ILLINOIS VOICE APRIL 2011 ISSUE by VERVE MEDIA Group

April 2011

URBAN PROFESSIONAL LIFESTYLE

Urban Professional Lifestyle

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April 2011 'Olympians have a sense of dedication and focus that is not typical — you're talking several standard deviations away from the average.'—Dean Baim, Professor Economics and Finance, Pepperdine University

Photo by Reuters President and Michelle Obama and Olympians, Jackie Joyner Kersee and Dominque Dawes. The president and first lady host a White House event to promote support for the 2016 Olympics in Chicago.

Community ... At BFA Energy Solutions we are dedicated, focused and committed to Greatness! With Greatness comes Responsibility. We are bringing innovative advanced alternative energy solutions to market. We are also committed to providing an enhanced quality of life for the residents in the communities inwhich we operate. We pledge to: Create Green Jobs, Pay Competitive Salaries with Benefits, Invest in K-12 Sustainability Programs, and Increase Local Tax Receipts.

Committed to Innovation and Community 3

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iiconn DESIGN Studio

Pencil and Charcoal Portraiture By Edward L. Jones Jr. I provide fine hand drawn portraits of children, grandparents, pets, etc. The portraits are accurate and result in a full likeness of any subject. To receive pricing structure or estimates for large portraits I prefer contact through email. IDSpencilportraits@gmail.com 7

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1728 West Bradley Champaign, IL 61821 217-398-8557

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Wishes Our Readers A

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On April 4th, 2011, President Obama announced the start of his re-election campaign. IV wanted to commemorate this announcement by having President Obama as our cover profile. Since his election in 2008, President Obama has passed ground breaking legislation such as Financial Reform, Healthcare Reform and allowing Black Farmers to finally be compensated for decades of discrimination just to name a few. Speaking of political capital, on April 5th, elections were held in various cities. On a local level, Alvin Parks was re-elected as mayor of East St. Louis, IL, Mike Houston was elected mayor of Springfield, IL. and Doris Turner was elected as the second Black female Alderperson in the city of Springfield, IL. We congratulate each of these individuals on their election victories. However, the voters have invested in these individuals and now they have the political capital necessary to do the will of the people. As we emerge from the Great Recession, most municipalities and states are literally fighting for their survival. As we struggle to maintain our momentum forward, the people cannot afford business as usual. We pray that these elected officials remain steadfast to their commitments made on April 5th and spend their political capital wisely. This month we profile The Fantastic Jones Family of Springfield, IL. who are spreading their gospel ministry across the country. We also profile Comedian Crystal P of Detroit. Crystal has toured with some of the top comedians and musicians in the gospel industry. We also highlight the astonishing Lovenia Curves Collection and its CEO Quanitra Terry who designs full figured apparel. We also profile serial entrepreneur Shareha Adriann and her online business HerPanache.com. Lastly but not least we profile image consultant to entertainers g.l.a.m. and its CEO Ebony Porter-Ike. IV would like to welcome our newest contributors Raaw‘el Letrice Ware, Jael Mack, and jasira. They are all excellent writers and we are grateful to have their contributions. Congratulations Rev. Wayne and Sherri Hamilton on their 30th Anniversary on March 28, 2011. HAPPY EASTER Regards,

W. E. ―Pete‖ Reeves Founder/Publisher 11

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Publisher

VERVE MEDIA, Inc. P.O. Box 2704 Springfield, Illinois 62708

Office : 217-528-2227 Fax: 217-793-6939 Cell: 901-832-1144 Email: illinoisvoice@gmail.com Web Site: myillinoisvoice.yolasite.com Editor & General Manager

W. E. ―Pete‖ Reeves

IT Production Assistant

Natasha Crider

Senior Social Correspondent Teresa Haley Contributors

Malcolm Beal-Reeves Joya Abdul Zarif Tia Dent Pat Moody Ball-j eresa Haley Joyce Nash Michael Johnson Yogini Mafdet JaelMack Meier Lathan

Jo Lena Johnson Prophetess Jennie Chalden Destinee Love Celeste Poole Sarah T. McGee Tainted Lucas Mier Lathan Sylphia R. Lindsay Nell Clay Alicia Wilson jasira

Illinois Voice is published monthly. © Copyright 2011 by VERVE MEDIA, INC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without permission is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: VERVE MEDIA, INC., P.O. BOX 2704, Springfield, Illinois 62708. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Send $50 a year: (Add $15 per year for overseas delivery.) Manuscripts, photographs, illustrations and letters to the editor are welcome, but Illinois VOICE can take no responsibility for them while in transit or in the office of the publication. Letters may be edited. Information published in Illinois VOICE is gathered from reliable sources, but the accuracy of this information cannot be guaranteed. Opinions expressed in Illinois VOICE are those of their authors, and no information or opinions expressed in Illinois VOICE represent an endorsement or solicitation for purchase or sale by Illinois VOICE or its staff.

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DEPARTMENTS

COLUMNISTS

publisher’s page ...............

celebrations …………………. 15 on the cover ...................... 16 local......... ......................

inspiration ......................

in memoriam .................... 104 web culture ......................

109

national...........................

114

world..............................

121

politics ...........................

127

opinion...........................

135

urbanity ..........................

146

life & style ……………………

161

money ........................

183

life & style ...................

181

wellness .....................

187

business .....................

206

sports ...........................

211

remembrances …………

216

Teresa Haley ….....................

Michael Johnson ……………….

joya ………………………………….

Prophetess Jennie Chalden …

Jo Lena Johnson ………………..

Sarah McGee ……………………..

Sylphia Lindsey ………………….

Jasira ……………………………….. 96 Raaw’ el Letrice Ware …………

Meier Lathan ……………………

100

Jael Mack …………………………

102

Alicia Wilson ……………………. 181 Yogini Mafdet …………………… 202

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Rev. Wayne â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pageâ&#x20AC;? & Sherri Hamilton were married 3/28/1981 in Springfield,IL at St. John's AME Church by Rev. Hooks. They are the blessed parents of Sheena Hamilton Esq. and Wayne Hamilton Jr. along with their daughter-in-law Melissa and grandson Tyreee.

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Barack Obama; Announces Reelection Bid

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States, having taken office in 2009. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his election to the presidency in November 2008. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. 17

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Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid against the Democratic incumbent for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2000, he ran for United States Senate in 2004. Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Democratic primary and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain, and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. In October 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. As president, Obama signed economic stimulus legislation in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 in December 2010. Other domestic policy initiatives include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Doddâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. In foreign policy, Obama gradually withdrew combat troops from Iraq, increased troop levels in 18

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Afghanistan, signed an arms control treaty with Russia, and ordered enforcement of the United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya in early 2011. In April 4, 2011, Obama announced his intention to seek re-election in the 2012 Presidential election.

Early life and career

Obama was born on August 4, 1961, at Kapiﾊｻolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital (now called Kapiﾊｻolani Medical Center for Women and Children) in Honolulu, Hawaii, the first President to have been born in Hawaii. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita, Kansas.] Of mostly English descent, her family also traces to Germany and Ireland; his great-great-great grandfather was born in County Offaly. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was a Luo from Nyang'oma Kogelo, Nyanza Province, Kenya. Obama's parents met in 1960 in a Russian language class at the University of Hawaii at Mﾄ］oa, where his father was a foreign student on scholarship. The couple married on February 2, 1961, 19

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separated when Obama Sr. went to Harvard University on scholarship, and divorced in 1964. Obama Sr. remarried and returned to Kenya, visiting Barack in Hawaii only once, in 1971. He died in an automobile accident in 1982. After her divorce, Dunham married Indonesian student Lolo Soetoro, who was attending college in Hawaii. When Suharto, a military leader in Soetoro's home country, came to power in 1967, all Indonesian students studying abroad were recalled, and the family moved to the Menteng neighborhood of Jakarta.[14] From ages six to ten, Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, including Besuki Public School and St. Francis of Assisi School. In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Armour Dunham, and attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from the fifth grade until his graduation from high school in 1979. Obama's mother returned to Hawaii in 1972, remaining there until 1977 when she went back to Indonesia to work as an anthropological field worker. She finally returned to Hawaii in 1994 and lived there for one year, before dying of ovarian cancer.

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Barack Obama and half-sister Maya SoetoroNg, with their mother Ann Dunham and grandfather Stanley Dunham, in Hawaii (early 1970s) Of his early childhood, Obama recalled, "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind." He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear." Obama has also written and talked about using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my mind." At the 2008 Civil Forum on the Presidency, Obama identified his high-school drug use as a great moral failure. Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College. In February 1981, he made his first public speech, calling for Occidental's divestment from South Africa. In mid-1981, Obama traveled to Indonesia to visit his mother and sister Maya, and visited the families of college friends in India and Pakistan for three weeks. Later in 1981 he transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations and graduated with a B.A. in 1983. He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation, then at the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Chicago community organizer and Harvard Law School Two years after graduating, Obama was hired in Chicago as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman and Riverdale) on Chicago's far South Side. He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988. During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from one to thirteen. He helped set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens. Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute. In mid-1988, he traveled for the first time in Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya, where he met many of his paternal relatives for the first time. He returned in August 2006 for a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near Kisumu in rural western Kenya. 21

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In late 1988, Obama entered Harvard Law School. He was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year, and president of the journal in his second year. During his summers, he returned to Chicago, where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990. After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago. Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention and led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations, which evolved into a personal memoir. The manuscript was published in mid1995 as Dreams from My Father.

University of Chicago Law School and civil rights attorney In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book. He then served as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years—as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004— teaching constitutional law. From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote, a voter registration drive with ten staffers and seven hundred volunteer registrars; it achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, and led to Crain's Chicago Business naming Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be. In 1993 he joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002. From 1994 to 2002, Obama served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project, and of the Joyce Foundation. He served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999.

Legislative career: 1997–2008 State Senator: 1997–2004 Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, succeeding State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois's 13th District, which at that time spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park – Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn. Once elected, Obama gained bipartisan support 22

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for legislation reforming ethics and health care laws. He sponsored a law increasing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare. In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures. Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, defeating Republican Yesse Yehudah in the general election, and was reelected again in 2002. In 2000, he lost a Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives to four-term incumbent Bobby Rush by a margin of two to one. In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority, regained a majority. He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations. During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms. Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate. In May 2002, Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race; he created a campaign committee, began raising funds and lined up political media consultant David Axelrod by August 2002, and formally announced his candidacy in January 2003. Obama was an early opponent of the George W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq. On October 2, 2002, the day President Bush and Congress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War, Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally, and spoke out against the war. He addressed another anti-war rally in March 2003 and told the crowd that "it's not too late" to stop the war. 23

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Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol Moseley Braun to not participate in the election resulted in wide-open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving fifteen candidates. In the March 2004 primary election, Obama won in an unexpected landslide—which overnight made him a rising star within the national Democratic Party, started speculation about a presidential future, and led to the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father. In July 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, and it was seen by 9.1 million viewers. His speech was well received and elevated his status within the Democratic Party. Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004. Six weeks later, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan. In the November 2004 general election, Obama won with 70% of the vote.

U.S. Senator: 2005–2008 Obama delivering a speech at the University of Southern California, on October 28, 2006. Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 4, 2005, becoming the only Senate member of the Congressional Black Caucus. CQ Weekly characterized him as a "loyal Democrat" based on analysis of all Senate votes in 2005–2007. The National Journal ranked him among the "most liberal" senators during 2005 through 2007 (the ranking has been criticized by liberal groups such as Media Matters for America). He enjoyed high popularity as senator with a 72% approval in Illinois. Obama announced on November 13, 2008, that he would resign his Senate seat on November 16, 2008, before the start of the lame-duck session, to focus on his transition period for the presidency. Legislation Obama cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. He introduced two initiatives bearing his name: Lugar–Obama, which expanded the Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons, and the Coburn–Obama Transparency Act, which authorized the establishment of USAspending.gov, a web search engine on federal spending. On June 3, 2008, 24

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Senator Obama, along with Senators Tom Carper, Tom Coburn, and John McCain, introduced follow-up legislation: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008. Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks, but the bill failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee. Regarding tort reform, Obama voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies complicit with NSA warrantless wiretapping operations. Left: Obama and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (RIN) visit a Russian mobile launch missile dismantling facility in August 2005. In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor. In January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which was signed into law in September 2007. Obama also introduced Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections, and the Iraq War DeEscalation Act of 2007, neither of which has been signed into law. Later in 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges. This amendment passed the full Senate in the spring of 2008. He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, which has not passed committee, and co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism. Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.

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Committees Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works and Veterans' Affairs through December 2006. In January 2007, he left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He also became Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. He met with Mahmoud Abbas before Abbas became President of the Palestinian Authority, and gave a speech at the University of Nairobi condemning corruption within the Kenyan government.

Presidential campaigns 2008 presidential campaign Left: Obama delivers his presidential election victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park. A large number of candidates entered the Democratic Party presidential primariesObama stands on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing his presidential candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, Feb. 10, 2007. On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for president of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois. The choice of the announcement site was viewed as symbolic because it was also where Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic "House Divided" speech in 1858. Obama emphasized the issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and providing universal health care, in a campaign that projected themes of "hope" and "change". The field narrowed to a duel between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after early contests, with the race remaining close throughout the primary process but with Obama gaining a steady lead in pledged delegates due to better long-range planning, superior fundraising, dominant organizing in caucus states, and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules. Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed him on June 7, 2008.

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Obama announced on August 23 that he had selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate, from a field speculated to include Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. At the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Hillary Clinton called for her delegates and supporters to endorse Obama, and she and Bill Clinton gave convention speeches in support of Obama. Obama delivered his acceptance speech, not at the convention center where the Democratic National Convention was held, but at Invesco Field at Mile High to a crowd of over 75,000 and presented his policy goals; the speech was viewed by over 38 million people worldwide. Left: President George W. Bush meets with PresidentElect Obama in the Oval Office on November 10, 2008. During both the primary process and the general election, Obama's campaign set numerous fundraising records, particularly in the quantity of small donations. On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976. McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate and the two engaged in three presidential debates in September and October 2008. On November 4, Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 received by McCain. Obama won 52.9% of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7%. He became the first African American to be elected president. Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago's Grant Park.

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2012 presidential campaign On April 4, 2011, Obama announced his re-election campaign for 2012 in a video titled "It Begins with Us", posted on his website.[113][114] He filed election papers with the Federal Election Commission on the same day.[115]

Presidency First days The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President, and Joe Biden as Vice President, took place on January 20, 2009. In his first few days in office Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda directing the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw troops from Iraq. He ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp "as soon as practicable and no later than" January 2010, but during his first two years in office he has been unable to persuade Congress to appropriate funds required to accomplish the shutdown. Obama reduced the secrecy given to presidential records and changed procedures to promote disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. He also reversed 28

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George W. Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign establishments that allow abortions.

Domestic policy Left; Barack Obama takes the oath of office as President of the United States. The first bill signed into law by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, relaxing the statute of limitations for equal-pay lawsuits. Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured. In March 2009, Obama reversed a Bush-era policy which had limited funding of embryonic stem cell research. Obama stated that he believed "sound science and moral values...are not inconsistent" and pledged to develop "strict guidelines" on the research. Obama appointed two women to serve on the Supreme Court in the first two years of his Presidency. Sonia Sotomayor, nominated by Obama on May 26, 2009, to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter, was confirmed on August 6, 2009, becoming the first Hispanic to be a Supreme Court Justice. Elena Kagan, nominated by Obama on May 10, 2010, to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, was confirmed on August 5, 2010, bringing the number of women sitting simultaneously on the Court to three, for the first time in American history. On September 30, 2009, the Obama administration proposed new regulations on power plants, factories and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming. On October 8, 2009, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a measure that expands the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. On March 30, 2010, Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, a reconciliation bill which ends the process of the federal government giving subsidies to private banks to give out federally insured loans, increases the Pell Grant scholarship award, and makes changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 29

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In a major space policy speech in April 2010, Obama announced a planned change in direction at NASA, the U.S. space agency. He ended plans for a return of manned spaceflight to the moon and ended development of the Ares I rocket, Ares V rocket and Constellation program. He is focusing funding (which is expected to rise modestly) on Earth science projects and a new rocket type, as well as research and development for an eventual manned mission to Mars. Missions to the International Space Station are expected to continue until 2020. On December 22, 2010, Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, a bill that provides for repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy of 1993 that has prevented gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the United States Armed Forces. Repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" had been a key campaign promise that Obama had made during the 2008 presidential campaign. Economic policy On February 17, 2009, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the deepening worldwide recession. The act includes increased federal spending for health care, infrastructure, education, various tax breaks and incentives, and direct assistance to individuals, which is being distributed over the course of several years. Left: President Barack Obama signs the ARRA into law on February 17, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Vice President Joe Biden stands behind him. In March, Obama's Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, took further steps to manage the financial crisis, including introducing the PublicPrivate Investment Program for Legacy Assets, which contains provisions for buying up to $2 trillion in depreciated real estate assets. Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry in March 2009, renewing loans for General Motors and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing. Over the following months the White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a temporary 60% equity stake in the company, with the Canadian government shouldering a 12% stake. In June 2009, dissatisfied with the pace of economic stimulus, Obama called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment. He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System, known colloquially as "Cash for Clunkers", that had mixed results. 30

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Although spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department authorized by the Bush and Obama administrations totaled about $11.5 trillion, only $3 trillion had actually been spent by the end of November 2009. However, Obama and the Congressional Budget Office predict that the 2010 budget deficit will be $1.5 trillion or 10.6% of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) compared to the 2009 deficit of $1.4 trillion or 9.9% of GDP. For 2011, the administration predicted the deficit will slightly shrink to $1.34, while the 10-year deficit will increase to $8.53 trillion or 80% of GDP. Unemployment numbers rose briefly to as high as 10.1% in October 2009 (the highest since 1983) before decreasing to 9.5% in June 2010. In the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. economy expanded at a 2.7% pace after growing at its fastest rate in six years in the fourth quarter, 5.7%. In July 2010, the Federal Reserve expressed that although economic activity continued to increase, its pace had slowed and its Chairman, Ben Bernanke, stated that the economic outlook was "unusually uncertain." The Congressional Budget Office and a broad range of economists credit Obama's stimulus plan for economic growth. The CBO released a report stating that the stimulus bill increased employment by 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2.1 million, while conceding that "It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package." Although an April 2010 survey of members of the National Association for Business Economics showed an increase in job creation (over a similar January survey) for the first time in two years, 73% of the 68 respondents believed that the stimulus bill has had no impact on employment. Within a month of the 2010 midterm elections, Obama announced a compromise deal with the Congressional Republican leadership that included a temporary, two-year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of unemployment benefits, and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes. The compromise overcome opposition from some in both parties, and the resulting $858 billion Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 passed with bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress before Obama signed it on December 17, 2010.

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Health care reform Left: Barack Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House, March 23, 2010. Obama called for Congress to pass legislation reforming health care in the United States, a key campaign promise and a top legislative goal. He proposed an expansion of health insurance coverage to cover the uninsured, to cap premium increases, and to allow people to retain their coverage when they leave or change jobs. His proposal was to spend $900 billion over 10 years and include a government insurance plan, also known as the public option, to compete with the corporate insurance sector as a main component to lowering costs and improving quality of health care. It would also make it illegal for insurers to drop sick people or deny them coverage for pre-existing conditions, and require every American carry health coverage. The plan also includes medical spending cuts and taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive plans. On July 14, 2009, House Democratic leaders introduced a 1,017-page plan for overhauling the U.S. health care system, which Obama wanted Congress to approve by the end of 2009. After much public debate during the Congressional summer recess of 2009, Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress on September 9 where he addressed concerns over his administration's proposals. In March 2009, Obama lifted a ban on stem cell research. On November 7, 2009, a health care bill featuring the public option was passed in the House. On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its own billâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;without a public optionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on a party-line vote of 60â&#x20AC;&#x201C;39. On March 21, 2010, the health care bill passed by the Senate in December was passed in the House by a vote of 219 to 212. Obama signed the bill into law on March 23, 2010. Gulf of Mexico oil spill On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a major sustained oil leak. The well's operator, BP, initiated a containment and cleanup plan, and began drilling two relief wells intended to stop the flow. Obama visited the Gulf on May 2 among visits by members of his cabinet, and again on May 28 and June 4. He began a federal investigation and formed a bipartisan commission to recommend new safety standards, after a review by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and concurrent Congressional hearings. On May 27, he announced a 6-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases, pending regulatory 32

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review. As multiple efforts by BP failed, some in the media and public expressed confusion and criticism over various aspects of the incident, and stated a desire for more involvement by Obama and the federal government. However, Obama convinced BPO to establish a $20 Billion fund to help residents and clean up the spill.

Foreign policy Left: President Obama in discussion with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the 2009 Pittsburgh G-20 Summit In February and March, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration. Obama attempted to reach out to Arab leaders by granting his first interview to an Arab cable TV network, Al Arabiya. On March 19, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world, releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran. This attempt at outreach was rebuffed by the Iranian leadership. In April, Obama gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey, which was well received by many Arab governments. On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "a new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace. On June 26, 2009, in response to the Iranian government's actions towards protesters following Iran's 2009 presidential election, Obama said: "The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. We see it and we condemn it." On July 7, while in Moscow, he responded to a Vice President Biden comment on a possible Israeli military strike on Iran by saying: "We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East." Left: British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama, during the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit.

