t like her. He was sure his grandmother wouldn’t, either – and Grandma Allene’s opinion was
the one that really mattered. Allene Small stood on her front porch and stared into space and time. She didn’t like that evil woman her grandson brought home. That woman was trouble, she’d cause big problems for John, and Allene wasn’t having any of that. She also knew her great-great-granddaughter would need help, too, someday, but reaching that child surely wouldn’t be easy. It would be several generations before Alexandria was even born. Looking for Trouble is a huge novel, not in page count but in storyline. Author Trice Hickman sweeps through several decades in this romantic tale of a family united by a “gift” that is only granted to certain female members, and that is only partially understood. Overall, the characters here are good (if not a little predictable) and the plot is unusual, although it does sometimes get too convenient and a bit silly. Still, I’m happy to say that I couldn’t predict what was going to happen next, and I liked where Hickman took me. This book is not like other paranormal
romances but, like others in its genre, it asks you to suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy – which isn’t hard to do here. So look for a place to settle in, and grab Looking for Trouble. Getting lost in this story will only take a minute.
‘Scandal’ Star Joe Morton: Slave Films R Kelly: One Man’s Opinion ‘Enflame Mistrust of Whites by Blacks’ By Steve Holsey
By Kirsten West Savali
Mother to Mother Performed by
Directed by
Shontelle Thrash
Rev. Dr. Shirlene Holmes
November 13 – 14, 2013
The Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St.
November 13: Special Fundraiser for Africa Atlanta
Private Reception: 6:30pm, Curtain: 7:30pm Talk back with the author: 8:30pm - 9:00pm VIP Tickets $50
November 14:
Curtain: 7:30pm $10 Students (with ID), $25 General Audience
theatricaloutfit.org/tickets Mother to Mother is a one-woman play by Sindiwe Magona (which is based her 1998 novel by the same name). Mother to Mother is about the killing of Amy Biehl, an American Fulbright scholar by a mob of students when she drove into the township of Guguletu on the eve of the South Africa’s independence election. Told from the perspective of the mother of one of the boys accused of her death, this writing takes the form of an epistolary addressed to the mother of Amy Biehl.
AfricaAtlanta.org Follow us at AfricaAtlanta
Veteran actor Joe Morton is the latest to weigh in on the preponderance of slave and domestic films coming out of Hollywood, claiming they do nothing but enflame Black people and further polarize race relations. Morton, who is currently playing the villainous and powerful “Eli Pope” on the hit ABC series Scandal, opines that the entirety of the Black experience is not considered valuable in Hollywood. He also believes that if Black youth constantly see themselves portrayed as victims, they will begin to only Joe Morton see themselves as such. Read more from Morton’s essay, “When Will Black Historical Films Focus On Triumph, Rather Than Plight?”: 12 Years A Slave is a film that is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and told in a compelling manner. However, there are some questions, in my opinion, as to its importance. Paramount among those questions is, What does this scenario illustrate that we didn’t know or haven’t seen before? And why does such a film garner such popularity? And the list of questions goes on: Why are equal rights the greatest, and seemingly the only, commercial product for so-called black film coming out of Hollywood? Does this imply that mea-culpa-slavery-films are an
artistic perennial for a predominately white audience? Why are there few films about African American heroes, produced by Hollywood, as opposed to African American victims? Why has there never been a film about Nat Love or William Pickett (African American cowboys), Bass Reeves (the first African American lawman in the west who, if Reeves were fictional, would be a combination of Sherlock Holmes, Superman, and the Lone Ranger) or The Exodusters (African American pioneers who ventured west)? These are stories about people who took charge of their own destinies and were only victims of their individual circumstances, like their white counterparts. These are characters that are heroic, not victims. It is very difficult for me, as an American of African descent, to view a film like 12 Years a Slave, as brilliant as it might be perceived, without being angered about the amount of violence perpetrated upon black flesh and black womanhood, without feeling that the self-worth of modern day African Americans is being diminished, without feeling that this kind of film enflames an omnipresent and smoldering mistrust of whites by blacks.
