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Volume 87 • Issue 24
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Look inside for health-related news for you and your family on page 5 January 22 - 28, 2015
CAU shares in $25 million grant to fight
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COVER STORY
Clark Atlanta University on cutting edge of skyrocketing cybersecurity genre
By Terry Shropshire Despite the fact that, up until a few months ago, cybersecurity was a mostly obscure term in the American lexicon, it had been a major part of the Department of Computer Information Science at Clark Atlanta University for years now. But the term “cybersecurity” suddenly exploded into the American consciousness when Sony Pictures was subjected to worldwide humiliation by the endless leaks of private emails that revealed the movie studio’s ugly secrets about racial disparity and major Hollywood stars. The U.S. Department of Justice held the North Korean government responsible after the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the communist country infiltrated Sony’s emails as a retaliatory strike for making the highly-controversial film, The Interview, that satirically sought out the assassination of the North Korean president, Kim Jong. CAU is now catapulted to the forefront of the burgeoning and highly-profitable cybersecurity industry after Vice President Joseph Biden announced that Clark Atlanta University will share in a $25 million grant for cybersecurity education with 12 other historically black colleges and universities. The Obama administration said the U.S. Department of Energy will provide the grant over the next five years to a new cybersecurity consortium comprised of 13 HBCUs, two national labs and a K-12 school district. The initiative builds upon President Obama’s focus on the critical need to fill the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. job market, while also diversifying the pipeline of talent in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The consortium also highlights the Obama administration’s continued commitment to HBCUs. “We are extremely grateful for the Department of Energy’s ongoing support of our university and for President Obama’s knowledge and understanding of the value and contributions of HBCUs to American life,” said Clark Atlanta president, Carlton E. Brown. “At CAU, we are embarking on a new focus on research that will include undergraduate
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student, to better prepare them for graduate work and various career choices, including addressing cybercrime.” The rapid growth of cybercrime is creating a growing need for cybersecurity professionals across a range of industries, from financial services, health care, and retail to the U.S. government itself. By some estimates, the demand for cybersecurity workers is growing 12 times faster than the U.S. job market, and is creating well-paying jobs. “It is a very lucrative field and the students who get into this arena can make a very good living,” concurred Dr. George Roy, a professor and chair of the Department of Computer Information Science at Clark Atlanta University. “The demand for personnel for computer sciences and information sciences is so huge. So in the last five years, you have almost 100 percent employment for every student who graduates from this department. Some students have four and five offers. It’s a very good time for a young person entering the field. And it’s going to get better.” To accommodate this growing need for cybersecurity specialists and experts, the Department of Energy is establishing the Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Consortium with funding from the Minority Serving Institutions Partnerships Program housed in its National Nuclear Security Administration. The Minority Service Institutions Program focuses on building a strong pipeline of talent from minority-serving institutions to DOE labs, with a mix of research collaborations, involvement of DOE scientists in mentoring, teaching and curriculum development, and direct recruitment of students. “I think that we also have to recognize [while the advancement of cybersecurity education has been going on in other universities] that most of the HBCUs have been left behind,” Roy added. “We need to increase the diversity of the participants. The U.S. government has recognized that we have to step this up, sort of scale this up to a very large level with the minority community and other underrepresented populations. And that’s why we have the large consortium of HBCU schools.”
The Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Consortium has a number of core attributes: • It is designed as a system. This allows students that enter through any of the partner schools to have all consortia options available to them, to create career paths and degree options through collaboration between all the partners (labs and schools), and to open the doors to DOE sites and facilities. • It has a range of participating higher education institutions. With Norfolk State University as the lead, the consortium includes a K-12 school district, a two-year technical college, as well as fouryear public and private universities that offer graduate degrees. • Adaptability to evolving employer needs. To be successful in the long term, this program is designed to be sufficiently flexible in its organization to reflect the unique regional priorities that universities have in faculty research and developing STEM disciplines and skills, and DOE site targets for research and critical skill development. • Diversifying the pipeline by working with leading minority-serving institutions. As President Obama stated in Executive Order 13532, “Promoting Excellence, Innovation, and Sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities” in Feb. 2010, America’s HBCUs, for more than 150 years, have produced many of the nation’s leaders in science, business, government, academia and the military, and have provided generations of American men and women with hope and educational opportunity. “I believe this is very much in line with the president’s goal. How do we protect our resources and information? We have enough technology to be able to handle this threat,” Roy said. “Another one of the president’s goals is to have the largest number of college graduates by 2020. “The other goals of this administration is to have young people take up good positions in the knowledge economy. And that’s where the world is heading. We need to have students very well equipped to be in this knowledge economy and to have diversity in this economy. If you look at the HBCUs’ importance, they do graduate the highest number collectively of Ph.D’s, as well as biologists and chemists, by and large. These 13 HBCU schools will make a clear difference in terms of the diversity of the personnel we have in the information security. I think this program supports the president’s policy on several fronts; on the economic front, on the education front, and on the information security front,” concluded Roy.
