Insight News ::: 4.27.09

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April 27 - May 3, 2009 • MN Metro Vol. 35 No. 17 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Rally urges green jobs legislation

By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief al@insightnews.com Hundreds of Minnesotans representing over 70 social service, civic and educational organizations and institutions braved virtual four season theater of Minnesota weather last Monday and gathered at the State Capitol to call for a fair share of jobs and contracts being created by billions in state revenues from federal stimulus spending and state gas taxes.

Organized by co-chairs, workforce trainer Louis King, president of Summit Academy OIC (SAOIC), and Artic explorer and environmentalist Will Steger, president of the Will Steger Foundation, the rally sought to send a strong message to Legislators that the $100 million Weatherization Bill currently under consideration must guarantee people from our community get the opportunity to participate in the jobs and business contracts the federal economic recovery stimulus funds create. The rally organized under a broad based collaboration called HIRE-MN, an acronym for Healthcare, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy.

Our government is making big decisions about how to stimulate our economy by investing in

infrastructure, renewable energy, conservation programs and green technologies, said King. HIRE Minnesota wants to make sure that people who need jobs the most benefit from those investments.

King said “We are organizing our communities to tell our public officials that public investments must: • Jump start the economy • Create and preserve thousands of jobs • Create sustainable income for low-income people and people of color • Reduce our oil dependency and rebuild our national infrastructure • Ease the climate crisis “Together we can create new jobs, protect our environment and strengthen our communities,” he said.

In advance of Earth Day, Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), hosted a conference call with African American newspapers to discuss the importance of the green jobs movement and the potential impact in the African American community.

Jones, previously the CEO for Green for All, a non-profit organization focused on developing and educating individuals about opportunities in emerging green industries, said

Book Signing: The Hiptionary: A Survey of African American Speech Patterns with a Digest of Key Words and Phrases

by Mahmoud El-Kati

Suluki Fardan

Snow, hail, rain and wind didn’t dampen spirit of HIRE MN Capitol Rally.

President Barack Obama has made the development of green jobs a formal plank in his comprehensive economic recovery plan through the Recovery Act and his proposed budget. “The issue is central to birthing new industries in America which will work directly to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and to put our

economy back on track,” he said.

The HIRE MN Earth Day rally at the Capitol featured presentations by Congressman Keith Ellison and Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Both urged green jobs activists to mount increasing pressure on elected officials and on government

administrators to ensure legislation includes what the community sees as a priority: green jobs, livable wages, and construction and service business contracts for businesses in our communities. “Politicians won’t act until they feel the heat,” Ellison told crowds that stood in

HIRE TURN TO

Join Prof. El-Kati as he presents his latest book which “captures the vibrancy of words present and past.”

Friday, May 1, 6 pm Golden Thyme Coffee & Cafe - 921 Selby Avenue, St. Paul

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First 100 Days:

Rights leaders give Obama an A grade

By Hazel Trice Edney NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) Sunday, April 26, marked the 100th full day since the inauguration of America’s first Black president. January 20 was a day marked with tears of joy and painful reminiscing. But it will be most remembered for the overwhelming glory of the historic moment.

President Barack Obama's initial accomplishments have included: • His immediate confrontation to the nation’s failing economy amidst which he now sees “glimmers of hope”; • The reversal of a string of anti-

Voices of a People’s History

PAGE NNPA

Elliot Stewart-Franzen

President Barack Obama

Makram El Amin, Louis King, Al McFarlane, Nghi Huynh

union executive orders issued by the Bush Administration; • The establishment of the Middle Class Working Families

Mobilize for inclusion, opportunity

100 DAYS TURN TO

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By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief al@insightnews.com

delivery system. He said his agency, Network for Better Futures, has demonstrated that given proper support, men can exit negative lifestyles that are based on lack, and emerge on the positive and productive side of community and workforce life.

Located at 1017 Olson Memorial Highway, the Network is an innovative, practical strategy

that promotes recovery, resiliency and prosperity for atrisk adults who previously used costly public services such as emergency rooms, treatment programs and even jails, prisons and detox facilities.

Race-baiting at the Legislature

Makram El-Amin explained the value of integrating housing, human services and workforce development resources into a single, seamless multi-faceted

By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief al@insightnews.com

Liberia President Johnson-Sirleaf tells diaspora

House Minority leader Marty Seifert is proposing to cut funding for a well-known Minnesota Somali advocacy group because Omar Jamal, the organization’s director, is now assisting the family of the captured Somali pirate.