It is generally commendable for a recording artist to have a niche, something that sets them apart from everyone else. But the very talented R. Kelly, who has described himself as a “sexasaurus,” goes way over the top. Kelly says the idea is to be “sexual and comical at the same time.” Okay, but calling your new (best-selling) album “Black Panties” is inappropriate, and worse than that, a song title like “Marry the P---y” and lyrics such as “lick the middle like an Oreo” are wrong on several levels. Everybody is different, and what brings people pleasure privately is one thing — and just about everything is fine with me — but putting it out there in the public marketplace is quite another. Even when it’s sometimes funny.
Kelly Rowland on Stardom By Steve Holsey
Kelly Rowland (did you know that her name is Kelendria?) has developed into a star in her own right, and she fits the role perfectly. Her successes have been many — hit albums, praised concerts, serving as a judge on “The X Factor,” appearing in ads and also proving that she can act. In addition to that, she has never looked better — she’s in full bloom — and is so poised. Rowland once said, “I’m steadily building myself up as ‘Kelly Rowland,’ not just Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child.” Well, it’s a job well done and the best is yet to come.
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features ‘Disney Legend’ Floyd Norman Visits Atlanta www.ADWnews.com
December 5 - 11, 2013
By M. Alexis Scott ADW Publisher
Disney Legend Floyd Norman, the first African-American animator to work for Walt Disney Studios, came to Atlanta recently with his wife Adrienne Brown to talk about his career that spans more than 50 years. Named a Disney Legend in 2007, he has worked on Disney features such as Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, and The Jungle Book. And more recently he has worked as a story artist on Pixar Animation Studios’ features Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. He also cowrote the animated features Mulan, Dinosaur and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While here, he also was able to promote his memoir and how-to book—released this year in paperback -- “Animated Life: A Lifetime of tips, tricks, techniques and stories from an animation Legend.” Following Walt Disney’s death in 1966, Norman struck out on his own to co-found the AfroKids animation studio with business partner animator/director Leo Sullivan. Norman and Sullivan worked together on various projects, such as the original Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s Fat Albert television special, which aired in 1969 on NBC (not to be confused with the later Fat Albert series made by Filmation Associates).
He also worked on the animated television shows for Hanna-Barbera Productions (Scooby Do, The Flintstones and Jonny Quest, to mention a few.) In addition, he worked on animated segments for Sesame Street during the 1970s. A true pioneer, Norman worked directly for Walt Disney, himself, when he first started in the 1950s. Still modest and down-to-earth at 78, Norman and his wife talked to ADW about their Atlanta visit. Norman’s wife is an artist in her own right. She works for Disney Publishing, and has created art for The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and Beauty and Beast, among others. The two met 20 years ago at Disney, and have been married for 14 years. She says she still does some traditional drawing by hand, but most of her work is digitally produced. They collaborated on one book project, “Bobby’s World.” Part of their visit included a trip to the Wren’s Nest in West End. While she admitted a somewhat negative attitude about the Wren’s Nest before her visit, she said she came away with an enlightened understanding of the importance of the museum and its role in preserving storytelling. The Wren’s Nest is the name given to the home of Atlanta newspaperman and writer Joel Chandler Harris, who wrote the Uncle Remus Tales. The home is now a museum and learning center. In 1946 -- before Norman’s tenure -- Walt Disney produced Song of the South based on the Uncle Remus stories collected by Joel Chandler Harris. The film depicts the character Uncle Remus – an African-American
former slave – cheerfully relating to several children – including the film’s White protagonist – the folk tales of the adventures of Br’er Rabbit and his friends. The film’s song “Zipa-Dee-Doo-Dah” won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Song. The film’s depiction of African-American former slaves and of race relations in Reconstruction-Era Georgia has been controversial since its original release, and is now commonly regarded as racist. Consequently, it has never been released in its entirety on home video in the United States. In true Disney fashion, Norman sees the good in the film. He wrote the foreword to a book published last year Jim Korkis about the controversial Disney film. The book is titled, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South? And Other Forbidden Disney Stories. “The film remains a sweet and gentle tale of a kindly old gentleman helping a young child get through a troubled time,” Norman writes in the foreword. “The motion picture is also flavored with some of the most inspired
Special to ADW
cartoon animation ever put on the screen. If you’re a fan of classic Disney storytelling, I guarantee you’ll not find a better film.” Perhaps Norman comes by this outlook because he never experienced the racism and discrimination of the segregated South. He grew up in southern California. Noting all the strides made by the Civil Rights Movement, Norman said he is happy to support the efforts of the Wren’s Nest. He said he even suggested that the museum start an artist program to go along with its writing and storytelling programs. In addition to their Wren’s Nest visit, Floyd talked with Atlanta University Center and Emory University students. “I’m very encouraged about the future,” he said. I was inspired. I could feel their energy. These kids seem to be more focused than the kids in Hollywood.” Norman said he would never have believed that he could have had the career that he’s had. “It’s been a pleasure to share my career,” he said.