January 22 - 28, 2015
Atlanta Daily World
Founded August 5 1928; Became Daily, March 12, 1932 W.A. Scott, II, Founder/Publisher August 5, 1928 to February 7, 1934 Published weekly at 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta Mailing Offices. Publication Number 017255 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Atlanta Daily World, 100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway Suite 500 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 Subscriptions: One Year: $52 Two Years: $85 Forms of Payment: Check, Money Order, VISA American Express, MasterCard MEMBER: Associated Press Atlanta Business League Central Atlanta Progress Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce National Newspaper Publishers Website: www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com Roz Edward
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Mayor Kasim Reed’s pose in photo causes controversy
By Terry Shropshire A photo floating around cyberspace showing Atlanta’s mayor in the “Hands up, Don’t Shoot,” position has caused controversy and has angered the local police union. At the annual UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball in December, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed raised his hands alongside the likes of filmmaker Will Packer, rappers Ludacris and Young Jeezy, comedian Johnathan Slocumb and actor Chris Tucker. The pose angered Atlanta Police Union’s president Ken Allen. “The officers of Atlanta were extremely upset seeing that photo,” Allen said. This photo counters the mayor’s obvious support for local law enforcement. He has added 900 new officers since taking office along with new equipment and new crime fighting programs. It’s why police union leaders say they were baffled when pictures started popping up on social media of the mayor in the controversial “Hand’s Up, Don’t Shoot” protest pose. “Hands up, don’t shoot” became a national rallying cry after the St. Louis Grand jury found Ferguson (Mo.) police officer Darren Wilson not guilty of the shooting death of Michael Brown. Allen was perplexed by Reed’s gesture, which is why he stood before
the Atlanta City Council recently to articulate the police union’s disappointment with the perceived mixed message. “Law enforcement in the city of Atlanta cannot be tarnished by the top elected leader hosting a highly publicized event and taking an active role in controversial tactics of protest and support,” Allen said. Reed, who was in Washington, did not provide a direct comment. However, a spokesperson for Reed sent the following statement: “No administration has invested more into the Atlanta Police Department (APD) than Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration. His commitment and support of APD is unquestionable. In his first year in office, Mayor Reed approved the first step pay increase APD had received in more than five years. Since then, Mayor Reed has recruited more than 900 new police officers; bringing the force to 2,000 men and women, the largest number in the city’s history. Under his leadership, APD created eight new units and programs to tackle violent crime including the Atlanta Proactive Enforcement Interaction (APEX) unit, domestic violence unit, code enforcement section, community liaison unit, expanded school detectives section, path force unit, graffiti taskforce and juvenile offender program. APD also designated two full-time police officer liaisons to work with the city’s LGBT community. With the support of the Atlanta Police Foundation, APD is now utilizing new technology to fight crime including PredPol software, the Video Integration Center (VIC), and the Atlanta Police Intelligence Network (APIN) which allows officers to target criminal and gang activity. APD has also invested in over seventy new patrol cars and three new precincts that provide additional police presence in our neighborhoods. When a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, Mayor Reed released a statement expressing his disappointment and called on protestors to demonstrate in a peaceful fashion. Mayor Reed also stated that the decision served as an opportunity for Atlanta, and the rest of the nation, to engage in thoughtful conversation on how to build greater trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. His participation in the “Hands up, don’t shoot” photo addresses his disagreement with the grand jury’s decision in Ferguson. It is also a gesture that has been used in non-violent protests across the nation, including yesterday’s protests at the 47th celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. Further, since Michael Brown’s shooting in August, Mayor Reed has been asked to comment on community policing on multiple occasions both nationally and locally. In every instance, he has consistently expressed his appreciation of the fine work of the men and women of the Atlanta Police Department.”
Kendrick Johnson’s parents file $100 million dollar law suit in student’s death The parents of Kendrick Johnson, a south Georgia teenager found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at school, have filed a $100 million lawsuit against elected officials and law enforcement officials, alleging that a local FBI agent encouraged his sons — who were schoolmates of the victim — to “violently assault” the teen, The lawsuit, filed in DeKalb County Superior Court on behalf of Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson of Valdosta, Ga., names 38 defendants, including the local FBI agent, his two sons, and another schoolmate of Johnson, the report says. Additionally, the family alleges in the suit that other officials conspired to cover up their 17-year-old son’s murder, including workers with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Valdosta Police Department, the city of Valdosta, the Lowndes County Sheriff ’s Department, and the Lowndes County School District. The latest suit alleges the local FBI agent “encouraged” his two sons to attack Johnson with the help of another schoolmate and an unnamed John Doe and Jane Doe. The lawsuit says the Jane Doe “induced” Johnson to enter the gymnasium
where he was then met by the two brothers and another student who fatally beat Johnson and then placed him in the gym mat. “The evidence that we have, we feel very confident it will prove exactly what we have alleged,” Chevene King, an attorney for the Johnson family, told the Associated Press, while declining to describe exactly what that evidence is. “What we found impossible to believe was the (authorities’) explanation for his death.” Brice Ladson, an attorney for the FBI agent and the agent’s sons, called the lawsuit “frivolous.” The suit comes on the heels of a wrongful death suit filed by the family over the summer against local school administrators. Classmates found Johnson’s body in the middle of a mat propped upright against the wall of their high school gym on Jan. 11, 2013. Sheriff ’s investigators concluded that the teenager died in a freak accident, having become stuck upside down in the center of the mat while trying to retrieve a gym shoe. But Johnson’s parents have long insisted somebody killed him.
January 22 - 28, 2015
Atlanta, Raleigh and D.C., top cities for black economic success
Atlanta, Raleigh, N.C. and Washington, D.C. are the top-three cities where African Americans are doing the best economically, according to a recent report by Forbes. The magazine took a look at three major data factors in compiling its list of 10 cities and how they were ranked. There remains a huge gap in the earnings compiled by Black and Whites in the country, with the average median income of a Black household resting at $34, 598. The Black unemployment rate sits at 10.4 percent, double that of unemployed Whites, according to reports issued last December. Despite those grim numbers, several major cities across the nation have seen a resurgence among Black workers and thus places a positive spin on the economic future of that demographic. More from Forbes: We decided to look in to which of America’s 52 largest metropolitan areas present African Americans with the best opportunities. We weighed these metropolitan statistical areas by three critical factors — homeownership, entrepreneurship, as measured by the self-employment rate, and median household income — that we believe are indicators of middle-class success. Data for those is from 2013. In addition, we added a fourth category, demographic trends, measuring the change in the African-American population from 2000 to 2013 in these metro areas, to judge how the community is “voting with its feet.” Each factor was given equal weight. One of the most noticeable trends of the report is that the South is comprised of cities and metropolitan areas that offer the best opportunities for Black residents. In the Forbes survey, 13 of the 15 metro areas captured were in the South.
