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VOLUME 22 NO. 45
www.flcourier.com
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
DEFEATED AND IN DENIAL
Despite spending $137 million, Florida Democrats got their clocks cleaned, barely losing the governor’s race, all of the Cabinet races, and a supermajority of the state House races. Who can Democrats blame but themselves for low turnout? Simple plan
COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS
Rick Scott completed the historically expensive task of winning a second term as Florida’s governor Tuesday night in a bitter fight with Democrat Charlie Crist settled by a sliver of votes. The combined bill for both parties: $345 million, says preliminary investigation by the Herald/ Times (the Miami Herald) and the JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT Washington-based Center for ReDemocratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist thanks supsponsive Politics. The GOP spent porters at a hair salon in Tampa, the last event of his campaign, $208 million; Democrats spent on Tuesday, Nov. 4. $137 million.
Democrats’ plans to take down Scott – a governor who is literally hated by many Democrats – were relatively straightforward: Run charismatic former Gov. Charlie Crist, and fire up the turnout machine that helped President Obama carry the state twice. On Tuesday, those plans fell apart, as a robust ground game from Republicans, Scott’s massive financial edge and the GOP wave that swept the nation propelled Scott to a second term by a narrow margin. As Scott built
CAMPAIGN 2014
A true ‘lame duck’ president
up large leads in counties such as Duval, Seminole and in the Panhandle, Crist’s camp pinned its hopes on Broward, where election problems at a handful of precincts prompted his campaign to unsuccessfully sue to keep the polls open beyond 7 p.m. Before the polls closed, Crist’s campaign filed an emergency motion in Broward County to keep them open after reports of hour-long lines in Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale and Weston. A judge, however, denied the motion. See DEMS, Page A2
GOP sweeps state Cabinet State Dems ignored their candidates FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater easily defeated a pair of unheralded Democratic challengers who received miniscule backing from the Florida Democratic Party, while Attorney General Pam Bondi cruised to re-election in her race. Putnam, a 40-year-old from a Bartow who spent 10 years in Congress and is widely considered a leading gubernatorial candidate in 2018, defeated Thaddeus “Thad” Hamilton. Hamilton is a 64-year-old U.S. Army veteran who spent 36 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Won Dem counties
OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT
President Obama spoke about the midterm elections that saw Democrats lose control of the U.S. Senate during a press conference in the White House on Wednesday. See a full page of political analysis from some of Florida’s best political commentators on Page A5.
Medical marijuana proposal falls short BY JIM SAUNDERS AND TOM URBAN THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Little more than three months ago, Floridians appeared poised to overwhelmingly pass a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana. But Tuesday, after a barrage of negative ads by opponents, the idea came crashing down. As of Wednesday night – the Florida Courier’s press time – 57.6 percent of voters backed the proposed amendment, known as Amendment 2, which would have allowed patients to receive the substance. But constitutional amendments require approval from 60 percent of voters to pass.
ALSO INSIDE
Hamilton and Democratic CFO candidate Will Rankin had little money or support from the Florida Democratic Party. But even though they were soundly defeated in Tuesday’s elections, the pair could count on one thing: Democratic loyalists. Hamilton won six counties that are Democratic strongholds – Alachua, Broward, Gadsden, Leon, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. See GOP, Page A2
SNAPSHOTS “This amendment, had it been ingrained in the constitution, would have been very bad for Florida,” said Sarah Bascom, a spokeswoman for “Vote No on 2,” a group that fought legalization. “There are no doovers in the constitution, so the only way to rectify this amendment and to fix this issue was to vote no.” The pot proposal was one of three constitutional amendments on the ballot Tuesday. Voters easily passed an amendment that will lead to increased funding for land conservation and other environmental projects. They rejected a third amendment that involved the appointment of Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges. The medical-marijuana initiative was spearheaded by Orlando attorney John Morgan, who is known throughout the state for his ubiquitous Morgan and Morgan law-firm television ads and billboards. In July, a Quinnipiac University poll indicated that 88 percent of Floridians – across
all age groups – approved of medical marijuana. But support for the proposed amendment later dropped as it was hit with millions of dollars in television ads and opposition from sheriffs, Republican leaders and business groups. Opponents said the amendment included loopholes that would lead to a wide-open pot industry that would go far beyond helping patients who suffer from debilitating illnesses. The anti-Amendment 2 effort got crucial help from Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who contributed $5.5 million to the Drug Free Florida political committee, which ran ads blasting the proposal.
NATION | A3
Private sector added 230,000 jobs in October COMMENTARY | A4
FAMU now at a crossroad PERSONAL FINANCE | B3
Amendment 1 While the medical-marijuana initiative was highly controversial, the land-conservation amendment drew grumbling from Republican legislative leaders and some busiSee AMENDMENTS, Page A2
Carefully consider options during open enrollment
COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: LUCIUS GANTT: ‘WHO COULD DELIVER?’ THAT WAS THE QUESTION | A5
FOCUS
A2
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
‘Midterm Madness’ pitted zombie Dems against zombie GOP The day after the 2014 midterm elections, it’s pretty clear that political control of the United States, its economy, its mass media and its politics are firmly in the hands of its wealthy, deeply entrenched elite of wealthy individuals and corporations. Even where Democrats won, it wasn’t good news for ordinary people. Pension-cutter Democrats, school privatization Democrats, mass incarceration Democrats, tax-the-poor and coddle-the-rich Democrats retained governorships in places like New York, Illinois, California and Colorado.
Both are alike Democratic zombie theatrics are quite a lot like Republican zombie theatrics. Republican House leaders brought up and passed anti-Obamacare bills more than 40 times in the last two Congresses, knowing full well these went no further than their
Fewer Blacks fooled BRUCE A. DIXON BLACK AGENDA REPORT
own doors and press releases. Similarly while Barack Obama campaigned in 2007-2008 promising the raise the minimum wage, and swept into office with majorities in both houses of Congress, Democratic leaders in the US Senate waited till this summer – almost 4 years after they’d lost the majority – to pretend to bring it to the floor, where it predictably lost. So Republican zombies can pretend to campaign against Obamacare, and Democratic zombies can pretend to campaign for the minimum wage. That’s an example of the system working.
AMENDMENTS from A1
ness groups but appeared to have no organized opposition. It received about 75 percent of the vote Tuesday. The proposal, which was Amendment 1 on the ballot, will require the state to dedicate a portion of realestate tax revenue over the next 20 years for environmental preservation. The proposal will generate billions of dollars from the already-existing tax, with the money going to buy or restore areas crucial to Florida’s water supply, such as the land around springs, and natural systems that have been despoiled, such as the Everglades.
Amendment 3
GOP
cent of the vote.
from A1
Similarly, Rankin won all of the same counties except Palm Beach. That could be explained by the fact that Republican Atwater lives in Palm Beach County and represented parts of it in the Florida Legislature for a decade. Statewide, the results of the Agriculture and CFO Cabinet races were almost identical. In each race, the Republican incumbent received just shy of 59 percent of the vote. The Democratic challengers both received just over 41 percent, according to unofficial results posted on the state Division of Elections website. Unofficial numbers had Bondi up about 13 percentage points on Democrat George Sheldon, with Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer garnering less than 3 per-
DEMS from A1
Unofficial results showed Scott carrying about 48.2 percent of the vote, with Crist picking up almost 47.1 percent.
‘Wave’ victim? By the day after the election, Crist’s allies were saying what many Democrats across the country were saying: Given Obama’s unpopularity and voters’ sour mood, the former Republican Crist never stood much of a chance. Steve Geller, a former Senate minority leader and close ally of Crist whose friendship dates back to their college days at Florida State University, said Crist was a victim of the national Republican wave. “Gov. Scott is fortunate,” Geller said. “He has good timing. There have been two Republican wave elections in the past 15 years and he ran during both of them and won narrow vic-
The third amendment on the ballot was placed there by Republican lawmakers and involved a complicated question about the appointment of future Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges. It received only about 48 percent support. The proposal was spurred by the possibility that three Supreme Court justices – Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince – will have to step down in early 2019 because of a mandatory retirement age. They could leave the court at the same
Under the good-cop-bad-cop rules of US partisan conduct, Democrats must pretend to be a party of minorities and the working people every couple years during election season. But the act is getting old, fooling fewer and fewer people. Black voters turned out in substantial numbers Tuesday, despite the fact that they’d been promised nothing and received a bit less than that. But their numbers were not as high as in presidential years. Latino voters did the same, despite the fact that they’d been explicitly promised a road to citizenship and received a massive wave of family and community-shattering deportations instead.
ocratic candidates nothing in the way of coattails to ride on. So White Democratic candidates avoided him. By doing so, they not only didn’t help themselves any, they helped render the Black political class’s shallow appeals to vote Democratic out of racial solidarity much less effective than they might have been. There are polls saying that 60 percent of Americans believe that mitigating man-made climate change is a hugely pressing issue. But neither of the two parties is willing or able to take the public up on it. Republican zombies take the money and claim climate change is a myth, while Democrat zombies delay and do nothing with the executive and legislative power they do have. The Obama administration is clearly running out the clock on deciding the Keystone Oil issue, maybe in hopes of not seeing all the oil money go to Republicans in 2016. What could go wrong?
No coattails
Voting rights not guaranteed
By not championing any breakthrough legislation or popular mobilizing initiative, the First Black President gave White Dem-
The last time Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives was when the American people imagined a Democrat
time a new governor takes office, depending on the outcome of the 2018 gubernatorial election. The amendment would allow an outgoing governor – rather than the incoming governor – to appoint the replacements. Supporters said the proposal was needed to avoid a potential constitutional crisis that could emerge if there is a dispute about who holds the appointment power. But Democrats and other critics argued that the proposal was a power grab by Republican supporters of Gov. Rick Scott, who, if re-elected Tuesday, would leave office in early 2019. In such a scenario, Scott – and not his successor – would be able to fill the Supreme Court openings.
tories both times.” The national trends certainly helped Scott, said Rick Wilson, a Republican political consultant, but only after the GOP and its allies laid the groundwork for a victory. “If the campaign hadn’t built the ship and raised the sail, that last little bit of wind wouldn’t have moved us,” said Wilson, who worked with an independent group supporting Scott.
