Florida Courier - December 20, 2013

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VOLUME 21 NO. 51

Page B1

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DECEMBER 20 - DECEMBER 26, 2013

AUSTERITY AND ADJUSTMENTS As President Obama agrees to a budget deal that will reduce government spending – as well as jobs and unemployment benefits – a panel urges changes to America’s spy programs, negotiations with Iran turn sour, and ‘Obamacare’ limps forward.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan budget plan won final approval in Congress on Wednesday, with the Senate passing the hard-fought compromise.

President Obama is expected to swiftly sign the measure, which

cleared the Senate 64-36.

The House overwhelmingly passed it last week.

Under the accord reached

by Rep. Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., the former vice presidential nominee, and Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., spending for 2014 and 2015 will

rise by $63 billion, reversing some across-the-board cuts to defense accounts and social programs that only the most conservative lawmakers wanted to keep.

Conservative groups, who split the GOP as they tried to stop the deal, opposed the increased spending vehemently. It will be paid for with new fees on airline travel to pay for transportation security, as well as reductions in the pensions of new federal employees and younger, uninjured military personnel. There will be no new taxes.

To attract conservative votes, more than $22 billion in savings, including reduc-

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met with mothers in the Oval Office to promote the Affordable Care Act in the White House on Wednesday. ing unemployment benefits and cutting federal government jobs, will be applied to reduce deficits.

Lawmakers must revisit the deal next month, before funding for the govern-

ment runs out. To prevent Adjustments to a government shutdown, ‘Big Brother’ Congress must pass legislaA group appointed by tion to fund government op- President Obama to review erations at the levels in the U.S. surveillance tactics is See OBAMA, Page A2 agreement.

Holiday heat

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT 2013

‘Blessed to be a blessing’

Gun sales pick up as year ends

BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

CHARLES W. CHERRY III / FLORIDA COURIER

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church in Dania Beach (Broward County) continued its “Hope for the Holidays” tradition this year. As do many Black churches statewide, St. Ruth gave away free toys, food and clothing.

Bishop Victor T. Curry is the pastor.

Duval deletes Klan leader’s name from school COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

JACKSONVILLE – A Florida high school that was named in the 1950s after a 19th-century White supremacist and now has a majority Black student enrollment will soon have a new name.

Nathan Bedford Forrest High School in Jacksonville will change its name in time for the new school year in August, school officials decided Monday.

Forrest was a famous Confederate general and the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He later distanced himself from

ALSO INSIDE

showed that 64 percent of the 1,035 students who responded wanted a change; 36 percent were opposed.

Of the 93 community respondents, 75 percent wanted the name to remain the same. Of the 339 alumni who responded, 6 percent supported a name change while 94 percent WIKIPEDIA opposed it.

The school superintenNathan Bedford Forrest High School in Jacksondent will present a new ville, named after an early leader of the Ku Klux name to the school board Klan, now has a majority-Black student population. and community in January.

“It is clear that the Nathat organization with its Students wanted than B. Forrest name rephistory of racial lynching, resents disparate views that cross burnings and other change have led to a cloud of diviA school district survey siveness that we have had violent acts.

an opportunity to address and remove today,” Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said at the Duval County School Board meeting Monday. “I am convinced that my recommendation and the board’s decision will move Jacksonville and the school district forward and allow us to focus on what matters most – student achievement.”

Southern symbol Born in Tennessee, Forrest was a symbol of the old South. He bought and sold enslaved Africans and enlisted in the Confeder ate See NAME, Page A2

The gift of a gun may be high on many Floridians’ holiday shopping lists.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it is on target to conduct nearly 1 million background checks this year on private firearm purchases. The projection comes as the department is reporting a record number of reviews conducted over the Thanksgiving weekend that typically kicks off the year-end holiday shopping season.

“We have definitely seen an increase in the number of background checks over the past several years,” FDLE spokeswoman Samantha Andrews said Monday. “You can see November and December are relatively larger” for sales.

Andrews declined to speculate on the reason for the increase and said the checks are only conducted on the individuals making purchases.

National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer said that in addition to buying firearms as gifts, guns sales have grown due to the improved economy and an effort by merchants to move stock by offering enticing holiday sales.

“I think it’s a combination of people wanting to take adSee GUNS, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Lawson won’t run again for Congressional seat NATION | A6

Better health care for Blacks depends on states FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT | B5

Meet Kareem

COMMENTARY: | Lucius Gantt: Holiday mess and holiday stress | A4 GUEST COMMENTARY: Jeraldine Williams-Shaw: A family Christmas with Madiba | A5

Don’t expect ‘Madea Christmas’ to be a classic

FOCUS

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DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

Nelson Mandela’s long death Had Nelson Mandela gone quickly to the grave when a lung infection recurred in March 2013, the world might not have experienced such a fantastic volume of political obituaries on his legacy.

The nine-month deathwatch, culminating in an unprecedented send-off by nearly 100 heads of state, provided the space and time for a global examination the great man’s personal saga, as well as the tragic trajectory of the South African liberation struggle.

True evaluation Mandela’s long death became a wake, at which the body of his life’s work – and that of his comrades in the African National Congress (ANC) – was on display for collective view, commentary, and assessment.

A straight line could now be drawn connecting the ANC’s early 1990s pact with capital and the massacre of 34 striking Black miners at Marikana, in August 2012.

Foreign audiences could

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

now understand how Cyril Ramaphosa, a former mine workers union leader, a deputy president of the ANC (and presidential contender), became a billionaire board member of the corporation that owns the Marikana mine.

South Africa’s 2011 United Nations vote in favor of a no-fly zone over Libya, ultimately resulting in the murder of Muammar Gaddafi, a great supporter of the armed struggle against the White regime, makes perfect sense in the context of Mandela’s and the ANC’s capitulation to imperialism two decades earlier.

The struggle’s personification For non-South Africans especially, Mandela was the personification of the

ANC and the embodiment of the South African struggle. His living aura was a prophylactic against serious analysis of the ANC’s abandonment of the 1955 Freedom Charter, which called for redistribution of the country’s land and nationalization of the mines and banks.

When death began to hover, Mandela’s aura was insufficient to limit the scope of the thousands of political obituaries that were being prepared for distribution.

neoliberal economy – or, as some today cry out, we ‘sold our people down the river.’”

Kasrils, known as “Red Ronnie,” is White. Now that the ‘deal’ is common knowledge, there are attempts to blame it on White communists – to absolve Mandela in much the same way as Barack Obama’s Black apologists claim that his White advisors tricked or pressured their icon into pursuing anti-Black, reactionary policies.

ANC sellout

Approved by leadership

Ronnie Kasrils, a former fighter in the ANC’s armed wing who became intelligence minister under Black rule and served as a high official in both the ANC and the South African Communist Party, broke the silence in June.

“From 1991 to 1996, the battle for the ANC’s soul got underway, and was eventually lost to corporate power,” he wrote in an article for the Guardian.

“We were entrapped by the

But the communists, who were multiracial, and the ANC (also multiracial) were thoroughly commingled in the South African leadership; they share responsibility for the betrayal of the revolution.

“An ANC-Communist party leadership eager to assume political office (myself no less than others) readily accepted this devil’s pact, only to be damned in the process,” said Kas-

‘Irreversible course’

that when John Pilger interviewed Mandela shortly after he assumed the presidency, he is told the course is irreversible. “…for this country, privatization is the fundamental policy,” said Mandela.

To make sure that the capitalist road was irreversible, the deal included the near-instant creation of a Black business class hopelessly tied to international capital – like Cyril Ramaphosa and other high-ranking ANC members – which would provide the African social base for capital’s continued political dominance of the country.

When South Africa rises up, once again – and it will – the poor will have to cut and hack their way through this new class of Black capitalists. They, too, are Mandela’s children.

If the Nineties capitulation had been engineered by a small clique in the leadership, then one could blame the debacle on a few individuals. But the whole forward motion of the South African revolution was turned around, so

Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. E-mail him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

rils. “It has bequeathed an economy so tied in to the neoliberal global formula and market fundamentalism that there is very little room to alleviate the plight of most of our people.”

On Democracy Now!, host Amy Goodman repeatedly tried to get Kasrils to acknowledge or admit that Nelson Mandela had been a member of the South African Communist Party’s Central Committee.

Kasrils said he would have known if that had been the case, and accepts Mandela’s denial of membership.

But Goodman’s pursuit of the matter avoids the central fact of Kasril’s testimony: that the leading figures in the commingled ANC, SACP and COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) all endorsed or acquiesced to the “sellout.”

GUNS

“In order to do this, we had to bring in people from other parts of the departments to make it work,” Bailey told Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Florida Cabinet.

Bailey added that even though there was a brief glitch when the internal system for Wal-Mart went down, the checks were done relatively quickly.

from A1 vantage of sales as well as the gift giving,” Hammer said. “The retailers I talked to ... they feel the economy may be starting to recover, or people are relaxing a little more, and are starting to turn loose some of the money they were reluctant to spend. And it’s that time of year.”

More licenses issued

Numbers increasing The FDLE recorded approximately 823,000 checks on firearms purchases as of Dec. 15, of which about 40,000 were from December. Last December, the department recorded more than 110,000 checks.

The 2013 number already surpasses the 797,000 background checks conducted in 2012. There were roughly 610,000 checks conducted in 2011. Each check includes criminal history and mental-health database reviews.

Times can fluctuate depending upon demand, but the agency aims for a 4-minute turnaround when a dealer conducts a check over the phone, Andrews said.

The check can also be done online.

Fewer than 6 percent of the checks result in a sale being denied, Andrews said.

OBAMA from A1 recommending widespread changes to the controversial National Security Agency spy programs, including ending the NSA’s dragnet collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records.

The report by the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies doesn’t call for the elimination of the spying program but proposes nearly 50 fixes, acknowledging that privacy and civil liberties “can be and at times have been eroded by excessive intelligence collection.”

Documents obtained by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden showed the NSA was collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of Verizon customers as well as emails through nine companies including tech giants Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and Facebook.

Of the panel’s 46 recommendations, it most notably calls for an end to the NSA’s storage of Americans’ telephone records. Despite NSA officials’ assurances that the metadata is simply unimportant, impersonal digits, board members said it should not be in the hands of the government. Instead, the recommendations call for the data to be kept by phone companies or another third party, available for the government with a specific court order akin to a warrant.

The panel also addressed the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which has long been pegged

by NSA critics as a rubber

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Approximately one million guns will have been purchased in Florida by the end of the year.

There were nearly 13,500 checks conducted the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, up from 13,200 during the same period a year earlier.

More staff Because of the growing number of background checks, the

stamp for the nation’s intelligence community. A public interest advocate to represent Americans’ interest in the government’s dealings with the court is necessary, the panel says, and more of the court’s decisions should be declassified.

US pessimistic Three weeks after President Obama hailed a landmark deal to suspend most of Iran’s nuclear program for the next six months, the mood among U.S. officials about the next round of negotiations has shifted from elated to somber, even gloomy.

