Daytona Times - July 4, 2013

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Local doctor to serve on Residency Review Committee for Family Medicine

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LEE A. DANIELS: Supreme Court Justices show PRESORTED STANDARD true colors during recent decisions See page 4

See page 3

East Central Florida’s Black Voice www.daytonatimes.com www.daytonatimes.com

JULY 4 - JULY 10, 2013

YEAR 38 NO. 27

Sale of lots catches residents by surprise

PEOPLE SPEAK

Public will learn this summer when they can bid on Midtown land

BY JAMES HARPER DAYTONA TIMES harperjames59@yahoo.com

Since the Daytona Times reported last month that the city of Daytona Beach plans to sell 53 parcels of land in the predominantly Black Midtown, many residents were upset that they were not notified that such a major sale was taking place before commissioners voted to sell the properties.

Dr. Evelyn Bethune told the Daytona Times had she not read about the sale of the properties in the newspaper she and others in the Black community may not have had an opportunity to bid on the parcels of land.

Daytona Beach Redevelopment Director Reed A. Berger recently told the Times, “When the RFP (request for proposal) is released all that information will be available to the public at the same time through public notice, including who and where.”

Public notice coming Reed also said he would look into publishing a public notice

advertisement in the Times.

“Now that we have approval to dispose of property, we are in process of preparing a request for proposal for the buildable properties that will be published later this summer. People can bid on the parcels when the public notice is published,” he said.

Many of the properties on the list did not have an address.

Berger said locations of properties are by parcel number provided by county appraiser’s records. Both the city and county have interactive maps that can show these property locations when the parcel number is entered.

Some not buildable Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry he supported selling the properties back to the public because it could at least mean that the new property owner will build something – a business or a home – on the property.

Berger said in a memo to City Manager Jim Chisholm they wanted the city officials to approve a resolution that “allows the CRA and city to consider sale for far less than the fair market value.”

Only two properties on the list are from the Main Street area and one from downtown, which means most on the list of properties proposed to be declared sur-

plus are from Midtown.

Eight lots up for sale, according to Berger’s memo to Chisholm, are “not buildable (and) should be offered to the adjacent property owners for purchase.”

Thirty-eight of the lots are residential and suitable to be redeveloped in accordance with the respective Community Redevelopment Area master plans.

The memo also said four lots are not buildable but can be combined together and sold as buildable lots.

Three lots are commercial to Midtown and suitable to be redeveloped in accordance to the Midtown Redevelopment Plan.

Local NAACP, state branches addressing Court decision on Voting Rights Act

Daytona International Speedway

BY JAMES HARPER DAYTONA TIMES harperjames59@yahoo.com

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Week for fireworks, races Fans clamor to photograph driver Jeff Gordon before the start of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2012. This year’s race takes place Saturday.

See story about the grand marshals on page 8.

New law could make ‘annoying’ cop a felony

BY CYRIL JOSH BARKER NNPA NEWS SERVICE

If you’re thinking about teasing a police officer in the state of New York, think again. A new law passed by the state Senate could land you in prison for up to four years if you are found “aggravating” a cop.

The law, originally proposed by upstate Republican Sen. Joseph Griffo, passed in the Senate last month. The purpose of the law is “to establish the crime of aggravated harassment of a police officer or peace officer and make such crime a class E felony.”

“Police officers all across this state put their lives on the line every day to protect

the people of New York. New York state must establish laws and toughen existing laws that protect the police from becoming victims of criminals,” Griffo outlines in the bill. “Far too many law enforcement officers are being harassed, injured, even killed while honoring their commitment to protect and serve this state.”

No harassing The bill is set go to the Assembly, and if passed, it would take effect in November. In further detail, aggravating a police officer includes harassing, annoying, threatening or alarming. It also includes striking, kicking, shoving or other physical contact.

“Professionally, I am grateful to see this bill pass through the Senate. Our police officers have a very dangerous job and need the support of our government leaders to help make them safe,” said Utica Police Department Chief Mark Williams.

“All too often, persons are physically challenging police officers in the line of duty. Currently, in those instances where an officer is physically attacked [short of

sustaining a physical injury], the lawful charge is only a violation.”

Turbulent time Critics of the law say that it opens the floodgates for the officers, especially the NYPD, to come down on citizens. The law comes up during a turbulent time in the city, as the Community Safety Act proposed by the City Council could bring changes to the NYPD. “As far as I can tell, injuring and killing police officers in unjustified situations is already illegal. Thus, the point of this law cannot possibly be to prevent that from happening, as there are already laws in place for that purpose,” said legal expert Georgia Sand from the University of California, Los Angeles.

“This would the same as saying that a law against annoying/pestering/harassing women should be passed because too many women are being raped and killed.

The former simply has nothing to do with the latter.”

This story is special to the NNPA from the New York Amsterdam News.

Daytona Beach NAACP President Cynthia Slater participated in a media teleconference last week called by the Florida State Conference of the NAACP to discuss the impact U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. “While the Supreme Court decision has sidelined the Voting Rights Act, the fight is not over and the game is still on,” stated NAACP Florida State Conference Presi- Cynthia dent Adora Obi Nweze.

Slater “Florida units are mobilized to encourage our local, state, and national elected leaders to put politics aside and develop a new formula, as suggested by the Supreme Court Ruling, that protects the vote for all citizens.”

She added, “The Su- Adora preme Court of the Unit- Obi Nweze ed States, as Justice Ruth Ginsburg stated, ‘erred egregiously.’ ’’

Five counties affected Slater said the Supreme Court’s decision is a heart-piercing decision that will have negative ramifications on voters.

“As you may know, Florida is certainly affected because five counties are subjected to section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,” Slater explained.

Under the provision that the court struck down, nine states and the city councils and local governments within them were required to obtain advance approval from Washington before changing their rules on voting and elections, a process known as “pre-clearance.” In Florida, affected counties were Hillsborough, Monroe, Collier, Hardee and Hendry.

“Voters in this state will be adversely affected by this ruling,’’ Slater added.

Plan for branches She noted that branches have been charged to do a number of things that include: • Appeal to Florida’s congressional representatives to restore the statute in the event it is reviewed; • Be proactive with the Florida LegisPlease see NAACP, Page 2

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JULY 4 – JULY 10, 2013

Deltona sponsoring drive for OneBlood

PETE MAROVICH/MCT

Jessica Pickens, 19, of Chicago stands with fellow voting rights activists outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, the day the court ruled on the Voting Rights Act striking down portions of the law.

Rural voters may feel actions of Supreme Court more keenly

BY ARIEL HART ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/ MCT

ATLANTA — Florence Baggs, an African-American nurse and school board member in rural Long County, Ga., was working at her clinic desk when she got the phone call last year from the U.S. Department of Justice. The county commission’s newly drawn districts would dilute Black voting strength, the caller said, and there was another way.

Within months, the lines were redrawn. A new, Black commission member, recruited by Baggs, was elected to office.

Last week, the Supreme Court removed the Justice Department’s authority to “preclear” voting procedures throughout Georgia and other southern states. The agency’s lawyers will no longer play watchdog, objecting to election changes that, in their analysis, would hinder racial and ethnic minorities’ ability to elect the candidates of their choice. Enacting such hindrances is still illegal, but the people who feel wronged will have to take their grievances to the courts.

That may lead to high-profile lawsuits in urban hubs such as Fulton County and in state capitols. But many civil rights experts say it’s less likely in places such as Long County, which are far from the big-city hives of lawyers, television stations and advocacy groups. People in rural counties are less likely to have the expertise and money required, they say.

Not as much scrutiny As in Long County, they may not even know that a change is discriminatory.

