Florida Courier - August 31, 2012

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AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

VOLUME 20 NO. 35

DÉJÀ VU On the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Isaac hit Haiti, sideswiped Cuba, spared South Florida and walloped New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane Isaac struck the Gulf Coast Tuesday evening hours before the seventh anniversary of catastrophic Katrina, packing 80 mph winds, and the outer bands of hurricane-force winds and storm surge battered New Orleans.

Landfall came in Plaquemines Parish at 6:45 p.m. southwest of the CAROLYN COLE/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT mouth of the Mississippi River, the Evacuees at Belle Chasse Auditorium in Plaquemines Parish, La. waited for Hurricane Isaac National Hurricane Center reportto approach on Tuesday. For some, it was their second night at the shelter. Many of their ed. By 7 p.m. in downtown New Orhomes were flooded on Wednesday. leans, winds bent trees like rubbery

Blacks air concerns during RNC

2012 U.S. OPEN / NEW YORK

‘Young gun’ advances

Tampa protests target voter suppression

As the Republican National Convention took over Tampa this week, some African-Americans about town and a few at local protests said they were already sick of it, especially considering their concerns about voter suppression.

Black diners at the Open Café, a popular spot in Tampa to get soul food and talk politics, said that while they hadn’t been downtown near the delegates of the convention, they were sick of what they were hearing in the media coverage.

One comment that had people around town buzzing was Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri’s comment about abortion.

Akin said abortion shouldn’t be considered in cases of rape because “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut the whole thing down” to prevent a female rape victim from becoming pregnant.

One diner, Melvin (who declined to state his last name), said, “I think the idea of them trying to tell women what they should do with their bodies, I think that’s out of line because anySee RNC, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS CALENDAR | B2

Gymnastics champions coming to Florida

WORLD | A6

FINEST | B5

Meet Maba

ALSO INSIDE

See ISAAC, Page A2

Judge ends the fight over voter registration FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

BY SOMMER BROKAW FLORIDA COURIER

Magazine’s ‘slavery’ treatment of first lady sparks outrage

posts, rain pelted down, and the waters of Lake Pontchartrain churned white-capped waves ashore.

By the Florida Courier’s press time Wednesday night, more than 750,000 Gulf Coast-area homes and businesses were without power – more than 650,000 in Louisiana alone, according to officials at Entergy, the state’s largest electricity provider.

Isaac, a Category 1 storm, lingered over the Gulf Coast and inland areas for two days, and tested the multibillion-dollar effort to improve and fortify a New Orleans flood-control system that failed

MARGOT JORDAN PHOTO

Plantation (Broward County) native Sloane Stephens, age 19, beat veteran pro Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the U.S. Open tennis tourney on Tuesday. Stephens is the youngest pro player to be currently ranked in the world’s top 50 women players.

The battle between voting rights groups and state election officials over get-out-the vote restrictions is officially over after a federal judge entered a final order that has been signed off by both sides.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued a permanent injunction preventing the state from adopting voter registrationgathering restrictions that were put in place by lawmakers in 2011 as part of a larger elections bill.

Hinkle’s ruling, which was agreed to by all parties, solidifies a preliminary opinion rendered in May in which the federal judge said major provisions of the law were unworkable and therefore unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was brought by a group of voting rights organizations that challenged restrictions, which included reducing the time limit for turning in voter registration from 10 days to 48 hours, which Hinkle said would unduly burden a voter’s right to cast a ballot.

Hinkle said the short time frame was unworkable and would, among other things, make it impossible for groups to use the U.S. mail to transmit registration forms to election officials.

“If the goal is to discourage voter-registration drives and thus also to make it harder for new voters to register, the 48-hour deadline may succeed,” Hinkle wrote in May. “But if the goal is to further the state’s legitimate interests without unduly burdening the rights of voters and voter registration organizations, 48 hours is a bad choice.”

Hinkle also barred the state from requiring volunteers to sign a form that misled voters about the penalties for unknowingly submitting forms with inaccurate information on them.

Voter registration organizations are expected to get back to work immediately.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: BEN JEALOUS: NAACP WATCHING FOR ‘GAME CHANGERS’ AT CONVENTIONS | A4

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FOCUS

AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Will Rattlers still show up?

Bethune-Cookman partisans concerned about FAMU alums’ loyalty

BY ANDREAS BUTLER FLORIDA COURIER

who is still out there giving it their all.”

Marion Rouse is an alumnus of Daytona Beachbased Bethune-Cookman University’s “Marching Wildcats” band. B-CU’s archrival in almost everything is Tallahassee-based Florida A&M University.

Performances of the FAMU Marching ‘100’ band were suspended in the aftermath of the hazing-related homicide of FAMU drum major Robert Champion. Though he doesn’t question the suspension itself, Rouse questions its impact on FAMU alumni as the 2012 football season kicks off.

“I have heard that people won’t be attending the Florida Classic because of the band’s suspension,” he told the Florida Courier. “I have also heard that people will skip FAMU’s homecoming.

“It’s sad to me. The football team still represents the school, its pride and its traditions. The Classic has been going on since 1978 and the (FAMU-BCU football) series since 1925.

They should go and still root for their football team

‘Initial reaction’ The Florida Classic football battle between FAMU and B-CU has become the largest game in Black college football. Since 2000, an average of more than 63,000 fans have attended the annual game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

The game and its affiliated weekend activities throw off an estimated $30 million in economic impact to the Orlando area.

“People skipping the game may have been the initial reaction, but they must know that it is important to support our university,” acknowledged Tommy Mitchell, Sr., president of the FAMU National Alumni Association. “It’s about the school and not the band. Our commitment is to the university as much as we love our band.”

Mitchell says that the alumni association and university have been working to ensure fans attend all home games and the Florida Classic. He encourages everyone to support the school.

“We have been reaching out to people to get them to the games. It really has been a university-wide effort. We had to find a way to make up for the band not being there. We have really reached out to the youth,” Mitchell asserted.

A dilemma FAMU faced a dilemma heading into this football season. The school is celebrating its 125th anniversary playing football with the theme “Our Team, Our Time, Respect the Game.”

“From the beginning of this situation, people have been submitting ideas.

People must realize that even without the Marching 100, we still have to support our football team and school,” added Mitchell.

The school and its athletic department solved the problem by coming up with an alternative. FAMU will provide live Super Bowl-style entertainment during halftime at its home games this season.

“We are excited about this promising team that we have this season. They have put in the time over the summer and we just want to add excitement and enhance the halftime experience,” said FAMU Director of Athletics Derek Horne.

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Gone for now – FAMU’s world-famous Marching ‘100’ won’t perform anywhere this year.

Rappers, high school bands Rapper FUTURE will perform at halftime for FAMU’s first home game September 15 against Hampton University.

“This is a very exciting time for our football team and athletics program. We have put together and energetic and vibrant halftime production to give fans a spectacular experience. Having FUTURE perform at the first home game sets the tone of what fans can expect throughout the season,” Horne exclaimed.

FUTURE will also host a meet-and-greet for winners of a promotional contest designed to get people excited about the football season.

On Tuesday, the school announced that Tallahassee Rickards and Tallahassee FAMU Developmental Research’s high school bands would perform at halftime during the second home game of the season on October 13 against Savannah State.

DJ’s battle during games During other home games this year, FAMU will

RNC

known as “Crown Deon” from St. Petersburg, entertained the crowd and shared his personal struggle. He went to prison after selling cocaine.

“I gave 10 years of my life to the penal system,” he said. “I got custody of my children. When I got out, I sent two of them to college and for the first time in my life, I voted four years ago.

Now they’re telling me I can’t vote.”

White asked the crowd: “Voter suppression, right?’

Someone from the crowd screamed, “Yeah!”

from A1 body that has a daughter or a wife or granddaughter or anything should be up in arms.”

All about Obama He also opined about voting rights: “They’re doing everything possible to keep people from voting, to make it hard for them to vote, and that is just your right as a citizen of this country, and the thing about it is it’s happening all over the country.”

Another diner, Willie Hart, agreed. “I think they’re just doing everything they can to keep us from voting for Obama,” he said.

Most Blacks (94 percent) support Obama, and none – zero percent – support Republican challenger Mitt Romney, according to a recent NBC-Wall Street Journal survey.

A few people at a voter suppression protest rally Tuesday evening in Ybor City shared their views on how tougher voting laws could affect the Black vote.

Legislative battle More than 30 states have debated changes to voting laws, including photo ID restrictions. “Five [states] went after early voting,” said Ella Coffee of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party, who spoke at the rally. “Three states made it harder for felons to vote.”

Florida’s GOP-dominated legislature shortened

ISAAC from A1 spectacularly seven years ago.

Federal levees held After residents fled lowlying areas under mandatory evacuation orders, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressed quiet confidence Tuesday that its revamped network of levees, flood gates, flood walls and pumping stations would hold against a sluggish but massive storm.

Earthen levees in Plaquemines Parish were being overtopped early Wednesday, but they are outside of the federally designed and maintained system.

The Corps, providing assistance in Plaquemines Parish, was set to intentionally breach a local levee on Thursday to relieve flooding of hundreds of homes.

add another dimension with an “Old School DJ vs.

New School DJ” battle.

FAMU alumnus DJ Demp will represent the new school, while DJ Neaux of Atlanta and DJ Will ‘Power” Packer of Rainforest Films will represent the old school. Packer is also a FAMU alumnus who has produced motion pictures, including “Stomp the Yard,” “Obsessed,” and “Think Like A Man.” Longtime Tallahassee radio personality Joe Bullard will continue to be the public address announcer for FAMU’s home games this season.

Return to ‘Jim Crow’

Hip-hop and spoken word artist Kelvin White,

Similar to earlier RNC protests this week, Tuesday’s crowd was screaming the slogan of the Occupy Wall Street movement against corporate greed: “We are the 99 percent!”

Connie Burton, an East Tampa resident and president of the Black People Advance and Defense Organization, had seen few Black protestors in Occupy.

“The issue was narrowly defined when it started out with Occupy,” she said.

“These issues African people have been dealing with for so, so long and now it has knocked at the door of White America...We understand we have to be a coalition, but for it to be a legitimate coalition it has to be under the leadership of African people. We can’t afford to allow them to benefit again from the ongoing struggle of African people like we’ve seen in the ’60s.”

She added, “Voter suppression is the next wave of an ongoing bygone era called Jim Crowism. That’s where we’re at.”

Death in Haiti

Brushed by Cuba

to beat it down.

The death toll from Tropical Storm Isaac rose Monday to 19 in Haiti, where disaster officials warned the number could increase and donors continued efforts to assess damage to crops and homes.

Haitian and humanitarian officials were still trying to assess Isaac’s impact as the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations flew reconnaissance flights around Haiti’s capital and some of its hardest-hit region. On Monday, at least 2,346 homes were damaged and 335 destroyed.