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COMMUNITY 2015 ‘Retool your school’ ‘I pulled him out and HBCU grant program handcuffed him’ accepting applications
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The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, announced that applications are now being accepted for its 2015 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program. This program, established in 2010, provides support for campus improvement projects at Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. Since the program’s inception, approximately one million dollars in grant money has been awarded. This year, the Retool Your School Grant Program will use a new grant structure which will award a total of $255,000 in grants to nine accredited HBCUs in $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 grant denominations. Based on student enrollment, schools will be categorized into one of three clusters — schools with 4,000 students or more, schools with between 3,999 and 1,201 students, or schools with less than 1,200 students. “This is a very exciting year for The Home Depot’s Retool Your School program,” says Melissa Brown, manager, Multicultural Marketing, The Home Depot. “For the first time, student bodies are competing for grant money against schools their same size. This allows for larger and more impactful improvements to be made to the winning schools.”
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January 22 - 28, 2015
To be considered, HBCUs must log on to www.retoolyourschool.com to complete and submit the letter of intent by Feb. 10 and a full proposal by Feb. 26. Online voting will take place from Feb. 27 to April 20 at www. retoolyourschool.com. During the online voting period, HBCU supporters can view descriptions of projects and cast one vote per day per device for their favorite HBCU project. Supporters can also capture votes for their school by using the designated hashtag (found on the website) for each school via their social media channels. Each use of a school’s Retool Your School designated hashtag counts as one social media vote. Following the online vote, a panel of distinguished judges will also evaluate each school’s project proposals within the qualifying clusters. Judges will consider the depth of each proposal and the school’s ability to execute the project within the respective budgets of $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000, as applicable. Proposals for all three grants must highlight how each project will make a lasting, positive impact on the HBCU campus. The Home Depot will announce the grant recipients on May 11.
In a special collaboration with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta Daily World presents the fourth installment in a series “Black and Blue: personal stories from the intersection of police and public.” The special series is occasioned by events in Missouri and New York. This account of a traffic stop is from a police officer who has patrolled in metro Atlanta for more than 20 years. He asked that his name and department be withheld because he doesn’t have permission to speak publicly. The officer said he wrote the account because, while some cops have bad attitudes, some drivers do too, and “we never know what we’re walking up to.” The officer supplied his badge number, and the AJC confirmed his identity with a superior. Some years ago I was behind a vehicle that passed a slower car in front of him, but he passed on a double-yellow line. I immediately pulled him over in my unit, blue lights and sirens. As I approached his window he looked at me and said, “Why the ‘F’ you pulled me over!?” Mind you, the driver was black and in his 20s, and I’m black. I ignored the F-word comment to ask for his driver’s license and proof of insurance, then proceeded to tell him why I’d pulled him over. My intention had been to ask whether he knew what he did wrong and to give him a warning ticket. But the language and the attitude ensured that he was getting a citation. I went back to my unit and wrote him the citation. When I approached his vehicle again, citation in hand, he said “F you” and rolled up the window. I asked for him to step out of his vehicle, because now he was being arrested for disorderly conduct. He swore again and did not move. I stepped back from his window to the rear of his vehicle to keep a good visual and to call for back up. He yelled out loud and clear, “You better call for backup!” Then he put his car in drive and, to my disbelief, started driving off. I radioed it in and got behind him. We were doing the speed limit and
he was using his left and right turn signals, but he ignored my lights and sirens and my instructions, over the PA system, for him to pull over. I finally got several additional units to help and we got him stopped several miles away from the original stop. As I approached his window again, he rolled it all the way down and asked, “What the F do you want?” I opened his door, pulled him out and handcuffed him without further incident. I was furious. All he’d had to do was to listen to what I had to say at first and that would have been the end of it. But now he was charged with several offenses and taken to jail, his vehicle impounded. He was found guilty months later and sentenced to more time because he exhibited that same attitude in court toward the judge! AND he brought his mother to court, I guess as a character witness or for sympathy, because she wasn’t in the car with him that day. Your everyday attitude can go long way. I know some people will say that most officers have attitudes most of the time. All I can say to that is that you have not been pulled over by most officers, or you’re really doing something wrong in your life. But greet an attitude with kindness. If you’re legit or if you’re wrong, a pleasant attitude can possibly change that officer’s attitude. I smile all the time and am probably the nicest guy you will ever run into. I try to make people feel less nervous when I pull them over by smiling and being cheerful, because I still get nervous when I’m pulled over. LOL. I roll down my windows, which are tinted, turn off the car and put my hands in plain view to show the officer I’m not a threat.
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Whats Inside: CDC: Flu season continues to worsen Fearing Ebola? Doctors say get a flu shot Is Atlanta ‘Splitsville’ for married couples www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com
January 22 - 28, 2015
How to slow down your life and enjoy the ride By Steve Gilliland It’s finally Friday night, the beginning of a weekend of freedom, which also happens to include your birthday. Your family, friends and spouse all have celebratory plans for you. You have a rewarding career and a network of beautiful people who want to rejoice in your life. As you walk out to your car to officially kickoff the fun, a giddy thrill washes over you. But as you click the seatbelt into place, rather than sitting in awe of how lucky you are, a list of concerns begin worming their way into your consciousness: “I need gas, but the
conveniently located gas station charges more than others … I hope it’s not a surprise party … Maybe I should get the beverages I like before going home … I haven’t been to the gym all week … Did I pay the electric bill?” And so it goes. “I think we’ve all had this experience, which often has us psychically living 30 minutes into the future – no matter how great the present circumstances might be,” says Steve Gilliland, a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and author of the widely acclaimed Enjoy the Ride. “Are we doomed to this torrent of noise which distracts us from enjoying our life? We don’t have to be.”