“In rural areas, there just isn’t as much under-the-microscope scrutiny,” said Gerry Hebert, a private lawyer who worked at the Justice Department for 21 years.

“I’m very concerned, especially as the Hispanic population is really growing rapidly across Southern states in these rural areas,” said Matt Barreto, a political scientist and co-founder of Latino Decisions, a Seattle-based research firm.

For the nonprofit groups that take on such cases, “there’s going to be this triage,” Barreto said, with changes that affect big populations getting more focus.

Looking at it from the other side, the vast majority of jurisdictions, which have never been flagged by the Justice Department, won’t have to spend taxpayers’ money to prepare the documents required by the preclearance process.

And no one will build up a resentment, feeling tarred with the same brush as the bigots who once used poll taxes, literacy tests, police dogs, fire hoses and worse to keep Black people from voting.

“Things have changed drastically,” said June Merritt, the White commission chairwoman of Early County, which hasn’t been flagged in decades. Merritt, who has lived in the county all her 67 years, said voters there just elected a Black commissioner and a Black sheriff, and she gives both good reviews.

“I think it’s just useless,” she said of the preclearance requirement. The county will still take care to be equitable in its voting policies, she said. “It’s not something that we would take lightly.”

12 cases since 2000 For nearly 50 years, since Con-

gress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the Justice Department’s legal machine churned. Every time a government in Georgia or eight other mostly Southern states proposed a voting change — the shape of districts, the location of polling places, the dates of elections — agency analysts would consult demographic maps and invite local people to comment.

The intent of those proposing the change wasn’t always relevant; if the analysts found that it had a discriminatory effect, the department would reject it.

Over the years the agency stopped more than 170 voting-related changes in Georgia.

While the ones drawing the most attention often involved the entire state, such as the voter verification system, the agency intervened in 111 individual counties, towns and school districts, the vast majority far from metro Atlanta.

The 12 cases since 2000 almost all involved outlying counties with higher poverty rates and lower percentages of college graduates than the state as a whole.

“Most of the tactics that are being used to disenfranchise voters and dilute the strength of the vote are taking place in these rural counties,” said Edward DuBose, president of the Georgia state conference of the NAACP. “People are not as educated on issues.”

Honest mistakes?

Some cases arose from apparently honest mistakes; a few involved long-running, poisonous political battles with racial overtones.

Henry Cook was elected to the Randolph County school board in 1993 from a district with a strong majority of Black voters.

Cook, who is Black, was soon at loggerheads with White board members over a range of issues.

The next time the districts were redrawn, the district line went right through his property. Since then, Cook’s lawyer estimates that the pre-clearance requirement has kept Cook in office four times, as county officials tried different maneuvers to challenge his residency in the district.

One of Cook’s nemeses, county lawyer Tommy Coleman, says the battle is political, not racial, with Blacks and Whites on both sides.

He paints Cook as a bad manager and petty tyrant who has been jailed for limiting his fellow school board members’ participation at meetings.

Changes often subtle Coleman agrees that poverty and lack of education exacerbate the potential for abuses in rural areas, but he said that cuts both ways.

“One of the ways that Henry Cook and others are able to hold onto power is that their constituents are so undereducated, so poor, that they’re easily led,” Coleman said.

In a case such as Cook’s it’s easy to see what the fuss is about.

But in many if not most cases, experts say, potentially discriminatory changes are far more subtle.

Minutes before the Supreme Court decision was announced, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said, “Georgia does not need to be under the supervision of the Department of Justice for everything that we do, including such minute things as moving a polling place from one side of the street to the other.”

But that’s exactly the kind of thing that can make a huge difference, said DuBose of the NAACP. In 1995 the Justice Department rejected Jenkins County’s plans for a new polling place. The old one was in a Black neighborhood with sidewalks, crosswalks and streetlights, easily reached by the 38 percent of Black households that owned no car.

To replace it, the county chose a place outside the city limits with no sidewalks on a 55-mph highway, presumably no problem for the 96 percent of white households with a car.

No one has suggested that Georgia will revert to the terror and pervasive intimidation of the Jim Crow South. But DuBose said people who live in big cities don’t really understand how far back other places could go.

“We’ve got schools having segregated proms,” he said. “We still deal with a mass of people who would easily see this as a victory for the Jim Crow era.”

The Supreme Court majority was not swayed by such doomsaying. Instead, the majority opinion stressed the “dramatic” changes since 1965 including surging levels of black voter registration.

Came with a cost In Long County, Black former commissioner David Richardson recalls that in his parents’ day, the county boss made sure people went to a cookout instead of the polling place on Election Day. That’s long past, he said, and he was elected by a district split between Whites, Blacks and Latinos before a more popular White opponent unseated him last year.

But having the Justice Department in the mix definitely made a difference for the county’s Black voters, he said.

When the county held elections under the lines the Justice Department had questioned, an all-White commission resulted.

In the election that followed the federally mandated re-drawing, the Black candidate recruited by Florence Baggs won a seat.

“Most people wouldn’t have the money to hire a lawyer to bring a lawsuit,” Richardson said.

“They wouldn’t know who to contact, what it takes when there is a violation.”

For her part, Baggs says she wasn’t dissatisfied with the White incumbent she helped to unseat.

“When I went to him for any kind of issue he listened,” she said.

In this case, she said, the implementation of the Voting Rights Act also came with a cost. “I feel that it created some tension,” Baggs said. “It probably was good and bad.”

Got something done Jeanette Johnson, a retired school custodian and AfricanAmerican who lives in the district in question, is less equivocal. The new Black commissioner is the only one she’s ever met. He came out campaigning this year and asked what her issues were.

When he won, he delivered: County crews recently dug a drainage ditch along a county road that used to flood her yard.

She says that before the election her son-in-law twice went to county staff, trying to get the drainage fixed, to no avail.

Black officials will take more interest in Black constituents’ issues, Johnson said.

“They will,” she said. “They will.”

The City of Deltona is sponsoring a blood drive for OneBlood from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 12. A mobile collection unit will be in the parking lot at City Hall, 2345 Providence Blvd.

Donors will receive a Fandango movie ticket; a $5 gift card to Outback Steakhouse; a 50 percent off voucher to Papa John’s Pizza (Deltona location only); a seven-day sports pass to LA Fitness, Orange City; and a mini physical with cholesterol screening. Donors that give twice between by Sept. 30 will receive a free steak dinner courtesy of Outback Steakhouse and be entered to win Outback for a year.

All Alyx donors will receive a $10 Darden Restaurants gift card in the mail. The Alyx Component Collection System uses automated technology to safely collect double the amount of red blood cells versus regular whole blood donation.

Giving blood is simple and easy. The entire process, from completing a short medical history to drawing the blood and resting afterward with refreshments, takes less than an hour. Blood donation is safe and painless and healthy people can donate every

eight weeks.

To donate, you must be in good health, be 18 years of age or older, weigh at least 102 pounds and bring a photo identification card. Sixteen and 17-year-olds may donate with parental consent.

About OneBlood On Jan. 27, 2012 three of Florida’s independent, not-for-profit blood centers, Community Blood Centers of Florida, Inc., Florida’s Blood Centers, Inc. and Florida Blood Services, Inc. came together and OneBlood, Inc. was established.

More than a year of collaboration and extensive planning among the three organizations led to the creation of OneBlood — an innovative blood center.

The service area of OneBlood includes the Tampa Bay area, South and Southeast Florida, the Orlando-metro area and surrounding Central Florida counties, parts of Southwest Florida, Pensacola and Tallahassee and some parts of Southern Georgia and Alabama.

For more information on blood donation, visit oneblooddonor.org.

