Publisher's Message
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frican American men and women have made great contributions to American society throughout the 20th century. We truly have achieved greatness by either advancing civil rights or making major impacts in science, government, sports, entertainment, and business. I recall several years ago when Viacom, Inc bought Black America's premiere media company, BET Holdings, Inc., for an estimated $3 billion. Now recently, André R. Young, aka "Dr. Dre" and his business partner, Jimmy Lovine, closed a $3 billion deal to sell Beats Electronics, which makes the wildly popular Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, to Apple Inc. Reportedly, Dr. Dre, and his business partner, Lovine, received roughly $2.6 billion in cash, $400 million in Apple stock, and big time jobs with the company. This acquisition thus should allow Apple, the world's biggest seller of tunes, to compete in the lucrative Internet-based streaming business. While being America's first billionaire "hip-hop" business entity, Oprah Winfrey still remains on top of black billionaires in this country. She still is one of America's more generous philanthropists, having given in her lifetime an estimated at $400 million. She has spent about $100 million on the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. In the business of sports and entertainment, reportedly Michael Jordan has become a billionaire (Forbes Magazine) with his increase ownership of the Charlotte Hornets. This comes after one of the most decorated career in professional sports as a premier NBA player, and now a business owner. These numbers far out shadow the 61 million that MCA Records/Boston Ventures paid to acquire Dr. Dre Motown Records in 1988. MCA paid 20% of the sale price, while the other 70% was paid by Boston Ventures, at that time, an investment company based in Boston, Mass. At the time of the sale, Motown was one of the nation's largest black owned businesses. The sale included contracts for artists like Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, and others. Although Berry Gordy retained ownership of Motown's publishing division and Motown's own TV/film production companies, the business of the music went to MCA. While the business community was lauding the purchase as a "landmark event" many Berry Gordy Blacks saw very little to cheer about. For them, the BET sale meant that a white company with mega money can still buy whatever it wants, especially if it belongs to a Black man. This was a similar situation with The Beats and Dr. Dre. What it meant for Robert "Bob" Johnson, he not only became a billionaire, but also the richest black man in American at that time. The hip-hop and rap music community largely applauded the sale of The
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ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS GROUP… The mission of The Black Business News is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity news, the publications of the Black Business News Group impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news affecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include: •
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Contents
BLACK BUSINESS NEWS…JUNE 2014 GOVERNMENT… 12 14 18 21 25 66
Investing in our Infrastructure Cutting Carbon Pollution National Travel & Tourism Strategy Antigua Honors President Obama President Obama Visits TechShop
ENTERTAINMENT… 26
BNN Show Biz Buzz
BUSINESS… Free Money! Top 10 Grants
34 36 40 48 58
Overcoming Fear of Debt Managing Your Virtual Workforce Fashion Weeks in South/East Africa 3D Bioprinting to Change Our Future
EDITORIAL…
INTERNATIONAL… 84 86 94
30
Elections in Malawi
Pretending Racism Doesn't Exist
YAL Fellowships
PUBLIC INTEREST/COMMUNITY…
Resources for Going Global
66 68
COLUMNS
SPONSORS 6 - Black Business Association
SPECIAL SECTION… Shopping Gallery Cover image - Phallu Morgan
Thoughts on Fatherhood NanoDegree, a new path to Tech Careers
IN MEMORY…
3 - Publisher's Message 62 - Take A Look! 109 - Books to Consider... 112 - Calendar 114 - Resources
97
38
72 76 78 80
Maya Angelou Ruby Dee William H. "Bob" Bailey Herb Jeffries, the "Bronze Buckaroo"
COMMEMORATING BLACK MUSIC MONTH… 7 8
White House Proclamation Black Music Icons
THE WHITE HOUSE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH, 2014 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Our country is home to a proud legacy of African-American musicians whose songs transcend genre. They make us move, make us think, and make us feel the full range of emotion -- from the pain of isolation to the power of human connection. During AfricanAmerican Music Appreciation Month, we celebrate artists whose works both tell and shape our Nation's story. For centuries, African-American music has lifted the voices of those whose poetry is born from struggle. As generations of slaves toiled in the most brutal of conditions, they joined their voices in faithful chords that both captured the depths of their sorrow and wove visions of a brighter day. At a time when dance floors were divided, rhythm and blues and rock and roll helped bring us together. And as activists marched for their civil rights, they faced hatred with song. Theirs was a movement with a soundtrack -- spirituals that fed their souls and protest songs that sharpened their desire to right the great wrongs of their time. The influence of African-American artists resounds each day through symphony halls, church sanctuaries, music studios, and vast arenas. It fills us with inspiration and calls us to action. This month, as we honor the history of African-American music, let it continue to give us hope and carry us forward -- as one people and one Nation. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as African-American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and foster appreciation of music that is composed, arranged, or performed by African Americans. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth. BARACK OBAMA
Music Icons
Row 1: Josephine Baker, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald Row 2: Sarah Vaungh, Minnie Ripperton, Shirley Verrett Row 3: Marion Anderson, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith
8 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Music Icons
Row 1: Duke Ellington, Gregory Hines, John Lewis Row 2: Joe Williams, Fats Waller, Sammy Davis, Jr. Row 3: Scott Joplin, Paul Roberson, Robert Johnson
9 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Investing in Our Ports and Infrastructure by Joe Biden, Vice President
Government
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ince taking office traveled from coa to put folks to wo bridges, ports, and publ the President was in Ne about how we’re cutting projects started and com But there’s so muc encouraging to see Con Reform and Developm modernize our water ports, and create Ame be able to prepare, res droughts and storms. A important projects at pla the Port of Savannah. Consider that 75% of t worth more than $1.7 t on ships that pass to an world’s oceans. Visiting and Houston, I’ve see are leveraging federal of dollars through the R higher, wharfs longer, move in and out more q preparing for the new m before, and a Panama along the East Coast an Asia. All of this is good new and for the American wo made goods sold across do to modernize our ent The funding we have highway system is set to 112,000 active projects along with approximate systems. Together, thes To keep this work on t help our economy grow, the nation’s infrastructu would provide certainty to month or year to year that boost local econom our roads and bridges our products to market and a growing economy And our plan would be
in 2009, the President and I have ast to coast highlighting the need ork rebuilding our nation’s roads, ic transit systems. Just last week, ew York and I was in Ohio talking red tape to get more infrastructure mpleted faster. ch more to do. That’s why it’s gress pass the Water Resources ment Act of 2014, which will help infrastructure, expand American rican jobs. Towns and cities will spond, and recover from severe And the bill authorizes work on aces like the Boston Harbor and
Vice President Joe Biden talks with Joe Calabrese, CEO and General Manager of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, at their maintenance facility, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
the tonnage of America’s trade — rillion in 2011 alone — is carried nd from U.S. ports and across the g ports in Baltimore, Charleston, n how mayors and local leaders investments — including billions Recovery Act — to make bridges and berths wider so ships can quickly and efficiently. These U.S. ports are mega-ships that carry more cargo than ever a Canal expansion that will connect cities nd the Gulf of Mexico with markets across
ws for American business and commerce — orkers who will benefit from more Americans the world. But there’s more Congress can tire transportation system. e in place to fix and maintain the federal o run out by the fall. At stake are more than to fix our roads and upgrade our bridges, ely 5,600 projects to improve public transit se projects support about 700,000 jobs. track, and to make additional investments to the President and I have offered a vision for ure system. Our four-year, $302 billion plan y so states don’t have to worry from month r whether they can begin long-term projects mies. It would increase investments to keep safe, reduce traffic congestion, and speed to meet the needs of a growing population y — and support millions of American jobs. paid for through business tax reforms that
spur investment and create jobs by closing tax loopholes that reward companies for moving jobs overseas. The larger goal here is to continue the progress we’ve made in rebuilding our economy after the worst recession since the Great Depression. We’ve gone from losing over 800,000 jobs a month when the President and I were sworn in to creating 9.2 million private-sector jobs over 50 straight months. Those gains include 647,000 new manufacturing jobs — the most in decades. And we’re as determined as ever to create millions more goodpaying jobs by investing and modernizing America’s infrastructure. Earlier this week, Congress voted overwhelmingly from both sides of the aisle to pass the water bill. We hope the House and Senate act in a similar spirit of cooperation when they take up the surface transportation legislation this summer. From the Erie Canal to the Transcontinental Railroad to the interstate highway system, infrastructure investments have always been bipartisan. Put another way, we can’t afford not to invest in our great nation. Build and maintain a world-class transportation system, and millions of goodpaying jobs will follow. Companies will grow and prosper as world-class enterprises — and they’ll do it from right here in the United States. And our standard of living will remain the envy of the world. Rest assured, the President and I remain committed to doing everything in our power to put more Americans back to work and on the road to the middle class, by rebuilding America for the 21st century.
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/05/23/investing-our-ports-and-infrastructure www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/051214_economic_importance_of_investing_in_our_infrastructure.pdf www.whitehouse.gov/share/rebuild-america 13 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Myths and Facts: Cutting Carbon Pollution by Dan Utech
misinformation and launch false attacks. Throughout our history, when America has taken steps to cut pollution and protect public health, opponents have made dire predictions about destroying jobs and harming the economy – and
President Barack Obama, with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, center, talks with EPA staff members who worked on the powerplant emissions standards, in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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s part of the President’s plan to cut carbon pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the firstever national limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single-largest source of carbon pollution in the United States. The steady, responsible steps EPA is taking today will help prevent up to 6,500 premature deaths and
spare American children as many as 150,000 asthma attacks a year. It will also eliminate waste, save Americans money on their electric bills, and spark innovation and job creation. But just because this commonsense proposal will have huge benefits for hard-working Americans across the country, that doesn’t mean some people won’t spread
throughout our history they’ve been wrong. This time will be no different. So let’s look at some of the myths they will try to spread and the facts that dispel them.
Myth: Carbon pollution standards will destroy jobs and hurt the economy. Fact: Americans know we can cut pollution and protect the health of our kids while creating jobs.
14 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Over the years, this has been the polluters’ favorite myth. When we passed the Clean Air Act to combat smog, they said new pollution standards would decimate the auto industry. In 1990, when we took steps to stop acid rain, they claimed the lights would go out and businesses around the country would suffer. The facts tell a different story. EPA has been protecting air quality for more than 40 years, and in that time we've cut pollution by 70 percent while the economy has more than tripled. So Americans know we don't have to choose between cutting carbon pollution to protect the health of our kids and creating jobs. In fact – they go hand in hand. Cutting carbon pollution from power plants will spark innovation and drive investment in clean energy technologies and energy efficiency that will create jobs and save families money. It will also result in significant health benefits, which will yield medical savings. EPA’s detailed economic analysis shows that this proposal will create tens of thousands of jobs all over the country.
Myth: Carbon pollution standards will cause Americans’ utility bills to spike. Fact: Cutting carbon pollution will help eliminate waste and save
families money on their electric bills. Another old industry favorite. Some of America’s biggest polluters have already started spreading the myth that EPA’s common-sense proposal will cause Americans’ electric bills to “nearly double.” But an independent fact check found their claim is based on “bogus, hyped” information and “does not pass the laugh test.” In reality, EPA’s plan will cut carbon pollution so we can protect the health of our kids without impacting the energy bills of ordinary Americans. In fact, these standards will actually shrink electricity bills roughly 8% by increasing energy efficiency and reducing demand in the electricity system.
Myth: This administration is waging a war on coal. Fact: For years, the President’s political opponents have been blaming him for market trends that started well before the President took office. Independent energy market analysts have been frequently cited noting that the shift away from coal is mostly about competition from cheaper natural gas and that the decline in coal jobs started well before President Obama took office. As the National Journal reported last year, “In fact, coal mining jobs in Appalachia fared far worse under the Reagan, Clinton, and George H.W. Bush administrations than they have under Obama.” But even with those market trends and these common-sense steps to cut pollution, there’s no question that coal will play a significant role in our energy mix for the foreseeable future. That’s exactly what EPA’s analysis of this rule shows, and it’s why the Obama administration
has made significant investments in clean coal technology.
Myth: This rule threatens the reliability of Americans’ electricity. Fact: This flexible proposal allows states to implement the standards without impacting reliability. EPA’s proposal lays out responsible, steady steps to cut carbon pollution and protect public health while giving states the flexibility they need to ensure Americans have reliable, affordable power. EPA’s extensive analysis shows that the standards can be implemented without impacting reliability. But it’s not just EPA who has said that the dire predictions about reliability are badly overblown. Here are some key findings from a recent independent study by a respected energy expert: • “To date, implementation of new environmental rules has not produced reliability problems...” • Utilities and energy companies have “taken a wide variety of steps to ensure reliability.” • “Regarding the upcoming EPA regulations of GHG emissions from existing power plants, reliability concerns are misplaced.” This isn’t the first time that special interests have claimed that common-sense regulations will turn out the lights – or the first time they’ve been wrong.
Myth: Climate change isn’t real. Fact: Climate change is real, it’s happening now, and it’s affecting every region of the country. Last month, a team of more than 300 climate scientists produced see Cutting Carbon Polution on page 16
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/02/myths-and-facts-cutting-carbon-pollution www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/02/numbers-epas-proposed-new-carbon-pollution-standards-power-plants 15 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government Cutting Carbon Pollution from page 15
the most comprehensive scientific assessment ever generated of climate change and its impacts across every region of America and major sectors of the U.S. economy. They warned that “Climate change is already affecting the American people in far-reaching ways,” and that it is “disrupting people’s lives and damaging some sectors of our economy.”
We have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet that’s not polluted or damaged. We already set limits for arsenic, mercury, and lead, but we let power plants release as much carbon pollution as they want. Denying climate change might be good for the bottom line of big oil companies and polluters who fund bogus studies, but the rest of us are already dealing with the effects of carbon pollution that causes climate change. In the past three decades, the percentage of Americans with
asthma has more than doubled, and the consequences of climate change – smog, ozone, etc. – are putting more and more Americans at greater risk of landing in the hospital. And extreme weather events – from more severe droughts and wildfires in the west to more powerful hurricanes and record heat waves – are hitting communities across the country. Climate and weather disasters in 2012 cost the American economy more than $100 billion. Now is the time to act.