“I wouldn’t say (chances of success are) more than 5050,” Obama said last week.

U.S. officials are “very skeptical” that Iran will accept Western demands, said his lead negotiator, Wendy R. Sherman.

Technical talks in Vienna aimed at implementing the initial deal stopped last week when Iranian negotiators unexpectedly flew back to Tehran, reportedly in response to the Obama administration’s decision to expand its blacklist of foreign companies and individuals who have done business with Iran in violation of sanctions.

Even before Thursday’s interruption, experts had struggled to determine how to sequence the complex next steps involved: neutralizing a stockpile of mediumenriched uranium and freezing most other enrichment operations in exchange for granting Iran access, in installments, to $4.2 billion of its own funds held in banks overseas and easing sanctions on petrochemical and auto exports.

FDLE has requested 18 new employees during the next budget year to help complete the requests in the firearms purchase program, while another 18 employees already doing the quick checks under an “other personal services” temporary designation could be shifted into full-time positions.

Crafting a comprehensive agreement that satisfies powerful political constituencies in Iran as well as in Washington and its negotiating partners — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — will be far more challenging. Yet, the contours of a potential deal are clear.

Even more difficult perhaps, the two sides will need to agree on how long any deal should be enforced.

The comprehensive accord sometimes is called a “final” or “permanent” deal, but the Iranians want to keep it in force for less than five years.

U.S. officials are expected to seek a deal for 20 years or longer.

Payment extension The nation’s largest health insurance industry trade group announced Wednesday that consumers, frustrated by technical problems with federal and state health insurance marketplaces, will get more time to pay for individual coverage that begins Jan. 1.

The board of directors of America’s Health Insurance Plans said consumers who select an individual health plan by Dec. 23 will now have until Jan. 10 to make their first month’s premium payment for retroactive coverage that begins on Jan. 1, 2014.

The previous payment deadline for Jan. 1 coverage was Dec. 31.

The one-time voluntary change to the payment deadline will prevent potential coverage gaps that could arise as people switch plans and work their way through enrollment delays.

Technical problems on state health insurance mar-

The requests are part of a $19 million increase proposed to the FDLE’s $269 million budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

During an appearance last week before the state Cabinet, FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey pointed to the Thanksgiving weekend as an example of a spike in sales that taxes staff time.

ketplaces and the HealthCare.gov website, which serves as the portal for the federal marketplace, have led to numerous problems for consumers attempting to enroll in policies.

Ex-Microsoft exec steps in Kurt DelBene, who relinquished his post as president of Microsoft Office in July amid a corporate shakeup, started a short-term gig Wednesday – as chief fixer for the troubled federal health insurance website.

On Tuesday, President Obama tapped DelBene to take over for Jeffrey Zients, another millionaire business executive who was brought in temporarily two months ago to overhaul the online health exchange.

DelBene’s assignment, officially senior adviser to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, is expected to last about six months. DelBene, whose 2012 Microsoft salary, stock awards and other compensation totaled $7.9 million, will work for free.

Righting Healthcare.gov will be a sizable challenge.

Though Zients has declared the website “night and day from where it was Oct. 1,” some users in 36 states that rely on the federal exchange continue to encounter glitches and bottlenecks.

Lesley Clark, Tony Pugh and Ali Watkins of the McClatchy Washington Bureau; Lisa Mascaro and Paul Richter of the Tribune Washington Bureau; and Kyung M. Song of The Seattle Times (MCT) all contributed to this report.

The increased number of checks comes at the same time as Florida has a record number of concealed-weapon or firearm licenses issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The consumer services department reported that as of Nov. 30, there were 1,195,645 concealed weapon or firearm licenses issued in Florida. The state went over the 1 million mark a year ago, becoming the first state in the nation to surpass that figure.

Hammer said because of the increasing population, and a growing awareness of the state’s concealed-carry laws, guns sales will continue to grow.

“People are more aware of the need to protect themselves and their families,” Hammer said.

The checks typically also increase around Valentine’s Day and in the spring as federal tax refunds are mailed out, Andrews said.

NAME from A1 army, rising to general. Some histories said that Forrest was responsible for a massacre of Black prisoners after a victory at Tennessee’s Fort Pillow in 1864, though those claims are in dispute.

In 1867, the newly formed Klan elected Forrest its honorary grand wizard, or national leader, but he publicly denied being involved. In 1869, he ordered the Klan to disband because of the members’ increasing violence.

Forrest High opened in the 1950s and was all-White. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, a community group including descendants of Southern veterans of the Civil War, suggested the name as a protest against the growing desire to end the official policy of racial discrimination known as Jim Crow.

It took a federal court order to desegregate Forrest High School in 1971. The school is now about 61 percent African-American. The school name change in Jacksonville has been fought for years.

Modern movement The name change

is part of the ongoing re-evaluation of attitudes across the South and the nation as communities try to come to grips with an often racist heritage – once comfortable for the majority, but an increasingly ill fit in modern, multicultural times.

Sports teams have been requested to drop nicknames that trivialize and demean racial and ethnic groups, including Washington, D.C., and its NFL team, the Redskins.

The Memphis, Tenn.

City Council voted to change Nathan Bedford Forrest Park to Health Sciences Park, though a statue of Bedford on a horse remains. It also voted to rename Confederate Park as Memphis Park and Jefferson Davis Park as Mississippi River Park.

In Lee County in Southwest Florida, the NAACP has been lobbying for years to change the county’s name because it honors Gen. Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate army.

Florida officials have refused the request.

Michael Muskal of the Los Angeles Times / MCT contributed to this report.

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

in their fund-raising.

As of his October filing, Southerland had raised $839,854.98 during the 2014 election cycle and spent $302,773.33.

As of her October filing, Graham had raised $830,608.80 and spent $164,620.88.

“Clearly, when you don’t have primaries, you’re able to spend more in the generals,” Southerland said.

“You get to preserve your money. Other than that, I’m not sure how it (Lawson staying out of the Democratic primary) will change the race.”

The district includes Tallahassee and Panama City – the homes of the challenger and incumbent, respectively – and Washington, Bay, Jackson, Gulf, Calhoun, Liberty, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Wakulla, Franklin, Taylor and part of Madison counties.

Racial mix

COURTESY OF REP. STEVE SOUTHERLAND

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland is shown touring the pediatric emergency facilities at the Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee.

Lawson won’t run again for Congressional seat Former state senator has tried twice to win hotly contested district

BY MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – It’s unlikely that the nationalmarquee race in Northwest Florida’s 2nd Congressional District will involve a

competitive Democratic primary as former state Sen. Al Lawson has decided against running again for the seat.

It would have been Lawson’s third try in the district, which has been held since 2010 by Panama City Republican Steve Southerland – and is one of a handful of seats nationally considered winnable by Republicans and Democrats alike.

Already the duel between Southerland and

Democrat Gwen Graham, daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, has drawn national attention and money.

Costly campaign Lawson said Monday he’s still got too much debt from two previous congressional campaigns to run again this year – about $90,000, he estimated.

“I’ve been knocking it back every month,” he said.

And Lawson has no

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Al Lawson

Gwen Graham

doubt it will cost major sums to defeat the incumbent Southerland. “(Graham) would have to spend a ton of money to win this race, because (Southerland is) going to have all kinds of money,” said Lawson, who represented the Tallahassee area in the state House and Senate for nearly three decades.

Political scientist Susan MacManus of the University of South Florida said both Southerland and Graham will be well-funded – “but the idea that it will be locally raised is pie in the sky,” she said. “The money will be pouring in from outside Florida.”

Close on fundraising So far Southerland and Graham are neck and neck

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

• Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’ …AND MUCH MORE!

Expanding program

• 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;

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book signings, panel discussions.

‘Battleground district’ In the district’s two most populous counties, Southerland won 54,869 votes in Leon, or 38.20 percent, while Lawson had 88,427, or 61.56 percent; in Bay County, Southerland had

The lawsuit concerns the state’s Religious Diet Program, or RDP, currently in place only at Union Correctional Institution.

According to Seitz’s ruling, the state has continuously changed its timeframe for expanding the program, first saying it would be available statewide this year, then say-

ing kosher meals would be available at five institutions next month, and then announcing an implementation date for just three of those locations.

The state has also maintained that it is not required to offer kosher meals under federal laws protecting religious liberty.

Seitz barred DOC from enforcing four rules used in the kosher program at Union: A 90-day waiting period that the state said it will no longer enforce.

• A requirement that inmates undergo a “test” to determine whether they qualify for the program, including answering a question about the specific religious laws that require them to eat kosher.

• The “10 percent rule,” which drops a prisoner who fails to eat at least 90 percent of his or her meals.

• The “zero-tolerance rule,” which removes an inmate from the program for a period of time if he or she is found to eat something prison officials say is not kosher.

Concerns about cost The state has argued that offering kosher meals at every prison could become

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Lawson said most of those counties are rural and conservative, but a big Democratic turnout in Leon County can offset those voters.

“They (rural voters) just have a tendency to vote straight down the Republican ticket,” he said. “But if (Graham) runs well in Leon, I think she’d have a real shot.”

MacManus said the 2nd Congressional District is divided by virtually every demographic.

“You have rural-urbansuburban,” she said. “You have a racial mix. You have an ideological mix and definitely an age mix. …Every kind of division you can think of in politics is evident in that district.”

In 2012, Southerland won re-election with 175,856 votes, or 52.7 percent of the total. Lawson had 157,634 votes, or 47.2 percent. The tally for Leon and Gadsden Counties, which Lawson carried, amounted to slightly more than one-third of Southerland’s total votes for the district and just under twothirds of Lawson’s total.

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57,144 votes for 72.44 percent, while Lawson had 21,442 votes for 27.18 percent.

“This is a battleground district,” Southerland said Monday in a telephone interview.

MacManus also cited the public sector-private sector divide in the district, noting that Leon County is home to many state employees – which could be a factor “if pensions become the issue I think they might in the legislative session.”

Another factor is the steady stream of controversy coming out of Washington, D.C. Southerland said he’s looking forward to campaigning on the problematic rollout of the federal Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. He was elected in the tea-party wave of 2010 and ran in opposition to the healthcare law.

“Whoever I would face in the general election, a Democrat is going to be tied to that law, and they’re going to have to justify the vision of this administration and the Democratic Congress that enacted it,” he said.

Graham thanks Lawson Additionally, MacManus said, Southerland’s vote in favor of a bipartisan budget deal last week could help him. “It shows that he can compromise,” she said.

But Southerland said he’s shown that several times, citing what is known as the RESTORE Act, which was related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and legislation affecting transportation and free trade.

“When there’s good legislation that falls in line with my values, I support it,” he said.

The good news for Graham, MacManus said, is that women candidates are likely to do well in 2014.

“It’s often the case that when people are down on policy in general, they may take a look at a new face – particularly a woman’s face,” she said.

Graham was not available for comment Monday.

In an email, she thanked Lawson “for his service to our community, and for being a passionate, vocal advocate for North Florida families.”