Community Calendar To list your community event FREE, e-mail us at news@daytonatimes.com. No phone calls or faxes, please. Events are listed on a space-available basis, and in the sole discretion of the Daytona Times staff. Effective immediately, paid events will no longer be listed in the Daytona Times Community Calendar. You can advertise local events for as little as $35 per week. Call 813-319-0961 or email sales@daytonatimes for more information.

Compiled by the Daytona Times Committee to discuss Veterans Memorial Bridge Volusia County’s Project Advisory Committee will meet from 5 to 6 p.m. July 9 to review four proposed bridge types for the Veterans Memorial Bridge replacement. The meeting will be in the board room of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, 126 E. Orange Ave., Daytona Beach. Public input will be welcomed at the end of the meeting. More information: Contact Rebecca Zawadski of Ghyabi & Associates at rzawadski@ghyabi.com or 386-677-5499, ext. 246.

Animal Control board to meet July 10 Volusia County’s Animal Control Advisory Board will meet from 9 to 11 a.m. July 10 at the Emergency Operations and Sheriff’s Communications Center, 3825 Tiger Bay Road, Daytona Beach. The public is invited to attend and participate in the meeting. For more information, contact Shari Williams at 386-3233522, ext. 1211.

COGIC convocation starts July 9 Gospel music legend Bishop Rance Allen will appear at the annual Holy Convocation of the Church of God in Christ of East Central Florida.

This event will take place July 9-12 at the Plaza Resort and Spa, 600 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach.

This event is free and open to the public. Service times are nightly at 7 p.m. Seminars will be held daily, Wednesday through Friday at 10 a.m. More information: Call Butts

NAACP from Page 1 lature and governor so that they don’t reinstitute voter suppression techniques; • Think proactively as to what can be done to encourage people to vote, i.e., voter education/ registration and participation; • Direct action in the form of marches, etc. to ensure that no laws will be passed that will “set us back;’’ • Create a formula that will ensure citizens are protected in the voting process; • Organize the community to include partners in order to wage the fight.

About the case On Feb. 27, the United States Supreme Court heard the case of Shelby County, Alabama v.

Holder, which challenged the constitutionality of the “pre-

Temple COGIC at 386-252-8565 or visit http://www.bmtcogic.org/.

Flagler GED program starts July 8 The Road to Success is taking applications for the next semester that starts July 8t. It is a free GED prep and life skills training program designed to help out-of-school youth ages 16-21 become members of the workforce. More information: Brian Willard, program manager at 386-437-8279.

Reading program starts at center Children in grades 1 to 5 can learn and laugh this summer at the John H. Dickerson Heritage Library, 411 S. Keech St., Daytona Beach.

Reading logs are available for the popular summer reading program.

Children can enter a prize drawing every time they finish a book. Special programs begin at 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

Food addiction meetings weekly Addicts In Recovery Anonymous can help those who suffer from food obsession, overeating, undereating and bulimia. It is based upon the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

There are no dues, fees or weighins at meetings. There is a weekly meeting every Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at United Presbyterian Church, 730 Beville Road, Daytona Beach. Call 386-258-0610 for additional information or visit www. foodaddicts.org. clearance” provisions of the Voting Rights Act. The NAACP submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Attorney General Holder and the Voting Rights Act. On June 25, the Supreme Court issued its decision in which the Court did not invalidate the principle that preclearance can be required.

It held that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which sets out the formula that is used to determine which state and local jurisdictions must comply under Section 5’s preapproval requirement, is unconstitutional and can no longer be used.

“Although Section 5 survives, it will have no actual effect unless and until Congress can enact a new statute to determine who should be covered by it.

This means that there is no longer a mechanism in place to prevent states with a history of voter disenfranchisement from enacting such laws,” said Hilary Shelton, the director at the NAACP’s Washington Bureau.

JULY 4 – JULY 10, 2013

Local doctor to serve on Residency Review Committee for Family Medicine SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Dr. Tanya Anim, a resident physician participating in Halifax Health’s Family Medicine Residency Program, has been selected to serve on the Residency Review Committee for Family Medicine.

The Residency Review Committee is appointed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to oversee all Family Medicine Residency Programs in the United States in order to ensure that accreditation standards are being met and that all residents benefit from training of the highest quality.

Anim, who is completing the first year of her two-year term on the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Family MedDr. Tanya icine, says, “This is an exAnim citing time at the ACGME with the implementation of the Next Accreditation System (NAS) and I am fortunate to be on the RRC as Family Medicine is making the transition to the NAS.” She adds, “Since I began my term I have had the humbling opportunity to give input regarding the pending updated Family Medicine Program Requirements and I also served on the subcommittee that authored the Family Medi-

cine Milestones. It has been a tremendous honor to serve the public and family medicine residents across the nation in this capacity.”

Degree from FSU Anim began her residency at Halifax Health in 2010 after receiving a medical doctor degree from the Florida State University College of Medicine. She served as chief resident for the Halifax Health Family Medicine Residency Program from 2012-2013.

In 2012, she received the American Academy of Family Physicians/BristolMyers Squibb Award for Excellence in Graduate Education. Her goal is to pursue a career practicing the full-scope of family medicine, including obstetrics, providing comprehensive, compassionate, patient-centered care to those in underserved areas.

“Dr. Amim is a shining example of the quality of the physicians selected to participate in our residency program,” says Ed Prevatte, MD, program director for the Family Medicine Residency Program.

The Halifax Health Family Medicine Residency Program is affiliated with the Department of Family Medicine of the University of South Florida College of Medicine and the Florida State University College of Medicine.

Splash N Dash Aquathlon taking place in Palm Coast

their achievement, regardless of their finishing time, and all participants will receive a metal.

Participants must be able to swim.

The “swim” portion will take place at Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool; the “run” portion will take place at Belle Terre Park field.

The Splash N Dash Aquathlon, a free, non-competitive swimming and running event for children 5 to 15, will be held beginning at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, July 6, at Belle Terre Park and Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool, 339 Parkview Drive, Palm Coast. Check-in and packet-pickup will begin at 8:15 a.m.

Participation is free, but pre-registration is required by July 5. Register no later than Friday, July 5, at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy. NE, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed July 4), or at the pool during operating hours (10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m.

Sunday).

All participants will be awarded for

Ages 5 and 6: Swim 25 yards (1 lap) and Run (.25 mile) Ages 7 and 8: Swim 50 yards (2 laps) and Run (.50 mile) Ages 9 and 10: Swim 75 yards (3 laps) and Run (.75 mile) Ages 11-15: Swim 100 yards (4 laps) and Run (1 mile) Participants may wear U.S. Coast Guard-certified life jackets. The swim portion of the event will be conducted in the deep end. To get swim testapproved, participants must visit the Frieda Zamba Swimming Pool on Friday, July 5, between 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to take the swim test. Participants must wear sneakers for the run.

Refreshments will be provided after the Splash N Dash.

For more information, call the pool at 386-986-4741.

Race distances

COMMUNITY M ANEWS YOR

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DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

B-CU alumni honor ‘Creamy’ Hayes Former Daytona Beach City Commissioner Edward H. “Creamy” Hayes was presented with the Presidential Outstanding Alumni Ambassador Award June 22 during the 45th Annual National Alumni Convention held June 19-23.

The Hillsborough County Alumni Chapter hosted the event in Tampa. Hayes was recognized for outstanding contributions and support of the B-CU Wildcat Band program.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN REEVES

Left to right: John Williams, past convention president: Miami chapter; Ray Brinson, current president; Hayes, who is with the Volusia County chapter; and Dr. Hiram Powell, B-CU Provost of Academic Affairs.

