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DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

VOLUME 21 NO. 52

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MAYBE NEXT YEAR After the inaugural high, President Obama limps out of 2013 as the clock on his presidency ticks away.

BY LESLEY CLARK AND ANITA KUMAR MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU / MCT

Not so bad Obama insists that 2013 wasn’t a lost year, citing an improving economy and a declining unemployment rate as important progress.

“I took this job to deliver for the American people, and I knew and will continue to know that there are going to be ups and downs on it,” Obama said Dec. 20 in his last news conference of the year. “My goal every single day is just to make sure that I can look back and say we’re delivering something, not everything, because this is a long haul.”

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama took the oath of office on a bright shiny day in January, declaring that “America’s possibilities are limitless.”

Twelve months later, Obama closes out the year with a string of political calamities – including self-inflicted wounds such as the chaotic rollout of the health care law and a questionable response to Syria – sent his job approval ratings plunging and raised questions about the administration’s Polling problems If he’s focused on the competency and the president’s credibility.

American people, the re-

sponse might sting. A majority of voters don’t trust him or don’t have confidence in his leadership.

“Those findings are particularly worrisome for Obama,” said George Edwards, a presidential scholar at Texas A&M University.

“At this point in the presidency, if people conclude the president isn’t trustworthy, they’re not likely to change their minds. If they conclude he’s not up to the job, they’re unlikely to switch.”

At the Capitol, Obama was routinely thwarted during the year. He failed to get much of his agenda passed, CORY LUM/POOL/ABACA PRESS/MCT including a rewrite of U.S. President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia, See OBAMA, Page A2

arrived in Hawaii for a family vacation on Dec. 21.

DCF in freefall?

KWANZAA 2013

Gov. Scott’s actions blamed for kids’ deaths COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

DON SMITH/THE RECORD/MCT

‘Habari gani?’

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Academy of Performing Arts celebrate Kwanzaa in Paterson, N.J., an increasingly common sight as the seven-day holiday gains popularity. “Habari gani” is translated as “What’s going on,” from the Swahili language, and is the daily greeting during Kwanzaa.

Gov. Rick Scott faces a difficult decision in naming a permanent secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), given the demands of the job, the lateness in his term and the scrutiny of lawmakers moving to respond to a rash of 20 child deaths – including a Jacksonville girl who authorities say was raped and murdered by a just-released sex offender in June.

Scott has breathing room after announcing that Interim Secretary Esther Jacobo will stay on the job through the end of the 2014 legislative session. He tapped the Miami-based attorney to lead the agency in mid-July, for 90 days, after David Wilkins resigned under fire.

Perry Thurston

Thurston critical

Responding to the child deaths, House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston warned Scott not to cut funds See DCF, Page A2

Zimmerman painting goes for $100,099 on eBay

BY SABA HAMEDY LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

How much is a painting created

by George Zimmerman worth?

For one eBay bidder, $100,099.99 was just the right price.

The user’s prize: A signed 18-inch-by-24-inch oil painting of a blue American flag featuring a part of the Pledge of Allegiance, which had a starting bid of $0.99.

The identity of the buyer is unknown, but according to the listJOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT ing, the winning auction bid was one of 96 by 24 users when bidGeorge Zimmerman appeared ding closed at 9:55 a.m. on Dec. before a Sanford-area circuit 21. judge last month during a firstUsing the eBay account “thereappearance hearing stemming algeorgez,” Zimmerman, 30, put from a fight with his girlfriend. his artwork up for auction early Charges were later dropped. last week.

ALSO INSIDE

‘Therapeutic outlet’

ons from the Seminole County “Everyone has been asking Sheriff’s office last week. what I have been doing with myself,” the listing reads. “I found a ‘Resilience’ praised In the question-and-answer creative way to express myself, my emotions and the symbols that section of the post, Zimmerman, represent my experiences. My art who signed off on responses as work allows me to reflect, provid- “your friend, GZ,” received “kuing a therapeutic outlet and al- dos” from commenters.

“Awesome George!!! Great lows me to remain indoors.”

Zimmerman was acquitted of painting – wish I could afford it murder this year in the shoot- ) ... Your resilience is astonishing ing death of 17-year-old Trayvon and inspirational,” one wrote.

“Just wanted to tell you we all Martin in Sanford in 2012.

Since then, he’s remained the love you and stand behind you,” public eye. He has been detained another said.

In addition to the painting, twice, on suspicion of threatening his wife, and then his girlfriend, Zimmerman promised somewith a gun. In the first instance, thing else to the highest bidder: he was not arrested. In the sec- “Whoever wins within the Contiond case, his girlfriend dropped nental United States, will receive the charges early this month. He this painting delivered by me perpicked up his confiscated weap- sonally,” he wrote.

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Shootings by accident a Florida epidemic WORLD | A6

Tutu chides ANC over Mandela services SPORTS | B3

Miami team wins national Pop Warner championship

COMMENTARY: MARGARET KIMBERLEY: Why Edward Snowden is ‘Person of the Year’ | A4 COMMENTARY: CHARLENE CROWELL: FEDS LIKELY TO REIN IN FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES | A5

A2

FOCUS

DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

Survey: Fewer Americans say Christmas story is accurate

BY PETER SMITH PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE / MCT

Just under half of Americans believe the biblical accounts surrounding Christmas – such as the virgin birth, angels and wise men – are historically accurate.

That’s according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News Service, which found that another 40 percent of people believe the narratives comprise a “theological story.” In 2004, in contrast, two-thirds of Americans believed in the historical truth of the entire biblical Nativity accounts, according to a Newsweek poll.

No proof necessary Some pastors say their approach is a straightforward retelling of the story, confident in its historical truth.

“I don’t try and prove how right the Nativity” story is, said the Rev. Samuel W. Chambers Sr., pastor of Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in New Brighton, Pa. “God needs no proof.

Either you believe in him or you don’t.”

The Rev. James B. Farnan, pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Bethel Park, Pa., agreed.

“You can’t deny the historical nature of sacred Scripture,” he said. Not-

ing that the gospels quote Hebrew Scripture passages they say were fulfilled in Jesus, Farnan added: “His is the only birth that has been predicted not only when and where but to what family and to what person.”

Focus on message Other preachers say they don’t insist on belief in the details of the account but urge listeners to focus on what they see as the main message of passages – God becoming human to save humanity.

“The Christian faith is about way more than belief in the historical accuracy of every detail of the biblical story,” said the Rev. Roger Owens, professor of leadership and ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

“Just as the angels in the Bible so often say when they appear to someone, ‘Do not be afraid,’ I would say to preachers: ‘Do not fear,’ ”added Owens, who is speaking from experience: He preached for five years at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham, N.C., to a congregation of well-educated and potentially skeptical hearers.

“You will be doing your congregation a great service if you move from the peripheral details to the center,” he said. “Belief in the virgin birth might be

a late development, and it might not be attested to in every gospel, but if that’s what your faith stands on, it’s a flimsy faith. In Jesus, God took on flesh, and became truly human.”

Most celebrated Only four of the 89 chapters in the gospels talk about Jesus’ conception and birth, and yet the stories are among the bestknown in all the Bible, celebrated in hymns from ancient times to the present, depicted in countless works of art and re-enacted in multitudes of pageants featuring kids in bathrobes portraying shepherds.

Christians have included Jesus’ virgin birth as part of their creeds since ancient times; in the 1920s, Protestant fundamentalists insisted that belief in the virgin birth be considered an essential of Christian faith; Roman Catholic dogma teaches that Mary remained a virgin her whole life and was herself conceived without sin.

Yet the growing skepticism comes amid two related trends.

One is the growing ranks of people claiming no religious affiliation – now approaching 20 percent. They are the most likely to doubt the Nativity accounts. At the same time, evangelical Protestants, who overwhelmingly affirm the historical accuracy of the ac-

LINDA D. EPSTEIN/MCT

This spot inside the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem is believed to be where Jesus was born. counts, are shrinking, said Robert Jones, chief executive officer of Public Religion Research Institute.

Details debated The other trend is the continued debate among Jesus scholars over how much of the gospels are historically accurate in every detail – and whether it’s necessary to believe that in order to believe Christian essentials. A recent bestseller, for example, Reza Aslan’s “Zealot,” disputes the notion that Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem.

Scholars who question

DCF from A1 in Scott’s upcoming budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Thurston held a press conference last week in Fort Lauderdale and released a letter to Scott, blasting him for the deaths of 40 children known to the department when they died, and for Scott’s “abject failure to protect these vulnerable children.” Children’s advocates have charged that some of the deaths were attributable to cost-cutting measures.

Thurston also wrote to Scott that “not all of the missteps that have caused so much tragedy and chaos at DCF can be blamed on finances. Obviously, it was a mistake for you to put David Wilkins in charge of the agency, as he lacked significant expertise in running a child welfare agency.”

Agency negligence Scott tapped Wilkins as secretary in January 2011; Wilkins stepped down as DCF secretary in July, when the department knew of just six or seven of the child deaths.

Interim Secretary Jacobo then engaged the Casey Family Programs to review the deaths, and Thurston referred to that, too, reminding Scott of a recent Casey report “that found systemic failures at DCF, many of which are linked to diminished resources.

OBAMA from A1 immigration laws and gun control legislation. And nothing was more damaging to Obama than his administration’s inept rollout of the health care law.

The slew of problems that bedeviled his signature domestic achievement included an error-laden website that required the intervention of top-level tech experts to fix, and the revelation that Obama had not told the truth when he repeatedly promised Americans that they could keep their health care plans if they wanted.

A contrite Obama in November acknowledged his administration had “fumbled” the rollout, but the

RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA/ORLANDO SENTINEL/POOL/MCT

Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17, gets a hug from her Florida Department of Children and Families caseworker Maxine Kisimbi during a court hearing in Orlando. Bary is one of thousands of kids processed through DCF every year.

“Their recommendations to address the perilous state of children in your care included hiring skilled social workers, dramatically reducing worker caseloads, restoring budget cuts and providing more resources for mental health and substance abuse programs to keep families safe.”