87th Annual Spelman-Morehouse Christmas Carol Concert launches the Holiday Season Special to ADW
It’s time again to gather the entire family in celebration of song and the season! The Morehouse and Spelman College glee clubs will come together once again to lift their voices in holiday cheer for their 87th annual concert. This extraordinary annual performance by the young women of Spelman and the young men of Morehouse is a tradition that has been rousing the Atlanta community for more than three quarters of a century. The first Christmas Carol Concert was performed Dec. 21, 1927. Over the years, thousands have made the concert, which is offered in three performances, part of their holiday kick-off tradition. The concert, which is a gift to the community, is free and open to the public, but you will need a ticket for the Sisters Chapel performance that takes place at Spelman College on Saturday night. The Friday and Sunday performances at the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel are first-come, first-seated. So get there early! The concert features a combined chorus
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of both the Morehouse and Spelman glee clubs presented in alternation with selections from each individual chorus as they perform special arrangements of Christmas carols, anthems, spirituals and African songs. More than 7,000 people come from all over the Southeast each year to attend the concerts. The performance schedule includes the Dec. 6 kick-off performance at Morehouse at 7:30 p.m., followed by the concert at Spelman on Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). For this performance only, a complimentary ticket is required. There are no tickets available to see the live performance in Sisters Chapel, but Spelman can accommodate guests in the Cosby Auditorium with viewing via live stream. Go online or call call Ticket Alternatives at 877-725-8849 to reserve a ticket. This performance can also be viewed on www. spelman.edu/livestream starting promptly at 7:30 p.m. The final concert in the series is back at Morehouse on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.
Sports December 5 - 11, 2013 GT’s Bivins Nominated for Atlanta Hawks Celebrate Holidays with 12 Days of Giving Good Works Team www.ADWnews.com
Georgia Tech redshirt “Thank-a-thon,” having Georsenior Shayla Bivins has gia Tech student-athletes make been nominated for the 2014 phone calls and write letters Allstate WBCA/NABC Good showing their appreciation Works Team for her outstandto all of the supporters of GT ing dedication to leadership athletics. She has also aided the and helping others. Jackets in various community The Allstate WBCA/NABC service initiatives, including the Good Works Team honors “Jacket-to-Jacket” reading proplayers at all levels of college gram, “Girls on the Run” and basketball who represent the the “Atlanta Two-Day Breast sport’s finest in the areas of Cancer Walk.” leadership and charitable On the court, Bivins has had Shayla Bivins achievements among their a great start to her final season. peers. The student-athletes The 6-5 center was elected one nominated for this prestigious award of three captains of the 2013-14 Yellow embody the true spirit of teamwork and Jackets’ season and most recently was giving back. named to the LIU Turkey Classic All-TourBivins, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., has nament Team after scoring six points in the aspirations to go to law school following championship game while grabbing nine her final year at Georgia Tech. She is the rebounds and dishing out a team-high five president of the Student-Athlete Advisoassists. ry Board and is the Student Government Association Athletic Representative. This semester Bivens has gotten a behind-the-scenes look at how the Georgia Tech Athletic Association runs as she interns with various departments, such as the Alexander-Tharpe Fund, compliance, ticketing and human resource offices. Bivins also spearheaded the inaugural “Georgia Tech Donor Appreciation Week” in November, where she organized a
Special to ADW