By the Numbers: The EPA's Proposed New Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants •Nearly 40 is the number of percentage points of total carbon pollution that comes from power plants. The President’s Climate Action Plan has focused on modernizing our buildings, factories, cars, and trucks – but altogether, they make up a little over half of all the carbon pollution. It makes sense, then, that our next logical step would be to modernize the power sector, putting in place the first-ever carbon pollution standards for power plants. •More than 300 is the number of groups EPA engaged with across the country – including 11 public listening sessions that hosted more than 3,000 people – in order to develop its proposal. After the proposed rule is published, there will be a 120-day public comment period to make sure the final standards reflect all the best ideas and input from everyone. •50 is the number of ways the EPA proposal can be implemented; this proposal puts tools in the hands of each state and its governor. And let’s remember that 47 states have utilities that run demand-side energy efficiency programs, 38 have renewable portfolio standards or goals, and 10 have market-based greenhouse gas emissions programs. •48 to 84 billion is the number of dollars of net benefits that the proposal will generate in 2030. A big share of those net benefits come from lives saved and quality of life improved, asthma attacks avoided and fewer days of missed school or work. Specific 2030 benefits include up to: • 150,000 fewer asthma attacks • 3,700 less cases of bronchitis in children • 180,000 fewer days of school missed
• • • •
310,000 fewer lost work days 6,600 less premature deaths 3,300 fewer heart attacks 1,700 avoided hospital emergency room visits
•Tens of thousands are the number of jobs that EPA and others estimate will be created by the proposed standards. •8 is the number of percentage points by which families and businesses will be able to cut their electricity bill under the EPA proposal in 2030. •More than 80 is the number of countries – representing over 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions – who pledged in 2009 to take climate actions through 2020 under the Copenhagen Accord. The President’s Climate Action Plan ensures that America will be a leader in the global fight against climate change. •44 is the number of years that EPA’s legal authority to reduce air pollution has been around. The Clean Air Act, enacted by Congress in 1970, established mechanisms for controlling emissions of air pollutants from stationary sources – including power plants. In the year 2010 alone, updates to the Act are estimated to have prevented more than 160,000 premature deaths, 130,000 heart attacks, 86,000 hospital admissions, 13 million lost workdays, and 3.2 million lost school days due to respiratory illness and other diseases caused or exacerbated by air pollution. Finally, zero – that’s the number of times special interests have been right about having to choose between the health of our people and the health of our economy.
16 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
https://wellsfargoworks.com
President Barack Obama looks at a jersey worn by Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break into the Major Leagues, during a tour of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson is at right and Hall of Famer Andre Dawson is at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The President Talks Tourism at the Baseball Hall of Fame
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ecently, President Obama became the first sitting President in U.S. history to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. After taking some time to enjoy the baseball history and memorabilia at the Hall -- which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this summer -- he talked about the impact that
travel and tourism has on our country. "Today, I’m here in Cooperstown to talk about some new steps that will lead to more tourism not just within America but getting more folks to come and visit the treasures, the national treasures that we have all across this country, including the Baseball Hall of Fame right here in
Cooperstown -- because tourism translates into jobs and it translates into economic growth. "When visitors come here, they don't just check out the Hall," the President explained. "They rent cars; they stay in hotels; they eat at restaurants. And that means for upstate New York, the Baseball Hall of Fame is a powerful economic
18 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government engine." And the Hall of Fame is only one example. Last year alone, U.S. travel and tourism were responsible for $1.5 trillion in economic activity, which supported nearly 8 million jobs in communities all across America. "When it comes to tourism, the good news is we've got a great product to sell," the President said. He recounted his walk yesterday from the White House to the Department of the Interior building, and talked about the tourists he met from Germany, Israel, Brazil, China, and Ukraine on the National Mall. "The fact that people come from all over the world to see our parks, to see our monuments, is something we should take great pride in as Americans," he said.
"And it's good for our economy." How good? Since 2010, America's travel and tourism industry has added nearly 580,000 jobs. But despite this success, President Obama isn't growing complacent. That's why he announced new executive actions to encourage even more international travelers to visit the U.S., and to make it easier for them to do so. "I want to turn the 70 million tourists that came last year into 100 million each year by the beginning of the next decade," the President said. Although he admitted that "creating good jobs isn't always easy," he reiterated his faith that we can rise to the challenge: Just as our parents and our grandparents faced challenges a lot tougher than the ones we face, and just as they went ahead and built an economy where hard work
was rewarded and responsibility was rewarded, and opportunity was open to all people, we can do the same. They passed those values on down through the generations. They passed them down to us. And when you come to the Baseball Hall of Fame, part of what you’re learning is that there is some eternal, timeless values of grit and determination and hard work and community, and not giving up, and working hard. Those are American values -- just like baseball. And there’s no reason we can’t do the same. That’s what I’m going to be working on as long as I’m President of the United States. I’m going to be fighting to make sure that those values live out in better jobs, higher wages, stronger economy, stronger communities. And I hope you’ll join me. Thank you.
President’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy
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rom our cities to national parks, every year millions of people travel across America. Those visits support nearly 8 million American jobs— jobs that can’t be outsourced at thousands of local and small businesses. As a part of his Year of Action, the President is using the power of his pen and phone wherever he can on behalf of the American people to create jobs and help hardworking Americans get ahead. This week, the President has highlighted the importance of investing in America and today he is taking action to welcome more international visitors to our country – because making it easier for more foreign visitors to travel to and spend money at America’s attractions and national parks helps local businesses and
grows the economy for everyone. That is why the President launched a National Travel and Tourism Strategy in 2012 and set an ambitious goal of attracting and welcoming 100 million international visitors annually by the end of 2021. Two years later, we are on track to meet this goal, in part due to the actions taken by the President’s Administration to expand our ability to attract and welcome visitors, while maintaining the highest security standards. Recently, the Administration released a new report Increasing Tourism to Spur Economic Growth: Progress on the President’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy that highlights the many economic benefits to the United States from increased travel and tourism, and
the progress that the Administration has made in implementing the President’s strategy. • Tourism is America’s most important, and largest, services export: growth in international visitors has created roughly 175,000 American jobs over the past five years, and meeting President Obama’s goal of 100 million visitors in 2021 will support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs. • The number of international visitors to the United States has grown from 55 million in 2009 to 70 million in 2013, and each overseas visitor spends on average $4,500 per visit, at American hotels, shops, restaurants, and other domestic see Tourism on page 20
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Government Tourism from page 19 businesses. • Steps taken by the Administration have supported this impressive growth: The State Department issued 9.2 million visas in 2013, up 42% since 2010. Waiting periods for visas in important markets like Brazil and China have dropped from as high as several months to less than five days on average. The Department of Homeland Security has significantly
expanded Trusted Traveler and expedited clearance programs that improve the experience of travelers entering the United States. • Through close partnership with airports and industry, we have
seen dramatic improvements to the entry process and reduction in wait times for passport control and customs processing at airports. At Dallas Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare, a combination of measures such as Automated Passport Control kiosks and Global Entry services reduced average entry process wait times by nearly 40% over 12 months, and cut in half the number of visitors waiting longer than 30 minutes.
New Steps to Improve the Entry Process and Welcome More International Travelers to the United States • Signing a Presidential Memorandum to Expedite the Entry Process for Travelers, Starting With the 15 Largest Airports: Over the next 120 days, Secretary Pritzker and Secretary Johnson will lead an interagency team, in close partnership with industry, to develop a national goal to improve the entry process and reduce wait times for international travelers to the United States, and action plans at the 15 largest airports for international arrivals, consistent with progress achieved at Dallas Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare airports where, through a combination of streamlining processes and upgrading technologies, wait times were reduced significantly. • Taking Additional Steps to Improve and Streamline the Entry Process: The Department of Homeland Security is expanding the use of technology to streamline the entry process, such as Automated Passport Control kiosks. • Launching New Efforts to Encourage Travelers to Visit the United States: The Departments of Commerce, State, Agriculture, Homeland Security, Transportation and the Interior will take additional steps to encourage travelers to visit the United States, including launching coordinated strategies with BrandUSA in ten international markets, creating a “one-stop” that supports international bids for major global events and launching a new “virtual visitor services” platform to increase tourism on public lands and waters.
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/04/01/president-obama-7-million-americans www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/22/fact-sheet-report-president-obama-visits-cooperstown-highlight-travel-an www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/travel_and_tourism_progress_report.pdf
www.thebrandusa.com
20 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
In Retrospect: Antigua’s
Highest Peak Renamed Mount Obama (2009)
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ntigua’s highest peak is now officially being called Mount Obama in honour of the first Black American President – a move led by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. At a ceremony attended by citizens, US officials and even American actresses, the name was changed from Boggy Peak to coincide with President Barack Obama’s 48th birthday yesterday. The site is expected to have an eco-park in the long-term. There had been some criticism of the decision to rename the 1,300foot mountain, but Spencer told those attending the event that he felt it was appropriate considering Obama’s accomplishment in the November 4th 2008 presidential elections, The Prime Minister said the American president is a source of pride for not only Antigua and Barbuda, but the Caribbean as well. “This great political achievement by Barack Obama resonated with me in a way that I felt compelled
to do something symbolic and inspiring… As an emancipated people linked through our common ancestral heritage and history of dehumanising enslavement, we need to at all times celebrate our heroes and leaders who triumph,” he said. Charge d’Affairs at the US Embassy in Barbados, Brent Hardt, expressed appreciation on behalf of President Obama who could not attend the ceremony. “An American president receives many gifts, awards and honours in the course of his or her presidency, but I can say with no exaggeration that it is not every day that a president has a mountain named after him,” he said. Also attending the ceremony were New York Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, actress Angela
Bassett and Marianne JeanBaptiste, tourism ambassador and star of the CBS crime series, ‘Without a Trace’.
Mount Obama National Park The Mount Obama Committee expects that it will be possible to plan and execute the official opening ceremony for the Mount Obama National Park in October 2010. Mission: The park will maintain the ecosystem and biological services of the area and promote the site’s agricultural and historical significance.
www.caribbean360.com/news/antiguas-highest-peak-renamed-mount-obama http://antiguamountobama.com 21 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
The President Talks Manufacturing and Innovation By David Hudson
President Barack Obama is shown a 3-D printer by Andy Leer, right, during a tour of TechShop Pittsburgh, a community-based workshop and prototyping studio in Pittsburgh, Pa. Watching at left is General Manger Matt Verlinich. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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ecently, President Obama stopped by TechShop Pittsburgh to talk about manufacturing and innovation, and answer some questions from those in attendance. TechShop, which has multiple locations across the country, describes itself as "part fabrication and prototyping studio, part hackerspace and part learning
center." The company provides its members access to professional tools, equipment, and software, and gives them a space to make and design almost anything — all "for the price of a gym membership," as the President said yesterday. In his remarks, the President explained how technological advances are changing the face of manufacturing, giving more people
the opportunity to be inventors and producers: Part of what’s exciting is that, traditionally, manufacturing was viewed -- and we’re in a steel town here in Pittsburgh -- that manufacturing meant big factories, all kinds of smoke and fire, and a lot of heavy capital. But because of advances in technology, part of the opportunity is now to make the tools
24 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
that are needed for production and prototypes are now democratized. They’re in the hands of anybody who’s got a good idea. And what we’ve been trying to do is to encourage more and more entrepreneurs, inventors to not just take root here but also have access to the kinds of equipment and technology -- whether it’s 3D printers or laser cutters -- that allow them to design their own ideas, create prototypes, put them out to market, test them, tinker with them, refine them, and ultimately create brand new businesses. The President also remarked on the progress that the U.S. has made in manufacturing over the past several years, noting that we've created 646,000 manufacturing jobs since February 2010 — the fastest pace of job growth since the 1990s. "We actually have companies now saying that America is the number-one place to do business again," he said, "something that we haven't seen in over 12 years." President Obama concluded his remarks explaining that much of
his agenda for economic development over the next two years revolves around spurring "more manufacturing, more homegrown ideas, more research and development." Already, we’ve been able to get 80 cities to commit to working in a public-private partnership to generate more manufacturing efforts in their
respective cities. We’ve create four high-tech advanced manufacturing hubs, and we have budgeted to create a whole lot more around the country. And some of it has to do with advanced materials, some of it has to do with 3D printing. The idea is, we start building an ecosystem, a network of companies, universities, researchers, entrepreneurs, all of whom start really focusing and becoming experts on a particular facet of industries of the future. That’s how we’re going to build more and more niches that allow us to dominate the market and sell more products made in America, not just here in the United States but overseas. "As long as I’m President, at least, one of my top priorities is going to be to continue to build up manufacturing," he said. "I want to make sure that if you work hard in this country, if you’ve got a good idea, if you’re willing to put in some sweat equity, that you can make it here in America and live out your American Dream."
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/18/president-speaks-manufacturing-and-innovation-techshop-pittsburgh www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/17/remarks-president-qa-techshop-workers
Quote of Note... “We’ve made major investments to help grow tribal economies -- investments in job training and tribal colleges; roads and high-speed Internet; energy, including renewable energy. And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Native Americans -like all Americans -- finally have access to quality, affordable health care. .” President Barack H. Obama Remarks by the President at the Cannon Ball Flag Day Celebration
25 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
BBN Show Biz Buzz By Linda Ware KeKe Palmer Oprah Winfrey will produce a new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic entitled, "Selma". R&B singer, Ledisi, will star in the role of Mahalia Jackson. Ava DuVernay will serve as Director.
hosted by Chris Whitn Rock with Houst Lionel Richie set to receive top honors for his contributions to music.