The big concern is over the loss of crops and the storm’s impact on a deadly cholera epidemic that has already killed more than 7,000 Haitians.

Concerns about cholera have been joined by worry over food security as reports continued to flow about the loss of plantain, beans and other crops in storm-hit rural communities.

Isaac’s encounter with Haiti weakened the storm and, tracking near the coast of Cuba for much of Sunday, it failed to pull itself into a hurricane before it approached South Florida.

Cuban work crews swept up the debris left behind

by Isaac, which knocked down four houses and forced nearly 50,000 people to leave their homes but in the end caused far less damage than feared.

Damages to Cuba’s tourist facilities were minimal.

Rather than getting stronger as it moved off Cuba, Isaac weakened a bit as its center skirted just south of Key West after a meandering journey across the Caribbean. David Zelinsky, a meteorologist at NHC, said the storm hugged Cuba closely enough to disrupt its formation. But it fueled up on the warm Gulf of Mexico and there was nothing in the atmosphere

Florida spared

SOMMER BROKAW/FLORIDA COURIER

Protesters on the front line toted a symbolic check and an effigy of presidential candidate Mitt Romney. the number of early voting days from 12 to eight back in 2011. “African-Americans were more likely and in fact almost double the number of voters that were utilizing early voting,” Coffee said.

A federal court ruled that restricting the number of early voting days could result in a dramatic reduction in participation by Blacks earlier this month.

The ruling applied to five counties: Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe, which, because of a history of racial and language discrimination, are covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and are required to get feder-

al pre-clearance to change voting laws.

“The battles are being fought in the court, in the legislative halls, but we must take it to the street,” Coffee said. “We are losing in the legislative halls because we are and have been outnumbered. We don’t vote all the way down the ballot, but the courts are seeing through this blatant attempt to discourage our basic constitutional right.”

She added, “Give your family and friends a reason to vote personally. Let them know how you’ve been affected by any laws positively or negatively, and then take that family

member or that friend to the polling site.”

With New Orleans essentially shut down, residents faced a siege of sorts, with threats of tornadoes and extended power outages in a city that constantly battles high water. The situation was just as tense along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts, which faced the same dire circumstances as New Orleans: storm surges of 6 to 12 feet, and rainfall totals up to 20 inches in some areas.

gasoline shipments via pipeline to hub cities such as Atlanta, which serve the Eastern Seaboard. Isaac could raise gasoline prices above $4 a gallon temporarily on parts of the East Coast.

Felt in wallet Much of the East Coast is likely to feel the storm in the wallet. Almost 94 percent of oil production in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico was shut in by Isaac, the Energy Department said Tuesday afternoon. Gasoline refineries in the New Orleans area, with a capacity to refine 3 million barrels a day, ramped down production.

Significant flooding or wind damage could crimp gasoline production and

Some benefit According to weather forecasters at AccuWeather.com, drenching rain from Isaac is forecast to reach some needy drought areas in the Plains and Midwest into the weekend. Portions of Arkansas, Missouri and other Central states will soon be on the receiving end of soaking downpours.

While flooding rainfall in southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi will tend to diminish farther inland, some beneficial rain will fall on the parched landscape hundreds, if not a thousand, miles away from the Gulf Coast.

Diminishing the vote Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union said that more than 13,000 ex-felons may be eligible to vote but don’t know it, citing data obtained from the Florida Parole Commission. The commission said that restoration of rights certificates have not reached their intended recipients, and many of these people have not registered to vote because they don’t know that they’re pre-cleared to register.

Florida is also one of

a minority of states that don’t automatically restore a felon’s rights, which protesters at the Ybor City rally said diminishes the Black vote.

“This new voter suppression thing we’re marching for today is nothing new.

It’s just being produced from a different angle,” said Life Malcolm, a spoken word artist and member of Black People Advancement and Defense Organization.

“That is another form of voter suppression. It’s almost like voter eradication in our communities.”

‘I can’t vote’

Isaac was big but not bad to Florida. It blew little down other than palm fronds, branches and random trees. It frustrated fliers with hundreds of cancelled flights, sunk a few boats in the Keys and sparked scattered power outages across South Florida. There were no reports of serious damage or flooding. Tampa, scene of this year’s Republican National Convention, was largely spared.

Melissa M. Scallan, Anita Lee and Kevin G. Hall of McClatchy Newspapers; Curtis Morgan, Cammy Clark, Jacqueline Charles, Juan O. Tamayo and Susan Cocking of The Miami Herald; and Tina Susman, Matthew Teague and David Zucchino of Los Angeles Times (MCT) all contributed to this report.

AUGUST 31 - september 6, 2012

ELECTION 2012

A3

Taking it to the streets RNC protesters focus on corporate greed, voter suppression and education

BY SOMMER BROKAW FLORIDA COURIER

While Republicans gathered this week in Tampa to take care of party business and select a presidential nominee with the hopes of unseating President Barack Obama in November, groups of protesters staged demonstrations throughout the week in hopes of having their voices heard – at least through media outlets that converged on Tampa Bay. Despite the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac, faithbased leaders kicked off a protest on Sunday in St. Petersburg, not from Tropicana Field where the Republican National Convention was holding a kick-off party.

The Rev. Manuel Sykes, president of St. Petersburg’s NAACP, was among the speakers at that RNC protest on Sunday, speaking out against an agenda of corporate greed.

“There has been a time in our history where corporations and the super wealthy have sponsored, have campaigned for, and have helped to elect their leadership,” Sykes said.

“The paradigm has shifted.

Now, they’re coming out from behind the big paydays. They’re coming out from behind the golf courses and the fishing trips.

They’re coming out now to run this country themselves.”

He added: “The education, health, and the welfare of the United States is sponsored by and paid for by our tax dollars, and we ought to fight anyone who wants to take our tax dollars and divvy it up among Robin Hood and his band of thieves. And so today, I’m here to say stop the United States from becoming America Inc.”

March by ’99 percent’ Sykes was one of the faith leaders that television crews captured speaking at the protest. The leaders were among hundred of protestors that convened in front of Mirror Lake in St. Petersburg for a community vigil at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday and marched from there to the Tropicana Field stadium shouting: “We are the 99 percent!”

According to organizers, the community vigil Sunday night mourned democracy killed by corporate greed. Some protesters even carried a casket to symbolize this death.

“We’re here for a reason and that is to tell the 1 percent that the 99 percent are not sleeping, we’re awake, and we’re standing up for our rights,” said Chardonnay Singleton of the Florida Consumer Action Network (FCAN), which has an office in St. Petersburg.

Along with faith leaders, event organizers included FCAN; the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Awake the State, a grassroots group of Floridians; Occupy Wall Street; the Sierra Club, an environmental group; and some teachers from Pinellas County Schools.

“We’re here because we’re looking for the change, but we have endorsed Obama because we truly feel that he’s meeting the needs of the people,” said Isaline Boyd, a grandmother who came to the event wearing a purple SEIU T-shirt to represent the workers.

Effigy of Romney Many workers have kids in college that now qualify for health insurance under President Barack Obama’s health care reform. “These are things we need in our society and our environment, and we are now the working poor, there is no

middle class,” Boyd said.

“Two-hundred-fifty thousand dollars a year - that’s the new middle class.”

Protesters on the front line toted a symbolic check for $250,000 and an effigy of presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The eclectic crowd of protestors ranged from faith leaders to an anarchist to a 9-year-old girl, Tykira Davis. Sherrona Steward came to the event with her boyfriend, Rory Flaherty, who is an anarchist. “I don’t like the domination of society by the wealthy,” her boyfriend said. The 9-year-old girl held up a sign that read: “We are the 99 percent.”

Similar to Occupy Wall Street, protesters said they were against the one percent - those are people who earn more than $250,000 a year – siphoning the U.S. economic resources. They represent the 99 percent everyone else.

Jason Woody said that he came down from New York in one of the busloads with Occupy that will be there all week. He also represents a group called: “Money Out, Voters In” that aims to get corporate money out of elections. The group will also be protesting for the same cause at the Democratic National Convention the following week.

“Ladies and gentleman what’s going on inside that [Tropicana Field] stadium emphasizes everything that’s wrong with this economy, what’s wrong this country,” said Kelly Benjamin, one of the protestors on the front line and one of the speakers at the vigil prior to the march.

“They’re pushing an economy, an agenda there that works for people at the top, works for the 1 percent of people in this country, at the expense of everybody else.”

He added: “They have a fortified police state surrounding that Tropicana Field. It takes razor wire and 10-foot fences to separate the 99 percent from the 1 percent.” Then, he asked the crowd: “Is that alright?’’

And members of the crowd screamed: “No!”

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Small coalition Wind and rain from Tropical Storm Isaac kept a protest sponsored by the Coalition to March on the RNC smaller than expected. Predicted to draw about 5,000, only a few hundred protesters showed up in downtown Tampa for the march and rally on Monday afternoon.

John, a protester from Tampa who refused to give his last name, said many of those who marched in downtown Tampa, were non-partisan citizens who just want to be heard.

“There needs to be a change. People are mad. …Blacks are oppressed.

Women are oppressed, the poor are oppressed. They should all be here with us… to be represented,” he told the Courier.

Primarily young and White, the protesters were from all over the country.

A group from Atlanta said they also plan to demonstrate next month at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Said one agitated protester said while being interviewed by a throng of reporters: “We’re against the system, not parties. …

We’ve had enough.’’

Hundreds of police officers patrolled the streets of downtown, many wearing tan shirts and shorts, some on foot, others on bikes.

Homeless hustle Michael Gentry, a Black homeless man who was not part of the rally, was on his usual corner of Jefferson and Scott streets in downtown Tampa, expressed his

JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN/FLORIDA COURIER

PHOTOS BY SOMMER BROKAW/FLORIDA COURIER

1. About 150 demonstrators gathered Tuesday at Centennial Park in Tampa.

2. Chardonnay Singleton of the Florida Consumer Action Network marches on Tuesday.

3. The Rev. Charles McKenzie of the Florida Rainbow Push Coalition spoke at Tuesday’s protest in downtown Tampa.

4. Michael Gentry, a homeless man in downtown Tampa, holds up his No More Obama sign.

5. Protesters of all ages were seen holding up signs in downtown Tampa this week. protest of the current administration with his “No More Obama’’ sign.

His one-man protest was working, he said, because more motorists, primarily White, were stopping to read his sign and buy the Tampa Epoch newspapers he sells daily. The Epoch is a homeless-focused newspaper. Black motorists, he admitted, hadn’t been kind and had blasted him and cussed him out on for the sign.

“I’ve never been keen on Obama and was for (former presidential candidate John) McCain” because of his military background, he told the Courier.