No activity Neither Scott nor Crist held any public events Wednesday, the day after the most expensive and perhaps the most personal governor’s race in Florida history. Crist did make calls to thank supporters and his staff, according to an aide. Scott was expected to hold a transition press conference in the coming days. But the analysis of the 2014 election was already underway in some corners, with both parties trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t Tuesday night – and whether there are any
Bruce Dixon is managing editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact him at bruce.dixon@ blackagendareport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.
DON BARTLETTI/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
The fight to legalize medical marijuana collective isn’t over yet. ing. She campaigned Monday in Tampa with former Gov. Jeb Bush and was celebrating Tuesday evening in Tampa. Bondi also commanded a substantial advantage in name recognition as a frequent guest on cable news and for helping head the legal battle against the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
No problem Bondi had little problem overcoming a steady stream of low-key attacks over her management of the office. She wasn’t shy about standing with Gov. Rick Scott last week, overwhelmingly defeated vastly outspent Democrat George Sheldon and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer. Sheldon, 67, is a former state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for education commissioner in 2000. He defeated state Rep. Perry Thurston, one of Florida’s highest-ranking Black politicians, in August’s primary. Shelton then tried to portray Bondi, a 48-year-old former assistant state attorney from Hillsborough County, as too tied to the ideological right wing of the Republican Party and too close to Scott and corporate lobbyists. But without resources from donors
Congress would stop the BushCheney wars in Iraq and perhaps impeach the president and vice president. But instead of beheading the Republican zombies, the Democrats joined them, enabling Bush and Cheney to complete their terms, but not their wars, which Democrat national security zombies like the Republican ones, now assure us will last a generation. On the issue of voting rights, Democrats, especially our Black misleadership class, held the political and moral high ground from the seventies through the 90s and beyond. They’ve got plenty of lawyers and legal scholars and they’ve known perfectly well for decades that if the right to vote is NOT in the US Constitution any mayor, any county commissioner or state level elected official can pass laws or invent rules to block it. But no matter. Next week, Part 2-Time for new rules.
GOP financial support
Thad Hamilton lost big in his statewide race, but still garnered more than 2.3 million votes. or the Florida Democratic Party, Sheldon wasn’t able to get a sustained message out. Bondi rode a Republican wave into the statewide office four years ago,
and dismissed most of the criticism of her office while telling voters she has cracked down on pill mills and been tough in the fight against synthetic drugs and human traffick-
lessons to be learned.
elections since the 1990s,” said Susan MacManus, a political-science professor at the University of South Florida. While Crist carried the largest cities in the state, Scott often carried the suburbs around them.
The numbers One of the most surprising parts of the election, given the Democrats’ repeated emphasis on turning out voters over the last six years, might have been how poorly they did. Six of the 10 counties with the lowest turnout Tuesday went for Crist, including counties like Miami-Dade (40.7 percent), Broward (44.45 percent) and Palm Beach (49.1 percent) – the three counties where Crist scored his largest margins in terms of votes. Crist did win the six counties with the most votes – including those three – by a combined 447,190 votes. But Scott racked up huge margins in small- and medium-sized counties across the state, offsetting Crist’s advantages in urban core districts with wins almost everywhere else. Scott carried 54 counties by an average of 26 percent; Crist carried 13 by an average of 16.9 percent. “That’s how Republicans have often won statewide
Non-urban strength Scott did well in non-urban counties in the I-4 corridor and crushed Crist in Duval County, a critical trove of votes for the GOP. Scott won 56.7 percent of the two-party vote in that county – home to Jacksonville – more than the Republican candidates’ edge in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and Scott’s own advantage in 2010. That, too, might have had something to do with Obama, Wilson said. “Crist’s flavor of proObama cheerleading is enormously unpopular in this state except for ... the urban counties. He can’t sell that outside of his base,” Wilson said. Libertarian Adrian Wyllie – who carried almost 3.8
Bondi raised $2.29 million, including $325,905 in state matching funds, while also getting more than $1.4 million through in-kind assistance mostly from the Republican Party of Florida for campaign costs such as staffing and travel. Sheldon drew $855,037 in contributions, of which $275,215 was in state matching funds. Putnam’s campaign raised $3.16 million, which included $443,334 in state percent of vote – also could have played a spoiler role. While Wyllie was expected to pull voters away from Scott, and did perform well in counties won by the incumbent, MacManus said exit polls showed much of his support coming from younger voters who were expected to side with Crist. “He ended up hurting Crist more than Scott,” she said.
GOP catches up Wilson also said Democrats seemed not to realize that Republicans have caught up to them on voting technology, so that the advantage Democrats perceive themselves to have is not as large as they believe. “We realized that the technology is politically ambiguous,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who’s using it.” And, of course, Scott, an allied committee and the Republican Party of Florida poured tens of millions of dollars into bashing Crist– particularly early, as the Democrat was still working to raise money – defining
matching funds. He also received more than $1 million in in-kind donations for campaign staff, polling and research mostly from the Republican Party of Florida. Putnam also raised a combined $814,500 through his two political committees, Sunshine State Leadership Project and SSLP. Atwater raised $3.24 million as of Oct. 30 and received $1.1 million through in-kind donations, mostly from the Republican Party of Florida. Atwater’s totals included $413,277 he received in state matching funds. Among the Democratic challengers, Sheldon was the only one to receive state matching funds, which are calculated based on contributions of $250 or less that campaigns receive from state residents.
Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report. Crist and possibly dampening enthusiasm for the governor among Democrats. The gulf between the two only widened when Scott poured $12.8 million of his and his wife’s fortune into the Republican Party of Florida in October. Combined with everything else, Democrats say it was just too much. “It’s always difficult to run when you’re outspent two-to-one,” Geller said. “I think in a normal election (Crist) would have overcome that. There was a national Republican wave that carried a lot of people with it.” Crist’s loss Tuesday night may mark the end of his political career just six years after he was considered for the Republican nomination for the vice presidency.
Aaron Deslatte and Anthony Man of the Orlando Sentinel (MCT)and Brandon Larrabee and Dara Kam of the News Service of Florida all contributed to this report.
NATION
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Report: Private sector added 230,000 jobs in October Employment gains in slightly better than analysts expected BY JIM PUZZANGHERA LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)
WASHINGTON — Private employers added 230,000 net new jobs in October, a solid gain that indicates the labor market is continuing to improve, payroll firm Automatic Data Processing said Wednesday. In addition to last month’s gains, the firm revised up September’s private-sector job growth by 12,000, to 225,000 net new positions. “The job market is steadily picking up pace,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, which assists ADP in preparing the closely watched report. “Job growth is strong and broad-based across industries and company sizes,” he said. “The job market will soon be tight enough to support a meaningful acceleration in wage growth.” The private-sector gains
A3
Making her own way
were slightly better than analysts expected.
Construction up ADP said job growth was up sharply in October for midsized companies, defined as those with 50-499 employees. Those firms added 122,000 net new positions last month, more than double the 47,000 added in September. But companies with more than 500 employees added just 5,000 net new jobs, down from 85,000, ADP said. The well-paying construction industry added 28,000 net new jobs last month, up from 13,000 in September, it said. Another high-wage sector, manufacturing, saw hiring fall off sharply to 15,000 net new positions in October, down from 33,000 the previous month. But the September figure was the best since 2011. Overall, goods-producing industries added 48,000 net new jobs last month, down from 50,000 in September. Service-providing companies increased their payrolls by 181,000 in October, up from 176,000
ANNE CUSACK/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
Jackie Lloyd sets up her street vendor booth in Exposition Park in Los Angeles on Aug. 29. She makes ends meet by selling packages of oils, shea butter, soap and incense after losing a school district job.
Recent school shooting shows need to reach troubled teens online “A large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet,” wrote Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson in a 2011 report. “Parents often lack a basic understanding that kids’ online lives are an extension of their offline lives.” For that reason, sites like Facebook and Twitter have emerged as the new meeting place for reaching teens — the modern-day community center. “Social media provides a huge opportunity to help, exactly because it isn’t behind closed doors,” said Kaitlin Lounsbury, a researcher at the University of New Hampshire who studies young people’s habits online.
BY CLAUDIA ROWE THE SEATTLE TIMES (MCT)
SEATTLE — “Thank you for being such a good friend,” read the text message on Juliana Borges’ phone. “I know you’re going to do well in life.” Borges, then an 18-yearold senior at Lake Stevens High School, looked at the words, smiled and went on with her evening. She wondered at the silence when she typed back her appreciation but thought nothing of it until the next morning in Spanish class, when she learned that her friend had killed himself that night. Today, only three years later, their exchange likely would have taken place on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr — social media sites whose use has skyrocketed among teens and where messages are often open to the world, for all to see. In the hours and days after five students at Marysville-Pilchuck High School were shot by a friend, who then turned the gun on himself, updates from teens flooded Twitter — everything from rumors to news tidbits to outpourings of emotion.
Typing their pain The shooter’s Twitter feed, too, was viewable, and it displayed a simmering angst in 15-year-old Jaylen Fryberg that went back months, filled with anger and vows of retribution — despite the fact that, in person, he was popular enough to be crowned homecoming prince of the freshman class. And within a day of the assault, victim Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, 14, had more than 3,000 people following her Twitter account, even as she lay in a hospital, fighting for her life. She died from her injuries on Oct. 31. The surging popularity of social media among teens has not been lost on public health advocates, who are now working with Facebook to reach students in trouble. They say many young people are far more comfortable facelessly typing their pain
Take threats seriously
MARK HARRISON/THE SEATTLE TIMES/MCT
Students are escorted to buses for evacuation after a shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School, in Marysville, Wash., on Oct. 24. on a keyboard and hitting “send” than walking into a counselor’s office to ask for help directly.