Ledisi
Mahalia Jackson
Ava DuVernay
Lionel Ritchie
Lupita Nyong'o is set to star with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Lupita Nyong'o Carrie Fisher in the new version of the popular box office hit, "Star Wars." The BET Awards 2014 are coming to Los Angeles set to broadcast live on air on June 29th. The popular television award series will be
Angels Bassett Chris Rock
KeKe Palmer’s new talk show, Just KeKe, will launch June 30th on BET network. Angela Bassett is set to direct a new biopic on the life of Whitney Houston in a made for TV movie. America's Top Model runner up, YaYa DeCosta, is cast in the role of Whitney
ney ton
Houston. Tyra Banks has a TV daytime show in the works where she will focus on beauty, lifestyle and interviews with today’s top stars. The show is in development with ABC television. Gabrielle Union costars with Regina Hall, Meagan Good, and Taraji P. Henson in the new summer film release "Think Like Man Too." The film opened June 20th in theaters nationwide.
Ice Cube is starring in the NWA biopic film, "Straight Outta Compton" and in the new film, "22 Jump Street."
Tyra Banks
Wesley Snipes is co-starring with Jet Li, Antonio Banderas, and Mel Gibson in Oprah "Expendables III" set to open August 1st in theatres nationwide.
Ice Cube
YaYa DeCosta
REGISTER NOW!
https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=yi9tkndab&oeidk=a07e9f4j91wfdc585db
Editorial
Editorial:
Right Wing Media Pretends Racism Doesn’t Exist By George E. Curry, NNPA Columnist
passage of the Fair Housing Act, the housing market is still hostile to black buyers and renters, even in neighbor-hoods that have taken steps to improve residential housing segrega-tion.” But you would
A
new posting by MediaMatters.org, the media watchdog group, sums up the conservative strategy under the headline, “Don’t Litigate It, Don’t Ever Talk About It: RightWing Media’s Solution to Racial Discrimination.”
Media Matters observed, “In Coates’ essay, which ultimately calls for a congressional study on the long-term effects of the treatment of African-Americans in the United States, he explores the country’s history of racism and oppression, from slavery to the Jim Crow laws to the present. Although right-wing media have been known to errone-ously claim that racism is no longer a problem, the systemic effect of state and federal laws that favored whites and oppressed people of color is still felt today.” George E. Curry For example, “… agencies like the Fair The report recounts the media Housing Administration storm touched off by “The Case often refused to mortgages in for Reparations: An Intellectual insure Autopsy,” Ta-Nehisi Coates’ neighborhoods that they unsuitable, excellent cover story in the Atlantic deemed magazine. Media Matters said, “… perpetuating systematic segregation The Atlantic has given right-wing housing media a fresh opportunity to argue that in turn fueled other that the best way to address racially disparate racial impacts TA-Nehisi Coates discriminatory laws or policies – that continue today, such such as housing segregation – is as separate and unequal schools. not know any of this if you to never speak of them, let alone Despite the fact that redlining only consumed conservative litigate them under civil rights law.” was out-lawed in 1968 with the propaganda. www.blackpressusa.com/2014/06/right-wing-media-pretends-racism-doesnt-exist/#sthash.mVBAdWR5.dpuf www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/the-case-for-reparations-an-intellectual-autopsy/371125 30 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
According to Media Matters, “Naomi Schaefer Riley, who once called for the elimination of black studies from college campuses, wrote in a recent New York Post column that we’ve talked enough about race. According to Schaefer Riley, Americans are ‘done with a national dialogue on race’ and Coates’ essay ‘offers nothing new.’ She also complained that Coates’ advocacy for HR 40 [John Conyers
bill to study reparations] was evidence that ‘our country’s media elites are still stuck on a liberal baby boomer racial narrative,’ and concluded that the way forward now is not discussion, but
‘colorblindness.’” And she was not alone. “Right-wing outlets like The Wall Street Journal, NRO, and radio host Rush Limbaugh have come out against governmental efforts to remedy past harms using litigation to enforce fair housing laws and promote residential integration programs. When the Department of Justice went after banks who had racially discriminated against people of color, the WSJ called the lawsuit an attempt to ‘shake down banks for not lending enough to minorities,’ and complained the agency was attempting to impose an unconstitutional ‘quota’ system on lenders. The WSJ also claimed that the lawsuit, and other initiatives on the part of the DOJ, had done nothing more than “’saddle a lot of minorities with foreclosed homes, huge debt burdens, and bad credit scores.’” And Rush Limbaugh rushed to add his two cents. “For his part, Limbaugh has argued that the Housing and Ur-ban Development Department’s mandate to ‘affirmatively further’ fair housing was nothing more than ‘social engineering’ and a plot on the part of the government to ‘force’ people to move to integrated neighborhoods.” The conservative-dominated Supreme Court also plays a key role. “Even worse, the Supreme Court has contributed to modern racial divisions by rolling back affirmative action policies, gutting key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and making it nearly impossible for public schools to implement proactive integration initiatives that would help diversify heavily segregated schools. Such decisions have
allowed states to impose restrictive voter identification laws, have whitewashed college campuses, and nearly driven a stake through the heart of Brown v. Board of Education, the case that outlawed state-mandated segregation in public schools. Unsurprisingly, right-wing media also determined that the recent 60th anniversary of Brown, one of the most significant civil rights victories in history, was no time to discuss racial inequalities.” The article continued, “If Chief Justice John Roberts had his way, we’d all follow right-wing media’s lead and stop talking about race. As Roberts famously stated, ‘the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.’ In her dissent opposing the majority’s decision to uphold Michigan’s ban on affirmative action, however, Justice Sonia Sotomayor countered, ‘the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination.’” George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.)
31 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Free Money? The Top 10 Grants Available to Black, Minority Business Owners By Carolyn M. Brown
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very year billions of dollars are awarded in the form of free money and other types of funding. Most people know this money exists, but just don’t know where to apply, how much they qualify for, or even where to get an application. Contrary to popular belief, free money is available to entrepreneurs. Real business grants do exist. In fact, hundreds of black and minority-owned businesses each year receive such grant funding from various government agencies and nonprofit organizations, reports BlackNews.com. Such funds do not have to be repaid, but must be used to either start a new business or enhance an existing one. Others can be used for innovation research. Here are the top 10 small and minority business grant programs available: 1. The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is a nationwide competition that will award $50,000
in total to six deserving U.S-based entrepreneurs and business owners. Go to www.businessgrants. org/opportunities/fedex_small_ business_grant_contest.html 2. The National Association for the Self Employed (NASE) Growth Grants Program allows business owners to apply for financing a particular small business need. Past recipients used funds to purchase computers, hire part-time help, and create marketing materials. Visit www.businessgrants.org/ opportunities/national_association_ self_employed_nase_business_ grants.html
3. The Dare to Dream Grant Program encourages students to move through the business creation process by offering business development seminars and up to $10,000 in funding. Learn more at www. businessgrants. o r g / opportunities/dare_to_dream_ grant_program.html 4. The Miller Lite Tap the Future Business Plan Competition
(formerly known as the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneur Series) is an annual competition for minority business owners sponsored by Miller Lite. Designed to economically empower minority businesses, the program continues to invest in entrepreneurial dreams to empower urban communities. Learn more at www.MLTaptheFuture.com 5. The Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several competitive business grant programs, ensuring that the nation’s small, high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government’s research and development efforts. Check out www.businessgrants.org/ opportunities/sbir_small_business_ research_innovation_grants.html 6. The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) organizes various angel investors
with the primary objective of supporting minority businesses with mezzanine and second round financing. Learn more at
34 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business www.businessgrants. org/opportunities/ minority_business_ development_agency_ mbda_business_ grants.html 7. The Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) Program provides grants to finance the development of small and emerging businesses in rural areas. The funds can be used for land acquisition, c o n s t r u c t i o n , renovation, technical assistance, project planning, and more. Visit www.businessgrants. org/opportunities/rural_ business_enterprise_ grants_rbeg_program. html 8. The Huggies MomInspired
Grant Program awards grants and business resources to moms to further the development of original product ideas and startup businesses. Learn more at www. huggies_mom_inspired_grant_ program.html
9. The DOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program is intended to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts in the Department’s highway, transit, airport, and highway safety financial assistance programs. Learn more at www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/ dot_disadvantaged_business_enterprise_ program.html 10. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides grant funding to small businesses to engage in biomedical or behavioral research/development that leads to a potential for commercialization. Go to www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/sbir_ small_business_research_innovation_grants.html For more business grant programs visit the links show below.
ARTICLE LINKS: www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/fedex_small_business_grant_contest.html www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/national_association_self_employed_nase_business_grants.html www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/dare_to_dream_grant_program.html www.MLTaptheFuture.com www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/sbir_small_business_research_innovation_grants.html www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/minority_business_development_agency_mbda_business_grants.html www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/rural_business_enterprise_grants_rbeg_program.html www.huggies_mom_inspired_grant_program.html www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/dot_disadvantaged_business_enterprise_program.html www.businessgrants.org/opportunities/sbir_small_business_research_innovation_grants.html www.BusinessGrants.org 35 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business your business struggling to get off the ground; too much too fast can lead to default. Working with debt is like building up your muscles. If you’ve never had to leverage $20,000, don’t try to begin in the $100,000 range. Start with small steps that will help you build up your debt leveraging muscles. Figure out whether you require short-term debt or long-term debt, and start with only what you need. Short-term debt is generally paid off in less than one year, while long-term debt will be around for a while and includes things like loan
Funding For Success Series: Overcoming Fear Of Debt By Lisa Tynan
This is the latest in a series of blogs by Integrity Business Funding to help explain why funding is critical to success, how to get it whenever you need it, and how to use it once you have it.
Debt There are indeed many experts out there telling everyone that debt is to be avoided at all costs, and when it comes to PERSONAL debt, they’re correct. The mismanagement of personal debt has ruined many lives. Generally, this type of debt is used to buy something you want (but may not need) which won’t necessarily improve your life in the long run. Personal debt doesn’t allow you to leverage your money into something more. As mentioned in one of our previous blogs, personal debt is bad debt.
The Possibilities of Business Debt
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very so often, we hear about a business that failed because the owner didn’t have enough of their own funds to use on the business and they didn’t want to go into debt to get more cash. How sad–a dream that was never fulfilled because of the fear of debt. You can overcome this fear and find success by understanding how business debt differs from personal debt and how to properly leverage your business funding.
The Difficulties of Personal
At the other end of the spectrum is business debt which gives you money for the things you need to grow your company. As your business makes money, you repay the debt and invest the rest back into the business. Business debt is a catalyst for growth. Success and wealth isn’t found in working an hour at a time. It comes from properly leveraging money, time or both. Business debt is a way to leverage money to your best advantage and generate wealth. Used appropriately, business debt is good debt.
Balance Is The Key There is a fine line to walk when you start using business debt. Using too little or none will keep
payments, credit card payments, and mortgage payments. Successful entrepreneurs have adopted a healthy attitude toward debt and understand how it propels continued business growth. Though it sounds counter-intuitive, debt is actually necessary in today’s lending market to obtain larger amounts of capital. Just be sure it’s good debt.
www.integritybusinessfunding.com/blog/funding-for-success-series-overcoming-fear-of-debt 36 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
4 Ways to Earn Money Outside the Workplace: Start a Very Small Business Would you like to earn some extra money outside of work? Of course you would! Do you have any hobbies that others would pay for? Here are four ways to earn you some extra income. $1. Invest in vending machines: Do you work in an office/building where there aren’t any vending machines? If so, there is definitely money to be made! That’s just a start; you can buy several more and put them in other business where it may be profitable. You can earn a minimum of $200 a day with the right snacks. $2. Become a virtual assistant:
With the Internet becoming m o r e profitable for companies, t h e y ’ r e s e e k i n g anyone with a computer who can assist with data entry, w r i t i n g , secretarial work, and etcetera. Depending on your employer, virtual assistants can earn an average of $41,659 per year. $3. Fundraising Consulting: There are many non-profits that are always looking for more new and exciting ways to help raise money for their organizations. If consulting is your cup of tea, broaden your horizon and increase your income by becoming a fundraising consultant. Depending on what organization(s) you
work with and how often you work with them, you can earn $50,000 to $100,000 per year. $4. Become a travel agent: If you’re always the person planning friend and family vacations and you enjoy it, becoming a travel agent will be second nature for you. A travel agent can make $20,000 to $50,000 annually, depending on how much business they get. Any of these side hustles can potentially become your primary income depending on how passionate you are about them and how much time you put into them. Brainstorm, explore, have fun, earn money!
www.whoswhopublishing.com/index.php/newsroom/top-news/941-4-ways-to-earn-money-outside-the-workplace 37 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
TO RECEIVE COMPUTER Attend 3 Hour Boot Camp Monday – Friday 10am – 1pm 4pm – 7pm Saturday 11am – 2pm Locations: Vary – Call For Schedule Questions: Call (323)754-3116 or Email: info@laoic.org
Business
How to Manage Your Virtual Workforce By Chiko Noguchi for MarketingProfs
luxury of being able to walk down the hall to clarify specific issues with management, so they need not only accurate details up front but also the freedom to tap into informational resources whenever, from wherever.
Use Good Tracking Tools More companies have decided to go virtual, an arrangement by employers to allow employees to work from home. Whether for part-time or full-time work, that flexible arrangement creates an interesting dynamic that changes just about everything: how all staff members, virtual and non-virtual, communicate with each; how they exchange information; how they network and collaborate. In the ideal scenario, those changes are all for the better; but, as you can imagine, things don't always flow smoothly. Deploying a team of remote employees can help companies increase productivity, boost morale, and achieve substantial cost savings. However, managing those workers can be extremely challenging. Here are some tips for effectively monitoring your virtual workforce and ensuring that it's consistently productive.
Appoint the Right Management Personnel If a virtual workforce is going to be successful, the management personnel you assign to oversee it are just as important as the individual employees who compose the troop. Someone who has thrived in the traditional management role for years could easily become frustrated because of the lack of face-to-face encounters and other issues the remote working arrangement introduces. A manager is generally responsible
for watching over staff both in and out of the office; accordingly, assigning a manager who is capable of monitoring them and keeping them motivated is critical to a successful virtual workforce.