Judge orders kosher meals to be served at state prisons TALLAHASSEE – A federal judge has ordered the Florida Department of Corrections to offer kosher meals to “all prisoners with a sincere religious basis for keeping kosher” by July 1.

The little-noticed ruling, signed Dec. 5, grants the U.S. Department of Justice a preliminary injunction forcing the state agency to offer kosher meals and to drop some of the restrictions on a kosher program at one state facility.

“Injunctive relief is necessary to prevent irreparable harm to hundreds of Florida prisoners who believe that keeping kosher is an important part of their religious beliefs,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Seitz in her decision.

• How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades;

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prohibitively expensive. If enrollment were the same as an old program offering kosher food, it would cost the state less than $1.1 million a year. But the Union program has an unexpectedly high enrollment, which could result in a cost of almost $54.1 million if it went statewide, according to Seitz’s ruling.

But she said there were suspicions that the interest in the program at Union might not have had to do with religious fervor and could eventually decline.

“Thus, it appears that the high participation rate will not be maintained as the RDP continues and the ‘bugs’ in the system, which currently have made the RDP more desirable than standard prison fare, are worked out,” she wrote.

In a filing dated last week, though, the state continued to argue that the policy would cost too much.

“To the extent that FDOC’s dietary policies impose a substantial burden on a prisoner’s religious practices, the FDOC asserts that the policies are in furtherance of compelling governmental interests in preserving the security and good order of its institutions and in allocating scarce governmental resources and that these policies reflect the least restrictive means of furthering those interests,” the filing says.

A trial in the case is scheduled to begin Aug. 25.

EDITORIAL

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DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

Political poverty pimps An article published on nky. com, titled, “Running for Senate not job for paupers, stated: “The average household in the United States has a net worth of $69,000, but the average wealth of a U.S. senator is about $12 million, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and Center for Responsive Politics.” To me, it illustrated the fact that we are far removed from the original intent of serving in Congress. No longer are “regular” people going off to serve for a few years and returning home to their jobs as farmers, shopkeepers, and factory workers and the like.

Washington, D.C. has become a veritable money pit, and candidates are doing and saying some of the dirtiest hypocritical things in order to set up residence there.

At the likely prospect of becoming millionaires, it’s no wonder those running for office are quite willing to forget about “the people” and get to work immediately

We are obviously mesmerized by what we perceive as “royalty” and celebrity in this country, but to allow our penchant for person-worJAMES ship to bleed over into the politiCLINGMAN cal arena is very dangerous – and NNPA COLUMNIST we are seeing the results of having done that for so long. We respond to maintain their lucrative jobs in to some of our politicians in ways Congress. that mimic idol worship, and pay them quite well in the process.

Levels of dysfunction

But there is also a high level of dysfunction among “the people” because we are the ones who elect and keep them in office, despite their horrendous record of working on our behalf. They become multi-millionaires and we keep losing ground economically.

Now let’s be real here. It takes two to tango, right? If some of our elected officials are pimps, what does that make us? You know the word, no need to say it here.

Question is, “Why do we allow ourselves to be treated this way?”

And the award goes to Since award shows are in vogue now, we should have a Political Players Ball and give an award for the best “playa.” They could dress in their best playa outfits – pinstripe suits with red or blue ties, that is, and strut their stuff down the runway while they rattle off their promises and claims, and tell us how bad they feel for the poor and for disabled veterans. Of course, the one who has the most money would have a leg up on the competition and would probably

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: SANTA OBAMA AND SLACKERS

DARYL CAGLE, CAGLECARTOONS.COM

Angry White males (continued) Editor’s note: Charles W. Cherry II’s column will return next week.

I previously commented on what I perceive to be the reason behind the intense hostility toward President Obama coming from many White males.

My basic premise: White males such as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have been indoctrinated since birth with the falsehood that they are better than any Black man simply because they are White. It’s hard to reconcile that belief with the reality of a Black man, even one as non-confrontational as President Obama, in what they consider their White House. That’s why many of them insist that “we must take back our country.”

The names of some of the more outspoken of

A. Peter Bailey TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

the outraged White males (and one female) include Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Rep. Blake Farenthold (RMinn.), Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Tex.), Rep. Michele Bachman (R-Minn.), Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (RMich.), Rep. Bill Flores (RTex.), and Rep. Trey Radel (R-Fla.). (Radel was recently caught purchasing cocaine.)

I am not now and never have been a member of the Barack Obama Fan Club.

But as a Black man, my position is that the attacks on him by enraged White

males have a strong White supremacist smell that is directed at all of us.

They probably don’t mind the presence of a few Clarence Thomases, Shelby Steeles, Allen Wests, Thomas Sowells and Ben Carsons in their midst as long as it is clearly understood and accepted that White males are in control.

Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck and their congressional cohorts mean us no good and bear watching by the Black Press and others concerned with promoting and protecting Black interests in this country.

Contact A. Peter Bailey at apeterb@verizon.net, or 202-716-4560. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

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.

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get the most votes for “Political Playa of the Year.”

Amos Wilson wrote, “The irrational economy of…America, based as it is on irrational consumption, requires a high level of impulsivity and economic stupidity in its population, all the more in its lower classes and subordinated African-American population.” Of course, Wilson was referring to economic empowerment and the lack thereof within our ranks, but the same principle applies to political empowerment, not only for Black voters but for the entire U.S. electorate.

This nation’s elite relies and thrives on the necessary “stupidity” of consumers and the electorate to keep them in their positions of power. Political pimps, with an average wealth of $12 million versus $69,000 for those over whom they rule, are definitely slapping us around and making us pay them for doing so.

What’s that famous line Huggy Bear and other pimps used to say? “…better have my money.”

Be practical We must stop being so emotional about politics and start being more practical. We major in the minors and get fighting mad because someone calls our President a name, and we spend an inordinate amount of time allowing the talking heads to stir the flames, which keeps our attention diverted from important issues.

President Obama is a multimillionaire too; believe me, he is not the least bit concerned about folks calling him names. He and his family are going to be just fine.

What about you and your family?

Stop working for the political pimps; they are supposed to be working for us.

Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics.com. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Where is Scott’s job plan for African-Americans?

Since Governor Scott has taken office in 2010, the state unemployment numbers have dropped from 11.1 % to 6.7%, and there has been 440,000 private sector jobs created. Based on our governor’s numbers the good times are here again in Florida. It would appear that the recession is over, jobs are plentiful and the middle class is booming.

But everywhere I look prices keep going up, and sales are down, and my friends keep getting laid off or hours cut. Everyone is worried and everyone is cutting back. Instead of going out to the restaurant 2 days a week, families are going out once every two weeks, and the restaurant workers are standing around and not busy.

Seven-year plan When Governor Scott took office, he called himself the jobs governor, and he promised the state that he would create 700,000 jobs in 7 years, but it appears that he is having problems. Every week our governor is going to a photo-op, where he is cutting a ribbon to highlight the promise of new jobs.

Steve Bousquet of the Times/Herald says “Governor Scott makes big jobs promises, but so far gains are small. Of the jobs Scott can influence most, only a fraction now exist. Scott has pledged $266 million in tax breaks and other incentives

How to gauge success There are hundreds of ROGER other projects and the maCALDWELL GUEST COLUMNIST

in return for 45,256 new jobs. But 96% of the jobs have yet to materialize, according to state data.”

Good business relations

jority of the projects were not successful. After the photo-op there is no transparency, and no one gets a report if the project is completed and successful.

As an African-American entrepreneur in the state of Florida, I wonder if the state makes an effort to help offer more Black businesses an opportunity to succeed.

In order to be successful in business it takes tax breaks and incentives. Businesses in the African-American community are not productive, because they don’t understand that they must develop a comprehensive business plan that includes tax breaks and incentives.

The challenge in Florida is for more Black businesses to develop good business ideas that provide jobs in the community. Once the ideas and plan is formulated, it is necessary to get more assistance from the state. Our governor never talks about the jobs that have been created in the African-American community.

Where is the plan for the creation of jobs in the African-American community in Florida?

When large or small corporations decide to move to Florida they receive tax breaks and this is standard practice in business. I consider this corporate welfare but our governor and legislators consider it building good business relations. Before any large corporation moves into the state or they plan to expand their operation, they know to make a financial deal with the state.

Even though the companies make deals many times they never materialize.

Two years after Scott agreed to spend $250,000 renovating a Kissimmee warehouse, the building remains empty. Eighteen months after Florida offered $700,000 in incentives for Global Voter Solutions to hire 127 people for a civic website, the project remains stalled. Klausner Holdings Inc. planned to shift 410 jobs from Spokane, Wash, to Panama Write your own reCity, and received $400,000.

The jobs never arrived, and sponse at www.flcourier. the money is gone. com.

Holiday mess and holiday stress The Gantt Report is hopeful for a joyous and happy holiday season to all of its readers.

I say hope because at this time of year there are many smiles and just as many frowns!

Most of us will experience a lot of holiday mess and seasonal stress!

This time of year is supposed to be a time of good tidings and holiday cheer.

However, after a rudimentary inspection you will find that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is filled with burglaries, robberies, home invasions, purse snatchings, homicides, suicides and an array of other crimes.

Pills, pipes and bottles Holiday season is the time for peace on earth and good will towards men.

But many people find their peace in the heroin needle, the crack pipe, the oxycontin, the vicodin, or the Remy, Ciroc, and Jack Black bottles.

The season for “love” is also filed with family drama. Married couples fight about where families will spend the holidays. Will the family celebrate with each other or with one set of in-

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

laws? Will the children with different baby mamas and baby daddys love each other and get along or will they fuss and fight and hate each other? How many people will try to sleep with their married and attached coworkers at the Christmas party and blame their actions on the alcohol?

I usually spend Christmas and other holidays home alone. My children all live in different states than I do and I guess they know by now I’m not the best holiday guy.

Black Scrooge In 2002, I spent Christmas and New Years in a rehabilitation hospital. Hospital staffers are probably still angry with me for my holiday actions. They wanted all of the patients to go home so workers could spend time with their families but I refused to leave the hospital.

I told my health care providers that I had no family in Florida and whenever I

left the rehabilitation facility I would not come back as an in house patient. Out patient, yes, but never as a patient that stayed in the hospital.

After the second Tuesday in November, there are no more elections so there is no more work for political consultants and nobody hires media consultants in the last months of the year.

So, in the past, I might have been in a bad mood during the holiday season.

Call me Black Scrooge!

Watch out now!

But don’t be like me. Try your best to enjoy the holidays.

Watch out for holiday pimps, prostitutes, boosters, shop lifters, hustlers, pick pockets and the running of the bull- like people trying to get in first at stores with holiday sales.

Parents love your children and children love your parents. Love God and love your neighbors!

Gantt's book "Beast Too: Dead Man Writing" is the perfect holiday gift and is on sale wherever fine books are sold. Contact Lucius at www.allworl dcon sultant s .net .

Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

EDITORIALS

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

Waiting for ‘Someday’ We shall overcome, we shall overcome, We shall overcome someday; Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome someday.