Gentry, who said he a former business owner who made some “bad decisions,’’ says he’s not rooting for Romney either.

“This man wants to run the U.S. like the CEO of a

businesss,” which he considers the wrong approach.

Voter suppression protest On Tuesday, the Florida Consumer Action Network sponsored a more targeted protest on voter suppression that kicked off on the official day of the RNC. Over a hundred protestors gathered for the peaceful march that convened at 5 p.m. at Centennial Park to hear from state, local and national speakers along with spoken word artists and musicians that revved up the crowd before they marched through several blocks of the historic Tampa district winding back to the park.

Similar to earlier protests, demonstrators ranged from civil rights activists, of all ages, White, Black, and

Latino, and Occupy groups and diverse politics groups from the Democratic Party, to Independents, to the Green Party to anarchists.

But a couple of Republican supporters, John Nelson and Robert Stevens, also were spotted there handing out threatening fliers with text from Protect the Polls website, which reads: “If you are a legal gun owner in the state of Florida and you suspect someone on Election Day is committing voter fraud you can shoot him or her with your licensed weapon and not be charged with a crime. Precedents have already been set allowing these rights, like the important Stand Your Ground law, and in this case, there is more at stake than just one person s life; this is for the life of this great country.”

For the full PTP text, visit http://protectthepolls. com/What_is_PTP_.html.

The Rev. Charles McKenzie, a speaker at Tuesday’s rally and Florida coordinator of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said that Nelson and Stevens weren’t that disruptive, but there are several groups designed to intimidate voters.

“We can’t allow them to intimidate us to the point where we don’t exercise the right to vote,” he said.

“And we have to stand our ground to exercise our first amendment right and the right to vote. That is where the real stand your ground comes into place.”

Florida Courier Senior Editor Jenise Griffin Morgan contributed to this report. Visit www.flcourier.com for more coverage of the RNC in Tampa.

EDITORIAL

A4

AUGUST 31 - september 6, 2012

Story of American struggle, lesson for future Next year, this nation will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington on Aug. 28,, 2013.

Many of you will be on your way to D.C. to honor the legacy of a movement that helped liberate, not only African-Americans but all Americans from the chains of legalized segregation.

As we approach this significant moment in our history, I challenge you to dig even deeper into your own legacy and reflect upon the importance this one day – August 28th – has played in our history. You will find its history reads like a chronicle of the modern AfricanAmerican story.

It was on Aug. 28 1955, that a 14-year-old boy named Emmett Till was

U.S. REP. JOHN LEWIS THE GANTT REPORT

kidnapped from his uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi and lynched. Many historians mark his death as the launch of the modern-day Civil Rights Movement in America. Just a few months later on Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks’ action would inspire the boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama that lasted 381 days.

Beginning of civil rights On Aug. 28, 1957, Strom

Thurmond, a Republican senator from South Carolina and a staunch segregationist held the longest filibuster any one senator ever conducted to block passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

The bill was written by then Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson, and originally devised as an attempt to mandate voting rights for African-Americans by outlawing intimidation and coercion at the polls. The filibuster ended with alterations to the bill, but it did not stop its passage. It was ultimately signed into law

by President Dwight Eisenhower, establishing the Civil Rights Commission and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. King

VIEWPOINT: RNC AND CHARLIE CRIST

Jeff Parker, Florida Today

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 151 Bro. Prez has a praying grandmother – How else do you explain an abortion comment that was a major distraction the week before the Republican National Convention?

How else do you explain a head-faking Hurricane Isaac that knocked off half the GOP schedule before blowing by and leaving Tampa unscathed?

How else do you explain some of the most ineffective, narrowly focused, self-indulgent, angry, poorly delivered speeches – especially Paul Ryan’s – supporting one of the phoniest candidates the GOP has ever put forward? (Black folks see jackleg preachers in storefront churches preach 45 minutes without notes. White politicians need a Teleprompter to read their own names.)

How else do you explain that the same week the GOP was in Tampa, a Floridabased federal judge prevented Florida – a state Romney MUST win – from enforcing rules that are killing the voter registration drives that propelled Bro. Prez to victory in Florida, and to the presidency, in 2008?

How else do you explain the ‘principled’ GOP picking Mitt Romney, a phony, desperately ambitious candidate who renounced his entire political record?

How else do you explain the incompetence of Romney’s handlers trying to ‘humanize’ Romney, a lifelong corpo-

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

rate hedge fund raider, by dressing him in mommy jeans and taking off his tie?

Sorry, I couldn’t take much of the convention. A speech...a lie. Another speech... another lie. Dems won’t be much different...

Hurricane Isaac and ‘big government’ politics – Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, both budget-cutting, government-hating Republicans, had their hands out for government disaster relief while Isaac was still a breeze in the Caribbean. What hypocrites! If they want to be consistent, don’t beg for disaster relief the next time some West Africans kick up some red dirt and blow it across the Atlantic...and don’t spend taxpayer money to rescue any fool who ignored a mandatory evacuation.

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

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gave his historic I Have A Dream speech on the National Mall at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was a testament to the power of non-violent resistance. But just one year later on Aug. 28, 1964, acts of police brutality incited rioting in Philadelphia. Over 300 were injured and over 700 arrested.

Violence struck again on the 28th in1968 outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago due to another episode of police brutality.

By midday on Aug. 28, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed the New Orleans coast with 145 mile an hour winds prompting a mandatory evacuation of Orleans Parish.

in the struggle.

That is the lesson of August 28th. We have to keep on pushing and pulling knowing without a doubt that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it always bend toward justice.”

That is why we must vote in November like never before, not because we have gotten everything we ever wanted from the political process. But because, if we Stay in the struggle do not join forces together As the last remaining and continue to take action, speaker from the March on we cannot ever expect to get Washington I can tell you what we so rightly deserve. the lessons of that make it Congressman John E. plain we cannot defeat the adversaries of justice in one Lewis is a member of the day, a week or a year. Ours is U.S. House of Representhe struggle of a lifetime. We tatives. Click on this story must dedicate ourselves to at www.flcourier.com to this higher calling and stay write your own response.

And finally on Aug. 28, 2008, as if to link this great past to a turning point in America’s future, Barack Obama became the first African-American Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

I was there when Dr. King pricked the moral conscience of the nation calling us to lay down the burdens of hate and division.

NAACP watching for ‘game changers’ at conventions Far too often in modern elections, sound bites trump substance and voters are left wondering what the candidates really stand for. This is even more acute for issues important to the AfricanAmerican and civil rights communities.

That is why, as we have done every presidential cycle for decades, the NAACP is traveling to the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention – to ensure that these issues are addressed by both major political parties.

This year the Republican Party meets in Tampa Aug. 27-30, and the Democratic Party meets in Charlotte, North Carolina Sept. 4-6.

These days, voting on who will lead each party’s ticket is largely a formality. But the delegates do have another important objective: choosing their party’s policy platform for the next four years.

Seeking common ground The NAACP will promote our policy objectives in Charlotte and Tampa at briefings, meetings and speeches. Each year we submit our policy recommendations to the respective policy bodies for each convention.

We also meet with delegates and leaders from both parties and seek to find common ground on the challenges, needs and concerns of the communities we serve.

This year, for the first time, we will be guided by the five

Assault on voting rights

rights in more than a century. In the past year, more states have passed more laws pushing more voters out of the ballot box than at any time since the rise of Jim Crow. That is why in Charlotte we will unveil our latest counterattack to voter suppression: rolling billboards that raise awareness about felony disenfranchisement.

Felony disenfranchisement – denying formerly incarcerated citizens the right to vote – is a method of voter suppression that dates back before the Jim Crow Era. It was one of many tools used by state legislators to prevent full political participation by African-Americans. Today, nearly six million voters are disenfranchised from felony disenfranchisement across 48 states and the District of Columbia, and more than one third of them are African-American.

As we approach November 6, our democracy is under attack from within. The NAACP is on the front line in every state of our union, and we will be visible during the convention as well. We will turn back the massive tide of voter suppression with an even greater tide of voter education, registration, activation and protection. And we will promote our vision of a more just and equal America.

The final piece of our policy agenda, Voting Rights and Political Representation, is particularly relevant this year. We are living through the greatest wave of legislative assaults on voting

Benjamin Todd Jealous is President and CEO of the NAACP. Click on this story at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

BEN JEALOUS TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

NAACP Game Changers. In the fall of 2011, the NAACP created a vision for the second century of the association. We chose five game changers, or issue advocacy constructs: Economic Sustainability; Education; Health; Public Safety and Criminal justice; and Voting Rights and Political Participation.

All of our policy goals fall under one of these constructs. For Economic Sustainability, we will implore both parties to eliminate predatory lending and assist struggling homeowners. On Education, we will call for increased funding for HBCU’s as well as financial aid for college students. One of our focus areas for Health is full funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and education. And in order to achieve a fairer criminal justice system, we are calling for a national commission to review the nation’s criminal justice laws – including the racial disparities in sentencing and racial profiling.

Romney agenda: Class warfare Raise taxes on the rich?

“Class warfare” the Republicans rail. Any discussion of inequality, says Mitt Romney, should be held privately “in quiet rooms.” Yet the Romney agenda for the country opens a new offensive in class warfare — only on the side of the few, not the many.

America’s inequality has already reached extremes not seen since 1929 before the Great Depression. In 2010, the richest 1 percent captured an obscene 93 percent of the nation’s income growth. The top 1 percent now has as much wealth as 90 percent of Americans.

As Warren Buffett, one of America’s richest men, told New York Times columnist Ben Stein: “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

Romney and Republicans demand extension of the extra Bush tax cuts that go to those earning more than $250,000 a year. In addition, Romney calls for slashing individual tax rates across the board by 20 percent, eliminating the estate tax that applies only to the multimillionaires and sustaining the concessionary 15 percent tax rate on capital gains income overwhelmingly pocketed by the wealthiest

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

Americans.

He promises to pay for these tax cuts by closing “loopholes,” but refuses to identify them. But even with the most generous assumptions, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center — a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution — found that the rich don’t collect enough in loopholes to pay for the proposed tax cuts. Romney’s tax plan would end with the richest Americans getting a tax cut while most Americans end up paying more.

Romney’s plan poisonous Class warfare straight up.

On spending, Romney claims that he can cut federal spending while increasing spending on the military and putting off his (poisonous) plans for Medicare and Social Security for a decade (so that those 55 and over won’t vote against him). But neither Romney nor running mate Paul Ryan will reveal what they would cut. Ryan’s budget calls for devastating cuts in Medicaid and food

stamps. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that more than threefifths of the Ryan cuts in the first decade come from programs for the poor. Class warfare again.

Profits not shared Romney also wants to repeal even the modest reforms of Wall Street that Obama got through Congress. He opposes raising the minimum wage and echoes Republican scorn of worker rights and unions. Once more, class warfare on the side of the CEOs and against working families.