Make Expectations Crystal Clear Having clearly defined objectives is imperative for all employees, but the importance of clarity increases tenfold when remote workers are involved. In the traditional office environment, staff has convenient access to all the information they need to perform their jobs efficiently. Their virtual counterparts should be afforded the same access. Remote workers don't have the
Accountability is one of the biggest challenges an employer will face when deploying a virtual workforce. When employees are on the clock, you want to be certain that they are actually being productive and not goofing off with Facebook or other nonwork activities. Companies have to trust that their workers will hold themselves responsible, but project management software and other apps prove useful with features that document their progress. Coupled with clearly defined expectations, these tools can help management track and measure virtual-team performance with the utmost efficiency.
Make Consistent
40 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Communication a Priority The most productive virtual employees are self-disciplined, motivated people who can work independently. That said, they still need good communication from people back at the office if they are to perform their roles efficiently. Dialogue with management as well as co-workers must be fluid and ongoing. Here are some tools that will make communication as smooth as possible: • Email. Yeah, it's simple and a bit old-school, but email is still one of the best ways to stay in touch. For many virtual employees, it is the standard link between the office and remote work environment. • Social media. Social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn
are also proving to be great communication tools. The concept of social media in general is ideal for collaboration, which is why enterprise platforms such as (Twitter-like) Yammer have become popular for virtual team initiatives. • Video chat. Platforms such as Skype and Google Hangouts are the next best thing to in-person interactions. When circumstances prevent a team from physically coming together, these kind of tools deliver the face-to-face communications necessary for all parties to absorb what's being said. Although technology offers the potential to make communicating easier, it is up to employers as well
as employees to put those tools to use. It takes a balanced mix of tools and commitment to ensure that the virtual work train continues to move forward. Managing a virtual workforce is difficult, especially initially; and it can be considered a skill in and of itself. Because very few companies have positions and resources dedicated solely for this role, it is often a skill that existing managers have to develop from scratch—all the while maintaining tight tabs on in-house staff. It's hard work, but the good thing is that once the right environment is established, the rewards prove to be more than worth the effort for all parties involved.
www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/25343/how-to-manage-your-virtual-workforce?adref=nl061114
41 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Let Us Help You Grow Your Business to New Heights. To take your business to the next level, it’s essential that you choose the right financial partner. At East West Bank, we offer all the products and services you expect from a big bank with the high level of personal attention you expect from a local bank. Our bankers have over 40 years of experience helping minority businesses reach their financial goals. We look forward to working closely with you to customize a financial solution tailored to your unique situation. For more information about East West Bank and our solutions for businesses, please call: 1.626.768.6729 www.eastwestbank.com
Equal Housing Lender
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SERVING THE INDUSTRY and the TRADE PIPE - VALVES - FITTINGS - METALS - TOOLS PROCESS CONTROLS - INSTRUMENTATION - WATER WORKS
Brandon Supply Corporation is a world class distributor of industrial supplies. Brandon has been proven to be a dependable source of supply to the petrochemical, power generation and waterworks industries providing fast and reliable service. Brandon, in maintaining the policy of selling only superior products, represents only the nation's top manufacturers.
SBA CERTIFIED We offer a full range of valves for all piping applications, pressure tubing in all sizes and schedules, a complete line of fittings, flanges and couplings in all metallurgies. We also offer a full range in PVC, HDPE and other materials.
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ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
Estelle Mantel Clothing
Estelle Mantel Fashion Week
Chitenge Bikini by Vo
Zambia
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stelle Mantel, Zambia, is growing a fast name for itself with wardrobes and collections that show off shoes, authentic ethnic pieces, and comfortable clothing for men, women and children, whether at work or in play. The runway shows wow both local and international audiences, with exhibitions that
promote ambitious clothing always: fashion that transcends cultures and envelops every season, but that more than anything serves the moment. www.facebook.com/pages/Estelle-Mantel-Clothi Estelle Mantel showcased at www.swahilifashionweek the Swahili Fashion Week in www.swahilifashionweek.com/public/emag Tanzania, Zimbabwe Fashion www Week and at the Strut It Africa Fashion Week in Nairobi, www.face Kenya.
48 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
onetta of Zambia Estelle Mantel Clothing
Estelle Mantel Clothing
ng/651313704889826 k.com/public/index.php gazine/emagazine.php w.zimfashionweek.com http://strutitafrika.com book.com/StrutitAfrika
49 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
How to do Business with the
Publisher's Message
Asian Development Bank Forum August 7, 2014
August 8, 2014
LA Area Chamber of Commerce City Bank Building Address 4th & Flower Streets Downtown Los Angeles The U.S. Commercial Service is offering an educational/networking forum on August 7th for consultants, manufacturers, suppliers and project developers interested in business opportunities resulting from ADB lending activities and meeting with ADB experts and procurement specialists who will discuss how to track these opportunities and how ADB contracts are implemented. A second day of individualized meetings will take place on August 8th at the City Bank Building (4th & Flower St). Cost: $50.00: On-line registration only, opens on June 1st. Seating will be limited. Event Information & Registration: www.adb.org, http://export.gov/adb Sponsorship Opportunity Information: www.adb.org, http://export.gov/adb ADB Lending Activities Profile 22 billion annually from 2011 – 2013 U.S. Companies secured over $1.6 billion in contracts from 2009 – 2013 Cumulative procurement since 1966 exceeded $8.5 billion dollars. Bobby Hines, International Trade Specialist International Trade Administration/USDOC/DownTown Los Angeles www.export.gov bobby.hines@trade.gov TEL: 213-894-4231 FAX: 213-894-8789
from page 3 Beats as not only a major business achievement, but also a confirmation of this music genre as an integral part of our society. This music genre and the business executives/artists that have excelled, epitomize the dynamics of the business behind the music by generating numerous millionaires, and now a billionaire. A common theme to stories above is the economics of acquisition and leveraging. These recent business stories deal more with the acquisition by a purchasing company to gain market share and economies of scale. This business method makes economic sense not only in the private sector, but also the public and non-profit sectors. In Los Angeles, the Black Business Association (BBA) will host their 40th Annual Awards Dinner, with the theme the "The Business Behind the Music" in appreciation of African American Music Month, and "National Small Business Week." Being held at the downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel on the 25th of June, the gala event showcases achievers and contributors to the economic landscape of black America. It has been an extremely challenging time for businesses in this country, as they confronted and met many changes and challenges in the quest for progress during a time of larger nationwide and global challenges; however, the Black Business News will continue to bring inspirational and productive news articles and stores that remain on the cutting-edge. We still have a ways to go, but we are excited about where we are headed.
Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer
50 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
"Meet me @BETExperience!"
53 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Dwayne Gathers CoTECH NOTES: Chairs Hollywood More Search Tools Economic Development by Steven M. Baule, Ed.D, Ph.D. Committee
F
ounded in 1921, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has been the leading business organization in the heart of the Greater Los Angeles region, representing and advocating on behalf of the interests of its diverse business community, including the region’s signature industries – including entertainment and tourism. The Chamber focuses on economic development, quality of life issues and providing assistance to businesses looking to grow and expand in Hollywood. Over the past 12 years, Hollywood has attracted over US $4 Billion in new investment and currently has over US $1 Billion in new projects under construction – including office, residential, mixed use and retail projects. It is the home of the entertainment industry and represents the largest tourism destination in the region, attracting an estimated 10 million tourists annually. Dwayne Gathers, President/CEO, Gathers Strategies, brings 30 years of professional experiences in banking, public policy, economic development and international trade and investment having served in the private sector, the public sector, and in the non-profit sector to this committee. He has
worked both domestically and internationally and has developed a wide range of economic development programs on behalf of foreign governmental and economic development organizations seeking to engage California’s diverse business communities in order to attract investment, grow trade relationships, and enhance strategic partnerships. Gathers served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in Washington, D.C. and later was appointed by the Governor of California as its first-ever Director of the State of California’s Office of
S
ince the Web has been with us for more than 20 years, much is taken for granted. One of the biggest neglected skills taught is how to search the Web effectively since “everyone knows how to use Google” (or insert another favorite search engine here). You can help your students, teachers and staff improve their search skills and results by pointing them to resources like Google’s Guide to Search Engine Operators or their Advanced Search (www.google.com/advanced_search) page. How to Geek (www.howtogeek.com) provides similar tips for using Bing. Once you’ve mastered the basics, start learning about the “Deep Web” resources available, such as Open Source Internet Resources (http:// opensourceinternet.org/category/online-tools/searchengines/deep-web-search), the WWW Virtual Library catalog (http://vlib.org) of Web resources, or Google’s DeeperWeb (http://deeperweb.com) search engine. Your team will soon learn they can yield far better search results if they do more than “just Google it."
Trade and Investment for sub-Saharan Africa, based in Johannesburg, from 1995 -2000. To discuss opportunities for partnerships with the Hollywood community, contact Dwayne at 213-2363554 or www.gathersstrategies.com or send email inquiries to dgathers@gathersstrategies.com.
55 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC)
favorable rates through the federal government. •And the national economy benefits as the small businesses financed by SBICs continue to create jobs and generate tax revenues.
Where can I learn more? Visit the SBIC Program pages ( w w w. s b a . g o v / c o n t e n t / s b i c program-overview-0), including the FAQ, for more information about the SBIC Program. Still have questions? Email askSBIC@sba. gov.
D
id you know that the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program has been helping high-growth small businesses get financing since 1958? That's right – for more than 50 years, SBICs have facilitated the flow of long-term capital to America’s businesses. There are thousands of small business success stories, but here are a few you probably recognize: Costco, Apple and Staples – just to name a few.
funds (the SBICs) that finance small businesses.
How does it work?
What are the perks?
SBA doesn't finance businesses directly. For the SBIC program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) partners with private investors to capitalize professionally-managed investment
•Small businesses can receive equity capital, long-term loans and expert management assistance. •Investment managers can add to their own private investment capital with funds borrowed at
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http://trayvonmartinfoundation.org 56 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
RIO 2016 OLYMPIC COMMITTEE Partnership & Contract Opportunities For a list of current Rio 2016 Olympic Sponsors visit: http://rio2016.com/en/organising-committee/partners
Your American Contact: joel.Reynoso@trade.gov
For information on the Games visit http://export.gov/brazil/games/index.asp
For information on participating in or supporting the Voting Rights Act restoration movement visit these and other organization websites: • 50th Anniversary March on Washington - http://50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com.
• National Action Network - http://nationalactionnetwork.net/mow/
• NAACP - www.naacp.org
• National Urban League - http://nul.iamempowered.com
• Rainbow/PUSH Coalition - www.rainbowpush.org
Verizon is joining forces with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and a number of other businesses and community organizations to help promote safe driving through
It Can Wait. http://itcanwait.com
• Project Vote - www.projectvote.org
Grow With
A crowdfunding platform for projects and ideas benefiting the African-American community. www.blackstartup.com
57 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Technology and the Future in Health, Business and Ethics 3D Bioprinters Could Make Enhanced, ElectricityGenerating 'Superorgans' By Meghan Neal
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ioprinting technology is advancing so quickly that some scientists believe 3D printing an entire artificial human organ is only five to ten years off. That alone is pretty bonkers, science-wise, and could save many lives. But why stop there? Once you start talking about manufacturing body parts, the inevitable lurking question is: Can we go beyond just mimicking biology to make technologically improved humans? At least one scientist, Ibrahim Ozbolat from the University of Iowa, believes that 3D bioprinting will pave the road to this posthuman future. "There might be some brand new organ that doesn't exist in the human body, but it can be transplanted in the human body to enhance the functionality," Ozbolat said in an interview with HuffPost Live (). In other words, simply replacing failed organs is thinking small. Bioprinted enhanced organs— or artificial ones that don’t exist in nature—can be engineered to perform specific, useful functions, such as treating disease. You can bioprint "an organ that is going to be part of the human body and generate electricity that can run the heart." Already, a 3D-printed artificial pancreas that can regulate glucose levels in diabetic patients is being developed at the University of Iowa’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Group, which Ozbolat
heads up. But “bioprinting enhanced organs is different than our pancreatic organ printing project,” Ozbolat explained in an email. “Pancreas printing is for making an artificial pancreas to regulate glucose level in blood, not targeting at something better than a natural pancreas.” Enhanced, “superorgans” that improve upon nature could open the door to a new era of personalized medicine. Speaking to HuffPost Live, Ozbolat said bioprinting could be used to create an organ that can generate electricity in the human body. An electrogenic organ could power electronic implants, like pacemakers, without the need for batteries. "The pacemaker runs with batteries, and when the battery needs to be replaced, surgery is needed," he said. You can prevent that by printing "an organ that is going to be part of the human body and generates electricity that can run the heart." Whaaat. Let’s back up a sec. The gist of 3D bioprinting is that you start with a bio “ink” harvested from stem cells or human cells, and feed that ink through a printer that's programmed to assemble the cells to construct three dimensional tissue structures. Already, scientists have printed swaths of organ tissue; they imagine being able to print entire organs in the not too distant future. So, by genetically modifying
the cells that go into the printer, scientists can theoretically biomanufacture a transplantable body part with superhuman capabilities. While engineering an existing organ into an electricity generator is impossible, building one from scratch, starting with modifying engineered cells, could do the trick. Electrogenic organs already exist in some marine creatures (such as electric eels), and engineering cells to produce a small voltage has already been accomplished, albeit at a tiny scale, said Ozbolat. "The major problem is how to scale up the voltage to generate enough potential. We need to use multiple millions of these cells and integrate them in 3D to produce sufficient voltage," he said. It’s looking more feasible all the time, but that kind of breakthrough is still many years into the future, Ozbolat said. "Demonstration of a mini organ model lighting a bulb might be feasible in five years. But developing the technology for transplantation, hooking that up to the blood stream, connecting and synchronizing it with a heart with failed AV node will take much longer." Bioprinted "self-powered human” parts that generate electricity are at least 100 years off, Ozbolat said. Unsurprisingly, the idea of electric organs has been floated in transhumanist circles before. In 2008, before 3D printing turbocharged tissue engineering, the blog Human Enhancement and Biopolitics painted a picture
58 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business of what it might look like: The most likely and practical option will be to have a small patch of electrogenic cells surrounding any electronic implant, like the prosthetic arm and cybernetic implants we will all have by that stage. They may also prove useful in biological pacemakers, if the heart was surrounded with electrogenic cells to provide impulses.