• Don’t live your life 30 minutes ahead of the present. If you won’t live your life now, in the present, then who will? “An older man came up to me, grabbed my hand, and said he wished he’d heard me speak decades ago,” Gilliland says. “After I asked why, he said that when he was eating lunch on break or dinner with his family, he was always thinking about what he had to do after the meal, which represented his daily life. ‘At the age of 97,’ he said, ‘I’ve officially lived my life 30 minutes ahead’ – 30 minutes ahead of whatever he was doing at the moment.” • Laugh more. It’s better than crying before you’re hurt. Don’t put your umbrella up until it rains. Worry restricts your ability to think and act effectively, and it forces you to mortgage fear and anxiety about something that may never occur. Laughter is the opposite. When you laugh, you’re living almost completely in the moment, and it’s one of the best feelings you can have. • No one can ruin your day without your permission. As much as we cannot control
in life – our genes, our past and what has led up to today – there is much control we may take upon ourselves. Today, for example, we can understand that life picks on everyone, so when the going gets tough, we don’t have to take it personally. When we do take misfortune personally, we tend to obsess, giving a legacy to something that may make you a day poorer in life. • Cure your destination disease. Live more for today, less for tomorrow, and never about yesterday. How? You might have to repeatedly remind yourself that yesterday is gone forever, yet we perpetually have to deal with now, so why not live it? And what if tomorrow never occurs? There is a difference between working toward the future, which is inherently enjoyable in light of hope, and living in an unrealistic future that remains perpetually elusive. If tomorrow never comes, would you be satisfied with the way today ended? “It is not how you start in life and it is not how you finish,” Gilliland says. “The true joy of life is in the trip, so enjoy the ride.”
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LIVING WELL CDC: Flu season continues to worsen, could peak this month
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January 22 - 28, 2015
(AP) — The flu is now widespread in all but seven states, and hospitalization rates match the dismal season two years ago. While health officials fear this will be an unusually bad year, it’s too soon to say. The latest figures released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the flu hitting hard in most of the 43 states where the illness was widespread. But the flu was not yet rampant in populous states like California and New York. The report is for the week of Christmas, and it shows the flu season following a similar track as the last two, when flu activity peaked no later than mid-January. Perhaps that will happen this winter, too, the CDC’s Dr. Michael Jhung said. How bad is this flu season? It’s not clear yet. Experts are worried because the nasty bug that’s making most people sick isn’t included in this year’s vaccine. Preliminary data on how well the vaccine is working is still weeks away. Among infectious diseases, flu is considered one of the nation’s leading causes of death, killing roughly 24,000 a year, on average. How unusual is the flu this season? The different flu strain makes predictions more difficult. The current season hit hard in December – earlier than usual. But the last two flu seasons hit early, too. So far, flu hospitalization rates are similar to the harsh season two years ago,
which was dominated by a similar flu virus. Especially this year, health officials this year are urging doctors to treat flu patients promptly with antiviral medications. Has the flu reached epidemic status? Yes, but that’s not unusual. “It’s safe to say we have a flu epidemic every year,” Jhung said Monday. Epidemics occur when a virus spreads quickly and affects many people at the same time. According to one CDC definition, flu is epidemic when a certain percentage of deaths in a given week are due to flu and pneumonia. By that measure, flu epidemics occurred in nine of the last dozen winters, including this one. Flu-related deaths surpassed the epidemic threshold three weeks ago, then dropped below that level the next week. But other measures indicate flu still is epidemic. Is it too late to get a flu short? CDC officials say no. Even if the flu season peaks soon, it will still be around for months. Despite the new flu strain, the vaccine has been well matched in roughly a third of the flu cases seen so far. And it is considered to be effective against some other flu viruses that could surge in the late winter or spring. About 40 percent of the public was vaccinated against flu as of November, which is about normal in recent years, Jhung said.