State House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said he will introduce legislation to keep money from going to what he termed ‘pirate lovers’ in a statement announcing his call to eliminate funding for Somali

RACE TURN TO

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MOBILIZE TURN TO

Omar Jamal

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Film review The Soloist

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Your country needs you -

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia, delivered The Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs 2009 Distinguished Carlson Lecture, Friday, April 10, at Northrop Memorial Auditorium. Later that evening, Johnson-Sirleaf, internationally known as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” met privately with members of the Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM) at a reception held in her honor in downtown Minneapolis.

Johnson-Sirleaf was the first woman democratically elected to lead an African nation. She previously held several positions at the United Nations, including serving as the first woman to lead the Development Project for Africa.

During the military dictatorship of Samuel Doe, Johnson-Sirleaf was charged with treason and imprisoned. She has since been awarded the Presidential news.minnesota.publicradio.org

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Bring back Dwayne Casey!

PAGE 11 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

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Howard Zinn’s “Voices of a People’s History” brings light to great Americans

By Brandie Hill (L), and Titilayo Bediako War, ravage, killings, murder; those are the words we hear on the news; whether it’s in reference to Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa or even our own neighborhoods. These words were not used, however, at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium during the 3rd annual Arts for Peace Fundraiser for the Nonviolent Peaceforce, Voices of a People’s History by Howard Zinn. People’s History of the United States uses live performances to bring life to the astonishing history of ordinary

Americans who’ve built the movements that ended chattel slavery and segregation, advanced women’s rights and gay liberation as well protest the genocide of the Native Americans.

The Nonviolent Peaceforce was founded in 1999 as a nonprofit organization that works with over 95 member organizations on five continents.

They train civilians to be unarmed, nonpartisan peacekeepers. When local people in conflict situations ask for peacekeepers, those peacekeepers use their status as visitors to bear witness, negotiate, and shield people from harm.

An extraordinary array of talents presented this history, including Lou Bellamy, Isabell Monk O’Connor, and Melvin Carter, III. An African American giant in Minnesota, Lou Bellamy, the founder and Artistic Director of the Penumbra Theatre Company,

presented a compelling and powerful reading of Frederick Douglass’s, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.”

He adamantly read, “What to the American slave is our 4th of July?

I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, our sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parades and solemnity, are, to Him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States at this very hour,” the crowd roared with approval.”

Actor, artist and mentor, Isabell Monk O’Connor read Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman”. When she read, it felt like the resurrection of Truth herself. O’Connor had all the tonality and gestures that one

Lou Bellamy

Isabell Monk O’Connor

Melvin Carter III

would imagine Truth used during her delivery at the Women’s Convention in Akron, OH, in 1851. She read: “Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.” The crowd laughed and begged for more as she completed the reading: “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And

now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”

Melvin Carter III, Ward One Council Member for the city of St. Paul, totally impressed his audience with his rendition of, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s, “Where Do We Go From Here?” He recited: “Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education. Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of

diversity. Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Carter had the audience up on their feet screaming, “Amen.”

The program concluded with the dynamic and powerful Jearlyn Steele who sang, “If I had a Hammer.” Only she has the power of turning a song like “If I had a Hammer” into a revival.

She shook the hands of all the participants on the stage, she had her audience clapping their hands, greeting their neighbors and believing that they all could create a brighter future.

Ellison named to CSIS commission State Rep. Jeff Hayden, DFL-61B

State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-58B

Hayden and Champion host Spring National Night Out State Rep. Jeff Hayden, DFL-61B and State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-58B will host the 1st Annual Minneapolis Violence Prevention Spring Gathering on Saturday May 2nd, 10 am to Noon at the Sharon Sayles-Belton Center, Minneapolis Urban League, 411 E. 38th St., Minneapolis, MN 55409. Hayden and Champion have invited Minneapolis residents from across the city to come participate in this community event.

The event, a “Spring National

Night Out” is an opportunity for Minneapolis residents to learn about the many ways they can get involved in prevent violence in their communities. The gathering will feature a short program with speakers from the Legislature, violence prevention advocates as well the presentation of the Brian Thomas Award which will given to a community leader who has worked to reduce violence in Minneapolis.

Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) ashington, D.C. – US Rep. Keith Ellison (DMinnesota) has been invited by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), one of the world’s foremost policy think tanks, to join the launch of an exclusive commission to develop recommendations for a

W

long-term, strategic U.S. approach to global health.

Ellison, one of only two Commission members from the U.S. House of Representatives, and a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, joins a distinguished panel that includes Co-Chairs Admiral William J. Fallon, the former

Commander of the U.S. Central Command and the U.S. Pacific Command, and Helene Gayle, President & CEO of CARE. “I am honored to join this Commission on Smart Global Health Policy. I will take every opportunity to underscore the link between healthy, stable states, and our own national security,” Ellison stated.