Bipartisan bills Senate President Don Gaetz said the Florida Department of Children and Families faces a potentially fallout has been costly.

Energetic start Fresh from his re-election, Obama opened the year with an aggressive agenda: a call to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws and to tighten gun regulations, sparked by the nation’s horror after 20 children were killed at a Connecticut elementary school a month earlier.

But a resounding defeat on gun control took some of the wind out of the administration’s sails.

Despite enlisting everyone possible to help – with a push by Vice President Joe Biden and with first lady Michelle Obama making a rare foray into politics – Obama suffered a defeat in April as a divided Congress flatly rejected his call to expand background

groundbreaking legislative session.

Gaetz, a Niceville Republican, said a bipartisan group of senators would file a legislative package to overhaul laws governing the treatment of sexually violent predators, a program housed at DCF. Senators are expected to file four bills cracking down on sexually violent predators next week, including proposals for longer sentences, broader charges, tighter community control and expanded monitoring by law enforce-

ment. They’ll also push for changes in DCF’s oversight of the Sexually Violent Predator Program.

“This issue is very personal and very raw for the people I represent in Jacksonville,” said Sen. Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican and chairman of the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee.

checks, renew an assault weapons ban and limit the size of ammunition clips.

The slide accelerated in May as the Internal Revenue Service acknowledged it had inappropriately targeted groups that had political-sounding names.

cans and foreigners, eavesdropping on allies like Germany and Brazil, and spying on global institutions, such as the World Bank.

The spy revelations corroded U.S. relations with foreign leaders, forcing Obama to assure German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the United States was not monitoring her cellphone. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was so angry she became the first leader in recent memory to postpone a White House state dinner.

Snowden revelations It got no better for Obama with the release in June of classified information detailing the far reaches of the surveillance programs that have guided intelligence gathering since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Documents obtained by former government contractor Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency had been collecting telephone and email records of Ameri-

Two deaths Bradley cited the deaths of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle in June and 7-year-

Problems with Putin And a rift with Russia was widened with Obama canceling a meeting in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin after Russia granted Snowden temporary asylum.

Putin also appeared to

the late Rev. Raymond Brown, a Roman Catholic priest and leading biblical scholar in his book, “The Birth of the Messiah,” a 1977 volume that set out the terms of the debates in meticulous detail.

The Rev. Brown said each gospel includes events that would have been recorded in Jewish or pagan histories if they really happened – such as Luke’s account of a global census and Matthew’s description of how the wise men’s visit sent all of Jerusalem into a panic.

But, Brown added, the narratives share many characteristics, such as proclamations that Jesus was the messiah and born of a virgin in Bethlehem, and they use their narratives to make important points: That Jesus followed in the traditions of Moses and King David, would save his people and reach the lowly (shepherds) and foreigners (wise men).

the narratives of Christmas bring a number of challenges: that the earliest gospel – Mark – and epistles said almost nothing about the birth of Jesus, to a virgin or otherwise, and that the two gospels that do tell about it give radically different accounts.

Only the gospel of Matthew, for example, tells of Joseph’s dreams, the wise men or of King Herod murdering the infants of Bethlehem. Only the gospel of Luke tells of the shepherds or John the Baptist’s own miraculous conception.

“That both accounts are completely historical … must be ruled out,” wrote

Not fictional

old Somer Thompson, who disappeared in Jacksonville in 2009 while walking home from school. After an extensive search, Thompson’s body was found in a South Georgia landfill, and last year a 26-year man was sentenced to life in prison for her death.

A registered sex offender, Donald Smith, will be tried in May in the kidnapping, rape and murder of Perrywinkle. Smith, 57, had made repeated failed attempts to kidnap young girls – even posing as a DCF worker at one point, authorities say. Under the Senate proposal, he would not have been released last May given his previous crimes.

In legislative hearings earlier this fall, Duval County Sheriff John Rutherford said his deputies interviewed Smith on his doorstep the morning of the day he abducted Perrywinkle, but had no right to search the house. Under the Senate proposal, they would have.

cans have been in charge,” Gaetz said. “And so I don’t think we can rely upon who’s in charge, because I think we need to make some changes in statute.”

He said protecting vulnerable children should not depend on the “administrator du jour” at DCF, which has had seven secretaries, counting current Interim Secretary Jacobo, since 1999.

Better protection The Senate will also move to protect abused and neglected children in the state’s child welfare system, Gaetz said. He said he wants to make it harder for Florida to repeat yet another cycle of child deaths and administrative fixes.

“DCF left to its own devices has lurched between crisis, trouble, solutions, crisis, trouble, solutions, whether Democrats have been in charge or Republieclipse Obama on Syria when the administration – stymied by congressional opposition to Obama’s plan for a military strike – embraced a Putin proposal to have the Syrian regime turn over its chemical arsenal to international authorities.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, ally Saudi Arabia became increasingly frustrated with Obama’s reluctance to get more deeply involved in Syria and is alarmed by the administration’s overtures to its archenemy, Iran.

Distant politician Obama was hampered by his inability to schmooze with Congress or lobby lawmakers.

“He’s not a natural politician – that hurt him,” said John Feehery, a Repub-

No one writing about a messiah, said biblical scholar Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, would make up a story that would lead people to question the legitimacy of his birth – unless it were true.

“This is an honor-andshame culture,” Witherington said. “We’re talking about a pregnancy out of wedlock in that culture, which could result in stoning. The idea that two gospel writers would independently make up a story about virginal conception is beyond credulity.”

Plugging holes Under Jacobo, DCF has been working with lawmakers to plug holes in the state’s child-welfare system and develop proposals for the session.

Sen. Eleanor Sobel, chairwoman of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee, agreed that DCF “has been in crisis for a very long time. We have to have something in law to protect the kids no matter who the secretary is.”

For instance, Sobel said, her committee is looking to require DCF to add protections for the most vulnerable children.

“Kids under (age) 4 need to be protected because they don’t have verbal skills,” said Sobel, a Hollywood Democrat.

But she stopped short of specifics, saying she expected her committee to file legislation in January or February.

Margie Menzel of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report. lican political consultant and former congressional aide.

Obama may not persuade lawmakers to pass large, politically tough bills – such as changing the tax code or overhauling entitlements – but he may find modest legislative successes, including a farm bill and confirmation of appointments, Feehery said.

Obama, though, still rates higher than members of Congress. And pollsters note his popularity ratings are never going to be that high, given the country’s stark polarization.

“He limps through the closing hours of 2013, but so do his folks across the aisle from him,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York. “This isn’t fatal.”

DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

A3

FLORIDA

Shootings by accident a Florida epidemic State’s numbers have doubled national average for past three years

BY RENE STUTZMAN ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

ORLANDO – It’s not armed robbers or warring gangs who send the greatest percentage of gunshot survivors to Florida emergency rooms.

It’s people who shoot someone, or themselves, accidentally.

Four out of every 10 people who are rushed to a Florida hospital or emergency room with a nonfatal wound were shot by accident, according to hospital data collected by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and published by the Florida Department of Health.

It’s a far bigger problem in Florida than elsewhere — double the national average the past three years — according to numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

‘Call to action’ In Orange County, it’s even worse: More than half of the people treated for nonfatal gunshot injuries last year were shot accidentally.

“I think it should be a call to action, if it’s higher than the rest of the country,” said Dr. George Ralls, who as Orange County’s medical director oversees about 2,000 emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

“This is a really high proportion,” said Dr. Judy Schaechter, researcher and interim director of pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “People don’t seem to understand that this happens.”

Guns have received an enormous amount of attention in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which 20 first-graders and six adults were killed by a lone gunman a year ago.

Most of the attention, though, has focused on gun deaths — but guns hurt far more people every year than they kill.

Teen paralyzed Mario Whitehead spends much of his day in a hospital bed near the front window of his family’s home in south Orlando. The 17-year-old is paralyzed from the ribs down.

He was wounded in an accidental shooting Jan. 21 in Willie Mays Park while playing basketball with friends, including Takim Rashad Neal, then 17.

Witnesses told police that Neal had pulled a black .380-caliber handgun out of his right pocket and was playing with it.

Then “the gun just went off, and I fell down,” Mario said. The bullet tore into his right shoulder near his collarbone.

He felt no pain then, he said, and feels none now.

Neal was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, culpable negligence and violating the state’s ban on minors possessing a gun. He pleaded no contest in July and is awaiting sentencing.

Mario is a senior at Oak Ridge High School. He lives with his parents and extended family but

GARY W. GREEN/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Mario Whitehead lies in a hospital bed at his home in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 27, 2013. Whitehead was paralyzed from the waist down in an accidental shooting earlier in the year.

TIPS FOR GUN-OWNING PARENTS Orlando attorney Richard Schwamm serves on the board at Children’s Safety Village, a Central Florida nonprofit that works to keep children safe from all kinds of hazards. He often talks to parents, churches, synagogues and youth groups about gun safety.

He urged parents who own guns to take several basic safety steps: Tell your children that you have a gun in the house.

Explain the difference between a real gun and a toy gun and make sure they understand the ramifications of a real gun being discharged.

Teach them not to touch guns, that if they find one to leave the area and tell an adult.

Lock the gun away in a safe place.

Store the gun unloaded, and store its ammunition in a separate place.

is capable of bathing himself, getting breakfast and preparing himself for class.

He describes himself as “happy, well-adjusted. ... I don’t hold a grudge. I forgive him.”

Costly medical care There are steep costs to providing medical care to victims such as Mario.

Florida hospitals and emergency rooms last year chalked up more than $57 million in charges for accidental-gunshot survivors, according to AHCA. The average accidental-gunshot patient admitted to a hospital required $85,024 in care, according to the agency, and half of that was borne by government providers such as Medicare and Medicaid.

No central clearinghouse provides numbers of accidentalgun-injury by state, so it’s impossible to say how Florida ranks compared with others.

CDC officials would not comment on the Orlando Sentinel’s findings, warning that, unlike Florida, which uses a direct count of each gunshot injury treated in a hospital, their numbers were estimates based on data samples

drawn from 66 hospitals across the nation.