Increasingly a Southernbased “Whites only” dominated party, Republicans wrap their class warfare into scorn for “those people” - poor people of color. Can they consolidate support among white blue-collar workers, even as their policies attack those workers?

Divide and conquer is an ancient strategy in warfare and in politics. Will it work for Mitt Romney, so clearly a man of by and for the 1 percent?

We’ll know in November.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Voter ID laws the American coup d’état A coup d’état is defined as a strike against the state. It is the sudden, illegal deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment. In a typical coup the military is used to depose the existing government and replace it with another body, civil or military.

In “Coup d’Etat: A Practical Handbook,’’ military historian Edward Luttwak states that “[a] coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder.”

Media used as tool Historically, the American government has used American media to promote and rationalize the need for “regime change” in foreign countries. Misinformation, distortions, and lies have been presented as truths in order to convince Americans that “dictators” must be overthrown in order to protect American security, American interests (usually business and/or access to resources), or to stop the rise of a socialist/ communist leader.

Today ultra-conservative interests are engaging in similar tactics.

DR. WILMER J. LEON III Triceedneywire.com

They are not using the military; it is a bloodless coup. A small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus is attempting to effect regime change by corrupting the American democratic process. Under the pretext of “voter fraud” ultraconservatives are working fervently to decrease the number of legally registered Americans that will be able to vote in the 2012 election by enacting laws requiring voters to show government issued photo identification at the polls.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “More than 5 million Americans could be affected by the new rules already put in place this year.

Voter fraud non-existent Even though the logic makes sense, the problem with the new voter ID laws being enacted is that they are addressing a problem that does not exist. According to Mother Jones, “The analysis of 2,068 re-

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

is back on the table! Let’s take Mr. Ryan first.

Redefining rape A few weeks ago, he and Mr. Akin, and many of their colleagues, were trying to limit government involvement in our lives and struggling to re-define rape.

By the way, I have not been able to dice it or slice it to figure out the difference between Mr. Ryan’s, Mr. Akin’s or the Republican Party’s position on rape. President Barack Obama had to enter the picture to say, “Rape is rape; we can’t dice it or slice it to minimize

Political ghosts, goblins come out as Halloween nears The 2012 election and all other elections remind me of Halloween. Most candidates ignore Black voters until the end of October and when their campaign efforts fail to generate sufficient voter support the candidate’s reactions are scary!

Around Halloween time is when the political ghosts and goblins come to life. They scare off voters with tall tales about progress, diversity, political justice and economic equality.

In the later days of October is when politicians with million dollar and billion dollar campaign coffers seek to find non-paid volunteers to spread the word about false campaign promises.

The volunteers are asked to wear cheap T-shirts made in Hong Kong and told they should go door to door in Black neighborhoods to drum up voter support. The volunteers, if they are lucky, get a meal after walking around all day and canvassing Black neighborhoods. The volunteers are fed cold chicken, stale donuts and watered down coffee while the candidates eat steak and lobster paid for with a campaign expense account.

Halloween is also the time for the big political show! Just like in Hollywood and on Broadway, the political candidates put on a tremendous show. No motion picture, television or theatrical performer is a better actor than an opportunistic political candidate.

Actions deserving of Oscars and Emmys take place in every city and in every state in America as politicians act like they are your friends, act like they are your supporters, act like they are your protectors, act like they are your providers, act like they are your benefactors and most of all they act like they are Black community saviors!

So-called Black leaders don’t wait until October to show their love for political devils. Negroes

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

are the first ones to endorse a candidate, the first ones to contribute to political campaigns and the first ones to vote in states where early voting has not been eliminated.

Yes, you put politicians first and politicians put you last! We never ask what will politicians do for Black voters or what politicians will do for Black businesses, Black schools, Black health care facilities or for Black communities.

Blacks tricked, fooled All we want to know is whether or not a politician is a member of the political party that says they support Black citizens. We only want to know who the white newspaper endorsed. We only want to know which politicians are on the “slate” depicted on the flyers that are stuck on our windshields on that last October Sunday.

Yes my people, we’ve been tricked, we’ve been fooled, we’ve been misled, we’ve been twisted and we’ve been turned by closet klansmen masquerading as political heroes!

But don’t be surprised, be scared because the month before the 2012 election is the month of October, the month where poor people get tricked and rich people get treated right before the general election!

Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

the seriousness of the act.”

Mr. Akin has at least confessed that his words were ill-conceived when he said, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

This was news to all the women I know, and his record in Congress confirms that what he said was really what he meant until it caused him a few problems. Now, unsuccessfully, he’s turning to his Christian friends in an effort to change the subject. I suppose that’s because his Republican co-conspirators are not happy with him exposing their true position on rape, with which most women are not amused.

Coincidentally, Mr. Akin tells us that while his party wants to limit the role of government in our lives, he wants to increase religion’s role in government. It seems that he has always been a

A5

VIEWPOINT: NEIL ARMSTRONG

ported fraud cases by News21, a Carnegie-Knight investigative reporting project, found 10 cases of alleged in-person voter impersonation since 2000.

With 146 million registered voters in the United States, those represent about one for every 15 million prospective voter.” In Pennsylvania, the latest state to approve ID laws, the state attorneys signed a stipulation agreement acknowledging that there “have been no investigations or prosecutions of in-person voter fraud in Pennsylvania; and the parties do not have direct personal knowledge of any such investigations or prosecutions in other states.” Simply put, there’s no data to support the claim. They ing-age American citizens—and passed a law to address a problem an even greater percentage of African-American, low-income, and that does not exist. older citizens—do not have current and valid government-issued Real motivation photo IDs.” Preventing these deAnother problem with the new mographics from voting is the real voter ID laws is that they have a motivation behind these laws. discriminatory impact on the elecWhy are ultra-conservative torate. Most of the legally regis- Americans undermining the tered voters that will be impacted American democratic process unby the new laws are primarily se- der the hypocritical pretext of proniors, people of color, those with tecting it? One person, one vote is disabilities, low-income voters, the cornerstone of Jeffersonian deand students. mocracy. So much so that AmeriAccording to the Citizens With- can soldiers are willing to make out Proof report, 11 percent of vot- the ultimate sacrifice defending it

Let me get this straight It’s really hard to keep up with whether this is 2012 or the years before the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, the Civil Rights Amendment or Roe v.

Wade.

Considering the battles our ancestors fought-- the fight for equal rights, equality of opportunity and choice for women should, rightly, be behind us. Viewing and analyzing the news today must thoroughly confuse our young people.

We have spent too many days re-living settled issues. The presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney has totally thrown us for a loop.

One day he is on one side of an issue. The next day he has switched positions. Enter other conservative candidates like Representative Todd Akin of Missouri and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Even the subject of rape

EDITORIAL

darling of the conservatives and certain right-wing Christians.

Now that he has been thrown under the bus by conservatives— the ones for whom he has carried water for all the years he’s been in Congress—his few remaining friends are certain radically-right Christians. Of course, there is at least one Congressman still supporting him and saying that we “just need to know Mr. Akin” as he does, and “if we did, we would want him in Congress.” That is the position of Representative Trent Franks of Arizona. Not many of Mr. Akin’s colleagues still confess their love for him.

Liberals hate God? Mr. Akin doesn’t think well of liberals. He thinks we hate God, and that we want government to replace God. That’s news to my church and my Christian friends!

If government is to be replaced with God’s representatives, let’s get its mechanics straight.

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune

at home and promoting it abroad.

By passing these unjust Voter ID laws and changing other voting processes they are engaging in attempted regime change. They are violating the most cherished Constitutional protection in a bloodless coup d’état against America’s first African- American democratically elected president.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is a teaching associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Would the Catholics run Health and Human Services so their leaders are in control of women’s bodies? Would the Mormons be in charge of IRS to decide who pays what in taxes and who does not have to report theirs to the American people? Would we have the Southern Baptists in charge of civil rights? Would we have the Amish in charge of highways?

Would we allow religious corporate heads to run the EPA so they could de-regulate air quality and re-design pollution standards?

For the Muslims who get blamed for so much, would we have them in charge of TSA? Would the Pope be appointed as a Congressional leader or our President?

I’m just asking!

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her via www.nationalcongressbw.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Music makes the world go round When you and I talk about technological leaps and bounds, frequently we’re focused on the way we communicate with each other. And, I write here a lot about what we watch and how we watch it.

But, let me ask you this: What are you listening to today, and perhaps, even more interestingly – how are you listening to it?

My assumption that you are indeed very likely to listen to music today is an educated one, as results from new Nielsen Entertainment and Nielsen 360 studies show that music is an everyday activity for most people in this country.

Those comprehensive results report that 70 percent of people 13+ actively listen to music at least once a day. Ninety percent of people actively listen at least several times a week. We love our music and both exposure and consumption continue to increase. So, now, how are you listening to your music?

Consumers prefer radio Remember back in the dark ages when AM/FM radio was the way to go, when transistor radios (which went the way of the dinosaur) were considered cool? In addition to your personal stereo or turntable – which played records – came 8-tracks, cassette players, boom boxes, the Walkman, then the Discman. “The accessibility of music has seen tremendous expansion and diversification,” reports Nielsen Entertainment’s David Bakula. His research also confirms that radio still rules as the No. 1 way consumers access music.

This is how we listen: radio, 48 percent; computer, 44 percent, CD player, 39 percent; iPod (other than phone), 27 percent; home stereo, 23 percent; TV, 21 percent; MP3 player (other than an iPod or phone), 17 percent; Android phone 13, percent; iPhone, 12 percent; satellite radio, 10 percent.

When we refer to listening via

CHERYL PEARSONMCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST

computer, iPods, MP3 players or phones, we’re often referring to Internet radio, digital downloads of singles and albums and on-demand streaming. These days, of course, albums don’t necessarily mean vinyl – although data shows there is resurgence in interest in vinyl albums – it typically means CDs and digital albums. For young people, though, the numbers are a little different. YouTube is the way most listen to music. As the mom of a music-loving teenage son, I can testify to this.

Take a look: • 64 percent of teens listen to music through YouTube • 56 percent of teens listen to music on the radio • 53 percent listen through iTunes • 50 percent listen on CDs It’s interesting to note, too, that new hot artists aren’t always the most listened to or biggest selling. Because of her heavy exposure, Nikki Minaj’s “Super Bass” was the most streamed song in 2011, with more than 86 million plays/ views, beating out singles by Adele, LMFAO, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. With all the ways to consume music, a couple of more traditional artists made Nielsen’s top 10 list for the first six months of 2012.

Traditional artist popular Whitney Houston was No. 2 across all platforms, with appreciation and interest likely spiked by her untimely death, which is often the case; Rihanna was No. 6; and Lionel Ritchie, who, of course, has been around for decades, came in at No. 8 – outselling all the others in digital

tracks and streaming plays.