“Global health is a proven instrument of Smart Power (a preceding CSIS Commission).

In addition to being the morally right thing to do; global health enhances our standing in the world by bettering the lives of millions of people who currently live in squalor with no health care and no hope,” Ellison stated.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), one of the world’s preeminent international policy institutions, provides strategic insights and policy solutions to decisionmakers in government, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

A bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, CSIS conducts research and develops policy initiatives.

Ellison’s 5th District of Minnesota is the most ethnically diverse district in Minnesota – home to people speaking over eighty languages from throughout the world. The district contains Minneapolis, Minnesota’s largest city, known for its world-class business climate, and health care technology including Fortune

INSIGHT NEWS www.insightnews.com

Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests.

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane CFO Adrianne Hamilton-Butler Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford Vice President of Sales & Marketing Selene White Director of Content & Production Patricia Weaver Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Elliot Stewart-Franzen Web Design & Content Associate Ben Williams

Race

Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed

From 1 Justice Advocacy Center.

Omar Jamal, director of the nonprofit, said the parents of Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse asked Jamal for help. According to an Associated Press report, Jamal said Wednesday he’s not weighing in on the guilt or innocence of the teen, but his role is to help the family understand the legal system.

“We act as an intermediary between the system and the community,” Jamal said. “In this case, we are trying to help the family understand what’s going on here.” He noted that because of the circumstances in Somalia, the family thinks Muse could be executed by firing squad.

Muse, 18, is the only accused pirate to survive the recent hostage-taking of Richard Phillips, the captain of the Maersk Alabama ship. Muse has been brought to New York to face charges including piracy under the law of nations, which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison. Muse’s parents say he is 16, according to the Associate Press report.

In a letter to the Rep Siefert, Cottage Grove resident Francisco J. Gonzales said Minnesota residents deserve better. “Your recent comments and proposal to eliminate funding to a well-known Somali advocacy group clearly shows

500 companies like Target Corporation, U.S. Bancorp, General Mills, Medtronic, and many others.

The recommendations made by the Commission on Smart Global Health Policy will culminate in a Commission report to be released in early 2010.

Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Contributing Writers Brenda Colston Julie Desmond Marcia Humphrey Mehgaan Jones Alaina L. Lewis Rashida McKenzie Ryan T. Scott Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu

www.house.leg.state.mn.us

State House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-21A that you are totally ignorant of what is going on in Somalia and why it makes sense for Omar Jamal to intervene,” Gonzales wrote.

He said the CIA had long suspected that Al Qaeda sought to infiltrate Somalia to open another front. And while the pirates are non-political

criminals, they could possible become allies of the jihadists.

“Your knee-jerk reaction and publicity stunt is ill-informed, short-sighted and obviously calculated to incite mistrust and resentment against all Somalis living in Minnesota,” Gonzales said.

Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Mpls., MN 55411 Ph.: (612) 588-1313 Fax: (612) 588-2031 Member: Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium (MMMC) Midwest Black Publishers Coalition, Inc. (MBPCI) National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Postmaster: Send address changes to McFarlane Media Interests, Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411.

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Insight News • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Page 3

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COMMENTARY Fifty-five years later: American education separate and unequal Commentary

By Rev. Al Sharpton NNPA Columnist In the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education on May 17 1954, the Supreme Court decided that the Constitution of the United States

must guarantee equal education for all American citizens.

In this landmark case, schools were desegregated across the South and the breath and width of the United States. Fifty-five years later, however, we find American education is still sporadically separate and unquestionably unequal.

The number of government and private sector studies confirms that the achievement gap between African Americans and whites is astounding and almost identical to the gap in 1955.

The struggle of this issue was addressed at our recent National Action Network convention, among educators, clergy, elected officials, civil rights leaders and activists, by Vice President Joseph Biden, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

We struggled with the fact that even with a well-educated African American President and First Lady living in the White House seeking a similar education for their two beautiful daughters, only 55 percent of African Americans

earned a high school diploma nationally.

Given the technological advancements in the world and the weak economy, to allow this gap to continue unchallenged is to render African Americans dysfunctional and permanently captive to an underclass.

We must challenge for equal funding for all public schools.

We must challenge accountability of teachers and administrators. We must inspire more parental and community involvement in the education of our children. And we

must give incentives for good productive teachers to go into troubled areas and confront this crisis on the ground.

To ignore this problem is to plant the seeds of economic and social despair to African Americans for generations to come. This is no more of a compelling issue in our community and a greater threat to our future than not completing the task started by the Brown vs. Board decision pushed for equal education for all.