Fearing Ebola? Doctors say get a flu shot (AP) — Fever? Headache? Muscle aches? Forget about Ebola — chances are astronomically higher that you have the flu or some other common bug. That message still hasn’t reached many Americans, judging from stories ER doctors and nurses swapped this week at a Chicago medical conference. Misinformed patients with Ebola-like symptoms can take up time and resources in busy emergency rooms, and doctors fear the problem may worsen when flu season ramps up. That’s one reason why doctors say this year it’s especially important for patients to get their flu shots: Fewer flu cases could mean fewer Ebola false alarms. “The whole system gets bogged down, even if it’s a false alarm,” Dr. Kristi Koenig said during a break at the American College of Emergency Physicians’ annual meeting. Since the first Ebola diagnosis in the U.S., on Sept. 30 in a Liberian man treated in Dal-
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las, doctors say they’ve had to reassure patients with many fears but none of the risk factors. Examples shared by those attending the meeting include: —An Ohio patient who thought she had Ebola because her husband had worked in Dallas, but not with the Ebola patient. —A New Mexico woman who sought ER testing for Ebola because she had visited Africa two years ago. —Two Alabama patients who worried they were infected after traveling through an airport in Atlanta, the same city where Ebola patients were treated. Those Alabama patients had intestinal symptoms but no contact with Ebola patients nor recent travel to Ebola-plagued countries in West Africa, and they were sent home after doctors consulted with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Dr. David Pigott, an emergency medicine specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Flu and other airborne diseases can be transmitted by indirect contact with infected people. By contrast, the only way to get Ebola is through direct contact with blood, vomit and other body fluids from Ebola patients, experts say. While Ebola can be quickly ruled out for many patients by asking about recent travel to West Africa and contact with Ebola patients, “there’s still some concern about anybody with symptoms that could be Ebola because it’s so much in the news right now,”
said Koenig, director of public health preparedness at the University of California in Irvine. That means a patient with the flu could trigger a full-court press in the ER, including isolating the patient and ER staff grabbing the hazmat suits until Ebola is ruled out. Ebola was among hot topics at the meeting, and hundreds packed sessions on how to handle a disease they most likely will never have to treat. Only four people have been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, and experts doubt that Ebola will become widespread in this country. But if more Ebola cases do occur, getting vaccinated against the flu now “would make the screening process a lot easier,” said Dr. Daniel Bachmann, an emergency medicine physician at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. So far, flu activity is low nationwide and only one death has been reported, in a child earlier this month. But unlike Ebola, flu contributes to thou-
sands of U.S. deaths each year and many more hospitalizations. And unlike Ebola, there’s a vaccine to protect against the flu, recommended annually for adults, teens and children starting at 6 months of age. So when patients express fears about Ebola, Bachmann tells them, “Go get your flu shot.” Flu vaccination rates are low; a little over half of eligible U.S. children and teens and just 42 percent of adults got vaccinated in the 2012-13 flu season, CDC data show. While there have been reports of scattered flu vaccine shortages this fall due to delayed vaccine shipments, seven manufacturers have estimated that as many as 156 million doses — an adequate supply — will be available this flu season, said CDC spokeswoman Erin Burns. “As of Oct. 17, 2014, manufacturers reported having shipped 117.8 million doses of flu vaccine,” she said. Flu season often begins in October, peaks between December and February and then tapers off.
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LIVING WELL
January 22 - 28, 2015
Is Atlanta ‘Splitsville’ for married couples Divorce in America is often said to be at an all-time high. Everywhere you turn, there are news reports on how Americans are divorcing more and more since generations past. The facts of the matter state that nationally, the probability of a first marriage ending in separation or divorce within 5 years is 20 percent, with that number increasing to 33 percent after 10 years. However, Georgia residents are at higher risk of parting ways. Georgia ranks 8thamong the highest divorce rates in the country. Both marriage and divorce rates are higher in the south with Georgia ranking among Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas as high divorce states. Well, what’s with that you ask? Below we will consider why Georgians are at higher risk for divorce, outline the basics of the divorce process and offer encouragement for all couples striving for marriage success. Georgia = Splitsville Getting married is a joyous moment in the lives of two people. For many couples, there are both great times and not so great times, and careful consideration should be taken when approaching marriage, as well as when considering divorce. Knowing and understanding the risks involved with divorce may help you and your
mate battle relationship challenges and overcome Atlanta’s high rate of divorce. The higher divorce rates in Georgia, as well as the Atlanta area, are attributed to Southerners marrying earlier and lower educational levels which both are divorce risks, reported by sociologist Andrew Cherlin. Residents in the northeastern states are less likely to divorce. Risk factors for divorce include: • Age Young couples in the south choose to get married at an earlier age possibly due to tradition, or eagerness to share life with a partner. However, many couples are entering a transformative life stage during early to mid 20s, as many couples are also young professional striving to finish college, make gains in career or reach for more financial stability. Couples who marry at older age are more mature, have a higher chance of being more financially sound and possess more stability to handle marriage responsibilities. • Education Various studies have shown that couples who are college educated or above can lead to a heightened awareness of maturity and family values, both influential factors in building a successful marriage.
Additional risk factors: • Ethnic background • Religious background • Personal finances For couples experiencing challenges, there are often many ways to iron out relationship issues before filing for a divorce. If you and your mate wish to stay together, perhaps counseling or time apart through separation will help you decide what is right for yourself and the family. Many couples that separate often are able to reunite after counseling or mediation with a professional counselor. If permanent separation through divorce is the best option, there are various factors to be resolved to complete this process. Property Division Do you and your partner share property, money, assets and debts? Equitably splitting property will need to be reconciled during the divorce. Child Support Who will pay, how much and how often is a serious concern for partners in divorce. With today’s varying economy, financial support from both parents help children continue stable lives with the necessities they may have been accustomed to. Child Custody The hardest and most
difficult challenge of many divorces involve children; declaring who will assume responsibility, pay for and support each child under the age of 18. Think about your children first and make the best decision for your entire family on child custody without using them as means to hurt or manipulate your soon-to-be former spouse. Alimony One spouse may request spousal support or alimony to balance the wages lost from a high-earning partner while within the marriage. Despite Atlanta’s high rate of divorce, couples in in the greater Atlanta area have many opportunities to beat the odds and have a successful relationship. With continued communication and understanding, set a ground for discussing issues in a judgment free zone and collaborate with your mate on important decisions as a unit. Get out and enjoy the sights and spots Atlanta offers with regular “date nights” to keep the love and positive energy alive. Divorce is complex and emotionally stressful and is never easy. Knowing how to overcome risks and find a common ground before the glass shatters is helpful for couples and their families build long-term marriage success.