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On September 24, 2009, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. In March 2010, Obama took a public stance against plans by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building Jewish housing projects in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. During the same month, an agreement was reached with the administration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new pact reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons in the arsenals of both countries by about one-third. The New START treaty was signed by Obama and Medvedev in April 2010, and was ratified by the U.S. Senate in December 2010. Iraq War During his presidential transition, President-elect Obama announced that he would retain the incumbent Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, in his Cabinet. On February 27, 2009, Obama declared that combat operations would end in Iraq within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end." The Obama administration scheduled the withdrawal of combat troops to be completed by August 2010, decreasing troops levels from 142,000 while leaving a transitional force of 35,000 to 50,000 in Iraq until the end of 2011. On August 19, 2010, the last United States combat brigade exited Iraq. The plan is to transition the mission of the remaining troops from combat operations to counter-terrorism and the training, equipping, and advising of Iraqi security forces. On August 31, 2010, Obama announced that the United States combat mission in Iraq was over. War in Afghanistan Early in his presidency, Obama moved to bolster U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan. He announced an increase to U.S. troop levels of 17,000 in February 2009 to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires". He replaced the military commander in Afghanistan, General David D. McKiernan, with former Special Forces commander Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal in May 2009, indicating that McChrystal's Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war. On December 1, 2009, Obama announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 military personnel to Afghanistan. He also proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date. McChrystal was replaced by David Petraeus in June 2010 after McChrystal's staff criticized White House personnel in a magazine article. 34

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Israel During the initial years of the Obama administration, the U.S. increased military cooperation with Israel, including a record number of U.S. troops participating in military exercises in the country, increased military aid, and the re-establishment of the U.S.-Israeli Joint Political Military Group and the Defense Policy Advisory Group. It was reported high-ranking defense officials from both countries had been making an unusual number of trips between the two countries, including Ehud Barak. Part of the military aid increase in 2010 was to fund Israel's missile defense shield. Before Adm. Mike Mullen, no Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had visited Israel for over a decade, but in 2010 he made two trips, bringing his total to four. In 2011, Obama's Ambassador to the United Nations vetoed a resolution condemning Israeli settlements, with the U.S. the only nation on the Security Council doing so. Libya Left: President Obama speaks on the military effort in Libya, March 28, 2011. In March 2011, as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi advanced on rebels across Libya, formal calls for a no-fly zone came in from around the world, including Europe, the Arab League, and a resolution passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. In response to the unanimous passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 on March 17, Gaddafi â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who had previously vowed to "show no mercy" to the citizens of Benghazi â&#x20AC;&#x201D; announced an immediate cessation of military activities, yet reports came in that his forces continued shelling Misrata. The next day, on Obama's orders, the U.S. military took a lead role in air strikes to destroy the Libyan government's air defense capabilities in order to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly-zone, including the use of Tomahawk missiles, B-2s, and fighter jets. Six days later, on March 25, by unanimous vote of all 28 members of NATO, that international organization took over leadership of the effort, dubbed Operation Unified Protector. Some congressmen questioned whether Obama had the constitutional authority to order military action in addition to questions about its cost, structure and aftermath.

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2010 midterm election Obama called the November 2, 2010 election, where the Democratic Party lost 63 seats in, and control of, the House of Representatives, "humbling" and a "shellacking". He said that the results came because not enough Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery.

Cultural and political image Left: President George W. Bush invited thenPresident-elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter to a meeting in the Oval Office on January 7, 2009. Obama's family history, early life and upbringing, and Ivy League education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.[230] Obama is also not a descendant of American slaves.[231] Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[232] Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation." Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional orator. During his preinauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency, Obama has delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses. Left: Obama presents his first weekly address as President of the United States on January 24, 2009, discussing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. According to the Pew Research Center, Obama's approval ratings dropped from 64% in February, 2009 to 49% in December, a trend similar to Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's first years. Polls show strong support for Obama in other countries, and before being elected President he has met with prominent 36

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foreign figures including then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italy's Democratic Party leader and then Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. According to a May 2009 poll conducted by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn. Obama won Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards for abridged audiobook versions of Dreams from My Father in February 2006 and for The Audacity of Hope in February 2008. His concession speech after the New Hampshire primary was set to music by independent artists as the music video "Yes We Can", which was viewed by 10 million people on YouTube in its first month and received a Daytime Emmy Award. In December 2008, Time magazine named Barack Obama as its Person of the Year for his historic candidacy and election, which it described as "the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments". On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". Obama accepted this award in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 2009, with "deep gratitude and great humility." The award drew a mixture of praise and criticism from world leaders and media figures. Obama is the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office. A 2010 Siena College poll of 238 Presidential scholars found that Obama was ranked 15th out of 43, with high ratings for imagination, communication ability and intelligence and a low rating for background (family, education and experience).

Family and personal life Left: Barack Obama together with his family and a costumed Easter Bunny, as they wave from the South Portico of the White House to guests attending the White House Easter Egg Roll. In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher." Obama has seven halfsiblings from his Kenyan father's family â&#x20AC;&#x201C; six of them living â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and a half-sister 37

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with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband. Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham, until her death on November 2, 2008, two days before his election to the Presidency. In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Obama's great-uncle served in the 89th Division that overran Ohrdruf, the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by U.S. troops during World War II. Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years. Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta. He plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team. Left: Obama playing basketball with U.S. military at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti in 2006. Obama is a well known supporter of the Chicago White Sox, and threw out the first pitch at the 2005 ALCS when he was still a senator. In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the all star game while wearing a White Sox jacket. He is also primarily a Chicago Bears fan in the NFL, but is known to also support the Pittsburgh Steelers, and openly rooted for them ahead of their victory in Super Bowl XLIII 12 days after Obama took office as President.

In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date. They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992. The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998, followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001. The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private Sidwell Friends School. The Obamas have a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo, a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy.

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Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago. The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama. In December 2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3 million. Their 2009 tax return showed a household income of $5.5 millionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; up from about $4.2 million in 2007 and $1.6 million in 2005â&#x20AC;&#x201D;mostly from sales of his books. Obama tried to quit smoking several times, sometimes using nicotine replacement therapy.[277][278][279] Michelle Obama said that he successfully quit in early 2010.

Religious views As he described in The Audacity of Hope, Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. He wrote that he "was not raised in a religious household". He described his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists"), to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened 39

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person that I have ever known". He described his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change". On September 27, 2010, Obama released a statement commenting on his religious views saying "I'm a Christian by choice. My family didn'tâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't raise me in the church. So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to leadâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating others as they would treat me." Obama was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades. Obama resigned from Trinity during the Presidential campaign after controversial statements made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright became public. After a prolonged effort to find a church to attend regularly in Washington, Obama announced in June 2009 that his primary place of worship would be the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.

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Houston romps to third term as mayor Left: Springfield Mayor Elect Mike Houston gives his acceptance speech to a crowd of supporters at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Ill., Tuesday, April 5, 2011. In rear are Houston's daughters, Elizabeth Crowley, left, and Michelle Houston along with his wife Carolyn Houston.

Former Springfield Mayor Mike Houston eased his way to another four years in charge of city government Tuesday, collecting nearly half of the votes in a four-person field. Houston got 47 percent of the vote to 21 percent for Sheila Stocks-Smith, just under 20 percent for Mike Coffey Jr. and almost 12 percent for Frank Kunz. Turnout was 28 percent countywide. ―I‘m humbled by the support that we have received tonight,‖ Houston told a crowd of about 300 supporters at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. He said it was important to note that he ran well in all parts of the city. ―If we can come together as a single community, there is no limit to what we can do,‖ he said. Houston, 67, called his wife, Carolyn, his ―secret weapon‖ in the campaign, noting that back when he first ran for mayor in 1979, their two daughters, Michelle and Elizabeth, were little, and Carolyn was running the family business at the time, a fence company. His now-adult daughters and one granddaughter, 3-year-old Josephine, joined him on stage Tuesday night. He also thanked his volunteers, many of whom campaigned for him decades ago as well. Inauguration in May Houston said he expects his inauguration to be in the first week in May. He told the crowd he got a call from U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and joked that he hadn‘t yet heard from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. — a Springfield resident who backed Stocks-Smith. 43

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He told reporters later that Kirk congratulated him and ―said he was very anxious to take a look at what we wanted for the city of Springfield‖ and work for it in Washington, D.C. Houston listed various problems the city has, including boarded-up homes and a racial divide, and said he hopes to work on those issues with the new city council. ―I hope that Mayor Houston does an excellent job, because if Mayor Houston succeeds, the city of Springfield succeeds, so I wish him the very best,‖ Coffey said. ―I think we raised a number of important issues,‖ Stocks-Smith said, adding that she also wished Houston the best. Kunz was disappointed with the turnout, saying, ―It just shows the people of Springfield don‘t care.‖ Experience key Given Houston‘s winning margin, voter Judy Mohler, 63, a state worker who cast a ballot at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, may have had a view of him shared by others. She was torn between Coffey and Houston, Mohler said, ―but I decided we‘re in such a mess that Mike Houston has the experience to pull us out of it.‖ Houston was 35 when he won the first of two previous terms as mayor in 1979. He then spent more than 20 years in banking. He said in the campaign that he wouldn‘t need ―on-the-job training to solve the problems facing our city.‖ Stocks-Smith was education liaison for the late Mayor Tim Davlin. Her campaign emphasized her work with community organizations and benefited from Durbin‘s support and fundraising prowess. Coffey, manager of his family‘s downtown Italian restaurant, Saputo‘s, is chairman of the elected board that oversees the Prairie Capital Convention Center. His campaign was marked by a highly public split from the Sangamon County Republican organization, which originally endorsed Coffey. The ensuing dispute with GOP county chairman Tony Libri, Coffey said, demonstrated that he would be a truly independent mayor… Source: www.sj-r.com 44

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Turner elected Alderman County board member Doris Turner has won the Ward Three council spot, a spot that has been held by Frank Kunz who was forced to relinquish it due to term limits. Kunz finished last in his bid for mayor. During her ten years on the Sangamon County Board Doris Turner has been "Working Hard and Getting Results". She has promoted fiscal responsibility; responded to neighborhood concerns; ensured that governmental services are accessible. Doris Turner has been involved in service to the Springfield community for over thirty years. As a life long resident of the Springfield community, she has worked diligently to make a positive impact throughout her community. Doris has a strong passion for the political process, and has been involved in a number of national, state, and local initiatives and political campaigns. In 2000, she was elected to her first term as a member of the Sangamon County Board to represent County Board District #19, and has been re-elected twice by huge margins. As a member of the County Board, she sits on the Finance Committee, Building & Grounds Committee, Community Resources Committee, Jail Committee, Court Services Committee, Liquor Committee, Public Health Facility Committee and the Health Insurance Board of Managers. She was also very involved in the merger of the City of Springfield and Sangamon County Health Departments and served on oversight committees related to the merger and the consolidation of staff and programs. During her second term she was elected Democratic Floor Leader, a position she continues to hold. Doris believes very strongly in encouraging and supporting other African American women to aspire to elective office. Ms. Turner represents Precinct #119 as a Precinct Committee person, is a member of the Sangamon County Democratic Minority Caucus, First Vice-Chairman of the Sangamon County Democratic Party, President of Central Illinois Democratic Women, 17th Congressional District Service Academy Nominating Committee, and was an elected delegate to the Democrat National Nominating Convention in 1996, 2000 and 2008. She was honored by the Order of the Elks in 2004, honored as Woman of the Year in 2005 by the Sangamon County Northend Democrat Club, the Springfield Branch NAACP awarded her their NAACP Political Action Award in 2006, and she was recognized by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at their Regional Conference in 2007. Doris is employed by the Illinois Department of Public Health where she is the Chief of the Center for Minority Health Services. In this capacity she is responsible for planning, developing, coordinating and implementing agency programs and policies to improve the health status of Illinois minorities and to expand and enhance the relationships between the Department and minority community health organizations, minority grantees, minority health care providers, legislative minority groups and minority interest groups. 45

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Parks is re-elected mayor in East St. Louis EAST ST. LOUIS 窶｢ Metro East voters re-elected Alvin Parks Jr. as mayor of East St. Louis on Tuesday, April 5th overwhelmingly rejected a proposed school sales tax in Madison County and rejected a school consolidation in the Wood River-East Alton-Hartford area by a razor-thin margin. Parks won in a rematch of the 2007 East St. Louis mayoral campaign, receiving about 53 percent of the votes to about 42.7 percent for former mayor Carl Officer. In 2007, Parks was the challenger and Officer was the incumbent. Parks called Tuesday's outcome "a stamp of approval and a vote of confidence to move the city forward and bring about 窶有ife More Abundantly The Turnaround.'" That was his campaign theme. Officer, who operates the Officer Funeral Home in East St. Louis, had been mayor for three terms as mayor beginning in 1979 and another beginning in 2003. In this year's mayoral primary, there were six candidates. Parks received 47 percent of the vote, Delbert Marion got 25 percent and Officer got 24 percent. Marion later dropped out and endorsed Officer.

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Left: Emily M Rasinski April 5, 2011--Napoleon Outlaw of East St. Louis gets help turning in her ballot from student election judge Brittannee William at Clyde C. Jordan Senior Citizen Center in East St. Louis. In Madison County, voters gave a resounding "no" to a proposed 1 percent sales tax that would have been used to fund school construction and repairs and, at the discretion of local school districts, reduce real estate taxes. The sales tax would have been collected countywide but distributed to the school districts based on enrollment. The measure was supported by the regional school superintendent, Robert Daiber, and leadership of all but three of the county's school districts. Proponents said it would have given administrators greater flexibility in addressing facility needs and improved revenue for districts with smaller tax bases. Opponents said the state law that authorized the vote did not require property tax reductions, and they questioned whether schools would follow through on promised abatements. "These were historic results," said Joanne Adams, who chaired an opposition group called Madison County Citizens for Sustainable Education. "We needed to win, and we needed to win big." She said there might be other But Larry Busch, one of the leaders of an organization that promoted the tax proposal, said, "We're disappointed." He explained, "We really do believe it was an opportunity to save on property taxes." Busch said school districts had a strong track record of keeping their promises, but proponents apparently failed to get that message across. By a margin of only 12 votes of nearly 2,300 cast, according to complete but unofficial returns, voters rejected a proposal that would have consolidated the East Alton-Wood River High School, East Alton Elementary and Wood River-Hartford Elementary school districts. Each has its own administration, support staff and faculty. One of the elementary districts uses the middle-school model while the other follows a junior-high approach. Supporters of consolidation said it would save money by reducing overhead costs and help equalize and lower property taxes. They said it would coordinate curriculum and produce better educational outcomes. Voters in that area had rejected consolidation plans several times, most recently about 10 years ago. The vote came at a time when Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is separately promoting a statewide plan that would reduce the number of school districts in Illinois to about 300 from 868. Supporters of that plan say it would save millions of dollars annually. Source: www.STLtoday.com

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Message from the President One Nation, One Dream â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Working Together! Number of U.S. hate groups on the rise, report says

The number of radical right groups in America -including hate groups, "Patriot" groups and nativist groups -- increased in 2010 for the second year in a row, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The organization's quarterly publication, Intelligence Report, said the growth was "driven by resentment over the changing racial demographics of the country, frustration over the government's handling of the economy, and the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories and other demonizing propaganda aimed at various minorities." The SPLC documented 1,002 hate groups operating in the United States in 2010, a 7.5% increase from the year before. It was the first time that more than 1,000 hate groups were recorded since the organization started tracking them in the 1980s. But the biggest growth was in so-called "Patriot" groups, which the organization described as conspiracy-minded groups that see the federal government as their primary enemy. There were 300 new groups like this, an increase of more than 60% from the year before, the report said. A lot of the growth in the Patriot groups came from an increase in the number of militias recorded. There was also a smaller increase in the number of anti-immigrant vigilante groups, SPLC reported. "We were expecting to see the winds out of their sails because of the mainstreaming (of some of the radical right's ideas), but that hasn't been the case," said Mark Potok, director of SPLC's Intelligence Project. He cited developments in the past year such as the passing in Arizona of a restrictive immigration law as an example of extremist ideas being folded into the mainstream. Politicians affiliated with the Tea Party movement have also co-opted some of the extremist groups' agenda, ranging from attacking birthright citizenship to 49

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requiring special permission for federal agents to carry out operations without the local sheriff's consent. But, Potok pointed out, there is a difference between the Tea Party movement and the Patriot movement described in the report. The Tea Party is not considered an extremist or hate group, "but there are some strains of extremism" in it, he said. On the organization's website, there is a new map that includes a list of all the hate groups and extremist organizations operating in each state. The rise of the Patriot groups is especially notable because this is the subset of radical right groups most associated with violence. "The real large criminal plots have come more from Patriot groups than the hate groups," Potok said. As an example, he noted a man with a long history of anti-government activities who was arrested in January in a car filled with explosives outisde a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan. There was also a case of a neo-Nazi who was arrested in January as he headed for the Arizona border with a dozen homemade grenades, and another case where police discovered a plot to bomb a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane, Washington, he said. Join the NAACP. Help us gain and maintain full access to all that our community offers. Hold our political and corporate leaders accountable for extending fair, just opportunities to everyone. Teresa Haley, MPA President Springfield Branch NAACP Teresa Haley may be contacted at: naacp1908@aol.com

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I am personally inviting not just young boaters but the most experienced boater whether you are a pleasure boater or a avid fisherman to go to the FREE BOATERS SAFETY COURSE and/ or FREE HUNTERS SAFETY COURSE.

THE OUTDOORSMAN

Hello Outdoors World! This month I come with a heavy heart! We have lost lives on our waterways that may or should have been prevented! We at Illinois VOICE are dedicating this column to those young people so that their lives will not be lost without purpose. Let me start by saying to the families and friends "Our hearts and prayers go out to you and our Community"! I have been boating now for as long as I remember and I will be the first to tell you that I have been more than excited to get to that all exclusive fishing spot and have forgotten or ignored the first and most important part to the outdoors which is...."THERE IS NO FISH OR WILD-GAME WORTH DYING FOR."

These courses are available Free of charge and you receive a Certificate. In some cases if presented to your insurance company you receive a discount for attendance. Below you will find a schedule of FREE SAFETY COURSES provided by Illinois Department of Natural Resources Certified Instructors. (I am one of those Instructors) Boating Safety Course Saturday 5/7/11 and 5/14/11 at 8am-1pm at CWLP Management Center 200 Elk Drive please call 217 -757-8660 to register (these are two separate classes you must attend one or the other) Hunters Safety Course Friday 5/27/11 at 5:30pm-9:30pm class room and Saturday 5-28-11 8am4pm hands-on classes outside (you must attend them both). located at Williamsville Police Dept 129 S Walnut for registration please call 217-566-3634. You can also go on-line at www.dnr.state.il.us to take the 51

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Boaters Safety Course if you do not have the time to go to class. It is at your own pace and you can come back and finish when you want! Whatever you choose to do please be careful when outdoors. I must recommend please get a lifejacket that fits you! Whatever it cost it is still much less that your life is worth! I hope to see you in class! As always........IF you see it pick it up....If you brought it take it with you....Keep our Outdoors Clean! on outdoors related programs he may be contacted at michaelj_40160@yahoo.com.

“You are in control of your own life and your own destiny. If you change your “mind”, you can change the way you think. By changing the way you think, you can rise to your fullest potential.”

Afi Camara

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Doris Williams 50th Birthday Bash, February 26, 2011

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IAMG Conference 3/24-25/11

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Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Neophytes, March 26, 2011

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Braimah Kanu 60th B-day Party March 2011

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Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Winter Bar-b-que

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Expressions in the Dark, April 1, 2011 @ Nu Look

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We Are One â&#x20AC;&#x201C; At the River I Stand Documentary, April 4th, 2011 @ Pleasant Grove Baptist Church

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State Senate Redistricting Hearing @ State Capital April 6th, 2011

Senator Kwame Roaul, Chairs Redistricting Hearing at State Capitol with Ronald Holmes.

Teresa Haley, President-Springfield Branch NAACP testifying at Redistricting Hearing at the State Capitol.

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Senator Mattie Hunter

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Pat Carpenter, AKA and Teresa Haley, DST testify on behalf of the Divine Nine at Redistricting Hearing in Springfield.

Phyllis Logan, Housing Committee Chair, Chicago-Westside Branch NAACP

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We Are One Rally, April 7th, 2011 at the State Capital

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The Gospel Ministry of The Fantastic Jones Family

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The Fantastic Jones Family is a family group. They began singing in 1969 with founder and Mother – Dora M. Jones; brothers Clifton O. Jones, Robert L. Jones, Jr. and sister Christine Jones. In the early 1970‘s, The Fantastic Jones Family added brother Jerry E. Jones and sisters Patricia A. Jones and Jacqueline L. Jones.

The Family travels throughout the states singing gospel music and sharing their gospel music ministry with others. The states in which they have traveled are inclusive of but not limited to Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, etc. The Family has performed at Park Festivals, Springfield’s Lincoln Fest, Decatur Celebration, Springfield’s New Year’s Eve Celebration, First Night Springfield, Springfield’s Septoberfest, Juneteenth Celebrations, neighborhood block festivals, fund raisers for children‘s houses, political functions, anniversaries in addition to being televised on Bobby Jones Diamond Festival (Las Vegas) and the Bobby Jones East Coast / West Coast Gospel Festival sharing their gospel music ministry. 80

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The Family has performed with and opened for gospel greats such as The Canton Spirituals, Spencer Taylor & the Hiway Q.C.‘s, The Jackson Southernaires, The Williams Brothers, The Mississippi Mass Choir, Dottie Peoples, The Pilgrim Jubilees, Luther Barnes, Doc McKenzie & the Hi-Lites, Lee Williams & the Spiritual Q.C.‘s and Vickie Winans to name a few. The Family currently has five recordings which include “Lord, You Can Depend on Me”, “Hard Times”, “Let’s Praise Him”, “A Message of Hope”, “Praise & Worship with The Family – Thank You For All You’ve Done” and our latest double CD release “God Has Been Good To Me”. The Family is committed to spreading the gospel of Jesus through song. ―We pray that listeners are inspired, uplifted and blessed and the lost saved through the Family‘s ministry. Our ministry performances are spirit-filled, energized, electrifying, exciting and explosive!!!,‖ says Jackie Newman. The Family are active members of New Hope M.B.C. and Fresh Visions Community Church in Springfield, IL where Rev. Robert L. Jones, Jr. is an Associate/Teaching Minister at Fresh Visions Community Church and the Rev. Jerry E. Jones is an Associate Minister at New Hope M.B.C. , the teacher/instructor of the weekly Mid-week Bible Study Class and the Minister of Music. All members are actively involved in various ministries of the church including Sunday School, Youth Ministry, Choir Ministry, Missionary Ministry, Praise & Worship Team leaders, etc. as well as service organizations within the City of Springfield. The group consists of: Brothers: Rev. Robert L. Jones, Jr., Rev. Clifton O. Jones and Rev. Jerry E. Jones; Sisters: Patricia A. Jones-Pittman and Jacqueline L. Jones-Newman; Brother-in-Law: Rev. Anthony T. Crawford, Sr.; Nephew:Clifton J‘Juan O. Jones and Friend: Jabori Coleman. The Fantastic Jones Family may be contacted at (217) 544-6771 or 553-3188. 81

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Words of Inspiration, Inspired WITHIN MY SOUL Deep down inside me I speak to my spirit that lies within. This is where I often go when I want to be far away. I listen and talk to the voices deep in my soul. My heart is comfortable there. I feel so sufficient and content there. I wish you could experience the happiness and joy down in my soul. It’s a place I can go. It's so quiet and still God steps inside and takes control of me. He stirs the fire up from head to toe down inside my soul. My spirit begins to have church within me. I can hear the preacher speaking the gospel in the presence of God’s people. I can hear music, hand clapping and yes songs down in my soul.