Classic cries for help Fryberg’s tweet on June 20 could be a prime example: “Might as well die now,” he wrote. Two months later he added: “Some (expletive)’s gonna go down and I don’t think you’ll like it.” To Lauren Davis, at the suicide-prevention group Forefront, which is housed at the University of Washington and has contracted with Facebook to improve outreach to kids in distress, the teen’s posts were textbook. “When I read Jaylen’s Twitter feed, it broke my heart,” Davis said. “Just classic cries of a young per-
SIGNS OF TROUBLE The more of the signs below that a person shows, the greater the risk. • Talking about wanting to die • Looking for a way to kill oneself • Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose • Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain • Talking about being a burden to others • Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs • Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly • Sleeping too little or too much • Withdrawing or feeling isolated • Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge • Displaying extreme mood swings
SOURCE: NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE
son in distress. I would put them on a PowerPoint presentation.” Facebook contacted Forefront last summer and has continued to meet with Davis and her colleagues,
discussing ways that social media can better reach young people who may need help, and aid concerned friends. One idea under consideration: Posting crisis lines
on the news feed of certain users, in addition to creating an online library of suicide-prevention resources. “It’s pretty exciting what they’re trying to do,” said Jennifer Stuber, executive director at Forefront. “There are some tragic warning signs that appear on social media, and posts often have very serious implications, so concerned users need to know what to do. “I think it’s essential to saving lives.”
80 percent online Pew Internet Research Project reports that 80 percent of teens use social media regularly. More than 22 percent log on at least 10 times a day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Many messages laden with drama are only that. But Forefront’s Davis believes it’s better, always, to err on the side of over concern. “Take every threat seriously, every time,” she said. “There’s a reason, a very pointed reason, why they’re putting that out to the world.” Presently, Facebook relies on customers to report troubling content posted by others — for a company with 1.3 billion users, it would be difficult to monitor messages any other way. When notice is received of potential danger, a team of analysts evaluates the wording of a post and, if deemed serious, sends a message offering help, which pops up the next time that person logs on. Tumblr is more proactive. Search on a word like “depression” or “suicide” and a message immediately appears: “Everything ok? If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, self harm, or suicidal thoughts, please visit our counseling & prevention resources page for a list of services that may be able to help.” Twitter, like Facebook, relies on its individual users to report postings that cause concern.
EDITORIAL
A4
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Ghana remains ‘Made By Hand’ Living in Ghana is GRAND! I occasionally yearn to come back to Louisiana, but those four seconds tend to pass rather swiftly. I accept that we are exactly where we are supposed to be at this time and space. But let it be known: the transition has its challenges. Being from “The Boot” (Louisiana), we are accustomed to the laid-back lifestyle we encounter here in Seventh Heaven, but we have also discovered ourselves plunged back in time at least “four score and seven years.”
Not there yet Efficient creature comforts and modernized laborsaving devices with which we have been pampered just haven’t quiiiiiite made it over here ‘cross the water. Things are yet done the old-fashioned way. As we travel, it is most common to see “men at work” for REAL. Excavations and erections are
CASSANDRA DIANE BACK TO THE HOMELAND
Some of their practices are extremely dangerous. I nearly faint when I see workers connecting vast electrical conduits without protective clothing, and welders using arc torches ablaze all the day-long donned with only sunglasses. Nevertheless, muscle and true grit always “get ‘er done.”
mainly done by hand. Massive ditches, trenches and troughs are dug out under the blazing African sun by strong, strapping men equipped only with shovels, axes, picks and wheelbarrows. Multiple-story homes and businesses ascend upward on geometrically correct scaffolds made of interlocking bamboo struts assisted by rickety-looking – but amazingly sturdy – hand-hewn ladders and lifts. Acres of land are cleared with razor-sharp machetes slicing through everything from crabgrass to tree trunks. The earth is manually prepared for mass planting with garden hoes and strong hands tilling the soil, building rows for crops and harvesting.
Daily chore Water is plentiful, but getting it is not just a flick of the wrist anymore. The absence of water lines in much of the country makes fetching water the chore of the day. Rainwater is caught in buckets and pails or toted – mornings and evenings – from a centrally located community well or a freshwater borehole at a
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: RICK SCOTT RE-ELECTED
cost of about two cents per container. Many homes – including ours – are equipped with huge multi-gallon water tanks perched on concrete towers which use the force of gravity to pipe water into sinks and bathrooms. Water tank trucks fill the tanks with usable water on demand. In newer communities, municipal water routing systems – like ours ‘back home’ – allow water to flow through public pipelines on certain days of the week or month. This too is gathered and stored in the personal tanks for home use. Due to the unaffordability of many modern appliances, housework and cooking are accomplished with sheer elbow grease.
Early risers At 4 a.m. – you can set your clock by it – we can hear our neighbors sweeping their porches and yards as they bend over brooms made of straw. Clothes are washed in big washtubs and hung to dry in the sweet fresh air on outdoor clotheslines. Dusting rags are a household MUST, especially during harmattan, when the continental tradewinds bring tons of fine dust from the Sahara Desert through West Africa enroute to the Gulf of Guinea between November and March. The harmattan dirt is so fierce that it eclipses the sun on most days; dust re-accumulates on the dinner table before you can finish wiping it. Locals yet cook outside on hot pots – small cast iron pits resembling tire rims designed for wood coals underneath – and “silver” (aluminum cooking pots or pans) up top on which
to boil, fry and stew. Many modern homes with kitchens and stoves inside still use this method of food preparation. Makeshift barbeque grills and pits fashioned from empty barrels and buckets dot the highways, vending grilled meats and fire-roasted vegetables. You can often hear chickens squawking, ducks shrieking, pigs squealing and goats bleating as they are chased down and slaughtered to provide fresh meat for family and customers.
‘Hear me now?’ When I first came to Ghana, they still utilized pay phones and calling cards. Now, even remote areas have graduated to cellular technology. Though there are six major cell phone and Internet service providers here, connectivity leaves much to be desired. This is because telephone users in Ghana increased from 218,000 in 2000 to more than 43 million now, overwhelming the limited number of shared satellite towers throughout the country. Calls constantly drop. Service is often interrupted or inadequate. Private lines suddenly become party lines as other folks’ conversations bleed in and out of yours. The huge demand is demanding new AND improved service, and it is being realized slowly but sho’ly...very slowly.
yards and on side streets. If we sit on the front porch early enough in the morning hours, we can catch the Fresh Bread Lady with hot loaves right out of the oven, and the drinking water delivery truck bringing sachets straight to our door. There’s the Shoe Cobbler striking his wooden shoebox signaling his at-your-service approach; the Yogurt and Ice Cream Man pushing his cart and clanging his bell; the Bissop Lady with icecold bottles of hibiscus, ginger or moringa juices; or the Jewelry and Cosmetics Lady carrying baskets of bangles and beauty supplies atop her head. You can get curb service from the Hair Dresser Lady to “get yo’ hair did” right on your own front porch; or walk around the corner to the cold storage for fresh chicken and fish in a matter of minutes.
Moving forward
At our door
Progress is imminent in the Motherland; she grows at “Starship Enterprise” warp speed. But old-school traditions and time-proven methods hang tough amidst the building and the bustle; and that downhome feeling is ever present, as warm as a belly full of Louisiana gumbo. The world is on our doorstep. Inventions, industry and ingenuity take us swiftly into the future. But for the most part, Ghana remains simple, pure and Made By Hand.
Furniture makers, seamstresses, brick makers, telephone unit and drinking water vendors, water purification units, fruit stands, iron works, hardware, sundry and liquor stores are conveniently found in front
Contact Cassandra at Back to the Homeland Tours on Facebook, or www.weregoingtoghana. com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
FAMU is now at a crossroads BILL DAY, CAGLE CARTOONS
Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 232 Black Floridians, keep your heads up! Blame the Democrats for low Black turnout, NOT each other. Young folks have a saying: “You can’t cheat the grind.” Meaning: You can’t achieve a goal without hard work. Dems want Black support without working for it or paying for it. We’ll analyze Black voter turnout in high-density Black precincts next week. Meanwhile, here’s a number you need to remember: $136 MILLION. Florida Democrats spent $136 MILLION on the 2014 campaign, mostly on Charlie Crist. They parachuted Barack Obama’s people into the state, paying in some cases $20,000 per month per person in consultant fees. They barred Bro. Prez from coming to Florida, rather than sending him on a bus tour through Black South Florida’s streets and then to big rallies in places like the Broward Convention Center and Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena to energize Black voters. Florida Democrats refused to meet with Black media owners early in the year to talk about a media plan to turn out Black voters. $136 MILLION. If Dems had invested $3 million months ago in a political grassroots organization led by credible MiamiDade community activists like Vanessa Woodard Byers, William “DC” Clark, Dr. Victor T. Curry, or others (just to name a
QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER
CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER
few), and invested $1 million in advertising in credible Black-owned media like the Florida Courier, The Miami Times, and other Haitian and Caribbean-owned outlets to get out Miami-Dade’s Black vote, Crist would have won. But they didn’t spend the money, and they had it in hand. Result? Here’s a true story. Two young first-time voters showed up Tuesday all excited to vote in Miami-Dade County. The problem? They didn’t know they had to be REGISTERED first. THAT”S why you hire consultants and grassroots leaders who know the community…
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As we close out Florida A&M University’s 2014 Homecoming weekend, I will make some observations about the University, where we are today, and what I personally believe has to happen. I have heard that some believe that the world has changed since I was president. They believe that I may be out of touch with regard to how to promote the University successfully and attract the necessary resources to sustain our alma mater. I disagree. When it comes to the “meat and potatoes” of FAMU and its relevancy to the fabric of American higher education, the FUNDAMENTALS have not changed. My view: It is critical that all persons in leadership have a fundamental appreciation and respect for our history and the special role that FAMU plays. FAMU must navigate unique dynamics to be successful in a landscape that does not want FAMU to succeed; a landscape that is actively seeking to starve the University to death. One cannot adopt a model that is successful at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) and just drop that model into FAMU – and expect it to work – without SIGNIFICANT amounts of nuance and finesse. Any notion of “I’m from a PWI; I get it, but the current and former University community doesn’t,” is arrogant, inherently naïve, and will fail. The stakes are too high to not be thoughtful in every action that FAMU administrators and employees take. Anyone that doesn’t appreciate Point No. 1 above should quickly and swiftly be removed from University leadership – but with due process. How (FAMU Head Football Coach) Earl Holmes was handled was in very bad form. The impact of the firing is costing us more in damage to our ‘brand’ than if he continued as coach and lost every game the rest of the season. This was simply poor judgment. If FAMU is to be considered a serious university, be a destination for the best students and faculty and garner the public trust to attract research money and elite athletes, these kind of actions must be managed better. As a community, we must respectfully make our views about decisions at FAMU visible. The world is watching, and we must consistently demonstrate that we are serious, thoughtful and deliberate in everything that we do. The alumni must support the University that provided them with tools to be successful in life. I met so many alums last weekend who are very successful spiritually and financially. Many met their spouses at
DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES GUEST COMMENTARY
FAMU. How can one have received so much and give so little in return? I have personally given all that I have for this University to be great, whether it’s through my time or from my pocketbook. I am not suggesting that all alums need to be me, but we must give back. Cecka Rose Green’s “10 for 10 Challenge” is a great example of an idea that used “crowdfunding” as way to give back. Others must step up as well. The gift from John Thompson, a “Mighty Rattler,” should make everyone think about “How can I give more within my personal situation?” Play an active role in the University being strong. We must hold all elected officials who we collectively support accountable to FAMU, including our own alums that are in office. Our alums must vigorously fight for FAMU the way that Florida State University and University of Florida alums fight for their alma maters. Make no mistake. When John Thrasher takes office as president of FSU, FAMU will be in the fight of her life with the Florida Legislature. Our new president, Dr. Elmira Mangum, absolutely can’t fail. Her presidency is at one of the most consequential crossroads in University history. We are at an inflection point; the long-term position of the University will be determined on her watch. Yes, it’s a heavy burden, but it’s one that must be carried as if she was Hercules. For our Madame President for to be successful, I respectfully encourage her to master our history as a university. Spend some time at the archives to understand where we have come from and the obstacles that have been overcome. It will give her the context that she needs to navigate FAMU and the state of Florida. She must succeed, for the University cannot sustain another negative administrative experience. If she fails, I fear that my stated dream of leaving FAMU in “the springtime” when my presidency ended will turn to a very long winter from which we may never recover. Long live FAMU!