Wary of numbers Florida Surgeon General John H. Armstrong also would not comment. He is the state official charged with overseeing public health policy and runs the agency that annually publishes accidental-gunshot-injury numbers.

Lisa VanderWerf-Hourigan, director of the Florida Department of Health’s injury prevention program, said motor vehicle crashes and falls kill far more Floridians than gun accidents, making them a category on which her agency does not focus.

Marion Hammer, former president of the National Rifle Association and the group’s chief lobbyist in Florida, said she was wary of the Florida numbers because gunshot victims sometimes lie about how they were hurt.

Data from hospitals, she said, may be unreliable. That was a criticism shared by others, including Dr. Jan Garavaglia, chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties.

High ER numbers Like Florida, many states collect data from hospitals. In California, which has more-restrictive gun laws, the proportion of accidental gun injuries in 2011 — 29 percent — was well below Florida’s 40 percent.

Illinois, which also has tougher gun laws than Florida’s, had a higher incidence of nonfatal gunshot accidents that same year: 53 percent.

On a per-capita basis, Orange County emergency rooms have ranked No. 1 or 2 in Florida in the number of nonfatal gunshot victims treated in the state’s largest urban areas from 2007 to 2011, according to state Health Department reports.

The overwhelming majority are taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, which has a Level I trauma unit staffed by doctors, nurses and technicians specially trained to deal with those types of injuries. It serves trauma victims from five counties, and that may puff up Orange County’s numbers, said Dr. John Promes, the hospital’s traumaunit director.

He has treated gunshot victims with wounds to “their arms, legs, their head, their torso, I’ve seen it everywhere,” said Promes, who urges gun owners to take a safety class. “It’s no different than a seat belt. Your chance of injury goes down dramatically.”

No routine classes No public agency in Central Florida — not the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police Department, local branches of the state Health Department or the Florida Safety Council — routinely holds classes on gun safety.

“Might that be a gap?” asked Ralls, Orange County’s medical director. “Maybe.”

Orlando police Chief Paul Rooney blamed the high Orange County numbers on the preva-

lence of weapons here.

“Obviously, if you have a higher rate of firearms in a state or county or city, there’s going to be a higher rate of nonfatal gun accidents,” he said.

But it’s not clear how many households in Orange County and Florida have guns.

Congress has banned collection of gun ownership data, making it impossible to know how prevalent guns are. However, surveys done by the CDC from 2001 to 2004, before gun research was further restricted, put the number of Florida homes with guns at about 26 percent, lower than the 33 percent national average.

Permits tripled In the years since, however, the number of concealed-weapons permits in Florida has tripled since 2005 to a bit more than 1 million. In Orange County there are 53,000.

Rooney urged gun owners to be responsible, to know at all times where their weapons are and to properly secure them. Officers, he said, are finding and seizing too many stolen guns.

Academic researchers who studied household gun ownership data recommended in an article published in the medical journal Pediatrics in 2005 that public health officials encourage families to store firearms safely and that doctors, especially pediatricians, talk with parents about that.

Florida lawmakers, however, voted in 2011 to ban doctors from asking patients about gun ownership. A court later overturned the law.

Schaechter, the University of Miami pediatrician, is one of several plaintiffs challenging the law in court.

“We know how to prevent this,” Schaechter said. “We should be reducing access to loaded firearms.”

‘He didn’t know better’ Family reflects on last year’s shooting of teen in Eatonville by 8-year-old cousin

BY RENE STUTZMAN ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

GEORGE SKENE/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Anthony Lane Sr. visits the grave of his son on Oct. 22 in Eatonville. Anthony Lane Jr. was 16 when he was accidentally killed by a six-year-old in an accidental shooting.

ORLANDO – Accidents have historically made up a tiny portion of Florida’s roughly 2,300 gun deaths each year, typically about two dozen — or 1 percent.

But that now appears to be changing.

In 2012 that number soared to 115, according to the state agency that tracks gunAnthony death and injuLane Jr. ry data. Anthony Lane Jr. was one of those casualties.

The 15-year-old was playing a “Call of Duty” video game with a group of friends at a relative’s house in Eatonville on Jan. 15, 2012, when he was shot in the head by his cousin, now 8.

A pearl-handled .22-caliber handgun had fallen out of someone’s pocket, and the younger boy picked it up, family members say. According to a police report, the boy told a detective that he pulled the trigger.

No charges filed The family’s version of what happened is more forgiving: The gun went off when the child tried to hand it back, according to the boy’s grandmother, Carol White.

“We taught him not to play with guns,” she said. “He was really scared. ... His main concern was that he was going to get a beating. I told him, ‘I’m not going to beat you.’ I just grabbed him and hugged him.”

Police filed no charges in the case, calling it an accident.

Lane’s father, Anthony Lane Sr., rushed to the house and saw his son on a bed, bleeding from the right side of his head.

“I felt sick,” Lane Sr. said. Still, he has no hard feelings toward the child, he said.

“He’s just a young boy. He didn’t know better.”

EDITORIAL

A4

DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

Why Edward Snowden is ‘Person of the Year’ In 2013, Edward Snowden was the person who risked his freedom to tell every human being with access to MARGARET modern communications KIMBERLEY that they were under UnitBLACK AGENDA REPORT ed States government surveillance.

Snowden was a cog in the very big machine of govern- Snowden has beaten the Bush/Obama ment defense contractors.

Most Americans were not administration at its own game and aware that the state intelligence apparatus has been privatized just like edu- in so doing, has given people another cation, incarceration and nearly every other sector of reason to be hopeful. That impact alone society. They have various levels of security clearances makes him the Person of the Year. and they all have access to some parts of what ought to be private information re- phone calls and emails, and first revelations were made. does so with the help of so- When the Russian governgarding our lives. cial media and with every ment granted Snowden major cell phone carrier. temporary asylum, their Spying increases Not only were individ- panic only increased. NSA The power of the Nation- uals targeted but foreign director James Alexander al Security Agency (NSA) governments as well. Even has grown by leaps and countries that are America’s lied when called to conbounds ever since the ter- allies like Brazil, France and gressional hearings about ror attacks on September Germany were under the the extent of surveillance of Americans. Led by Republi11, 2001. The Bush adminspies’ microscope. Need- can Justin Amash, Congress istration wasted no time in less to say, this revelation came close to defunding dismantling civil liberties proved problematic for the the NSA domestic surveiland expanding government president. lance programs. power through the PATRIBlack media pundits OT Act. Both Democrathave happily joined the ic and Republican leaders Obama retaliates The Obama administra- Obama administration atin Congress supported every step he took and voices tion did everything in its tack against Snowden. Most of dissent were too few and power to silence Snowden, famously, Melissa Harrisfar between. Barack Obama including cancelling his Perry and Joy Anne Reid made certain to keep those passport and even forc- showed a willingness to powers, expanded them ing the Bolivian president’s throw Snowden, Wikileaks beyond anything that Bush plane to land in the be- and the First Amendment and Dick Cheney had imag- lief that Snowden was on all under a bus so that Obama might be protectboard. ined.

The Obama administra- ed. Snowden is a living litSnowden showed that the government not only tion has been on the defen- mus test for people who keeps records of everyone’s sive from the moment the claim to be progressives or

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: SANTA SNOOPING

NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

supporters of our constitutional rights. There is now a sharply drawn line in the sand and we have Snowden to thank for it.

In recent days federal judge Richard J. Leon dealt a bit of a setback to the Obama administration. The judge held that the NSA policy of keeping metadata on the phone records of every American was “likely” unconstitutional. Ironically, it was a conservative activist, Larry Klayman, whose suit was heard by judge Leon.

Why didn’t they sue?

If Melissa Harris-Perry, Joy Anne Reid and their MSNBC colleagues were as progressive as they claim, they would have brought a suit against the president.

Of course, that kind of ac-

tivism and careers in corporate media don’t mix.

Edward Snowden continues to be attacked by the corporate media and politicians. But outside of America, Snowden is treated with all the respect he deserves.

Legislators in the Brazilian government requested his help in determining the extent of spying in that country. In an open letter to the people of Brazil, he explained that his inability to gain permanent asylum in any country makes it impossible for him to work freely as he would like.

The corporate media twisted these simple and easily verified facts into a tale of treason. They falsely said that Snowden offered to spy for Brazil in exchange for being granted asylum.

Brazil is among the many nations he asked for asylum but was denied because of pressure from the American government. Now he is being vilified because he again shows the extent of outrage around the world that is directed at the United States.

Snowden has beaten the Bush/Obama administration at its own game and in so doing, has given people another reason to be hopeful. That impact alone makes him the Person of the Year.

Margaret Kimberley's column appears weekly in BlackAgendaReport.com.

Contact her at Margaret.

Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Which gifting consumer were you this year?

OK, hopefully, we can all sit back and catch our breaths for a few minutes before 2014 rolls in. The gifts have been given and received; loved or ready to be returned.

Were you able to find the perfect present for your folks and everything (or, at least a gift or two) on your kids’ list to Santa this year? How about that ideal surprise for your significant other? Or that friend who you always have a hard time finding the perfect gift?

Specific groups We know that AfricanAmericans are powerful consumers; and, that consumers across the board fall into very specific categories.

Even though we may not have consciously thought about it, chances are we au-

CHERYL PEARSONMCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST

tomatically classified our gift recipients into consumer groups, as was encouraged by consumer insights from research for Nielsen.

These insights are not only fun; studying our trends as consumers helps businesses craft the messages and outreach strategies to engage us and better meet our needs (and their bottom line) down the road.

This year’s gift guide survey, focused on five consumer categories: Working Moms, Sports Fans, Arts Enthusiasts, Connected Consumers, and Status Seekers.

• Working Moms in your life typically buy and appreciate anything that helps to keep their lives organized and moving forward (count me in)! For instance, working moms are more likely to thrive on all varieties of coffee, and enjoy specialty coffee packages. Working moms are 23 percent more likely than other consumer groups to visit the local pizza place, so it makes sense that a pizza stone and ingredients would have been a good gift. Other great presents would have been a tablet PC or any kind of home décor or decorative storage pieces.