BRIEFS County Council plans ECHO workshop July 16 The Volusia County Council will hold a workshop to discuss the Volusia ECHO program at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the Lifeguard Headquarters and Administration Center, 515 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach.

Members will review input from community listening sessions in May and June that gave residents an opportunity to comment about the program’s future.

Public participation will be welcomed at the end of the meeting.

For more information, call the County Manager’s office at 386-736-5920.

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County plans guided hikes of Hickory Bluff, Heart Island Grab your binoculars and put on your hiking boots. Environmental specialists will lead guided hikes through two of Volusia County’s most popular conservation lands in July.

• Hickory Bluff Preserve: 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 20. Hikers will experience diverse Florida habitats including pine flatwoods, xe-

ric oak hammock, cypress dome and swamp. They’ll also walk along the shoreline of the St. Johns River.

Meet at 598 Guise Road, Osteen.

• Heart Island Conservation Area: 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 27. Walk through this sandhill plant community and learn about the land’s agricultural history and restoration. Meet at the conservation area’s entrance on Lake Winona Road near Barberville.

The free outdoor adventures are led by Volusia County’s Environmental Management Division.

Reservations are required and may be made by contacting Bonnie Cary at bcary@volusia.org or 386736-5927, ext. 21263.

Participants are encouraged to bring water and insect spray and wear comfortable clothes and walking or hiking shoes.

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Teens can explore ancient Egypt at Daytona Beach library July 18

Teens and ‘tweens can explore the mysteries of the Sphinx, King Tut and the pyramids at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. Librarian Kim Dolce and Library Assistant Kelly Balao will lead the free program, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Snacks will be provided.

The event is part of the library’s summer teen series, “Beneath the Surface.”

For more information, contact Dolce at kdolce@volusia.org or 386-257-6036, ext. 16315.

The library is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Learn about other upcoming library events at www. volusialibrary.org.

the water distribution system beginning July 15. The treatment is done to improve water quality.

The scheduled completion date of the treatment and flushing is no later than Monday, Aug. 26.

During this six-week period, the city will be changing its disinfectant residual to free chlorine. The water will be safe to drink. However, some customers may notice a slight difference in the taste of the water.

Besides the Port Orange Distribution System, this treatment will cover Harbor Oaks, Allandale, Ponce Inlet, Wilbur by the Sea, and Daytona Beach Shores down to Thames Avenue.

If you have any questions regarding this procedure, contact the Port Orange Water Treatment Plant at 386-506-5770. Information on the procedure can be found under the Public Utilities section of the city’s website at www.port-orange.org.

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Port Orange to conduct annual treatment of water system The Port Orange Utilities Department will perform its annual flushing of

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Master gardeners to offer free learning programs Learn how to make your garden grow during a series of free programs offered by master gardeners trained by the University of Florida/Volusia County Extension.

Upcoming programs include: • Vegetable gardening: 1 to 3 p.m., July 10. Randy Spaulding will share his knowledge about growing flavorful vegetables at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. • Basic lawn care: 1 to 2 p.m., July 11. Howard Jeffries will offer simple tips to grow a lush and verdant lawn at DeBary Hall Historic Site, 198 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary.

• Plant swap and Q & A clinic: 9 to 11 a.m., July 17.

Carole Alderman and Jane Holcomb will answer questions at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, 950 Old Sugar Mill Road, Port Orange.

• Butterfly gardening: 1 to 2 p.m., July 25. Jeffries will explain how you can create a butterfly habitat with native plants at DeBary Hall Historic Site.

Reservations are not required. For more information, call the extension office at 386-822-5778.

GOSPEL HALLELUJAH WORLD WIDE RADIO MINISTRIES Hosted by: Pastor Harold Ford and Prophetess Deborah Ford LISTEN TO WPUL 1590 Saturdays 10 am -noon Sundays 5am- 7am & 1pm-3pm Listen online at: www.wpul1590.com website: www.gospelhallelujah.com

Come let the Holy Ghost Get Ya!

7 EDITORIAL

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JULY 4 – JULY 10, 2013

The Supreme Court’s true colors Last week, the Supreme Court’s conservative faction revealed more clearly than ever before its true colors. It showed that in the political war over America’s future it supports those who want to return to the exclusionary policies and practices of the past.

That this is guiding principle of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito is no surprise. But their contempt for using the law to right injustice and expand the franchise of democracy has never before been so nakedly displayed.

The conservative justices’ posture was apparent not just in the decisions narrowing affirmative action and eviscerating the key “pre-clearance” provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It showed itself as well in the court’s decision properly striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and in upholding a lower court’s ruling invalidating California’s anti-gay marriage Proposition 8.

Callous conservatism And finally, these justices’ callous conservatism was at the heart of the court’s limiting workers’ protections against harassment in the workplace. That latter decision, Vance v. Ball State University, received far less media attention than the other cases.

But, like them, it underscores the fact that, albeit the progress forged in protecting individuals’ rights, discrimination – especially against people of color, White women, and gays and lesbians – remains a constant in large and small ways.

Establishing fairness An oily pretense saturates the conservatives’ positions in the

LEE A. DANIELS NNPA COLUMNIST

Vance, Voting Rights, and affirmative action cases. They have nothing to do with racial fairness. Instead, like the notorious 1896 Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, they hide their intent to shore up White privilege behind sham notions of “colorblindness.”

It’s worth remembering that in the Plessy era, a rhetorical allegiance to color-blindness was central to racists’ assertion that the doctrine of “separate but equal” was a fair ordering of American society.

Such a notion – effectively the law of the land for the next six decades – was not only profoundly undemocratic but, operationally speaking, nonsensical. That the Plessy court accepted it provoked Charles L. Black, Jr., the White legal scholar who had allied himself with Thurgood Marshall and the Civil Rights Movement, some 60 years later to characterize the 8-to-1 majority opinion as one in which “the curves of callousness and stupidity intersect at their respective maxima.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, they’ve shown that, in fact, they have little respect for tradition and propriety.

Across the land last week Republican legislators and operatives jumped to take advantage of the conservative factions’ blows against democracy: drafting more restrictive voter-identification laws; pledging to overturn existing gay-marriage laws in the states that have them and enacting a constitutional ban on gay marriages; further undermining affirmative action via state laws and referenda; and proposing further laws restricting women’s right to decide whether to have an abortion.

Black vote more important

The conservative faction’s gift of Bush v. Gore was supposed to break Black Americans’ political spirit and influence. In fact, the Black vote became even more important as more Blacks streamed to the polls, defeating the Republican Party’s neo-Jim Crow votersuppression efforts in state after state.

Conservative actions provoke victorious progressive reactions.

That means that in terms of the Radical views future of America, blue is a “truProfessor Black’s words fit both er” color than red. the radical views of the court’s current conservative faction – and Lee A. Daniels is a longtime the increasingly overt breaches of journalist based in New York professional decorum of three of City.

His latest book is “Last them. From Thomas’ refusal to Chance: The Political Threat ask questions during cases’ oral arguments, to Scalia’s racist and to Black America.’’ Click on homophobic comments on and this story at www.daytonaoff the bench, to Alito’s misogy- times.com to write your own renistic behavior toward Justices sponse.

Is the president ‘Black’ enough?

“If you had a choice of color, which one would you choose my brother?”

– Curtis Mayfield – 1969 In the official U.S. 2010 head count, President Barack Obama provided one answer to the question about his ethnic background: African-American. Since the option was introduced in 2000, the census figures indicate that the country has 5.2 million multiracial individuals.

Americans who check more than one box for race now make up 5 percent of the minority population. It’s of note that Obama didn’t check multiple boxes that were available on the form, or choose the option that allowed him to elaborate on his racial heritage. He simply ticked the box that said “Black, African-American, or Negro.”