As the people stand up and testify, I can hear. I see Happy tears begin

falling everywhere. It makes me think about cool running blue waters. My spirit feels like someone could be baptized and anointed here today as they step out of the cool water. There’s dancing and shouting glorifying their Lord with praise. The sweet Holy Spirit lives so far deep down inside of me. My soul sings out from the temple God made with in me. Joya may be contacted at iamjoya@gmail.com

Urban Professional Lifestyle

April 2011

Urban Professional Lifestyle

April 2011

Press Through the Stress of Your Mess

We are in an hour of great stress. It is as though the enemy wants to keep us in the bondage of great stress whether in our mind, bodies and our spirit. This puts me in mind of the woman with the issue of blood in Matthew the 9th chapter verse 20-22. These are three small verses but full of great power and revelation. The bible states she had been bleeding for twelve years which some scholars attribute this to a condition called endometriosis, which is a female issue that cause great pain during a woman's monthly cycle. I will use my Holy Ghost imagination here concerning the things she must have suffered with. First, lets start off with her mental and emotional state. For twelve years she had to battle daily with pain and discomfort, which left her hormones up one day and down the next leaving her depressed, lonely, unlovable , moody and just plain miserable. During those times you were not permitted to touch a woman while she was on her cycle. She must have felt as though she was an outcast. Just as many of us today deal with issues in our life that will cause others to look at us as black sheep because of issues we have in our lives such as addictions, bad habits and bondage's that may keep us separated from God and the presence of others. After a while, I'm sure her friends gave up on her as well as the healers. She spent all she l had looking for a cure. Now broke, sick and disgusted she must have felt suicidal at one point. I believe one day through all the chitter chatter she heard that Jesus was in town and she gathered up enough strength in her frail physical body and gathered her thoughts together and said to herself, â&#x20AC;&#x2022;I must try something different one more time in hopes that this will be the answer.â&#x20AC;&#x2013; 84

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The bible said that she pressed her way through the crowd. Today the things that we are faced with will cause us to have to press through whatever the situation may be to get the healing or deliverance that we need in order that we may live a life in Jesus that will bring him glory and him alone. When she touched the hem of his garment Jesus realized someone had touched him. In our times of desperation it doesn't matter how we get to Jesus we just need to get there by faith because that God is moved by our faith and not our fears. When we really cry out to Jesus heaven responds to us but this will take a press. Some of you are drained and out of answers and solutions but I dare you to press through and touch the hem of his garment and you will see the results of your faithfulness. Jesus promised us life more abundantly. We as believers can enjoy everyday life, if we believe in God‘s word and know that it will not be returned back ―void.‖. Remember, the promises in God‘s word. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there all the time. We must stay connected to him. If this ministry has been a blessing to you please write me at 3489 Torres St Navarre, Florida 32563 or e-mail me at jenniechalden@yahoo.com and tell me your testimonies. Also, if the Lord speaks to you to sow a seed into this anointing on my life please obey the Lord. He will bless you for your obedience and your sacrifice. Please join me every Wednesday at 5am (cst) for Prayer and Intercession as we pray for the nations, America, troops, Body of Christ, marriages, children & youth, the addicted, abuse etc.... I also take personal prayer requests. I have been seeing the Spirit of Lord move on our behalf in an awesome way over the prayer line. I encourage all prayer warriors and intercessor to join with me. Also, each Tuesday before we fast from 6am-6pm( seek the Lord for personal instructions). Thanks to all those that have supported this ministry through financial gifts, prayer, fasting and intercession.

Urban Professional Lifestyle

April 2011

Extraordinary Living with Author Jo Lena Johnson Excerpt from Chapter 3 “If You Really Want to Live, Be Extraordinary!” Book by Jo Lena Johnson & Dr. Lee Roy Jefferson

Guidance for People: Building & Maintaining Relationships Sometimes we act up. Often times it happens because we just don‘t know better. Other times it happens because we just don‘t care. Well, you have a choice. If you want something to be different, it takes new considerations, new thoughts, planning, practice and the willingness to DO something different. As you consider the lists below, challenge yourself to use them – and share them with others…and EVERYONE can learn from the suggestions given to ―young women.‖ When we start to have and hold to standards and expectations, so do others around us because what you do matters, just like who you are matters! Manhood: Three Things Grown Men Need to Know 1. Mentoring: Mentoring is a key for men because we need a positive person, someone whose values are relatable. This has happened for me. Different people have been models and helped to shape me in terms of my values. From mentoring, come instruction, perspective, and direction. 2. Friendship: Men need to find and increase their friendship with other men. We need other men with whom to talk, share, and study and to enjoy positive, wholesome recreation. When things happen in our lives, we need another male to talk to - to receive instruction and gain perspective. A close circle of friends with whom we share valuable, quality time can be such a resource. 3. The Value of Gender Differences: Men need to recognize and appreciate gender differences – understand that they exist … then really ―get‖ the conflict of the old and new nature. The issue of commitment/non-commitment still looms, as many do not know/show our duties and responsibilities as a men. We simply need perspective and tools to learn how to master the role. To grow away from dominating and controlling, we need to understand that men and women are different ...The ―old nature‖ is to dominate and control, but ―the new nature‖ is to help, serve, and encourage… 86

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April 2011 3 Tips to Help Women with Your Men: 1. Encourage your man: Compliment him to lift him up as a unique and valuable person. Consistently show him and tell him how much he matters to you and to your family. 2. Be there: Motivate him to lift him in spirit by being there when you are needed in a relationship that you share, and not control. Exercise patience and insight. The power of presence in mind and spirit, not just physical presence, has meaning. 3. Listen: Let him know you are listening. Talk to your mate. Be ―relatable,‖ but also be a good listener. Remember, at times, that a strong woman, because of her focus in trying to convey a message and achieve solution, can sometimes lose the ability to listen when she should really listen and not talk. Women, it is invaluable when you can simply listen and demonstrate, ―I‘m here, and I‘m being supportive.‖ A man finds value in that trait. 3 Tips to Help Women Communicate with Men: 1. Be sensitive to the tone of your voice: Avoid a harsh, demanding, and authoritative tone in communicating with men. When a woman uses such a tone, men may be made to feel uncomfortable and threatened. They will consider the woman to be controlling. When you are sure and confident in who you are and what you desire, your tone tends to be less harsh, more acceptable, and relatable because you have nothing to prove. 2. Dress the part: ―Anything goes‖ is the wrong guide. It's the wrong attitude. Be guided by the purpose and function of where you are going to determine your style of dress. Kindly avoid the wrong attire. Represent the feminine, dignified traits of women in all contexts. 3. Seek healing: Do not delay the process of attempting to heal when you are hurt. There is a Healer for your hurts. ―Seek healing,‖ means that, whether you or another female have experienced injury, hurt, or physical or emotional abuse, you will not accept it nor hold it in your heart without seeking healing from the hurt. An illustration is the 2009 incident of Chris Brown and Rhianna. The incident signaled the presence of dominant and controlling personalities within their relationship, with poor results and tragic consequences of abuse. Dominant and controlling personalities can be a problem in every area of life, including the workplace where dealing with the overbearing employer‘s attitudes and actions toward employees can also result in tragedy. Young Women: When Dealing with Men and Selecting a Mate 1. Know and be yourself: You must know who you are. ―Act‖ who you are – respectable and a valuable, precious child of God who deserves support, 87

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April 2011 encouragement, and good treatment. That sets the foundation for your relationship to another person. 2. Have and hold to goals: Know your goals. Be clear on them and your direction. Stay with them as you meet potential mates. 3. Be discerning: Practice screening. Women once screened men to see if they qualified for a sound relationship, and if they found that they were not qualified, women said ―next‖ and moved on. Sadly, this is not true now in many instances. Screen the man you meet by asking basic questions when you meet him. Questions to ask:     

Who are you? What have you done? Where are you headed? What have been your associations, experiences, and who has influenced them? What are you doing now?

These questions, along with behavior that you observe, will help you to discover if he is the type of person who can complement you and help you be your best. Once you have answers to these questions, and you have seen with your ―real eyes,‖ determine if the person is a possible asset or liability. 4. Don’t “express love” before receiving a commitment:—Every time that couples share or ―express love‖ before a commitment, the relationship is poised for sabotage. The woman needs to receive a commitment. This practical and logical expectation is being distorted and misunderstood in today‘s culture, especially by young women. Just because a young man washes his car, takes a bath, dresses well, and spends $150 on a date, there should be no commitment, obligation, or responsibility on a woman‘s part owed to a man, because he behaved, the way a gentleman does. If the woman does the proper screening, this negative situation will probably not come up. Author Jo Lena Johnson is a Trainer, Speaker, and the Managing Partner of Absolute Good Training & Life Skills Management. Jo Lena teaches people how to become better leaders and better communicators through training sessions for corporate, community and church organizations and also personalized coaching programs for individuals and groups. Call to schedule your workshop, retreat or seminar 240.644.2500. The book, ―If You Really Want to Live, Be Extraordinary!‖ is available at www.jolenajohnson.com.

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April 2011

Author Jo Lena Johnson on a mission for Good ... Absolute Good!

and author. She may be contacted at:

nd Candy Sarah T. McGee is an entrepreneur 89

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Mind Candy SWAG: Appearance, Style, Or How You Carry Yourself What is swagger? What does it mean to have swag? What makes someone recognize your swag? Possessing swag takes a conscious effort. A person can SWAG UP by obtaining and executing swag-able traits. High self-esteem, confidence, and the ability to remain calm under pressure are all swag worthy actions. Your confidence has a lot to do with the way people perceive you. Being comfortable in the skin youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;re in speaks volumes. A person with swag should also behave in a way that would automatically command attention and that demands respect. Swagger can be shown in the way a person handles a situation. In my family we have a saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2022;no matter the situation the main thing is "DON'T PANIC". Your swag can't be weak to pull this off. My company, Urban Royalty, has a motto; "LIVE the LIFE you have always IMAGINED". This can be translated in many ways but I mean it in the sense that I want each person to be exactly who they want to be in life. Whether you are working, going to school, or parenting rock your swag. Remember life is a gift and not a promise. Sarah may be contacted at: babeesis9@yahoo.com 90

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There is a reason for all seasons Springtime is here. The beautiful nascent flower gardens with array of colors will soon decorate many yards. Mother Nature will bring about a gorgeous change of scenery. What a perfect time to plug into nature‘s constant evolutions of change. Seasons are the perfect time to take a good look at our evolving lives. Traditionally in January we make New Year‘s Resolutions, and often times by the end of the month we revert back into our old habits. Take the opportunity this springtime to ―check ourselves‖. What do we need to change, eliminate, or improve on?.. we are evolving beings. There is always room for growth whether, spiritually, emotionally, or physically. Like most of our New Year‘s Resolutions we find excuses for not making positive changes. Lack of motivation can inhibit our ability to transform, or we discover this takes an enormous amount of energy and is not easily done. Oftentimes situations in our lives create the need for transformation. We must go through something uncomfortable or painful in order to create the drive for change. So why do individuals become complacent? Does that mean their lives are pain free? The answer to this question has been answered many times ―no pain, no gain‖. Many individuals do not allow themselves to leave their comfort zones. Our lives mimic the seasons. Sunny days create joy. Rainy days create endurance, and stormy days create strength. We need to experience all three weather changes to grow contrary to what we might read on Facebook. Remember, Facebook is surface. Technology which is intended to enhance our lives, are oftentimes used destructively. Remember do not look for motivation from surface clichés such as ―I‘m doing me‖ there is no need to ―re-event the wheel‖. Take a holistic approach such as Mother Nature, spirituality, and counseling which has been around for centuries. Before transformation can be made in our lives there are a few factors that need to be present. First, we must perceive that a transformation is necessary. 91

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Oftentimes this perception is attached with discomfort or pain strong enough to motivate us to change. Secondly, we must acknowledge what it is we need to do to constitute change and have the strength to achieve it! Finally, we must be ready and willing to open our minds, heart, and souls for new beginnings. This cycle should be continuous with every new season creating stronger, taller, and wiser beings. Allow the cycle of life which represents a ―circle‖ to create transformation. Let love form your circle, motivate and strengthen you. The circle will represent what you cannot do alone ―you‖ can with others. Finally, love may not always come from a traditional source; however, love the ones who are willing to love you… ―provide it and receive it‖. And if your circle is unhealthy, have the strength to boldly eliminate it. We must always be willing to be true to ourselves, even if that means going against the grain. Once you have answered these three simple questions, look for your guidance in whatever holistic approach you have chosen such as; Mother Nature, spirituality, or counseling. A holistic approach has proven to work over the centuries. Mary Mary, said it best “I got to get myself together cause I got somewhere to go!” Do you want to go higher economically, spiritually, mentally, or become healthier? Then let springtime represent ―getting ourselves together‖ so we can go! Sylphia Lindsay is an author and Mental Health Therapist. She may be contacted at: sylja1ct@yahoo.com.

Urban Professional Lifestyle

April 2011

live, learn, love and laugh A New Day How difficult is it to exude positive energy and spirit in all that you do? This question seems to be one that should be fairly simple to answer. When you wake in the morning, what is the first thought that you allow to into your psyche? Do you thank Him for all that you have overcome. Are you thankful for seeing yet another day? Or, are you the type of person that wakes up thinking about yourself and specific tasks of the day? How do you handle your hardships? What kind of relationships are you building? Do you consider the individuals in that ―relationship‖ a friend or an acquaintance? What‘s happening in your life as a result of these relationships in your day- today life? Do you view them as obstacles or opportunities for growth? I have found that when I awake; I always thank God by saying, ―Hallelujah Father for waking me up!‖ first and foremost. Depending on what life throws my way on any particular day, I may think about the events of the previous day and how to prevent my new day from remotely resembling anything prior. I have found that the laws of attraction can be extremely positive or detrimental. I say that because your thoughts become things. What you think can bring forth strength, courage, positivity and a likeness in an individual or situation that can 93

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absolutely turn an enormous mountain into a miniscule mound of dust that can be quickly blown away. What I experience daily is that people are envious of what they see in you that they themselves cannot become. If you are one that exudes confidence and dons a smile, no matter what you‘re faced with, you will have people that will try to bring out ―the other you‖. You have to remain positive and let the spirit of the Lord show through you. They will make every attempt to be like you, but they will fail, due to their shortcomings. That is their problem, not yours. They will have to learn to accept themselves and the gifts they‘ve been given. Until then, envy will begin to play a secret role in the way that individual handles you. So, it is important to choose your friends and acquaintances wisely whether it is in the work place, or personal space. A grave mistake would be to go blindly into a relationship, whether platonic or intimate, male or female; without boundaries being set. That way, no one will have any expectations or feel misled. Make every attempt to do things in love. Focus on what you want not what you don‘t want. Remember, your thoughts become things. Ladies remember: you don‘t have to show your teeth to every man you meet. But, you should always let your light shine. Know that you were chosen to endure, to be talked about, ridiculed and stumble for a reason and with a price. God has you at this level for a reason. What you‘re going through is not for you. It is for someone else to see the good in you while you‘re ―growing through‖. We have to realize that we cannot go to the next level in our lives until we have mastered the level we‘re at now. The only way to do that is to stop fighting the people that are the loudest, most negative influences and turn them away with your positive spirit and smile. I have learned to accept the ―truth-aches‖ for what they are. Maya Angelou once shared a thought with Oprah that made perfect sense, “when someone shows you who they are the first time; believe them.” Embrace your situation with the confidence, positivity and spirit of boldness that only God can give; then live, learn, love and laugh loud. You deserve it. Jasira is a freelance writer and may be contacted at: specialedition.th@gmail.com

Urban Professional Lifestyle

April 2011

Razing Teen Sons By Raawâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;el Letrice Ware As a single mother of four sons I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Now that my sons have gotten older, I can see that I also did a lot of things right. With God on our side together we demonstrate love and respect to each other but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s not always easy. I think many parents who have more than one child can identify when I say, I made way more mistakes and poor choices with my first sons than I did with the other ones. My first son was the one who endured many test projects as far as rules and freedom is concerned. I allowed him far more opportunities but I was also stricter and more dependent upon him when his brothers came along because it was often just me and the boys. As a single mother we tend to lean harder for support and balance on that first born. My son was placed in an adult role too many times. He had to miss school when the others were sick because we have no family in Springfield or friends upon which we could call. This made our family close in the end but it sure made my eldest son resentful. It affected his attitude about school as well. In order to draw us closer together and to demonstrate to my sons that I was serious about how much I love each of them, and I wanted affective change, I spoke to them about baptism and establishing a closer relationship with God. Today April 4, 2011, my four sons and I celebrate 7 years of a spiritual life. My oldest son was reluctant initially. I explained to them with the Hebrew bible that this was not just a custom but a way to ask Almighty GOD to cleanse us and help us to live right. I told them to also be prepared for the war that will surely come upon each of them/us as the enemies of this world would work hard to trip us up and lie about things that will tempt our faith. My home became a battle ground shortly after. I had seen the smoke manifesting just before the fiery blaze was unleashed in my oldest son. Division entered my home and put my oldest son against us and the world. He stole, lied, fought, and ran away many times. He had been getting into trouble at school just before this. He was so bitter and angry at me because I was preoccupied with things that caused me to neglect my responsibility as a mother. I was so remorseful about 95

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things and choices I had made, I was willing to become really honest with my boys trusting Almighty GOD to heal the wounds and re-establish my family. This was only after my son had run away. I couldn‘t get him to return without causing more detachment, animosity and hate. And, I didn‘t want that. Change hurts. Truth hurts as well, BUT time and love heals broken hearts. Love has stepped in tremendously for us. Today my oldest son and my other three boys and I are super close. I can SEE clearly the growth and maturity in each of them as they can also see and feel it in me. I have no regrets as I look toward the future and leave the past behind. This writing doesn‘t mean we are free from disagreements, it means we have let go of the past, been healed by GOD and we are mature enough today to just Love one another through the challenges. I wrote a poem to my oldest son just shortly after the baptism. HE is a great man with a great heart. He also has a wonderful son of his own. My oldest son and I have a great relationship that I wouldn‘t trade for the world. It‘s not easy raising children but we must not give up on striving for sound healthy honest relationships. And this starts at home. Stay connected, I will share more on Razing Teen sons in the next issue. Be blessed. My Son Why: A Mother’s Prayer My son, why? Why do you make me cry? -Why do you try to lie? Why is it hard for you -To do the things you need to do? My son, my son Why? My son why? Why such manipulation - And very little conversation? You show little appreciation. -You take for granted your education My son why. My son I work hard to buy you the things you need My desire is only to see you succeed But through my chest my heart does bleed You have developed a character of disrespect and greed My son why? My son Why? I‘ve instilled in you the Mighty Word -But your behavior is absurd! Why do you think obedience is for nerds - Why do you treat me like a terd? My son– My son why? My son, life does not last for long. -I know you think you‘re right and I‘m always wrong But Mama knows best and this is true. I've begged until my face is blue Before I pass into my grave. -I hope you understand the meaning of being saved I can‘t make you choose the better way -But every night I lay awake and pray. Tonight, I will dry my tears once more -As I end this prayer and get off the floor ―God bless my child and help him understand -Guide his steps as he becomes a man‖ Everything in the world is not really what it seems -My son I love you so much please, do the right thing For D1 with Great Love Boo, ―I‖ Believe in YOU Raaw‘el may be contacted at: raawwords@yahoo.com.

Urban Professional Lifestyle

April 2011

The Way I See It By Meier Lathan

Let’s Do It The best way for anyone to combat the negative stereotypes is to first understand the meaning of stereotypes.