Photo by LaJuana Ezzard Middle school students Lashon Carter (from left), DayaShontae Wilson, Shariana Freeman and Jermya Byrd listen attentively during a recent cheerleading clinic at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy. The clinic was sponsored by the Atlanta Hawks featuring the Atlanta Hawks Cheerleaders. During the month of December, the Atlanta Hawks began celebrating the NBA Cares’ “Season of Giving” with 12 days and ways of doing good deeds throughout metro Atlanta during the holidays – engaging owners, players, cheerleaders and mascots in a variety of charitable events. The franchise kicked off its“12 Days of Giving” on Dec. 3 with “Trees to Military,” collaborating with WXIA’s “Random Acts of Kindness” to distribute 88 Christmas trees to military families – an accolade to guard Kyle Korver’s current 88-game streak in which the 10-year veteran has hit a 3-pointer, just two shy of an NBA record. Also on Dec. 3, the Atlanta Hawks Cheerleaders sponsored a cheerleader clinic for 30 middle school students of Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy as part of the school’s “Fit Tuesday” activities. The clinic stressed lessons in proper nutrition, exercise and self-esteem. On Dec. 6, in conjunction with WXIATV and V-103 radio, Harry the Hawk and the Hawks’ cheerleaders promoted a CanA-Thon food drive where vouchers for an upcoming home game were given to indivi-
duals who donated canned goods. The “Family Wishes” campaign was also launched by the Hawks to begin the month where team members and owners partnered with HOPE Atlanta to make holiday wishes come true for nine metro-Atlanta families. During seven of the eight home games in December, Hawks players Elton Brand, DeMarre Carroll, Dennis Schröder and Korver, along with Atlanta Hawks Managing Partner and NBA Governor Bruce Levenson, went on a holiday wish-giving crusade. In addition, the Hawks will participate in arts and crafts activities with youngsters being treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite on Dec. 19. Players Pero Antic, John Jenkins, Shelvin Mack, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague, along with General Manager Danny Ferry, Santa Harry and the Hawks cheerleaders will also distribute gifts to the young patients. The team will also host a “Senior Fit Clinic” for residents of Quality Living Services on Dec. 21. Hawks’ players Gustavo Ayon, Al Horford, Cartier Martin, Mike Scott and Lou Williams will host this “NBA Fit/Early Bird Clinic” at Philips Arena’s practice court.
Photo by Philip McCollum Members of the Spelman and Morehouse Glee Clubs perform at an earlier Christmas Concert. The 87th annual concert series kicks off the holiday season with three free performances over three evenings beginning Dec. 6.
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CLASSIFIEDS
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EMPLOYMENT
BIDS AND PROPOSALS
Avis Budget Group
Clerical Personnel needed to help reduce my work load. Computer skills needed and should be well organized and will be well paid. Interested person(s) Should please contact: taylormarc010@outlook.com for more info and wages.
ATLANTA BELTLINE, INC. – Request for Proposal from Experienced Qualified Firms to provide a Sustainability Acton Plan for ABI The FULL text of the RFP is found at :http://beltline.org/about/work-with-us/rfps-and-rfqs-2/ Inquiries should be directed to:
Shift your career into high gear at Avis Budget Group! We’re currently seeking friendly, energetic and passionate professionals to work with us in Atlanta. Visit our website to learn more about our current openings for: Preferred Service Representatives assist all customers throughout the Avis Budget Group Rental Experience while maintaining the Avis Budget Group quality and customer service standards. Rental Sales Associates are on the front lines and work to ensure a positive customer experience, while promoting our additional products and services. Operations Manager Trainees are the heart and soul of our airport operations. They influence customer satisfaction and ensure operational efficiency and quality that ultimately contributes to financial profitability. PT Concierge assist with greeting customers, processing car exchanges, walking customers to vehicles, and any other duties as necessary while maintaining the Avis quality assurance standards. Vehicle Service Attendants impact customer satisfaction by maintaining the cleanliness of our rental fleet. Vehicle Return Associates assist in the conclusion of the rental process of our valued customers. In exchange for your talents, we provide a flexible schedule for PT opportunities, competitive compensation with benefits, a fun family-friendly culture and the training and opportunities to maximize your full potential. Ready to make a move toward a rewarding career? GO: www.avisbudget.greatjob.net | Media Code: AXZ | Job Code: GAZW