With 2014 right around the corner, I always wondered what was the target date for someday?

When I sing the song I feel vibrations from the ancestors who owned it when they sang and brought down walls like Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. It’s inspirational, it’s therapeutic and it’s powerful for a group of people to sing, pray and believe in one accord.

For instance, on August 1963, 22-year-old folksinger Joan Baez, led a crowd of 300,000 in singing “We Shall Overcome” at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recited the words from “We Shall Overcome” in his final speech delivered in Memphis in 1968, before his assassination, “We Shall Overcome” was sung days later by more than 50,000 attendees at Dr. King’s funeral.

Farmworkers in the United States later sang the song in Spanish during strikes and grape boycotts of the late 1960s, and it was notably sung by the U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, when he led an-

JINEEA BUTLER NNPACOLUMNIST

ti-apartheid crowds in choruses from the rooftop of his car while touring South Africa in 1966.

But have we overcome?

In many ways, we have overcome. You should never forget that those who dreamed the first dreams of freedom dreamed us all the way into the presidency of the United States. That alone is an accomplishment that would have some turning in the grave and some finally resting in peace.

But the reality is that we are further behind than we were in those times. And we know it. We are being outperformed in every area except sports and Hip Hop. Let’s take a look at what is really holding us hostage. Is it the “Man” everybody mysteriously refers to? Is it because we get distracted at a moment’s notice?

Is it because we trust other people before we trust ourselves? Is it because we spend most of our time chasing illusions and creat-

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS

ing situations that are not conducive to meeting our goals? What is it? Why does it seem like we are the only race without a plan, the only race who looks at one another and despises the beauty they see? Why are we the only race that tries to undermine one another for capital gain? Is this by design or did we evolve into this state of consciousness?

We have to stop making excuses for everything that is wrong and just make it right. We are not living up to our fullest potential and again we know it. I need you to dig deep within yourself and take off the mask, allow the layers and layers of defense mechanisms to fall to the wayside and have the courage to look the real you in the face. Have the courage to be greater than your best self.

Have the courage to say “I don’t know” when you don’t.

Questions to consider Do you wonder why more and more people are expressing their contempt for African-Americans in this country? Is it purely hate or is it how we carry ourselves?

Is it how we talk to one another?

How we talk to our children? Is it how we live our lives out loud and carefree? Is it that we are not concerned about the important

LUOJIE, CHINA DAILY, CHINA

things but consumed with nonsense? Is it because our families are in disarray with no structure and no blueprint for the future? Or, is it because people are still only concerned with the color of our skin? What if we bring up the content of our character, if we were judged on that alone, how would we do?

As we mourn the loss of Nelson Mandela, think about the path that this great man chose to follow, not only for himself but for the liberation of his people. He has overcome. Think about the path that you currently follow and

why. How does it measure up?

Are you an asset or dead weight to the race? Be honest.

When will someday arrive? I have raised a lot of questions, but there is a simple answer? It will arrived when we decided it’s going to get here.

Jineea Butler, founder of the Social Services of Hip Hop and the Hip Hop Union is a Hip Hop Analyst who investigates the trends and behaviors of the community. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Fantasy sports scores with mobile and online users When it comes to defining that which is “typically American,” I think we’re going to have to add “sports” to the old expression, “As American as Mom and apple pie.” We are a country full of sports fanatics. (While I might not exactly fall into that category, I am the mother of an extraordinary 17-year-old athlete and lover of all things sports. So, I have to admit, that I need to step up and try to keep up)! Nielsen numbers bear this out.

Sports programs are among the top watched in African-American households as well as those of the general population, with the Super Bowl consistently ranking as the most-watched program across the board. In fact, Super Bowl XLVII drew 108 million viewers nationally.

African-Americans made up a whopping 12.5 million of those viewers.

CHERYL PEARSONMCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST

identified and measured a phenomenal, growing niche industry, Fantasy Sports. Now, for those of you who, like me, were not familiar with this popular trend – Fantasy Leagues are places where you can use the web, smartphones and/or tablets, act as sports general managers, to draft professional athletes from your favorite pro teams to make up the roster how you see it in your own personal league.

Fantasy points are awarded to the players, based on their performance in the actual games being played. You and your friends can compete or bet against each other Make up your own roster while watching the real game.

So, who’s playing all of these With football and basketball season in full swing, Nielsen has Fantasy Sports? African-Ameri-

cans are the second largest group who engage in this cultural phenomenon and make up 12 percent of fantasy sports players.

And, there’s no shocker here, but 67 percent of fantasy players are male, which accounts for most of those who participate in fantasy sports. The average fantasy player is between the ages of 25-34.

But, hold on fellas! What was a surprise to me, though, is that so many women are getting in on the action. Our insights show that 32 percent of adult fantasy sports players online are female. That’s every man’s dream, right? A woman who loves her sports.

And of course, advertisers are hip to this trend as well. In 2012, $13.3 billion was spent on sporting event programming all in an effort to capture the eyes and win the hearts of fantasy sports players.

Fantasy sports players are: • 12 percent more likely to have children • More likely to earn $50,000 – $75,000 a year

A family Christmas with Madiba Over many miles of scaling and descending mountain ranges, my son, Walter Lee Smith, II, drove me to decorate the residence of president Nelson Mandela and prepare an American-style Christmas feast for his household guests in Qunu. His granddaughter, Rochelle Mtarara, had met Walter introduced him to the President. She invited us to spend the holidays with them.

Familiar with flat terrains, we Floridians were ecstatically relishing the never-ending steep peaks and hollowed valleys of the Eastern Cape as we traveled to be with, arguably, the world’s most beloved man.

poured off me might not have been the only source of fluid escaping my body orifices.

Mandela's mom had moved her children, just south of his native Mvezo, after his father's death. As a boy, Mandela herded the goats and sheep there. He loved it.

Adventure ahead

Time to decorate

As we evolved out of our misadventure in the wrong direction, we were frightened by driving through clouds. Herds crossed the roadway, and people toted water and wood on the other side of the dense fog in the sky.

There was no electricity or running water for the villagers. The highway, wrapping around the mountains, elevating to heights and descending to depths that are euphorically surreal, was the route to Mandela’s estate, a pinnacle of worldly power.

On Christmas Eve night, we finally arrived at the Mandela Transkei compound, overwhelmed by its stately grandeur among such agrarian simplicity. As we passed through the walled gardens, we snaked along on the curvaceous driveway, lined with mature cone-shaped evergreen trees on each side. There were many more conifers than I envisioned as I planned the illumination of Christmas tree lane.

With his embracing demeanor and lyrical articulation, he made me feel a part of his intimate place and personal home. I was cautious and proper in that very casual setting. Christmas Eve night, Walter and Rochelle handled the outdoor decorations.

I made a wreath to cover the top half of the front door, assembled the largest artificial Christmas tree in the country and decorated it to complement the festive lights, boughs of holly and bows that I placed in the foyer, living and dining rooms.

Greeted by guards

Jeraldine Williams-Shaw, ESQ. GUEST COLUMNIST

An afternoon with Madiba Wow! He saw me before I saw him. I was so taken aback that I seriously loss consciousness while standing. “Jere, you have made this the merriest Christmas that I have ever had,” was his greeting. When he asked, “What can I do for you? You have done so much for me,” I requested that he call my daughter, Salesia, then my mother, Mildred Williams, my sister, Nadine, and my nephew, Cory at my residence in Tallahassee.

“Yea, sure, Nelson Mandela calling from South Africa to wish me a Merry Christmas,” Mom quipped when he reached her.

He had to convince her of his identity.

On the day after Christmas, Rochelle announced, “You will eat with Madiba at the dining room table at noon; just the three of you will dine. Dress comfortably. He wants to say Thank You.”

We arrived hours later than expected. We were physically satiated, frightened, suffering from mental tension, exhilaration, hunger pangs, bladder promptings, and unparalleled expectations. As we unfolded from the car into a darkness, two armed guards suddenly appeared.

I let the accomplished linguist speak. I do not know whether it was fatigue or fear that made the two guards appear jet black against the intimidating darkness of that Jeraldine Williams-Shaw is a Tampasummer night. From the stars, I could detect the distant light reflecting off unknown based attorney. Write your own response objects, AK-47 rifles. Buckets of sweat that at www.flcourier.com.

• 84 percent more likely than the average U.S. adult to buy movie tickets online • 67 percent more likely to purchase credit cards online • 66 percent more likely to purchase insurance online • 60 percent more likely to purchase home electronics online • 58 percent more likely to purchase event tickets online

There’s an app for that So, how is all of this fantasy playing going on? According to research, more than 87 million Americans visited sports websites from April-June this year. In addition, 36 million smartphone owners use sports apps. Fantasy football apps are by far the most popular of the fantasy sports apps, with more than 10 million Americans using them and that number is up 15 percent from last year.

Here’s a look at the top five sports websites among fantasy sports players from April – June this year based on the number of

site visitors: • Yahoo! Sports: 1.3 million • ESPN Digital Network: 1 million • FOXSports.com on MSN: 957,000 • MLB.com: 614,000 • Big Lead Sports by FSV Network: 609,000 So with all these insights on fantasy sports, it shows that Americans are die-hard sports fans. I mean truly die-hard. But, even though it’s “fantasy” remember you are still flexing your consumer muscles. You have the power to choose, so make those picks wisely and strategically. That’s one bit of advice that I can offer. Good luck with your teams!

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www. nielsen.com. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Who creates jobs?

Black Americans are often misled when politicians and pundits refer to the ability of the President of the United States (POTUS) to "create jobs" during their terms in office.

But, in the reality of America’s economy, the private sector is where jobs originate. America’s private sector is run by citizens or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit.

This differs from countries where the government exerts considerable power over the economy such as, The People's Republic of China.

Black Americans have to become more educated in private enterprise and capitalistic processes. “Job creation” is a central theme across America these days.

Take Santa, for example, there are some Blacks who fervently believe that the ability to create jobs is inherent in the powers of the POTUS – think again.

The government’s limited role in creating jobs is a reality Blacks need to grasp. More of us have to accept that the government’s only role is to help create conditions for the growth of businesses, both large and small. A “job” is what we all want. Whether, it’s in the private or public sector, most of us just want to hear: “Can you start tomorrow?”

Force down, hiring up Since 2000, the labor force has steadily declined, but Department of Labor figures show hiring is up: August through October 2013 employers added an average of 202,000 jobs.

Let’s go back to basics: You

the assets including revenue.

WILLIAM REED BUSINESS EXCHANGE

get a job because someone needs some work done and is willing and able to pay you for it. Someone who is willing and able to compensate you with wages, sound working conditions, benefits, opportunities for advancement and intrinsic rewards enough to persuade you to turn down all competing offers and accept the job; and willing to put up with your human deficiencies in getting the work done.

He or she does this because you present the education, skills, expertise, judgment, grooming, intelligence and social skills necessary to get the job done and most importantly, to return to the employer value that exceeds what it costs him/her to compensate you.

