your vote matters success is one of the greatest causes of failure.roy Douglas malonson
GOP Insanity
Get ready, get ready, get ready to observe the good, bad, and ugly of the GOP. America, we are about to witness unparalleled politi cal governing chaos, spiri tual confusion, and more ugliness than goodness. Hence, the current GOP leadership does not have a democratic multi-cultural governing system (agenda), only a negative Make Amer ica Great Again (MAGA) White Privilege approach to governance. Additionally, neither do Christian Right Evangeli cals, The GOP, White Na tionalists and FOX “Fake” News have an inclusive mindset and democratic governing paradigm agen da, only a MAGA agenda. Fret not America, “As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2: 9). America, there is no need to worry concerning GOP insanity against God, themselves, and others, be cause “God is not the author of confusion, but peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14: 33). Evidently, most Christian
Right Evangelicals do not desire the peace of God that surpasses all understand ing, because they tend to vote for unadulterated sin and embrace confusion, not peace and multi-cultural democracy. Too many GOP proponents say one thing and live another, schizo phrenia, and paranoia to the nth degree. They can even quote scripture (s) knowing full well that the devil can quote scripture (s), but cannot live in the reality of scripture, only lip it. Therefore, they cannot allow, “all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14: 40).
The Overflow
in 2022 and the year is still not over.
Whether it is changing the age limit for people to be able to buy a gun, or making the requirements harder, something must be done. The Uvalde shoot ing that occurred at Robb Elementary School, which is also known as the dead liest school shooting in the history of Texas, was very heartbreaking. When 19 kids and two teachers die and nothing has changed, we have a problem. No one should have died that day, and no one should have to die by a bullet.
The GOP Circus has been in Washington for quite some time, but now they are in power, reviving their Clown-Car-Act for a new center-ring-show at the Capitol. Sadly, on January 6th, 2021, they were seeking to overthrow the U.S. Gov ernment. Now, the GOP Clown Act, especially Rep resentatives Jordan, Greene, Gates, and many others are reviving, gassing-up, and tuning-up the Clown Car for prime-time perfor mances. These are the same self-centered individuals who voted to not certify the 2020 Presidential election results, and sadly now they are the front and center leaders of the not so Grand, GOP: shame, shame, shame!
How many more shoot ings have to occur before something is done regard ing gun control? How many more innocent lives have to be taken before something is done? This is becoming too normal and enough is enough. The recent shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia that left six people dead, a Colorado Springs LGTBQ nightclub, the three football players who attended the University of Virgina, who were shot and killed are just three of the many shootings that has occurred this year. Ac cording to Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 600 shootings that have taken place just
Every day I am scared for my kids when they leave me to go to school because I don’t know if it’s the last time I will see them, or if it’s the last time they will see me. I hug them tight, say a prayer, and hope all will be well. It shouldn’t have to be this way.
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An Eisenhower High School graduate, Dr. Baxter Montgomery had a very “charmed life growing up.” He attend ed Rice University for his undergrad and then went to medical school. His notion to become a doctor occurred in the ninth grade when he heard one of his class mates wanting to be a doctor and said that doctors made $90,000. Immediately intrigued, he declared that he wanted to make that salary and said he would be a doctor also. Both he and his classmate became doctors based on the declaration they made in the ninth grade. “It was trivial reasoning then, but I made that decision and I never looked back.”
Dr. Montgomery is a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist and has a private practice called Montgomery Heart & Wellness, which he founded in 1997, as Houston Car diac Association. After his medical training, he started his own medical business and has grown it since then never hav ing to work for anyone but himself. When discussing why he chose this medical specialty, he said, “The interest ing thing is that the sub specialization deals with some interesting aspects
of cardiac disease. The heart has its own set of corona arteries and its own electrical system, so we have to evaluate individuals with heart rhythm and abnormali ties, and that’s probably one of the more com plex parts of cardiology to deal with. In addi tion, practice in general cardiology allows me to evaluate patients from a full spectrum of heart illnesses such as heart failure, coronary disease, and other similar cardiac is sues.”
In order to keep your heart healthy, Dr. Mont gomery said that fresh air, sunshine, and rest are impor tant, as well as not eating unhealthy foods, and eating more foods that are healthy and natural. “We prescribe plantbased nutrition for our patients to regu larly improve their overall wellbeing. So, eating a healthy diet is going to not only have direct positive effects on the heart, but also have indirect effects on the heart by liver metabo lism and other organs that depend on excellent nutrition.”