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BUSINESS HOPE Global Forum features Tax season scams to avoid famous change agents from Metro Atlanta Better Business Bureau
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January 22 - 28, 2015
John Hope Bryant and former president Bill Clinton By Courtney Luv The HOPE Global Forum 2015 convened in Atlanta for a milestone event on Saturday, Jan. 17, featuring keynote speaker, former president Bill Clinton. The HOPE Global Forum annual meeting assembled diverse leaders from the private sector, federal government, state government, local government and various communities. The forum is a think-tank meeting to outline a vision for the world’s modern day global economy. That vision includes all people no matter their socioeconomic status. Thousands of change agents gathered at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta to share ideas related to the conference’s theme, ‘Reimagining the Global Economy: Expanding Free Enterprise for All.’ Participants came from as far away as Abu Dhabi to attend the world renowned conference. Brent Neiser of National Endowment for Financial Education described The Global Forum as “A place where thoughtful activism challenges opportunity with personal finance. It keeps people up at night on all levels, fusing, public policy, business, entrepreneurship and financial capabilities. The forum is a unique powerful combination that is absolutely necessary in today’s society. Later a panel of powerful women took the stage to discuss “Gains of Women and Girls: How to prosper in the Global Economy.” Women discussed the hardships faced in an unfair world. Discussion topics ranged from “Technology as a Tool: Scaling Financial Services” to the “Power of the Credit Score:
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Changing Lives and Changing Communities.” The event’s keynote speaker, the 42nd President of the United States, William Bill Clinton joked during his remarks about being a former president. “If you’re not in office, you can say whatever you want. Unless your wife might run for something, then you’ve got to be more careful.” Clinton said to thunderous applause and cheers. Operation Hope was founded by entrepreneur John Hope Bryant. He began his business enterprise with a modest, but life changing $40 investment he borrowed from his mother in his very first business idea, at the age of 10 in Compton, California. On Feb. 26, 2014, Bryant was appointed by President Obama to serve on the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. The former president talked mostly about taking a stance on creating an inclusive economy. He also discussed how the Clinton Foundation assisted with the reduction of HIV/AIDs generic medicine and improving healthy food consumption in Africa. “President Clinton reminded the room that NGOs like Operation Hope and mine, Emerging Changemakers Network, are necessary to “ step in the gap” to bridge where private and public will do for the economy. His message was really the message for the future and the present because he called for inclusive economics and called us to see that together we are great and that our money has to honor that value,” Jessica Norwood of www.emergechange.org said,
As the saying goes nothing is certain except death and taxes. However, history shows us another certainty is fraud and scams and specifically, tax related frauds and scams. Tax season is quickly approaching and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is encouraging consumers to be extra-vigilant to avoid becoming victims of predatory or fraudulent tax-related offers and scams. Tax relief scams - Consumers who owe back-taxes, sometimes out of desperation, readily fall victim to claims from scammers that say they can free taxpayers from having to pay the IRS. They claim to be able to settle the debt for pennies on the dollar. These shady businesses and individuals charge exorbitant up-front fees ranging from $3,000 to $25,000. Tax preparer fraud - Taxpayers who use professional tax preparers must do their research to avoid dealing with fly-by-nightpreparation outfits that appear quickly, hang a shingle, charge outrageous fees and then disappear. What to watch for: Tax season rip - offs are increasingly more common. Tax payers often get in a rush to complete their tax returns either because they expect a hefty refund or they simply want to get it out of the way. Consumers need to be very aware of who they are dealing with and what is being done on their behalf – to avoid losing money unnecessarily – and because ultimately they bear full responsibility for the tax return they submit. Jan. 26 – 30 is Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. During the week, consumers who
need more information on what to do about these scams can contact their state and or federal offices for additional help. Tax scams come in many varieties. While there are no fool-proof methods to protect your identity consumers should: • Never carry your Social Security card with you. • Never give businesses your Social Security Number just because they ask for it. Have them explain the need. • Protect your personal computer with fire-walls and anti-virus software. • Never give your personal information to anyone over the phone, mail or the Internet. • Contact the IRS or state comptroller. The IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office within the IRS, offers free help to taxpayers having trouble paying their federal taxes. • Taxpayers needing help with state taxes can contact the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasurers for guidance. • Tax preparers who claim they can get larger returns than other preparers. • Those who base their fees on a percentage of the amount of the refund. • Preparers who ask their clients to sign blank tax forms. • Anyone who refuses to provide a preparer tax identification number. • Any preparer who refuses to provide a copy of the completed tax return.
ENTERTAINMENT Documentary ‘MAYNARD’ on former Atlanta mayor announced www.AtlantaDailyWorld.com
Auburn Avenue films is producing the theatrical documentary about the life and legacy of Atlanta’s first African-American Mayor, Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. The documentary, MAYNARD, is currently in pre-production led by an Oscar nominated and Emmy award-winning team. MAYNARD offers an introspective look into the life of the political and business titan who became Atlanta’s first African-American Mayor. “My father fought the good fight for equal opportunity especially for African Americans. He believed the way to accomplish that was through the power of the vote, economic strength and educational achievement or, the ballot, the book and the buck, as he put it,” said Brooke Jackson Edmond, daughter of Mayor Jackson. “All Atlantans have benefitted from his work as have countless others far beyond Atlanta. There is a thriving African-American business class largely because of Maynard Jackson.” MAYNARD will be produced by Auburn Avenue Films; one of Atlanta’s newest production companies. The production team includes Executive Producers: Wendy Eley Jackson; Maynard H. Jackson, III; Elizabeth Jackson Hodges; Howie Hodges, and Brooke Jackson Edmond. Oscar-nominated producer/director/editor Samuel D. Pollard will direct the film, and Emmy and Peabody Award-winner Sheila Curran Bernard has been tapped as writer. Winsome Sinclair, C.S.A. joins the production as casting director along with Donald Jarmond as co-producer. An official release date has not been announced.