Dr. Frederick S. Humphries served as FAMU’s eighth president from 1985 to 2001. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Ashley Thomas, Staff Writer Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association
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.
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
‘Who could deliver?’ That was the question! The 2014 election results were an embarrassment! Black voters and Black citizens were tricked, trapped, used and politically abused by modern-day political Uncle Toms and Aunt Jemimas that sold out our race for rice, peas and invitations to the White man’s White House! Republicans turned out their base – increasing the turnout of senior voters, of conservative voters, and of White males to vote against anything and anybody associated with Democrats. Meanwhile, Democrats disrespected their most loyal base of voters, denied their most loyal political professionals, and distanced themselves from the greatest votegenerating person in recent history – President Barack Obama! Democrats nationwide, including the president, abandoned Black voters. Instead of working with Black community members and Black community political professionals, Democrats chose to work with “front men” and women. Democratic candidates believed in Black people who lied and fronted like they were Black political consultants, pretended they were Black media experts, and gave Academy Award-type
LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT
performances – acting like they had a clue about how to generate enough Black votes to win.
No professionals Democrats decided to use the preachers, the clowns and the crooks to take control of Congress and governor’s offices in the most important election race in recent history. What would happen if White Democrats selected Rev. Joel Osteen, radio host Howard Stern and comedian Ellen DeGeneres to act as political professionals to generate crucial White voters? The same thing that happens when Rev. Al Sharpton, Oprah Winfrey, and clowns like Tom Joyner and Steve Harvey are your most beloved, trusted and highestpaid Black political advisers!
them in generating Black votes are Black elected officials that they can control. They go to the Black elected officials who don’t spend their own campaign money with Black professionals, who don’t buy Black-owned media, and who can’t turn out significant percentages of Black voters even in their own damn districts! Any Black person who disagrees with Democratic Party leaders will not be hired. Any Black person who stands up and speaks out about issues of Black interest will not be contracted. And any Black person who loves Black people more than they love closet Klansmen will never get a chance to help or work for the national or state Democratic Party. Is “closet Klansmen” too raw a description? What do you call White Democrats who decided to distance themselves from Black voters, from Black communities, and from the leader of the Democratic National Committee – your man and their boy, President Obama – who was treated like he had “political Ebola?”
Highest joblessness In 2008 and 2012, voters – in particular Black voters – voted emotion over economics. Sure, unemployment may be down on the national level. However, the vote that the Democratic Party has become so dependent on – the Black vote – still has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Yet, the Democratic Party has the audacity to expect Black voters to carry Democrats on our backs,
GUEST COLUMNIST
when they do nothing to carry African-Americans out of poverty. The sad thing is that many African-Americans don’t even understand why they lack voter motivation. Let me explain.
Important questions
you have difficulty making decisions? Have you lost interest in the things that use to be important? And so on. Apply these questions to the African-American voter bloc. Did you drag yourself to the voting poll slowly? Despite electing an African-American president – based on promised hope – does your future seem hopeless? Did you have difficulty making a decision whom to vote for, choosing the lesser of the two evils? Did you lose interest in the Democratic Party, despite the fact that they were important during the last two voting cycles? If you honestly answer these questions, it’s fair to say that the Black Democratic voting bloc is severely depressed! This time it was about voter depression, not voter suppression!
When people are clinically depressed, they are not aware that lack of motivation exists. However, they do know that they don’t feel like themselves. That prompts them to go to the doctor. In turn, they are asked the following questions: Do you do things slowly? Does your future The larger issue seem hopeless? Has the pleasure In 2012, the Democratic Black and joy gone out of your life? Do marketing campaign was, “If you
Blacks are big losers in 2014 elections The Republican tidal wave from Tuesday’s elections were an outright rejection of President Obama not because of race, but because of his policies and lack of leadership on the domestic and international front. Voters sent a strong message that they did not trust Obama or Democrats with the lives and fate of their families and the country.
Happy day
RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
zled, misled, tricked and trapped by disingenuous White Democrats and boot-licking, neocolonialist Black political puppets who said even if a state like Florida spends $345 million on 2014 campaigns with White political vendors, it is OK to spend basically zero dollars with Black people, because Black votes are far less valuable and less important that White votes! “Who can deliver?” Black elected officials, the false prophets, the clowns and the comedians can Used, abused Political puppets never inspire, motivate and move In 2014, America’s Black vot- the Black masses. To communiYear after year, the first people White Democrats run to to assist ers were used, abused, bamboo- cate a message to Black voters, you
TEZLYN FIGARO
CLARENCE V. MCKEE GUEST COLUMIST
cally, it’s likely that Republicans, who now control Congress, who will resist such an action. Nothing from Republicans So if Blacks were unable to get anything in return for the loyalty to Obama and Democrats, what in the world do they think they can get from Republicans against whom they continually play the race-card game in Washington and legislatures around the country? That brings us to Florida. Republicans control the legislature, the governor’s office and the statewide elected Cabinet (the governor, the attorney general, secretary of agriculture and chief financial officer). It was assumed that Democrat Charlie Crist, with a strong Black turnout, could retake the governor’s office and at least give Blacks some voice at the Cabinet level. Democrats thought that if they could get Blacks to turn out like they did for Obama, Crist could win, since there would likely be no major effort by the Republicans to get Black support. The problem: Charlie Crist was not Barack Obama. The so-called “Obama Coalition” of 2008 and 2012 was just that – Obama’s – and not Crist’s.
Republicans have much to cheer about, including Mia Love, who will become the first-ever Black Republican female member of Congress; Will Hurd, the first Black Republican to represent Texas in the House of Representatives since Reconstruction: and Senator Tim Scott, the first Black to win statewide in South Carolina since Reconstruction. If Democrats were the big losers, Blacks – who put all of their political eggs in the Democrat basket – lost even more. After going “all in” for Obama and the Democrats in 2008 and 2012, what has the first Black president done for them lately? Can they point to anything Blacks have received or benefited from Obama or Senate Democrats? Not so for White females, Hispanics and advocates of same-sex marriage. At a time when Black unemployment is at historic levels, especially among youth, Obama might just give millions of illegals the right to compete with them and their children for jobs – and education opportuni- No respect As is the case with many ties – by taking executive action to grant amnesty to mil- Democratic and Republican lions of illegal aliens. Ironi- strategists, apparently the
Crist handlers didn’t ask respected local Black officials “what should we do and how should we do it.” And when they did, they did not listen. After all, many of them had worked with Obama and they knew how to deal with “Black folk.” They knew more than local elected Black officials or political leaders. Don’t give them any financial resources; just deal in so-called issues such as “restoration of rights,” as if most Blacks were ex-felons. Or focus on “minimum wage” – not realizing that in order to get a minimum wage, one has to have a job. That might be one reason that Democrats in Florida are in the 16th year of GOP control of the governor’s mansion. When Scott’s term is up in four years, it will be 20 years of Democratic drought in the governor’s office. Most Blacks in Florida have joined the Democratic ‘team’ without apparently realizing that without them, the team would collapse. As long as they keep playing on that team, and as long as the GOP team is content to let them stay there and not be willing to recruit or compete for players, not much will change for Black Floridians.
Clarence V. McKee is president of McKee Communications, Inc., a government, political and media relations consulting firm in Florida. He has served as a consultant on several Republican campaigns and ballot initiatives and has appeared on local and national media outlets.
A5
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: THE GOP WINS BIG
November 4 was a new ‘D’ day “People need to feel as if the ground beneath their feet is stable,” stated President Obama during his response to the Republican political massacre across the country. I am not shocked by the results, which is why I respectfully disagree with the president’s statement. It was the fact that people were “caught up in their feelings” that created this disaster in the first place.