The most fascinating part of Dr. Montgom
ery’s
ery wants to be part of making an impact on a paradigm shift toward
a health crisis with sickness and premature death being pretty much the norm. So, one desire is to contribute greatly to the movement of trying to change that more specifically related to people with chronic illnesses, especially young people,” he said.
Dr. Montgomery tries to press upon young people “in hearts and minds” the importance of doing things different… “and in our ways of thinking about optimizing health, some thing that’s remote from medical pills and proce dures.”
doctor, there are several reasons why you should see Dr. Montgomery. If someone is looking to approach health from a broader scope than routine prescription medications or supple ments and procedures, then Dr. Montgomery is the doctor for you.
“We have the ability to evaluate the traditional therapies versus our own…the bottom line is that we are all about pre vention of chronic ill ness or reversal chronic illness, and those are some good reasons that people may want to come to see us.”
come those challenges.” When discussing legacy, Dr. Montgom
natural living. “We are in a healthcare crisis and more importantly,
Dr. Mont gomery made it known that healthy eating is really the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, and the healthy optimal nutritional styles with which you don’t eat as op posed to what you do eat. “We really try to encourage people to not consume bad food at any amount and to give their bodies a chance to heal and recover,” he emphasized. If you’re looking for a
Dr. Montgomery would like to invite everyone to go to their website and check out their docuseries called “Soul of a Champion,” which is “a docuseries that gives you an inside look at the health jour neys of various retired athletes and other indi viduals through an in novative and life-chang ing new Montgomery Heart and Wellness™ health intervention.”
For more information about the docuseries, visit www.heartandsou lofachampion.com. For more information about Dr. Montgomery and his practice, go to www. montgomeryheart.com.
job is “interacting with the patients and teaming up with them and helping them come up with solu
The members of the Alpha Phi Al pha Fraternity, Inc. in Prairie View join Alphas around the world in commemorating its 116th An niversary with a special Found ers’ Day Observance Program on December 4, 2022. The speaker for the occasion is Mr. Herbert O’Neil, Superintendent of the Hempstead Independent School District . The program is open to the public and is hosted by the Epsilon Tau Lambda (Prairie View), Eta Gamma (PVAMU), Pi Omicron (TAMU) and Pi Alpha Lambda (College Station) Chap ters, all members of Area IX of the Fraternity. Several members will be recognized for their services to the fraternity over the years.
O’Neil is a seasoned education leader with more than 19 years of strategic planning, organizational transformation, and education management experience for lead ing schools and supporting school districts. He began his career as an English teacher and coach in Waller ISD. O’Neil went on to serve as campus principal at the intermediate, middle, and high school levels, as a central office administrator in human resources, leadership and instruction in several school districts in Corsi cana, Garland, Lancaster and Red Oak, the latest being an Assistant Superintendent of School Leader ship in Greenville ISD.
O’Neil earned both his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and his master’s degree in educa tional administration from Prairie View A&M University. During and after his time at Prairie View A&M, O’Neil was a resident and
active member in the Hempstead community.
A native of Hearne, O’Neil said being raised by educators inspired him to become a teacher and eventually, an educational leader. “I saw the life-changing difference a teacher could make, and I will never lose my love for being in the classroom. As superintendent, I look forward to getting to know all the educators, students and com munity members in Hempstead.“
One of the things that resonated with O’Neil is Hempstead ISD’s commitment to student suc cess. “That says it all. The sense of unity and focus on a common goal of success, particularly for our young people, is inspiring,” he said. O’Neil holds membership in Alpha phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alpha phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education.
Since its founding, the fraternity has provided leadership and service dur ing the Great Depression, World War II, Civil Rights Movements, and ad dressed social issues such as apart heid and urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues affecting people of color.
The fraternity’s mentoring, academic achievement and voter education programs and its relationships with the March of Dimes, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boy Scouts are priority-one for the fraternity. Some of its ma jor programs include the Million Dollar Contribution to the Na tional Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the United Negro Scholar
ship Fund and its lead role in the management and construction of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the Washington Mall. Dr. King was one of the most revered brothers of the fraternity. Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III, is the fra ternity’s 36th General President. The fraternity is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.