• Sports Fans were defined as U.S. adults who say they’re interested in the MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL. We know that sports fans (no matter the age) can never get enough

sports stuff. These consumers are 36 percent more likely than others to shop at a sporting goods store for equipment or gear. They love tickets to any game and are nearly three times more likely to purchase sporting events tickets themselves.

Sports enthusiasts want to be able to enjoy their games on multiple screens and are 34 percent more likely to purchase HDTVs and 38 percent more likely to spring for a tablet PC. • Arts Enthusiasts love all things fine art. Twelve percent of those surveyed, who classified themselves as such, appreciate donating (or charitable donations made in their name) to arts organizations. These consumers are 48 percent more likely to do yoga or Pilates and are 41 percent more like-

ly to patronize museums.

• Connected Consumers, U.S. adults who own a laptop/notebook, computer, smartphone and tablet, are more social and a bit more curious about exotic cultures (27 percent) and cuisine.

Great gifts would have been coffee gift cards, as they are 66 percent more likely to visit a coffee house/bar. Fiftyfour percent of this consumer group was more likely to buy a Blu-Ray player. They also have their eyes peeled for the latest restaurant ratings guide for their city.

• Status Seekers love to entertain and are nearly three times more likely to open their homes to guests.

The Status Seekers are 50 percent more likely to plan to purchase a video game system, so that’s an awesome gift choice. Interest-

ingly, they are 43 percent more likely to have attended an R&B/rap/hip-hop concert in the past 12 months.

It has been my great pleasure to bring these kinds of consumer insights to you over the last four years. No matter what consumer preference category you or those you gifted fall into, always choose wisely. You’ve got the power. And don’t forget to chat with us on Twitter or Facebook, so we can keep the conversation going.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is the senior vice president of public affairs and government relations for The Nielsen Company. For more information and studies, go to www. nielsenwire.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Inequitable arguments about income inequality President Obama said raising the minimum wage – the lowest amount, by law, most employers can pay – is a step in addressing rising income inequality, something he called “the defining challenge of our time.”

Data on income inequality does not lie… when the goal is to make an oversimplified argument about the rich getting richer and the poor not catching up.

The top quintile of wage earners, for example, is not always the same people.

Consider the riches-to-rags stories of rapper M.C. Hammer, football star Ryan Leaf and businessman John DeLorean. Success and wealth can be a chutes-and-ladders affair.

Large taxpayers Also, one-percenters pay a disproportionately large amount of actual tax revenue. They are also likely subject to income taxes in addition to double taxation through capital gains taxes and dividend taxes (both increased by Obama’s Affordable Care Act).

These facts, however, are usually missing from the left’s income inequality talking points.

These inconvenient truths notwithstanding, there is definitely a divergence between what the “haves” and the “have-

HUGHEY NEWSOME PROJECT 21

nots” earn. The left wants a top-down approach, forcing higher wages for lowincome wage earners rather than addressing what’s driving this divergence in the first place.

Constant demagoguery against business owners and the rich makes little sense. The implication is that greed drives income inequality. If that’s the case, then why wasn’t there such a divergence back in the 1960s and 1970s? People didn’t just learn how to be greedy.

Obama knows Ironically, Obama highlighted a critical driver of this divergence just after taking office.

In his February 2009 address to Congress, Obama stated, “In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite.” He was absolutely correct. Globalization and technology changed the requirements for advancement in Ameri-

ca. Oft-quoted studies show income inequality increasing since the 1970s, and the U.S. Census Bureau reports American has not had a trade surplus since 1975.

Consuming more than they produce, Americans have less actual wealth to enjoy here at home. The rich can adapt as they have more resources to invest in growth abroad. The rest of American wage earners need to adapt, as Obama suggested, by offering more skills and knowledge in the 21st century marketplace.

So why was the New York Times, in a 2012 article, asking, “How can so many jobs remain unfilled with unemployment so high?” “One explanation,” the article concluded, “is that many would-be workers lack the necessary skills to fill those positions.”

Attacking success The mainstream media generally fails to connect income inequality to the inability of our nation to prepare qualified workers for high-skill, high-paying jobs.

So politicians fill the vacuum, demagoguing the successful and affluent.

That’s why Obama demands both skills training to succeed and a bump for those willing to stay in place. It rewards treading water, even though one is

not supposed to make a career out working for the minimum wage.

It is somewhat fitting that the same week Obama spoke about “the defining challenge of our times,” test scores released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed 15-year-old American students lag behind many foreign competitors in reading, science and math.

Obama Administration

programs such as Race to the Top, as well as the President’s inattentiveness to addressing the nation’s education problems, help drive the inequality his supporters detest. Yet neither Obama nor his boosters seem willing to admit his faults and address the true problem.

Then again, why do the hard things to fix society’s problems? Why not sell society on the idea that paying fast-food workers a few

extra dollars an hour will fix our nation’s income inequality problems?

Shame on society for buying the lie.

Hughey Newsome is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network. Contact him via Project21@nationalcenter.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

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DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

Selfishness over sacrifice “I assumed that with knowledge, sacrifice would automatically follow. In my youth and idealism I did not realize that selfishness is even more natural than sacrifice.”

W.E.B. DuBois spoke those words when he reflected on the failure of his vaunted “Talented Tenth” concept. He was, as many of us are today, very idealistic about what Black people would do collectively and for one another.

He envisioned our talents would be leveraged and shared in such a way that a broader base of our people would be advantaged. DuBois, as he admitted some 45 years after he introduced it, decried the Talented Tenth, those “exceptional” men to whom he referred that would lift up the other 90 percent of our people.

Obviously, that did not happen, and a case could be made today that it’s still not happening. Was DuBois just an optimistic, naïve, idealistic Black man who had confidence in his people? Did he live in anger and regret for 45 years before he finally admitted his doctrine was flawed? It makes me wonder what things would be like today if those exceptional few had followed through with their challenge from DuBois. As he lamented though, those men saw their accomplishments as an end for

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPACOLUMNIST

their own success rather a means by which others could be successful as well.

Compared to yesteryear What is the application of that lesson for us today?

I think of a statement I made at a speech several years ago: “If each of us does a little, all of us can have a lot.” I was speaking about an initiative I started after visiting Piney Woods School in Mississippi in 2004, coincidentally, two weeks after Oprah visited the school, which is located near her hometown. After learning the history of the school, I felt compelled to do a national fundraiser. I wrote a column and asked readers and everyone else I could contact to send a minimum of $5 directly to the school in an effort to raise $1 million.

Confident that at least 200,000 people would read my column and respond, I figured we would raise that $1 million in no time, the same way $750,000 was raised in

1954 for Piney Woods by a White man named Ralph Edwards, host of the TV show, “This is Your Life.”

After interviewing the school’s founder, Lawrence Jones, relative of Radio One’s Cathy Hughes, Edwards asked his viewers to send $1 To the school. I figured, 50 years later, with all the technology and communications we have, we should be just as successful.

The goal was never reached, but we did raise a few thousand dollars, far below the million I sought.

Highly disappointed, I continued my attempt to appeal to Black people to take care of our own entities and causes. The Piney Woods effort morphed into what I called The Blackonomics Million Dollar Club (BMDC). You can watch a short video about the BMDC on my website, Blackonomics.com.

Make a commitment and keep it Through the BMDC we selected a recipient each month and asked members to send $5 or more directly to that school, museum, defense fund, or whatever organization we chose that month. My goal for membership in the BMDC was 200,000 people; there was no fee for joining and no administrative fees were charged. It was a to-

EDITORIALS

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: BUDGET DEAL MISTLETOE

STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLS STAR TRIBUNE

tally free, minimum-effort way to help ourselves. It reached a high of 1,000 members, some of whom never kept their commitment to send their $5 each month.

I remember the recent report of the elderly school bus monitor who was mocked and insulted by some of the students riding the bus. In a matter of days, it hit YouTube, and folks started sending her money – unsolicited! They sent her more than $600,000.

Why don’t we do that? Gabriella Calhoun, the young sister who was beaten by police officers in Bloomington, Ill., has been trying to raise $5,000 to pay for her de-

fense against ridiculous charges for several months now; we have only contributed a little more than $1,200.00 (Read about “Justice for Gabby” on gofundme.com).

C’mon, make a donation.

Let’s start to exercise more sacrifice over selfishness, and help one another more.

Jim Clingman is the 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.

Feds likely to rein in for-profit colleges As higher education costs continue to increase faster than most consumers’ income, college loan debt has now topped $1.2 trillion.

Even so, most consumers would agree that its cost is worth the chance to climb the ladder of economic mobility. One area where the cost may be too high, however, is at for-profit colleges where highcost debt often leads to a degree with little or no chance of gainful employment.

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued new guidance on deceptive practices by private vocational schools.

It warned against misrepresenting teacher or enrollment qualifications, the nature of courses, the availability of financial aid, and the availability of jobs for graduates. Additionally, FTC’s Vocational School Guides addressed the use of deceptive diplomas or certificates, and placing classified ads that appear to be “help wanted” ads.

“The FTC’s new guidance on vocational schools identifies some of the most deceptive practices by for-profit colleges,” said Maura Dundon, the Center for Responsi-

Charlene Crowell NNPA FINANCIAL WRITER

ble Lending’s (CRL) Senior Policy Counsel. “For-profit colleges that mislead students about their expected salaries, job placement, or the quality of the education should take notice that they are violating the FTC Act. The guidance does not technically extend to all forprofit colleges, but it is a warning to the whole industry about deceptive recruitment.”

DOE Rules overturned In 2012, for-profit colleges sued and were successful in overturning related Department of Education rulemaking affecting institutions offering career education programs. In response, the Department unfolded a thoughtful approach to engage various stakeholders in a negotiated rulemaking process.

Representatives from a crosssection of interests were appoint-

ed and charged to help the Department craft these gainful employment rules. Deliberations would include things such as repayment rates, caps on loan debt, default rates and borrower relief. A written reference guide was prepared and shared that identified related meeting dates, time requirements, rules of engagement and expected outcomes.

As expected, the negotiations were heated and the last scheduled negotiating session ended without consensus, as well as a threat of a lawsuit and two letters signed by more than 60 Members of Congress (MCs) with distinctly opposing views.