This is probably because of Ritchie’s foray into the country genre. And, that’s interesting because respondents to Nielsen’s survey typically classified themselves as either Country fans or hip-hop/R&B fans. The reality is that people who put themselves in either of those categories actually enjoy a much broader spectrum of music.

Country music fans also reported preferring rock/classic/ pop /Top 40/Oldies and Alternative Rock. Data shows those who preferred Hip-Hop/R&B also listen to Pop/Top 40/Rap/ Classic Rock and Alternative Rock. Of course, there is also taste for Jazz, Adult Contemporary, Gospel/Religious and others.

Catalog sales up Another interesting stat is that even though new digital track releases are likely to be purchased by younger consumers immediately after their release, catalog sales are outpacing current sales. Catalog music is at least 18 months old, which includes all the classics.

Nielsen analysts attribute much of this to Multimedia Integration. Think about it. How many traditional artists have you seen or heard on TV shows like “American Idol,” “The Voice” or “Glee?” It’s another trend to watch as all genres of music are everywhere more than ever.

And, you, the music loving consumer, have far greater control (and power) over how you access yours.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

TOj A6

WORLD

AUGUST 31 – september 6, 2012

Superimposed magazine cover of first lady sparks outrage FROM WIRE REPORTS

From Rihanna being called a “nigger bitch’’ by a Dutch magazine to the caricatured objectification of the Hottentot Venus, images of Black women in the media have long since been deemed controversial, often times crossing the volatile lines of racism and sexism.

As seen on this month’s cover of Spain’s Fuera de Serie, even the First Lady Michelle Obama is fair game.

The Spanish magazine either decided to go provocative or political when featuring a manipulated image of the first lady pictured as a topless, enslaved woman.

‘Still slaves’ Taken from the “Famous Nudes” series done by artist Karine Percheron-Daniels, the painting was created by superimposing Obama’s face onto the body of the Black enslaved woman shown in the 1800 “Portrait d’une négresse” by French artist Marie-Guillemine Benoist.

Clearly provoked by the sight of Obama showcased as an enslaved woman, the Black blogosphere has waged a digital war against the cover, claiming that the image is nothing short of blatantly racist propaganda.

“By choosing to use such a jarring image to tell the story of how America’s first lady “seduced the people of the United States” and “stole the heart of Barack Obama,” as Fuera de Serie describes her,” writes Brande Victorian of Madame Noire, “it’s clear the magazine agrees with that mentality and wants to spread the message loud and clear: todavía estamos esclavos. We are still slaves.”

ers’ “Michelle Obama Undressed: Lost in Translation or Just Racist?”

In her post for Clutch Magazine, Miller debates whether or not a social critique and condemnation of

Percheron-Daniels’ image counters her belief in freedom of expression.

“The portrait robs Obama of her identity, voice, and intellect, and visually shackles her to a political-

ly passive subject, resigned to an assigned role as slave,” wrote Miller.

“I do not support the censorship of art,” she continued “However, the mass reproduction of this nude

portrait on the cover of a national newspaper supplement is a legitimate concern. Of all the stock images that might have been pulled for the cover, I find the editorial decision to portray

Obama as the embodiment of enslavement and colonization extremely troubling.”

Blackvoices.com was used in compiling this report.

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Artist explains In the series’ description on Percheron-Daniels website states: “With my art, and particularly with my’ famous nudes’ series I try to offer an alternative unexpected reality to allow the viewer to re-examine his unique subjective experience and general understanding and view the world and people in a different way.”

Percheron-Daniels’ explanation for her series has been challenged in various response blog posts, including Althea Legal-Mill-

British teen gets life for killing with afro comb

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A British court jailed a 16-year-old girl for life on Tuesday for murdering a teenager with an Afro comb during a row over boys.

Rebecca Douglas, who was 15 at the time, stabbed 16-year-old Julie Sheriff in the head with the comb's pointed metal handle in south London in May 2011.

She never recovered from the swelling and bleeding the injury caused to her brain and died almost five months later.

A judge at London's Old Bailey court ordered Douglas to serve a minimum of 10 years after she was convicted of the murder last month.

The court heard that Douglas had taken the comb out of Sheriff's hair and tried to strike her with it in the collarbone.

Prosecuting lawyer Jonathan Turner said the dispute between the pair, who met in the street by chance on the day of the attack, had been “about gossip and about boys.’’

Police found Douglas had sent a message from her mobile phone which said: “I see some girl that I hate, like I actually hate her with a passion, and I kind of stabbed her.”

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NFL’s biggest trends, hottest players See page B3

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Harvey joins daytime talk-show lineup See page B5

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA www.flcourier.com

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HBCU FOOTBALL PREVIEW

photos BY ASHLEY THOMAS /FLORIDA COURIER

Bethune-Cookman players celebrate their victory against Prairie View A&M during the 2011 MEAC/SWAC face-off.

MEAC/SWAC Challenge puts national spotlight on Alabama State, B-CU

BY ANDREAS BUTLER FLORIDA COURIER

The Florida Courier breaks down the big game this Sunday in Orlando between Bethune-Cookman University and Alabama State University in the annual MEAC/ SWAC Challenge.

Game history The MEAC/SWAC Challenge features teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The two conferences house the nation’s largest historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The first MEAC/SWAC Challenge took place in 2005 with South Carolina State (MEAC) beating Alabama State (SWAC) 27-14.

Legends Field in Alabama hosted the first three games before it was

moved to Orlando in 2008 due to Orlando’s location and tourist attractions.

Last year, Bethune-Cookman (MEAC) defeated Prairie View A&M (SWAC) 63-14. The game is owned and operated by ESPN Regional TV. MEAC/SWAC Series: MEAC 5, SWAC 2.

Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando (70,000 seats).

School series: B-CU leads 10-3.

Alabama State University Hornets quick facts Founded: 1867 Location: Montgomery, Ala. Enrollment: 5,627 Home stadium: Cramton Bowl (19,500); the new ASU Stadium See MEAC/SWAC, Page B2

The Marching Wildcats perform at last year’s MEAC/SWAC challenge held at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. This year’s event will be held at the same venue on Sept. 2.

Rattlers face tough football schedule

BY ANDREAS BUTLER FLORIDA COURIER

Florida A&M has been a steady football program over the years.

The Rattlers are ready to take a shot at a MEAC title and FCS playoffs. Here is a sneak peak at the 2012 FAMU football squad.

2011: 7-4 overall; 5-3 tied for third in MEAC Head coach: Joe Taylor 32-140 in fifth season at FAMU; 230-904 overall in 30 years. Taylor is the winningest coach in MEAC history and second winningest coach in Black College football behind Eddie Robinson.

Gone: Running back Lavonte Page (329 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, one receiving score); quarterback Austin Trainor (877 passing yards, five touchdowns); wide receiver Kevin Elliott (41 receptions, 720 yards, five touchdowns); wide receiver Brian Tyms (38 receptions, 538 yards, three touchdowns); LB Greg Harvey (40 total tackles); defensive back/kicker Jarel Stewart (32 total tackles, three interceptions); linebacker Demarius Folsom (68 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception); kicker Trevor Scott (13/16 field goals, 44 yards long); offensive lineman Branden Curry, offensive lineman Anthony Shelley; defensive lineman Nicholas Hollinghead (37 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five sacks); de-

Q&A: Coach Joe Taylor Q: What is the mood around “Rattler Nation’’ involving the team and this upcoming season?

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Florida A&M fans are shown at a previous Florida Classic rooting for the Rattlers. The football season begins Sept. 1 as FAMU takes on Tennessee State. fensive lineman Jerry Willis (27 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks); linebacker John Williams (27 total tackles, three interceptions); linebacker Alvis Graham.

Back: Quarterback Damien Fleming (1,622 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns); wide receiver/running back Al-Tarek McBurse (349 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 277 return yards); running back Eddie Rocker (524 rushing yards,

three TDs); wide receiver Lenworth Lennon (45 receptions, 596 yards, two touchdowns); offensive lineman Steve Robinson; offensive lineman Robert Hartley; offensive lineman Jarien Moreland; defensive lineman Padric Scott (28 total tackles, three sacks), defensive back John Oye Ojo (42 total tackles, four interceptions); defensive back DoVonatae Johnson (32 total tackles, five interceptions); line See FAMU, Page B2

A: We are really excited. The community has really embraced this team. We had someone come out and register the entire team to vote. We have been out in several local churches. We have been at a lot of events.

Practices have had a lot of spectators. We are working hard and making good decisions off the field as well.

Q: This year you won’t have a band playing during games and at halftime. How your team is dealing with it?

A: It’s unfortunate. The band and football go hand to hand but the school has stepped up. It’s going to be different, but we do have some performances coming in.

We train our kids that they have to be focused on their responsibilities on the field.

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CALENDAR

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AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami: Reggae Dancehall star Beenie Man will be at Club Cinema in Miami Sept.

1 for an 8 p.m. show.

Miami: The Miami Jazz Society presents free showings of “Death in Venice’’ and “The Miracle Worker’’ Sept. 4 at the Miami Tower, 100 SE 2nd St., 19th floor auditorium.

The first film begins at 6:15 p.m. with a reception cash bar and snacks from 5 p.m.

– 6 p.m. Complete schedule: www.miamijazzsociety.com.

Doral: Jersey Girl Sports, an online multimedia sports lifestyle brand for female sports fans created for women by women has partnered with Black Enterprise for the second year to kick off its “1st & Flirty,” a football 101 event.

It is for those attending the Black Enterprise Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge in Miami Labor Day Weekend at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. More information: jerseygirlsports.com.

Miami Gardens: A farewell for the Rev. G. Vincent Lewis, who will be leaving Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, is scheduled Sept. 21-23 at various locations. A service is Friday at the church, 21311 NW 34th Ave., at 7 p.m.; a “Night in White” soiree is Saturday at the Rusty Pelican, $85; and a farewell sermon is Sunday at the church at 11 a.m.

Miami: Charlie Murphy headlines at the Miami

USA WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS TEAM

The Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastic Champions featuring medalists from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games will be held Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Improv on Sept. 7 for an 8 p.m. show.

Miami: The King’s Men Tour with Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin and Israel Houghton is scheduled at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Sept. 30.

Vero Beach: The Christian Student Fellowship at Indian River State College is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration and fundraising banquet.

It is Sept. 21 at the college’s

FAMU from B1 backer Brandon Hepburn (63 total tackles, one sack); linebacker Bobby Jackson (29 total tackles); defensive lineman Padric Scott (28 total tackles, six sacks); defensive back Marvin Ross (38 total tackles, two interceptions); punter Brandon Holdren (40.7 average, 78 yards long).