bioprinting will advance much faster than the social understanding of the technology's implications, which will spark a major ethical debate within a couple years. "What happens when complex 'enhanced' organs involving nonhuman cells are made? Who will control the ability to produce them? Who will ensure the quality of the resulting organs?" wrote Gartner. "These initiatives are well-
know if and when that will change as commercial products start to hit the market. Right now, bioprinted tissues are used for drug testing, as a safer alternative to testing new products on humans. “Regulations will be more strict for organs for transplantation,” Ozbolat said. Experts discussed the ethical and regulatory issues of bioprinting living organs at the RAPID conference recently, he said. For
If the electric organ was just below the skin of our chest and arms, but very well insulated except for at ends of our fingers, we’d literally have the full current and voltage of the electric organ at our fingertips. But while this may sound like a dream to a transhumanist, not everyone takes kindly to the idea of biomanufacturing artificial life with unnatural abilities. A recent Gartner report predicted that 3D
intentioned, but raise a number of questions that remain unanswered.” “Enhanced organs might have some side effects as well ... No one want to be a Frankenstein.” Like many other emerging technologies, the question of how to regulate the human enhancement trend has policymakers scratching their heads. There’s currently no government regulations on bioprinting, bioprinted products or the machines, but there’s no way to
instance, patients may not be willing to let people use their cells for biomaterials. “Enhanced organs might have some side effects as well; therefore, there should be some restrictions or limitations on that," said Ozbolat. “No one wants to be a Frankenstein.” And that’s the other inevitable lurking question: Even if 3D printing superorgans is possible, is it a good idea?
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/bioprinting-new-organ-electricity-video_n_5473949.html www.ccad.uiowa.edu/amtech http://hplusbiopolitics.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/electrogenic-human www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2658315 http://motherboard.vice.com/en_uk/read/uninformed-tech-regulations-will-either-kill-innovation-or-risk-human-lives http://rapid.sme.org/2014/public/Content.aspx?ID=2831&sortMenu=101000 59 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
FOR
Birthdays, Holidays OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION
Business Technology:
Take a Look! by LaSandra Stratton Check out what these firms and organizations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities. www.bitlit.com BitLit is an app that helps you to get an eBook of a print book you own. BitLit works directly with publishers to offer readers ebooks at either free or very low cost, if you already own the print book. Once you have acquired your ebook,
you can read it on any and all of your devices, be they Kobo, Nook, Kindle, or iPad. How It Works: 1) Take a photo of the cover of your book using the BitLit App's onscreen guidelines. The BitLit App will use our computer vision technology to determine what book you own. 2) Clearly write your name in CAP LETTERS with pen on the copyright page of your book and snap a photo using BitLit. Keep your name level in the photo. BitLit validates book ownership by analyzing the submitted photo and matching extracted bibliographic data to publisher metadata and your real name to the name registered with BitLit. This process registers the print edition to you. 3) Once validation is complete, you will receive an email letting you know what formats are available. Click on the link to download your file. Once you have acquired your eBook, you can read it on any and
all of your devices, be they Kobo, Nook, Kindle, or iPad. http://ebookflightdeck.com FlightDeck delivers clear, actionable information to get your EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files ready for sale. From validation and best practices, to retailer-specific information
and metadata editing, FlightDeck reduces your Quality Assurance workload and helps you fix file issues quickly. Find out if retailers will accept your EPUB! FlightDeck's Retailer Acceptance Grid helps you more quickly prepare eBooks for sale. It includes a comprehensive report detailing whether your file will be accepted by the major retailers and explaining everything you need to fix. FlightDeck's Validation Grid interprets and explains the standard errors and warnings, helping you understand what to fix and how to fix it. In addition, FlightDeck performs many other validation tests that you won't find anywhere else. FlightDeck's Best Practices help you create better reading experiences. Get feedback on potential issues that impact the quality of your EPUB file. FlightDeck has a built-in Meta-
data Editor that allows you to edit and add common metadata fields with ease. www.voxer.com Voxer is Voice Communication Made Easy. Voxer offers instant voice on smartphones that's live like two-way radios, but is saved so you never miss a message. Alongside voice you may share text, photos and location globally. You’ll never need to repeat yourself or call back. Send or receive a message, and the message is instantly available to playback. Use Voxer on mobile devices or on your desktop. We're on any data network that you're on. Listen and respond to messages at anytime from anywhere. Voxer Business for your Desktop. Get everything you love about Voxer Business on your desktop live and recorded voice, text and photos at your fingertips.
www.online-phd-programs.org As with any college degree, the process of earning and using a Ph.D. requires extensive planning. Selecting the right online doctoral program for your unique situation takes time and effort. OnlinePhD-Programs.org is here to help make the process a little quicker and easier. The process of earning a doctorate is cost-
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Business ly and academically rigorous. To accomplish this, students typically attend college for at least five additional years. Relatively few people succeed in obtaining this type of degree. People with doctorates have access to a wide range of careers and face less competition when they seek employment. This makes it possible for most doctoral graduates to find jobs. Americans significantly increase their salaries by obtaining Ph.D.s. Individuals with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.25 million before they retire. As with any college degree, the process of earning and using a Ph.D. requires extensive planning. Selecting the right online doctoral program for your unique situation takes time and effort. www.intel.com/content/www/ us/en/corporate-responsibility/ better-future/21st-century-robotprogram.html Intel’s 21st Century Robot program aims to increase the growth rate, diversity, and utility of robots by giving anyone the ability to create their o w n robot— just as Intel Researcher B r i a n Johnson did by creating his robot, Jimmy—with its own unique purpose. Imagine if you could create your own robot. What would it look like? What would it do? Would it remind you to take medication? Feed your pets? Set the table? According to Intel’s resident futurist, Brian David Johnson, that’s pretty much up to you. Working with a team of Intel researchers and engineers
through Intel’s 21st Century Robot initiative, Johnson has created files for an open source robot that can be printed on a 3-D printer and programmed to do whatever you might like. While the notion seems mindboggling at first, Johnson explains that it’s really no different than a smartphone with customizable apps. As Johnson points out, the younger generation has never known a world without smartphones and apps. They are completely accustomed to a culture wherein they share, trade, and innovate together. And that’s just the way he would like to see emerging robotics evolve. "What's so exciting about the open source model is the public gets involved in developing this first generation of crowd-sourced, consumer robots. We all get a say in what they do, and together we will come up with far more ideas, more innovation, and more creativity," says Johnson. Johnson’s team has already shared the template for a pilot
robot, Jimmy, with 10 teams at various universities, to download, print, and program their own smart mascots. Best of all, this technology is already here. In May 2014, Johnson’s 21st Century Robot event will unveil new robots created by 10 university teams–the first open source robotics demonstration of its kind. Soon after, you’ll be able to download the files and create your own customizable robot, likely for under $1000. By inviting the public to participate in the evolution of robots and fast-tracking innovation, the number of possibilities increase exponentially and hasten the reality of new developments in areas like healthcare, public transportation, and other sectors that can vastly improve all our lives. Read more on the 21st Century Robot at http://21stcenturyrobot. com. Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.
63 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Thoughts on Fatherhood in the 21st Century
by Secretary Anthony Foxx, Dept. of Transportation
Secretary Anthony Foxx with family and President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
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rowing up, if I wanted to play catch, I often had to play it alone. Sometimes I'd even aim at a tree for lack of person with a glove at the other end of the yard. I admit, the tree wasn't a very good replacement. But when you're a kid -- and you don't have a dad to play catch with -- you'll toss a ball at anything. Even if that thing is a 40-foot-tall oak and unlikely to toss the ball back. In this respect, I'm probably not unique. Far too many children grow up without a dad in their lives, like I did. And for many, the effects cut
deeper and last longer than being forced to have a one-way game of catch. I'm a father now. My daughter was born 10 years ago, and my son soon after. And one of my greatest challenges, having never grown up with a father myself, is figuring out what a dad is supposed to do. I got the memo about taking out the garbage. And I change more light bulbs than Thomas Edison. But when it comes to preparing your kids for the slings and arrows of life, that's something I've only learned about fairly recently.
And here's the key: I only learned about it because I was able to make the time. My record isn't perfect, but I'm often lucky enough to be home and to tell stories to my kids at bedtime. (I read them Harry Potter until my daughter decided I wasn't reading fast enough and finished the book herself.) Only recently, however, have I begun to tell them about my life: About the time I was seven, tried to push a huge lawnmower up a hill and failed spectacularly; or about the time I won a debate championship, after a blistering
66 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Father-In-Chief, President Barack, Obama walks to Sunday Church Service with family
loss in the first round. I was surprised that these stories excited my kids. (They seem sort of boring to me.) But I realized that these were also stories that allowed my kids to see me as something other than the guy who tucks them into bed and tells them what to do. They're stories that let them know I'm also the guy who's endured bumps and bruises and failures and successes. Part of being a father, I've figured out, is letting your kids know that you're just like them -- that you're human -- and that your experience can help them navigate their own lives.
This wouldn't have happened had I not put in the time at home, obviously. After all, being a working father includes working at being a father. It's the best kind of work, but it takes man-hours nonetheless. That's why I'm glad the President has begun a national discussion about how we can help working fathers balance the twin responsibilities of breadwinning and childcare. Recently, I participated in a summit at the White House. It brought together leaders from the public sector and the private, as well as dads and advocates -- or, "dadvocates" -- to discuss a range of topics: everything from paternity leave to the growing number of mothers who serve as primary breadwinners. And we spoke about
how policies -- both in government and at individual companies -- have to change to accommodate our changing society. I left feeling optimistic. A lot of ink has been spilled in recent years about fatherhood -and about how it's becoming a lost art among 21st-century pressures and distractions. (Dad never takes his eyes off his phone, and his kids never take their eyes off theirs. It's a cliché by now.) But that doesn't mean it has to be true. Every father -- whether he grew up with one at home, or not -- can learn to be a good dad. And the good news is, most of them want to. They just need the time. As a country, we should work together to give it to them.
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/11/thoughts-fatherhood-21st-century www.workingfamiliessummit.org. 67 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
A Smart Way to Skip College in Pursuit of a Job by Eduardo Porter for The New York Times Udacity-AT&T ‘NanoDegree’ Offers an Entry-Level Approach to College
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ould an online degree earned in six to 12 months bring a revolution to higher education? In June, AT&T and Udacity, the online education company founded by the Stanford professor and former Google engineering whiz Sebastian Thrun, announced something meant to be very small: the “NanoDegree.” At first blush, it doesn’t appear like much. For $200 a month, it is intended to teach anyone with a mastery of high school math the kind of basic programming skills needed to qualify for an entry-level position at AT&T as a data analyst, iOS applications designer or the like. Yet this most basic of efforts may
Earn a NanoDegree Here
offer more than simply adding an online twist to vocational training. It may finally offer a reasonable shot at harnessing the web to provide effective schooling to the many young Americans for whom college has become a distant, unaffordable dream. Intriguingly, it suggests that the best route to democratizing higher education may require taking it out of college. “We are trying to widen the pipeline,” said Charlene Lake, an AT&T spokeswoman. “This is designed by business for the specific skills that are needed in business.” Employers have been complaining for years about a lack of skilled workers to fill available jobs. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
the skill level of the American work force is slipping dangerously behind other nations. And yet despite the promise of a higher wage, only about half of high school graduates from low-income families enrolled in college in 2012 — compared with 80% of high-income graduates. Worse, only a small
share of them manage to finish. Education still offers children from disadvantaged families their best chance at climbing the ladder of success. David H. Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reports in a new study that in 2012 a typical family of graduates from a four-year college earned about $58,000 more than a family of high school graduates. With tuition rising around the country and states cutting the budgets of their public university systems, many disadvantaged students are left at the mercy of unscrupulous degree mills that promise good jobs on graduation but often discharge young adults with only limited employment prospects and a crushing burden of
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debt. It is easy to oversell technology’s ability to close some of these gaps. When they were introduced a few years ago, the Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, offered by the likes of Udacity, Coursera or edX, the joint venture between Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were promoted as the best way to close the opportunity gap. But putting traditional college courses online may do little to close the gap. Instead, the evidence so far suggests that online
education may do better in giving low-income students a leg up if it is directly tied to work. And companies, rather than colleges, may be best suited to shape the curriculum. Moreover, those engaging with online education mostly have not been the young people who might benefit most from the free coursework. “The people who have taken up these opportunities are not the needy of the world,” said Fiona M. Hollands of Columbia University’s Teachers College. “They are not democratizing education. They are making courses widely available, but the wrong crowd is showing up.”
But even if MOOCs have failed to deliver on their original promise to educate the poor, they have proved more effective with another slice of the population: Americans who may already have a higher education and a job, but who feel the need to acquire new skills to progress in their careers. Udacity was the first to move in this direction, focusing on a more humble business model helping companies create MOOCs to train their workers and customers. Google, for instance, teamed with Udacity to create MOOCs for programmers who work on Google platforms. They have a course on game design in HTML 5, and another on Android. “We want to fast-track the best practices at a large scale,” said Peter Lubbers, who is in charge of MOOC developer training for Google. “We want all the techniques we know about to get out to the market.” Udacity helped Cloudera, a software company, make a MOOC to teach customers and potential customers how to use its systems to analyze big data.