In fact, Rep. Elijah Cummings [D-Md.] showed up at the last rulemaking session to support the rulemaking effort and offered his perspective.

“We need these rules to ensure students get what they bargained for, an education that will help them find a good job in the field they study,” said Cummings. “Too many have left these schools with nothing to show for their time and money other than insurmountable debt. If these institutions are truly

I’m coming out!

America’s closet klansmen are trying to take a LGBT anthem as their own! The Diana Ross tune “I’m Coming Out” is a favorite for people that want to reveal their sexuality.

And, it is equally a favorite for people that want to expose their hidden racism!

Many people around the world are upset with a public relations executive that used social media for an ugly post about the AIDS problem in Africa.

However, you can find far worse Twitter tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram posts every day you go online!

Nowadays, White separatists, White segregationists and White racists along with Black bigots and other biased internet users can say any distasteful, disparaging, disrespectful and negative comments they want to about people that they don’t care for.

As an editorial columnist, one might say that I too say some colorful things about people in The Gantt Report but there is one huge difference.

Gantt Report columns are not based on racial motivations.

Any and everybody The Gantt Report discusses both the good and bad things about all people. I’ll criticize my

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

own kind just as quickly as I’ll criticize people that are not like me. I try to write the truth about people and I don’t care if you’re Black, White or sky blue pink!

My problem is this: It is not necessary to hide behind a sheet, a mask or some other disguise to say hateful things about people.

Today, all you have to do is hide behind a fake internet name!

I personally claim all of my writings even though I’m aware that every now and then Gantt Report readers will really let me know if a Gantt Report column is published that they disagree with or they just don’t like.

I have to take the bitter with the sweet. If I’m going accept any praise for The Gantt Report I’m also going to have to respect the criticism.

The Internet has created a whole new generation of digital closet klansmen, digital neonazis and digital domestic terrorists!

We all have “friends”, neighbors and coworkers that hate President Obama but they will seldom, if ever, share their dislike for the President with you face to face.

But they will use,

home computers, office computers, tablets and notebooks to create internet “fake names” to spew all of the hate and bias they want to.

Hiding behind a pseudonym The President is not the only Black person that people with fake internet names love to post about. The digital sheet wearers hate Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan. People using fake internet names hated Trayvon Martin and they also hate Michael Vick!

I love media organizations but America’s newspapers, encourages internet hate by allowing people to use fake names to post any hateful or wrong thing they want to.

If people were required to use real names and real contact information like I do some of this new age digital hate would be mitigated!

Real people in America are entitled to free speech but fake people with fake internet names are not entitled to any Constitutional rights, in my humble opinion.

Buy Gantt's book "Beast Too: Dead Man Writing" for the perfect holiday gift. Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants. net. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

committed to educating students from under-served communities, they need to be equally committed to demonstrating positive outcomes for those students.”

Thirty-three of Cummings’ colleagues also supported a letter to the Department of Education that urged finalization of gainful employment regulation.

“More than ever, we need a rule that ends federal financial aid for programs that consistently leave students – our veterans, working parents, and other Americans struggling to build new lives – without decent incomes and with insurmountable debt,” stated the Congressional letter signed by Congresspersons from 16 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Washington State.

comment.

Everyone supporting more forprofit school regulation should make their voice heard. The level of public support expressed will only strengthen the likelihood of strong action. Every letter, brief or long, will help consumer protections. Additional information on the Department’s gainful employment negotiated rulemaking is available at: http://rspnsb. li/1cOU4AB. Students that take on significant debt deserve a meaningful education that results in likely employment opportunities. Further, federal financial support should not go to schools that fail their students. Tell your Representative that a strong rule is needed to ensure fairness and real educational opportunity.

Opposition remains

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending.

She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

The Department of Education is expected to proceed with rulemaking even though the for-profit colleges continue to organize opposition. Any proposed rule will include an opportunity for public

Cable proving to be true industry competitor in Florida Over the last several decades, advancements in technology have redefined how companies deliver service, and consumer behavior has and continues to change as a result. Our nation’s society is the most diverse it has ever been, which translates into varying consumer needs and wants.

The cable industry, however, has responded creatively and innovatively to new consumer demands. It has committed to making its services affordable to low-income communities and relevant to diverse audiences.

By driving diverse content and programming, and finding new, cost-effective ways to deliver products and services, cable is proving itself to be a true industry competitor, and significantly benefiting states like Florida along the way.

An industry that was once capable of only delivering broadcast channels to just three states in 1948 now delivers broadband, video, and voice services across the nation. Cable providers are now creating apps where users can change their television channel via their Twitter accounts.

This is the kind of innovation that we should and will continue to see in the years to come – innovation that is creating a new viewing experience for a much more tech-savvy viewing audience.

Varying methods integrated Cable is taking advantage of all of its newest capabilities and integrating mobile technologies to meet the 21st

ALAN WILLIAMS FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE

and offers residents with innovative service offerings that can integrate all of their telecommunications needs into one package. In fact, 72 percent of Tallahassee residents already subscribe to services that bundle TV, Internet, and/ or phone.

Children from underserved and low-income areas now have a brighter outlook on life with Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and other cable-supported programs such as Connect 2 Compete, which bring broadband services and tools to families who typically cannot afford it. Such programs give children access to useful educational resources and tutoring materials that will help them become successful both at school and in life.

The cable industry offers unique services to millions of consumers, and it’s important that the industry continue to thrive and grow. Its ability to innovate and provide beneficial services has created a competitive market – one that continues to keep customers guessing as to what the newest and latest product or service will be. Now that’s innovation at its best and something that Floridians can truly appreciate.

century demands of today’s modern consumer. And this is something that is resonating with communities across the nation.

Florida is a particularly special market in that it has one of the most diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural makeups in the nation. While we are home to some of the wealthiest in the world, our state also is home to low-income families in need. The cable industry remains a very popular choice here for several reasons.

For starters, the cable industry took a close look at markets such as Tallahassee, FL and created products and services that effectively catered to the needs of our communities.

Diverse programming and the ability to bundle services in order to better manage costs are among the ways in which the industry is working to ensure that customers remain satisfied with cable services.

The industry’s commitment to Florida’s low-income communities has also been widely Representative Alan Wilhailed by the state and by local liams, (FL) has been a memcommunities. ber of the Florida House of Representatives since 2008 Growth continues and currently serves as the within industry Chair of the Florida ConComcast Corporation, a ference of Black State Legleading cable provider famil- islators. Write your own reiar to many Floridians, has a sponse at www.flcourier. major footprint in Tallahassee com.

TOj A6

NATION

DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014 Street, a BBC reporter said he watched the old and the young stand in silence to remember Mandela.

‘He freed us’ The pastor, Gerrit Strydom, had served as a soldier patrolling the Black townships during the violence of the transition years.

“The Dutch Reformed Church provided a religious justification for apartheid,” recalled reporter Fergal Keane. “Its ministers once preached that Blacks were inferior beings, the “hewers of wood and drawers of water” of the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament.

Strydom now believes Mandela taught Afrikaners the value of reconciliation. “After all the years we had him in prison, he could have turned around and made South Africa a bad place for our people.

But Nelson Mandela was the one guy who brought people together.”

Anna Johnson, a Black Ventersdorp resident, went further: “What he gave us was beyond what we expected. We were in chains, he freed us. We were blind and he opened our eyes.”

Nobel winners JERRY HOLT/MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/MCT

Nelson Mandela, right, holds hands with Bishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town, South Africa, in a 1994 file image. Mandela died on Dec. 5.

Tutu chides ANC for excluding Whites from Mandela services TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an activist in the antiapartheid struggle, said he

was dismayed at the “blatant exclusion” of Afrikaners from memorial services for Nelson Mandela.

He noted the absence of the Dutch Reformed

Church and the limited use of the Afrikaans language at the services.

It was a mainly Afrikaner party that introduced White minority rule, which

Mandela opposed. But after becoming South Africa’s first Black president, Mandela preached reconciliation with his former enemies.

“We were amiss in not being as inclusive as Madiba would certainly have been,” Tutu said. “To the extent that I can do so meaningfully, I apologize to our sisters and brothers in the Afrikaner Community.”

Missed opportunity The archbishop also criticized the prominence of the governing African Na-

tional Congress during the week of events following Mandela’s death on Dec. 5.

“It may have sent out a more inclusive message,” he said, “had the program directors at the memorial and funeral - both national and state events - not both been senior office-bearers of the ruling party.”

Meanwhile, in Ventersdorp, a former Afrikaner stronghold, grieving for the former anti-racist fighter was observed among some Afrikaner Whites.

At the Dutch Reformed Church on Cochrane

Both Tutu and Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town was awarded the prize in 1984 and has since gone on to become the recipient of other awards, including the Templeton prize which honors a living person who has “made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.’’

Mandela won the Nobel award jointly with the former President FW de Klerk, an Afrikaner from the National Party, in 1993.

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Global Information Network.

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Book of Black quotations includes Moms Mabley See page B5

DEC. 27, 2013 – JAN. 2, 2014

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Obama’s half brother releasing tell-all book See page B5

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New survey shows African-American fathers involved as much or more so in lives of kids

With lunch and book bags in tow, Bryan August-Jones walks his three sons, from left, Christopher, Anthony and Jonathan, from their home in Los Angeles to school and the babysitter. On the weekends August-Jones takes his sons on bike rides. .

MARK BOSTER/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

Black daddies finally shown in positive light

BY EMILY ALPERT REYES LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

D

efying enduring stereotypes about Black fatherhood, a federal survey of American parents shows that by most measures, Black fathers who live with their children are just as involved as other dads who live with their kids — or more so.

For instance, among fathers who lived with young children, 70 percent of Black dads said they bathed, diapered or dressed those kids every day, compared with 60 percent of White fathers and 45 percent of Latino fathers, according to a report released Dec. 21 by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Nearly 35 percent of Black fathers who lived with their young children said they read to them daily, compared with 30 percent of White dads and 22 percent of Latino dads.

The report was based on a federal survey that included more than 3,900 fathers between 2006 and 2010 — a trove of data seen as the gold standard for studying fatherhood in the United States.