Webster’s defines

stereotypes as ―generalizations or assumptions that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image that is usually wrong of what people in that group are alike. Why is that we are judged by our appearance? You can have locks in your hair, a Bob Marley shirt, and some not fitted jeans and people assume you are a blunt smoking thug. When in all actually you are a college graduate from Ivy League school. People really need to stop judging each other and actually get to know one another. The best way to handle stereotypes is to contradict them. Show each person that they are an individual person. Getting to know each other personally also helps break down negative images. People tend to find out they actually have things in common with each other. We all mostly have the same goals… the want to live comfortable. We want our children to grow up in a safe environment and into respectable adults. We all have families that we care about. We need to learn we share the same types of fear or sadness. We need to understand most of us are afraid of being hurt and doesn‘t like death of a loved one. We are all humans and stereotypes dehumanize the person or group. We also need to start empathizing with each other that we never know what a person has been through until we start walking in that person shoes. One way to combat stereotypes is to speak up and stop walking in silence about the issues at hand. Back in the 50‘s or 60‘s our people used to stand up for what we believed 97

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April 2011 in. We don‘t have to do it violently but we can speak love, and stop getting walked over. We don‘t need to change who we are, just our way of thinking. We also need to start loving ourselves and our people. We are so quick to bring each other down instead of uplifting each other. How are we going to get respect if we don‘t respect each other? We have to stop taking our own possessions and lives. We have to stop killing each other. As everybody can see the media doesn‘t care if a person of a minority that dies is Black, Hispanic, or an Asian. Many go through life trying to handle everyday situations in ways that go unnoticed such as not getting fired from their job or even going to jail. As a whole, we talk among ourselves about the problem only when an event causes us to like police brutality or the election of our current president Barack Obama. This is an ongoing and unaddressed issue. We are taught at young age how to act in front other people-other people meaning ―white people‖. We are also taught that we have to speak to whites more politely and act more ―proper‖ when we are around whites especially if they have power. We need to talk that way to everyone to make sure nobody feels they have more authority than the next person. Likewise, Black children are often labeled in school as unruly and lazy and as ignorant. We also have to stop looking at people by color, because now in these days there is such a mix of race we don‘t know what a person is. We should stop trying to prove ourselves to other people. They should do what they need to do to survive. I tell my younger cousins all the time, one thing a person can‘t take is your mind so stay in school and go to college. In my column I will strive to write for the people. What people you ask? All people Black, White, Latino, Asian, young, and old. Whoever wanted to express themselves but never knew how I am that person. I will help you write your thoughts out, rants, raves, or whatever you want to talk about. So email me whahappen2us@yahoo.com, Facebook me ―Myair Notayours‖, or Tweet ―Myair Jordans‖ what‘s on your mind and what you want the world to know. WHATEVER you want…‖cuz I aint never scared (n my lil Jon voice)‖

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April 2011

Inspired by You By Jael Mack Where is Inspiration when you need it? Finding the strength And energy to get out of bed Pillow over your head And loathing the motions That this day will bring Or you've gotten out of bed And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s all slow motion ahead Not enough energy to deal with the day As it has already started on a sour note This is how a lot of individuals start their day Often wondering what has gone wrong Where has the inspiration gone? Has it ever been there? Through the years a steady decline of motivation and inspiration among people has invaded our society, even within myself sometimes. How realistic is it to be inspired all the time? If you ask some people, it isn't a reality anymore nor has it ever been. This programmed thinking starts in a dark place deep in the depths of happiness. There's always this doubt or worry in the belly of content that is always waiting to rear its ugly head. Inspiration is not always easy to obtain and in most cases it comes with hard work but surprisingly' it's easy to DESTROY. Dream Killers come in all forms and a lot of the time they are the masters of disguise and come wrapped in the prettiest box with the big beautiful bow. This is just a distraction for what lies inside. Defeat comes to us but doesn't have to be of us. The economy is one of the things that I find to be the biggest contributor to lack of motivation and inspiration. Gas prices soaring, food prices on the rise, taxes everywhere you turn, foreclosures, unemployment and in the city of Chicago crime is at an alarming rate. Living through all these situations can make one shout and cry out in agony!!! Blinded by potential defeat, Inspiration is not what one sees. So, how do you obtain happiness and stay motivated within these everyday obstacles? We forget what makes us happy in time of trouble and trials. Find that place again. Start to get back to that one thing or in some cases several things that bring you joy such as music, dancing, writing, skating, sewing, religion, family and friends, etc. Find your muse in life. All is not bad. Although it may seem too dark to see, the light is there and it has always been. Believe it or not Inspiration is one thing that continues to make the world go round. Everyone is inspired by something or someone. Happiness and peace are within reach. You just have to find the road that leads you back to living the best life you can. You only get one life and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s way too short be miserable. Ready, Set, LIVE! Jael mack may be contacted at: jenesiamcnair@yahoo.com

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April 2011

Jackie Joyner Kersee 1988 Olympics (Seoul, South Korea, 1988)

Photo by Reuters

Greatness !! With Greatness comes Responsibility. At BFA Energy Solutions we are committed to Greatness!! ... bringing the best alternative energy solutions to market. We are also committed to providing an enhanced quality of life for the residents in the communities In which we operate. We pledge to:    

Create Green Jobs Pay Competitive Salaries with Benefits Invest in K-12 Sustainability Programs Increase Local Tax Receipts Committmented to Innovation and Community

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Eulogy for Manning Marable

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One of the influential black-studies professor's many protĂŠgĂŠs describes with affection the extraordinary talent and the endearing eccentricities of a true Pan-Africanist and scholar-activist. By Russell Rickford From left: Manning Marable, Adrienne Clay and Russell Rickford (John Rickford) Near the end of his life, W.E.B. Du Bois, father of all black scholars, dedicated himself to fulfilling a longdeferred dream: the completion of an encyclopedia of the transnational black experience. Du Bois envisioned a document that would chronicle the life and history of Africans throughout the Diaspora, a monumental resource for Pan-African consciousness and collective resistance. Du Bois died in 1963 as the project was getting under way. But the soul of his Encyclopedia Africana continued to inhabit his spiritual descendants. One of the most illustrious of those heirs, scholar-activist Manning Marable, was first afflicted with a Du Boisian passion for the black Diaspora as a bibliophile and aspiring race man growing up in Dayton, Ohio, in the 1950s and '60s. Upon becoming a precocious blackstudies professor in the 1970s, he embarked upon a life of struggle, infecting thousands of emerging scholars and activists with the same chronic condition: an obsession with black history and culture, a longing for black freedom. I am one of the thousands of intellectual sons and daughters of Marable. He brought me to Columbia University for graduate study from the San Francisco Bay area in Northern California, where I was finishing a biography of Dr. Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's wife. He introduced me to my future wife, Adrienne Clay, 102

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in the fall of 2002 when we were both researchers for Marable's Malcolm X Project. He oversaw my doctoral dissertation on an intellectual history of black powerera liberation schools and molded me into a historian and political theorist. Like many who studied under Marable at Columbia's Institute for Research in African-American Studies, which he founded in 1993, I accepted the task implicit in his life and work: the sharing of knowledge as a way to help liberate those oppressed by class and color. Tomorrow I return to that mission; Marable would accept no less. Today, though, I am lost. My mentor has gone over to the ancestors, and I miss him terribly. It is appropriate that a remembrance of Marable invoke Du Bois' vision; Marable was himself something of an encyclopedia Africana. His epic knowledge of the black Diaspora never failed to stun those who heard him lecture, whether at a podium during one of the frequent appearances to which he too readily consented, or during everyday conversations. Marable offered disquisitions on race, culture and politics that expertly illuminated the mechanisms of injustice and left you burning with indignation, glowing with inspiration and ready to take to the streets -- or hustle to your computer. I always threatened, half jokingly, to sneak a tape recorder into one of my freewheeling sessions with Marable during his office hours. Transcribed verbatim, any one of his impromptu elucidations of the black experience might have served as an interdisciplinary thesis worthy of submission to the world's finest dissertation committees. Marable once explained to me that in the 1960s and '70s, when he was coming of age intellectually and politically, no black historian worth his salt could confine himself to the narrow study of a particular period or geographical region. That was the era of decolonization and Pan-Africanism, when black folk around the world were reinventing themselves as sovereign people. How could you call yourself an Africana scholar and not recognize blackness as a global awakening -- one that had been a long time coming? Marable thus belongs to a breed that, if not 103

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necessarily dying, is fading fast. He was on the young end of a generation of brothers and sisters who emerged from the 1960s infused with the original, activist concept of Afro-American studies as an enterprise practiced not by bourgeois careerists but by warrior-intellectuals dedicated to liberating the Diaspora. Marable was always wreathed by the ghosts of black protest past; you never knew exactly when Ida B. Wells, C.L.R. James or Du Bois himself would again enlist him as their interlocutor. He elegantly channeled their democratic visions of social change, placing you in that glorious lineage and letting you revel in its embrace. For young intellectuals like myself, forged in the neo-black nationalist crucible of 1990s hip-hop and nudged toward democratic socialism by the global devastation of Reaganite neoliberalism, Marable represented the consummate public intellectual, the ultimate engaged scholar. He refused to dwell easily within the "ebony tower," striving instead to mingle his interpretive energies with the vernacular wisdom of the people, whether that mission took him to down-home country churches, shabby community centers or bleak, maximum-security prisons. For all his travels and accolades, Marable seemed most delighted by the warm applause and sprawling questions (all of them variations on "How we gonna get free?") that he received in such settings. To these and other spaces Marable brought his progressive convictions. His feminism, class analysis and commitment to workers and the poor were elements as intimately Marablesque as the distressed briefcase and bungeed handcart that careened behind him as he trudged up Amsterdam Avenue en route to his Manhattan office. I will always acknowledge my political and intellectual debt to Marable the scholar-activist. But today I remember the man I never seemed capable of referring to simply as "Manning," though many of his students did. I remember his outfits, those khaki short sets in the summer, the gleam of his shins when he badly needed more sun. I remember his prodigious gossip. Damn, that man could gossip! Marable would prattle on and on, disclosing (with no real prompting, and with little concern for redundancy) the most salacious tales about grown folks -- famous or semifamous people he knew -while you stood there, horrified.

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I remember Marable's smile, that kindly, shining expanse of underbite, and the endearing gawk you received when you told him anything even vaguely surprising. I remember his flourishing gesticulations, especially the rolling hand, a sure indication that he found insightful or simply appreciated whatever point you were making at the time. The swifter the hand-roll, the greater his approval. When that orbiting hand slowed, you knew you were veering off course. Marable's exuberance occasionally got the better of him. To hear him tell it, he was always on the verge of some tremendous coup, some unparalleled feat of institution building that would ennoble black America (or at least nearby Harlem) and catapult his graduate students to academic fame. You were always enthralled by his quixotic plans, despite your better judgment, and you found yourself floating out his office door, eager to meet the new day that he so lovingly described. Marable was a weaver of dreams. He had more energy, more big ideas, more notions of how to set us all free, than two lifetimes could contain. Few scholars have proved more prolific, both as intellectuals and as mentors of legions of admiring students. I will miss Marable's generosity and the example of his unfaltering work ethic. I will miss his encouragement. Yet if, as teacher and activist, I am someday able to motivate and inspire young people as profoundly as has Marable, I suspect that he will be right there with me, grinning broadly, his hand spinning like crazy. Russell Rickford is an assistant professor of history at Dartmouth College; the biographer of Dr. Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's wife; and the editor of Beyond Boundaries: The Manning Marable Reader.

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Obama Launches New iPhone App

The Obama Campaign has launched its newest iPhone application in anticipation of the launch of the 2012 election. Obama is a clear user of the iPhone himself, as this picture shows, but it is the administration‘s hope that this newest iPhone incarnation will him another four years. There is no denying that each election brings more sophisticated campaigning techniques, and Obama‘s election was largely due to a combination of a grass roots movement and the embracing of new technologies. One might go so far as to say that it was these two things that handed him his resounding victory. The app is free and available now from the App Store. ―This is just the beginning of what we‘ll be doing with mobile this year,‖ said another Obama staffer. ―We have ambitious plans that we‘re excited to show as this year rolls on.‖ The features this staffer was referring to:      

Local event alerts and the opportunity to RSVP directly from the application. Both Local and National Election news that can be directly shared via Facebook and Twitter A huge collection of Photos and Videos ―Call Congress‖ feature that not only gives you your congressperson‘s number but issues that he or she will be voting on in the near future. The opportunity to donate The app reorganizes your contacts into ―Battleground States‖ and will allow you to call presumably to convince them to vote for Obama directly from the application. 106

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President Obama to Host Facebook Town Hall Meeting By Lyndra Vassar

Just days after launching his 2012 reelection campaign, President Obama is making yet another successful push for social media in the White House. He recently announced plans to host an open town hall meeting via Facebook on April 20. The meeting - which will feature Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg - will focus on the nation's economy and budget outlook. While the actual event will take place at the sites' headquarters in Palo Alto, California, the president will answer user-generated questions livestream for anyone logged onto Facebook. The digital gathering aims to connect the president with "Americans across the country to discuss ways to "put our economy on a more responsible fiscal path," the White House Facebook page reads. Facebook will be choosing user questions for the meeting so if there's something you're dying to ask the president, now's your chance -just click here to submit a question or comment for the event. 107

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Facebook now lets you 'unfriend' from anywhere By John D. Sutter, CNN

Facebook now allows users to "unfriend" people from an iPhone app.

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(CNN) -- Anxious to reject some of your digital friends while on the go? Facebookâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s update to its iPhone app, released Monday, makes this easier by adding a new feature that lets people "unfriend" each other. Previously, Facebook only allowed users to cull their friend lists from the Web, meaning most people did this task from home instead of from phones. When Facebook announced this update on its "Facebook for the iPhone" Facebook page, more than 4,500 people indicated they "liked" the news. "Amazing update. Now i can unfriend!!!" one user posted on iTunes, in a review under the heading "yes yay woohoo." While bloggers have picked out the "unfriend" feature as the one that's most fun to talk about, and make fun of, most commenters on Facebook's page on Tuesday were discussing other features of the updated app. Among the other changes: Event check-ins: Facebook's app already let people share their locations with friends, but not it's easier than before to "check in" to a particular event, like a friend's birthday party of a concert. Friend map: Now you can see where you Facebook friends are -- on a map. This assumes your friends are using the app to check in to various locations. Facebook doesn't broadcast your location unless you tell it to. NBC's "Digital Life" blog says the app also seems faster: "Based on a brief trial run, the updated app works as advertised and even feels slightly speedier than before -- though that could just be my imagination." Not everyone got that impression, however. One Facebook commenter wrote: "Much slower.. nothing works... everything keeps 'loading' someone just took a good thing, and ruined it!" CNET says the check-in map is a "useful embellishment: "Just click a friend's name in the Activity view of your Places list and you'll see a thumbnail that plots the location of his or her latest check-in on a Google Map. Tap the map to expand it to full-screen size." TechCrunch likes the update but wonders what's next: "So, the next question: when is this functionality coming to Android? Facebook wouldn't give a specific date when we talked to them a few weeks ago. This continues the trend of Android playing second fiddle to the iPhone in terms of functionality." And, while we're talking about the future, the app update has again inspired complaints about the fact that Facebook doesn't have an iPadspecific app.

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Jay-Z Expands His Brand With Website 'Life and Times' By Brett Johnson

Curating things that connote cool culture, Jay-Z enters the online fray today with LifeandTimes.com, a site that's like a virtual guide to hipness with legitimate editorial content. What took him so long to make his presence felt online is anyone's guess, but Hov (and his SC Enterprises company) has taken another huge leap in broadening his brand with this new culture and lifestyle Website. Although it's slow to load at times now, the site features his highbrow (and deep pocketed) tastes in design and art, as well as coverage of sports, music and just about anything else that can be considered cool-kid essential. We're talking features on Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch (natch), ultra-modern furniture from Orange Skin, a Q&A with Wells Stellberger, the footwear guru who does Heutchy's (pronounced Hi-chy) luxe lace-ups, and compelling video profiles of 'It' folks such as 17-year-old soccer prodigy Charles Renken and "Style Guy" Glenn O'Brien. The good folks at Mashable reported that the site recalls iPad app, Aweditorium, which was created by the same heads behind music streaming site TheSixtyOne.

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Cold case: The murder of Louis Allen By Steve Kroft

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Steve Kroft investigates the civil rights era killing of Louis Allen Play CBS Video Video The murder of Louis Allen Steve Kroft's 18-month investigation into a 47-yr.old murder in a Mississippi town sheds light on an unsolved civil rights killing near the top of the FBI's list.

(CBS News)- The family of Louis Allen is convinced a former sheriff had a hand in his 1964 murder. The FBI had enough interest in the sheriff to try to get the former lawman to take a lie detector test that he refused. But Daniel Jones, the former sheriff, denies he had anything to do with the 47-yr.-old racial murder some credit with sparking the famous "Freedom Summer" civil rights campaign. It happened in Liberty, Miss., where Steve Kroft went during an 18-month investigation into Allen's unsolved murder that was broadcasted on "60 Minutes.â&#x20AC;&#x2013; Allen, a black World War II veteran who helped civil rights workers, was shot to death just before he could move away from Liberty. He wanted to escape the harassment and threats he endured for talking to the FBI about witnessing the murder of a black civil rights volunteer. Sheriff Jones investigated Allen's murder; he found no suspects. "60 Minutes" approached Jones on his farm with a hidden camera. In a cordial conversation, the former sheriff said there was no bad blood between him and the victim, that he had investigated it and knew Allen was murdered, but he did not want to discuss it further. He did answer more of Kroft's questions, however. Was he in the Ku Klux Klan? "I take the Fifth on that," he replies. Could he look Kroft in the eye and say he had nothing to do with the murder? "No sir, I wasn't involved in it," he says. Told he could clear the whole thing up by taking a lie detector test, Jones tells Kroft, "Well, then it ain't getting cleared up." The FBI says it hopes to clear up the Allen case, and 100 more like it, with a project it calls the "Cold Case Initiative." The idea is to re-investigate unsolved murders from the civil rights era, and according to the FBI, Allen's is one of the most promising. That's because there's plenty of circumstantial evidence pointing to Jones.

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Left: Hank Allen points to where his father was assassinated. Chief among that evidence is a tape-recorded interview with a Liberty resident named Alfred Knox, who told a Southern historian named Plater Robinson that his son-in-law, Archie Weatherspoon, saw Jones kill Allen. Neither Knox nor Witherspoon, both dead now, ever told law enforcement what they knew, says Robinson. "The theory that Sheriff Jones killed Louis Allen has been in the public domain for quite some time," says Cynthia Deitle of the FBI's Civil Rights Division, who headed up the Cold Case Initiative until a few weeks ago. "The FBI would be remiss in our duties if we did not pursue that theory," Deitle says. It's no theory to Allen's son, Hank, who found his father's body. He says he witnessed Jones repeated harassment of his father. On one occasion, he said he watched Jones break his father's jaw with a flashlight. After Louis Allen was murdered, Hank Allen says, "[Jones] told my mom, that if Louis had just shut his mouth that he wouldn't be laying there on the ground." Asked by Kroft whether he believes Jones killed his father, Allen replies, "Yes, indeed...If he didn't do it, he was the entrepreneur of it." Kroft went to the Liberty drugstore to ask about the murder. There he found Charles Ravencraft, who was vice president of "Americans for the Preservation of the White Race," a Ku Klux Klan front group, at the time of Allen's murder. Kroft asked Ravencraft if the KKK was around at the time of Allen's murder. "Sure. They were here," he replies, but when asked whether he was a member, he tells Kroft, "It wouldn't a been a Klan if you done tell everybody what your business was." Ravencraft said he had no idea who killed Allen, but gave this opinion of him: "He lived a lot longer than I thought he'd a lived...he was a little overbearing. I don't think civil rights had anything to do with it." But another man in the drugstore with Ravencraft, Winbourne Sullivan, says, "I think there are people who know what happened and who did it...but they're not willing to talk about it...You'll never find out." The FBI's Deitle, who keeps a photo of Allen on her desk, agrees with Sullivan that someone knows something. She has investigated the murder recently and come up empty, mostly because nobody was willing to talk about it. But she still has hope and determination. "The case bothers me. I feel like we failed, and not just the FBI, but law enforcement," says Deitle. Kroft and one of the producers of the story, Sumi Aggarwal, speak about their experience reporting this segment in a special Web-only feature that will be available Sunday evening at 60MinutesOvertime.com 113

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Farrakhan Defends Qaddafi, Warns Of Destruction WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan issued a challenge and delivered guidance to the next generation of Black leaders on the campus of Howard University here April 2. The campus hosted a four-day conference bringing together leaders from several historically Black colleges and universities to discuss the direction of student activism in preparation to solve problems plaguing the Black community. Minister Farrakhan's message to the students was titled ―Channeling Our Intelligence and Creative Energy to Save Ourselves.‖ ―As an elder—if you will—I could not help but feel great joy over what I heard from these young giants of ours,‖ said Minister Farrakhan after taking the stage to a rousing standing ovation at a packed Cramton Auditorium. ―This probably is one of the sweetest moments that I have had in a long, long time,‖ he added. ―As I look at the condition of our people—not so much the learned class that have fit in, not so much the brilliant millionaires and billionaires that seem to have made it, but when I look at the condition of the masses of our people, I wonder what will I leave when God calls me in, and what can I do in the remaining time that I have to prepare these young giants for what you are going to face,‖ said Min. Farrakhan. ―The future of our people is in your hands, but what kind of future will we have if you don't know the present and understand what is happening in the world around you? What kind of future can you build if you don't know the past for the present is built upon the past and the future is built upon the present, so if you don't know the time and the dictates of the time, then your college years will only be a social experience and not a meaningful experience that will benefit your children and your children's children.‖ The Minister said he would speak from his heart, mind and spirit directly to the hearts, minds and spirits of those present, in words that would unite the human family based on what God desires for His people, however, he would not compromise nor apologize for telling the truth. ―You will be able to go out from this place and tell the world that condemns me what your experience has been with Louis Farrakhan,‖ said Min. Farrakhan. ―I am your brother and your spiritual father and I love you and because I love you, I will give my life for you and I am doing that every day that I live but I want you to hear what I've got to say unfiltered through the wicked corporate controlled, Jewish controlled Zionist controlled media of the United States of America.‖ 114

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With its long legacy of Black student activism, many prominent Blacks began their activist careers here and its campus organizations have spawned leaders in politics, economics and education. Minister Farrakhan told the students that Howard University was the first Black college to have Malcolm X speak on campus at the insistence of a young student leader named Stokely Carmichael, later known as Kwame Ture. Instead of begging and pleading to be a part of a dying world, you should be a part of creation of a new independent reality in a world that will last forever, the Minister told the students. He called on the young leaders to reject training to get a good education to get a good job and make good money in order to gain material wealth. ―Who are you? What is your destiny and what should you be studying to fulfill your destiny?‖ Minister Farrakhan asked the students. Turning to scripture, Minister Farrakhan cited the Book of Genesis, Chapter 15 verses 1315 when God said that Abraham's seed would be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and they shall serve others and they shall afflict them for 400 years. Then, after that time, God would come and judge the nation that Abraham's seed served and God's chosen people ―shall come out with great substance and go to their fathers in peace.‖ This portion of scripture does not refer to the Jewish people, although many mistakenly believe that it does. Only Black people have been afflicted and served others in America— a strange land—for over 400 years. Instead of feeling lowly, Black people should feel proud and embrace their prophetic destiny. ―You are a direct descendant of God himself and the original people of the Earth,‖ Min. Farrakhan told the students. ―That's why you should hold your head up, throw your shoulders back and walk heavy on the Earth!‖ If a leader is teaching integration and Americanization, or trying to make America seem like a paradise because of the presence of Black mayors, governors and even a Black president in office—who was selected before he was elected—that leader is not leading you towards liberation and freedom following the example of Moses or Jesus, the Minister said. ―All of this is made to sell you away from your destiny,‖ said the Minister. ―Now, I'm proud of Brother Barack. I love my brother, but he chose the wrong time in history to be Pharaoh,‖ he said. Additionally, Mr. Obama had the misfortune of following, George W. Bush, a man considered by many to have been the worst president ever. The Minister said it is hypocritical that the American people are blaming Mr. Obama for the debt and the nation's woes, while letting Mr. Bush off the hook. ―I'm not against Barack Obama, but I know the time and I know the wicked forces that are now disappointed in him. The forces that surround him are not friends,‖ said Min. Farrakhan. Minister Farrakhan said using the political and financial systems, ―the world is being deceived by an arch deceiver‖ and both the Democrats and Republicans in the Zionistcontrolled U.S. Congress are complicit. 115

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No. 1 in the nation at SLU Law Courtney Logan and Kirsten Staples represented the Saint Louis University School of Law Black Law Students Association in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, placing No. 1 in the nation. They were coached by SLU Law alumna Sheena Hamilton. Staples also received the Best Overall Oralist Award at nationals.