NanoDegree The “NanoDegree” is a step in a similar direction: offering a narrow set of skills that can be clearly applied to a job, providing learners with a bite-size chunk of knowledge and an immediate motivation to acquire it. It may not offer all the advantages of a liberal arts education, but it could offer a plausible path to young men and women who may not have the time, money or skill to make it
through a four-year or even a twoyear degree. AT&T will accept the NanoDegree as a credential for entry-level jobs (and is hoping to persuade other companies to accept it, too) and has reserved 100 internship slots for its graduates. Udacity is also creating NanoDegrees with other companies. If all goes according to plan, Mr. Thrun says, Udacity will ultimately create an alternative approach to the “four years and done” model of higher education, splitting it into chunks that students can take throughout their lives. “It’s a more focused education with less time wasted,” Mr. Thrun told me. “They can get a degree quickly, get a job and then maybe do it again.” This isn’t the kind of educational pathway that encourages much smelling of the roses. The live college experience is probably better at providing noncognitive skills. For many young Americans, though, the alternative to the traditional path may well be no useful degree at all. “We still need rounded people, which you can’t get through minicertificate courses,” Professor Hollands said. “But we also have an economy to run here.”
www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/business/economy/udacity-att-nanodegree-offers-an-entry-level-approach-to-college.html?_r=0 www.udacity.com www.att.com www.coursera.org www.edx.org
69 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Renowned Poet and Author Maya Angelou Dies at 86 By Rehema Ellis and Elizabeth Chuck
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aya Angelou, the renowned poet, author and civil rights activist with the unmistakably regal voice, has died. The author of the celebrated autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" was 86 years old. Officials in Winston-Salem, North
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Maya Angelo receives Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
Carolina, where Angelou lived, confirmed her death to NBC News. Her death comes less than a week after Angelou announced she would not attend the 2014 MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon, where she was to be honored, citing "health reasons." Last month, she also canceled an event in Fayetteville, Arkansas,
because she was recovering from an "unexpected ailment" that left her hospitalized. "The mayor is very saddened to hear the loss of a woman of such renowned phenomenal status as Dr. Angelou. Our prayers are with her family, her staff and all the people she has worked with,"
Linda Jackson-Barnes, assistant to Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines, said. Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, under the name Marguerite Annie Johnson, and was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, and San Francisco, after her parents sent her off to live with
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Community/Public Interest her grandmother in California when she was fresh with a white store clerk in Arkansas, the Associated Press reported. She grew up to become a singer, dancer, actress, writer and Hollywood's first female black director. Angelou had an impressive list of accolades: She was a threetime Grammy winner and was nominated for a Pulitzer, a Tony, and an Emmy for her role in the 1977 groundbreaking television mini-series "Roots." But her success didn't come easily. Angelou's life struggles were fodder for her work. Her childhood had been marked by sexual abuse, which she detailed in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" — the first of six autobiographies she wrote. A few weeks after she finished high school, at 17, she gave birth to her son, Guy. A single mother, she supported her son by working as a waitress and a cook, but music, dance, and poetry were her true passions. Her first big break came as a singer in the 1950s, when she toured Europe with a production of the opera "Porgy and Bess." In 1957, she recorded her first album, "Calypso Lady." In 1960, she moved to Cairo, where she edited an Englishlanguage weekly newspaper. The following year, she went to Ghana to teach music and drama. It was in Ghana that she met Malcolm X, coming back to the U.S. in 1964 with him to help him build his new coalition, the Organization of African American Unity. It was in 1970 that she published "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," a painful tale of growing up in Jim Crow South, which is now on
children's reading lists in schools across the country (along with sometimes being censored for its raw account of rape and teen pregnancy). "'I thought that it was a mild book. There's no profanity," Angelou once told the AP. "It speaks about surviving, and it really doesn't make ogres of many people. I was shocked to find there were people who really wanted it banned, and I still believe people who are against the book have never read the book." Between Angelou's fiction, non-fiction, and published verse, she amassed more than 30 bestselling titles. Angelou was also a trailblazer in film. She wrote the screenplay and composed the score for the 1972 film "Georgia," and the script, the first-ever by an African-American woman to be filmed, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In more recent years, it was her interactions with presidents that made headlines. In 1993, she wowed the world when her reading of her poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" was broadcast live globally from former President Bill Clinton's first inauguration. She stayed so close with the Clintons that in 2008, she supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy over Barack Obama's. In a statement Wednesday, President Obama called Angelou "one of the brightest lights of our time." "Michelle and I will always cherish the time we were privileged to spend with Maya. With a kind word and a strong embrace, she had the ability to remind us that we are all God's children; that we all have something to offer," he said.
Angelou also counted Nelson Mandela and the Rev. Martin
Luther King, Jr., as friends, and served as a mentor to Oprah Winfrey when Winfrey was starting out as a local TV reporter. Winfrey said in a statement Wednesday, "What stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it's how she lived her life. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace. I loved her and I know she loved me. I will profoundly miss her. She will always be the rainbow in my clouds." When she was in her 20s, Angelou also met Billie Holiday, who told her: "You're going to be famous. But it won't be for singing." Angelou read another poem, "Amazing Peace," for former President George W. Bush at the 2005 Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at the White House. In North Carolina, Angelou lived in an 18-room house, the AP reported, and taught American Studies at Wake Forest University.
www.nbcnews.com/#/storyline/remembering-maya-angelou/renowned-poet-author-maya-angelou-dies-86-n116241
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R
uby Dee, an acclaimed actress and civil rights activist whose versatile career spanned stage, radio television and film, has died at age 91. Dee, who frequently acted alongside her husband of 56 years, Ossie Davis, was with loved ones, when she passed. Her long career brought her an Oscar nomination at age 83 for best supporting actress for her maternal role in the 2007 film "American Gangster." She also won an Emmy
and was nominated for several others. Age didn't slow her down. "I think you mustn't tell your body, you mustn't tell your soul, 'I'm going to retire,'" Dee told The Associated Press in 2001. "You may be changing your life emphasis, but there's still things that you have in mind to do that now seems the right time to do. I really don't believe in retiring as long as you can breathe." She and her late husband were frequent collaborators. Their partnership rivaled the achievements of other celebrated
acting couples. But they were more than performers; they were also activists who fought for civil rights, particularly for blacks. "We used the arts as part of our struggle," she said in 2006. "Ossie said he knew he had to conduct himself differently with skill and thought." In 1998, the pair celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and an even longer association in show business with the publication of a dual autobiography, "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together."
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Ruby Dee Dead at 91: Legendary Stage And Screen Actress By Karen Matthews and Mark Kennedy, Associated Press
Davis died in February 2005. Among those who mourned at his funeral included former President Bill Clinton, Harry Belafonte and Spike Lee. Davis and Dee met in 1945 when she auditioned for the Broadway play "Jeb," starring Davis (both were cast in it). In December 1948, on a day off from rehearsals from another play, Davis and Dee took a bus to New Jersey to get married. They already were so close that "it felt almost like an appointment we finally got around to keeping," Dee wrote in "In This Life Together." They shared billing in 11 stage productions and five movies during long parallel careers. Dee's fifth film, "No Way Out" with Sidney Poitier in 1950, was her husband's first. Along with film, stage and television, their richly honored careers
extended to a radio show, "The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Story Hour," that featured a mix of black themes. Davis directed one of their joint film appearances, "Countdown at Kusini" (1976). Both were active in civil rights issues and efforts to promote the cause of blacks in the entertainment industry and elsewhere. Dee and Davis served as masters of ceremonies for the historic 1963 March on Washington and she spoke at both the funerals for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. The couple's battle in that arena was lifelong: In 1999, the couple was arrested while protesting the shooting death of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, by New York City police. Among her best-known films was "A Raisin in the Sun," in 1961, based on the classic play that explored racial discrimination and black frustration (she was also in the 1959 stage version). On television, she was on the soap operas such in the 1950s and '60s, a rare sight for a black actress in the 1950s and 60s. As she aged, she continued to reach new career heights. Dee was the voice of wisdom and reason as Mother Sister in Spike Lee's 1989 film, "Do the Right Thing," alongside her husband. She won an Emmy as supporting actress in a miniseries or special for 1990's
"Decoration Day." She won a National Medal of the Arts in 1995 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000. In 2004, she and Davis received Kennedy Center Honors. In 2007, Davis and Dee's book won a Grammy for best spoken word album. Born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Dee was an infant when her family moved to Harlem, New York. She graduated from a highly competitive high school and enrolled in college but longed for show business. "I wanted to be an actor but the chances for success did not look promising," she wrote in their joint autobiography. But in 1940 she got a part in a Harlem production of a new play, "On Strivers Row," which she later called "one giant step" to becoming a person and a performer. In 1965, she became the first black woman to play lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival. She won an Obie Award for the title role in Athol Fugard's "Boesman and Lena" and a Drama Desk Award for her role in "Wedding Band." Most recently, Dee performed her one-woman stage show, "My One Good Nerve: A Visit With Ruby Dee," in theaters across the country. The show was a compilation of some of the short stories, humor and poetry in her book of the same title. She is survived by three children: Nora, Hasna and Guy, and seven grandchildren. Former Associated Press writer Richard Pyle contributed to this report.
www.chron.com/news/article/Legendary-actress-Ruby-Dee-has-died-at-age-91-5547853.php
77 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Bob Bailey, Singer and Civil Rights Pioneer, Dies at 87
T
he black business community recently lost a giant of a man with the passing of civil rights and business advocate William H. "Bob" Bailey on Saturday, June 7th, 2014. William H. "Bob" Bailey was a businessman, television personality and civil rights activist. Bailey helped establish in the early 1970's the Nevada Economic Development Corporation (NEDC), which helped minority business owners obtain more than $300 million in funding. In the 1970’s the NEDC held one of the largest contract procurement events in the nation on an annual basis, responsible for minority owned firms to receive millions of dollars in contracts. In 1989, Bailey became national deputy director of the Minority Business Development Agency under President George H.W. Bush, as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Bailey was a member of the first graduating class of the Institute of Minority Business Education at Howard University School of Business; he was an outspoken advocate for minority small business and self-sufficiency for nearly a half century. His work in the Las Vegas community was recognized in 2006 when the City of Las Vegas dedicated the Dr. William H. Bailey Middle School, located at 2500 N. Hollywood Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89156. William H. "Bob" Bailey was born on February 14, 1927, in Detroit,
Michigan, to a family with a strong musical tradition; vocal star Pearl Bailey was Bailey's second cousin, and Pearl's brother, Bill, was a professional dancer and singer before her. When Bailey's father lost his job during the Great Depression, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Bailey grew up and learned to sing in church choirs. Bailey finished high school at age sixteen with the intention to become an international lawyer; his grades and vocal talent had won him a scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Bailey worked his way through college by performing in a local night club; during one of these performances, he was approached by bandleader Benny Goodman, and John Hammond, a sponsor of Count Basie. After auditioning while on Christmas break, Bailey was hired by Basie himself. Bailey left Morehouse College while studying business law to be a featured singer in Count Basie band. In 1950, Bailey enrolled in the School of Radio and Television in New York and attended specialized studies at the Columbia Theater Wing. Bailey was later offered a position at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as a co-producer and Master of Ceremonies, eventually landing him a job as the producer and
director and host of a variety show called "Talk of the Town" on CBS affiliate, KLAS Channel 8. "Talk of the Town" was the first show in the nation to be entirely produced, starred in, and directed by black talent. From 1965 to 1971, Bailey was a newscaster and variety show host for ABC affiliate, Channel 13 in Las Vegas. Bailey became known as a civil rights pioneer in Las Vegas entertainment and broadcasting due to his role in the desegregation of the State of Nevada; his night club, Sugar Hill, and other businesses employed over 100 African Americans. Bailey later began Manpower Services, which trained 1,000 African Americans to work in gaming and related businesses. The black business world will miss Dr. William "Bob” Bailey.
78 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819 Community/Public
Interest
Community/Public Interest
Herb Jeffries, the "Bronze Buckaroo", Dies at 100
H
erb Jeffries, the jazz singer and actor who performed with Duke Ellington and was known as the "Bronze Buckaroo" in a series of all-black 1930s Westerns, died of heart failure on May 25, 2014 at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 100. With a mellow voice and handsome face, Jeffries became familiar to jazz fans, but segregation in the film industry limited his movie career. He scored a big hit with D u k e
Ellington as the vocalist on "Flamingo," recorded in 1940. Among the other songs he did with Ellington were "There Shall Be No Night" and "You, You Darlin'." "The camaraderie in his band was like a bunch of guys in college," Jeffries recalled in the book "Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music." "Ellington Music. for had a knack k developing talent developin and stars. star ... He was more like a mo father to me than a boss." Jeffries has Jeffrie been described as the only on black singing cowboy star in cowbo Hollywood history and, Hollyw more recently, after d the deaths of Gene Autry, Autry Roy Rogers and others, as the "last of the singing cowboys." cowb So Sometimes billed as Herbert Jeffrey, he starred in four We Westerns aimed at bla black audiences from fro 1937 to 19 1939: "Harlem on the Prairie," "T "Two-Gun Man F From Harlem," " "The Bronze B Buckaroo" and "Har "Harlem Rides the
Range." As The New York Times noted, the low-budget films (produced by a white man, Richard C. Kahn) are "notable less for what's in them than that they exist at all." Jeffries starred as Bob Blake. The films featured his horse Stardusk, the vocal group the Four Tones, and comic relief from prolific character actor Mantan Moreland. Among the songs: "I'm a Happy Cowboy," "Get Along Mule" and "(Got the) Payday Blues." "The Bronze Buckaroo" was recently revived on a DVD release called "Treasures of Black Cinema." Jeffries "did something outrageous, and then rode off into the sunset," actor-director Mario Van Peebles told People magazine
80 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
"The Duke and I." Among the honors that came his way late in life was a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, dedicated in 2004. "I don't believe in age," Jeffries told The New York Times in 1995, when he was appearing at a local club. "I believe this magnificent thing we have on our shoulders can help you evolve," he said. "In jazz, we keep going. There's no such thing as retiring, or being retired, so you never feel unwanted or useless. And that keeps your body vital." He was born in Detroit to a racially mixed couple, referring to himself in a 2004 interview with The Oklahoman as "an Italian-looking mongrel with a percentage of Ethiopian blood, which enabled me to get work with black orchestras." He lamented the days touring in the South when he was with Earl Hines in the 1930s. Black audiences were made to stand separately off in a corner and not allowed to dance. "I don't think anybody was thrilled about the conditions, but if you wanted to advance and develop you couldn't show anger," he said. Jeffries told American Visions, a publication on African-American culture, in 1997 that he was inspired to seek backing for the cowboy movies after seeing a black boy crying because other children with him "wouldn't let him play cowboy. But in the real West, one of every four cowboys was black." Raymond Strait, who worked with Jeffries on his not-yet-published autobiography titled "Color of Love," said Jeffries "believed in one world and one people and was one of the most generous people I've ever met. He was always funding something or doing something for kids." in 2005. "He did us proud." Jeffries remained active as a singer into his 80s and 90s, touring
and putting out the 1995 CD "The Bronze Buckaroo (Rides Again)" and following it up in 2000, with
Excerpts from www.legacy.com/ns/obituary. aspx?n=herb-jeffries&pid=171139827
81 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
SAVE THE DATE!