RFP/Part-time Grants Administrator Go to www.afcra.com
TIBCO Software Inc. has an opening in Atlanta, GA for a Principal Consultant (Software Engineer) to deliver system architecture & hardware/software specification consulting project activities. Must have unrestricted U.S. work authorization. Mail resumes to Att: D. Dzapo, HR, Ref#AGA3, 3307 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304. Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Birmingham, AL NOW HIRING Internal Medicine/Family Practice Physician
Senior Java Developer (Atlanta, GA): Participate in formal development lifecycle and release control process. Interpret written application requirements and apply sound programming practices to develop applications for large volume online services. Develop robust and secure web-based tools, products, processes, and web services. Develop Java core applications on UNIX operating systems with LDAP & Relational Database connectivity. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Engineering and 5 years of experience required. Must be proficient in Java, UNIX operating systems and relational databases (Oracle, MySQL), Spring framework, JSP or JSF Servlets, Java applications on a Glassfish or WebLogic platform, Eclipse or Netbeans IDE, Selenium suite, and XML markup and data structures. Must have detailed understanding of SDLC. Mail resume to: Cedar Document Technologies, Inc., Attn: HR, 1 Ravinia Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30346 Mechanical Engineer in Duluth, GA is needed to design & optimize mechanical components for automotive powertrain systems including shafts, couplings, flanges, housings; to read & interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics & computer-generated reports; to analyze the mechanical systems, including finite element analysis of structural, fatigue, thermal & vibration. Proficiency in Pro-Engineer, AutoCAD and GD& T. Req. BS deg. or foreign equivalent in Mechanical Engineering w/ 5 yrs of progressive experience in job offered or Design Engineer. 40hr/wk, 9-5. Send resume to Soft Source, Inc., 3883 Rogers Bridge Rd., Ste. 404B, Duluth, GA 30097.
Business Operations Manager Responsible for data entry, accounts payable, payroll, grant report entry, managing the organizations HR, helping and creating organizational and program budgets in collaboration with the ED and Program Direct, and other misc. tasks. Reporting to the ED and serving as a member of the Management Team along with the ED, Program Director and Development Director, this position’s primary responsibility is ensuring organizational effectiveness by providing leadership for the organization’s financial functions. Send Resume to :(herry.tony0@gmail.com)
by George E. Curry
by Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Request for Qualifications (RFQ) of experienced Program Management firm to provide staff resources to comprehensively manage, coordinate, and control work efforts of consultant teams associated with the Atlanta BeltLine Transportation Program. The FULL text of the RFQ is found at: http://beltline.org/about/work-with-us/rfps-and-rfgs/ Inquiries should be directed to: Kwadwo A. Atta Senior Transit Project Manager Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. 86 Pryor Street SW, Suite 300Atlanta, GA 30303 E-Mail: Katta@atlbeltline.org Facsimile: 404/477-3606
FOR rent
Notice is given that article of incorporation, which incorporates Martinez Contractors, Inc. has been delivered to the Secretary of State for filiing in accordance with the Georgia Business Corporation Code. The initial regisered agent at said address is Maximo Martinez.