The Saint Louis University School of Law Black Law Students Association‘s moot court team recently placed No. 1 in the nation at the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition hosted by the National Black Law Students Association. Second-year law student Courtney Logan and third-year law student Kirsten Staples represented SLU Law and traveled to the national competition in Houston March 9-13 to defeat teams from Stanford University, Georgetown University and Columbia Law School, among others. Both of students are from the St. Louis area; Logan went to East St. Louis Senior High School and Staples attended Pattonville High School. The team was coached by SLU Law alumna Sheena Hamilton, who serves as a law clerk for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri. ―Moot court gives students an opportunity to obtain some of the most practical and transferable skills they will gain in law school,‖ said Hamilton. ―And it gives future employers a sense of the student‗s ability to not only strategize and perform in the courtroom but the student‘s ability to write.‖ The team previously placed third in the Midwest at the regional level of competition earlier this month in Chicago, and later defeated the Midwest regional champions to qualify for the national final round. To take home the national title, Logan and Staples displayed extraordinary advocacy skills before a panel of United States Navy Judge Advocate Generals. Staples also received the Best Overall Oralist Award at nationals. The best oralist is chosen by averaging each competitor‘s scores from all of the preliminary rounds. ―It has been hard work preparing for this competition, and qualifying for nationals gave us the opportunity to display our skills and preparation on a national level,‖ said Staples. ―Winning the national title wouldn't have been possible without the support of the university, the School of Law and our coach.‖ 116

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―As an aspiring litigator, the skill set I have developed preparing for and competing in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition is invaluable,‖ said Logan. ―It is also an honor to represent BLSA and SLU LAW with this victory at the national level.‖ Since 1975, the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition has provided National Black Law Students Association members with opportunities to learn skills in appellate advocacy through oral arguments and brief writing. Between 100-125 teams compete during six regional competitions, with the top three schools in each region advancing to the national competition held during NBLSA‘s Annual Convention. ―The time commitment and personal sacrifices it takes to prepare for a competition like this truly demonstrates their passion for this area of the law and the skills they‘ve been working so hard to develop in law school,‖ Sandra Johnson, interim dean, said of Logan and Staples. ―We look forward to seeing what are sure to be two excellent legal careers develop.‖ Source: www.stlamerican.com 117

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Michel Martelly defeated his challenger, former first lady Mirlande Manigat, in a landslide, winning 67.6% of the vote.

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Haiti's new president: Unexpected but understandable By Moni Basu, CNN (CNN) -- It was just before Christmas when Michel Martelly mulled over events in his troubled land and concluded that everything had been done to ensure loss for him at the polls. An election rife with fraud had ousted him from the race. Martelly's dreams of leading Haiti were all but dead. But four months of recounts, reviews and a runoff changed everything and the unexpected candidate is poised now to move into the presidential office. Unexpected because Martelly has never been a politician. He's better known as "Sweet Mickey," a popular kompa singer who enthralled his fans with a bad-boy antics on stage. He cursed and swayed with a bottle of Barbancourt rum in his hands and on occasion, mooned his audience. It's an image that Martelly said he cultivated for the stage. Still, it led many to question whether he was fit to run a nation as beleaguered as Haiti. Already the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, Haiti is reeling from devastation caused by last year's massive earthquake followed by a cholera epidemic later in the year. A perceived lack of progress prompted Haitians to vote against the government-backed candidate. Martelly, they said, was a fresh face in politics, untainted by the corruption that has marred many a presidency in Haiti. "To Haitians, particularly the legions of young and jobless, #Martelly is an outsider who can bring change to #Haiti," longtime Haiti observer Jocelyn McCalla said on Twitter. Martelly's victory was a continuation of a signal the Haitian people have been sending for a while, said Gary Pierre-Pierre, editor and publisher of the New York-based newspaper The Haitian Times. "They don't want the establishment. They don't want the status quo." On the streets of Port-au-Prince, thousands turned out to chant one of his most popular nicknames: "Tet Kale," which means bald head in Creole. Haitians, especially the youth, were starving for a fresh face. And they got it Monday when the election council announced preliminary results. 119

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April 2011 Martelly won by a landslide with 67.6% of the vote, soundly defeating his challenger, former first lady Mirlande Manigat, who received 31.5%. The runoff vote came after weeks of review of the November balloting that resulted in the ouster of the governmentbacked candidate, Jude Celestin. It was exactly what Martelly had hoped for back in December when he laid out for CNN his plan to lift Haiti out of its misery. Martelly appeared in jeans and a button-down shirt at his plush home in Peguyville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince high up in the hills. A silver arm cuff hugged his right wrist and he sipped hard on his favorite ice-cream soda. He sat at a table surrounded by a piano and eight wall-mounted speakers. It was not hard to tell this was a musician's home. Haiti, he said then, was on the brink of revolution. "This is a very dangerous corner in Haiti's history," he said. "But it's a revolution that can be done peacefully through the election." Under the father-and-son Duvalier dictatorship, Haitians lacked freedom but the people had clean roads, electricity, jobs, security, Martelly says. When democracy came overnight to this Caribbean nation, people didn't know how to handle it. Martelly spoke of 24 years of troubled times, of a poor country that, he said, hurtled backwards into even more poverty. "We are ruled by corruption," he said. "The people have no confidence in their government." Then came political turmoil with a presidential election in disarray. "You know how (U.S. President Barack) Obama said it's not about the man, but it's about the plan?" he said. "Here it's more about the man than about the plan." Haiti will go nowhere, he said, unless the people have a president they can trust, a president who is honest. He was that man, he insisted. "I've been on the ground with them for 22 years. The people know me. I represent the light at the end of the tunnel." But the man also had plans. He said, for instance, that the $12 billion that was pledged by the international community for earthquake assistance should come in the form of infrastructure, not money, because Haitians don't know how to manage money. "People are fed up here," he said. "They have no food, no education, no health care. What kind of place is it when a young girl will sell her body to buy a phone card?" So what makes a man who made a name with dance music think he can change things in Haiti? Martelly flashed his signature smile; the light glinted off his tet kale. "Well," he said. "Look at what the politicians have done." 120

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Obama Re-Election Launches With Email, Website By Associated Press

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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama formally launched his re-election campaign Monday, urging grass-roots supporters central to his first White House run to mobilize again to protect the change he‘s brought over the past two years. See Barack Obama‘s 2012 Campaign Website The official start of his second White House bid, in the midst of three wars, a budget fight with Congress, and sluggish economic recovery, comes 20 months before the November 2012 election. ―We‘ve always known that lasting change wouldn‘t come quickly or easily. It never does,‖ the Democrat said in an e-mail announcing his candidacy to more than 13 million supporters. ―But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we‘ve made – and make more – we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.‖ He told them he was filing the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, and directed them to his new campaign website where a launch video featured clips from supporters talking about their continued backing of the Democrat. ―I don‘t agree with Obama on everything but I respect him and I trust him,‖ Ed from North Carolina says, delivering what‘s certain to become a key part of the president‘s pitch as he tries to re-energize liberal backers who have criticized some of his policies and independent voters who have fled from him in his first term. Between now and the election, the incumbent Democrat will work to convince a fickle America that he has delivered change, made the right moves and earned the chance to continue the job. He will have to defend policies that have proven divisive, chief among them his sweeping health care overhaul and his efforts to boost the slow-to-rebound economy. Obama announced his bid just as the White House is in a budget standoff with Congress that could lead to a government shutdown, weeks after the commander in chief directed U.S. military operations to a third major warfront, Libya, and days after the postrecession economy showed more signs of a rebound with a report that the still high unemployment rate had fallen to 8.8 percent. Republicans were quick to criticize the news. The Republican National Committee circulated a research document that accused Obama of failing to lead on the budget and entitlement spending. And former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican competing for the chance to take on the Democrat next fall, released his own web video in which he says: ―How can America win the future, when 122

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we‘re losing the present? In order for America to take a new direction, it‘s going to take a new president.‖ Widely expected, Obama‘s campaign launch was planned to coincide with the second fundraising quarter of the year. Filing paperwork will allow the president to begin raising money in earnest for what allies say could be a record-breaking haul of more than $1 billion for his campaign. That begins this month; he‘s slated to visit major money venues of Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the coming weeks. The campaign is based in Chicago, and many of the same people from his first bid remain involved, including former campaign manager David Plouffe, who now is in the White House, and chief political strategist David Axelrod. Managing the campaign this time is Jim Messina, who played a senior role in the first bid and in the White House. Messina has spent the past few months touring the country to lay the groundwork with donors in hopes of building a massive fundraising network featuring both large and small contributions. He‘s asked some 400 donors – called bundlers – to bring in at least $350,000 this year; the re-election website is geared toward raising money from grass-roots backers. Obama raised $750 million for his 2008 campaign. Obama faces no primary challenger. On the other side, the race for the GOP presidential nomination is just getting under way; more than a dozen Republicans are considering seeking the chance to challenge Obama in the next election. Only a few have taken the initial steps toward a candidacy; Pawlenty is among them. Several more are expected go forward to this month, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran in 2008 and lost the GOP nomination. It‘s a wide open race with no clear front-runner. Nevertheless, Obama said he‘s not taking anything for granted. ―We‘re doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you – with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build,‖ he said in the note to supporters. ―So even though I‘m focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today,‖ Obama added. He directed them to the new red, white and blue website for what he said was ―a campaign that‘s farther-reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we‘ve built before.‖ 123

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The website features Obama‘s new campaign logo – 2012 with the rising sun in the background, a version of his 2008 campaign logo – and announces that the campaign is kicking off. ―We‘re opening up offices, unpacking boxes, and starting a conversation with supporters like you to help shape our path to victory, and this is where you say you‘re in,‖ it says, urging people to organize and donate. The video is a montage of testimonials from a demographically diverse group of backers who intend to stay involved in this campaign. ―It needs to reflect the changes that we‘ve seen in the last two-and-a-half years,‖ says Katherine from Colorado. ―Then we had an underdog senator. Nobody thought that he had a chance. And now he‘s the president.‖ Gladys from Nevada adds: ―We‘re not leaving it up to chance‖ and ―It‘s an election that we have to win.‖

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Which GOP will run against Obama? By Julian Zelizer, Special to CNN

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April 2011 Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- When George W. Bush finished his presidency, many observers wondered what the Republican Party would look like in the succeeding years. With Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, pundits declared the party was in crisis. Republicans had become too comfortable with power, critics said. They had embraced the ways and means of Washington and were as enthusiastic about federal spending as their opponents. When the Tea Party emerged on the national scene, questions about the identity of the GOP only intensified. Now that President Obama has officially announced his re-election campaign, it's time to see how his opponents will position themselves. As the candidates start to emerge for 2012, it is becoming clear that the potential contenders are embracing several different traditions and approaches to Republican politics. First there is big business Republicanism. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney best embodies the wing of the GOP that has championed the concerns of the business and financial community. During the 1930s, NYU historian Kimberly Phillips Fein has shown, business leaders like the DuPont family mobilized to rail against FDR's regulatory initiatives. This faction of Republicans has usually challenged economic regulations and fought for tax reductions, though they have endorsed government subsidies that protect the corporate world. Their basic argument is that government should not interfere in private markets and that government efforts to reduce inequality will fail. To some extent, New York real estate mogul Donald Trump, more a celebrity than a politician, is in this camp. Another Republican tradition has been called conservative populism. Some Republicans have tried to appeal to working and middle class voters who traditionally voted Democratic, while supporting economic policies that are at least on the surface more favorable to upper income Americans. These Republicans have argued that limited government, balanced budgets, and traditional social values will ultimately strengthen America's middle class much more than government benefits. Richard Nixon, who as a vice presidential candidate in 1952 defended himself from corruption charges by saying to television viewers that his wife didn't have a "mink coat" but rather had a "Republican cloth coat," was one of the most effective advocates of this view. As president, he appealed to the "Silent Majority" whose voices he said had not been heard in 1960s America. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, congresswoman Michele Bachman and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin have staked their claims on these arguments. Pawlenty once said the GOP needs to become the party of "Sam's Club, not just the country club." 126

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April 2011 If the unemployment numbers continue to drop under President Obama -- and Republican governors continue to anger key middle class constituencies such as teachers and police by, among other things, seeking to restrict collective bargaining rights -- this will be a difficult sell. "Who are these evil teachers who teach your children, these evil policemen who protect them, these evil firemen who pull them from burning buildings?" the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police (a union which endorsed the Republican presidential candidates in 2000, 2004, and 2008), Chuck Canterbury, asked Politico. A third form of Republicanism, the national security Republicans, have focused on the claim that Democrats are weak on defense for decades. While this was a central theme of George W. Bush's Republican party, there aren't many representatives of this ideal in the current crop of potential candidates other than Bush's former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton (he called President Obama's speech on Libya "pathetic"). Since Adlai Stevenson lost to Dwight Eisenhower, a military hero, in 1952 around a campaign that centered on communism, corruption and Korea -- some Republicans have repeatedly come back to this argument. Under President George W. Bush, national security arguments became a cudgel that was used to batter Democrats politically while the president was leading the "war on terrorism." The unpopularity of President Bush and the problems with the Iraq War raise big challenges for any candidate who wants to focus Republican credibility on this issue. Yet another strand of conservatism is establishment Republicanism. Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich best represent this tradition. In the 1960s and 1970s, Republicans could still claim to be something of an oppositional force in a Washington that was dominated by Democrats, but this has been a hard argument to make since Ronald Reagan became president. Many Republicans in government -- such as former Vice President Dick Cheney -- are products of Washington even though they spend their public lives railing against the city. They came to rely on enlarged government to pursue their goals, whether using executive power to fight environmental regulations or congressional earmarks to win over constituents. The struggle over the choice of a Republican candidate for 2012 will be a struggle over the identity of the party in the post-Bush era. Republicans don't have to choose one tradition over the other. Indeed, some politicians, such as Ronald Reagan, have brilliantly synthesized these themes together. But right now there is no candidate of Reagan's caliber. This primary season will be an important one for the Republican Party in terms of explaining to Americans what the GOP is about and what exactly it would fight for if it gained back the White House. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer. 127

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Poll: Obama's Approval Rating With Young Voters Rises By Jon Terbush Strong support from om young voters was crucial to President Obama's win in 2008. Now, as he gears up for reelection, a new poll from the Harvard University Institute of Politics shows Obama's approval rating among that demographic has risen since last year. In the poll, 55% of adults aged 19-28 -- or, as the survey cals them, 'Millennials' -- said they approved of Obama's job performance, up six points since Harvard polled the question last October. That reverses a downward trend Harvard had found in their last three surveys, and it places Obama back near his standing last February, when 56% of young voters approved of his job performance. Additionally, 43% of respondents in the latest poll said they disapproved of Obama's job performance. 'Millennials' surveyed by Harvard were generally more supportive of Obama's job performance in general than the overall population. The current TPM Poll Average shows that 46.8% of all Americans approve of Obama's job performance, compared to 48.4% who disapprove. But young voters' opinion of how Obama has handled the economy runs pretty close to that of the general population. Only 42% of young voters in the Harvard poll said they approved of Obama's job performance on the economy, compared to 55% who disapproved. The latest TPM Poll Average shows that 41.8% of all voters approve of how Obama has dealt with the economy, while 54.7% disapprove. The poll also shows young voters preferring Obama to an unnamed Republican in 2012 by a 13-point margin, 38% to 25%. The poll was conducted February 11 to March 2 among 3,018 adults aged 18-29 nationwide. It has a margin of error of 2.4%. Source: www.talkingpointsmemo.com 128

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(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Can Obama become the billion dollar man? By David A. Love

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April 2011 It's official. Obama is running for president again. Viewed widely as a foregone conclusion, President Obama announced in anticlimactic fashion that he is running for reelection. "We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does," Obama told his supporters in an email message that came on the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. "But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest." The timing of the president's announcement is all about the money. He wants to get off the ground to start chasing those dollars, which in the case of his campaign is expected to top a record $1 billion. Already Obama's re-election website is up and running, and his first fundraiser scheduled for April 14 in Chicago. If Obama wants to top his own impressive record of $750 million from the previous campaign, there's gonna be some changes made, as the old blues song goes. The tone of the president's announcement--quite a departure from the sky's-the-limit message of "hope" and "change" he promised to deliver in the 2008 contest-- also reflects changes in the American political landscape and in Obama himself since he moved to the White House. The last time around, then-candidate Sen. Barack Obama was an insurgent candidate who offered a fresh face on the body politic. And he benefited from the backlash against the Bush administration and its wartime excesses, a Wild West, cowboy mentality when dealing with the world, the plundering of the domestic economy through deregulation, and perceived incompetence--the most vivid example being the botched federal recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But in 2011, President Obama is the incumbent, with all of the benefits and encumbrances that brings with it. The incumbency and control of the Democratic Party machinery gives him the potential to amass a fundraising giant, even with a Democratic opponent, though none has yet surfaced. The fundraising rules brought about by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Citizens United decision last year means that corporations and unions are unrestricted in their campaign giving. This is expected to benefit Republicans, although the president is polling ahead of all of his GOP rivals and a generic Republican candidate. Just to add to the mix, the Democratic National Committee and its national convention in Charlotte have sworn not to raise money from corporate lobbyists and political action committees. This reflects an Obama's grassroots, bottom-up campaign style that which yielded 4 million individual donors. Nearly 60 percent of these donors gave under $1,000, while 25 percent were small individual contributors giving $200 or 130

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April 2011 less. The Obama camp eschewed federal financing in 2008, a move they are expected to repeat in this next election cycle. For the 2012 campaign, Obama is asking campaign bundlers to raise $350,000 apiece for a total of $500 million, leaving the campaign to raise another half a billion dollars. If one Harlem fundraiser's reaction to a recent $30,800-a-plate DNC bash is any indication, the Obama money machine has an enormous task, given that fewer potential donors big and small will be willing to open their wallets. Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros said in a private meeting days after the 2010 election that progressive donors might be better served if they support someone other than Obama. "We have just lost this election, we need to draw a line," Soros said, according to Democratic sources. "And if this president can't do what we need, it is time to start looking somewhere else." The frustration expressed by Soros--not unlike others in the Democratic base-- reflects disillusionment with some of the President's policies. There is a fighting spirit that some of his supporters are looking for from the 2008 election, but they have yet to find it. Liberal critics point to a number of examples, such as the administration caving in on a public option in health care reform and making deals with the pharmaceutical industry, a slow response on the issue of jobs, and the continuation of Bush's costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even on the day of his reelection announcement, the president has resumed military trials at Guantanamo, breaking a campaign promise and flip-flopping on his decision to prosecute 9-11 terror suspects in U.S. courts. Perhaps the most disappointing example was the Obama administration's decision to "compromise" with the Republicans and extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans. And to these critics, Obama has been far too willing to sell the store to his adversaries before the negotiations even begin. Some believe he spent too much time attempting to appease conservatives who never were with him and never had any intentions to do so. To his credit, the president has accomplished a great deal under his watch, including the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the most significant health reform in 50 years, the black farmers' settlement, ending the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, saving the U.S. auto industry, and a stimulus program that saved America from the brink of outright depression. Nevertheless, times are tough, unemployment is high and foreclosures have been devastating, especially for black America. And a disenchanted, lethargic base refused to show up at the polls in large numbers last year, leading to a Tea Party-infused GOP victory in the Congress and in state houses across the nation. With 83 percent of them approving of his job performance, liberal Democrats aren't going anywhere. But in order to seal the deal with his grassroots donors, Obama must energize the base and bring the grassroots organizers back into the fold. For the administration, the good part is the bad part, which is that Republican policies of overreach and slash and burn are exorcising the Democratic rank and file. Republican tax cuts for the rich, austerity measures for the poor, draconian cuts to social programs and public education, and gutting reproductive rights and collective bargaining rights have stirred up traditional Democratic constituencies. Recall efforts are underway against targeted GOP state lawmakers in Wisconsin and other states where voters are experiencing buyer's remorse. President Obama must channel the justifiable anger of the 131

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April 2011 base, independents and disaffected Republicans, and show that he will stand up for their issues and against these regressive, reactionary policies of the right wing. "I'm really going to need your help," Obama said during a call to supporters. "I can't spend 24 hours a day campaigning like I did in '07 and '08." While pointing to his accomplishments, Obama also asked for patience, and said he planned to tackle issues such as immigration reform, America's oil dependency and the environment in the next year-and-a-half. But Obama must go further and actively support causes such as the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for unions to organize. Further, he must accept the extreme tea party Republicans as the gift that they are for Democrats. They are a radicalized bunch these Tea Party conservatives, most of whom believe President Obama is ruining the country and moving America towards socialism. And because all politics is local, his presidential reelection campaign must coordinate with Congressional races in an effort to win back a Democratic House majority. Despite Obama's tendency to split the difference, find common ground and break bread with his political adversaries, the president must not legitimize Republican overreach by allowing them to control the political narrative. True, you don't want to get in the middle of a train wreck in progress, and for the Democrats, the GOP is a train wreck. Although Republicans may very well destroy themselves, Obama should help them along. Democrats need an enemy to win, which they certainly have, and Obama should not cooperate with those who think he is a foreign citizen. The inside the Beltway conventional wisdom dictates that independent voters want to see Republicans and Democrats work together, yet no one ever provides the evidence. And in any case the donors are not paying a billion bucks for that.