Black Americans are often misled by broadcast reports that promote the "producers vs. takers" theory that: America is divided between "producers" who work hard and pay taxes and "takers" who see themselves as victims, demand entitlements from the government, and don't care about their own lives.

Many Blacks see the Republican Party as the “party of the producers,” but not in a desirable way.

Make no mistake, it’s entrepreneurs who put up the capital for the enterprise, take responsibility for loans and other financing, pay expenses and own

Take a risk Jobs come from successful entrepreneurs and investors willing and able to risk a buck on you in order to have the potential to eventually make a couple of bucks for themselves and for the next round of investment, which in turn has the potential to create a new job or enable you to receive a raise. In order for that to happen, there has to be freedom of contract, respect and protection of private property rights.

“Politics” only exacerbates the process.

It wasn’t the POTUS, or Congress, but small businesses that created some 65 percent of the net new jobs of recent years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that over the 15 years from 1993 to mid2008, 31 percent of net job gains resulted from the opening of new establishments. The remaining 69 percent are also due to successful businesses of all sizes that expanded. Most of the workers employed

by Black-owned businesses are minorities. Of the 1.9 million Black-owned businesses existing in 2007, 106,824 had paid employees.

William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

TOj A6

NATION

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

Better health care for Blacks depends on states Six of 10 AfricanAmericans could get more assistance if states expand coverage

BY ZENITHA PRINCE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Six out of 10 uninsured African-Americans who are eligible for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace may qualify for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or tax credits to help with the cost of premiums.

The percentage of eligible persons would increase to 95 percent if all states were to expand Medicaid coverage as provided by the Affordable Care Act, according to a Dec. 9 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The health care law is working to address longstanding disparities in health care coverage and improve the health of the African-American community,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

“Through the Health Insurance Marketplace, 6.8 million uninsured African-Americans have new options for affordable health coverage that covers a range of benefits, including important preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs.’’

Many in Florida Of the 41.3 million uninsured Americans and legal U.S. residents, 16 percent are Black. African-Americans tend to be uninsured at a higher rate than other Americans, statistics show. While 16 percent of all nonelderly U.S. citizens and other lawful residents are uninsured, 20 percent of eligible African-Americans lack health insurance.

Many of those uninsured live in Florida (677,000), Georgia (631,000), Texas (617,000), North Carolina (380,000) and New York (354,000).

But four of those five leading states – all except New York – do

JANE TYSKA/BAR AREA NEWS GROUP/MCT

Oakland Rising staff member Dominique Gipson, left, gets a hug from Cynthia Williams on 103rd Avenue on Oct. 24 in East Oakland, Calif. Oakland Rising, a grassrooots group, has partnered with California Calls to inform California residents of the president’s health care law. not plan to expand Medicaid, which advocates said is troubling as many African-Americans lack insurance because of meager incomes.

More than half – 3.8 million or 55 percent – of all eligible uninsured African-Americans have family incomes below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and nearly two-thirds of these people (2.4 million) live

in states that are not expanding Medicaid.

‘Put politics aside’ “This means that more than one in three eligible uninsured African-Americans may not gain access to affordable coverage through Medicaid in 2014 because their state declined to take the federally funded option to expand Medicaid eligibility,” the re-

port concluded.

Critics of these mostly Republican-run states said they need to stop playing politics with people’s lives. “[This] report is further proof that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is helping address health disparities by reducing costs for health care coverage in our most vulnerable communities,” Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-

Md.) said in a statement. “But the gains for the African-American community should be even greater: all 50 states should put politics aside and expand Medicaid to give 95 percent of eligible African-Americans the health care coverage they deserve.”

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspaper.

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HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER

IFE/FAITH Historical highlights from Winter Games See page B4

December 20 - December 26, 2013

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

‘12 Years a Slave,’ ‘American Hustle’ dominate Critic’s Choice nods See page B5

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE www.flcourier.com

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TOJ

Black Santa

still a rare sight In one California mall, shoppers look for their African-American St. Nick the last two months of every year, seven days a week, four hours a day.

BY ANGEL JENNINGS LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

LOS ANGELES — Dressed in a red Santa suit, white beard and rimless glasses balanced on his nose, Langston Patterson sits on a velvet couch and waits for his adoring fans.

Some call first to make sure he will be there. They come from Palmdale, Thousand Oaks and San Bernardino, driving past many shopping malls with Santas, but none that look like him.

For nearly a decade, Patterson has been the main attraction at Los Angeles’ Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza during Christmastime: a rare Black Santa Claus in a sea of White ones.

The mall, located in the heart of Black Los Angeles, is one of the few in the country with a Black Santa Claus. Some say Patterson is the only Black shopping-mall Santa Claus in the Los Angeles area.

In tune with community As visitors approached him on a recent afternoon, it was hard to tell who was more excited: the youngsters or the adults.

The parents are the most loyal.

They return with grandchildren, passing on a family tradition with a deep personal meaning.

“We need our kids to understand that good things happen in chocolate skin,” said Til Prince, 50, of Palmdale, watching her granddaughter, niece and her niece’s son pose with Patterson.

“We are often bombarded with the opposite. We’re not trying to exclude anybody, but (instead) celebrate our chocolate skin.”

Patterson’s place in the Christmas traditions of Black families seems only to have increased as the African-American population of Los Angeles continues to decline amid waves of Latino immigration.

The Crenshaw mall now has both a Black Santa and a Spanish-speaking Latino Santa, a

nod to the demographic shift.

“We make a point to stay in tune with our community,” said Rachel Erickson, the mall’s marketing director.

Simply Santa Perched at his post in the middle of the mall, Patterson greets the eager and the weary. He disarms frightened children with a swift high-five and shares jokes with their parents.

They’ve come to expect him the last two months of every year, seven days a week, four hours a day.

Like many of the children who visit him, he doesn’t believe his skin color makes him different.

He’s simply Santa.

“I never even thought about it,” the 77-year-old said. “I’m just giving back and making the kids happy.”

He got the job on a fluke. In 2004, Patterson was sitting in the shopping center’s food court when a mall worker approached him and asked: “How would you like to be Santa?”

Patterson had heard the comparison before. Ever since he stopped shaving and a crop of wiry white hair sprang from his face, people would say he resembled St. Nick.

JAY L. CLENDENIN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

Jahleel Logan, 3, poses with Santa, a.k.a. Langston Patterson, 77, at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, in Los Angeles on Dec. 7. Patterson has been Santa at the Plaza since 2004.

Suryiah Proverbs, 7, talks with Santa (Langston Patterson) at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles.

Fond memories As Patterson considered whether to take on the role, he recalled the elaborate Christmases his parents created for him and his four siblings in Houston during World War II. His dad would don a Santa suit and let out a thunderous “Ho! Ho! Ho!” in the middle of the night, to the delight of the children. They would rush downstairs, just in time to see Santa sneak out the door.

“We had beautiful Christmases,” Patterson recalled, smiling at the memory. “My mother didn’t let us know we were poor.”

Although he was initially hesitant, the timing was right. Patterson, a computer technician, retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District years earlier, and he could use the extra cash. Plus, he wanted the diversion. His best friend had just died of cancer. And his two sons lived out of the area.

“I just thought I was getting paid to put on a Santa suit and say ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’” he said. “But then I sat down and saw their reactions. I get a chance to make kids happy.”

‘Lopsided number’ Nobody tracks the number of African-American Santas nationwide. But Timothy Connaghan, head of the International University of Santa Claus, a Los Angeles-based Santa school, said: “It’s a very lopsided number.”

He keeps a Rolodex of the more than 2,200 Santa Clauses he has trained throughout the country. In the decade since he opened his school, he has had three Black pupils.

“Santa is very strongly typecasted because he was born out of Europe and as his story traveled throughout, he was mostly Caucasian,” Connaghan said.

Patterson’s boss, Mac Siu, said

he has tried for years to find a backup but has yet to find anybody with Patterson’s charisma, grandfather-like gentleness and Santa features.

Hit with grownups too On a recent Saturday, 3-yearold Jahleel Logan anxiously walked up to Santa Claus, arm outstretched with a letter in his tiny hand. Santa took the folded paper and lifted his gloved hand.

Jahleel gave him a high-five.

As Santa read Jahleel’s wish list — Play-Doh, Lego, Ninja Turtles — the little boy stood calmly.

You’ve been a good boy this year, Santa told Jahleel, reminding him to listen to his mother.

Arlene Graves watched from the sidelines. Seeing her godson with a Black Santa meant more to her than to the youngster.

“I just don’t want him to think that all greatness comes from a different race,” said Graves, 45.

“There are Santa Clauses his color doing good work, too.”

Tracy Price, 52, was surprised when she spotted a Black Santa and rushed over with her 31-year-old daughter, Kelly Ross.

After a few pictures and some lighthearted advice from St. Nick, the two women marveled at seeing a non-White Santa.

“To know we have something that’s positive, wholesome and traditional,” Price said.

“This is a Santa that our children can relate to.”

Sparks flying this holiday season over color of Santa’s skin FROM WIRE REPORTS

A teacher in New Mexico is in trouble for allegedly telling a Black high school student to take off a Santa Claus hat and beard because the teacher said Santa is supposed to be White.

The teacher, who was not identified earlier this week, was put on administrative leave on Monday, according to ABC News affiliate KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, N.M. Christopher Rougier, a ninth-grade student in Rio Rancho, N.M., was dressed as Santa for a holiday party when his teacher told him to remove the hat because of the color of his skin, the student’s father said.

Dad: Fire teacher

On “Saturday Night Live,’’ Kenan Thompson explains to Cecily Strong, left, why Santa really is Black. The skit was in response to Megyn Kelly’s comment on Fox News last week that Santa is White.

Michael Rougier said the teacher told his son during the party, held on Dec. 12, that he couldn’t be Santa because the teenager is Black and Santa is White.

“He was embarrassed. He was literally embarrassed,” Michael Rougier told KOAT-TV. He said his son was so ashamed that he now refuses to touch Christmas decorations.

Officials at Cleveland High School said the teacher had been disciplined but Michael Rougier said that wasn’t enough.

“He needs to be fired,” he told KOAT-TV. “For him to make a comment like that, there has to be a minimum prejudice in him and we don’t have room for that.”

Fox News ‘joke’ The incident is the latest in the Christmas controversy regarding the color of Santa’s skin that started last week when Fox News’ Megyn Kelly sparked a national “Is Santa Black or White” fight on national TV. “It’s ridiculous,” Kelly said. “Yet another person claiming it’s racist to have a White Santa.

By the way, for all the kids watching at home, Santa just is White.”

The declaration caused a flurry of late-night jokes on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Colbert Report.”

Kelly now says her comment was a joke made in response to Aisha Harris’ Slate magazine column asking whether it’s time for White Santa to get a makeover.

CALENDAR

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DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

TOJ

Family takes center ring at the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ Ringmaster says life in the circus is fun and educational for his two kids

currently works as an associate production manager on the entertainment giant’s 144th incantation, Legends.

SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

The entire Iverson family travels with the circus and the kids attend school and day care provided by the show’s parent company, Feld Entertainment.

They’re among several school-age children of families currently traveling with the circus whose parents work in a variety of roles, including concessions, costumes and management as well as performing.

The ringmaster believes the circus offers one of the best childhoods he can imagine and even admits to allowing his children to try on the iconic top hat.

“These children are raised in a tight-knit, family-focused community along with a built-in zoo,” he laughs. “Our home is a bit unconventional, but they stay extremely busy.”

Some folks run away to join the circus, others are simply born into it.

For 8-year-old Matthew Felipe and 4-year-old Lila Simone, life has always been about the lights, the costumes, the animals and the talented performers of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, including their mom and dad.

For Johnathan Lee Iverson and his wife, Priscilla, they know they’re giving their children a unique perspective on the world.

They also happen to know a thing or two about performing.

Iverson, the first AfricanAmerican to serve as ringmaster, and the youngest ringmaster in the history of Ringling Bros., instinctively knows how to command a crowd of all ages.

His wife began as a dancer for the legendary Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and

graduation from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, Iverson’s career took a sudden twist from the opera path he anticipated.

A dinner theater audition led to an invitation to begin his professional entertainment career with the 129th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.

Made ‘Fascinating People’ list

Tight-knit community

Well-rounded education Home is the longest, privately owned train in the

COURTESY OF FELD ENTERTAINMENT

Johnathan Lee Iverson, ringmaster for Ringing Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, is shown with wife, Priscilla, and their children, Matthew Felipe and Lila Simone. world. With more than 60 cars, not many children can boast of having a mile-long home with a dining room known as the Pie Car. A sleek diner on wheels, the Pie Car is equipped to feed up to 350 people at least three meals a day.

It’s also the largest traveling city without a zip code.

Wherever the circus tours, the postal service finds it to deliver mail and packages.

Many parents in the circus also recognize the talents of their colleagues and seek out lessons for their children. Since they have had the opportunity to train with the best, chil-

dren of performers naturally have a tendency to join the circus themselves when they reach the age of 18.

Professional lessons and after-school activities for Matthew and Lila include acrobatic classes, juggling, judo, piano, art and dance – all taught by fellow professionals.

“I don’t want my children to have limits,’’ Iverson stated.

Sang in Harlem choir As an early performer himself, limits were something Iverson never

dwelled on.

Entertaining since the age of 11, he joined the world-famous Boys Choir of Harlem where he received intense training on a variety of musical genres including gospel, jazz, classical and hip hop.

Early successes with the Boys Choir include his designation as the choir’s lead tenor, singing during the intermission for Luciano Pavarotti’s Concert in Central Park, a two-week live performance on Broadway and second place in the Lena Horne Vocal Jazz Scholarship competition.

Shortly after his 1998

Iverson’s charismatic presence and success from his first tour with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey caught the eye of journalist Barbara Walters who named him one of her “10 Most Fascinating People in 1999.’’

Iverson’s historical tenure with “The Greatest Show On Earth’’ has been featured in numerous publications, including Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events by Jessie Carney Smith; African American Firsts by Joan Potter; Live Life!: Be Young, Black and Successful by Quincy Benton; and Beat of a Different Drum: The Untold Stories of African-Americans Forging Their Own Paths in Work and Life by Dax-Devlon Ross.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Legends starts Jan. 1 and runs through Jan. 5 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive.

For more information about tickets and other Florida shows, visit www. ringling.com.

Fraternity to collect clothes for youth during conference in Orlando The men of the Gamma Delta Sigma Alumni Chapter and Iota Rho Collegiate Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity will host the 2014 Southern Region conference Jan. 9-12 in Orlando. A service project is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando.

This is the 10th year of the Sigma Jacket Project, which has expanded to winter jackets, suits, dresses, polo shirts, jeans, shoes and accessories. The clothes will be distributed through the Tangelo Park YMCA, Tiger Den at Jones High School, James R. Smith Neighborhood Center, and Holden Heights Community Center.

Sigma members are currently collecting clothes for youth from elementary to

high school ages.

Partnering with Scouts In addition, the Sigmas have partnered with the Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Area troops will be collecting items for donations as well as helping in the distribution. This year our goal is to assist 1,000 children, and we need your help to make this endeavor a success.

Phi Beta Sigma is a social/service collegiate and professional fraternity founded in 1914, to exemplify the ideas of brotherhood, scholarship and service.

Jan. 11 galas The fraternity will cel-

The Gamma Delta Sigma Alumni Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity will host a conference in January. ebrate 100 years of service by coordinating six simultaneous regional galas around the country on Jan. 11, 2014.

The Southern Regional

Centennial Founders Day Gala will be held at the Rosen Hotel in Orlando. The host of the evening will be Secily Wilson and the music will be performed by

Silkee Smoove.

For more information about the project, contact the following: Vladdimir Cherfrere at 850-4450052 or via email at vladi-

mircher frere@hotmail. com; Darryl Skinner at 770355-9882 or d_skinner7@ yahoo.com. More details about the conference, visit www.orlandosigmas.com.

ComplianCe manager

DOTTIE PEOPLES

Highly motivated Compliance Manager with a comprehensive knowledge of and extensive experience with executing Community Action Programs and Integrating Community Action Board (CAB) CSBG funding objectives in meeting the six national objectives at the local level; quickly masters new roles, responsibilities, technologies and environments; Reputation for high integrity, excellent problem solving ability, strong work ethic and excellent analytical and presentation skills • Experience in working for a non-profit or public entity in successfully executing and administering grant funded programs.

• Ability to effectively execute and monitor service level agreements (SLA) with community partners, and effectively utilize budget modification funding through strategic planning to enhance self sufficiency and reduce poverty.

• Detailed knowledge of CAA program branding and structure and ability to execute.

• Possess excellent interpersonal and team management skills.

• Ability to work under pressure Core Competencies: Effective Partnership Service Level Agreements Development, Accountability & Monitoring • Deductive/Inductive Reasoning • Results Oriented Creative Problem Solving (ROMA)• CrossFunctional Team Leadership • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Including Effective and Engaged Involvement with the Community Action Board • Effective Planning to Maximize Spending of Funding Priorities to Reduce Poverty and Increase Self Sufficiency to the Greatest Extent Possible For a complete job description and to apply online see http://www. jobaps.com/hill/sup/BulPreview.asp?R1=U8037&R2=00&R3=o25221

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of MiamiDade County and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will present a free concert featuring gospel legend Dottie Peoples on Feb. 16. More information: www. arshtcenter.org.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

2014 will feature Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly. The festival in Eatonville is Jan. 25- Feb. 2. More information: www.zorafestival.org.

Orlando: A show featuring Sinbad is scheduled at 8 p.m.

Dec. 20 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.

Tampa: The Ohio Players and Pieces of a Dream will give free performances during the Tampa Black Heritage Festival. The event is Jan. 1625. See schedule at www.

Eatonville: Zora! Festival

Satellite Beach: The rapper Afroman is scheduled June 16 at Sports Page Live for a 9 p.m. show.

St. Petersburg: “The Chocolate Nutcracker’’ is now “The Nutcracker Twist.’’ The performance is Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Mahaffey Theater.

Orlando: The legendary B.B. King is scheduled to do an 8 p.m. show on Jan. 3 at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre.

Miami Gardens: The ninth annual Jazz in the Gardens is March 15-16. More information and lineup of artists: www.jazzinthegardens.com.

tampablackheritage.org.

TOJ

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

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HOLIDAY

and can’t devote two to four hours every day to a dog, a family of fish could be a wonderful option for people who simply don’t have the time or space and many people can’t have a dog or cat because of where they live,” Wickham noted.

As far as costs associated with pet ownership, Wickham told the Florida Courier that in addition to any adoption fees associated with the pet, new pet parents should consider if the pet is already spayed or neutered and what the health of the pet is at the time of adoption.

“The worse thing to see is a pet to finally get a home and find out some months later that it isn’t going to work out because they didn’t anticipate the types of problems or the expenses that will be incurred with the type of the pet.”

Advice for pet parent

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

First lady Michelle Obama and family dog Bo are greeted by children during the preview of the White House Christmas decorations on Nov. 28, 2012. Before deciding on a dog for a pet, there’s plenty to consider.

Questions to consider before buying pet for Christmas

BY ASHLEY THOMAS FLORIDA COURIER

Whether it’s a dog, cat, hamster, bird or other critter, a new pet is always an exciting addition, especially around the holidays when many families choose to bring a new pet into their home.

However, one in 10 pets are returned to shelters after they’re adopted, according to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) as many people don’t anticipate or understand the responsibility of pet ownership. Before making

this big decision, new pet owners should consider a few simple questions to ask when considering whether to add an animal to the family.

Randy Wickham, Petco Animal Supplies general manager in Port Orange says that for those considering adding a dog, cat, small animal or reptile to the family this holiday, the three important things to consider before making this life-changing decision are time commitment, affordability and what the family is looking to get out of the pet.

Consider family lifestyles Work schedules, school schedules and other factors greatly affect how long people are home during the day.

“You have to measure how much time the individuals of the family can commit to the pet,” Wickham explained. “Also consider how old the child is that the pet is being purchased for. If it’s a really tiny dog, it may not be practical for a 2 year old. Families have to look at their lifestyles and their schedules and their family size

to see what is most practical for them,” he added.

Wickham also explained that Petco partners with several local pet organizations. In East Volusia County, there’s a Pawsibilities Rescue Group.

“They are a wonderful organization and have pets that are currently being fostered. These are pets that are well adjusted for families because they are already living in the foster pet parent’s home,” he explained, sharing that because of this, these pets have learned how to be a part of a family.

Wickham also shared that when adopting out, rescue organizations “aren’t trying to be overly picky but they are also looking for the best interest of the pet as well.”

Dog, cat or fish?

“If a family is extremely busy

Large dogs will need more food, certain breeds require professional grooming services more often. Young dogs and cats may require special training courses and reptiles can require specialized habitats and heat lamps.

Being a pet parent is a benefit to both the human and the animal and many pet parents say that their animal does more for them than they ever expected.

Perhaps it’s having a cuddle buddy, maybe it’s teaching kids responsibility. It could be the thought of having a pet help encourage someone to get physically fit, or perhaps it’s having an independent animal who can cheer others up.

For those who decide a new puppy is best for their wants and needs, make sure the dog is well socialized before taking them out and about. If a puppy isn’t right for the family, cats can be more independent, reptiles may appeal to those who like scaly friends, fish are perfect for those who love the water, and dogs can help keep a person active all day long.

Remember, whatever the decision ends up being, animal shelters have various different animals so be sure to think adoption first before settling on a pet.