ETHIOPIA BUSINESS & INVESTMENT FORUM Fostering Private Sector Partnerships for Economic Development WHEN? Friday, August 1, 2014 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067 WHY ETHIOPIA? Harnessing the power of its large population and abundant labor force; political and social stability; and investment incentives and protections; Ethiopia has achieved some of the highest economic growth rates across Africa over the past decade. The government of Ethiopia also has undertaken considerable reforms to improve the country’s business climate, enhance its attractiveness, and raise its infrastructures to international standards to make investment in Ethiopia favorable to all prospective investors. HOW? The forum will showcase the vast business and investment opportunities for U.S. organizations that exist in Ethiopia in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, hotel and tourism development, and mining, amongst others. U.S. organizations can also take advantage of the “Power Africa” initiative by investing in the country’s enormous renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. WHO’S COMING? The delegation will be led by the highest possible executive of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and will include senior cabinet ministers and Ethiopia’s leading private sector companies.
TOURISM | ENERGY | INDUSTRIES | AGRICULTURE | CONSTRUCTION For more information, please contact: Ambassador Zerihun Retta, Consul General, Consulate General of Ethiopia in Los Angeles at 310-616-6910; Mr. Esayas Gotta, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Ethiopia in Los Angeles at 213-365-0017 or investethiopia@ethioconsulatela.org; or Dwayne Gathers, Gathers Strategies, Inc. at 213-236-3554 or dgathers@gathersstrategies.com For online registration, click - register Or enter the following URL into your browser https://arcsoftus.wufoo.com/forms/ethiopian-business-investment-forum/ Embassy of Ethiopia Washington DC
Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Addis Ababa
Ethiopian Consulate General Los Angeles
International
TRADE MISSION: DIVERSIFYING INVESTMENT IN ANGOLA May 29 - June 5, 2014
The U.S.-Angola Chamber of Commerce has postponed its Trade Mission until the 4th Quarter of 2014. The US-Angola Chamber of Commerce (USACC) was informed on May 21st by Boeing that due to administrative circumstances beyond their control, the anticipated dates for delivery of the TAAG 777 had to be shifted. Subsequently this means that the USACC Trade Mission to Angola originally scheduled for May 29 to June 4, 2014, will also have to be changed to a later date which will be conveyed in due course – anticipated to be in the fourth quarter of 2014. USACC sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this unavoidable shift in schedule may have caused you and do hope that you will still be able to join us on this great mission at its rescheduled date. If you have already paid, USACC will be pleased to reimburse your fee for the trade mission. Upon receipt of your instruction please be advised that this reimbursement will take approximately four business days to be credited back to your account. Please know that you and your company are important to us at the U.S.-Angola Chamber of Commerce and our partner ANIP. We would like to sincerely thank you for your support and understanding. Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Maria da Cruz Gabriel (1-703-203-6481).
83 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
Election in Malawi Results in a New President From Travel Daily Media & Fox News
A
fter the election polls closed, Mrs. Joyce Banda, president, declared that Malawi's 2014 elections have been marred by "serious irregularities", including vote-rigging and computer-hacking. She called for an immediate manual audit of the results. The Malawian Election Commission (MEC) should address these concerns by doing a manual audit of the entire process, she said. "I appeal to all Malawians to continue with their commitment to peaceful co-existence and to remain calm until the MEC determines the outcome of the poll results," the president said. Eleven candidates ran against Mrs Banda, but her main challenger is seen as Mr. Mutharika, the brother of former President Bingu wa Mutharika who died in office in April 2012.
of Malawi Offers Olive Branch
T
he new president of Malawi, Peter Mutharika, has been inaugurated after an election that was disputed by his predecessor. The president said
gwe, two days on from election day, says BBC Malawi reporter Raphael Tenthani. In some places, voting boxes or lids did not arrive so officials used buckets and plastic wrap, correspondents say. Around 7.5 million people were eligible to vote in the fifth elections since the end of one-party rule 20 years ago. This was the first time that Malawi held presidential, parliamentary and local elections on the same Newly elected Malawian president Peter Mutharik the oath book after he was sworn in, at the Hig day. in Blantyre, Malawi. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikon New President Associated Press
Voting buckets MEC chairman Maxon Mbendera denied their computer system had been been hacked. "Our electronic counting system has crashed, yes, and last night we migrated to our Plan B - manual counting of the results, so I wonder why the People's Party [of Mrs Banda] is complaining since we have not announced any results yet," Mr Mbendera said. "We are going to give the official results after we have finished tabulation. We expect that in the next two to three days we should have a clear picture," he added. Voting was still going on at two polling centres in the commercial capital, Blantyre, and one in Lilon-
www.bbc.com/news/world-afr
www.foxnews.com/world/2014/06/02/new-president-malawi-says-wants-to-reconcile-
84 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
that he had extended an olive branch to former leader Mrs. Joyce Banda. Mutharika is the 74-yearold leader of the Democratic Progressive Party. He is a lawyer and a former foreign minister.
Polling Center Counting ballots manually after loss of electrical service
ka signs h Court di) The
rica-27515684#story_continues_1
-with-former-leader-after-disputed
Polling Center
85 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
500 of Africa’s Young Leaders Attend the First Washington Fellowship By Ben Rhodes
P
resident Obama’s signature engagement program in Africa has been the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a new effort focused on building partnerships with the next generation of leaders on the African continent. The Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a cornerstone of YALI, and it began this June with the arrival here in the United States of 500 of Africa’s top business, government, and civil society leaders between
the ages of 18 and 35. The Fellowship is unprecedented in two important respects. First, the size. Never before has the United States conducted an exchange program of this scale with Africa. Secondly, the scope of the program. It’s not just the six weeks the Fellows spend on the campuses of some of America’s best schools or the time they will have with American leaders, including a town hall meeting with President Obama later this summer. The Fellows
will return to Africa with access to significant mentoring, networking, and resource opportunities, including seed funding for their projects. Some will even spend additional time in the U.S. and in Africa at internships offered by top government and private sector organizations. The Fellowship represents a significant expansion of YALI. The initiative began in 2010, when 115 young African leaders met with President Obama at the White
www.starrafricanrum.com product of Madacascar
House to discuss leadership and the ways in which youth can transform Africa’s future. Since then, the President and other senior Administration officials have convened thousands of young Africans to develop innovative solutions to the challenges and opportunities faced by their generation. When the President returned to Africa last year, he announced the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and committed to a comprehensive program of engagement that has now begun with the arrival of these promising young leaders. Interest in the program in Africa has been overwhelming. Nearly 50,000 young African leaders applied for the Washington Fellowship. For the 500 who started executive leadership training this week at one of twenty universities across the United States, the Fellowship holds the promise of being transformative. From these young leaders may well come the next Nelson Mandela or Steve Jobs. This is why the Washington Fellowship is so important to our future and theirs. Tapping into the inspiration and ideas of the continent’s youth can enable a new generation of African leaders to inspire, innovate, and inject new ideas and opportunities into their communities, companies, and countries. And their success won’t simply be good for Africa – it will be good for America, which will be able to count on years of partnership with these extraordinary young people. www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/21/500-africa-s-most-promising-young-leaders-arrive-first-washington-fellowship http://youngafricanleaders.state.gov 87 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
SAVE THE DATE The 2014 Annual Pan African Trade & Investment Conference will be convened on
August 15 & 16, 2014 Los Angeles, CA in collaboration with the
2014 International African Marketplace & Business Expo and the
Life and Times Magazine's 4th Annual Fiesta. Our 2014 conference will feature trade exhibits, and business opportunity presentations and panels from representatives of East and West Africa. For more information contact our Conference Coordinator, Al Washington at 1-626-243-3614 or visit our conference website: www.panafricanglobaltradeconference.com SPECIAL NOTE - MEET
His Excellency, Malam (Dr) Isa Yuguda, the Governor of Bauchi State of Nigeria at this conference!
International
www.zambiausachamber.org
African Stock Exchanges • Bolsa de Valores of Cape Verde - www.bvc.cv (in Portuguese) • Bond Exchange of South Africa - www.bondexchange. co.za • Botswana Stock Exchange www.bse.co.bw • Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres - UEMOA (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) - www.brvm.org • Casablanca Stock Exchange (Morocco) - www.casablancabourse.com/bourseweb/index. aspx • Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (Tanzania) - www. dse.co.tz
• Douala Stock Exchange (Cameroon) - www.douala-stockexchange.com/index_us.php • The Egyptian Exchange - www. egx.com.eg/English/homepage. aspx • Ethiopia Commodity Exchange - www.ecx.com.et • Ghana Stock Exchange - www. gse.com.gh • Johannesburg Stock Exchange (South Africa) - www. jse.co.za/Home.aspx • Khartoum Stock Exchange (Sudan, in Arabic) - www.kse. com.sd • Libyan Stock Market - www. lsm.ly/_layouts/membership/
• • • •
• •
•
• • •
login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fEnglis h%2fPages%2fdefault.aspx Lusaka Stock Exchange (Zambia) - www.luse.co.zm Nairobi Stock Exchange (Kenya) - www.luse.co.zm Malawi Stock Exchange - www. mse.co.mw Mozambique Stock Exchange (in Portuguese) - www. bolsadevalores.co.mz Namibian Stock Exchange www.nsx.com.na Nigerian Stock Exchange www.nse.com.ng/Pages/default. aspx Stock Exchange of Mauritius www.stockexchangeofmauritius. com Swaziland Stock Exchange www.ssx.org.sz Tunisia Stock Exchange - www. bvmt.com.tn Uganda Securities Exchange www.use.or.ug
Read the last issue of The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke/media-center/ecommunique/exchange-magazine/ category/50-free-version.html)
89 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Thursday Blues at Uncle Darrow‛s High Noon-2pm Every Thursday
Come by for lunch and relax to blues & jazz from our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey North East corner of Washington & Lincoln
“LA Times Magazine favorite cajun food”
310-306-4862
www.uncledarrows.com 90 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
The Premier Europe Business Event in 2014! Risks & Rewards from London to Moscow! Date: June 3-4, 2014
Location: Los Angeles, CA Venue: Hyatt Regency Los Angeles Downtown
What to Expect: •One-on-one meetings with U.S. Commercial Diplomats •Dynamic market exploration sessions •Multiple networking opportunities •Insight from high-profile keynote speakers Session Topics Include: •European Overview: an in-depth examination of the Transatlantic Trade Relationship •Complying with EU regulatory requirements •Developing a financial strategy for selling to Europe, Russia and Turkey •Managing VAT and other tax implications •Country-specific and industry-specific outlook and opportunities •Market entry and risk mitigation strategies •E-commerce and data privacy laws QUICK LINKS: •Register Now! www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1502778 •Agenda http://export.gov/california/ca/DiscoverEurope/agenda/index.asp •Conference Details http://export.gov/california/ca/DiscoverEurope/index.asp •Become a Marketing Partner http://export.gov/california/ca/DiscoverEurope/marketingpartners/index.asp Registration Fee: •$299 Early Bird–until 4/25 •$349 STANDARD–until 5/23 •$399 Final Price Hyatt Regency Los Angeles Downtown (http://thelahotel.com): Ask about our Discover Conference Rate! For Information Contact: Rafael Patino, Rafael.Patino@trade.gov Supporting Organizations: WIT-LA (Women in International Trade- Los Angeles Chapter) World Trade Center – Long Beach LAEDC (Los Angeles Economic Development Council) FTA (Foreign Trade Association)
konyagi.co.tz
Internationl
One Africa:
Tell the US Government that North Africa is Africa Too!
J
oin with and support the United Africa Organization’s campaign to petition the U.S. Department of State to include the whole African continent under its Bureau of African Affairs.
Why? The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, led by Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, currently excludes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara from its agenda. Instead, the aforementioned countries are grouped with the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, together with Iran, Iraq, Israel and others. This artificial distinction between North Africa and the rest of Africa
negatively impacts US foreign policy relations throughout the entire continent of Africa. We unequivocally reject the argument that North African countries are outside the scope of African affairs. North Africa is geographically and historically part of the African continent, and all fifty-three (53) independent African states, including North African countries, are represented in the African Union (AU). It would be far more productive for the State Department to engage with the entire continent of Africa, including North Africa, under its Bureau of African Affairs. We are one Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, indivisible and bound together! Therefore, no square inch of African
land should be excluded from African affairs.