EDITORIAL
don’t vote, you will lose your food stamps.” Well, people were able to keep their food stamps and it’s two years later and they are still hungry. Why? Because food stamps are only a bandage to cover up the larger issue. African-Americans still maintain the highest unemployment rate in the country. African-American businesses have closed in record numbers. More African-American men are in prison then those who were enslaved in 1850. African American women are imprisoned more then any other women. More than 400 African-American women in the state of Florida die of AIDS every year. In Florida, African-American students score at or below 50 percent of their grade level. The Fair Pay Act still does nothing to even the wage gap between White women and women of color. You wonder why we are depressed? Just reading the statistics are depressing!
have to have a message that they believe and understand. Giving a Negro voice to a White script will never encourage the masses of registered Blacks to go and vote. I told you Black political charlatans could never generate the high non-White turnout Democrats would need, so they lost nationwide! Now will you believe me? Any Negro won’t do!
Buy Gantt's latest book, "Beast Too: Dead Man Writing" on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net cially created the new ‘D’ Day! On November 4, 2014 the new Domes Day, the Democratic Disaster and the Dependent Depressed Democrat did the complete opposite of what Lil’ John told us in the “Turn Out for What” video produced by the all-White executive staff at “Rock the Vote.” I have said on many occasions that the days of using hip-hop as a political fundraising gimmick without accountability to heal the story that hip-hop tells is over! The message from Lil’ John that rapped “turn out for what” turned around and sent a message directly to the Democrats that said, “show up for what,” when you have failed to show up for me in my time of need!
Tezlyn Figaro, political strategist and media expert, is the founder of Tezlyn Figaro Communications Group (www.TezlynFigaro.com). She successfully created and led several winA new day ning political media campaigns Democratic leadership has offi- in Florida.
GOP rocks the vote in 2014 In spite of the Democrats’ efforts to win this midterm election by playing the race card, the GOP rocked the vote, even in the Black community. BARBARA This was the most expensive elecHOWARD tion in history, with liberals overspending Republicans. It was also a referenTHE POLITICS OF BLACKNESS dum on Barack Obama, who said even though he was not on the ballot, all his publicans on the November Ballot.” Repolicies were on the ballot. And the vot- publicans for Black Empowerment also ers soundly rejected him. lists them on their Facebook page. Our Florida candidates were not as successful, but ran admirably for the U.S. GOP takeover Republicans took over the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives. In U.S. House 52 to 45. They increased their lead in the District 5, Glo Smith ran unsuccessfulHouse, 242 to 174. They won more gov- ly against Democratic powerhouse Corernors’ seats. But most of all, the voters rine Brown. In my district, Florida U.S. put two Black Republicans in Congress. House District 24, first-time candidate Mia Love, made history by becom- Julio Neree Dufirston went up against ing the first Black female Republican to another Democratic congressional icon, win a U.S. House of Representatives elec- Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, and lost. So in spite of the pressure from the tion. Mia is the daughter of Haitian imBlack community against the Republimigrants and her given name is Ludmya Bourdeau “Mia” Love. I wrote about Mia can Party and Black Republicans in parseveral years ago when she first ran for ticular, the tide is turning. Congress after serving as mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah. There has not been a Used and ignored Black Republican in the House since J.C. Someone emailed me a video of dieWatts of Oklahoma left in 2003. hard Black Democrats railing against It was Democrats who threw ugly, rac- Obama and the Democratic Party for ist slurs at her. She overcame all of that what they have not done for Black comand won. munities across this country. For more than 20 years, I have been askCarolina win ing Black folk to at least require the DemThen there was Tim Scott, anoth- ocratic Party do something for our comer Black Republican, who will also go to munities – or leave them and become ReCongress – again – as the junior senator publicans. As long as we give our undying from South Carolina. Scott was first ap- devotion to one party, we will never gain pointed in 2013 by South Carolina Gov- anything. Democrats use/misuse us and ernor Nikki Haley to serve in the seat va- Republicans ignore us. This time, Republicans heard us and cated by Republican Senator Jim DeMint. Scott won in a landslide, and made put money and manpower in the Black history by becoming the first Black can- community during this election. In Flordidate to win a statewide race in South ida, the GOP gave us Jacksonville native Carolina since Reconstruction, and the LaTanya E. Peterson, the Florida state first Black member of the Senate elected director for African-American engagement. She’s an extremely capable profesfrom South Carolina. What was also history-making is the sional. number of Black Republican candidates I look forward to working with her on this 2014 ballot across the country. leading up to the 2016 presidential elecThey came from Texas, Alabama, Mich- tion. I expect the GOP will continue to igan, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, “Rock The Vote.” Missouri, Wisconsin, Arkansas, TenBarbara Howard is trade and travnessee, Kansas, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Utah, Georgia, el goodwill ambassador to Kenya and Florida state chair of the Congress Maryland, and Florida. BET lists 24 of these candidates in of Racial Equality, as well as a pubtheir piece “In the Running: Black Re- lished columnist.
FLORIDA
TOJ A6
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Supreme Court removes Tallahassee judge from office ‘Errors of the mind’
Hawkins accused of operating ministry business from chambers BY JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Supreme Court has removed from office a longtime Leon County judge who was accused of operating a private business from her chambers and deleting financial records while under investigation. Justices said the conduct of County Judge Judith Hawkins, who has served on the bench since 1996, warranted the “most severe sanction.” “We must gauge Judge Hawkins’ present fitness to hold office in light of the cumulative nature and seriousness of the violations proven in this case,’’ a 36-page Supreme Court opinion said. “When we do so, we conclude that Judge Hawkins’ conduct is fundamentally inconsistent with the responsibilities of judicial office, demonstrating present unfitness to hold office, and that removal is the only appropriate sanction in this case.”
Sold book at work A large part of the case focused on Hawkins’ operation of a private business, Gaza Road Ministries, which included the judge writing and publishing a book based on biblical stories. Among other things, the Supreme Court found that she used a judicial assistant for Gaza Road Ministries work, appeared in judicial robes in photos on the company web-
GAZA ROAD MINISTRIES
Leon County Judge Judith Hawkins had served on the bench since 1996. site and sold books to attorneys who appeared before her. In one instance, Hawkins sold a book to an attorney appearing before her in open court and accepted $15 for it, according to findings of a panel of the state Judicial Qualifications Commission. “Another attorney testified that he had a conversation with Judge Hawkins in the courthouse hallway in which she mentioned that she had a book for sale, which the attorney purchased although he was not really interested
in the subject,’’ the Supreme Court opinion said. “He testified he did not want to offend the judge.” The Supreme Court also pointed to Hawkins’ “extreme lack of candor” during the investigative proceedings. In part, it pointed to Hawkins deleting Gaza Road Ministries financial information from a computer early in the morning of the day she was supposed to be deposed about the issues.
In a document filed with the Supreme Court in July, Hawkins acknowledged “errors” but argued she should not be removed from office. “There is an enormous difference between errors of the mind and errors of the heart; this case is about errors of the mind, not of the heart,’’ she said in the document. “The allegations did not include any intentional injustice toward litigants; there were no allegations of bribery, stealing, or misappropriation of funds; nor were there allegations of inappropriate use of office or power for personal advantage.” A panel of the Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended that Hawkins face a reprimand, a three-month suspension without pay and a $17,000 fine. That was based, at least in part, on Hawkins having charitable motives in running the business and her lengthy judicial career, the Oct. 30 opinion said.
Quince recused But the Supreme Court chose to impose the more-severe penalty of removal from office. Six justices agreed with the decision, while the seventh, Justice Peggy Quince, was recused from the case. “It is our hope that this decision will serve as a reminder to judges of their continuing obligation to personally observe the high standards of conduct mandated by the Code of Judicial Conduct, and to conduct themselves in all things in a manner that will demonstrate candor and preserve the integrity and independence of the judiciary,’’ the opinion said.
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Justices reject the appeal of child killer THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
With an execution scheduled next week, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a man sentenced to death for raping and killing his 10-year-old stepdaughter after also murdering her mother. In a unanimous ruling, justices denied a stay of execution for Chadwick D. Banks, who faces execution Nov. 13 at Florida State Prison near Starke. Banks, 43, raised three issues in the appeal, including that he had reChadwick ceived ineffective assisBanks tance of legal counsel and that Florida’s lethalinjection process violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
1992 slayings Justices wrote that they had repeatedly upheld the execution process, which involves using three drugs. “Once we have upheld the constitutionality of a lethal injection protocol, that protocol is facially constitutional as a matter of law,’’ the opinion said. “Banks has not presented any new information that would warrant reconsideration of our prior decisions upholding the constitutionality of the current protocol.” Gov. Rick Scott in September signed a death warrant for Banks, who was convicted in the 1992 slayings in Gadsden County. The Supreme Court ruling said Banks shot and killed his wife while she slept and then went to his stepdaughter’s bedroom, where he sexually battered her before shooting her in the top of the head as she knelt at her bedside. He was sentenced to death for the child’s murder and also received two life sentences.
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Liberians fighting the Ebola stigma See page B5
SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
Film explores Black life through photography See page B5
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New Jersey governor Chris Christie campaigns with Florida Gov. Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott during a stop in Ormond Beach on Oct. 27.
FLORIDA
VOTES One last look at Election 2014 It was a nasty battle for governor by a current governor and a former one. Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist brought out the big guns in their campaigns, including visits by former President Bill Clinton and New Jersey Gov. Cris Christie. JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT
It wouldn’t be an election without some drama in Florida. An emergency injunction to keep polls open late in Broward County captured the interest of the nation on Election Night. Here’s a snapshot of the last efforts around the state to get out the vote.
Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist welcomes former president Bill Clinton to the stage during his election-eve rally at the University of Central Florida on Monday. State Rep. Dwayne Taylor, right, greets voters at a rally Saturday in Daytona Beach. Taylor retained his District 26 seat. DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Volusia County voters show their support for Charlie Crist during a rally in Daytona Beach on Saturday. University of Central Florida student Denisse Delmonte holds a sign in favor of Medical Marijuana Initiative, Amendment 2 at the University of Central Florida Arena on Tuesday in Orlando. RICHARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Daytona Beach Commissioner Paula Reed, left, supports the BethuneCookman University family during a march to the polls on Oct. 29.