That is why on May 16, thousands will join NAN at the

White House Ellipse in Washington D.C. to commemorate the anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education and recommit to finishing the journey that the case started.

It was a long journey from the Outhouse to the White House. Now we must democratize the school house.

The Rev. Al Sharpton is founding president of the National Action Network and co-founder of the Education Equality Project www.nationalactionnetwork.net.

African Americans mustn’t turn a blind eye to sexual assault on women

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist Last week, the Bennett College for women community came together to provide information on sexual assault awareness. We were aligned with many who recognize the month of April as sexual assault awareness month.

Indeed, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation on April 8 marking the month and making important comments on issues that are raised when we look at sexual assault.

Women who are 18-24 are especially at risk for sexual assault. According to the President’s proclamation, more than 10 percent of high school students, and more than 13 percent of college students are victims of sexual assault. This comes from reported data – many do not report their attacks to the police.

Every two minutes in the

100 Days From 1 Task Force; • The closing of the controversial Guantanamo Bay lockup for alleged terrorists; • His tour of Europe with First Lady Michelle Obama, which raised good will for America abroad during the G-20 economic conference; • His trip to Mexico with hopes of stopping violent drug cartels and preventing them from entering the U. S. • His reaching out to Cuba for the renewed relationship, supported by the Congressional Black Caucus.

• A new commitment to pour millions of dollars into the prevention and awareness of HIV/AIDS in America.

But, specifically, how is the new president doing on issues pertaining to African Americans from a civil rights perspective?

Pointing out that 100 days is simply not enough time to tell, some civil rights leaders give him an A so far; most also noting an ‘incomplete’ on the grassroots economy.

“There are some A’s and a couple of incompletes,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson in a phone interview from Thailand. “I think the position against torture, an A; the G-20 conference, putting a credible face on America’s foreign policy where he has trust capital and Bush had trust deficit disorder.”

Jackson also listed Obama’s reaching out to Cuba, Venezuela and the overture toward Iran as all A’s along with his dealing with the student loan industry, which Jackson described as a “$95 billion a year rip off.”

But, the incompletes – mainly in the area of economics - are clear, he says.

“There’s an incomplete on the stimulus because it must be more targeted to get to the bottom. As the states get it, they’re using the term “shovel ready.” But, shovelready for those who don’t have a shovel because of the lack of capital and lack of credit means they may not be ready. That could be seen as boot straps without the boots.”

To be fair, Jackson conceded that the President could only demand that the money gets out of Washington.

“But, we must demand that the states get it down to where the people are,” he said.

“We have to be certain that it gets down to the most unemployed the most in need of training, the most in need of business development. That’s an ongoing struggle there.”

As Black unemployment surges toward 14 percent, National Urban League President

United States, someone is sexually assaulted. Yet, these are crimes we do not take seriously enough. In an effort to understand “both sides” of the story, too often the young men who sexually assault women are excused as immature and unknowing. Why would we ruin the life of a promising young man, I was once asked, because he simply made a “mistake”?

The answer is that there is a young woman living with the mistake, living with the scarring that comes from a sexual assault.

She is too often pressured by friends and colleagues to view her assault as a misunderstanding, too often asked to think of her own culpability.

Yet, President Obama has made it clear that there must be compassion in dealing with victims. In his proclamation, he says, “Victims need an array of services to heal from the trauma of sexual assault, including crisis intervention, 24-hour sexual

assault hotlines, medical and criminal justice accompaniment, advocacy, and counseling.

Victim service providers are essential to this effort and work tirelessly to help victims cope with the trauma of sexual assault and transition from victim to survivor.”

The federal government has helped stem the tide of sexual assault by providing the essential services the President mentions in his proclamation. The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 authorized the Sexual Assault Services Program, which represents the first federal funding for sexual assault services.

Additionally, the Crimes Victims Fund, authorized in 1984, provides money for services to the victims of sexual assault.

Still, it is amazing that sexual assault is treated differently than other kinds of assault, that the word “sexual” in front of the description of a vicious crime often makes it more

understandable, even acceptable.

While the analogy is not perfect, our willingness to accept the assault of women by men is much like the public discussion of the alleged assault of Chris Brown on Rihanna. Did she provoke it?

Did she deserve it? Don’t even surf the Internet to plug into this drama. Scratch a young woman who will tell you the story, from her perspective, of why young Chris Brown should not be incarcerated. Then look at the photos of the bruised and battered Rihanna and wonder what young women think is acceptable!

According to President Obama’s proclamation, 18 percent of women have been raped at least once in their lifetime.