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The world lost an intellectual giant in Dr. Manning Marable By Mychal Denzel Smith

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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On April 1, 2011, the world lost an intellectual giant. Dr. Manning Marable, Columbia University professor, historian, social critic, author of numerous books, activist, husband, and father passed away due to complications from pneumonia. He was 60. Marable dedicated his life to documenting the experiences of black people in America and correcting the wrongs enacted upon our community. His commitment can be traced all the way back to his days as a high school senior in Dayton, Ohio, writing a column for the local black-owned newspaper, Dayton Express, and at just seventeen years old traveling to Atlanta to cover the funeral the recently assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr. From there he went on to build a career marked by unparalleled genius that would touch fields across the humanities and social sciences. I was introduced to Marable's work the second semester of my freshman year of college. My English professor assigned "We Need New and Critical Study of Race and Ethnicity," an essay in which Marable asserted "Traditional white racism is certainly declining. But its place is being taken by a qualitatively new color line of spiraling class inequality and extreme income stratifications, mediated and filtered through old discourses and cultural patterns more closely coded by physical appearance, legal and racial classification, and language." He was able to make bold, declarative statements such as these because his research was impressively thorough and his critique measured and responsive to social realities rather than just theory. It's part of what made him such a prolific 'scholar activist,' using his expansive body of knowledge to inform and affect social and political movements. He brought the ivory towers down to earth, embodying the spirit of what it truly means to be a 'public intellectual,' making the scholarly work that would otherwise only exist in relative obscurity, hidden in journals and dissertations, accessible to those outside of the walls of academia. From Marable one could glean that his work was never about him proving that he was the smartest man in the room; his true mission was to ensure that everyone sitting in the room benefited from the body of knowledge he had worked so hard to obtain. That thinking was a driving force behind his life's major work. At the time of his death, Marable had already cemented his legacy as one of the nation's foremost historians and social critics through the publication of such classic texts as How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America and Race, Reform and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction in Black America. On the eve of his passing, he was poised to oversee the release of the richly anticipated Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, a text that is set to be the definitive biography of "the the most remarkable historical figure produced by black America in the 20th century." Over 134

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the course of 20-plus years, Marable set about learning who Malcolm X really was, beyond the sensationalized "By Any Means Necessary" version in U.S. history books, but also beyond the romanticized hero of black nationalism found in the Spike Lee biopic, and even outside of Malcolm X's version of Malcolm X as revealed in his autobiography. Marable knew there was more to the story of Malcolm, a narrative that had yet to be pieced together from his close friends, family, personal writings/journals, and original source documents including court papers, prison records, and tapes of speeches and sermons from the Nation of Islam's archives. He hunted down as much of this information as was available to him and the result is A Life of Reinvention, a labor of love for Marable. For the last few months, Marable ran a blog that daily posted tidbits of his findings as teasers leading up to the book release. He coined the term "Malcolmologist" to describe himself and others like him who had been moved by the life and work of Malcolm to the point of inspiration and emulation, whose introduction to black political thought and desire for black liberation could be traced back to an embrace of Malcolm's words. Right up until his death, he was giving us the language to define our place in this world. I didn't have the chance to meet Marable before he passed, and that will always be something I regret. He did, however, send me a tweet one day acknowledging that he had read an article I had written, and (pardon my language) I lost my damn mind. My ran around my house like a madman on fire, sending text messages to everyone I know and screaming "MANNING MARABLE READ SOMETHING I WROTE!" No, I never got the chance to extend a hand to him, pull him in for a brotherly embrace, and offer a quiet "thank you" the way that I had envisioned, but in that moment he touched me. As the news of his death came in, it was astonishing to watch the reaction on Twitter, as folks of all different stripes offered their condolences and fond memories. It was a testament to his extensive reach and deep intellect that scholars in varying fields (history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, and more) discussed the impact he had on their work. In his book The Great Wells of Democracy: The Meaning of Race in American Life, Marable wrote "Grace is the ability to redefine the boundaries of possibility." He will be missed, but it is Marable's own grace that has and will continue to help us re-imagine the possible in all of our lives.

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culture, entertainment, film, books ..

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Crystal P is putting love and laughter in the Life of Others There is no limit to what Crystal P. can and will do. Besides having been a full-figured model, flutist, singer and actress, Crystal P. is the supreme comedienne. Voted Detroit’s New Queen of Comedy by MIX 92.3 WMXD Detroit, Royal Crowned Comedian by FM98 WJLB Detroit and the Funniest Female in the Battle of the Sexes, Crystal P. has been making her way around the comedy circuit all over the United States and Canada. She‘s appeared on Showtime at the Apollo, Last Comic Standing and taped A Time to Laugh with Vickie Winans for BET. Crystal P. has opened up for Steve Harvey and P. Diddy‘s Bad Boys of Comedy, Jonathan Slocumb, She also performed with gospel great, Rance Allen with him telling her modestly, ―I see why you do what you do because you are gooood at it!‖ She was the Washington D.C. finalist for the Gospel Superfest competition and was the only comedian out of the six finalists across the United States. Crystal P. was a feature at Laughfest alongside comedic greats, Bill Cosby, Betty White, Kevin Hart, Kathleen Madigan and more. She‘s currently touring with Laughalujah which offers clean comedy to churches all over the country and will be a part of the Marvin Sapp Ministries Presents “He Saw The Jokes in Me” with fellow comedian and friend, Hen Sapp. Crystal P.‘s mission is to put ‗love ‗n laughter‘ in the lives of others with her ―in-your-face‖ comedy. She is her own reality show! Make sure your health insurance is paid because like a plastic surgeon, she‘ll leave you in stitches! My husband told me he loves a woman with junk in her trunk. I told him, "I can't help it I'm built like a Porsche and my trunk is in the front!" For so long I was single, but I was a praying woman and I prayed to the Lord and said, "Lord, for once I'd just like to date a man who hasn't dated as many men as me!" Just because I'm overweight doesn't mean I want a diet drink. Offering me a diet drink is about as insulting as offering a surfboard to a Tsunami victim! Crystal P. may be contacted at www.crystalpiscrazy.com

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Bounce TV, New Broadcast Net Aimed at African Americans, To Launch in Fall By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable

Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III among founders

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A group led by Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III is expected on Monday to announce plans to launch a new over-the-air television network aimed at African-American audiences in the fall. Based in Atlanta, Bounce TV, is trying to line up distribution through the digital signals of local television stations. It plans to broadcast a mix of theatrical movies, live sports, off-net series and original programming aimed at adults 2554. It has made deals to acquire TV rights to 400 African-American oriented films from NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, Sony Pictures Television, Codeblack Entertainment and Image Entertainment. Bounce TV will be run by a founding group comprised of Young and King and Andrew "Bo" Young III. The co-founders of African-American-owned production company Rainforest Films are also involved, with Rob Hardy serving as chief content officer and Will Packer holding the title chief strategy and marketing officer. Also involved in management are two former Turner Broadcasting executives, Ryan Glover and Jonathan Katz, who have been named executive VPs. "My father envisioned the day that African Americans would play major roles in entertainment within ownership, not just serve as entertainers on the stage or in front of the cameras. That's what makes this even more exciting to me as we embark on this new endeavor of an independently owned and operated broadcast television network featuring African Americans," said King Former executive VP of U.S. syndication sales for Sony Pictures Television, Jeffrey Wolf, will handle network distribution of Bounce TV. The network plans to offer half of its ad time for insertion by local affiliates. Bounce TV will be televising football and basketball from the nation's largest African American athletic conference, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, under a rights agreement with Urban Sports Entertainment Group. The network will air the CIAA Championship football and some quarter and semi-final CIAA tournament basketball games. Atlanta -based CSE, an independent sports, entertainment and television production agency, will provide marketing, digital, post-production and operational resources. In targeting African-Americans, Bounce TV is moving into territory already occupied by cable networks such as Viacom's BET and TV One, a joint venture of Comcast, NBC Universal and DirecTV. "There are nearly 13 million Hispanic television households that are served by dozens of Spanish and Spanish-language versions of networks. Yet, the more than 143

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14 million African American TV households have just a few dedicated cable channels - and no over-the-air networks," said Glover. "Bounce TV will fill the need for an over-the-air television network exclusively for African Americans. At the same time, local broadcasters are looking for digital programming, as well as African American-skewing product. Bounce TV will fill both of those market needs for local broadcasters." "I am proud that our network will deliver free programming exclusively for our under-served community and be accessible to all homes around the country and not just those who pay for television," added Young. A couple of networks targeting Hispanic viewers have used broadcast station digital networks to gain distribution, including Estrella TV and LATV. Most TV stations are still trying to figure out the best way to make use of the extra channels they got when broadcasting converted from analog to digital. Some stations have used the channels to provide news or weather services. ABC last year launched the Live Well channel designed to air high-quality programming produced by its owned and operated stations. A few Belo stations have signed up for Live Well. "Bounce TV is a new model; a demo-specific network designed for digital carriage that we believe is well-timed for the marketplace," said Wolf. "We have built a smart and efficient business model created by people with the decades of television and entertainment experience. The initial response from stations has been overwhelmingly positive and we expect advertisers to embrace Bounce TV as well." Bounce TV's package of films from NBCU is comprised of about 200 titles including Ray, The Hurricane, Do the Right Thing and Car Wash. Sony Pictures has licensed 100 titles, including Philadelphia, Glory, Ali and Boyz' n The Hood. Codeblack Entertainment is a new content company focused on AfricanAmerican and urban audiences. The package it has licensed to Bounce TV has 50 movies and documentaries featuring such stars as Morgan Freeman, Vanessa Williams Bill Cosby and Terrence Howard. Bounce is also getting 50 comedies and dramas. The stars of the comedies include Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Charles Dutton, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. "We are launching as an entertainment-based network, built upon a foundation of movies for the African American audience," said Glover. "As the network grows we will execute on Rob Hardy's creative vision for original programming, plans of which are already in development." 144

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Getting Started: Three Young Producers Look Beyond TV to Reach Audiences By Arlice Nichole. Getting out their dreams: From left to right, producers Asha Kamali May, Dana Gills and Jeanette McDuffie (Image: Brown Paper Dolls) With the help of actor Idris Elba, the owners of Brown Paper Dolls find innovative ways to tell their stories The death (on CW) and resurrection (on BET) of comedy series The Game was a television history maker. The entire ordeal—including fans‘ outrage over the cancellation, and their ceaseless support in the show‘s return—caused many to question the current state and fate of Black television. The saga also sparked friends Dana Gills, Asha Kamali May and Jeanette McDuffie to cofound thier own of production company, Brown Paper Dolls, a mulit-media company that aims to produce content for underserved niche audiences. Their top priority? To look for innovative ways to market milk + honey, an online web series executive produced by actor Idris Elba. The series, which stars Debbie Allen, Lance Gross (House of Payne), Bryce Wilson (Beauty Shop) and Elba, follows four women ―who are on spiritual, professional and romantic journeys to make their dreams a reality.‖ BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Dana Gills, one of the the three producers, and talked to her about the evolution of milk + honey, the vision of Brown Paper Dolls, and how the trio plans to execute that vision and get out their dreams. Black Enterprise: When did you start your company, Brown Paper Dolls, and what is the mission or founding principles? Dana Gill: We officially started Brown Paper Dolls in January 2010, but have been working together since 2007. Our mission is to create content across multiple media platforms for niche markets that have universal appeal. We strongly believe that there is an opportunity and value in catering to and telling the stories of underserved markets. Our content challenges traditional perspectives, shifts paradigms and provokes discussion.

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April 2011 Right: Actor Idris Elba (Image: Press) What inspired your creation of milk + honey, and how long did it take to bring it this far in production? A number of things inspired us to create milk + honey: Lack of diverse images of people of color on the big and small screen, the limited opportunities for black talent in front of the camera, access to opportunities behind the scenes and our desire to create a story that we felt would be compelling and inspiring to our audience. We ultimately wanted to show more diverse images, create opportunities for emerging talent and create a platform that would enable us to tell a universal story of pursuing your dreams and the challenges/obstacles that you face doing so. We have been working on [the series] since September 2007. What challenges did you face before and after Idris Elba became interested in the project? We were looking to secure an executive producer who would appeal to our audience and help to give the project a wider reach by attachment. Prior to Idris Elba coming on board, we were fine-tuning the script and putting together our cast wish list. Due to a limited budget and this being our first project, we were somewhat limited in our reach, but very resourceful in identifying people who complimented our skill sets and could bring expertise that we needed. Since Idris Elba has become attached, our reach and impact has expanded--we are a good team. Some of the challenges that we have faced is proving that our audience is viable for different networks and that this scripted content [from] new creators is worth the risk. Why is it so hard to keep good African American programming on television? Good is such a subjective term. Good to us means a well-developed, multi-layered, character-driven story with diverse images of African Americans. Good to a network executive may mean a proven track record with a built-in audience. Nevertheless, it is important for us, people who want good programming however we may define it, to watch and support the shows that we deem good because that is what will keep them on TV. We have to show that this is the type of content that we are interested in seeing and then we should see better African American programming. Today, for some reason, our stories have not been treated as universal ones even though they are, and we are thought to be able to relate to shows that feature few or no African Americans. So, in turn, many believe it is not necessary to have specific African American programming. For others working on scripts and hoping to get their ideas looked at, what are some basics they need to know? It is imperative that you focus on developing the product. The concept and the script will be central to your project's success. It's the foundation that everything else will build 146

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upon. Stay in the development/writing process for as long as you can. It will determine the leverage you will have when you enter pre-production. If you have developed a strong concept, script and business plan, it will be an easier road when you seek financing and also when you begin to cast. Are you using the web as an alternative approach to television, a strategy to gain more of a following or to send a message to networks? The Internet is such a powerful tool that filmmakers have instant access and the ability to share their stories. It really comes down to how can you get your product to your audience? And that answer is the Internet. The model for TV and film is ever changing. As content creators, you have to have a solid audience. That is what distribution partners are looking for and that's what they need to green light your TV show or film. This is not a new formula or strategy. If you examine Tyler Perry's success, he did the same thing. He had a built-in audience before he partnered with Lionsgate to make his films. He did that by pounding the pavement, and getting his product, in his case, his plays to his audience via local theaters all over the country. He had a proven audience. He had the metrics that proved his brand and was able to leverage that in forming partnerships. That audience gave him a seat at the negotiating table. Now, we as filmmakers have instant access to our audiences via the Internet. We can connect with our audience and prove they want our content. As producers, that is an extremely powerful tool when selling your content.

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April 2011 What additional avenues are you taking or planning to take to increase exposure for milk + honey? There are a lot of ways we plan to build out milk + honey. Essentially it's a brand and experience. We look at it as a tree with several different branches. We know there's an audience, and we plan to reach them on all mediums. We're in the midst of executing strategies-- the only thing we can say is, we're excited to speak to our audience and provide them with fresh content and experiences. What's the story behind the name milk & honey? How did you come up with it? Well of course, we wanted the title to be central to the theme of the show. milk + honey has a biblical subtext. It comes from the bible, more specifically the book of Deuteronomy. The bible notes, the land of milk and honey to represent the Promised Land. The series is all about the journey to your dreams, and all that happens on that journey to your "promised land." What kind of characters is Brown Paper Dolls interested in creating, and whose stories are you interested in telling? As filmmakers, there are so many beautiful stories you can tell and so many characters they can live in. We want to diversify the images our audience can see. More specifically, we want to see ourselves and we want our audience to see themselves. In 2011, there are very few channels we can turn to, or movies we can see that reflect our images. We are vastly different, and beautifully unique. We want to make our stories universal. As human beings we have more in common than not. We all want the same things and share the same dreams for ourselves, our families and our world. Brown Paper Dolls looks forward to telling those universal stories in a unique way. What will it take for milk + honey to go to the level you'd like it to go? We realize that this is bigger than us. This is something our audience not only wants to see, but is demanding to see. It will take an audience that wants to see this content and a distribution partner that sees the value in that audience for it to really go to the level we would like. Why, in your words, will audiences love this? We are milk + honey. Our friends and sisters are milk + honey. This is a story and an experience that has yet to be told. And it has yet to be done this way. What does it take to go after your dreams and find love in the most adventurous places? Can you have it all? We think audiences will love to see our characters answer these questions. They want to see stories that reflect their own. Our audiences want to see beautiful characters that look like them and juggle dreams, love and life. milk + honey is fun, sexy and smart. It also doesn't hurt that our characters have gorgeous male love interests and know a good Rebecca Minkoff bag when they see it. And if that doesn't make you watch, Idris Elba will. See a trailer of milk + honey here.

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LOUVENIA CURVES COLLECTION

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The Louvenia Curves clothing line was created by CEO and creative director Quanitra Terry. She has always had an eye for fashion. Her mother was a seamstress and as a teenager she would design her own clothing for special events and her mother would bring her creations to life. After many years of college and pursing other degrees she realized that her dream was to be a designer. Once the dream was realized she went on to study fashion design at the International Academy of Design and Technology. She has also studied styling with the Style Coaching Institute 速 UK. Quanitra has put her style and fashion design education to work to create a full figured clothing line that offers clothing that is professional enough for the daytime but can be easily moved into the evening for a night out on the town. The line features body conscious designs using fabrics such as knits, stretch denim, crepe satin, and silk which provide stylish, ready to wear designs for the full figured woman of today. The mission of this company is to provide fabulous, sexy, sophisticated clothing that compliments the woman of size and encourage full figured woman to step out of what society thinks will work for them and make their own decisions upon what makes them look and feel beautiful. It is my mission as a designer to let woman know that it is ok to celebrate curves and if you are confident enough to 152

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celebrate them why not celebrate them in the best creative designs made by me-a full figured woman. Designs for a real woman made by a real woman. Join me in this movement. Louvenia Curves- I love my curves…do you...? ―I believe that you will be highly pleased with the designs I have to offer full figured woman so here is a little more about me and my event,‖ she says. ―Louvenia Curves was developed to provide, intriguing, provocative, sophisticated clothing that compliments the woman of size. The line features body conscious designs using fabrics such as knits, stretch denim, satin, chiffon, lace, woven‘s and silk. The name Louvenia was my mother‘s middle name and the clothing line was dedicated to her after her passing,‖ she continues. QuanitraTerry is a graduate from the International Academy of Design and Technology of Detroit with an Associate Degree in Fashion Design. She worked diligently to put her education to work. Her designs for the 2010 IMAGINE Fashion Show at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI won for the black dress category. She was also featured in the CITY Talk Magazine Fashion Show that was held at the Ribs & Soul, R&B, Jazz Festival at Hart Plaza and the WALK Fashion Show hosted by Jelly‘s World/Iced Crystals Entertainment at the Roostertail March 26, 2011 were she provided a sneak peek into her newest collection. She was selected as one of FORMzines ―One to watch‖ for 2010, the only fullfigured designer for 2010 annual Detroit Fashion Week. Other magazines that have done coverage on her work include: SHEImagazine and dailyvenusdiva.com. To enjoy the showcase of her Fall/Winter 2011 collection, join her for the premiere April 16TH 2011 at the 1701 Cigar Bar and Lounge, 140 Cadillac St. Detroit, MI 48226. Press and Media Showcase Starts at 7pm.Please confirm if you will be in attendance for promotional materials. Quanitra Terry, CEO, Louvenia Curves Collection may be contacted at 248-2107401 or at www.louveniacurves.com

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Shareha Adriann Launches HerPanache.com

Serial entrepreneur Shareha Adriann, is the owner of HerPanache.com. She was born in Texas and raised in Gary, Indiana and parts of the Chicago area until she graduated from high school. After losing her Track & Field scholarship offers due to multiple injuries, Adriann moved to Atlanta, Georgia just days after she graduated. Just stepping out into the world at the tender age of 18 (barely), Adriann started out her journey working as a Collections Agent, where from the start her potential was doubted because she was considered to be ―too bubbly‖ and ―not aggressive enough‖ to perform her job. In a few short months, she became a top collector and remained one until she resigned nearly 3 years later. During her employment with the collections agency, Adriann purchased her 1 st home at the age of 19. That purchase is what awakened her entrepreneurial spirit…and also got the attention of a local investor who kindly took her under their wing and began to mentor her. She was greatly intrigued by the entire process from performing the market study, to selecting the houses, to closing the deal, to rehabbing the property, to closing the sale with a new homeowner. Unfortunately, in 2005-2006 two major things happened. She became gravely ill and the real estate market had begun to crash….just after she purchased her 2nd

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home. After losing a child and nearly her life, Adriann always knew who God was, but it wasn‘t until then that she developed a serious relationship with Him. Through His grace and her loving family, she was able to pull it back together and get back up. In 2006, Adriann acquired her Life and Health License from the Department of Insurance (DOI). After learning the business, she began to develop a small insurance agency and eventually became recognized as an Insurance Broker among many of the larger agencies and corporate companies. The success of her agency remained consistent until 2008-2009 which brought new regulations enforced by DOI, CMS, and FCC. She and her agency held on and fought hard until 2009-2010 as she and many others in the insurance industry began to diversify and/or seek other endeavors. In 2010, when the death of her beloved grandfather James ―Paw Paw‖ Cole and step-father, Richard James occurred, she made a major change in her life. Adriann, now single mother of two princes under three, rented out her property in Georgia (since it couldn‘t be sold in the current economy) and relocated back to the Chicago area in efforts to emotionally support her mother. Although she still maintained her insurance license and was licensed in the state of Illinois, Adriann knew she had to do something big if she wanted to maintain a specific lifestyle and to support her children who, outside of God, are her primary source of inspiration. As a single mother, she acknowledged that everything she did was critical to the health and well-being of her children. Indeed, she had developed a passion for the insurance industry, but Adriann knew that it wasn‘t about what she wanted to do, it was about what she needed to do. In the early fall of 2010, Adriann developed Purse-tensity which ended up turning into something far greater than she could fathom. 161