The fraternity’s membership is lodged in more than 1,200 college and 900 alumni chapters through out the United States, Korea, Eu rope and the Caribbean. Some of its prominent members are Justice Thurgood Marshall, Congressmen Emmanuel Cleaver, Al Green and Charles Rangel; former PVAMU presidents E. B. Evans, Alvin I.
Thomas and Charles Hines; May ors Lee P. Brown, David Dinkins, Andrew Young, Frank Jackson, Raymond E. Carreathers, Jiles P. Daniels, Sr., Michael Wolfe, Brian E. Rowland and Sylvester Turner, Texas Representatives Al Edwards, Boris Miles and Ronald Reynolds; Waller County Commissioners
Frank D. Jackson and Kendrick Jones, musicians Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie; Activists Paul Robe son, W. E. B. DuBois; Olympian Jesse Ow ens, to name a few.
For more visit aframnews.com
The number of black men and women accepted at top U.S. uni versities has increased last year compared to 2020 according to the annual survey of The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE). It should be noted that progress has been substantial in the past decades. In 2021, 18 highranked universities have first year classes that were more than 10% black. The uptake of African Amer icans stems primarily from the desire of higher educational institu tions to increase diversity on their campuses. Black student enroll ment at the nation’s top universities and colleges is also an important indicator that educational equal ity in the country is moving in the right direction.
The U.S. Department of Education figures indicate that the number of African Americans pursuing a college education has increased significantly in the last 50 years. According to the dissertation of Crawford of Rutgers, education is viewed as a ‘catalyst for positive change’ in view of its benefits to the individuals and communities. Duster also confirms that it opens doors from employment to eco nomic control. DuBois, in his work, ‘The Education of Black People,’ credits higher education in the production of character that would produce educated individuals to help develop the community.
However, even though African Americans are motivated to pursue higher education, there are many barriers that they have to overcome. One such barrier is the teachers’
perception of student abilities. For example, instructors have lower expectations for black students, according to findings by MSU. In troverted students may also not be appreciated versus those who are outgoing and sociable. However, an introverted personality is linked to a higher academic achieve ment compared to an extroverted personality. Introverted students may be reserved, but they are deep thinkers and therefore, introverts excel in higher education. However, a student’s decision to continue with education is de pendent, too, on social support in addition to financial ability.
Areas for Improvement
This year’s data revealed that six universities saw an increase of over 40% in black first-year enrollment, while Carnegie Mellon University nearly doubled its acceptance of Af rican American students. It should also be noted that overall enrollments were down at most schools for the 2020-2021 academic year. Due to the pandemic, many students took out a gap year.
On the other hand, Notre Dame reported that the increase of firstyear enrollments among blacks increased because of active efforts in recruitment and expansion of financial assistance. So yes, these factors can increase the participa tion of African Americans at highly ranked universities and colleges in the nation.
Positive educational experiences can also influence the decision to pursue higher education and aim to get into the top schools. It’s very important that students have positive relationships with teachers and feel secure in their environment.
Photo Credit: Felipe Gregate
By: Stacy Brown/NNPA
A comprehensive new report asserted that American authori ties have traditionally trained police officers on the cheap, noting that more than 71% of agencies devote less than 5% of their total budget to recruit training.
Issued by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the report found that nearly half of the agencies responding to the survey agreed that spending on recruit training had increased over the past five years.
However, that was before police budgets faced the dual chal lenges of cuts related to the COVID-19 pandemic and calls to “defund” the police. The 84-page ex position noted that investments in train ing could be stalled or reduced at the very time they need to in crease to bring about changes required in American policing. Researchers found
that in many jurisdic tions, “the goal seems to be moving as many recruits as possible through academy training as fast as possible and at the lowest possible cost.”
They argued that this approach had been driven partly by the desire to quickly get more officers on the street – a chal lenge that became particularly acute as officer hirings declined and retire ments and resigna tions increased
because of the CO VID-19 pandemic and as homicides and other violent crimes surged.
“Besides recruiting and hiring, there is perhaps no activity that is more crucial to the success of police departments and sheriffs’ offices than how they train recruits,” researchers wrote.