T:11.5”

A

HEA RTBEAT PORTRA IT Chisomo Boxer

Actual heartbeats from the children Chisomo saved in Malawi created this portrait of him. Help frontline health workers like Chisomo bring hope to millions of children at EveryBeatMatters.org

EVERY BEAT MATTERS

TOj B4

OLYMPICS

StOJ

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

Historical highlights The Winter Games have fostered international competition since 1924 Chamonix, France

t

Initially organized as an International Winter Sports Week, the Chamonix Games were not officially recognized as the first Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee until 1925. Five sports were represented: Nordic skiing, figure skating, speedskating, bobsled and hockey.

Canada established its reign as hockey champions by winning the gold in the first four Winter Games.

Charles Jewtraw won the United States’ only gold medal in the 500-meter speedskating event.

1928

U S OC ARCHIVE S

St. Moritz, Switzerland

The second Winter Games used the facilities of an established ski resort. It also was the first time since World War I that the Germans were admitted back into any Olympic competition.

The Games at St. Moritz were the only time that bobsled teams could have five men instead of four. The United States placed first and second in the event.

1932 Lake Placid, United States

Due to the Depression, turnout was low, with only 17 nations participating. Half of the athletes were from the United States or Canada. Dog sledding was included as a demonstration sport.

The U.S. bobsled team captured gold for the second time in a row. Team member Eddie Eagan became the only person to win a gold medal in both the Winter and Summer Games.

He already had a gold in boxing from the 1920 Antwerp Games.

1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

t

The Germans saw these Winter Games as a prelude to the Summer Games in Berlin. An attempt by German emigrants in the United States for a national boycott failed.

Sonja Henie (Norway) won her third U S OC ARCHIVE S consecutive gold medal, making her the most successful individual Olympic female figure skater.

1940 The Games were scheduled to be held in Sapporo, Japan, but war with China caused Japan to pull out. World War II forced cancellation of the Winter Games until 1948.

1948 St. Moritz, Switzerland

The popularity of Alpine skiing increased, and slalom and downhill events were added. The winter pentathlon (cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, fencing, shooting and horse riding) was held as a demonstration sport.

Henri Oreiller (France) won two golds and one bronze in Alpine skiing and was the most successful athlete of the 1948 Winter Games.

Barbara Ann Scott (Canada) became the first North American to win a gold in figure skating.

first to perform a triple jump in the figure skating competition.

1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

An Italian television station provided the first Winter Games live coverage. “Eurovision” allowed parts of central Europe to watch competition.

The United States swept the men’s figure skating competition. Gold went to Hayes Alan Jenkins, silver to Ronald Robertson and bronze to David Jenkins, Hayes’ younger brother.

The new Soviet hockey team upset Canada in the finals and took the gold undefeated.

1960 Squaw Valley, United States

The opening and closing ceremonies were stage-managed

by Walt Disney, chairman of the Olympic Pageantry Committee.

South Africa was represented for the first and last time until 1994.

Figure skating events moved indoors.

Georg Thoma (Germany) became the first non-Scandinavian to win the Nordic combined.

1964 Innsbruck, Austria

Computers helped officials time and judge events. Mild weather prompted the Austrian military to truck in snow. Luge made its debut.

Lidia Skoblikova (USSR) captured all the golds in women’s speedskating.

Ortun Enderlein (Germany) won gold in the first women’s luge event in the Games.

1968 Grenoble, France

For the first time there were two separate German teams competing in the Games.

Peggy Fleming (United States) took home the gold in women’s figure skating.

Jean-Claude Killy (France), the host country’s favorite son, won gold medals in all three Alpine skiing events. The Games were dubbed the “Killympics.”

1972 Sapporo, Japan

The Sapporo Games were the first Winter Games held outside of Europe and the United States.

They also marked the first time all three medals in one discipline were won by a non-European country (Japan, in the normal hill ski jump).

Galina Kulakova (USSR) captured three gold medals in women’s cross-country skiing.

Speedskater Dianne Holum (United States) won a gold (1,500 meters) and silver (3,000 meters). She would later coach Eric Heiden to the 1976 and 1980 Games.

1976 Innsbruck, Austria

The Games were originally awarded to Denver but later nixed by Colorado voters. Innsbruck used existing facilities from the 1964 Games.

Speedskater Sheila Young (United States) captured gold, silver and bronze medals, making her the first U.S. athlete to win three medals at a single Winter Games.

Ice dancing made its Olympic debut. Ludmilla Pakhomava and Alexander Gorshkow (USSR) took the first gold medal.

mark reis/colorado springs gazette/mct

Japanese ski jumper Kazuyoshi Funaki soars through heavy snow fall on his first of two jumps in the 120-meter team ski jump competition in the 1998 Nagano Games. The team won gold in the event.

1980

1992

Lake Placid, United States

Albertville, France

The second Lake Placid Games marked the first use of artificial snow in Winter Games competition.

Eric Heiden (United States) won five gold medals in speedskating.

Alexander Saizev and Irina Rodnina (USSR) won gold in pairs figure skating. It was Rodnina’s third consecutive gold medal in the event.

The U.S. hockey “Dream Team” defeated the Soviets, who had taken gold since 1964.

1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia*

It was the first and only time the Games were held in a Socialist country.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (Great Britain) scored the first perfect scores in ice dancing and won the gold.

Scott Hamilton (United States) took the gold medal in figure skating.

Phil Mahre and his brother, Steve, (United States) placed first and second in the slalom event. *Now Bosnia-Herzegovina

1986 IOC voted to have the Summer and Winter Games in different years starting in 1994. The Games would be held alternately every two years, with the Winter Games in the same years as soccer’s World Cup.

1988 Calgary, Canada

For the first time since 1968, demonstration sports (curling, short-track speedskating and freestyle skiing) were included.

Speedskating events were moved indoors.

Alberto Tomba (Italy) took two gold medals in the men’s slalom.

Bonnie Blair (United States) captured the first of three consecutive gold medals in the 500-meter speedskating event.

1994 Lillehammer, Norway

The South African team returned after 34 years. Each former Russian republic had its own team.

Johann Koss (Norway) earned three gold medals in speedskating and set a world record in each event.

Speedskater Bonnie Blair (United States) won two gold medals for a grand total of five, making her the most successful U.S. female winter athlete.

Drama lingered in the women’s figure skating competition as Nancy Kerrigan faced her U.S. teammate Tonya Harding, who was investigated for plotting to disable Kerrigan prior to the Games. Ukraine’s Oksana Baiul took home the gold medal and Kerrigan the silver.

1998 Nagano, Japan

Curling, snowboarding and women’s hockey made their medal debut. For the first time, the NHL suspended its season to allow professional players to participate in Olympic ice hockey.

The Japanese ski-jumping team won four medals, including a gold in the team event.

Hermann Maier (Austria) won the gold in the giant and super giant slalom after recovering from a crash in the downhill.

Cross-country skier Bjorn Daehlie (Norway) won three golds and one silver, giving him an unprecedented 12 total Winter Olympic medals (eight gold).

2002 Salt Lake City, United States

1952 Oslo, Norway

Germany and Japan were allowed to compete for the first time since World War II. The Oslo Games marked the first time the Olympics were held in a Scandinavian country.

Andrea Mead (United States) was victorious in the slalom and giant slalom, becoming the first U.S. athlete to win two golds in a Winter Games.

Richard Button (United States) won his second gold and was the

Germany was once again represented by one team. The former Russian republics, with the exception of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, competed on a Unified Team.

Nordic skier Lyubov Yegorova (Unified Team) won three golds and two silvers, making her the most successful female athlete in Albertville.

World champion Kristi Yamaguchi (United States) garnered the gold medal in women’s figure skating.

Mark Reis/Colorado Springs Gazette/MCT

Shaun White (United States) catches air on his gold medalwinning run in the men’s snowboarding half-pipe competition at the 2006 Turin Games.

Women’s bobsledding debuted at the Winter Games. Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers (United States) won the gold medal.

A vote-swapping scandal led to two gold medals being awarded in pairs figure skating — one to Russia’s Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze and one to Canada’s Jamie Salé and David Pelletier.

In the short-track speedskating women’s 500-meter final, Yang

A. Yang won China’s first-ever Winter Games gold medal.

2006 Turin, Italy

Albania, Ethiopia and Madagascar were represented in their first Winter Games, and snowboard cross and speedskating team pursuit made their debut.

Canada’s Duff Gibson became the oldest athlete to win gold in an individual event, winning the skeleton at 39 years and 150 days old.

Professional skateboarder and snowboarder Shaun White (United States), the first athlete to win both Summer and Winter X Games titles, won gold in the men’s snowboarding half-pipe.

2010 Vancouver, Canada

The Vancouver Games began on a solemn note as luger Nodar Kumaritashvili (Georgia) died in a fatal crash during a training run hours before the event’s opening ceremony.

Canada won a record 14 gold medals. The United States won 37 medals overall, the most of any country at a Winter Games.

Kim Yu-na (South Korea) scored 228.56 points in the women’s figure skating competition, a new world record, en route to winning the gold.

Simon Ammann (Switzerland) won both men’s individual ski jumping events, a George feat he also accom- Bridges/MCT plished in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, to become the most successful ski jumper in Olympic history. t

1924

2014 Sochi, Russia

The subtropical resort city of Sochi will host the first Winter Games on Russian soil. Located off the coast of the Black Sea, it is the warmest city to host the Games with temperatures typically near 50 F (10 C) in February. It is projected to be the most expensive Olympics in history with an overall price tag totalling more than $50 billion, more than the estimated $40 billion that went into the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

Twelve new events will make their medal debut including women’s normal hill ski jumping, men’s and women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing and mixed relay biathlon.

— McClatchy-Tribune Sources: “The Complete Book of the W i n t e r O ly m p i c s , ” b y D av i d Wa l l e c h i n s k y; “ T h e O ly m p i c Fa c tb o o k : A S p e c ta tor’s Guide to the Winter Games”; www. o ly m p i c . o r g ; www. e s p n . c o m ; MC T

Stoj

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Lillian Raven has become known as one of the top Black pinup models around. With a background and degree in TV and film as well as an extensive knowledge of music and entertainment from the ’50s and ’60s, she produces work that is reminiscent of pinup models of the past. In her spare time, she likes to rock out at metal concerts, work out at the gym and spend time with animals and volunteering.

Contact Lillian at: facebook.com/ LillianRavenPinup or Lillianraven13@ gmail.com.

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lillian kareem

Kareem McMichael is an actor, model and recording artist. The ambitious Macon, Ga., native has been featured in many films and stage plays, including “Macbeth’’ and “The Amen Corner.’’ He plans to continue building his brand stating, “I am a man of many skills and love every skill I do. I am thankful to everyone that has taught me and encouraged me.

I have been blessed with various talents and I want to share all that I can with the world.”

Contact Kareem at: facebook.com/karmackam or karmacent@yahoo.com.

Credit: Ama Lea

Credit: Image by Carlos

Don’t expect ‘Madea Christmas’ to be holiday classic a mangy talking dog.

BY MARK OLSEN LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

As pop singers eventually make holiday albums, it was bound to happen that Tyler Perry would bring his cornerstone character of Madea to Christmas sooner or later. An adaptation of his own stage play, “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas” winds up the same slapdash, lightweight effort as Madea in any other season, with a few Yuletide flourishes.