January 22 - 28, 2015
Mayor Jackson was known as a charismatic and compassionate leader who served a record three terms as Atlanta’s mayor. He is credited with building the world’s busiest airport; leading the crusade to bring the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta; revitalizing downtown Atlanta as a thriving business and residential community; and redeveloping more than 20 of Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods. Yet, in spite of his professional success there were personal challenges as well. “Most people only remember the public side of Maynard Jackson, Jr. but they never saw the man who struggled with the loss of his own father at the age of 15, the brother who buried two sisters, the husband went through divorce, or the father who feared he would lose his only son,” said Maynard H. Jackson, III, son of Mayor Jackson. “In this documentary you will definitely see the giant of a mayor but, more importantly, you see the giant of a real man.” MAYNARD offers an intimate view of Jackson from those who knew him best. The film will include personal family photos and rare interviews with his two former wives, his five children, his siblings as well as many of Jackson’s close associates and confidants. “We want people to know how much he cared for all people in the city that he loved,” said Elizabeth Hodges, oldest daughter of Mayor Jackson. “He wanted everyone leading successful and fulfilled lives.” Auburn Avenue Films Inc. is an Atlanta based television and film company specializing in development, production, and post production.
‘Whitney’ movie nabs big ratings for Lifetime Lifetime netted ratings gold with the premiere of their controversial biopic, Whitney. The movie based on the late Whitney Houston’s love life with ex-husband, Bobby Brown, directed by Angela Bassett scored 4.5 million in total viewers becoming Lifetime’s most watched movie since their remake of Flowers in the Attic. The film starring Yaya DaCosta as the legendary singer/actress also snagged 2.1 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demo. Ninety-one percent of the movie’s audience stuck around to watch the special, “Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney,” which scored 4.1 million in total viewers with 1.8 million in the 18-49 key demo. The special featured an exclusive interview with Brown, who gave details on his life with Whitney. During the interview, Brown made stunning allegations that both he and Whitney cheated throughout their tumultuous 14 years of marriage. The “My Prerogative” singer told “Entertainment Tonight’s” Shaun Robinson: There was infidelity in the marriage on both of our parts. That’s hard to swallow for both of us. I just think when two people that love each other as much as we loved each other–when they start drifting apart, different people come into the situation, into the scenario, and we make mistakes. People make mistakes; we’re human. The programming block concluded with Whitney’s mentor record executive Clive Davis hosting “Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performance” netting 3.2 million in total viewers and 1.3 million in the demo. While Lifetime is basking in the 11.8 in total viewers for the night’s events, the network came under fire from Whitney’s family for the unauthorized flick. Whitney’s sister-in-law Pat Houston released a scathing letter prior to the movie’s release saying: If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst.
Atlanta teacher headed for No. 1 on Billboard chart Atlanta native, Casey J, currently a Duluth elementary school teacher – is headed to No. 1 on Billboard Magazine’s Gospel Airplay chart with her debut radio smash “Fill Me Up.” The song has been in rotation at gospel radio stations across the country since this past spring and is currently No. 3 with a bullet on the Gospel Airplay chart. With a solid hit behind her, Casey J is recording her first CD The Truth (Marquis Boone Enterprises/Tyscot Records) during a live recording session on Friday, Jan. 30 @7:30 p.m. at the Fresh Start Church in Duluth, Georgia. Singer Jason Nelson, known for Top Ten hits such as “Shifting the Atmosphere” and “I Am,” will perform a duet with Casey J on one of the tracks. “Dreams and visions do come true,” the 28-year old singer says of the great things that have been happening in her career. “One day I woke up to being in the T o p Ten on a Billboard chart. I know it has nothing to do with me as an individual. God is just creating another platform for Him to receive glory and it’s just happening through me and I am so thankful.”
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GUEST COMMENTARY
GUEST COMMENTARY
by Kevin Chavous
by Michael Woodard
The night the dreamer died In the spring of 1968, while growing up in Indianapolis, my mother scooped up me and my three younger siblings and told us that she was going to take us to hear the next president of the United States speak. It was a misty, overcast night but I was excited to go - even if I had to stand in the rain. When we arrived at the near northeast park, the mainly African-American crowd was buzzing with expectation. Though just 11 years old, I knew that this was a big deal. Soon, Robert Kennedy and his staff arrived at the park. But they didn’t look happy. We were about 30 yards away and I could see the tension on the faces of Kennedy and his team. I sensed something was wrong. From the very beginning, they did not look like they were at a presidential campaign rally. Finally, Bobby Kennedy stood on the back of a truck and announced to all of us that Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been assassinated in Memphis. The crowd, including my mother, all began to gasp, scream, then cry. As sad as I instantly felt, I was determined not to cry. I wanted to be strong. I do remember thinking, however, as the light drizzle fell on my face, it would help to camouflage my tears - but I did not cry. As people were dealing with the shock, some of the folks in the back were getting agitated. I could feel the anger rising. Bobby Kennedy then gave one of the most famous speeches in American political history. He quoted the poet, Aeschylus; talked about the need for love, not hate and then calmed the crowd in a way no one else could do by letting them know that he understood how they felt - especially since, as he said, “a white man killed my brother”. With each word he spoke, you could feel his anguish, his agony and his compassion. That night, nearly every major American city burned in rioting because of the anger over Dr. King’s murder. All except Indianapolis. Bobby Kennedy did what no other white man in America could do that night: he connected with an African-American crowd in a way to dissuade them from striking out because of Dr. King’s death. A surreal spiritual energy descended on us all during that intense emotional moment. For those of us watching and listening to him, Bobby Kennedy was no longer a white man talking to Black folks; he was a man who had lost a loved one to a senseless act of violence consoling a group of people who had just lost a loved one to another senseless act of violence. We were all connected through our humanity. I thought of that night during a recent visit to my Indianapolis hometown. I was visiting the
Oaks Academy, a private pre-K-8 elementary school located just 5 blocks from the park where Bobby Kennedy gave his now legendary speech. The school is one of a kind. 97% of the 600 plus kids are proficient in both reading and math. Indeed, the school’s scores are among the best in the state. 50% of the kids are on free or reduced lunch. Almost 60% of the Oaks students are recipients of scholarships from the Indiana Opportunity Scholarship Program. But here is the really remarkable thing about Oaks Academy: the other 50% of the kids come from middle class to upper middle class families. In fact, some of the wealthy parents drive from as far away as Carmel, a well-to-do suburb, to enroll their kids in the school. The Head of School Andrew Hart, works hard to keep the racial and socio-economic balance of the school in place. His waiting list consists of equal parts poor kids and kids from wealthy families. Both groups benefit from the socialization experience of being exposed to someone from a totally different world. For instance, Mr. Hart shakes his head when talking about how extremely different Christmas break is for his kids. One set of kids may go to Vail to ski over the break, while another group of kids have the primary responsibility of taking care of and watching their younger siblings. How does Oaks do it? “It helps that most of our kids enroll at our school in pre-K and remain here until they are ready for high school,” say Andrew Hart. “So all of our kids and their families feel like they are part of a community. The kids all grow up together. And all are close, irrespective of their backgrounds. They are connected through their shared experience at our school, through our values and our humanity.” Today, with America’s schools more segregated than when the1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision legally struck down the practice of ‘separate but equal,’ it is exceedingly rare to see a school with such a diverse socio economic mix of students. It is more rare to see a school community so dedicated to preserve that mix. When I left the amazing Oaks Academy, I drove by Martin Luther King Park, where I witnessed history that tragic night in 1968. As I glanced at the memorial located on the spot where Bobby Kennedy spoke, I thought about both Kennedy and King’s dream of a colorblind society and the irony of how that society is more evident at the tiny elementary school down the street than in most places in America.