Though he checked the census “Black” box, is Obama “Black” like you and me? To date, Obama has paid no attention to Blacks and their economic challenges.

African-American voters are rooted in the belief that Obama’s platform and persona represent “real Black Americans.” They both may have run the streets of Chica-

WILLIAM REED BUSINESS EXCHANGE

South Side, and still lives there, and that given the escape valve of biracialism he chooses to identify as Black because of the beauty he sees in his darker self.

Each time he’s run for president, Blacks have given Obama their loyalty and votes, lock, stock, and barrel, but idealistically accept Obama’s lack of attention to Black communities and their economic plight.

go; however, it’s doubtful Obama knows about the late Curtis Mayfield and what he represented. An American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his anthem-like music, Mayfield recorded and produced “mes- Regressive mindset sage music” during the 1960s and This mindset has been regres1970s. sive for Blacks as they foolishly ignore the continuance of traDissension grows ditional discrimination practicThe “not-Black-enough” ques- es and have willingly integrated tion started when then-sena- themselves into America’s social tor and presidential candidate and political mainstream.

Obama refused to attend TavBlacks refuse to recognize is Smiley’s State of Black Ameri- America as two distinct “nations” ca forum. Smiley suggested that – one White, one Black – and acwas “the necessary Black vetting knowledge the needs of our race space” Black America required. and people and move collectiveNow, in his second term, voic- ly to shape political agendas and es of dissension about the Obama platforms toward our advantage. administration grow louder. But, William Reed is head of the the masses of African-Americans are beguiled that Obama iden- Business Exchange Network tifies as “Black.” Loyalists argue and available for speaking/ that “he married Black,” worked seminar projects through the among poor people on Chicago’s Bailey Group.org.

Black sports agents strike out with Black athletes While Black athletes dominate football and basketball, and have a major presence in baseball, relatively few of them hire Black attorneys, accountants, and agents, thereby, putting as much as 5 percent of their contract amount into someone else’s economy.

For years now, we have seen this intriguing phenomenon. In 1995, Black Enterprise magazine ran an article titled “MVPs,” that shed light on this subject.

R. David Ware, noted for negotiating the largest non-quarterback (Barry Sanders) contract in the NFL, voiced his frustration about the situation this way: “It is so disheartening that so few African-Americans are given the opportunity to represent African-American players. they wear Kente cloth and talk about pride in their heritage, but when it comes to business affairs, they don’t use African-American lawyers, agents, or accountants.”

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DEEN AND SCALIA

Some White agents were crying foul when more African-Americans got into the game. In a television special, a White agent accused Black agents of “playing the race card” to get Black athletes to sign with them. He suggested Black athletes should select their agents and others who work for them solely on the basis of talent. Ironically, he was asking for a “level playing field.”

If Asian athletes comprised 70 percent of NBA players, we would see nearly 70 percent Asian agents.

A similar scenario would prevail if there were a majority of Jewish or Hispanic players. Why are we accused of playing the race card when we suggest African-American athletes hire Black agents?

I wonder how many White athletes are represented by Black agents. If we play it right, one day not only will we win the game, we win the championship.

tion’s economic system.

They are noted more for their shoe, soft drink, and fast food commercials, rather than their commitments to conscious capitalism. They have become fashion icons instead of paragons of Black empowerment.

My suggestion to one of my students who played basketball at the University of Cincinnati was to develop a relationship with a fellow student who was majoring in finance, law, or business, and hire that person as an agent when he turned professional.

There are too many Black athletes who refuse to hire other African-Americans. Considering how much money these guys earn, if they used Black professionals, it Jim Clingman, founder of Should know better would have a huge effect on the the Greater Cincinnati African You would think African-AmerAmerican Chamber of Comican college graduates would African-American economy. merce, is an adjunct professor know better. But, in my opinat the University of Cincinnati ion, they lack a consciousness Question of opportunity I know there are competent and can be reached through his that would have them act otherwise, and many have virtually no White agents out there, but as Web site, blackonomics.com. knowledge, or interest for that Ware said in the article, “It’s no Click on this story at www.daymatter, in Black business history longer a question of ability, but tonatimes.com to write your and the role they play in this na- one of opportunity.” own response.

ADAM ZYGLIS, THE BUFFALO NEWS

‘I recall having to pay a poll tax’ With its ruling on the Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court has taken the country back to a time when racial minorities were not able to participate equitably in the voting process.

The court’s decision is disgraceful to civil rights leaders and legislators who have fought to preserve equal voting rights in this country.

It reminds me of a time in our history when minorities were prevented from voting because they had to pay a “poll tax” before they could vote. The tax represented a mean-spirited and vicious way of keeping hundreds of thousands of people from voting. The objection to eliminating the poll tax was that it would allow people of color to “flood the polls.”

I recall having to pay a poll tax to vote in Texas. The practice began in my state in 1902. It did not end until 1966. During those 64 years, hundreds of thousands of our citizens were denied the right to vote, an opportunity to participate in American democracy. The federal government prohibited the use of a poll tax in national elections in 1964 with the passage of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The court’s current assault on the Voting Rights Act prevents the federal government from ensuring that states with a history of racial discrimination will not enact voting methods and procedures that will deny a very significant right and duty.

Data outdated In its ruling, the court did not alter Section 5. Instead, it ruled that the formula, detailed in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, used to determine which states should be covered by Section 5, went beyond constitutional limits and used data that was outdated. The effect of that ruling is to mute Section 5, and allow states to amend voting procedures and practices as they see fit without fear of federal intervention.

The reality is that since 2010, eight southern states passed laws designed to make voting more cumbersome for racial minorities. Various civil rights organizations and entities such as the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispan-

REP. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON NNPA GUEST COLUMNIST

ic Caucus have consistently opposed the elimination of federal involvement in local elections.

Recently, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge said that without Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act minority voters would suffer.

Efforts to lessen the impact of the minority vote in Texas have been egregious. Last summer, a federal court in Washington stated that a redistricting map enacted by the Republican controlled legislature was “purposefully discriminatory.”

In the spring of 2012, the Texas NAACP and Mexican American Legislative Caucus of the Texas House of Representatives went to federal court to stop the state from requiring a photo ID in state elections. A federal court agreed, finding that the law violated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Now, the Texas Attorney General says he is going go to the photo ID requirement in place.

Perpetuating our democracy Simply stated, the Voting Rights Act is the perpetuation of our democracy. We are a great country because all of our citizens have the right to exercise the right to vote without fear of intimidation.

Congress must now come together to do what we all know is the right thing to do. We must once again make the Voting Rights Act a principled piece of legislation that protects all of our citizens, regardless of race, class, or religious preference.

This is why we are Americans.

This is fundamental to our freedom.

Congresswoman Johnson represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas. Click on this story at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

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JULY 4 – JULY 10, 2013

PERSONAL M FINANCE AYOR

5 7

DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

There’s still time to get a good deal on house use any savings to improve your ‘You are in a historifinancial situation, such as paying off high-interest loans or incally low interest rate vesting in home improvements to increase the value of your home. environment since the 1920s. You may not get After closing Once you have a new mortthe 50-year low, but you gage or have refinanced your existing mortgage, keep these tips can get the 47-year low.’ in mind:

Mortgage rates are rising, but it’s not too late to cash in

BY NEDRA RHONE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/MCT

By now you’ve heard the news: Mortgage rates are on the rise.

By the end of June, the average 30-year mortgage rate was reported to be above 4 percent.