Osborne Lopez eats a meal with his children Kimora, 7, left, and Osborne Jr., 6, inside the food court of a Los Angeles shopping mall on Dec. 18, 2013.

RICK LOOMIS/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

dren said they played with them at least several times a week, 42 percent said they fed or ate with them that frequently, and 41 percent said they bathed, diapered or helped dress them as often — rates on par with or higher than those of other men living apart from their kids.

“People think they don’t care, but we know they do,” said Joseph Jones, president of the Center for Urban Families, a Baltimore advocacy group that works with Black American fathers. “We see how dads are fighting against the odds to be engaged in the lives of their children.”

The report leaves it unclear if Black fathers, on the whole, are more involved than other dads.

Although the survey showed that Black fathers not living at home are as involved with their children as fathers of other races in similar situations, the higher percentage of Black dads absent from the home could drag down the average involvement for all Black fathers, other researchers pointed out.

In many cases, the differences between Black fathers and those of other races were not statistically significant, researchers said.

Proving them wrong The findings echo earlier studies that counter simple stereotypes characterizing Black fathers as missing in action. When it comes to fathers who live with their kids, “Blacks look a lot like everyone else,” said Gretchen Livingston, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center who has previously studied the topic. And in light of the negative stereotypes about Black fathers, “that is a story in itself.”

In Watts, Bryan August-Jones battles the stereotype daily. Every weekday, he wakes his three sons before sunrise, gets them dressed, then ferries them to the baby sitter and to school. On weekends, he takes them bicycling or to Red Lobster, which his youngest son — “a little fancy guy” — prefers over McDonald’s.

His Latina mother-in-law and her family think Black men cannot be good fathers, but “I prove

‘Package deal’ Bryan August-Jones says his Latina mother-in-law and her family think Black men cannot be good fathers, but notes “I prove them wrong all the time.’’ them wrong all the time,” August-Jones said.

Daily interaction Worry about Black fathers has been tied to a persistent fact: Black dads are especially likely to live apart from one or more of their children — and fathers of all races tend to be less involved in the day-to-day lives of their kids when they live elsewhere.

Yet the report also revealed that among American fathers living apart from their children, Black dads were at least as involved as other dads not living with their kids, or more so, according to most measures.

Among fathers living apart from older children, more than half of Black fathers said that several times a week or more,

they talked to their kids about their day — a higher percentage than among White or Latino dads living separately from older children, the report showed.

In Bellflower, Jason Franklin phones his young daughters daily during the week. The girls stay with him on weekends. Franklin remembers that when his own parents parted, his father sometimes skipped visits “out of spite.” He vowed not to do the same thing to his children when he and their mother split up.

“Even if I don’t see them every day, my role as a father doesn’t change,” Franklin said.

Fighting against the odds Nearly half of Black fathers living apart from their young chil-

Earlier research has shown that after parents break up, fathers become less involved as time passes.

Mothers may curb the time they allow an ex to spend with their children. Fathers sometimes struggle to stay as involved if they form another family.

However, Laura Tach and fellow researchers also found that Black fathers were more likely than White or Latino dads to stay close to their children after having more kids with a new partner.

Because it isn’t as rare for Black fathers to live away from the home, their communities might have stronger expectations that fathers will stay involved outside the “package deal” of a wife and kids, explained Tach, a professor of policy analysis at Cornell University.

“Some men think when they lose a marriage, they lose the relationship with the kids,” said Marquette University sociology professor Roberta L. Coles. “For Black men that doesn’t seem to be as true.”

After working most of the previous night, Bryan August-Jones wakes before sunrise in his Los Angeles home and gets his three sons ready for school and the babysitter on Dec. 18.

MARK BOSTER/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

CALENDAR

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DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

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Courier publisher to speak at Kwanzaa celebration in Miami The 24th Annual Mary Williams Woodard Legacy Kwanzaa Celebration presented by the MiamiDade Chapter of the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association and Community Builders Holistic Development Corporation is Saturday, Dec. 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Ave., Miami.

The event, including a feast of ethnic foods, is free and open to the public.

Charles W. Entertainment Cherry II will include special performances

by OsunDara Yoruba Dance Theatre featuring Osun’s Village & African Caribbean Corridor International Artist-in-Residence Prince Emmanuel Abiodun Aderele and the Girls Choir of Miami.

“It is an honor, privilege and our cultural responsibility to continue our fruitful partnership in this magnificent commu-

nity event. We welcome the opportunity to introduce and reinforce the principles of Kwanzaa and the culture of the Motherland,” said Chief Nathaniel Styles, For parents, students, educators and others interested in academic achievement, Charles W. Cherry II, JD, MBA, will share practical and insightful information from the new edition of his classic book, “Excellence Without Excuse: The Black Student’s Guide to Academic Excellence.’’

Cherry is publisher of the Florida Courier, Florida’s first statewide African-American weekly newspaper.

He also is a speaker, award-winning writer, radio broadcaster and practicing attorney.

“Black students must understand that the days of ‘White guilt’ are over, and that being a socalled ‘disadvantaged minority’ is no excuse for academic failure,’’ he said.

For more information on the Kwanzaa celebration, call Vanessa Byers at 786-314-1106 or email gofamu@miamidaderattlers.org.

The OsunDara Yoruba Dance Theatre will perform at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center on Saturday.

Co-founding member of Three 6 Mafia dies of heart attack

B.B. KING

The legendary singer and musician is scheduled to perform Jan. 3 at Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Featured in ‘Hustle and Flow’

Ricky “Lord Infamous’’ Dunigan, a co-founding member of the Memphis, Tenn.-based rap group Three 6 Mafia has died at age 40.

His half brother and fellow Three 6 member DJ Paul told Rolling Ricky Stone Dunigan died in Dunigan his sleep of a heart attack the night of Dec. 21 at his mother’s house in Memphis.

“He was at home sitting at the table and he just lay his head down and he just left us,” Paul said.

Dunigan began his hip-hop career alongside DJ Paul in Memphis in the early 1990s. The pair, along with Juicy J, formed Three 6 Mafia in 1991 and released their debut album, “Mystic Stylez’’ four years later.

Three 6 gained worldwide exposure in 2005 after becoming the first rap group to win a Best Original Song Oscar for their song “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp.” The track was featured in the film “Hustle and Flow.”

Earlier this year, most of the Three 6 Mafia’s members reformed under the name Da Mafia 6ix and released a mixtape called “6ix Commandments.”

Prior to his death, Dunigan had been working with the group on a new album, which is set for release in March 2014.

Although he had not been ill recently, Paul said Dunigan suffered a stroke and heart attack in 2010.

Dunigan also was preparing for the rerelease of his old mixtape series, which is due out in March too.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.”

– Book review, School Library Journal

BEN JEALOUS

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous will be the keynote speaker at the Palm Beach State College 15th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast on Jan. 16.

The event is free and open to the public. More information: www. palmbeachstate.edu/MLK.

• How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat!

AUDRA MCDONALD

• How Black students can program their minds for success;

The singer and actress, who has won multiple Tony Awards, is scheduled for a Jan. 5 show at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

p.m. Dec. 20 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.

Orlando: The Wailers’ 30th anniversary tour stops at the House of Blues on Jan. 10.

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

Jacksonville: The Jacksonville African American Genealogy Society is presenting its sixth annual Blakc Hisotry Month essay competiton. For more details, send an email to flossy14@aol.com.

Tampa: The Ohio Players and Pieces of a Dream will give free performances during the Tampa Black Heritage Festival. The event is Jan. 16-25. See schedule at www.tampablackheritage.org.

Orlando: A show featuring Sinbad is scheduled at 8

St. Petersburg: “The Chocolate Nutcracker’’ is

• Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’

now “The Nutcracker Twist.’’

The performance is Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Mahaffey Theater.

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

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

…AND MUCH MORE!

www.excellencewithoutexcuse.com Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC Contact Charles at ccherry2@gmail.com for info on speeches, workshops, seminars,

Daytona Beach: Wayne Brady takes the stage at the Peabody Auditorium on Feb. 19 for a 7:30 p.m. show.

Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse

book signings, panel discussions.

Twitter @ccherry2

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DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

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SPORTS

PHOTO BY TOBY SCOTT/SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

South Dade quarterback Kahlil Render (15) gets away from the Apopka defense again in the FHSAA game on Dec. 14 for the 8A state championship title.

South Dade defeats Apopka to win high school state final

BY ANTWAN JACKSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

2013 STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Class 8A state high school finals pitting defending champions Apopka against South Dade was a classic matchup.

South Dade Senior High School pulled away in a back-and-forth battle that stopped Apopka High School from winning backto-back state championships the night of Dec. 14 in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.

It was South Dade’s first championship.

The South Dade Buccaneers were led by C.J. Wharton, who is a Florida State University commit. Wharton finished with three touchdowns for the night.

Apopka was led by a vicious rushing attack by J.J. Simmons and Robert Thomas. Tyree Brady also had a nice night with a fumble return for a touchdown; he is slated to play wide receiver for the Uni-

Class 7A: Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 55, Niceville 39

Class 8A: Homestead South Dade 41, Apopka 28 Class 6A: Miami Central 52, Seffner Armwood 7 Class 5A: Plantation American Heritage 66, Green Cove Springs Clay 8 Class 4A: Miami Booker T. Washington 40, Jacksonville Bolles 21 Class 3A: Jacksonville Trinity Christian 34, Clearwater Central Catholic 7 Class 2A: Hialeah Champagnat Catholic 14, Lakeland Victory Christian 7 Class 1A: Trenton 14, Blountstown 0 versity of Miami.

It was the final game of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) football championship weekend. Both teams had a 13-1 record going into the game.

Miami Central crushes Armwood Miami Central defeated

Wade got assist from kids in proposing to Union ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI – Dwayne Wade enlisted some help with his proposal to actress Gabrielle Union.

The three boys that the Miami Heat guard is raising, his two sons and a nephew, all were part of the engagement surprise, Wade said Sunday when he spoke out about the big news for the first time.