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In the early fall of 2010, Adriann developed Purse-tensity which ended up turning into something far greater than she could fathom. By the end of 2010 Shoe-tensity and Jeweltensity was formed and together, they form HerPanache.com. The growth of HerPanache.com (Purse-tensity, Shoe-tensity and Jewel-tensity) has been phenomenal. Even though she has succeeded in many things in her life, the increasing success of HerPanache.com is quite evident through the loyalty and support of her ever growing customer base that spans across the country. Adriann is extremely grateful and her supporters anxiously await in excitement for what is next. Don‘t miss the HerPanache.com Launch Party Sunday, June 19, 2011 from 7:00 PM 11:00 PM (CT), Chicago, IL The HerPanache.com Launch Party (Early Bird) ticket covers your entry fee, $10 Panache Bux (pick up at the door), and the food that will be served. ALL TICKET ORDERS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE UNLESS THE EVENT IS CANCELED. ―I love paying the blessing forward!! That's why I don't mind paying a $250 CASH PRIZE to the attendee that brings the most guests...and a FREE TICKET to any of you who bring 5+ guests!! Sure, you would continue to support either way without incentives...but why not pass fun,‖ says Adriann. You may contact Herpanache via the web at www.herpanache.com, email at asherahchaude@yahoo.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/herpanache. 162

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Ebony Porter - Ike Living the Good Life and More

Atlanta based Lifestyle Coach and Managing Director of g.l.a.m. (The Good Life and More), Ebony Porter-Ike focuses on highlighting one's true beauty. To date, her company has primarily focused on providing image consulting to entry level entertainers as well as entry level corporate employees, assisting and directing industry level photo shoots and assisting public relations professionals with developing the image of new celebrities. Ebony has styled the likes of R&B Singer ―Rain‖ for her album cover as well as the princess of dance hall, ―Barbee‖ for her album cover. More recently, Ebony was the second key wardrobe stylist for the 2011 Trumpet Awards. Her work has appeared in AllHipHop.com, XXL, Vibe and Sister2Sister. With print journalism on the decline Ebony and g.l.a.m. recently joined the blogosphere with their swanky, new, digital lifestyle magazine focusing on the 164

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latest trend styles in the fashion and entertainment worlds. Hailing from Hampton, VA Ebony holds a BS in Finance with a minor in Urban Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as an MBA from the University of Maryland. She also holds ―Black‖ and ―Green‖ belts in the highly coveted Six Sigma Quality certifications. Prior to the inception of g.l.a.m., Ebony held several management and consulting positions at several Fortune 100 Companies where she was responsible for managing over $33M of key business strategic programs. Her primary experience has been in the areas of mergers and acquisitions as well as business productivity gains. Her diverse corporate experience coupled with her creative genius, makes Ebony a force in the entertainment industry. In Ebony‘s world, fabulousness and finances are one in the same. Enhance your lifestyle as she introduces you to the Good Life and More! Welcome to g.l.a.m.. Ebony is married with two children and a proud member the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, INC (SKEE-WEE, MY SORORS). Ebony may be contacted via: Skype: Yahoo Messenger: Web sites: Email:

DaGlamSquad NouvelleGeneration http://www.daglamsquad.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/GLAM/13202... http://livinlavidalux.eventbrite.com akatude0394@mac.com ebony@daglamsquad.com

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To order visit: www.destineelove.net

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Zodiac & More By Alicia Wilson Greetings my brothers and sisters in love!!! With spring in the air over these next two months many of us will turn our minds to new beginnings. Work That could include work prospects. Ask for the raise you have been wanting or think you deserve or seek new work opportunities within your company. Maybe you have been thinking about starting your own business. Do the preparation necessary to achieve that goal and establish good networking relationships in that field. Relationships Revaluate your relationships whether they are your immediate family or spouse or significant other. Make sure you are getting the benefits of a good solid foundation in these relationships. You should NEVER feel wanting in any type of relationship with anyone. Money Money does matter especially in today‘s economy. Look into getting the most out of your money by saving or investing in serious financial endeavor. Also, curb your spending habits and leave that dress on the rack or that last new tool at Lowe‘s and start asking self-questions like ―Do I really need this‖. Well if you have to ask most likely you don‘t need it. Health Last but not least your health. Without good health all of the above really doesn‘t matter. Take the time to examine your health and make important visits to the doctor for check-ups that we so often like to put off. If you‘re on medication, take it diligently and always look for ways to improve your health by exercising and eating good healthy foods. I know it‘s hard. I‘m actually dieting myself but you will be surprised what a little perseverance, movement and meal planning will do for you. The long term rewards are endless.

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In the midst of all this self-renewal let us take the time to count our blessings and be a blessing to someone else. It has been proven in many psychological and medical studies that just doing something good releases ―feel good‖ endorphins. Let us commit to being socially productive in our community. This is a good time for renewal and a rebirth of ideas. We should start to ―reclaim‖ some of the ―resolutions‖ we started at the New Year but have waned from recently. Keep your head up and always think positive. I know these are old cliché‘s but there is significant truth too them and remember what ever endeavor you choose to pursue no matter how bleak it may look from where you are, it‘s not over until God says it‘s over.!! Aries (March 24th-April 23rd)... In some ways, you will be enthusiastic and ready for new opportunities this month. Jupiter in your sign will help you have renewed faith and a powerful and influential presence. Uranus will move to your sign as of March 11, bringing much change and excitement. However, several planets will move through the sign of Pisces this month and into your sign. While they're in Pisces, you will be quiet and introspective and maybe a little insecure. As time goes on, you will regain confidence. Take some time early in the month for reflection and quiet pursuits. Follow your intuition. Taurus (April 24th-May 23Your ruler Venus will be in Capricorn for the first few days. You will be concerned with your budget but may indulge in a few luxuries. After Venus moves to Aquarius on March 1, you will be focused on creating new career connections. You may meet someone who will be supportive and encouraging in your career endeavors. You can combine business with pleasure in the next few weeks by attending networking events and seminars. A large grouping of planets in Pisces this month may bring confusing situations and conversations with friends and groups you're involved with. Boundaries will become blurred. Alicia may be contacted at facebook.com/AliciaSapphireBlueWilson. 169

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6 Key Lessons From Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Alexander Cain

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April 2011 As many high school students make their college decisions, the debate continues on the link between higher education and future success. While colleges may enable students to pursue rewarding careers, many graduates may still lack the financial literacy and know-ledge to develop wealth. As author, Robert Kiyosaki, describes in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, higher education and a job don‘t guarantee wealth. It‘s the application of financial knowledge, which separates the wealthy from the lower class. Robert Kiyosaki compares two case studies of financial knowledge through his two ―dads‖. The first being his Poor dad, his biological father who was a well-educated, highly paid government official and the other being his Rich dad, a close mentor who owned a successful business despite only having an 8th grade education. Although the well-educated biological father had a high paying job, he was constantly struggling with debt and paying off most of his expenses. The business owner, however, developed a fortune allowing him to live comfortably and not be concerned with current expenses. This goes against common logic where job security and income are the key markers to wealth. As Kiyosaki illustrates through his two dads, income isn‘t everything, it‘s the approach to money and wealth that is life changing. Kiyosaki provides readers with 6 main lessons of the wealthy to help provide guidance. Lesson One: The Rich Don’t Work for Money There are two main emotions which can prevent people from developing wealth: fear and desire; fear of not being able to pay monthly expenses or fear of losing money keep many entrenched in the day-to-day work, preventing many from evaluating investments and other sources of income. The desire to keep up appearances via buying expensive clothes or cars drives expenses so high that people have no choice but to stay focused on their jobs to maintain their lifestyle. Lesson one is all about understanding those two emotions and stopping them from hindering one‘s success. The Rich Dad was more focused on ways of creating residual money, money that increases even if you don‘t work, rather than waiting for the next job with a pay raise. Lesson Two: Learning Financial Literacy? Developing financial literacy is key to having any success with money. Financial literacy is simply the study of managing one‘s finances. Robert Kiyosaki breaks down the basics of financial literacy in order to show the differences in cash flow for different income levels. There are a few key terms one would need to understand in order to see differences. Income is simply the amount of money you earn (wages, salaries, etc.). Expenses are things like (taxes, food, rent, clothes, fun, and transportation). An asset is something that puts money into your pocket (stocks, bonds, investments). A liability is anything that takes money out of your pocket (home mortgages, loans, credit card debts.)

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April 2011 The best way to understand the difference between the haves and have nots are through situations shown below: This is the situation for those in lower income brackets: Job (providing income) is less than expenses (taxes, food, rent, clothes) No Assets, No Liabilities Compare that situation to the wealthy: Assets (stocks, bonds, notes, intellectual property) are greater than income (from job) No Liabilities To put it simply, the rich are able to live well off of the returns from their investments such as stocks and bonds covering any expenses. While a poor person is using the majority of his wages to pay for his prospective living expenses. In order to become wealthy, one must focus on increasing his assets (investments) rather than focusing on increasing his income (pay raises). Lesson Three: Mind Your Own Business As mentioned in the previous lesson, the key attribute that must be developed in order to gain wealth is to focus on your asset column. The rich focus on improving the size of their investments rather than simply waiting or demanding pay raises in their income. This means keep your expenses low, reduce your liabilities and diligently build a base of solid assets. Lesson Four: The History and The Power Of Corporation This is the power of limited liability. By creating a personal corporation, the rich are able to avoid many of the personal taxes the poor face through corporate exemption. However, please note the word avoidance compared to evasion! Avoidance simply means using loopholes in tax laws to your advantage where evasion is simply not paying taxes at all, which is illegal. By filing as a corporation, the rich are able to mitigate their losses to only the amount they invested in the corporation. They are able to pay taxes after they pay for expenses. For people who have jobs, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s the opposite case where taxes are taken out of paychecks before one is able to cover expenses. In Comparison: The Rich People with Corporations 1. Earn 2. Spend 3. Pay Taxes The People who work for Corporations 1. Earn 2. Pay Taxes 3. Spend

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April 2011 Lesson Five: The Rich Invent Money The idea behind this is that wealth takes a combination of financial intelligence and a little bit of guts. The one thing that holds a lot of people back is some degree of self-doubt. In order to gain wealth, there needs to be a degree of self-confidence. This means investing money outside of the comfort zone. While saving at the bank seems secure, it is not worthwhile because savings rates are often below the rate of inflation. As a Young Jeezy rap lyric once goes, ―Scared money don‘t make money.‖ Kiyosaki follows the same logic, if you truly want to see your investments grow exponentially you must be willing to put in the money in places that show relative risk. Lesson Six: Work to Learn- Don’t Work for Money A familiar acronym for job is just over broke. Oftentimes, it‘s easy to get caught up in a job as a means of security or money. However, the rich use jobs as learning opportunities to develop necessary skills to be successful. As Kiyosaki recommends in the book, take a long view of life. Instead of simply working for the money and security, which are important, take a second job or take classes that will teach you a skill. He goes even further to describe the three main management skills necessary for success: 1. The management of cash flow (assets and liabilities) 2. The management of systems (basic economic theory, political landscape, etc.) 3. The management of people If one is able to focus getting jobs that develop these three major skills sets, he is well on their way on the path to success. After sharing these main lessons of the rich, Kiyosaki goes a step further by addressing the 5 main obstacles keeping people from actually following through. 1. Fear- Overcoming the fear of losing money. The fear of losing money is real. Everyone has it. The difference becomes how a rich and poor person handles the fear. Wealthy individuals use failure as a teaching moment and aren‘t afraid to fail. 2. Cynicism- This deals mostly with those around you. Follow your own path, because at the end of the day, wealthy individuals are a small percentage who go against the grain and don‘t follow the crowd 3. Laziness- One must be willing to put in the time and effort to build up their financial knowledge. This means being selfish and taking time out to build one‘s personal wealth. 4. Bad Habits- Reducing expenses is easier said than done, but one must be willing to break those bad spending/investing habits in order to be successful 5. Arrogance- Always be willing to reach out to those who are successful and those you want to emulate. To become wealthy, it‘s often a collaborative effort, bouncing ideas from prospective mentors. With these main lessons in mind, one can walk towards the path of success. It just takes personal initiative to further develop the financial knowledge and management skills necessary for success. As Rich Dad, Poor Dad shows, higher education or a great job doesn‘t guarantee success but rather the skills and knowledge you are able to apply with your income separates the lower and middle class from the wealthy. Source: atlantapost.com

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Black Girls Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Run? By Gayle LaCour 174

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As a black woman, I have always had a particularly weird relationship with working out. Like many African-Americans, I grew up in a household and culture where ―fat‖ was not particularly met with the same scorn and sexual undesirability that other races of people might face in mainstream American culture. Conversely, my inherited, beautiful curves come with setbacks that include, and aren‘t limited to, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and premature death. Given these grave effects brought on by poor nutrition and lack of exercise, most black women, including myself, have started instituting healthier habits. I started with the basics: running and calisthenics. Running appeared to be the easiest way to get in shape; hell, I‘ve been running since childhood. But soon enough, I discovered running for exercise is a different beast. Like most people who ―yo-yo‖ diet or find themselves buying every new home workout DVD, I had a hard time staying consistent. I really didn‘t think I could stay on track, and my history suggested I was due for a crash. I thought about getting a coach or trainer, but I‘ve worked with them–male and female– and I found myself just as lost with them than when I began by myself. Granted, I have built-in excuses (time, hair, or energy levels) to help mitigate the guilt that arises from skipping a session. Despite my self-loathing, however, I was determined to stick with a regimen and finally see it through to the end. Instead of trying to find a new fad, I rededicated myself to running. I quietly lurked on some great resources for black female runners like Black Girls Run and FloTrack; subsequently, I got so motivated from other‘s stories on those sites, I figured I needed a 175

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April 2011 challenge. Using Oprah as my inspiration, I decided to train for a marathon. And it was one of the worst decisions of my life. Training for a marathon took 5 months of pounding the pavement and synthetic tracks. Not only did I destroy my knees, but I seriously put my whole body at risk. I pushed through an minor IT band injury, which originates from circling a track in the same direction for long periods. Also my over-reliance on the cushioning in running shoes, which helps soften the burden on the human arches, eventually destroyed my shins and ankles. Never did I ask myself, ―Gayle, is running 26 miles good for my body?‖ or ―Are humans, or any two legged primate for that matter, designed to run long distances?‖ No, I didn‘t, and I paid the price. I should have read the Greek tragedy of the messenger Pheidippides, who ran 150 miles in two days, much like the distances ultra-marathoners run presently, then collapsed and died from exhaustion after he reached Marathon, Greece. Looking back, I was too caught up in the adulation from my peers and everyone else that advocates running for therapy, health, or charity. I didn‘t take time adequately rest my body. Consistent running places the body under so much stress that strict guidelines regarding proper nutrition, rest, and training must be observed or the body will ultimately succumb to the damaging aspects of running. The least heralded element that accompanies a running regimen is proper nutrition. Since I put my bones and muscles under tremendous amounts of abuse, I failed to make sure that I promoted an internal environment conducive to the energy demands placed on my system. I finally figured out that grains and dairy had to go. The truth is that humans are the only animals that autonomously run distances for sport. And if one doesn‘t understand how to run properly–on balls of her feet, no exceptions–the pain and torture of running will permeate throughout her body. Most orthopedic doctors make a fortune off of runners, who in the long run (pun intended) will need knee and ankle replacements or corrective surgery. Thus, considering my Obamacare won‘t kick-in until 2014, running distances isn‘t an option anymore. I found myself bucking the fitness stereotypes that follow black women and began swimming, kickboxing, and sprinting. Sprinting is not the same as running, and it develops the abs, thighs and buttocks, basically the curves that I wanted to maintain in the first place. Tell me you haven‘t looked at the top sprinters in the world and haven‘t desired to have softer versions of their figures. In the end, I finally smartened up, leveled with myself, and I was humbled to the fact I was training like a world-class athlete, even though I wasn‘t, nor did I ever want to be one. I was just trying to stay in shape and became caught up in listening to testimonials of women who found solace, comfort, and purpose while running long distances. For me, running a marathon was pointless, awful, and proved nothing. Even if the average runner feels a sense of accomplishment, the long term negative effects on the body always out weigh the short term euphoria of a runner‘s high. Source: www.clutchmagonline.com 176

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is a joint public awareness campaign with the following Sponsors:

St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Memorial Medical Center SIU School of Medicine American Heart Association American Cancer Society American Diabetes Association Jackie Joyner Kersee Youth Foundation Sangamon County Department of Public Health American Red Cross Eye Am Yoga Studio Hip Hop Body Burn R.I.S.E. 178

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Minority Health Issues:

Minorities are dying of fatal diseases at a greater proportion than non-minorities. Even though Congress has passed the Health Care Act, its funding, enforcement and longevity are still unclear. What is clear is despite the fact that we are witnessing health care evolution, the state of minority health is in dire straits. The major diseases contributing to this health care disparity are: 1.

Cancer;

Diabetes;

Hypertension; and

Heart Failure

Cancer According to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (“IDPH”) study entitled, Cancers of the Colon and Rectum Evidence of Disparities between Blacks and Whites prepared by Therese A. Dolecek, Ph.D, Senior Cancer Epidemiologist: 

“An evaluation of colorectal cancer with emphasis on black/white comparisons was conducted.... Cancers of the colon and rectum rank among the top 5 for incidence and mortality among both blacks and whites in Illinois.

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With respect to colorectal cancer incidence, blacks had higher rates than whites for colon and rectum and colon excluding rectum, whereas whites, particularly males, had higher rates than blacks for rectum. Statistically significant declines in incidence for colon and rectum, colon excluding rectum, and rectum were observed among whites but not for blacks in Illinois.

For mortality, black Illinoisans showed strikingly higher death rates than their white counterparts from combined colon and rectum, 179

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colon excluding rectum and rectal cancers. Statistically significant declines were observed among whites in Illinois for all three colorectal site categories but no changes were noted among blacks.”

Diabetes About 16 million people in the United States have diabetes mellitus, a serious, life-long disorder that is, as yet, incurable. About one-third of these people do not know they have diabetes and are not under medical care. Each year, approximately 600,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes. In Illinois, approximately 500,000 persons 18 years of age and older have diagnosed diabetes. According to the IDPH, the following have a greater risk of developing non-insulin dependent diabetes: 

Those with a family history of diabetes (parents or siblings with diabetes).  Individuals who are obese (20 percent or more over ideal body weight).  Members of certain racial or ethnic groups. Those who are more likely to develop diabetes are Mexican and Puerto Rican Americans (twice as likely), African Americans (1.6 times) and Cuban Americans (1.5 times). Non-insulin dependent diabetes often can be prevented through a healthy diet and physical activity. Hypertension High blood pressure is a serious disease. It increases the workload on the heart and blood vessels and can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney problems and even blindness. According to the IDPH: High blood pressure affects about 50 million (or one in four) American adults. It is especially common among 180

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According to the IDPH’s 2007-2012 State Plan entitled, Heart Disease and Stroke in Illinois Now Is the Time for Public Health Action:

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African Americans, who tend to develop it earlier and more often than whites. Also, many Americans tend to develop high blood pressure as they get older; however hypertension is not a part of healthy aging. About 60 percent of all Americans age 60 and older have high blood pressure. Heart Failure 

While the majority of deaths due to heart disease and stroke are among

whites (which reflects the population demographics), African Americans and, in particular, AfricanAmerican men, have the highest mortality rates.

 “...Heart disease and stroke continue to be the first and third causes of all deaths, respectively, for both men and women in Illinois. They are also the leading causes of premature, permanent disability in the workplace and, in 2003, were responsible for approximately 350,000 years of potential life lost.  CVD taxes the state’s health care system, accounting for more than 1.1 million days spent in hospitals with a price tag of more than $7.5 billion.  increase in knowledge of the importance of accessing rapid emergency care by calling 911  ecrease in risk factors (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, tobacco use) associated with heart disease and stroke



Recommendations from the State’s 2007-2012 plan include: 

decrease in mortality rates due to heart disease and stroke

increase in awareness of the early warning symptoms and signs of a stroke and heart attack 181

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April 2011 2011. However, ongoing media awareness will be maintained on continuous bases. The Your Health Matters; Awareness Through Wellness Campaign includes the following:  Media Blitz with existing content for various programs and services at the two major hospitals and the SIU School of Medicine.  Decreased and in some instances waived fees for those desiring to participate in classes/courses such as those at the Center for Living, yoga classes, fitness classes etc.  Additional media content specifically targeted to increase minority doctor visits, improve nutritional habits, and increase daily exercise.

Your Health Matters; Wellness Through Awareness is a coordinated effort by community stakeholders to help alleviate premature and preventable diseases and deaths within the minority community. These stakeholders include, health care providers, health advocate organizations, government agencies, non-profits and for profit entities who share a common goal to eliminate health disparity and increase wellness within minority communities.



Participation in the Your Health Matters Health Summit with a physical presence with the other stakeholders which currently being coordinated

The Your Health Matters; Awareness Through Wellness Campaign would run from May 1, 2011 through November 1, 182

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April 2011 We believe that using Targeted Impact Promotion we can assist all of the above stakeholders in meeting their individual mission objectives because WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE! Verve Media‘s services include:   

Media Planning, Brand Development, and Integrated Marketing.

We create insightful brand strategies and breakthrough marketing campaigns. We will utilize the strategic power of our creative product and process to provide Targeted Impact Promotion of client brand, services and programs. Through the Verve Media Network (VMN”) which includes various publications, websites and guerilla marketing efforts and initiatives We Transform Our Passion Into Advertising that Inspires and Motivates our Target Market. Verve Media, Inc.’s goal is to increase awareness of (“SJH/MMC/SIU”) ’s core missions which are as follows: St. John’s Hospital’s Mission - To provide a ministry of exceptional healthcare services to the people of central Illinois in the Catholic tradition of compassion, justice and reverence for life. Memorial Medical Center’s Mission – To improve the health of the people and communities we serve.” SIU School of Medicine’s Mission – To assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community. 183

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April 2011 Currently VMN includes the following:

Illinois VOICE is an authentic, engaging and stimulating monthly eMagazine with bold imagery published for today’s urban professional. From Chicago to Cairo, with the St. Louis Metropolitan region in the middle... we provide our readers with information that is important and relevant to them. Whether its news on inspiration, culture, wellness, politics, business, sports, or hard news on local, state and federal news, views and commentary, Illinois VOICE provides a unique vehicle that gives African American Urban Professionals a credible VOICE. The Illinois VOICE is emailed to over 7,000 readers every month with a 2.5 pass on rate. This gives us a current monthly readership of between 7,000 to 17,500 readers. Our target market audience has an annual buying power of $57.1 billion. In addition, you can visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/illinoisvoice or on our website (currently being revamped) at: www.myillinoisvoice.yolasite.com. We are the digital destination for today’s African American Urban Professional. Power217Radio.com’s fundamental objective is to provide a leading, online promotional advertising solution that targets global urban music resources. Our key goals include:  Leverage key geographical regions to gain rapid market exposure in this large niche industry.  Utilize cutting-edge Search Engine technology to drive viewer ship.  Provide an affordable, advertising collection of online services to garner long term loyalty. Our goal is to become the premiere online urban radio station.