“Recruit training is where new officers acquire the basic knowledge and skills to do their jobs. It’s where they
learn the right way to do things and have an opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them, without the serious conse quences of making those mistakes in the field.”
They continued: “It is where new officers acquire the foundation of techni cal know-how that will stay with them throughout their careers. But recruit training is about more
than just technical instruction.
“Recruit training is where prospective officers are intro duced to the concept of public safety and public service. The training academy is where police agencies can articulate their philoso phy and vision and begin to in still their core val ues.
For more visit aframnews.com
Lone Star College Request for Proposal:
• RFP #839: Police Tactical Body Armor. Electronic bids due Friday 12/09/22 by 11:00AM. All bid event documents can be found in the iStar Vendor Portal. For info how to register & bid, attend our non-mandatory WebEx meeting Wednesday 11/30/22 at 3:00PM; www.WebEx.com meeting# 2620 029 5019 Password: mpCPUZYm534 For more information, please visit https://www.lonestar.edu/vendors Contact MC-vendors@lonestar.edu or Michael.Loudis@LoneStar.edu
Request for Proposals will be received by Lone Star College for:
• RFP # 841 – A/V Equip/Install UP-VPAC. Electronic bids due by 3:00PM, Friday, December 16.
• WebEx pre-proposal meeting: Thursday, December 1st, 10:00AM; call-in number 1-408-792-6300, Meeting #2620 097 6431
• Contact: pamela.johnson@lonestar. edu or (832)813-6782.
• Must Register to Bid: http:// wwwappsdstc.lonestar.edu/istar/ supplier.htm . If registered, please ensure your registration is up to date. For assistance with the on-line registration process, contact MCvendors@lonestar.edu.
Competitive Sealed Proposal Notice for Multi-Campus HVAC System Repairs and Improvements Project Number: (23-11-05)
Houston Independent School District
The Houston Independent School District will receive Competitive Sealed Proposals from contractors for work on the Multi-Campus HVAC System Repairs and Improvements project. The work includes, but is not limited to, the construction of new HVAC and associated electrical and structural components for multiple existing HISD Facilities. All required proposal information, except sub-contractor firm information and M/WBE required documents, are due no later than (Tuesday) (January 10, 2023), at 2:00 p.m. at 4400 West 18th Street, Office of Board Services #1C, Houston, TX 77092. The proposals will be opened, and the amounts read aloud.
The Request for Competitive Sealed Proposal (RFCSP), which includes plans and specifications, will be available beginning (November 18, 2022), and are on file at:
HISD Solicitation bid website: https://www.houstonisd.org/Page/179264.
There is NO charge to view or download documents. Any questions regarding documents are to be addressed to Matthew Bean, matthew.bean@houstonisd.org.
The Competitive Sealed Proposal process will be utilized as authorized in Senate Bill 1093, Legislative Session 83-2013, Ch. 2269, Subchapter D, of Texas Government Code. The Competitive Sealed Proposal process enables HISD to select contractors on the basis of price and qualifications/methodology.
Sub-contractor firm information and M/WBE forms, schedules, and statements, as required by Section AB of the RFCSP and in accordance with the Office of Business Assistance, will be received at 12:00 noon, (Wednesday), (January 11, 2023), in the Board Services Office #1C, 4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092. PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT M/WBE FORMS PROPERLY COMPLETED WILL BE CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSIVE.
A pre-proposal conference will be held at 10:00 AM CST, (Tuesday), (December 6, 2022), at HISD Construction Services Office located at 3200 Center Street, Houston, TX 77007.
There will be a (3) hour window to walk the schools directly after the pre-proposal conference ends.
DAEP Secondary School – 1510 Jensen Dr, Houston, Tx 77020: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Fonville MS – 725 E Little York Rd, Houston, Tx 77076: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Robinson ES – 12425 Woodforest Blvd, Houston, TX 77013 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
For additional information regarding this project, please contact Matthew Bean, matthew. bean@houstonisd.org
Drawings and Specifications for the RFCSP may be reviewed at the following Houston locations:
Associated General Contractors / www.agchouston.org
HISD Construction Services Office (Bond), 3200 Center, Houston, TX 77007, (713) 5569250
McGraw Hill Construction/Dodge / www.construction.com
Virtual Builders Exchange, 7035 West Tidwell, Suite #J112, Houston, TX. 77092