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NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
STOJ
FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Tampa: The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists will host its Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Banquet on Nov. 13 at Tampa Marriott Westshore. Speaker: Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. Posthumous award to Jetie B. Wilds Jr. More info: www.tbabj.com. Coral Gables: The Ultimate Holiday Experience is scheduled Dec. 27 at Bank United Center featuring Angie Stone, El DeBarge, and Ron Isley and the Isley Brothers. Jacksonville: Leela James performs Nov. 9 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Fort Lauderdale: A show featuring Patti LaBelle is set for Nov. 15 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Nov. 16 at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Jacksonville: The legendary Clarence Carter takes the stage on Nov. 14 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum for an 8 p.m. show. Miami: A Dec. 20 show at the James L. Knight Center titled One Night Stand will feature Ginuwine, Lyfe Jennings, Jon B and Case. Jacksonville: The Love Live Laugh Tour with Nephew Tommy, Tamar Braxton and Rickey Smiley is Nov. 8 at the Veterans Memorial Arena. Orlando: An R&B Love Fest on Nov. 15 at CFE Arena will include Keith Sweat, Jagged Edge, Dru Hill and Sisqo. Jacksonville: Raheem DeVaughn will be in concert
FLORIDA CLASSIC
Tickets are on sale for the Florida Classic game on Nov. 22 at the Florida Citrus Bowl featuring the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and the Florida A&M Rattlers. The event features B-CU’s Marching Wildcats and FAMU’s Marching ‘100.’ More info: www. floridaclassic.org.
Nov. 15 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum. Miami: Usher takes the stage on Dec. 13 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Performers include D.J. Cassidy and August Alsina. A Dec. 14 show is at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. Miami: The Commodores take the stage at the James L. Knight Center on Nov. 7 for an 8:30 p.m. show. Hollywood: Natalie Cole will be the Nov. 5 performer at Hard Rock Live Hollywood.
Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813-3946363.
KEM
Kem, Joe and L’Renee are scheduled to perform Nov. 14 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Straz Center in Tampa on Nov. 15.
Jacksonville: LeCrae is scheduled at the Times Union Performing Arts Center on Nov. 13 and with Andy Mineo and DJ Promote in Miami Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Jackie Gleason Theater. They also will at Orlando’s House of Blues on Nov. 15.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.” – Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat! • How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut;
…AND MUCH MORE!
LT
• Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’
© 2014 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
STARTS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES
Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC
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UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND RED GRANITE PICTURES PRESENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEW LINE CINEMA A CONUNDRUM ENTERTAINMENT/ CHARLES B. WESSLER PRODUCTION SCOREA RIZA AZIZ AND JOEY MCFARLAND PRODUCTION A FARRELLY BROTHERS MOVIE JIM CARREY JEFF DANIELS BASED ON CHARACTERS “DUMB AND DUMBER TO” BY EMPIRE OF THE SUN CREATED BY BENNETT YELLIN & PETER FARRELLY & BOBBY FARRELLY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS BRAD KREVOY STEVE STABLER MARC S. FI S CHER DAVI D KOPLAN DANNY DI M BORT CHRI S TI A N MERCURI PRODUCED BY CHARLES B. WESSLER BRADLEY THOMAS BOBBY FARRELLY PETER FARRELLY RIZA AZIZ JOEY MCFARLAND WRITTEN BY SEAN ANDERS & JOHN MORRI S AND PETER FARRELLY & BOBBY FARRELLY & BENNETT YELLIN & MI K E CERRONE DIRECTED BY PETER FARRELLY AND BOBBY FARRELLY A UNIVERSAL RELEASE
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NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
B3
PERSONAL FINANCE
Carefully consider options during open enrollment Employees must look for possible changes to health care plans BY ELLEN JEAN HIRST CHICAGO TRIBUNE (MCT)
Employers are increasingly pushing enrollment in high-deductible, lowpremium health insurance plans, according to benefits experts, which means it might be time to break out the calculator and reconsider current policies. Employees across the country are getting their first looks at what they will be paying for health insurance in 2015 with the start of open enrollment, the annual window in which workers can make changes to their elected benefits, including health insurance. Open enrollment is typically held in October and November each year. “Don’t assume that nothing’s changing even if your current option is still available,” said Craig Rosenberg, practice leader of health and welfare benefits at consulting firm Aon Hewitt. “There are probably some new choices that are available for you.”
More out-of-pocket costs Three-fourths of employers aim to offer high-deductible plans coupled with a health savings account in the next three years, and 20 percent will only offer those type of plans, according to data from Mercer, a financial services company with a health and benefits arm. To qualify for a health savings account, a plan has to have a minimum deductible of $1,250 for employeeonly coverage and $2,500 for family coverage. Others are offering private health exchanges, which give employees several options for coverage. Overall costs likely will rise again in 2015, by about 4 percent, according to Mercer, modest compared with previous years. But some employees are seeing much sharper increases, making high-deductible plans more attractive. Consumers who opt not to obtain coverage, either through their employer or through the federal Affordable Care Act, will also pay more. Those individuals will pay a greater penalty for not securing coverage, increasing to $325, or 2 per-
ROBERT WILLETT/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT
Keith Ward, from left, Deborah Owens, and Gwen Vinson help clients navigate the Affordable Care Act and choose the right plan at Urban Ministries in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 30, 2013. Consumers who opt not to obtain coverage, either through their employer or through the federal Affordable Care Act, will pay more for coverage. cent of household income, whichever fee is greater, from $95 this year, or 1 percent of yearly household income.
Consumer-directed plans High-deductible, lowpremium plans are often called consumer-directed health plans and paired with a health savings account that allows workers to pay for eligible expenses with tax-free dollars, experts said. Employers have a financial incentive to offer such plans. Under the Affordable Care Act, employers in 2018 that offer plans that cost more than $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family will be charged a 40 percent tax on the amount exceeding the threshold. By raising deductibles and lowering premiums, companies will lower their chance of triggering the tax. Beth Umland, director of research for health and benefits for Mercer, said more than one-third of companies would hit that excise tax threshold if they made no changes to their plan offerings. Premiums in consumer directed plans typically cost
about 20 percent less than a traditional PPO or HMO plan, she said. “If you’ve been scared off of consumer directed plans, this might be the year to man-up and take a look,” Umland said. “Employers want to get people into those plans for a variety of reasons. That’s the plan where they see longterm cost control, so to get folks to join it, it’s bargain basement premium contributions.”
Private health exchange Nancy Coletto, a Chicago-based partner in Mercer’s health and benefits practice, said employer health insurance plans are more likely to add an additional fee for dependents (spouses and adult children) who have access to health insurance at another workplace this year. “Health care reform puts more responsibility on employers to cover more of their employees,” Coletto said. “Employers who are now covering more employees may make it more expensive to cover a dependent. Make sure you fully understand what costs are chang-
TIPS FOR HEALTH INSURANCE ENROLLMENT Assess your needs. How much did you spend on health care out of pocket last year? Ask your health plan provider for your past medical and dental claims to calculate last year’s costs. Account for big changes. Are you planning to have a baby? Did someone in your family develop a new medical condition? Evaluate the network. Mergers among doctors groups as well as hospital systems are reshaping the provider community, which could affect your choices. Is a consumer driven plan for you? These lower how much money is taken out of each paycheck but leave you with a large deductible if anything happens. Couple this with a health savings account to help pay for
ing. That decision may be different than what it was before.” Private exchanges — run by companies like Aon Hewitt, Mercer, Buck Consultants and Towers Watson — are predicted to grow in popularity in coming years, with 33 percent of more than 1,200 companies surveyed by Aon Hewitt saying they would prefer
out-of-pocket costs. Determine whether to put a dependent on the same plan. If your spouse or adult child has access to health care through another provider, it may be more cost-effective to have him or her enroll with his or her employer plan, depending on fees. Take advantage of health and wellness programs. Some companies offer financial incentives for completing certain questionnaires or various health-related activities. Know how your coverage relates to public Affordable Care Act exchanges. If you’re eligible for health care through your employer, you won’t get federal tax credits to buy insurance through the public exchanges. SOURCES: ADAPTED FROM MATERIALS AND INTERVIEWS WITH EXPERTS FROM AON HEWITT, MERCER AND THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS RESEARCH INSTITUTE.
to offer a private health exchange in the next three to five years. Just 5 percent will use a private health exchange in 2015. Aon Hewitt started its private exchange program for active employees three years ago with three companies. In 2015, Aon Hewitt anticipates about 30 companies will enroll its exchange, cover-
Shoppers armed with borrowed umbrellas and bags of sale items walk through South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., on a rainy Black Friday morning on Nov. 29, 2013.
First-time home buying hits lowest level in nearly 30 years BY TIM LOGAN LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)
First-time homebuyers aren’t buying homes like they used to. The share of houses bought by first-time owners is at its lowest level in nearly three decades and down sharply from 2013, according to a new survey out Monday from the National Association of Realtors. Just 33 percent of home purchases this year have been by firsttime buyers, the trade group said, down from 38 percent last year and well below the long-term average of 40 percent, the trade group said. Would-be buyers are struggling with higher prices, tight lending procedures and a still-unsteady job market, said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. Their absence, however, is slowing the overall recovery. NAR is predicting home sales will fall this year for the first time since 2010. Federal regulators have begun easing some lending guidelines, hoping to encourage banks to make more loans and draw more first-time buyers back into the market. Meanwhile the stronger economy has some economists forecasting more growth in sales next year.
ing 850,000 employees and dependents. Mercer has signed up 170 companies in its private exchange for 2015, covering 975,000 active employees and dependents. The private health exchanges offer a variety of plans, from PPOs, more expensive month to month, to low-premium consumer directed plans.