New: Running back James Owens (sat out last season); linebacker Brandon Denmark (transfer from Illinois); defensive lineman Frank Mays (community college transfer).

Base Offense: Multiple (Pro set, spread).

Base Defense: Multiple (3-4, 4-3).

Strengths: Secondary, linebacker corps, and kicker; leadership at quarterback.

Weaknesses: Inexperience on the defense front, wide receiver and running back and kicking game.

Prediction: Fourth in MEAC in preseason coaches poll.

All MEAC preseason First team: Offensive lineman Steve Robinson, defensive lineman Padric Scott, defensive backs DoVontae Johnson and John Oye Ojo; punter Brandon Holdren. Second team: QB Damien Fleming.

Key games Sept. 1 at Tennessee State in John Merritt Classic (Rattlers face HBCU from Ohio Valley Conference to open season).

Sept. 8 at Oklahoma (Rattlers face nationally ranked FBS team on the road.)

Sept. 15 vs. Hampton (Rattlers host tough MEAC foe in home opener.).

Sept. 29 vs. Southern in Atlanta Classic (These two have become rivals in this annual classic.).

Oct. 20 vs. South Carolina State (Ratters host one of MEAC’s best.).

Nov. 10 vs. North Carolina Central (Homecoming).

Nov. 17 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Florida Classic (Face rival in Black college football’s biggest game; could decide MEAC title).

Offense: The offense runs through its playmaker Fleming.

The line is anchored by Robinson but also has Hartley and Moreland.

Fleming has targets in Lennon and DeWayne Harvey. McBurse will also be a receiver. Rocker and Stewart looks for the bulk of the carries at running back with Page missing the season for personal reasons. Freshmen Lee Williams and Will Thomas may see time. Tight end Michael Ethridge also can be a weapon.

Defense: The secondary returns

Richardson Center on the Mueller Campus. Seating is limited. Tickets are $20.

More information: Elsie Mokoban at 772-559-8325 or emokoban@aol.com.

Miami: The Children’s Trust 2012 After-School Programs Guide is available online at www.thechildrentrust.org and in all Miami-Dade WinnDixie stores. The information also can be accessed by calling 211, the Children’s Trust helpline.

Q&A: Coach Joe Taylor Q: What has to happen for you guys to be successful this year?

A: The main thing is staying healthy. The other is handling the things that we have no control of like not getting the calls on the field from officials. We have to be able to withstand adversity on the field.

Q: This is your fifth season with the team. What is different about this year from previous years?

A: You will probably see us a lot closer to what we have tried to build. The kids understand things a lot better. We’ve accomplished a lot of things. We are also doing a lot better off the field, which I think will translate to more success.

Q: Talk about your schedule and the competition in the MEAC? A: We have a tough schedule.

We play Tennessee State and Oklahoma. MEAC Commissioner Eric Thomas is a former football player. He wants to build up football. The presidents at the schools have gotten good coaches. We are playing tough out of conference schedules. You have to be ready to play each weekend because everyone in this conference can play. The talent level is high.

Ojo and Stewart, which brings stability and experience. So does Hepburn and Jackson at linebacker.

Look for Denmark to make his mark at linebacker. The defensive line is anchored by Scott and coaches are high on Mays.

Special teams: Holdren is the best punter in the MEAC. Owens and McBurse will return kicks and try to be game changers. Either sophomore Chase Vernadore or freshman Colby Blanton will try to replace Scott at kicker.

Outlook: The Rattlers are averaging eight wins per season and always seem to be in the thick of the MEAC race. There is no reason not to think that they won’t be there this year either. They do have a tough schedule and the MEAC is getting tougher. Nonetheless, FAMU will be competitive and will be a factor in the MEAC race.

TAMELA MANN

Roland Martin, Billy Blanks Jr., Tamela Mann, Tisha Campbell Martin, and Kenny Lattimore are among the celebrities scheduled to appear at the 2012 Tom Joyner Allstate Family Reunion.

Fort Lauderdale: Live jazz, blues, pop and everything in between along Hollywood’s signature 2.5 mile Broadwalk is every Friday of every month. More information: 954-924-2980.

on Aug. 30.

Palm Beach: Shawn and Marlon Wayans will be at the Palm Beach Improv on Sep. 7 for an 8 p.m. show.

Boca Raton: An open mic night for 18 and up featuring comedy, poetry and music is held every Monday at the Funky Biscuit in the back of Royal Palm Plaza, 303 SE Mizner Blvd. Signup is at 8 p.m. The show begins at 8:30 p.m. More information: Richy Lala 561-512-8472.

Miami: Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo are scheduled at the AmericanAirlines Arena

Miami: Miami-Dade County hosts a Downtown Harvest Market every Friday

MEAC/SWAC from B1 (26,500) opens Thanksgiving Day. Colors: Black and gold Head Coach: Reggie Barlow, sixth season, 27-29 overall.

2011: 8-3, 7-1 tied for first in SWAC East.

Top players: Quarterback Greg Jenkins (1,475 passing yards, 11 touchdowns; 330 rushing yards, seven touchdowns); wide receiver T.C. McWilliams (35 receptions, 403 yards, two touchdowns); running back Isiah Crowell (850 rushing yards with five touchdowns at Georgia); defensive back Kejuan Riley (79 total tackles, nine interceptions); defensive back Saeed Lee (45 total tackles, five interceptions); offensive lineman Terran Jones.

Other notable players: Wide receiver Landon Jones (25 catches, 264 yards, one touchdown), wide receiver Nehemiah Henry (20 catches, 316 yards, one touchdown); running back Quincy McKibbon (257 rushing yards, three touchdowns); defensive lineman Carlton Jones (28 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks); defensive lineman DreQuay Everett (33 tackles, six for loss, 1.5 sacks); linebacker Brandon Slater (59 total tackles, six for loss, 1.5 sacks), linebacker Leland Baker (49 total tackles, seven for loss, four sacks; kicker Bobby Winzeg (15/25 field goals, 48 yards long; 41.5 yards per punt).

Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats quick facts Founded: 1904 Location: Daytona Beach Enrollment: 3,578 Home Stadium: Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium (9,601).

Colors: Maroon and gold Head Coach: Brian Jenkins, third year 18-5 overall.

2011: 8-3, 6-2 second in MEAC Offense: Multiple (I-formation, spread, spread option).

Defense: Multiple (4-3).

Top players: Quarterback Jackie Wilson (920 passing yards, five touchdowns, 357 rushing yards, five touchdowns), running back Isidore Jackson (866 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown); wide receiver Eddie Poole (41 catches, 530 yards, four touchdowns), offensive lineman Terrence Hackney, linebacker Jarkevis Fields (76 total tackles, six for loss, one sack, one interception), safety D.J. Howard (45 total tackles, three interceptions, one touchdown) defensive lineman Harold Love III (37 total tackles, six for loss, 1.5 sacks).

Other notable players: Running back Rodney Scott (563 rushing yards one touchdown), running back Anthony Jordan (249 rushing yards, nine touchdowns); offensive lineman Alex Monroe, offensive lineman Marquell Rozier; defensive lineman Tevin Toney (27 total tackles); defensive back Dion Hanks (21 total tackles, one interception); kicker Sven Hurd (7/13 field goals, 42 yards long).

ASU offense vs. B-CU defense The Hornets have an experienced and explosive offense. Although their stats say they are balanced, they will throw the football. Everything starts with Jenkins behind center. He has

from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Residents and visitors have the opportunity to purchase seasonal produce directly from Miami-Dade growers at the Stephen P. Clark Center’s Courtyard, 111 NW 1st St. More information: www. earth-learning.org.

Miami: A show featuring Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez is scheduled at the American Airlines Arena on Aug. 31.

a good receiving corps, which will challenge the B-CU mixture of youth and experience secondary.

The Wildcats do have a big defensive front. BCU linebackers Tavarus Dantzler and Al Ghaffar Lane must replace Ryan Lewis and Reggie Sandilands as well as defensive ends Markiel Floyd, Erik Williams or Anthony Woodard must replace Ryan Davis. Alabama’s Crowell could pose problems out of the backfield. Fields is a tackling machine for the Wildcats at middle linebacker. The Wildcats must create turnovers, which have been key to their success in recent years. B-CU seems to have more questions on defense while ASU seems have more stability on offense.

Advantage: Alabama State

ASU defense vs. B-CU offense Alabama State has some playmakers in its secondary with Lee and Riley. Wilson is a dual threat under center for B-CU. Poole is his most dependable receiver. The Wildcats are loaded at running back with Jackson, Scott, Jordan and others, which could help. The Hornets also have a veteran linebacker corps with Slater, Baker and Winton Stewart and some experience upfront with Jones and Everrett. The Hornets defense is another defense that creates turnovers.

The Wildcats in recent years have been unpredictable with their “Speedway Offense.’’ Being balanced and keeping the Hornets off balance will be key.

Advantage: Bethune-Cokman

Special teams Both teams have inconsistencies in their kicking game despite both kickers having strong legs. Wenzig is also solid as a punter for ASU while Kory Kowalski struggled at times last year for B-CU. Neither team has an established game-changing return man despite having speedy and capable guys. The Wildcats will use mainly Angelo Cabrera or Preston Cleckly while the Hornets have Riley for punts and will look for Jarrett Neely ad Miles Everrett to return kicks.

Advantage: Even

Coaches Alabama State Reggie Barlow vs. BethuneCookman Brian Jenkins. Barlow is a former professional player and has been a head coach the longest. He has done a good job at ASU. Jenkins has changed the culture of a program in a short period of time and is regarded as one of the hottest young coaches available. Having already won a MEAC crown and HBCU title he gets the nod.

Advantage: Bethune-Cookman

Predicted winner: B-CU Both Alabama State and Bethune-Cookman have very good football teams. Both have juggernauts offenses and ball hawking defenses. B-CU gets the edge because they are a better team. The Wildcats are ranked higher in the HBCU polls being ranked second while the Hornets are fifth.

B-CU also has home field advantage playing in its home state, 60 plus miles from its campus and in a venue where they play at at least once a year (Florida Classic). Nonetheless, this should be an exciting game for everyone to enjoy with the two HBCUs getting the national spotlight and being the only game on television (ESPN) at the time.

STOJ

No. 87, Gronkowski New England 6’ 6” — 265 lbs.

College: Arizona Seasons: 3

AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

No. 81, Hernandez New England 6’ 1” — 245 lbs.

College: Florida Seasons: 3

1 Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez for the Patriots Leave it to New England coach Bill Belichick to create the template for this tight-end madness when he was short on wide-receiver talent. All Gronkowski, a 6-foot-6, 265-pounder, did in his second year in the league was rank second in the AFC with 90 receptions and set NFL marks for tight ends with 17 TDs and 1,327 yards. Hernandez, also in just his second season, ranked fifth in the AFC with 79 catches, seven for TDs. Just for good measure, the Patriots signed veteran Visanthe Shiancoe.