His youngest son Zion held a sign with her name. His nephew Dahveon Morris’ sign said “Will you.’’ And his oldest son Zaire’s sign read “marry us?’’

Bewildered, Union turned to Wade and saw him on bended knee, then realized what was happening. An 8 1/2-carat cushion cut diamond sealed the deal, and with that, Wade was an engaged man again.

No date yet Wade told The Associated Press that no date for the wedding has been set, but expects it to occur in September 2014. He also said he’s been working on finding the right ring since October, around the time that the Heat returned from training camp in the Bahamas.

The proposal came the afternoon of Dec. 21 inside the house that the

Above: Miami Central celebrates after winning the 6A championship.

Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union couple has been building for months.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise for either – Union has been considered part of the family for some time, but the timing of the actual proposal caught the 41-year-old star of films such as “Bring It On’’ and “Think Like A Man,’’ along with the BET series “Being Mary Jane,’’ decidedly off-guard.

“Just a regular Saturday,’’ Wade said. “My kids were involved in it. We asked her to marry all of us, not just me. We’re a package deal, so it was cool.’’

On Sunday, Union wrote on Twitter that she was still “floatin’’ over the big news.

“I was truly caught off guard but happy nonetheless,’’ Union wrote.

PHOTO BY DARREN WILSON/SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

Armwood to win the 6A or 7A high school championship. The score was 52-7.

The Miami team has gone to the state championships three out of the last four years.

During the game against Armwood, Dalvin Cook rushed for 225 yards on 19 carries, which is an average of 11.8 yards per carry.

Left: In the Armwood vs Miami Central game, Dederallo Blue (28) uses the stiff arm to get away.

PHOTO BY TOBY SCOTT/ SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

Miami team national Pop Warner champs Miami’s Gwen Cherry Bulls won the 2013 Pop Warner National Super Bowl Championship at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The championship game was televised on ESPN3. The Bulls beat the Virginia Beach (Va.) Mustangs to win the Division 1 Junior Pee Wee Division by a score of 26-0.

The Virginia Beach Mustangs, a team that regularly competes in national championships, was favored to win.

In the first quarter, the score remained tied 0-0.

In the second quarter, the Bulls’ Jaylin Bain scored a touchdown to break the tie. The next touchdown was scored by quarterback Javon Ferguson, Jr. from the one-yard line with a big push from his offensive line. At the end of the first half, the score was 12-0.

In the third quarter, Gwen Cherry Bulls’ Jacorey Brooks recovered a fumble by the Mustangs’ quarterback. With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Shemar Paul scored a touchdown for the Bulls making the score 18-0.

‘Best game we played’ Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Larrion Moss scored the Bulls’ final touchdown and Wendell Philord made a two-point conversion. The strength

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GWEN CHERRY BULLS

The Gwen Cherry Bulls’ trip to Orlando was provided in part by the Gwen Cherry Park Foundation and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.

The Gwen Cherry Bulls shut out the Virginia Beach Mustangs to win the Pop Warner National Super Bowl Championship in the Junior Pee Wee Division 1. of the Bulls’ defense held the Mustangs scoreless throughout the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Tim-

othy Burns, Jr. made an interception, which dashed the Mustangs’ hopes of scoring.

In the end, the Bulls gained 113 rushing yards and 49 passing yards to become the Division I national champions. According to the team’s head coach, Javon Ferguson, Sr., “We were due for a shutout and our players gave us a 26-0 victory in the championship game. This was the best game we played.”

The Gwen Cherry Bulls Junior Pee Wee team went undefeated throughout the season and during the Southeast Regional championships games against the Forestview Tigers and the Riverdale Wildcats. The Bulls participated in the regional and championship games with funding, in part, from the Gwen Cherry Park Foundation and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami.

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HOLIDAY

New Year’s is creeping ever closer, so it’s time ask yourself the question: What are you going to do? No, seriously, what are you doing to do? It’s hard to keep track of all the traditions that have sprung up around the world, for one thing, and it’s even harder to figure out if you’ll end up going full American this year or spicing up your New Year’s party with some exotic traditions (like eating grapes). Below are some of the more interesting variations on New Year’s Eve celebrations.

— Jon Wolper, McClatchy-Tribune

A brief history of the Times Square ball drop 1907: At the request of Adolph Ochs, then-publisher of The New York Times, the paper’s chief electrician built a 700-pound ball out of wood and iron. He fitted it with 100 25-watt light bulbs, and it was lowered from a flagpole atop One Times Square as midnight hit.

1920: The ball received its first of many upgrades, changing to a 400-pound model made of wrought iron.

1942-1943: The ball-dropping ceremony in Times Square continued uninterrupted until these two years, when there was no event due to the World War IIera “dim-out” of the New York City skyline.

1955: The iron ball was up-

graded again. This time it was one made from aluminum, which weighed only 200 pounds. Versions of the same aluminum ball with different sorts of lighting configurations were dropped until 1998.

2000 to present: The ball made the first of what would become a flurry of changes over the next decade. The 2000 iteration of the ball was built by Waterford Crystal, had a six-foot diameter and weighed 1,070 pounds. And the spectacle has continued to increase — the 2009 version of the ball had a 12-foot diameter and weighed more than 11,000 pounds.

Despite the weight, the many

lights on the ball had become dynamic and computer controlled. No longer was the ball a beacon; now it was a dazzling light show. That combination of tradition and technology has ushered the Times Square ball, without hiccup, into the second decade of this century.

MCT

Unique New Year’s traditions from around the globe If you were born and raised in the U.S., you might think our insistence on having fireworks and dropping glass spheres on New Year’s Eve is downright normal. But you’re just used to it. Here are some of the stranger traditions for the holidays — or at least strange when seen through an American lens.

Brazil. In Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, New Year’s Eve is all about the lucky underpants. People go for red if they’re looking for love and yellow if they’re after some extra cash.

Finland. To celebrate the New Year, some Finnish people cast molten tin into containers of water and, when the tin hardens, take its perceived shape as an indicator of how the coming year will go. For instance, a heart or ring shape signifies a wedding, and a pig shape (which is a very specific shape to glean from hardened tin, but we digress) stands for lots of food.

Panama. Panama gets a bit more violent with its celebration, burning effigies of public figures, called munecos. The idea is the effigies stand for the old year; destroying them leads the way into the new one.

But it’s still pretty creepy (at least to us) to disfigure a model of, say, Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, and then dance around it, celebrating.

Belarus. Who would have thought this little landlocked country would have the granddaddy of all unusual traditions? On New Year’s Eve, unmarried women participate in a game in which piles of corn are placed in front of each one. A rooster is released, and whichever girl’s corn pile it goes to first will be the first to marry in the coming year. Meanwhile, the entire population of Brazil looks down at its red underpants and heaves a sigh of great disappointment.

Want good luck in the new year? Watch what you eat The traditions don’t end there. You’d be amazed by how many foods, in different parts of the world, signify good luck, long life or personal fortune.

Here are a few of the most interesting.

The Grape-Mongerer. If you want good luck in the coming year, you better like bitesized fruits. As per tradition, Spaniards gorge on 12 grapes as midnight approaches to ensure prosperity over the next 12 months.

Let’s Get it Started. Decide

TEAK PHILIPS/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/ MCT

In the American South, blackeyed peas are eaten for good luck on New Year’s Day.

SOURCES: Good House Keeping; Travel and Leisure; Go Southeast; www.timessquarenyc.org

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DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

to celebrate in the American South and you’ll probably be given some black-eyed peas either on New Year’s Eve or Day. Eating the peas is supposed to bring good luck to the consumer, but they’re an acquired taste, so make sure they’re at home in a good recipe before chowing down.

The Cabbage Patch. In Germany, Ireland and some parts of the U.S., cabbage is eaten because it’s green, much like money is green, and so it resembles good fortune. Yum! Illustration by Paul trap/MCT

Auld Lang Syne lyrics Everyone who’s anyone knows the melody to “Auld Lang Syne,” the 200-plus-yearold Scottish poem by Robert Burns that has become synonymous with ringing in the New Year. But do you know the words? If not, throw your arms around your nearest neighbor’s shoulders and start singing these lyrics as soon as the countdown ends.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot, And old lang syne?

CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

And surely I’ll buy mine!

And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

CHORUS We two have run about the slopes, And picked the daisies fine; But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, Since auld lang syne.

CHORUS We two have paddled in the stream, From morning sun ’til dine; But seas between us broad have roared Since auld lang syne.

CHORUS And there’s a hand my trusty friend!

And give us a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll take a right good-will draught, For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

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DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

natasha

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier. com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/ glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

j. cabarrus

Natasha Jones is a business entrepreneur with businesses based in Florida and Georgia. She has been in the modeling industry for 18 months and was featured in a runway show alongside R&B singer Fantasia, for Outre Duvessa Hair. Natasha has taken part in print work, runways, catwalks, magazines and commercials and will be attending school in the spring for fashion design. Natasha can be contacted at facebook.com/TashTashTheBeast or Tashtashjones@gmail.com.

CREDIT: Natasha

J. Cabarrus is a six-year veteran to the modeling industry based in Atlanta, Ga. He has been featured as an extra for “Big Mommas, Like Father, Like Son,” a runway show for Kontrol Magazine, and the “Naked Black Justice” campaign by photographer James C. Lewis. His hobbies include traveling, working out and reading with dreams of becoming an international face of fashion. You can reach J. at JerryCabarrus@gmail.com or facebook.com/jcabarrusnow.

CREDIT: Nathan Pearcy

‘Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations’ a comprehensive collection of voices DR. GLENN C. ALTSCHULER SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

“Some view our sable race with scornful eye, ‘Their color is a diabolical die,’” Phillis Wheatley proclaimed in the eighteenth century.

“Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin’d , and join th’ angelic train.”

Wheatley’s poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” is one of 5,000 selections in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations, the most comprehensive collection of its kind in existence.

Edited by Retha Powers, the assistant director of the Publishing Certificate Program at City College of New York, the volume, as Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. indicates in the forward, preserves and perpetuates not only “familiar” quotations but those that should be familiar to anyone interested in African-American history and culture.