The news has left many prospective homebuyers and refinancers worried that they’re too late. “Everyone has been waiting for the bottom and sitting on the sidelines,” said Steven Alexander.

“But no one knows how far the bottom is until we have passed it.”

Alexander, who is president of Private Mortgage Services in Atlanta and has 25 years’ experience, said all isn’t lost.

“Rates don’t go up vertically and come down vertically. In the coming weeks and months, there will be dips back down,” he said.

At the same time, catching a dip need not be a goal. “You are in a historically low interest rate environment since the 1920s. You may not get the 50-year low, but you can get the 47-year low.”

What to consider Bottom line: There still is time

Steven Alexander

President, Private Mortgage Services

Don’t let the past stand in your way, says mortgage expert Steven Alexander. If you tried to refinance and were denied, try again, he said. Now that many foreclosures and short sales have filtered through the system, homes that didn’t appraise well six months ago may have a different result now, giving you the equity needed to refinance. to buy a home or refinance a mortgage at fairly low rates, and buyers can take comfort in knowing that most property values have nowhere to go but up. Here are some things to consider before making a mortgage move: Have a steady source of income. “You need to feel comfortable that you have a job that is going to continue,” Alexander said. But also know that to refi-

nance your home, you no longer need to have two years of steady employment, unless you are selfemployed.

Don’t let the past stand in your way. If you tried to refinance and were denied, try again, he said.

Now that many foreclosures and short sales have filtered through the system, homes that didn’t appraise well six months ago may have a different result now, giv-

ing you the equity needed to refinance.

Get the right mortgage for you. A 10-year fixed-rate mortgage is great if you can manage it, but overcommitting to an aggressive payoff strategy will hurt your cash flow. And as the saying goes, you can’t eat bricks.

Run the numbers. Josh Moffitt, founder and president of Atlanta-based Silverton Mortgage Specialists, said people are often too quick to refinance. If you’re only a few years into a long-term fixed mortgage, you may or may not save by refinancing. A breakeven calculation can help: Take the number of months left on the loan times the payment compared to the number of months on the new loan times that payment. Consider how you might

Pay off or reduce non-tax deductible debt before mortgage debt. Mortgage interest, Alexander said, still is tax-deductible.

Getting rid of it entirely may not be your smartest financial move.

Pay off higher interest debts first if you can and put a freeze on any additional debt until you have it under control.

Prioritize investments. Contributing to your 401(k) or IRA, for example, is as important as trying to pay off your mortgage early. Don’t shortchange your future by focusing solely on getting rid of your mortgage or, worse, by using retirement funds for a payoff.

Make extra payments when possible. Once you have a mortgage, reduce your interest payments by making one extra payment on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1. You’ll save on interest and could pay off the mortgage in less than 21 years.

Thousands of borrowers to get mortgage payments reduced NEW YORK – Starting this week, hundreds of thousands of struggling borrowers could be in for a pleasant surprise: a quick and easy way to get their mortgage payments back on track -- and save considerable money.

Through a new effort called the Streamlined Modification Initiative, borrowers with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who are at least 90 days behind on payments will start receiving offers from lenders to lower their mortgage payments.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie and Freddie, won’t say how many delinquent homeowners will receive the modifications, but the Mortgage Bankers Association reported in May that about 1.1 million borrowers are behind on their loans by three payments or more. Not all of those mortgage holders have Fannie or Freddie loans, however.

sure prevention efforts, such as the Home Affordable Modification Program, which was launched in March, 2009.

Unlike those previous efforts, however, the Streamlined Modification Initiative won’t require borrowers to file any financial paperwork. Instead, they just need to make the new payments for a trial period of three months and then the modification becomes permanent.

FHFA said the extensive paperwork and procedures that other foreclosure prevention initiatives require has been a major obstacle in getting people the help they need. Paperwork gets lost, borrowers are asked to provide documents over and over again, and evaluating a borrower’s eligibility can be time consuming.

“This is a no-brainer and should have been done years ago,” said David Berenbaum, who coordinates fair housing and fair lending compliance initiatives for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a non-profit focused on fighting foreclosures.

Major obstacle

Ends in 2015

FHFA claims to have helped 2.7 million borrowers keep their homes through its other foreclo-

Lenders will lower a borrower’s monthly payments by either extending the term of the loan – usu-

BY LES CHRISTIE CNN

HYOSUB SHIN/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/MCT

Marquita Shealey, right, washes dishes as her daughter Gabriel Blount plays at their home last year in Lithonia, Ga. The first-time homebuyer was having a tough time after the Lithonia house she bought lost more than half its value in two years. ally from 30 to 40 years – and reducing the interest rate. The new program falls short of reducing the principal on the loan, a move FHFA acting director Edward DeMarco has consistently blocked.

Nevertheless, the changes could mean big savings for anyone with a high-rate loan who was unable to refinance to the historically low rates of the past couple of years.

Modifying a 30-year,

BlackBerry on Tuesday unveiled the Q5, a lowercost, brightly colored smartphone aimed at emerging markets.

COURTESY OF BLACKBERRY

End may be near for BlackBerry

BY JULIANNE PEPITONE CNN

NEW YORK – The death knells are sounding for BlackBerry.

“It is not the end of the road for BlackBerry, but it may be close,” wrote BGC analyst Colin Gilllis in a

haiku to investors.

BlackBerry continues to struggle to sell phones. The former smartphone giant said last week it shipped just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in its fiscal first quarter, and the company reported a surprise loss.

Shares promptly lost near-

ly 30% of their value.

If the next few quarters echo this one, BlackBerry’s dreams of once again becoming relevant in a market it once dominated will be destroyed. Over the past several years, BlackBerry’s smartphone platform market share has been surpassed by Apple, Google and even Microsoft.

“The [stock] drop of 30 percent after that report shows how desperate the situation has become,” said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Be-

lus Capital Advisors. “The market is telling you there is something fundamentally wrong with the company and you need a major fix.”

Sozzi thinks that move should be a sale of BlackBerry, or at least some of its assets.

Owns lucrative patents Despite its struggles in hardware, BlackBerry does possess other valuable resources that could make it attractive to potential buyers.

$200,000 loan with a 5.5 percent rate to a 40-year term with a 4 percent rate will reduce the monthly payment to $835 from $1,135 – a $300 difference.

The loans must be at least 12 months old, bor-

rowers can’t be more than 24 months behind on payments and their principal balances must be 80 percent or more of the value of their homes. The new program is scheduled to last until Aug. 1, 2015.

BlackBerry owns a trove of lucrative patents, which is a huge advantage in the competitive – and litigious – smartphone field. The company’s several enterprise software solutions, including a newly announced security platform for iOS and Android, could be another strong source of revenue. And BlackBerry’s reputation endures as a company that specializes in that strong mobile security.

It also has an impressive $3.1 billion in cash on hand.

That portfolio could be attractive to a big rival like Microsoft, Apple or Samsung.

“We believe BlackBerry’s biggest assets remain in its patents and its cash,” wrote Kevin Smithen, an analysts at Macquarie Capital, in a research note on June 28.

“We think the likely end game for BlackBerry is a break-up for liquidation at a lower price.”

as it continues to pin hopes on its current strategy of wooing back customers with its improved smartphone lineup.

Yet some believe the end isn’t quite as near as you’d think for BlackBerry.

The company as it stands now isn’t a great fit for any one suitor, says Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. That could complicate a potential sale.

“I don’t think owning the brand, or even owning the whole company, is something anyone would consider,” said Milanesi. “I can see them picking and choosing. The BlackBerry brand itself isn’t compelling at this point.”