The mix-online (www.themixonline.net)and Mix Magazine provides a variety of information on events social, civic and community resources. Our media forums include:   

The mix-online website The Mix Magazine - The Mix magazine also provides advertisements for black owned businesses. The Thursday Mix - The Thursday Mix, is a social event that provides a funding source for local non-profit organizations. www.thursdaymix.com 184

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Verve Media, Inc.

Tennessee Location:

Illinois Location:

815 E. H. Crump Blvd. Memphis, TN 38126 Phone: (901) 832-1144 Fax: (901) 577-1659

P. O. Box 2704 Springfield, IL 62708 Phone: (217) 7615514 Fax: (217) 793-6939

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A Dish to Bring to a BBQ Warm Potato Double-Bean Salad

No mere side dish, this potato salad is hearty enough to make a meal. Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 17 minutes Nutrition Score per serving: (1 1/2 cups): 304 calories, 7 g fat (20% of calories), 2 g saturated fat, 50 g carbs, 12 g protein, 9 g fi ber, 137 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 600 mg sodium

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Ingredients             

1 lb small new potatoes 1 large egg 4 oz green beans 4 4–5 sprigs fresh chives 1 lemon 1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt 3 T light mayonnaise 2 t Dijon mustard 1/4 t salt 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 1 15-ounce can chickpeas 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1/2 oz Parmesan

Directions Cut potatoes into quarters (do not peel). In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan, place potatoes, egg, and enough cold water to cover both by 1 inch. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut green beans to make 1 cup and chop chives to make 2 tablespoons. Once the water boils, reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered about 8 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. As potatoes cook, zest lemon and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice. In a large bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt, mayon-naise, mustard, salt, and pepper to make dressing. Rinse and drain chickpeas, halve tomatoes, and grate Parmesan. Add green beans to simmering water and cook 30 seconds. Drain potatoes, egg, and green beans in a colander. Carefully crack cooked egg and place in a bowl of cold water for 1 minute, then peel and set aside. Add hot potatoes, green beans, chickpeas, and tomatoes to dressing and toss gently to coat. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. When ready to serve, chop egg. Divide potato salad among four plates and top with chopped egg and Parmesan. Garnish with chives or additional lemon zest.

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The Yoga Way By Yogini Mafdet

Life Tools & Yoga Taming the Beast â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Destruction of Hidden Rage Anger is a powerful expression of human emotion. Most of us are not given the proper life tools to deal with emotions maturely. When we become adults we are conditioned to believe that anger is not useful and therefore not appropriate. Much of the time anger will get pushed deep down inside. Anger is normal but when mismanaged and pent up it easily become like a bomb waiting to explode and that's when we see the Beast (RAGE). Rage is like an out of control blazing wild fire. It happens when an overwhelming amount of anger has been trapped inside and wasn't properly processed emotionally. In my experience, the most rageful times in my life was when I was faced with a situation I felt I couldn't control. The way I expressed myself was through anger and rage. It honestly made me a like a fire-breathing dragon an it negatively effected my mothering, my relationships and blocked my relationship to myself. Not only does rage hurt relationships, it also has dire consequences mentally, emotionally and physically. The number one health problem in the black community is high blood pressure and is related to poor anger management. Mind you, not all anger is bad. There are some forms of anger that is healthy and effective. There's justified anger when the rights and freedom of people have been violated. Anger can be a two sided coin-destructive or useful. Gandhi was a great example of how anger towards injustice can be expressed in a non-violent and useful way. The black community also had effective leaders who expressed anger effectively like Martin Luther King ,Malcolm X or Harriet Tubman. The key is balance. Some life tools/skills are vital that will give you tolerance, perspective and wisdom in the face of your inner battle against rage. EMBRACING EMOTIONS Instead of internalizing, ignoring or running away from what makes you angry, embrace it. Take a moment to sit with your feelings and accept it for what it is. By identifying with your true feelings you can initiate your healing from an authentic and honest place.

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April 2011 PRACTICING FORGIVNESS Practicing forgiveness is not easy but essential for healing. It allows healing of wounds and move forward despite past hurtful experiences. Holding a grudge and resentment in your heart is hurting yourself and a breeding zone for stored up anger that can turn into rage. Forgive, move on and start to close that chapter of your life. If it means that you must change your environment, situation or release the person from your circle of friends, family and associates for a less angry you then start making steps to doing that. LOOKING BENEATH THE SURFACE The state beneath the surface of anger is usually fear. When faced with a situation that is angering you take the time to assess it beneath the surface and explore the ―underbelly of the beast‖. Beneath the anger, does this situation really make you feel hurt or fearful? If so, why? The answers to these questions will allow you to get to the root of the reason why you are in rage. CHECK YOUR WATER INTAKE When the rage is starting to surface and you feel the heat rise, drink a full cup of water down really fast. You water intake is essential for calm, collected emotions. Besides these life tools, yoga and meditation have been a haven for peace and acceptance and a way to release my rage. Millions of others have received these benefits too. Here's yoga set I want to share with you that you can add to your anger management toolbox. Some exercises will be tough but they are doable. Keep up to be kept up. It is worth the work. You can do it!: Kundalini Yoga Yoga Set – To Relieve Inner Anger Do all of these exercises in a row: 1. SLEEP POSE Lay on your back, relax your hands by your side,palms up. Your legs are slightly apart. Close your eyes and relax deeply. 2. LEG HOLD #1 – This exercise balances the navel and strengthens your control over emotions and anger: Still lying on your back ,lift your arms up 6 inches off f the floor(not any higher).Breathe long and deep for 2 minutes 3. LEG HOLD #2 Lift the legs 6 inches off the floor again. This time stick your tongue out and pant like a dog so that your navel pumps in and out. Continue for 1 1/2 minutes 4. BEAT THE GROUND Lift your legs 90 degrees(perpendicular to the floor).With your arms by your sides, beat the ground will all the anger you have inside! Beat fast and hard for 2 1/2 minutes

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April 2011 5. KNEES TO CHEST Bring your knees to your chest. Hold onto your knees. Stick your tongue out and inhale through your mouth, exhale out of your nose.1-2 minutes

6. CELIBATE POSE BENDS Sit back on your heels. Now move your heels out to the sides so that you are sitting between your heels and spread your knees as far as possible. If your knees are tight then sit on a pillow. Cross your arms across your chest and hug your rib cage. In this position bow your head down to the floor. Then raise back up while you inhale. Inhale up,exhale down for 2 1/2 minutes. 7. SELF MASSAGE Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you and beat all parts of your body with your open palms. Move quickly for 2 minutes 8. HANG LOOSE Stand up and bend forward while keeping your back parallel to the floor. Hang your arms down loose. Breath deep for 1-3 minutes 9. COBRA POSE a)Lay on your stomach, your arms beside your shoulders. Inhale lift your upper body up off of the floor, your head goes back. Stretch your spine back as far as possible(be sure to listen to your body and don't stretch too far).Stay in this position for 1 minute. b)Then rotate your neck in circles one way for thirty seconds then the other way for 30 seconds. c)Now kick th floor with alternate feet for 30 seconds 10. SAT KRIYA Sit cross-legged. Interlace your fingers and extend your index fingers out while the press together. Cross the left thumb over the right if you are female, the opposite for males. Stretch your arms over your head, squeeze your ears and say SAT(sounds like â&#x20AC;&#x2022;suuutâ&#x20AC;&#x2013; meaning Truth in Sanskrit)as you pull you navel in and say NAM(sounds like naaaaam, meaning identity)as you relax your navel. Keep up with saying SAT NAM out loud with the pumping of your navel for 1 minute. 11. RELAXATION Lay on your back with your arms by your sides. Cover up with a blanket. Your palms are facing up and legs are relaxed and apart. Relax your whole body from your toes to head. Soak up the wonderful benefits of this yoga set! Yogini Mafdet can be reached at info@yoginimafdet.com or 217.685.8870. Various local and international Kundalini Yoga classes and workshops are offered by Yogini Mafdet. To learn more visit www.yoginimafdet.com

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Money, Power, Respect: Inside The Business Mind of Jay-Z By Brittany Hutson 193

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April 2011 For the late 1980s and 1990s generation, hip-hop has provided a means for many to convey raw and vivid rags-to-riches stories. But very few have used their lucrative careers in music as a stepping-stone to propel themselves to the heights of the business world quite like Jay-Z has. Though much has been written about Jay-Z‘s ascent and domination of the music industry, there still remains a rather mysterious aura surrounding his transition from the top of the Billboard charts to the head of the table in the boardroom. With this in mind, Forbes staff writer Zack O‘Malley Greenburg set out to find the answer to one simple question: how did Jay-Z rise from Brooklyn‘s impoverished housing projects to a position as one of America‘s most successful businessmen? Through extensive amounts of research and by conducting interviews with over seventy-five people for a year and a half, Greenburg documented his findings in his new book, Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office. For the Forbes staff writer, who has covered finance and music for six years and has profiled luminaries like 50 Cent, Akon, Russell Simmons and Afrika Bambaataa, recounting Jay-Z‘s steps from the Marcy housing projects and going behind the scenes of his business empire certainly represented a challenge. This was apparent when Greenburg met with Jay-Z‘s right-hand man John Meneilly when he was in the early stages of writing his book. It was through this meeting that Greenburg got a glimpse inside the mind of the calculating, and at times ruthless, businessman. When he asked Meneilly for his and Jay-Z‘s cooperation on his project, Meneilly replied with one blunt, yet simple question: ―What‘s in it for us?‖ From this meeting, the author learned that if there is any opportunity for Jay-Z to execute a project on his own without sharing the profits, then he was going to do it—a strategy that he picked up from former mentor and business partner, Damon Dash. In fact, Greenburg got a first hand example of this strategy at work. He reveals his suspicion that once Jay-Z got wind of his upcoming book, Jay-Z figured that he might as well put out one of his own, which consisted of repurposing his unreleased 2003 autobiography ―The Black Book‖—a collaborative effort with hip hop journalist Dream Hampton that was set to be released in 2004. Decoded was released in November 2010, ironically, just before Greenburg‘s book went to press.

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April 2011 Greenburg quickly understood that Jay-Z would want to have full control over the information that was released about him. After all, would Jigga want anyone to know about his business failures? Probably not, but in the course of his research, Greenburg uncovered several interesting , yet unfavorable, deals. ―Some of the things that he doesn‘t let out don‘t necessarily reflect poorly on him,‖ he said. ―I came across a few instances where certain deals fell through and even through the reasons they fell through didn‘t necessarily have to do with him, he chose to sweep it under the rug. I only discovered it by digging deeply.‖ One of those dealings that went wrong was back in the mid-2000s when there were plans in the works for what was to be the Jay-Z jeep, a ―souped-up‖ version of Chrysler‘s Jeep Commander. At that time, Chrysler was attempting to revamp their brand and attract a bit of a younger audience. Michael Berrin–a Detroit-based musician and marketing consultant who knew Jay-Z before he secured a recording contract–and his associate, Marques McCammon– who worked at that time for American Specialty Cars, a Michigan-based automobile supplier–led the campaign to have Jay-Z assist in Chrysler‘s brand make-over with his special edition jeep. The deal was ―going to be huge,‖ said Greenburg. The jeep would be painted Jay-Z blue— a color that Jay-Z and advertising executive Steve Stoute had created—with butter-cream leather seats, twenty-two-inch chrome wheels and a digital entertainment system that would include all of Jay-Z‘s songs. The jeep was going to sell for $50,000 while Jay-Z picked up five percent of every jeep sold. But instead of concentrating on the potential of this deal, management at Chrysler were more focused on Jay-Z‘s past as a former drug dealer. Even though we‘ve seen Chrysler do commercials with Snoop Dogg in late 2005 and with Eminem in this year‘s Super Bowl, ―we forget that perhaps pre-2005, the auto industry was still a very conservative place that was very reluctant to feature hip hop in its ads and were weary of anybody who had been associated with crime as Jay-Z had,‖ said Greenburg. Although McCammom was able to finally sell Chrysler on the Jay-Z jeep, a last minute change in management caused the company to revert back to their old way of thinking and they reneged on the deal. ―I would say this was an institutionalized racism kind of thing,‖ said Greenburg. ―Though he chose not to publicize this, I think it really humanizes him. It tells us an amazing [yet] terrible story in American history about culture, race and the hubris of corporate America.‖ Jay-Z would later make a high-profile appearance in 2007 at the Detroit auto show for General Motors when he stepped out of a GMC Yukon S.U.V., for which, it is rumored that Jay-Z received a seven-figure fee. Greenburg said that though McCammon and Serch were livid that Jay-Z didn‘t try to push for a Jay-Z edition vehicle, from a business 195

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April 2011 perspective, ―it‘s really admirable because it was him cutting his losses and being able to salvage million of dollars out of a real unfortunate situation.‖ That‘s not to say that the businessman hasn‘t made some missteps before. In 2007, Jay-Z tried his hand at real estate when he partnered with developers Charles Blaichman and Abram Shnay for what was to be the first of many J Hotels in New York City. But the project went sour when the partners defaulted on their $52 million senior loan in August 2009, according to the Real Deal. The trio also teamed up with hotelier Andre Balazs in 2007 for a second project that was to be an 11-story luxury hotel, but it never came to fruition since they defaulted on their $24 million loan after the real estate market went under. Additionally, like everyone, Jigga does have his weakness in business (but Greenburg says it can actually be considered a strength), and that is he has a habit of casting aside mentors after he‘s learned everything from them, such as Damon Dash and Jonathan ―Jaz-O‖ Burks. ―From an interpersonal perspective, that‘s tough and he is in some ways a pretty ruthless guy,‖ he said. ―On the flipside, you could say that‘s a good thing. You never see him, like many other entertainers, getting caught up in having this endless posse of people who are just trying to leach money off of him. He‘s done a very good job of keeping the circle small.‖ Contrary to the boastful self-image that Jay-Z projects in his music, many who have dealt with him describe him as a sort of quiet, soft spoken and introspective type of person. ―He waits, listens and asks lots of really good questions,‖ said Greenburg. ―He‘s always trying to figure out a way to add to his own knowledge. He‘s always picking something up from somebody. He identified mentors and picks their brain and adds it to his hermit crab-like scope of knowledge,‖ he added. Besides identifying mentors, Jay-Z adds to his business IQ by reading a lot of non-fiction books, particularly business books. He also uses his ―gravitational pull‖ to set up meetings and interviews with the world‘s most important people in business, including Bill Gates, Oprah and Warren Buffet. He even applies his business mindset to that of his personal life. In the book, Greenburg has a chapter that goes behind the ―marriage and merger‖ of Jay-Z and Beyonce‘. In addition to Jay-Z giving her more street credibility and Beyonce‘ giving him more mainstream credibility, they have what Greenburg describes as an ―implicit dual endorsement with everything either of them does.‖ For instance, in 2004, Jay-Z purchased a seven-figure stake in Carol‘s Daughter. ―Do you really think that he would be able to do something like that by himself?‖ asked Greenburg. Essentially, a crucial element to Jay-Z‘s success in business and the reason why he has been able to build an empire that encompasses clothing, sneakers, basketball, a nightclub, a restaurant and Broadway show (Jay-Z has a stake in The Spotted Pig and backed Broadway‘s Fela!) is his longevity in the music industry. ―Hate him or love him, you can‘t argue with the fact that this guy has been putting out relevant music for 15 years now,‖ said Greenburg. ―From a branding perspective, it allows him to stay relevant. It‘s allowed him to go and leverage his own personal brand to create all these products, which of course gives himself free publicity. It‘s a very good business model but it‘s predicated on continuing to make hit songs so it all goes back to the music.‖ 196

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Jeremy Lamb (left) and Shabazz Napier celebrate Connecticut Huskies' win over the Butler Bulldogs. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

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Connecticut Huskies overcome Butler to win third NCAA basketball title â&#x20AC;˘ Inspired second-half Connecticut rally â&#x20AC;˘ Butler fall at final hurdle for second consecutive year

ends

53-41

victory

Connecticut overcame a sub-par performance by All-America guard Kemba Walker with an inspired second-half rally to defeat Butler 53-41 on Monday, winning the NCAA basketball tournament for the third time. Connecticut broke the game open when Jeremy Lamb scored 11 points during a 22-3 run that turned a six-point deficit into a 41-28 lead with six minutes to play. Walker, the Huskies' leading scorer an average of 23.7 points per game, finished with a team-high 16 points on five of 19 shooting from the floor but missed all four of his three-point attempts. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said the game was a defensive dogfight, a "thing of beauty" from a purist's standpoint. "You'd like a few more baskets made, certainly," he said. "But it was two teams that weren't going to give in to each other and finally our superiority took over. But, damn, I loved it in the sense of the fight and competitiveness, between the two teams." Butler hit only 12 of 64 shots to lose in the national championship game for the second consecutive year. Coach Brad Stevens said: "Without question, 41 points, 12 of 64, is not good enough to win any game, let alone the national championship game. "We guarded as well as we could. We gambled a little bit late because we had to, because we were just trying to figure out something to generate, a turn of the tide. And we just couldn't." The Bulldogs' two best players, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, shot a combined five for 28, ending Butler's chances of pulling off an upset. Mack hit a 23-foot, three-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give Butler a 22-19 lead, the lowest combined points total in the opening 20 minutes since 1945. The Bulldogs shot 22% in the opening half but had the advantage by virtue of hitting five three-pointers, while Connecticut missed all five of their shots beyond the arc. Connecticut and their Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun won NCAA titles in 1999 and 2004. Butler, an arts school in Indianapolis with 4,200 students, lost the championship game to Duke last year 61-59 when a game-winning shot rebounded off the rim at the buzzer. The Bulldogs lost their best player from a year ago, Gordon Hayward, to the NBA and were widely believed to have little chance of repeating last year's success.

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UConn's Maya Moore named AP player of the year By Doug Feinberg

Connecticut's Maya Moore poses with her award after being named The Associated Press player of the year. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Maya Moore is in a class by herself. Her coach will have to share his award. Moore is The Associated Press player of the year once again, becoming the third two-time winner when she was honored on Saturday. "She's a once-in-a-lifetime player," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "We're fortunate to have had her." Auriemma shared coach of the year honors with Stanford's Tara VanDerveer and Miami's Katie Meier, marking the first time ever that an AP college award has had a tie. Moore, who joined Seimone Augustus of LSU and Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee as the only two-time winners, also received the award as a sophomore. She finished second in the voting her freshman and junior years. The four-time All-American got 37 of the votes from the 39-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Baylor's Brittney Griner received the other two votes. Moore powered UConn back to the Final Four for the fourth straight season, putting the Huskies in position for a third straight title. That would match their run from 2002-04 and Tennessee's dominance from 1996-98. "To see what she's done this year as the lone All-American on the team which starts two freshmen and a sophomore is really remarkable," Auriemma said. 201

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It's the seventh time since the award was first given in 1995 that a Connecticut player won. Auriemma won his seventh coach of the year award, including three of the past four seasons. The three coaches each received 10 votes with Doug Bruno of DePaul finishing fourth in the balloting with three votes. "I've been really fortunate to have some really good players playing for me," Auriemma said. "This season is really special considering what we lost to graduation." While Auriemma has an office full of AP trophies, Meier and VanDerveer won for the first time. He was shocked to learn it was the first for the longtime Stanford coach. "It's hard for me to believe that this is the first one because there's been some unbelievable accomplishments by Stanford and the consistency they've enjoyed over the years. If this is her first this is long overdue," he said. VanDerveer has Stanford back in the Final Four for the fourth straight year and this time she hopes to end the Cardinal's 19-year championship drought. "For us to be going back it's thrilling," she said. "We took an 11-year hibernation. We call this our renaissance. We never take it for granted." VanDerveer's team ended UConn's record 90-game winning streak on Dec. 30 and went 33-2 on the season. "I'm very honored and know that it's more what you do on the court," VanDerveer said. "Because you have an award you need to earn it every day and help them be the best they can be." Meier helped guide Miami to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title a year after finishing in last place in the conference. She then led the Hurricanes to their first NCAA tournament win since 1993 before falling to Oklahoma. "I'm very touched in the sense it's a heck of a lot more meaningful with two of the best coaches who ever coached," she said. Meier was recruited out of high school by Auriemma when he was an assistant at Virginia. She fondly remembers that first meeting. "He came to my living room and then went to school with me," she said. "I remember my friends asking who that cute guy was." Meier ended up going to Duke. 202

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Martin Luther King Jr. lies on the ground after being assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the Loraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee as Andrew Young and others point in the direction of the gunshots.

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Willie ―Pete‖ Reeves

Black Businesses Are Booming... Are You Ready? Source: www.blackenterprise.com, March 2011

Specializing in Small Businesses and Non Profit Organizations

 Consulting (Business Plans, LLC & Incorporation Filing, Social Media Strategies etc.)  Economic Development  Grant & Technical Writing Services  20 % Discount for Non Profit Entities  We assist in obtaining 501 (c) 3 Status

Call today!! Tennessee Location:

Illinois Location:

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P. O. Box 2704 Springfield, IL 62708 Phone: (217) 220-7220 Fax: (217) 793-6939

901-832-1144

217-220-7220

Email: regenstrat@gmail.com Web Site: regenstrat.yolasite.com

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