DON BARTLETTI/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
Minorities and millennials will be key to retailers’ holiday success BY KAVITA KUMAR STAR TRIBUNE (MCT)
MINNEAPOLIS – Listen up, retailers: Millennials and minorities may be your salvation this holiday season. About 17 percent of AfricanAmericans and 13 percent of Asian Americans and Latinos said they expect to spend more this holiday season, compared to 10 percent of the overall population, according to a survey of 25,000 households last month by Nielsen. And about 17 percent of millennials said they plan to spend more online this holiday season, a higher percentage than other generations. “It’s a consumer landscape shift that materializes in mul-
ticultural consumers and millennials,” said James Russo, Nielsen’s senior vice president of global consumer insights. “And holiday is just a reflection of the overall consumer mindset.”
Increase expected While marketers have been acknowledging they need tor each out to people of color for years, the survey’s findings are an important prod for companies as they look for growth in a slow-growth environment, he added. Nielsen expects holiday spending to rise 1.8 percent this year, which is slightly higher than its forecasts the last two years. But it still signals fairly
moderate growth. (The National Retail Federation, by comparison has projected a 4.1 percent increase in retail sales for the holidays.) While Nielsen sees some signs for optimism with lower gas prices and an improving job market, about 68 percent of consumers in its survey still said they believe we’re in a recession. That percentage has been improving every year, but it still highlights that the consumers if feeling pretty stressed out. “There’s improvement, but there’s hesitation as well,” Russo said. “They are very much focused on their spending.”
More gift cards Amid such a tight landscape,
the ultra-practical gift cards are expected to be the top holiday gift this year, followed by tech products and toys, according to Nielsen’s survey. As for millennials, companies have become more focused on them recently, especially as they are starting families and joining the workforce. “They’re coming into their own,” Russo said. But while retailers will try to entice consumers to spend early in the season, millennials and multicultural households will procrastinate a bit, waiting longer than the rest of the population to start their shopping. For one, Russo noted that they know that retailers are aggressive with promotions early in the season, but also in the last two weeks before Christmas. “So there is some benefit to waiting as well,” he said.
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HEALTH
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
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health care workers who treat Ebola patients should agree to be quarantined until the virus’s incubation period is over. But even the medical groups that support quarantines express the same concerns as others about the need to compensate health care workers for any lost time from work and for the public to treat their sacrifice with the same respect given to a military reservist dispatched in a time of crisis. “That’s certainly something we would support at the medical society,” said Larry Downs, the chief executive officer of the group, when asked about a new policy in New York to give returning medical workers the same job and lost income protections military reservists get. “Doctors regularly and without fanfare assist patients in other countries. We have a cadre of doctors here in New Jersey that do that. It would be reassuring to make sure they had the same protections in place.”
Treatment concerns
BOB ANDRES/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/MCT
Amber Vinson, center, heads into a press conference after being released from Emory University Hospital on Oct. 28 in Atlanta. Vinson contracted Ebola while treating Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. A new challenge in the U.S. focuses on quarantines for health workers coming back from West Africa.
Would-be Ebola helpers pulling back Aid workers opting to stay home rather than going to Africa to help ill patients BY COLLEEN DISKIN THE RECORD (MCT)
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Much of the talk recently has been about how American doctors and nurses who volunteered to treat Ebola patients in West Africa should themselves be treated when they arrive back home. But they are not the only U.S. workers and volunteers serving in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three countries ravaged by the epidemic. About 30 U.S.based charities and service organizations are responding to a range of needs in West Africa, including helping to safely bury the victims of Ebola, building badly needed clinics and educating people about ways to halt the virus’ spread. Leaders of those organizations say their efforts will continue, regardless of whether their workers and volunteers come home
to quarantines and a fearful U.S. populace that views them as a threat. But the recent debates triggered by the decisions of New Jersey, New York and other states to issue their own quarantine rules for those returning from West Africa have added new challenges to the goal of getting more Americans to help fight an epidemic that has overwhelmed the fragmented health systems in the three impoverished nations. “We’ve heard from members … that some people who were about to deploy to the region pulled back,” said Julien Schopp, director of humanitarian practice for InterAction, a Washington-based umbrella group of international aid organizations.
Dropping out West African Medical Missions, a small nonprofit that brings in American health professionals to help educate and improve the health system in Sierra Leone, had seven of eight prospective volunteers drop out last week, said co-founder Gabriel Warren. Those would-be volunteers
were turned off by some of the vitriol in the debate over quarantines, and some were threatened with losing their jobs at home if they signed onto one of the group’s weeks-long volunteer stints, Warren said. “The impact has been really horrible,” Warren said last Saturday in a Skype call from Sierra Leone. “Once a lot of those statements were made, people just pulled out.”
Little agreement A variety of charities serving in a number of support roles have been closely following the events of this past week — as New York responded with alarm to its first Ebola case and Gov. Chris Christie verbally warred with President Barack Obama and a nurse returning from the region over New Jersey’s three-day quarantine of her after she landed at Newark Liberty Airport. The debates that have played out as nurse Kaci Hickox challenged her forced isolation in a Newark hospital, and then efforts to quarantine her in her home in Maine, have revealed how little
agreement there is among U.S. authorities on the steps needed to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The Obama administration and prominent organizations like Doctors Without Borders have criticized the 21-day quarantines that New Jersey and other states intend to impose on anyone exposed to Ebola in Africa, whether or not they have symptoms. Those critics say it will deter health and aid workers from volunteering at a time when their service is desperately needed. But others in the medical community seem more open to such quarantines, even though the leading science indicates that an individual is contagious only when showing symptoms.
Quarantine decisions The Medical Society of New Jersey has called decisions on quarantine “the province of state public health authorities.” And an online survey of 3,500 nurses by allnurses.com, a social network site that has 4 million visitors each month, found that more than 80 percent agreed that
In many cases, medical personnel and aid workers are less worried about the time they might spend in quarantine than they are about the treatment from the public and their employers when they get home, several organization leaders said. “People who go there do it out of a sense of service, and then they fear they will end up stigmatized,” said Schopp, of InterAction. “It’s hard for them psychologically to think that they might be treated as a pariah for that.” Beyond those morale-affecting concerns are some pragmatic questions that have yet to be fully answered as fears of Ebola spreading in the United States mount, and employers and insurance companies grapple with the potential financial impact, Schopp said.
Insurance issues If states enforce 21-day quarantines, who will pay a volunteer’s lost salary while he or she stays home from work? And as the fears and costs of treating the disease grow, some nonprofits are finding that they are unable to buy emergency evacuation insurance policies that don’t have provisions excluding Ebola cases, or that some health policies are now excluding the disease from coverage, Schopp said. “It puts organizations in a bit of a bind,” Schopp said. “One thing an organization wants to know is that, if we put people in these roles, we can take care of them if they do get sick.” The U.S. government may need to be lobbied to in some way guarantee such protections for those who agree to serve in the region, he said.
Liberian women are fighting Ebola stigma GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK
“I am a Liberian, not a virus.” That’s the loud and clear message of a campaign launched online by a group of Liberian women who refuse to be shamed by thoughtless outbreaks of rejection and cruelty that link African people with the epidemic that has taken thousands of lives. “If I am Liberian, that doesn’t mean that I have Ebola,” Carolyn Woahloe, a registered nurse, told the Los Angeles Times. “This is not a Liberian problem. This is a world problem.” Misinformation about the virus has sparked fears around the country and around the world, prompting some national leaders to deny visas to West Africans despite medical guarantees that this was unnecessary and unsafe. As with the AIDS virus in the early days, Africans have been singled out for slurs and rejection even when they present no threat at all.
‘Not all infected’ In Texas, for example, Liberians living in the Dallas area where the first Ebola death was recorded were taunted with “Go back to Liberia.” Students from Rwanda were ordered to stay away from a New Jersey school where they were enrolled. An Oregon high school canceled a planned visit by 18 African students – all from countries untouched by Ebola – citing a “fluid” situation on the continent. In response, Shoana Clarke
MARK HAMES/CHARLOTTE OBSERVER/MCT
Tonieh Ross of Charlotte, N.C., and her friends are sending money, food and supplies to some 20 people – mostly children – desperate for help in their native Liberia. Here, she holds flowers, a gift to the children of Liberia to show them that there is hope. Solomon, a Liberian photographer and TV host, created a hashtag “#IamaLiberianNotaVirus,” (I am a Liberian, Not a Virus) that quickly went viral. “We are Liberians, Sierra Leoneans, Guineans and Nigerians. We live in a region that has been devastated by a deadly disease, but we are not all infected,” she said.
ROBYN DIXON/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
Liberians Decontee Davis, left, and Helene Morris want to help the children left orphaned by Ebola by working at a new center for Ebola orphans in the Liberian capital Monrovia. “It is wrong to stereotype and stigmatize an entire people. Remember we are human beings.”
Progress threatened Her message was echoed by singing sensation Angelique Kidjo from the West African nation of Benin who found a jeering comment posted on her Facebook page when she announced her concert at Carnegie Hall honoring the late South African singer Miriam Makeba, known wide-
ly as Mama Africa. They wrote: “Instead of mama africa it should be mama ebola” and “I wonder if she is bringing any Ebloa [sic] with her?” “Overnight it seems that all the naïve and evil preconceptions about Africa have surfaced again.” Kidjo wrote on the op-ed page of The New York Times. “Ebola has brought back the fears and fantasies of Africa as the Heart of Darkness and the fear-monger-
ing about the disease threatens to reverse decades of progress for Africa’s image.” “Stigma is bound to happen,” added Clarke Solomon, “especially when people don’t take the time to learn the facts.” Still, she said, “I am also grateful for the media. It’s bringing much-needed attention to Liberia and other countries that need help with ending this epidemic. Without press coverage, this situation would be far ... worse.”
STOJ
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT
Meet some of
FLORIDA’S
finest
submitted for your approval
Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest? E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) 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.
andre
Andre Smith is a Miami Beach resident and a retired computer specialist technician. He models swimsuits from time to time and loves nature, gadgets and tech. Andre may be contacted at nut4692000@yahoo.com.
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sheena
Sheena “Skye” Hall was born in Rochester, Mich., and pursued a bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of Central Florida. Her acting certificate from the Lisa Maile School of acting and modeling has afforded her the opportunity to cameo in various videos and short films. See more of Skye at www.facebook.com/Skyehall25 or contact her at Skyehall25@gmail.com.