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Lots of lyrics

Unapologetically Black

Although it reaches across the continents, Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations is dominated by the voices of men and women from the United States in the 20th century. It contains a large, and perhaps disproportionate, amount of material from American entertainers, especially song titles and lyrics.

Not surprisingly, the principal (though by no means the only) topic in the book is race.

Most of the individuals included by Powers agree that their destiny is tied to that of the United States.

“We love our country, dearly love her” Martin R. Delany declared, “but she don’t love us, she despises us, and bids us begone.”

“Having borne the burden and heat of the day,” Hubert Harrison added, “the negro “intends to receive the wages due him here for that work.”

Most important, Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations bears witness to the varied ways in which African-Americans struggled with the impact – and import – of racial identity. “I am not tragically colored,” Zora Neale Hurston insisted.

“I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature has somehow given them a lowdown dirty deal….

No, I do not weep at the world – I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.” Elijah Muhammed, of course, expressed a different view. “Black man, you are created black,” he wrote. “Black man, stop trying to be white.”

Professor Gates rebels at the notion that he “can’t be part of other groups” and “that race must be the most important thing about me.”

But he also “wants to be black, to know black, to luxuriate in whatever I might be calling blackness at any particular time.” Therefore,

When a White waitress told him that her restaurant did not serve colored people, Dick Gregory replied, “That’s all right. I don’t eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.

Moms Mabley advised children crossing the street to “Damn the lights. Watch the cars. The lights ain’t never killed nobody.”

Quotes by King, Obama

Review “Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations: 5,000 Years of Literature, Lyrics, Poems, Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs From Voices Around the World.’’ Retha Powers, General Editor. Little, Brown and Company. 764 pages. $40.

Gates embraces “a humanity that is neither colorless nor reducible to color. Bach and James Brown; sushi and fried catfish.”

Humorous takes Happily, Powers includes some humorous takes on race – and on life in general.

Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations is sure to leave readers better informed.

Many of them, no doubt, will be inclined as well to repeat the prayer of the old Black preacher, often quoted by Dr. King: “Lord we ain’t what we want to be; we ain’t what we ought to be; we ain’t what we gonna be, but thank God, we ain’t what we was.”

And, along with President Obama, to celebrate the ordinary men and women who, when the promise that set this country apart was in jeopardy, “found the courage to keep it alive.”

Dr. Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He wrote this review for the Florida Courier.

Obama’s half brother chronicles father’s abuse in new book ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONG KONG – President Barack Obama’s half brother is publishing an autobiography that details the domestic abuse that served as the theme for his earlier semiautobiographical novel, which featured an abusive parent patterned on their late father.

Mark Obama Ndesandjo also recounts his sporadic but intense encounters with his brother over the years in “Cultures: My Odyssey of Self-DisMark Obama covery.” The selfNdesandjo published book, to be released in February, also tries to set the record straight on some points in the president’s bestselling 1995 memoir, “Dreams From My Father.”

In that book, Obama seeks to learn more about their father, a mostly absent figure, after learning of his death in a car crash in 1982 at age 46.

‘Cold’ relationship Ndesandjo’s book comes four years after his novel, “Nairobi to Shenzhen: A Novel of Love in the East.” As in his first book, Ndesandjo wanted to raise awareness of domestic abuse by using his family’s story, although he said in an interview with The Associated Press last week that the president’s relatives have not universally welcomed his airing of private matters in public.

When asked how he would describe his relationship with his brother, he said, “Right now it’s cold and I think part of the reason is because of my writing. My writing has alienated some people in my family.”

Lives in China Like the president, Ndesandjo

also has a White American mother, Ruth Ndesandjo, a Jewish woman who was Barack Obama Sr.’s third wife.

Ndesandjo, 48, has lived for 12 years in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen, next door to Hong Kong. He moved there to teach English after losing his job when the U.S. economy cratered following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and now works as a consultant.

Ndesandjo, who is married to a Chinese woman, learned to speak Chinese and immersed himself in the study of Chinese culture, including poetry and brush calligraphy. Trained as a classical pianist, he gives lessons as a volunteer at an orphanage.

Describes dad’s abuse In his new book, Ndesandjo recalls alcohol-fueled beatings meted out by his father to his mother. He recounts one incident in which his father held a knife to his mother’s throat because

she took out a restraining order against him.

His parents met when Obama Sr. was a graduate student at Harvard University and moved in 1964 to Kenya, where Mark and his brother David were born. David later died in a motorcycle accident.

Obama Sr. had earlier divorced President Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, after Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961.

Encounter with president Mark Ndesandjo’s mother later divorced the senior Obama and married another man, whose surname both mother and son also took.

Ndesandjo and Obama did not grow up together. Ndesandjo was brought up in Kenya but moved to the U.S. for college, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics at Brown University, a master’s in the same subject from Stanford University and an MBA at Emory University.

The book recounts Ndesandjo’s first encounter with Obama, who was visiting Kenya in 1988. They did not hit it off.

“Barack thought I was too White and I thought he was too Black,” Ndesandjo said. “He was an American searching for his African roots, I was a Kenyan, I’m an American but I was living in Kenya, searching for my White roots.”

‘Correction’ of ‘Dreams’ The 500-page book includes an appendix listing a number of alleged factual errors in Obama’s 1995 memoir, “Dreams from my Father,” such as quotes incorrectly attributed to Ndesandjo’s mother.

“It’s a correction. A lot of the stuff that Barack wrote is wrong in that book and I can understand that because to me for him the book was a tool for fashioning an identity and he was using composites,” Ndesandjo said.

TOj B6

FOOD

toJ

DECEMBER 27, 2013 – JANUARY 2, 2014

FAMILY FEATURES

K

eep warm with hearty dishes that satisfy appetites and comfort food cravings. From russets to reds, fingerlings to purples, the hearty potato comes inmany beautiful varieties that add color and texture to beloved comfort dishes. Bring out the flavors of your downhome creation by pairing it with a perfectly suited wine.

Country Stew Pair with Renwood Zinfandel, California Yield: 6 servings 5 pounds bone-in short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups water 1 1/3 cups Renwood Zinfandel 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 beef bouillon cubes 6 large Wisconsin potatoes, washed, peeled and quartered 1/2 pound small fresh mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed 1 package (10 ounces) frozen whole green beans 1 can (16 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, undrained Dredge ribs in flour to coat; reserve leftover flour.

Heat oil in 8-quart Dutch oven on moderate heat.

Add half of ribs and brown on all sides. Once browned, remove ribs. Repeat instructions for remaining ribs.

Stir in the reserved flour. While stirring, add 1 cup water and wine and stir until thickened.

Return ribs to the pan.

Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and bouillon and bring to a boil.

Cover and lower heat to simmer for about 1 hour, or until ribs are tender.

Remove ribs with slotted spoon and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add potatoes, mushrooms and beans. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Add ribs and tomatoes with liquid, and heat through.

Use slotted spoon to remove meat and vegetables to large serving platter.

Remove gravy to serving container and serve with ribs.

Comforting Complements A spicy red with raspberry and peppery flavors, Zinfandel pairs particularly well with the flavors of winter – the season where comfort food is king. When searching for the perfect complement to your hearty, comfort fare, go for wines that deliver on quality at a fair price.

Discover Amador County, an up-and-coming wine region nestled in the rolling Sierra Foothills of California, through the wines of Renwood Winery. The winery runs under the direction of Joe Shebl, a talented winemaker whose artistic vision and passion for both Zinfandel and Amador County shows in every bottle.

For more information, visit www.renwood.com.

One Healthy Spud Beyond their appearance in some of the most beloved dishes, potatoes also boast many benefits to your diet.

Here are few reasons to add this versatile vegetable into meals: • Potassium — Potatoes are a great source of potassium, which may help lower high blood pressure, making them a hearthealthy choice. In fact, potatoes contain more potassium than a banana or spinach.

• Vitamins — A spud a day may keep the cold germs away.

One medium-sized spud has nearly half the recommended daily value of vitamin C and is also a good source of vitamin B6.

• Dietary fiber — Potatoes are also a source of dietary fiber, a complex carbohydrate, which is known to increase satiety and help with weight loss.

• Gluten free — Potatoes are a naturally gluten-free food, so those with gluten sensitivity can enjoy this flavorful vegetable.

For more on potatoes and healthy recipe ideas, visit www. eatwisconsinpotatoes.com

Healthy Potato Lasagna Pair with Renwood Premier Old Vine Zinfandel, Amador County Yield: 4 servings 2 links Italian turkey sausage (3 1/2 ounces each) 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese 1 teaspoon dried basil or Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 egg white 2 cups marinara sauce, divided 1 1/4 pounds Wisconsin Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, divided 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Remove sausage from casing and crumble into medium skillet with onion.

Cook for 10 minutes or until both are browned, breaking up sausage with back of spoon.

Stir together ricotta, basil, garlic powder and egg white in small bowl.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in bottom of 9-inch square baking dish.

5. Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the dish, forming solid layer with no gaps.

Drop 1/2 ricotta mixture in spoonfuls over top and spread out just a little.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of mozzarella and 1/2 sausage mixture.

Add 1/2 cup more sauce then repeat potato, cheese and meat layers.

Top with last layer of potatoes, remaining sauce and mozzarella.

Cover with plastic wrap and make small slit to vent.

Microwave on high for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Quick & Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken & Potatoes Pair with Renwood Zinfandel, Fiddletown 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence (or combination of dried thyme, fennel, basil and savory) 1 teaspoon garlic salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 cup flour 1 tablespoon canola oil 4 small (2 pounds) bone-in-chicken breasts, skin removed 1 1/4 pounds small Wisconsin red potatoes 3/4 cup frozen, thawed pearl onions 1 cup small baby carrots 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 8 ounces small baby bella or white mushrooms Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Combine Herbs de Provence, garlic salt, and pepper on a dinner plate.

Spoon flour onto a second dinner plate.

Coat each chicken breast with herb mixture; then dredge in flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Add chicken and cook over mediumhigh heat until chicken is golden brown on both sides (approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side). If necessary, cook chicken in two batches so as not to crowd the pan.

Once browned, place chicken in large slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients, except fresh thyme.

Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving, if desired.