No. 87, Pettigrew Detroit 6’ 5” — 265 lbs.

College: Oklahoma St. Seasons: 4

No. 85, Scheffler Detroit 6’ 5” — 255 lbs.

College: W. Michigan Seasons: 7

2 Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler for the Lions While all-world wide receiver Calvin Johnson attracts the most attention, Pettigrew is right behind as a go-to receiver for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Pettigrew, a former first-round pick from Oklahoma State, keeps getting better every year. He ranked eighth in the NFL with 83 receptions last year on which he picked up 777 yards and five TDs. Scheffler caught just 26 passes last year (compared with 45 in 2010), but six went for TDs, and he averaged 13.3 yards per reception.

No. 80, Graham New Orleans 6’ 7” — 265 lbs.

College: Miami Seasons: 3

No. 46, Walker San Francisco 6’ — 242 lbs.

College: C. Missouri Seasons: 7

4 Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker for the 49ers Davis spoke of lofty goals when he spoke to a group of young players recently in his hometown of Washington, D.C.: “I will be the best tight end to ever play this game. I have a vision.” Davis, who caught 67 passes, including six TDs last season, had a breakthrough postseason when he caught 10 passes for 292 yards and four TDs in two playoff games.

Walker, from Central Missouri, has blossomed from a special-teamer to a viable option for Alex Smith, having caught 19 passes, including three TDs last year after grabbing 29 passes in 2010.

No. 80, Fleener Indianapolis 6’ 6” — 250 lbs.

College: Stanford Seasons: Rookie

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line situations any more.

The new wave of athletic tight ends line up on the line of scrimmage or in the slot; they also line up wide or even in the backfield before going in motion. Teams are finding big, speedy athletes with ability to not only outrun linebackers in the middle of the field but also use their size as mismatches against smaller nickel backs and slower safeties deep in the secondary.

Tight ends such as Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jason Witten have been doing that for years. But that’s not enough anymore.

It takes two tight ends now when teams go to multiple-receiver formations, creating matchup problems for defenses.

By Randy Covitz McClatchy Newspapers

Before the regular season kicks off Sept. 5, here’s a preview of the NFL’s biggest trends, hottest players and must-see games

headshots courtesy of nfl.com

No. 12, Luck Indianapolis 6’ 4” — 235 lbs.

College: Stanford

1 QB Andrew Luck

No. 10, Griffin III Washington 6’ 2” — 217 lbs.

College: Baylor

No. 3, Weeden Cleveland 6’ 3” — 222 lbs.

College: Oklahoma St.

2 QB Robert Griffin III

3 QB Brandon Weeden

No. 17, Tannehill, Miami 6’ 4” — 222 lbs.

College: Texas A&M

4 QB Ryan Tannehill

No. 92, Poe Kansas City 6’ 3” — 346 lbs.

College: Memphis

5 DT Dontari Poe

for the Colts Luck, considered the best quarterback prospect since Hall of Famers John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, has all the tools and pedigree to succeed Peyton Manning. Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, formerly the Colts’ quarterbacks coach, said: “It is scary. The family, the style of person, the style of player and what (Luck) brings to your organization is extremely comparable.”

for the Redskins Mike Shanahan went all in when he traded three firstround picks and a secondround pick to move up and take Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor, with the second overall pick in the draft. Shanahm said Griffin has the ability to be a franchise quarterback for the next decade. “He has everything I look for in a quarterback and in a person,” Shanahan said.

for the Browns The Browns didn’t take a 28-year-old quarterback in the first round to hand him a clipboard, so Weeden is expected to be the opening-day starter. Weeden will have to beat out incumbent Colt McCoy and veteran Seneca Wallace.

for the Dolphins Tannehill might have started for just two seasons at Texas A&M, but he has a leg up on the Miami playbook. Former Aggies coach Mike Sherman, now the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, installed the same West Coast offense and verbiage used in College Station. Tannehill will be the face of the team if he unseats veterans Matt Moore and David Garrard.

for the Chiefs Quarterbacks dominated the headlines of the draft, but the Chiefs created some ripples when they selected Poe with the 11th pick of the first round. The Chiefs had a glaring need at nose tackle in their 3-4 front, so they went with need over the best player on the board. Poe didn’t dominate at Memphis, but coach Romeo Crennel has a history of developing interior linemen.

No. 18, Manning Denver 6’ 5” — 230 lbs.

Formerly: Indianapolis Seasons: 15

No. 94, Williams Buffalo 6’ 6” — 292 lbs.

Formerly: Houston Seasons: 7

No. 15, Marshall Chicago 6’ 4” — 230 lbs.

Formerly: Miami Seasons: 7

No. 39, Carr Dallas 6’ — 210 lbs.

Formerly: Kansas City Seasons: 5

No. 85, Lloyd New England 6’ — 200 lbs.

Formerly: St. Louis Seasons: 10

3 WR Brandon Marshall

4 CB Brandon Carr to the

No. 85, Thomas New Orleans 6’ 3” — 248 lbs.

College: Texas Seasons: 7

3 Jimmy Graham and David Thomas for the Saints Graham, in just his second season a year ago, emerged as one of the game’s most dynamic tight ends, ranking third in the league with 99 receptions — some of them spectacular onehanded grabs with defenders draped over his 6-7, 265-pound frame — for 1,310 yards, including 11 TDs. He was a major factor in Drew Brees’ setting the all-time passing yardage record with 5,476 yards. Injuries limited Thomas to five games last season, but he was a force in 2010 when he caught 30 passes, including two TDs.

No. 85, Davis San Francisco 6’ 3” — 250 lbs.

College: Maryland Seasons: 7

The Indianapolis Colts drew some odd looks during the 2012 NFL Draft when they selected not one, but two tight ends in the second and third rounds.

The second-round pick, Coby Fleener of Stanford, made some sense. After all, the Colts needed to replace their longtime fixture at tight end, Dallas Clark. And Fleener was one of first-round pick Andrew Luck’s most trusted targets at Stanford.

But with all the needs of a 2-14 team, why did the Colts use their third-round pick on another tight end, Mackey Award winner Dwayne Allen of Clemson?

Because, as the New England Patriots showed last year with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, two-tight-end formations aren’t just for short-yardage and goal-

SPORTS

1 QB Peyton Manning

to the Broncos Manning’s release by the Colts and signing by the Broncos were the blockbuster moves of the offseason, and the big question in Denver is whether Manning, 36, is completely healthy after missing all of 2011 because of neck surgeries. Club VP John Elway and coach John Fox say they are confident Manning will return to the form that earned four MVPs, but they guaranteed only one year of his five-year, $96 million contract.

2 DE Mario Williams

to the Bills Williams, the centerpiece pass rusher of the Houston Texans defense, missed the playoffs because of injury.

But Williams had the last laugh when the Bills made him the highest-paid defensive player in the game with a six-year deal worth up to $96 million if he stays healthy. Williams, who had 53 sacks in six seasons at Houston, will try to help a Buffalo defense that had just 29 sacks in 2011 and allowed a franchise-worst 5,938 yards.

1Chan Gailey, Bills This is a crucial year for Gailey, a former Chiefs offensive coordinator who enters year three with the Bills. With 4-12 and 6-10 seasons under Gailey, it’s been 12 seasons since the Bills last made the playoffs, the NFL’s longest current drought. They’re coming off a 6-10 finish after injuries and inexperience led the team to unravel, losing eight of its last nine games.

to the Bears One of new general manager Phil Emery’s first moves was trading two third-round draft picks for Marshall, a brilliant playmaker who has a long history of off-the-field problems. But Marshall has averaged 1,188 yards receiving during the last five years and will be reunited with QB Jay Cutler, with whom he enjoyed two monster seasons in 2007 and 2008.

Cowboys Carr developed into a solid cover corner as a four-year starter with the Chiefs and had a career-best four interceptions last year, but Kansas City decided to invest its money elsewhere.

So Carr landed a five-year, $50 million free-agent deal with the Cowboys, who gave up more passing yards in the last two seasons than any two-year stretch in team history.

2 Andy Reid, Eagles Entering his 13th season, the longest tenure in the NFL, Reid should have all the security in the world. But the Eagles went 8-8 and failed to make the playoffs last year, and despite Reid’s track record, fans are calling for his dismissal.

Reid bought himself some time by winning a front-office power play. But if the Eagles don’t top the NFC East, changes could be coming.

5 WR Brandon Lloyd to

the Patriots Lloyd, another muchtraveled receiver, will be reunited with in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, his head coach at Denver and play-caller in St. Louis. Lloyd, 31, enjoyed his only Pro Bowl season in 2010 when he caught 77 passes for 1,448 yards and 11 TDs. That was nearly double his previous career best of 733 yards in 2005.

Lloyd forced a trade to St. Louis last year and caught 51 passes in 11 games.

Playing with Tom Brady could be the best move of his career.

3 Norv Turner, Chargers How does he do it? Blessed with the most talent and best quarterback in the division, Turner has missed the playoffs the last two years, but somehow he keeps retaining his job. The Chargers play six of their first 10 on the road, and if they get off to another one of their miserable starts, Turner can’t possibly survive again.

No. 83, Allen Indianapolis 6’ 3” — 255 lbs.

College: Clemson Seasons: Rookie

5 Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen for the Colts Both rookies figure to play a lot this season.

Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was a big proponent of regularly using two tight ends when he ran the Steelers’ offense. Arians wants to move them around the field, much the way New England has used Gronkowski and Hernandez. Allen caught 93 career passes at Clemson, and 74 went for first downs. Fleener caught 34 passes as a senior at Stanford but averaged 19.6 yards per catch, including 10 TDs. “He is dynamic,” said college teammate and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

1 Sept. 9, Pittsburgh

at Denver NBC couldn’t wait to get its cameras on Peyton Manning’s Denver debut, and it comes against hardhitting James Harrison, who will test the strength of Manning’s neck.

2 Sept. 23, New England

at Baltimore Lee Evans isn’t around anymore, but the Ravens still can’t believe he couldn’t hang on to a pass from Joe Flacco in the AFC Championship game last year at New England that would have sent Baltimore to the Super Bowl instead of the Patriots.

3 Sept. 30, New Orleans

at Green Bay A year ago, these two teams met on opening night, and the Packers won in a thriller 42-34. These were the two most prolific passing teams in the NFC last season.

4 Oct. 7, Denver

at New England Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. That was an annual November showdown (during a TV sweeps period) as well as an annual playoff matchup when Manning was with Indianapolis and was battling it out with the Patriots for AFC supremacy.

5 Nov. 25, San Francisco at New Orleans This is a rematch of the Saints’ 36-32 loss in the NFC second-round playoff game when 49ers quarterback Alex Smith outplayed Drew Brees, throwing the game-winning TD pass to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds to play.