Coming soon: Movies debuting before Thanksgiving LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)
Walt Disney Pictures.
Here are some of the movies coming to theaters in November.
‘Diplomacy’
‘Interstellar’ As mankind’s time on Earth comes to an end, astronauts travel through a wormhole in search of a new home for humanity. With Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine. Written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan. Directed by Christopher Nolan. In Imax. Paramount Pictures. Debuted Nov. 5.
‘Full Moons’ A young couple struggle with their personal demons against the backdrop of present-day Los Angeles’ bohemian music scene. With Amy Seimetz, Bret Roberts and Donal Logue. Written and directed by Tomer Almagor. Indie Rights.
‘21 Years’ A documentary about Richard Linklater, the director of such independent films as “Slacker” and “Boyhood.” Directed by Michael Dunaway and Tara Wood. Gravitas Ventures.
‘The Better Angels’ A biographical drama about the formative years of Abraham Lincoln. With Jason Clarke, Diane Kruger and Brit Marling. Written and directed by A.J. Edwards. Amplify.
‘Big Hero 6’ In this animated film, a tech prodigy enlists an inflatable robot and his friends to help save the city of San Fransokyo from a supervillain. With the voices of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter and Daniel Henney. Written by Robert L. Baird and Daniel Gerson. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams. In 3-D.
A World War II-set drama depicting a fictionalized all-night confrontation between the steely Nazi Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz and the wily Swedish consul Raoul Nordling over the future of Paris. With Andre Dussollier and Niels Arestrup. Written by Cyril Gely and Volker Schlondorff. Directed by Schlondorff. In French and German, with English subtitles. Zeitgeist Films.
‘Elsa & Fred’ A strait-laced widower moves into a new apartment and meets a charismatic woman who changes his life. With Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer and Marcia Gay Harden. Written by Michael Radford and Anna Pavignano. Directed by Radford. Millennium Entertainment.
‘Jessabelle’ A woman returning to her childhood home in Louisiana to recuperate from a horrific car accident comes face to face with a long-tormented spirit that has been waiting for her. With Sarah Snook, Mark Webber and David Andrews. Written by Robert Ben Garant. Directed by Kevin Greutert. Lionsgate.
‘The Lookalike’ Two criminals try to find a doppelganger to impersonate the woman a drug lord is infatuated with after the original unexpectedly dies. With Justin Long, John Corbett and Gillian Jacobs. Written by Michele DavisGray. Directed by Richard Gray. Well Go USA.
‘Magical Universe’ A documentary portrait of the reclusive 88-year-old outsider artist Al Carbee, who creates elaborate dioramas with Barbie dolls. Directed by Jeremy Work-
Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as a rising music superstar in “Beyond the Lights.’’ man. Sundance Selects.
‘A Merry Friggin’ Christmas’ A cranky father and his estranged adult son are forced to hit the road together in a blizzard to retrieve a trove of Christmas gifts before sunrise. With Robin Williams, Joel McHale and Lauren Graham. Written by Michael Brown. Directed by Tristram Shapeero. Phase 4 Films.
‘On Any Sunday, the Next Chapter’ A documentary about motorcycle culture, from hobbyists to hardcore racers, that serves as a followup the 1971 film “On Any Sunday.” Directed by Dana Brown. Red Bull Media House.
‘The Theory of Everything’ A biopic about the British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, tracing his days at Cambridge, his romance with future wife Jane Wil-
de and his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. With Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox and Emily Watson. Written by Anthony McCarten. Directed by James Marsh. Focus Features.
‘True Son’ A documentary following 22-year-old Stanford graduate Michael Tubbs’ campaign for a seat on the Stockton City Council in a year of impending bankruptcy and record homicides. Directed by Kevin Gordon. True Son Productions.
‘Virunga’
gins discovering his sexuality. With Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi and Tess Amorim. Written and directed by Daniel Ribeiro. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Strand Releasing.
‘Always Woodstock’ An aspiring singer stuck at a dead-end job at a New York mega-label moves back to her family home in Woodstock to get her life back together. With Allison Miller, James Wolk and Katey Sagal. Written and directed by Rita Merson. Gravitas Ventures.
‘Bad Turn Worse’
A documentary about a small team of park rangers trying to protect Virunga National Park in eastern Congo from threats including rebel groups, poachers and oil companies. Directed by Orlando von Einseidel. Netflix.
After a weekend of partying with stolen money, three Texas teens become indebted to a sociopathic criminal. With Jeremy Allen White, Mark Pellegrino and Mackenzie Davis. Written by Dutch Southern. Directed by Simon Hawkins and Zeke Hawkins. Starz Digital.
‘The Way He Looks’
‘Beside Still Waters’
A blind high school student in Sao Paulo yearns for independence and be-
A young romantic who has recently lost both his parents in a car accident en-
lists his childhood friends to relive their youth, but they don’t share his nostalgia. With Ryan Eggold, Reid Scott and Beck Bennett. Written by Chris Lowell and Mohit Narang. Directed by Lowell. Tribeca Film.
‘Beyond the Lights’ A rising music superstar and a young cop assigned to her detail fall hard and fast for each other, despite being urged by those around them to put their career ambitions first. With Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker and Minnie Driver. Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Relativity Media.
‘Through a Lens Darkly’ A documentary exploring the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations and social emergence of African Americans, from slavery to the present. Directed by Thomas Allen Harris. First Run Features.
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F0OD
NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2014
TOJ
FIG, LEMON AND HONEY CHEESECAKE Servings: 12 Crust: 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup chopped, stemmed Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs Cheesecake: 1 1/2 pounds (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup sour cream 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 large eggs 1lemon, thinly sliced (for garnish) Sauce: 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup honey 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water 1 cup sliced, stemmed Blue Ribbon Orchard
FROM FAMILY FEATURES
The highlight of many a holiday meal, desserts are adored by young and old alike. This year, complete your festive celebration with delightful desserts that feature California Dried Figs. Naturally sweet and available year round, figs easily add a touch of elegance to a variety of recipes. Dark purple Mission Figs have a soft, thin skin with a sweet, fruity taste, while Golden Figs are ambercolored with a firmer skin, well-developed seeds and a slightly nutty flavor. Both are interchangeable in most recipes.
Keeping holiday traditions California Dried Figs are the perfect ingredient to star in your holiday recipes, especially for Hanukkah and Christmas. Sliced and simmered with fresh lemon and honey and spooned over cheesecake or chopped and combined with a little hazelnut liqueur and caramel for a luscious bottom layer, figs add a stunning fruit accent to popular cheesecake desserts. No matter what you are celebrating, your family will love these “figgy” recipes. Besides the sweetness that figs bring to the table, California Dried Figs are a healthy ingredient rich in dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates and such essential minerals as potassium, iron and calcium. Learn more about Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid California Dried Figs at www.valleyfig. com.
CARAMEL FIG MINI-CHEESECAKES Servings: 12 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts or pecans 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 1/2 cups finely chopped, stemmed Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping 3 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur or orange juice 1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs Thinly sliced figs 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur or orange juice Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12 (2 3/4-inch) muffin cups with paper cups. Combine graham cracker crumbs, nuts and melted butter. Press firmly into bottoms of cups. Bake in middle of oven for 5 minutes, till fragrant. Remove from oven and reserve. In small saucepan, combine figs, caramel topping and liqueur. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, and cook for 1 minute or until most of liquid is absorbed. Spoon figs over crusts and press firmly with back of spoon to even layer. In bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time. Spoon cheese mixture into cups over fig mixture. Return to middle of oven for 18–20 minutes, till set. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack. Chill in pan for 3 hours. To serve, carefully remove cheesecakes from pan and paper cups to serving plates. For topping, fan fig slices on top of cheesecakes. Combine caramel topping and liqueur; drizzle over cakes.
CHEESECAKE MOUSSE WITH FIG ORANGE SAUCE Servings: 4 Fig-orange sauce: 1 cup sliced, stemmed Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs 2/3 cup orange juice 1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar 1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice Cheesecake mousse: 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4cup whipped heavy cream Topping and garnish: 1/2 cup crumbled shortbread cookies 1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans or almonds Sprigs of fresh mint, optional To make sauce, in small saucepan, combine figs and orange juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 4–5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and simmer until liquid is syrupy, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in orange liqueur and lemon juice. Chill until serving time. To make mousse, with wire whisk, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Gently whisk in 1/2 of whipped cream. With rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream. (Sauce and mousse can be held in refrigerator up to 1 day.) To serve, spoon mousse in bottom of 4 martini or champagne flutes. Smooth to even layer. Top with fig sauce. Sprinkle with crumbled cookies and nuts. Garnish with mint.
Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. For crust, mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press into bottom of buttered 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8–10 minutes, till edges are golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with figs. For cheesecake, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on mediumlow speed until smooth, scraping bowl as needed. Gradually beat in sugar, then sour cream, zest and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Scrap filling into pan over figs. Bake on middle rack for 45–55 minutes, until almost set in center. Cool. Chill 4 hours or overnight. For sauce, in small saucepan, combine water, honey and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Add cornstarch solution and stir for a few seconds, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in figs. Cool. Chill until serving time. To serve, run thin knife around edge of cheesecake and remove side of pan. Cut into wedges and top each with sauce. Garnish with thin slices of lemon, if desired.
FIG AND GOAT CHEESE SQUARES (Not pictured) Servings: 30 2 cups stemmed Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs 1 cup water 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 cup toasted chopped walnuts 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 2 cups goat cheese, room temperature 2 large eggs Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. In medium saucepan, combine figs, water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes or until figs are tender. Cool slightly. Place fig mixture in food processor or blender; process until smooth. Stir in chopped walnuts. Reserve. Combine flour, brown sugar and salt in bowl. Stir to combine. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture in prepared baking dish. Gently spread fig mixture over prepared crust. Beat goat cheese and eggs until smooth. Spread over fig mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until set. Serve warm or at room temperature.