Apt for Rent Southwest near Marta. 1 Bdrm; 1 1/2 Baths; Den; furnished Kitchen and Sunroom. $450 @ month + deposit. Call 404-691-5656 Furnished Room 404-758-6902
Property For Sale – 1921 Cummings Dr. S.W., Atlanta 30311 Contact trustee 404-353-6222. Best Offer/Highest Bidder Contact: Barbara Cullings P.O. Box 5043 • Atlanta, GA 30302 (404) 353-6222
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The Joy of the Gospel
What Would Republicans Do on Healthcare? Many ardent conservatives are critical of the Affordable Care Act or what they derisively call “Obamacare.” But what are they proposing that proves that they care about uninsured Americans? The Tampa Bay Times’ “Pundit Fact” team discovered some interesting findings when they approached that question indirectly. Specifically, the newspaper looked at the main Republican alternatives to the Affordable Care Act and the patient diagnosis under the GOP proposals was not encouraging. “Not all but most of the nine bills on our list use the tax code to put more money in citizens’ pockets on the condition that the money will be spent on health care,” the newspaper stated. “We found three basic approaches that potentially address insurance affordability.” Overhauling health care tax deductions, Refundable tax credits and Health Savings Accounts
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The initial registered office of the corporation will be located at 2916 Brookfield Lane SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30331 and its initial reigstered agent at such address is JOSHUA C. LEWIS
Personal Assistant needed to organize and help. Basic computer skills needed good with organization. We are ready to pay $618 per week interested person for more info contact: scott.shela17@hotmail.com
keep hope alive
PROPERTY FOR SALE
RFQ - Program Management Services for Atlanta BeltLine Transportation Program and Atlanta Sreetcar Extensions Environmental Assessments/Design Engineering
Seeking for a very kindly and honest House Keeper Nice and clean person that can take care of kids. Work for only 4 Days and Drive my kids to school. Salary per week $ 539 email: mariospencer@outlook.com
RFP – GICC – 011614 - SS ADVERTISEMENT for UNARMED GUARD SECURITY SERVICES for GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER The City of College Park is accepting Sealed Proposals from qualified vendors for Unarmed Guard Security Services for Georgia International Convention Center. Sealed proposals will be received no later than _3:00pm on Thursday, January 16, 2014 at the City of College Park Purchasing Department, 3667 Main Street, College Park Georgia, 30337 at which time they will be opened and publicly read aloud. Bids received after the above date and time, or in any other location other than the Purchasing Department will not be considered. A bid packet may be obtained from the City of College Park Purchasing Department, 3667 Main Street, College Park, Georgia 30337, or from www.collegeparkga.com. A Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held at 10:00am on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at the Georgia International Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Concourse, College Park, Georgia 30337, Executive Office Conference Room. Questions or clarifications arising after the Pre-Bid Meeting will be accepted via email only to bgregory@collegeparkga.com until COB Monday, December 30, 2013. An Addendum listing all Q&A, clarifications, etc. will be posted on the City’s website on or about COB Monday, January 6, 2014. It is always the vendor’s responsibility to check the City’s website for any/all addenda. A Bid Bond of ten percent (10%) will be required with the submitted proposal. A Performance and Payment Bond of one hundred percent (100%) will be due prior to execution of contract. The City of College Park reserves the right to reject any or all bids based on past performance and to waive technicalities and informalities and re-advertise. All Minority, Woman and Small Businesses are strongly encouraged to apply. Only responsive proposals that are determined to meet the requirements and criteria set forth by the City of College Park will be considered.
December 5 - 11, 2013
NNPA Columnist
For rent 4-room duplex. NW Atlanta. Nr. MARTA/school Call 404-344-5884
Notice of Incorporation
Notice is given that Articles of Incorporation which will incorporate “DENIM GARAGE, Incorporated, INCORPORATED,” will be delivered to the Secretary of State for filing in accordance with the Georgia Nonprofit Corporation Code (O.C.G.A. $14-3-202).