Even if BlackBerry tried and failed to find a buyer – or refused to consider that option – and the downward spiral continued, the company wouldn’t disappear overnight. BlackBerry will certainly tap into its big cash hoard to continue marketing BlackBerry 10 devices.

“No matter what they do, the wrong move won’t kill you overnight, and the right move won’t save you overnight,” Milanesi said.

“It’s going to be a long, drawn-out process.”

‘Long, drawn-out process’ BlackBerry declined to comment for this story, though CEO Thorsten Heins has repeatedly said that the company is constantly considering all of its strategic options – even

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These homeowners were helped by the program. To hear their story, go to MakingHomeAffordable.gov

If you’re struggling to keep your home, there is help.

Today, many people are at risk of foreclosure through no fault of their own.

Making Home Affordable is a free program from the U.S. government that has already helped over a million struggling homeowners.

The sooner you act, the better the chance we can help you.

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JULY 4 – JULY DECEMBER 14 -10, 20,2013 2006

MHEALTH AYOR

version called Alli), was the last weight-loss drug approved by the FDA before the two new ones. It works in a different way, blocking the absorption of fats. But its distasteful side effects, including oily stools, make it unpalatable to many users.

About Belviq

SANDY HUFFAKER/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/MCT

Meg Evans stands in her living room at her home last month in Spring Valley, Calif. Evans says she has had great success with Qsymia, but only in conjunction with eating better and exercising.

There’s still skepticism about FDA-approved weight-loss drugs

BY LANDON HALL ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/MCT

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Between 1999 and 2012, the Food and Drug Administration gave its blessing to exactly zero new weight-loss drugs. Then, starting in June of last year, the agency approved two such medications, in a span of 20 days.

The FDA didn’t become a giddy cheerleader overnight. In fact, both drugs — Belviq, by Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Qsymia, by Vivus Inc. — underwent a torturous path to approval because of concerns about their safety or effectiveness.

The drugs’ approval is a statement on the nationwide epidemic of obesity more than anything else. More than one-third of American adults are obese. The FDA essentially acknowledged that, for a certain segment of the population, the remedies at hand — diet, exercise and, in extreme cases, bariatric surgery — aren’t working.

No magic pill “Obesity is such a huge problem, because it leads to so many other problems: coronary disease, arthritis, diabetes, depression,” said Dr. Rajesh Gulati, a clinical professor at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine, and the medical director at the university’s Weight Management Program. “Our health-care bills are going through the roof. If some-

body is able to produce that magic pill, that guy is going to turn into a billionaire overnight.

“That is the motivating thing that keeps these companies producing these drugs.”

Neither Belviq nor Qsymia is a magic pill. In fact, both have potential side effects severe enough that the FDA initially rejected them.

The drugs are intended not for people who simply want to lose a few pounds but for those who meet the threshold of obesity: a body-mass index of at least 30 (a person who is 6 feet tall and weighs 221 pounds has a BMI of 30), or a BMI of at least 27, along with another weight-related problem such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. The drugs are meant to be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, like healthful eating and exercising.

But clinical trials have shown they’re effective at helping people lose weight. The trick is convincing skeptical physicians, and patients, that they work well enough, and that they’re safe enough, for long-term use.

Checkered history Weight-loss aids have been around for generations, and in the 1950s, amphetamines became the rage because they sped up metabolism and produced weight loss. They also caused heart problems and created addicts.

In 1973, the FDA-approved drug fenfluramine was introduced in the United States and sold under the brand names Pondimin, Ponderax and Adifax. The drug increased the level of serotonin, a feel-good chemical in the body, producing a sensation of fullness.

The initial problem was the effects didn’t last. In the 1990s, the drug company American Home Products (which later became Wyeth) combined fenfluramine with phentermine, an appetite suppressant, and a new product, fen-phen, was born.

Fen-phen was the hot weightloss drug of the day, and thousands of people shed pounds with it. But gradually, reports started coming in about elevated hypertension readings, then damage to heart valves. In a much-publicized case, Mary J. Linnen, 30, of Quincy, Mass., became ill only 24 days after taking fen-phen in the spring of 1996. She had been trying to lose weight so she could fit into just the right wedding dress.

She died of heart problems on Feb. 22, 1997.

The drug was pulled from the market in September 1997, and the company settled thousands of lawsuits for $3.75 billion.

Others have come and gone: Sibutramine, marketed as Meridia, was withdrawn in 2010 because of high incidence of cardiovascular problems and strokes. Orlistat, marketed as Xenical (and in an over-the-counter

Belviq (pronounced bellVEEK), whose chemical name is lorcaserin, is made by San Diegobased Arena Pharmaceuticals and marketed by Japan’s Eisai Inc. It was approved by the FDA on June 27, 2012, but an agency advisory panel had rejected it in 2010 because of safety concerns.

The most common side effect is headache, which occurred in about 18 percent of patients in clinical trials, compared to 11 percent with a placebo. But a larger concern is the same kind of heart-valve problems that plagued fenfluramine. The drug also could cause hallucinations if taken in higher dosages than prescribed.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency classified the drug as a Schedule IV controlled substance, same as Qsymia. That means there’s only a slight risk of abuse. But the concern over the drug’s “hallucinogenic properties” delayed it getting to market, and it became available to the public only earlier this month.

How does Belviq work? It turns on a specific receptor that’s normally stimulated by serotonin, bringing the sensation of satiety.

“The way we went about it is the recognition that serotonin is a very important hormonal system, one of the few mechanisms that can overcome this drive,” said Dominic Behan, co-founder of Arena and the company’s chief scientific officer. “The challenge is, there are many serotonin receptors: one we wanted to target, and we wanted to avoid the others, because if we stimulated them we’d run into side effects.”

How well does it work? According to clinical trials, 47 percent of patients on the medication lost at least 5 percent of their body weight during the course of one to two years, compared with 23 percent of those on a placebo.

About Qsymia Qsymia (pronounced cueSIMM-ee-uh) is a combination of phentermine, the safer “phen” component of fen-phen, and topiramate, an anti-seizure medication that also promotes weight loss. It’s made by Mountain Viewbased Vivus.

Qsymia was approved by the FDA on July 17, 2012, three weeks after Belviq. But Qsymia got the jump on its rival because Belviq was subjected to the DEA’s scheduling process. The head start didn’t help Qsymia much, though, because it was slow to gain traction among physicians, and because insurers were reluctant to pay for it.

Since its September launch, Qsymia has cleared several hurdles: After a regulatory evaluation period, next month it will start being sold by pharmaceutical retailers; currently it’s avail-

7 able only through mail-order.

It’s also prescribed in the Veterans Affairs system. And now 34 percent of private insurance policies cover it.

How does it work? The two drugs acting together suppress appetite, and since the separate components have been prescribed previously, it’s a known commodity for physicians.

“Individually, we have years of data on them. That’s always key in terms of the comfort level,” said Dr. Christian Gastelum, an endocrinologist who treats obese patients in East Los Angeles and Whittier, Calif.

How well does it work? According to clinical-trial data, 70 percent of people taking it lost at least 5 percent of body weight, compared with only 20 percent on a placebo.

Some comparisons Although pregnant women should not take either drug, there’s a particular danger of birth defects with Qsymia, which is part of the reason the FDA initially rejected it, in 2010 (back then it was called Qnexa; the FDA asked for the name to be changed to avoid confusion with other, similarsounding branded drugs).

Vivus says women of childbearing age must use contraception while on the drug, and should take a pregnancy test once a month while on it.

Meg Evans of Spring Valley, east of San Diego, says Qsymia has helped her.

She’s 64, a former basketball player at Gonzaga University, and has struggled for years with her weight since giving birth to four daughters, now grown. At 5 feet 7, she weighed 230 pounds when she took part in Qnexa trials in 2008, and she lost 50 pounds.