As usual, Perry REVIEW has created a casual mix of easy comedy with a touch of dramatic filigree.

Here he is refreshingly lighter with his typically heavy-handed moral lessons, which also makes the film feel even flimsier than some other Madea outings. Perry can now knock these films out in his sleep, and with “Madea Christmas” he certainly seems to be dozing at the wheel.

What’s most odd about the film is how not Christmas-y it often is, as if Perry was bringing together a patchwork of ideas under the cover of a holiday story rather than crafting one from whole cloth.

Prejudices come out

In “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,’’ Madea accompanies her niece, Eileen (Anna Maria Horsford), to the small town of Buck Tussel to pay a surprise visit to Eileen’s daughter, Lacey, who has refused to come home for Christmas. The real reason Lacey is avoiding her judgmental mother is that she has secretly married Connor, a White classmate from college.

That being said, a high point is Madea’s garbled riff on the Nativity story to a group of schoolkids — in her version singer Mary J.

Blige and “True Blood” actor Joe Manganiello can’t get into a Ritz Carlton or a Motel 6 and so have their baby on the street thanks to

In the film, which was not screened in advance for critics, Perry’s Madea is traveling with her adult niece, Eileen (Anna Maria Horsford), from Atlanta to rural Alabama for a surprise Christmas visit with Eileen’s daughter, Lacey (Tika Sumpter), who has secretly gotten married to Conner (Eric Lively, Blake’s brother).

With the arrival of his parents (played by Kathy Najimy and a briefly, boldly shirtless Larry the Cable Guy), a hasty subterfuge brings out long-simmering prejudices from Eileen.

The cast is rounded out by Alicia Witt, Chad Michael Murray and former “Facts of Life” star Lisa Whelchel. For good measure there is a cameo by Antoine Dodson, he of “hide your kids, hide your wife” viral notoriety and listed in the credits as “YouTube Guy.”

Familiar wrap-up Perry’s scratchpad varietyshow attitude toward storytelling means that even when he lands on an interesting idea he just as

quickly leaves it. At one point Madea is directed to a small building for a roadside bathroom break and finds a roomful of people in the robes and hoods of the Ku Klux Klan. (Because of course behind every closed door in Alabama is a full-dress Klan meeting.) Madea exits, there is a sparkling holiday-themed transitional wipe across the screen and that’s the end of it.

Perry stumbles onto perhaps the most radical and daring image he has ever created — two caricatures confronting each other — and physically runs from it. Just imagine what Lee Daniels would do with the idea of Madea and the Klan: He’d make it the whole rest of the movie.

Other points are also teased and cast aside before the film wraps up in a hasty rush that doesn’t even make much sense, with a few pronouncements, a couple of hugs, a Christmas song and on to the gag reel at the credits. No new Christmas classic here, just something familiar for the holidays for those with the mildest of expectations.

‘12 Years a Slave,’ ‘American Hustle’ dominate Critic’s Choice nods

BY SUSAN KING LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

LOS ANGELES — Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” and David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” dominated the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s 19th Critics’ Choice Movie Award nominations on Monday morning.

Both films, which also tied for the most Golden Globe nods last week, received 13 Critics’ Choice nominations each, including best film, director and for lead and supporting performances.

“Gravity” followed with 10 nominations, including best picture and lead actress for Sandra Bullock, who also was nominated for actress in an action movie, and director for Alfonso Cuaron.

Vying with these films in the best picture category are “Captain Phillips”; “Dallas Buyers Club”; “Her”; “Inside Llewyn Davis”; “Nebraska”; “Saving Mr. Banks”;

Chiwetel Ejiofor is receiving award nominations for his work in “12 Years a Slave.’’ and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

‘Slave’ star nominated Best actor nominations went to Christian Bale for “American Hustle”; Bruce Dern for “Nebraska”; Chiwetel Ejiofor for “12 Years a Slave”; Tom Hanks for “Captain Phillips”; Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club”; and Robert Redford for “All is Lost.”

Besides Bullock, lead actress nominations went to Cate Blanchett for “Blue Jasmine”; Judi Dench

for “Philomena”; Brie Larson for “Short Term 12”; Meryl Streep for “August: Osage County”; and Emma Thompson for “Saving Mr Banks.”

Competing in the supporting actor category are Barkhad Abdi for “Captain Phillips”; Daniel Bruhl for “Rush”; Bradley Cooper for “American Hustle”; Michael Fassbender for “12 Years a Slave”; the late James Gandolfini for “Enough Said”; and Jared Leto for “Dallas Buyers Club.”

Nod for Winfrey Vying for supporting actress are Scarlett Johansson for her voiceonly performance in “Her”; Jennifer Lawrence for “American Hustle”; Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave”; Julia Roberts for “August: Osage County”; June Squibb for “Nebraska”; and Oprah Winfrey for “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.”

Rounding out the director cat-

egory are Paul Greengrass for “Captain Phillips”; Spike Jonze for “Her”; and Martin Scorsese for “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Competing for best action movie are “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”; “Iron Man 3”; “Lone Survivor”; “Rush”; and “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Vying in the comedy category are “American Hustle”; “Enough Said”; “The Heat”; “This Is the End”; “The Way Way Back” and “The World’s End.”

Comedy nominations In the best actor in a comedy category, nominations went to Christian Bale for “American Hustle”; Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Wolf of Wall Street”; the late James Gandolfini for “Enough Said”; Simon Pegg for “The World’s End”; and Sam Rockwell for “The Way Way Back.”

Best actress in a comedy nominations went to Amy Adams for

“American Hustle”’; Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy for “The Heat”; Greta Gerwig for “Frances Ha”; and Julia LouisDreyfus for “Enough Said.”

Vying for best young actor/ actress are Asa Butterfield for “Enders Game”; Adele Exarchopoulos for “Blue Is the Warmest Color”; Liam James for “The Way Way Back”; Sophie Nelisse for “The Book Thief”; and Tye Sheridan for “Mud.” Nominations in the best acting ensemble went to “American Hustle”; “August: Osage County”; “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”; “Nebraska”; “12 Years a Slave”; and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”’

The winners will be announced Jan. 16 — the same day the Academy Award nominations are announced—at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The show will be telecast on the CW.

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FOOD

DECEMBER 20 – DECEMBER 26, 2013

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Sweet Potato Pie with Fig and Pecan Topping Makes 8 servings Pie: 1 ready-made refrigerated pie crust 1 can (15-ounce) sweet potatoes 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup whipping cream Topping: 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 cup stemmed, chopped Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or SunMaid Figs 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 tablespoon brandy or water 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans Preheat oven to 450°F. Let pie crust stand at room temperature 15 minutes; unroll and press against side and bottom of 9-inch pie pan (glass recommended). Fold excess crust under and press together to form thick crust edge; flute.

Drain sweet potatoes; mash or whirl in food processor until smooth (potatoes should measure 1 1/8 cups). In medium bowl whisk together sweet potatoes, brown sugar, spice and salt. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and cream. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350°F, shield edge of pie with a ring (or strips) of foil to prevent overbrowning, and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes or until center moves slightly when shaken. Remove pie to wire rack to cool.

For topping, in small saucepan stir butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Stir in figs, maple syrup and brandy. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until reduced to a thick, glossy syrup. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Spoon evenly over warm pie. Cool. Chill for up to 8 hours before serving.

Bake festive fig desserts From family Features

W

hether you’re hosting a family dinner or making a dessert for a friend’s party, bring something special to the holiday table with these amazing dessert recipes. Each delicious bite stars the unique flavor only found in figs.

With their rich honey-like sweetness and delightfully crunchy edible seeds, figs take foods from good to great. Available year-round from Valley Fig Growers, California dried figs are ready to eat right out of the pack­age or can be easily diced, sliced or poached for cooking and baking. For more holiday recipes, visit www.valleyfig.com.

German Chocolate Cake With Broiled Fig and Coconut Topping Makes 2 single-layer cakes Cake: 1 18 1/4-ounce German Chocolate Cake Mix (Check cake mix for additional ingredients — oil, eggs, water) Fig-Coconut Topping: 1 cup stemmed, chopped Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup butter 6 tablespoons whipping cream 1 cup flaked coconut 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans Follow package directions and pre­pare two 8-inch round cakes.

Bake and cool as directed.

For topping, in medium saucepan combine figs, sugar, butter and cream.

Stir over medium heat until mix­ture comes to a simmer.

Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut and pecans. Spread warm topping on top of each cake layer, dividing evenly.

Place one cake at a time on bak­ing sheet or heatproof pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 15 to 30 seconds, or until topping bubbles, watching constantly. Remove from oven.

Repeat with second cake. Cool.

Transfer cakes to serving plates to serve.

Chocolate Fig Crinkles Makes about 30 cookies 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup stemmed, finely chopped Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar Beat brown sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

In medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. On low speed, slowly beat into chocolate mixture. Stir in figs. Cover bowl and chill 3 hours.

To bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Form 1-tablespoon portions of dough into balls. Roll in confec­tioners’ sugar. Place balls, 2 1/2 inches apart, on greased baking sheet.

Place sheet in center of oven and bake cookies 7 to 9 minutes, until crackled on top and set around edges. Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache Tart With Glazed Figs and Nuts Makes 8 to 10 servings 1 refrigerated pie crust, at room temperature 1 cup packed (6 ounces) Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs, stemmed and halved* 2/3 cup water 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons almond-, hazelnut- or orange-flavored liqueur 1/2 cup whipping cream 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup unsalted or lightly salted mixed nuts (omit peanuts and select hazelnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, almonds and pecans) Whipped cream, optional Preheat oven to 450°F. Unroll pie crust and press into bottom and up side of 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Prick all over with fork. Bake until light brown, 9 to 11 min­utes. Cool on rack.

In small saucepan, combine figs and water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and sim­mer, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in liqueur.

Let steep 10 minutes. Strain figs through fine-meshed sieve, reserving syrup. While figs cool, in small saucepan, bring cream to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until smooth.

Spread over baked crust. Refrigerate 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to firm up but is not set. Alter­nate fig slices and nuts in concentric circles on tart, pressing slightly into chocolate to secure. Chill 2 hours or up to 1 day. To serve, brush figs and nuts with reserved syrup. Remove side from tart pan and place tart on platter. Cut into wedges.

Top with whipped cream, if desired. *Cut large figs (greater than 1 1/4-inch diameter at the base) into three lengthwise slices.

Chewy Ginger-Molasses Fig Cookies Makes about 30 cookies 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 large egg white 3 tablespoons light molasses 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup stemmed, finely chopped Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs 1/3 cup granulated sugar Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat brown sugar and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in egg white and molasses.

In separate bowl combine flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon and salt. On low speed, slowly beat in flour mixture until combined.

With spoon, stir in figs.

Shape 1-tablespoon portions of dough into balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Place sheet in center of oven and bake cookies 7 to 9 minutes, until crackled on top and set around edges. Cool on wire rack.