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The conversation parents must have with their black children After dinner, Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, instructed Dante, his tall, 17 yearold, afro-wearing son to be very careful of the police as he goes about his daily activities. It was just after a New York City policeman choked Eric Garner to death, after 18 year-old Michael Brown was shot to death by a Ferguson, MO policeman, and after a 12 year-old boy was shot to death by a Cleveland policeman, and so on and so on. You see, in the United States, the police shoot and kill an African American almost once daily, every 28 hours according to FBI data. That is more black deaths in this age of color-blindness than during the Jim Crow lynching era. Mayor de Blasio is well aware of this fact. He is equally aware that, across this country, police routinely stop, search, and require African American males to justify where they are, and what they are doing in a way that no other ethnic group is required to do. The reality is that ‘Walking while Black,’ ‘Riding a bicycle while Black,’ ‘Driving while Black,’ or just ‘Existing while Black” is viewed by many police, not all, as a crime that has or is about to happen. Black males, disproportionately, have more adverse contact with the police than any other demographic group. It doesn’t matter if the young man is just going to the store, going to grandmother’s house or just hanging out. The police are socialized unconsciously that Black males are a threat to be treated harshly. Of course, the overwhelming majority of Black males are law abiding and hard- working but the police primarily deal with dirt-doers and form false stereotypes about Black males overall. The influence of unconscious stereotypes is one reason that police departments need regular diversity training to learn how to form partnerships and to better interact with law abiding African American citizens in contrast to criminal dirt-doers. Without an emphasis on diversity in policing, law abiding African Americans must carry the burden of the dirt-doers and live with the stress and fear that they will be stopped, searched, or otherwise harassed by the police. Given that Black males have far more contact with the police than any other group, it is critical that parents instruct their young African American male and female children on how to interact with the police so as to maximize the chances that they will exit the contact safely. That is ‘The Conversation’ that Mayor de Blasio had with his son recently; that is ‘The Conversation’ that my father, mother, uncles and aunts had with me and all the boys in my neighborhood long ago. That is ‘The Conversation’ that I now have with young men and women and that any responsible parent must have with their Black child to give them the best chance of reaching adulthood. It is a conversation that Caucasian parents do not have to have with their young. Young Caucasian males are largely exempt from police scrutiny and harassment because they resemble the police racially and are not viewed as a threat. In 2015, fifty years after Civil Rights, the need for ‘The Conversa-
tion’ is a direct result of the persistence of institutionalized racism in the form of racial profiling. Moreover, law enforcement agencies across the country under-employ persons of color and they are staffed primarily by Caucasians officers who are not well-trained to police diverse communities. Parents, have ‘The Conversation!’ The Conversation goes like this: 10 Rules of Survival if Stopped by Police 1. Be polite and respectful when stopped by the police. It is important to make the police feel that they are not in a threatening environment. 2. Stay calm and remain in control. You may be scared but it is important for you to relax. Watch your words and body language and emotions. 3. Do not under any circumstances get into an argument with the police. 4. Always remember that anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. 5. Keep your hands in plain sight and make sure the police can see your hands at all times. This means you keep your hands out of your pockets and avoid any hand motions or gestures that may be viewed as aggressive. 6. Avoid physical contact with the police. Don’t brush against the police in any manner. 7. Do not run from the police even if you are afraid. 8.Even if you believe you are innocent, do not resist arrest. 9. Do not make any statement about the incident until you are able to meet with your parents, guardian, a lawyer or public defender. 10. Remember that your goal is to get home safely. Use the above rules to help you navigate a police stop. If you feel that your rights have been violated, you and your parents have the right to file a formal complaint with your local police jurisdiction. Source: Dare to Be King by David Miller 2008 Parents, you put your child at risk of having a dangerous interaction with the police if you do not have The Conversation. You put yourself at risk of great agony and pain if you were to lose a child to police action. Having The Conversation once with your child may not be enough. Have The Conversation repeatedly until you know that your child has learned the lesson. A hard-headed or a deceptive child may ignore this lesson but do not be discouraged. You must give your child the best chance to survive a police contact. Have The Conversation! Michael D. Woodard, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Clark Atlanta University
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