Sign The Petition!!! Go to www.change.org/petitions/ one-africa-tell-us-state-departmentthat-north-africa-is-part-of-africa and sign the online petition to support this important proposition. Next tell everyone you know to sign.
www.uniteafricans.org
RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL Workshops: 2014 Export University – Workshop Series • Feb 19, April 17 – June 3, 2014 Location: LA LAW LIBRARY 301 West First Street Los Angeles, CA Time: 1:30PM-5:00PM (MCLE classes are 12:15 – 2:15PM) Cost: $20 ($35 for MCLE classes) per class • Finding & Entering New Markets - Apr 17 • Export Sales/Port & Airport Security - May 8 • MCLE: Int’l Trade Research & Resources - May 21 • Incoterms - May 22 • Export Trade Finance & Insurance - Jun 5 • MCLE: Int’l Sales Contracts,Invoices & Etc. - Jun 18 • Legal Do's & Dont's - Jun 19
Event: MEXPORT Trade Show Location: 8863 Siempre Viva Rd., San Diego , CA 92154 Time: 10 AM to 5 PM Cost: Visitor attendance to the event is free of charge. MEXPORT is a leading exhibition for promoting trade and business between manufacturing plants and industrial suppliers and service providers. MEXPORT features exhibitions from industrial suppliers and service and draws attendance from plant managers and purchasing managers from Cali-Baja Mega Region manufacturers. The event is organized annually by the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce with support from the Center for International Trade and Development and the U.S. Commercial Service. Register at: www.mexport.org Inquiry at: mexport@otaymesa.org
• Freight & Logistics: Delivering Export Goods - Jul 10 Registeration: http://www.lalawlibrary.org/index.php/ classes-events/export-u.html
Event: The 20th Annual World Trade Conference: Building Locally, Growing Globally Location: Radisson Hotel Ontario, California Cost: $75 The California Inland Empire District Export Council (CIEDEC) with the U.S. Commercial Service,
Event: “A Practical Guide to Selling Cosmetics Overseas” in FTA Countries" Location: In country Speakers include U.S. Commercial Service in-country specialists to discuss markets, distribution channels, pricing, trends and more. Regulatory specialists will explain the registration process. Impact of the Free Trade Agreements will be outlined.
U.S. Department of Commerce celebrating 20 years of collaborative work in promoting and expanding international trade and business. Register at: http://www.worldtradeconference-ie.us
• Peru - April 15, 2014 www.icmad.org/events/upcoming-events/9535877f0078-cca5-772f-0b382a18eb6b • NAFTA - June 3, 2014
94 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL www.icmad.org/events/upcomingevents/9535877f-0078-c9a8-8d640b382a1a4808 • Panama - June 24, 2014 www.icmad.org/events/upcomingevents/9535877f-0078-c470-f4ad0b382a1b3e00 • Chile - July 22, 2014 www.icmad.org/events/upcomingevents/9535877f-0078-c569-82e40b382a1cb662 ᏊᏊᏊᏊᏊ Marketing: Promote Your Company on the New Commercial News USA Website The newly redesigned Commercial News USA website makes it easier for buyers around the world to find American companies with products and services ready for immediate
export and for U.S. exporters connect with buyers worldwide. Commercial News USA features hundreds of products and services from U.S. exporters. For more information and/or to review the current issue of the magazine, please visit www.thinkglobal.us. ᏊᏊᏊᏊᏊ The U.S. Commercial Service - Your Global Business Partner. With offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration uses its global Network and international resources to connect U.S companies with international buyers worldwide. If you have any questions about
these initiatives, please contact your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit www.buyusa.gov/home/us.html or contact Bobby Hines at bobby. hines@trade.gov.
Civil Rights Activist Fred Davis, who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., paid $6,000 for this billboard. Davis believes men who sag their pants portray an image of crime and poor education.
Returning to Africa? African Repatriation is an invaluable online resource for any African national who is thinking about returning to Africa. Our industry articles and specialist editorials provide the latest sector information. Why not find out for yourself and become a part of our growing community today? www.africanrepatriation. com
Career Opportunities in Africa Search and apply online for the latest vacancies in Africa with African Talent. We provide candidates and employers with the tools and resources needed in today’s competitive job market. For employers, we offer numerous options to feature your jobs in Africa and for candidates, reviewing the most recent job vacancies in Africa is a fast, easy process. Uploading your CV is simple and takes just a few moments. www.africantalent.com 96 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Cultural Interiors West &
Cordially Invited Cultural Interiors West 5573 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 Experience our exciting array of products from Cards to Cupcakes, African Masks, Asian Teacups, Healthy Herbal Teas, Gourd Purses, Candles, to Furniture
Artwear Handpainted Handbags, Skirts, Tees, Accessories, Calendars, Wall Hangings & More! http://gbabysworld.blogspot.com Gbabyartwear@hotmail.com or Gbabyart345@gmail.com Find Gbaby Products at the “Collective” http://www.atthecollective.com 280 Elizabeth Street, Atlanta, GA
Hope to see you soon!!! In the meantime visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/CulturalInteriors-West/140688362658236
JJ’s Belizean Cuisine 2618 W. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008 1-323-293-2926
100 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Collection Bed, Bath & Beyond
http://bsmith.com/shop
Bernahu Asfaw & Getahun Asfaw
1041 S. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019 323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806 • Fax: 323-932-6047 messob@gmail.com • www.messob.com
Open 7 days a week • 11am - 11pm
The Economic Turn Around in the USA is in Our Hands •Buy Products Made or Assembled in the USA •Hire One New Employee •Eat an Extra Meal Out Each Week •Start/Grow a Business to Generate Wealth & Jobs
Buy Black Save Black Invest Black 104 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Eso Won Books African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard Leimert Park, Los Angeles
Celebrating African American Music Appreciation Month Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, children’s books, and games!
323-294-0324
www.esowonbookstore.com ďƒ” //esowon.booksense.com ffor CCalendar l d off EEvents t
Books to Consider... Blessed Experiences Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black by James E. Clyburn
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rom his humble beginnings in Sumter, South Carolina, to his prominence on the Washington, D.C., political scene as the third highestranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn has led an extraordinary life. In Blessed Experiences, Clyburn tells in his own inspirational words how an African American boy from the Jim Crow–era South was able to beat the odds to achieve great success and become, as President Barack Obama describes him, "one of a handful of people who, when they speak, the entire Congress listens." Born in 1940 to a civic-minded beautician and a fundamentalist minister, Clyburn began his ascent to leadership at the age of twelve, when he was elected president of his National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) youth chapter. He broke barriers through peaceful protests and steadfast beliefs in equality and justice. Of his success Clyburn says he was "blessed with nurturing
parents, a supportive family, and loyal friends." But, he added, "my life was not just about knocking down doors and lowering barriers. I spent some time marching in the streets and occupying the inside of South Carolina jails." As a civil rights leader at South Carolina State College, as human affairs commissioner under John C. West and three subsequent governors, and as South Carolina's first African American congressman since 1897, Clyburn has established a long and impressive record of public leadership and advocacy for human rights, education, historic preservation, and economic development. Clyburn was elected to Congress in 1992. Serving as copresident of his freshman class, he rose quickly through the ranks and was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1999 and House Democratic Caucus vice chair in 2002. Three years later he was unanimously elected chair of the Democratic Caucus. When Democrats regained the House majority in 2006, Clyburn was elected House Majority Whip. Now as assistant Democratic leader, Clyburn, a self-described independent, prides himself on working to overcome barriers and destroy myths without becoming too predictable. "I have worked across party lines to further legislative causes, and on occasion publicly differed with some of my allies in the civil rights community," says Clyburn. "My experiences have not always been pleasant, but I have considered all of them blessings." Blessed Experiences includes a foreword from Emmy Award–winning actress and the congressman's longtime friend Alfre Woodard. James E. Clyburn has represented South Carolina's sixth district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993, and he currently serves as assistant democratic leader of the House. He has been married to the former Emily England since June 1961, and they have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. The congressman and his wife live in Columbia, South Carolina. www.sc.edu/uscpress/books/2014/7337.html
How The Poor Can Save Capitalism: Rebuilding the Path to the Middle Class by John Hope Bryant
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ully 70 percent of our economy is powered by consumer spending, not by business or government. And it’s not wealthy consumers
109 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
who are driving economic growth in this country. It’s the bottom 80 percent of Americans by income, who spend 90 percent of their pay every year. The 100 million Americans making $50,000 average income or less, who routinely experience too much month at the end of their money. This is the next major frontier of economic opportunity. In this book, Bryant builds a compelling economic argument for investing in America’s least wealthy consumers. As founder of Operation HOPE, a nonprofit private banker for lowwealth individuals and communities, Bryant explains the history and psychology behind the three factors that perpetuate poverty: lack of self-confidence and self-esteem; lack of positive role models; and lack of opportunity. How the Poor Can Save Capitalism culminates in what Bryant calls a Marshall Plan for our times, The HOPE Plan, which lays out: steps to create widespread financial literacy and financial access; strategies for encouraging employment and entrepreneurship; and concrete guidelines for ensuring that human capital needs are met and opportunity for all becomes real. This book offers educators, parents, policy makers, economists, business leaders, community activists, and every citizen who believes in the American dream fresh, positive solutions they can embrace and put into action. (use link shown below)
Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire by Philip Bailey
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revealing and heartfelt memoir from the lead singer of the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire With more than ninety million records sold and eight Grammy awards throughout its forty-year history, Earth, Wind & Fire has staked its claim as one of the most successful, influential, and beloved acts in music history. Now, for the first time, its dynamic lead singer Philip Bailey chronicles the group’s meteoric rise to
stardom and his own professional and spiritual journey. Never before had a musical act crossed multiple styles and genres with a quixotic blend of astrology, Universalism, and Egyptology as Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) did when it exploded into the public’s conscience during the 1970s. The group’s shows b e c a m e s e n s o r y experiences with their d r a m a t i c s t a g i n g , shimmering costumes, elaborate choreography, baffling magic tricks and a thumping b kb t At the th center t backbeat. off it th the group was its charismatic founder Maurice White and Bailey, with his soaring multi-octave range and distinctive falsetto. After being signed by recording titan Clive Davis, EWF went on to produce a remarkable series of platinum and gold albums and headline stadiums around the world. As Philip and Maurice were profoundly influenced by genius producer Charles Stepney, as well as famed arranger David Foster, EWF elevated Sly Stone’s multiethnic “I Wanna Take You Higher” message to an even higher level. Bailey hit the wall due to fame, fortune, and the excesses of global succes. The constant touring and performing took its toll on him publicly and privately. While White and Bailey’s relentless work ethic shot the band into the stratosphere, it also exhausted and emotionally gutted the group. In 1983, White abruptly dismantled the band, leaving Bailey and the rest of the members to fend for themselves. As a solo act, Bailey recorded “Easy Lover,” a worldwide smash duet with Phil Collins, launching the next stage of his career until EWF reunited later that decade. Shining Star is the true story of what happens when real life exceeds your dreams, when the power and pain of building a legacy brings both joy and faithtesting challenges. (use link shown below)
www.booksamillion.com/p/How-Poor-Can-Save-Capitalism/John-Hope-Bryant/9781626560321?id=5983828402393 www.amazon.com/Shining-Star-Braving-Elements-Earth/dp/0670785881 110 June 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Calendar June 25th BBA 40th Annual Awards Dinner Plan to attend the Annual Salute Conference and Awards Luncheon. Participation and sponsorship information is available at www.bbala. org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org. See page xx.
July 7th-8th Bill Pickett International Rodeo Held at the Industry Hills Expo Center. Information and tickets are available at www.billpickettrodeo. com. See page 54.
31st-August 1st Annual MED Week Conference Attend the 2014 MED Week Conference "Connecting Business with Opportunity," being held at the Washington Hilton, Washington, DC. Information is available at www.medweek.mbda.gov. See page 22.
August 7th-8th Asian Development Bank Forum The U.S. Commercial Service is offering an educational/networking forum in Los Angeles, CA. Information is available at www.adb.org. See page 50.
21st
TBA BBA Business Entrepreneur Training Institute Conducted in partnership with the Business Division of West Los Angeles College. The 15-week training program prepares the serious entrepreneur for operating a highly successful business. Participation fee is $75 and includes a one-year BBA membership and a certificate of completion. For information visit www.bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala. org. See page 71
October 23rd BBA 2014 Procurement Exchange Summit The Summit, Conference and Luncheon will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles. For informaion on how to participate in the exchange, attend the conference, and the benefits of sponsorship visit www.bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org. See page 52. ď ƒ
Ron Brown Business & Economic Summit - Women's Symposium The 2014 Conference theme is "Success Above the Glass Ceiling." The conference is being held at the Marriott Los Angeles Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. Information is available at www.medweek.mbda.gov. See page 29.
September www.export.gov/SAUDIARABIA/Magic2014/index.asp
Resources Media Africa Interactive Multimedia Press/Content Agency in Africa www.africa-interactive.com Africa World Press Books www.africaworldpressbooks.com African Vibes Magazine www.africanvibes.com The African World www.theafricanworld.tv Africast TV www.africast.tv AllAfrica http://allafrica.com Black Wall Street Times http://bwstimes.com Black Business News Group www.blackbusinessnews.net Black Press USA www.blackpressusa.com BridesNoir www.bridesnoir.com CuisineNoir www.cuisinenoirmag.com DiasporaVoice www.blogtalkradio.com/diasporavoice Publish Africa http://wow.gm/publishafrica Rock Me Africa //rockmeafrica.com
www.causecast.com www.causecastfornonprofits.com Continental African Chamber of Commerce www.continentalacc.org Pan African Film Festival www.paff.org United African Organization http://uniteafricans.org Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce www.zambiausachamber.org
Investment/Development Africa Reports www.africareports.com African Development Bank www.afdb.org African Export - Import Bank //afreximbank.com/afrexim/en AfrigadgetTV www.afrigadget.com The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke YouTube Educational Channels http://teacherswithapps.com/197-educational-youtube-channels-know Ventures www.ventures-africa.com
U.S. Government
Organizations Africa Leadership Forum http://africaleadership.org The African Union www.au.int/en Black Business Association www.bbala.org CauseCast
Commerce Department www.doc.gov International Trade Administration http://trade.gov Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov Small Business Administration www.sba.gov State Department www.dos.gov White House www.whitehouse.gov
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