The S. M. P. Community Fund, Inc. will accept grant applications from community-based, nonprofit organizations serving within the following communities - Summerhill, Mechanicsville or Peoplestown. Application available: 12/10/ 2013, go to www.smpcommunityfund.org; submission deadline 01/31/14. Interested in applying, attend the SMP Fund application workshop: 12/10/13 at 10:30 a.m., Mechanicsville Library Community Room, 400 Formwalt Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30312. RSVP for workshop to Grants Administrator, grants@smpcommunityfund.org or 404-586-0740”
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Attn: Patrick Sweeney Sr. Project Manager Transit and Transportation Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. 86 Pryor Street SW, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30303 E-Mail: psweeney@atlbeltline.org Facsimile: 404/477-3604
Viewpoints
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On overhauling health care tax deductions, the newspaper said, “The most generous proposal comes from the conservative Republican Study Committee, which put forward a bill with 100 cosponsors. H.R. 3121 would give a $7,500 deduction to individuals and a $20,000 deduction to families. “We saw two big catches here. You would need to have insurance in the first place. Plus, the bill would eliminate the biggest tax break households enjoy today, the portion of their premiums paid by their employer. Getting rid of that $170 billion tax benefit would be a tough sell and a dramatic change to employer-provided insurance.” As for the refundable tax credits, it was noted that they “are like tax deductions, with the big difference that you can claim the credit even if you don’t have taxable income. H.R. 2300 from Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., offers a maximum tax credit of $5,000 for families making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $47,000 a year.” The paper said, “The proposal from Price would make credits payable in advance. In other words, you could use the federal credit even if you didn’t have the money up front to pay for insurance. “While the details are different, this resembles the program put forward by President George W. Bush. A 2005 study of the Bush plan by the Tax Policy Center, a joint project by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, found that ‘lower-income individuals experience the largest declines in uninsurance rates’ under the Bush proposal. “However, of the 45 million people uninsured then, Bush’s $3,000 tax credit plan would have helped only about 2 million people who made less than 200 percent of federal poverty and just a bit over 3 million overall.” The third option – Health Savings Accounts – fared no better. The Tampa paper said, “Thomas Buchmueller, a health economist at the University of Michigan, said it
Excellent opportunity to work in a developing multi-speciality medical practice located in the city’s expanding medical and research community. The successful candidate will be joining an organization that is supported by one of the most outstanding clinical sub-speciality groups in America. This position is a part-time contract position for physician services for an out-patient clinic, no hospital coverage, no on-call, no weekends, no site rotation, no evenings and no holidays. Must have M.D. or D.O., completion of U.S. Residency Program and Board Certified or Board eligible. Three years practicing medicine preferred. If interested, e-mail resume to jccjobs@jccal.org and include on the subject line, “Physician Resume”.
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December 5 - 11, 2013
Founded August 5 1928; Became Daily, March 12, 1932 W.A. Scott, II, Founder/Publisher, August 5, 1928 to February 7, 1934 C.A. Scott, Publisher, February 7, 1934 to July 26, 1997 M. Alexis Scott, Publisher, July 26, 1997 to present Published every Thursday at 3485 N. Desert Drive, Suite 2, 109A Atlanta, Georgia 30344
is a major undertaking to provide insurance to those who lack the money to pay for it. “’Tinkering with tax deductions and making health savings accounts more attractive is not going to change that basic fact,’ Buchmueller said. ‘Roughly half of the Affordable Care Act coverage gains come from expanding Medicaid. I don’t see anything in these proposals that would do much for the people who will gain Medicaid under the ACA.’” Like so many issues, Democrats and Republicans differ in fundamental approaches. “One of the widest gaps between Democrats and Republicans is the basic understanding of what it means to offer a plan to people of limited means,” the Florida newspaper observed. “For Democrats, a plan is an identified insurance policy, whether public, as in expanded Medicaid, or private, as in buying subsidized private insurance through a web-based, highly regulated marketplace. For Republicans, a plan is anything that makes buying insurance more affordable, however the person finds the policy.” After a terrible two-month rollout, the Obama administration finally may be in a position to silence some of its legitimate critics. A report issued Sunday by the Health and Human Services Administration disclosed that the primary website, HealthCare.gov, has been successfully overhauled and is now able to support more than 800,000 consumer visits a day. Among the improvement cited: • The deployment of 12 large, dedicated servers; • Significantly upgrading memory to improve response time; • Reducing response time from around 8 seconds in October to well under 1 second; • Reducing the error rate from approximately 6 percent in November to .75 or three quarters of one percent; and • Expanding the amount of time the system is up from 42.9 percent in October to above 90 percent. “The new management system and instrumentation have helped improve site stability, lower the error rating below 1%, increase capacity to allow 50,000 concurrent users to simultaneously use the site and will help drive continuous improvement on the site,” the report stated. “While we strive to innovate and improve our outreach and systems for reaching consumers, we believe we have met the goal of having a system that will work smoothly for the vast majority of users.” George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach.