Once the trial ended, she gained back 20 pounds. But since she began taking Qsymia in January, she’s lost 17 pounds.

“I fully believe diet and exercise are major factors,” she said.

“The Qsymia helps me stem my appetite, but it’s not a magic bullet. I’m pretty sure I could take the Qsymia and still not lose any weight if I didn’t watch what I eat and exercise.”

Gulati, of the UCI School of Medicine, said he expects consumers to “make a beeline” for both drugs.

“People are fed up with weight, they’d like to lose weight, they’ve tried their best, and they’re not succeeding,” he said.

But he said the way the drugs work, interacting with the “normal metabolism of the body,” is troubling. He says 5 percent weight loss, “in the grand scheme of things, is nothing.”

Then there’s that famously sketchy historical track record of weight-loss drugs.

“Fen-phen came out huge, then the side effects came in,” he said. “I’m not saying every research is cooked up, but that’s a lot of money companies are spending.”

Also, he said: “These drugs have not been tested long enough on populations that are extremely sick, and that is a problem.”

Fitness routine like Zumba can work entire core Set a regular time and place to meet. Set ground rules for when it’s acceptable to miss a session and how you’re to communicate.

Make sure your partner is equally committed.

Have common fitness goals.

Be sure you have similar fitness levels and abilities.

You can also buddy up online. For example, Zumba Fitness Core on Kinect for Xbox 360 enables you and friends to share fitness goals and work together to complete them. Buckley said that “Utilizing the game’s multiplayer feature, two-player on Kinect and four-player on Wii, you can party with friends and work out in a fun, cooperative way.”

FAMILY FEATURES

Whether you want to get your body ready for swimsuit season or stay fit during the summer months, it’s important to find a fitness routine that you can maintain. These tips will help you get motivated and keep moving for a healthier body.

Shake things up Having a variety of fitness activities works different parts of your body, keeps you engaged in the process, and ensures you have some way to exercise no matter what the weather is like.

Lifting weights, swimming, cycling, walking, dancing – there are plenty of ways to have fun as you work out.

Many people choose to include an exercise video game as part of their fitness routine. A study by the University of Calgary Exergaming Research Centre, the American Council on Exercise, and the University of Massachusetts Department of Exercise and Health Sciences found that when used at an intermediate or high intensity level, “exergaming” can improve your fitness.

And another study, commissioned by the American Council on Exercise, found that the Zumba fitness program– experienced via a game or class – can burn a significant amount of calories due to its level of cardiovascular intensity.

Reward yourself

FAMILY FEATURES

With Zumba Fitness Core, for example, when you reach certain goals, you are rewarded with lifestyle tips, achievements and bonus videos that give you a behind-the-scenes peek at the celebrity Zumba instructors featured in a game.

Total body workout “The dance-based routines within Zumba Fitness Core are specifically designed to sculpt stronger abs and provide an exhilarating total body workout,” said Liz Buckley, General Manager of the Zumba Fitness video game franchise at Majesco En-

tertainment.

“In fact, Zumba Fitness Core is the only video game on the market to target your core. With 33 different dance styles, and 40 contagious music tracks, you get an incredible amount of variety as you benefit from ‘exercise in disguise.’” Learn more at www. zumbafitnessgame.com.

Buddy up It’s harder to avoid exercising when you’ve made a commitment to someone else that you’ll be there. Partnering with a friend can make activities more fun, and you and your partner can help each other be accountable for working out.

Changing behavior is hard, but little rewards along the way can help you stay motivated. You might enjoy a new pair of walking shoes when you reach 5,000 steps a day or a new DVD after sticking to your plan for 30 days.

Set achievable goals. It won’t help you to set goals you can’t meet – you’ll either injure yourself or be constantly discouraged.

It’s OK to start small and work your way up.

Make sure the rewards are appropriate. Enjoying a calorie-laden meal or sugary treat after hitting a goal isn’t the way to go.

Look for non-food related rewards that will help motivate you to keep going.

R8

7 ENTERTAINMENT

JULY 4 – JULY 10, 2013

his friends and their kids, Lenny (Adam Sandler) finds out that between old bullies, new bullies, schizo bus drivers, drunk cops on skis, and 400 costumed party crashers, sometimes crazy follows you. “Grown Ups 2” will hit theaters on July 12.

The movie is directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Adam Sandler and Jack Giarraputo, and written by Fred Wolf, Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy.

Sandler, who is a producer on “Grown Ups 2,” has starred in such hit films as “Happy Gilmore,” “The Waterboy” and “The Wedding Singer” while James’ credits include the CBS sitcom “The King of Queens” and hit films “Zookeeper” and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”

Firecracker 250 too

Shaquille O’Neal plays an officer in the movie, which debuts July 12. Expect the retired NBA legend, actors and comedians Kevin James and Adam Sandler, in right photo, to provide plenty of funny moments at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

‘Grown Ups 2’ stars to shine this weekend at Speedway James, O’Neal, Sandler named grand marshals for Coke Zero 400 SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Shaquille O’Neal, the stars of the upcoming comedy “Grown Ups 2,” in theaters July 12, will serve as Grand Marshals for the 55th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By

Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on July 6 at Daytona International Speedway.

Sandler, James and O’Neal will give the starting command – “Drivers, start your engines” – in the Independence Day holiday classic. They also will be introduced at the driver’s meeting, participate in pre-race ceremonies, and ride in the Grand Marshal cars during the pace laps prior to the green flag of the 160-lap, 400-mile race.

“We’re pleased to welcome three of the stars of ‘Grown Ups 2’ and have them take part in the pre-race ceremonies for one of NASCAR’s most exciting nighttime races,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “Combining Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Shaquille O’Neal, we’re expecting a boisterous and powerful starting command in front of thousands of race fans and millions more watching on TNT.”

Fourth time for Sandler This marks the fourth time that Sandler has served as Grand Marshal for a NASCAR event, having previously served at Talladega once and Michigan twice.

This will also mark Kevin James’ return to Daytona and his third time as NASCAR Grand Marshal; James also previously paced the Toyota All Star showdown and did a few test laps at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition, the film’s producer, Jack Giarraputo, is chairman of the board of Fuel, a NASCAR management company.

In “Grown Ups 2,” the all-star comedy cast from “Grown Ups” returns for more summertime laughs. After moving his family back to his hometown to be with

O’Neal retired from NBA in 2011 after having captured four NBA championships during his 19-year professional career. He also was named NBA Finals MVP three times, was a 15-time NBA All-Star and earned an Olympic Gold Medal.

The stars of NASCAR return to Daytona International Speedway on July 5-6. Tickets to the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race and the Subway Firecracker 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race are available at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/.

You can also catch the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola live from Daytona International Speedway on July 6 at 6:30 p.m. on TNT, Motor Racing Network Radio and Sirius XM Radio with additional coverage on NASCAR. COM. Fans can follow NASCAR on Twitter (@NASCAR) and stay up to speed on the latest news by using hashtags #NASCAR and #COKEZERO400. Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for the latest news all season long.

Savings

Add a side of to every meal.

Whether shopping for the week or for the items you need to prepare your favorite dish, with a little planning, you can take advantage of savings that are just as satisfying as the meal itself. There are deals throughout the store. Bring in your coupons and save even more. With all the ways Publix helps you stretch your grocery dollars, you can plan on leftovers of the green kind regularly. And we don’t mean lettuce.

L o v e To Sh o p Here. L o v e To S a v e H e r e .

For a list of current Buy One Get One Free deals, weekly specials and coupons, visit publix.com/save. To view deals on your smartphone, scan the code.