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FOOD

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august 31 – SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Know your varieties There are five different types of Wisconsin potatoes. Use this guide to purchase the right potato for your favorite dishes: • Russet — Best used for baked dishes, or when making French fries or mashed potatoes; available year-round.

• Round white — Great for casse­roles, gratins, soups, salads or roasted; available year-round.

• Round red — Best boiled, steamed, roasted or served in salads; available late summer to early fall.

• Yellow flesh — Can be baked, mashed or roasted; available from late summer to early spring.

• Blue and purple — Great for baked dishes, microwaved or steamed; available in the fall.

FROM FAamily Features

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ookouts provide the perfect opportunity to gather friends and family in the backyard for quality time to celebrate the season. When hosting, look to delicious, wholesome ingredients and recipes everyone will love.

One great go-to food that never disappoints is the Wisconsin potato, and with five varieties to choose from, these hearty vegetables are easy to add to all your favorite dishes.

Get the facts about potatoes: Wisconsin potatoes offer a variety of health benefits. In fact, one medium potato (5.3 ounces with skin) contains: • Only 110 calories, zero fat and no gluten • 45 percent of the daily value for vitamin C, 10 percent of B6 and 8 percent of fiber • As much or more potassium (620mg) as spinach, broccoli or a banana Find more health information, as well as recipes and purchasing and prepara­tion tips, at www.EatWisconsinPotatoes. com.

Grilled Yellow Potato Planks Prep Time: 15 minutes | Grill Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 pounds (about 4) unpeeled yellow potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices Preheat grill.

Combine oil, garlic, rosemary and salt in dish. Add potato slices and turn until well coated.

Grill potatoes for 8 minutes or until soft. Turn and continue grilling 10 minutes longer or until cooked through.

Remove from grill and serve.

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 280; Fat: 11g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 310mg; Vitamin C: 37% daily value; Fiber: 4g; Protein: 4g; Potassium: 718mg

Grilled Potato Kabobs with Lemon Herb Drizzle Prep Time: 20 minutes | Grill Time: 10 minutes Servings: 6 Lemon-Herb Drizzle 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, rosemary, marjoram and sage) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste Juice of 1 fresh lemon Freshly ground black pepper to taste Potato Kabobs 1 pound russet potatoes, scrubbed 1 (12 ounce) package precooked chicken sausage, sliced 1/4-inch-thick on the diagonal 2 ears fresh corn, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch-thick on the diagonal Heat olive oil in small saucepan until very hot; remove from heat and stir in garlic. Let cool, then stir in herbs, salt, lemon juice and pepper; set aside.

Place potatoes in medium microwave-safe bowl and cover with lid or plastic wrap. If using plastic wrap, make sure plastic wrap is not touching any ingredients and poke one small hole in cover to vent.

Microwave on high for 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender (cooking time may vary depending on micro­wave). Use oven mitts to carefully remove from microwave.

When cool enough to handle, cut into large chunks.

Thread potatoes, sausage and vegetables on skewers.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with a little of herb mixture during the last few minutes of cooking.

Remove from grill and place on platter; drizzle with remaining herb mixture.

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 340; Fat: 18g; Cholesterol: 55mg; Sodium: 680mg; Vitamin C: 200% daily value; Fiber: 4g; Protein: 15g; Potassium: 682mg Cookout Potatoes Prep Time: 30 minutes | Grill Time: 60 minutes Servings: 8 Non-stick cooking spray 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, very thinly sliced 1 1/3 cups shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese 1/3 cup real bacon bits 1/3 cup chopped bell pepper (any color) 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt Spray 9 x 9 x 2-inch foil pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Place half the onions, potatoes, cheese, bacon bits, bell pepper and garlic salt in pan. Repeat layers. Cover tightly with foil; grill over medium heat for 1 hour, rotating pan occasionally to avoid hot spots.

Nutrition Facts: Calories: 140; Fat: 2.5g; Cholesterol: 10mg; Sodium: 370mg; Vitamin C: 45% daily value; Fiber: 1g; Protein: 10g; Potassium: 720mg

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AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

E-mail your high-resolution digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier.com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

New up and coming model Shalisa describes herself as edgy, sexy, and unique.

She loves fashion and considers the runway her second home.

Currently she is a junior in college but remains hungry for the modeling industry. She says to “look out, Shalisa is going to take modeling to a higher level.” Contact Shalisa at facebook.com/ shalisawest or on twitter @_shalisaw.

CREDIT: Sosdezign

shalisa

Maba Ba, is a native of Dakar, Senegal, and currently lives in New York where he is pursuing a passion in acting and filmmaking.

He played division football at Old Dominion University and graduated with a degree in computer science and international business.

Contact him at baempire@gmail. com.

CREDIT: Gabrielle Linden photography.

maba ba

Harvey among celebs rolling out talk shows this fall

BY CHUCK BARNEY CONTRA COSTA TIMES (MCT)

Soap operas might be falling by the wayside, but that doesn’t mean daytime television is lacking drama.

This fall, no fewer than five chatty contenders will wage an all-out battle for your attention as they launch afternoon talk shows. The crowded field includes a pair of big-name celebrities (Katie Couric and Steve Harvey), a daytime comeback candidate (Ricki Lake), a reality TV fixture (Jeff Probst) and a foreign import (Trisha Goddard).

It’s the largest freshman class of TV gab-fests in quite a while — somewhat of a surprise given that these hosts face long odds in a post-Oprah world of fragmented audiences and lower ratings. Not only will they be trying to outdo each other, they’ll be fighting for survival amid a landscape cluttered with other entrenched talk shows, game shows, court shows, and, yes, a few remaining soaps.

In doing so, they’ll do their best to come across as your best friend, while dispensing info, a la Oprah, on how to make the most out of your life and relationships. For the most part, celebrity guests will not be their priority.

Here’s the roster of the hosts who will be talking up a storm this fall. (Check local listings for times and channels).

‘Katie’ Premieres: Sept. 10 The backstory: She thrived in the morning, took her lumps in the evening (news), and now tries her luck in the afternoons.

The promo pitch: “Finding the right answers is all about asking the right questions.”

Roar of the crowd: Couric has been in television for 33 years, but this will be her first time working consistently with a live studio audience. “I’m excited,” she told reporters at TV’s summer press tour. “It’s

much more fun to talk to actual people and to have somebody reacting to the things you’re saying and doing.”

Showing her range: Couric believes her biggest strength is her experience with a variety of stories, from serious breaking news to the lighthearted.

“One of the exciting things for me is getting to flex all my muscles,” she says. “I feel my portfolio is really varied. I pride myself on being able to calibrate my tone and my approach.”

‘Steve Harvey’ Premieres: Sept. 4 The backstory: Successful comedian, radio and game show host, author and film producer looks to conquer another corner of the media landscape.

The promo pitch: “Life can get pretty confusing. ...

I’m here to help. You and I will get through this together.”

A distinct POV: Don’t expect Harvey to shy away from controversy and/or strong opinions. He’s not afraid to be edgy. “Most celebrities are not opinionated,” he said in a recent TV interview. “They always play it safe. That won’t be me.”

A humorous twist: How will Harvey generally differ from most of his daytime rivals? “There’s not a lot funny in daytime television outside of Ellen DeGeneres. I’m going to be extremely funny,” he insists. “... I firmly believe that laughter does the absolute most for people.”

‘The Jeff Probst Show’ Premieres: Sept. 10 The backstory: “Survivor” host emerges from the jungle to embrace a very different kind of tribal council.

The promo pitch: “Bringing a whole new energy to daytime talk.”

Hold your fire: “If you’re looking for Jerry (Springer) or Maury (Povich), this show isn’t for you,” Probst said during his press tour

Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show premieres on Sept. 4. visit. “I’m not interested in people fighting on stage and I’m not interested in paternity tests.”

Lend an ear: Probst claims that his greatest skill as an interviewer is his willingness to listen. “I’m absolutely fascinated with people,” he says. Oh, and he tends to share a lot — “sometimes too much.”

‘The Ricki Lake Show’ Premieres: Sept. 10 The backstory: Daytime veteran (1993-2004), now older and wiser, returns to the chat-fest fray.

The promo pitch: “Whatever you want to talk about, the conversation begins here.”

A different tone: Don’t expect Lake’s show to be quite as sensationalistic as her first daytime endeavor. “I’m sort of reinventing myself in this genre,” she said at the press tour. “I’m more evolved. ... I think we’re doing a show now that’s a little less fluff, a little more substance.”

She’s just like me: The key to Lake’s rapport with her audience?

Relatability. “I have been rich. I have been poor. I

have been fat. I have been thin,” she says. “I’m an open book, and I’m willing to share my hardships and my triumphs.”

‘Trisha Goddard’ Premieres: Sept. 17 The backstory: Mentalhealth activist and breastcancer survivor hosted talk shows in Australia and England before doing guest stints on “Maury” as a “conflict-resolution” expert.

The promo pitch: “Straight talk with a no-excuse mentality.”

Leading the way: A native of the UK, Goddard broke ground in the late 1980s as Australia’s first Black TV news anchorwoman.

A transformation: Goddard, whose show will deal with relationship dilemmas and family conflicts, says her bout with cancer had a huge impact on her outlook. ‘(It) has definitely changed me,” she told British newspaper the Mail. “I love what I do. I love connecting with people ... But I’m far more relaxed about it all now; I’m not some career-driven beast.”

Trisha Goddard broke ground in the late 1980s as Australia’s first Black TV news anchorwoman.

‘Africa’s Oprah’ to launch all-African network FROM WIRE REPORTS

Nigerian born Mo Abudu, a television talk show host of “Moments with Mo,” producer, and overall media personality is actually a pioneer where she comes from.

Her show is the first syndicated daily talk show, which covers lifestyle, health, culture, entertainment and more, on African regional television and rakes in millions of viewers, according to Shadow and Act. Although she doesn’t much like the title, she’s become known as “Africa’s Oprah Winfrey” for her popularity and successful coverage of hot topics.

Her new channel will

Mo Abudu be a bigger reflection of her life’s work, celebrating the lives and accomplishments of Africans and providing representation from around the continent.

“The goal of the new network is to produce content that gives young people hope across the continent [a group that she says remains underserved by African media, apart from music-driven channels like MTV Base].

These are the people that 10 years from now are going to be running the continent, and we’re not engaging them. We want to make sure that the content we produce has global appeal… The vision is a global vision for EbonyLife.”

TOj B6

AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

You can power your TV for 40 days

With the savings you get in one month by turning your air conditioner up 1 degree Get energy fit with the improved FPL Online Home Energy Survey, and make your bill even lower, visit www.FPL.com/energyfit

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