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Pope Francis is displaying an extraordinary style and passion that demands our attention. He addresses the needs of the poor, embraces the outcasts, and loves those on the margins of society. In this recent “apostolic exhortation,” The Joy of the Gospel, he raises a moral challenge to both his church and his world. Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope Francis calls upon people of faith to “go forth” to preach and practice their faith. “I prefer a church,” he writes, “which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy for being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Pope Francis raises a profound moral voice against “trickle-down theories,” which put a “crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power.” We have created “new idols,” he warns, in the worship of money and markets. The result is that “human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded.” We have witnessed “a globalization of indifference,” in which the poor are dehumanized and ignored. Pope Francis’s exhortation, more than 50,000 words long, deals broadly with the church, the papacy, and matters of the faith. He is not a revolutionary. He states that the priesthood will remain open only to men, that the church’s opposition to abortion will continue. But he directs new focus and passion to the growing inequality between and within countries, the stark contrast between the wealth of our technology and invention and the poverty of our ethics. Here he addresses directly the plight of today’s America. We suffer mass unemployment, while the stock market hits new highs. Profits set records, but working people don’t share in the rewards. The top 5 percent pockets literally all of the rewards of growth, while the remainder struggle to stay afloat. This extreme inequality, Pope Francis writes, is the direct product of “ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. A new tyranny is born” and with it widespread corruption and tax evasion among the most powerful. Money, Pope Francis argues, “must serve, not rule.” This is not a secondary concern, but the heart of the mission of today’s church. Pope Francis says just as the commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill,” we must say, “Thou shalt not” to an economy of “exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.” He warns of the corruption and the ethical poverty of ignoring the poor. In our politics, poverty has become literally unspeakable. Politicians talk about defending the middle class, or “middle out economics.” The poor are scorned as lazy or incompetent. Politicians vote to cut off food stamps, to cut unemployment insurance, even to cut back programs of nutrition for impoverished mothers and infants, while they refuse to close the tax havens that allow multinational corporations and the wealthy to avoid paying taxes.
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Too many politicians devote their energy to raising funds from the affluent and protecting their interests. They seek careers and fortunes not public service. Pope Francis sees this as a moral corruption, and calls for “more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people and the lives of the poor.” At the same time, Pope Francis issues a stern warning to the complacent. Without justice, there can be no peace. Building up police and armaments offers no answer. Peace will come only when there is hope, and a committed effort to provide opportunity and justice to those who are locked out or pressed down. Economic populism is not foreign to the Catholic Church and has been articulated by previous holders of the papacy. But Pope Francis’s clear words and bold style make his message compelling. This is an authentic world-changing gospel of good news. This is a return to the original gospel that Jesus taught. It seeks not pity for the poor; it seeks their emancipation. And churches cannot be silent in the face of growing inequality and desperation. People of faith must “go forth” and be willing to be “bruised, hurting and dirty” in the cause of justice. This is a charge all of us, whatever our faith, should take to heart. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is founder and president of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition. You can keep up with his work at www.rainbowpush.org.
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around town
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December 5 -11, 2013
C. David Moody stands with his wife Kara before the induction of his business, C.D. Moody Construction Company, into the Hall of Fame at the Atlanta Business League 80th anniversary dinner on Nov. 19 at the Marriott Marquis. Also inducted were Paradise Higher Learning Academy and Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless.
Black Enterprise Publisher Earl Graves sits with Gail Nutt, retired Macy’s executive, before receiving the Booker T. Washington Legacy Builder Award for his magazine company from the ABL.
Donata Russell Major stands with her father Herman J. Russell before they receive the Booker T. Washington Legacy Builder Award for thier company, H.J. Russell and Company, from the ABL.
Delta Air Lines Vice President Tad Hutchins (second from left) and his wife Janin enjoy the dinner with Ambassador Andrew Young and his wife Carolyn before presenting the Booker T. Washington Legacy Builder Award to Young.
Rev. Joseph Lowery and his daughter Cheryl enjoy the ABL dinner before he receives the Booker T. Washington Legacy Builder Award from the ABL.
AT&T Executive and ABL Board Member Dennis Boyden sits with ABL Chair and CEO of All (in)1 Security Services Mary Parker at the ABL 80th anniversary dinner. Around Town Photos by M. Alexis Scott
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