That is nearly one in five women, and that is only the women who have reported their assaults! The racial breakdown on data is not clear, but it is likely that Black women are more likely than others to be victims of sexual assault.

Because of our complex relationships with law enforcement, too many Black women may choose not to report their assaults, yet our entire community suffers from the pain that women feel when they are assaulted.

We collectively swallow the pain, the anger, and the scarring that comes from these sexual assaults.

The African American community must be as serious about assaults against women as we are about police brutality.

These assaults are not lesser because they happen in our community. Indeed, they may be greater because they hit us where we live – in the lives of the women that are the very backbone of our community. There is a pain that has been infused into the fabric of African American life; the pain is partly an historical pain, but is also the very present pain of the pervasive violation of our sprits.

The beloved former Essence

editor Susan Taylor says, “hurt people hurt people.” Can we really afford to have one in five African American women carry the burden of sexual assault into our community and into our worlds? In her pain, who does the assaulted woman hurt? What can we do to support her?

Even as President Obama has lifted April up for sexual assault awareness, so must we be mindful of the effects of these crimes, mostly against women (men are also sexually assaulted). I am appreciative of the presidential proclamation and hope our nation is equal to the challenge of making sexual violence so phenomenally unacceptable that we take aggressive action against it.

Marc Morial agrees.

On a scale of 1-10, Morial gave the President a 9 for his first 100 days. In the Black community Morial cited a need for greater civil rights enforcement and the need for help with job development.

“The creation of an agency taskforce to assist African Americans in securing construction jobs and green jobs; and the hiring of African Americans in subcabinet positions at Education, HUD, Labor and Health & Human Services,” Morial says.

Like Jackson, he says African Americans must press local and state government to do right by stimulus money.

“We need to remain engaged and hold mayors, governors and local school districts accountable for the stimulus dollars to ensure that African Americans are included in its benefits,” Morial says.

Morial also praises Obama for getting off to a fast start with the passage of the stimulus bill, the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the appointment of Attorney General Eric Holder.

Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree also applauds the President’s appointment of Holder, America’s first Black attorney general and lists a string of observations that have impressed him within the first 100 days, including “his symbolic and substantive decisions evince a level of maturity and calm judgment rarely seen by someone so early in their term as President.”

He gave Obama a 10 for adopting a stringent ethics code for his administration and for suspending the prosecution of suspected terrorists who have been detained, but not charged with offenses for nearly seven years; for outlawing water boarding as an interrogation tactic and for appointing former rival Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State.

However, Ogletree’s wishes for the next 100 days are just as strong as he also points to the need to connect with those at the bottom of the economic ladder.

“I would like the President to do a tour of America and ascertain the extent and the causes of poverty in America and seek a bipartisan set of proposals, comparable to a modern day American Marshall Plan to rebuild America and energize its people from the bottom up,” Ogletree said. “Furthermore, I would hope that President Obama will continue to work with HBCUS to create our next generation of leaders in business and industry.”

While civil rights leaders across the board applaud the new president, they almost

consistently stopped short of the highest rating of 10, noting the incomplete on the issues pertaining to grassroots African Americans.

“President Obama has tackled some of the critical issues affecting this country, reversed some of the wrongs of the previous administration and has offered hope for all Americans,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. But, he quickly notes criminal justice issues that need work.

“Forty percent of the prison population is African American while African American’s only make up 13 percent of the country’s population,” Jealous said. “We would like to see the President pass a series of laws that would do away with racial profiling, eliminate the excessive use of force by law enforcement and enforce strict guidelines on prisoner treatment.”

Like other leaders, Jealous also strongly points out economic

deficiencies in the Black community.

“Our citizens are losing their homes at a rate we have never seen before, small businesses are folding and more Americans are losing their jobs every day.

President Obama needs to address these issues and address them fast,” Jealous said. “The housing crisis is crippling our country and the administration needs to call for a moratorium on foreclosures on homes. Further, President Obama needs to implement smart policies to stop the exponential job losses and put an end to the hemorrhaging in the small business community.”

Jealous concluded: “We cannot mortgage the lower class to invest in the middle class. With millions of African American’s out of work, the President needs to address the issue of poverty. A large number of American’s live on Main Street, however a large number of African American’s live on Back Street, and the

President must continue to offer hope to those aspiring to be in the middle class.”

While many say it’s far too soon to realistically rate the President, they are quick to say what they want more of.

John Payton, director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, applauding Obama’s appointment of Holder, also wants more attention to the impoverished.

“Many inner city communities are in economic and social distress,” says Payton. “Their public schools are failing to graduate many, in some cases most, of their students. Public housing is in an equally distressed situation. Jobs are being lost; health providers and health insurance are being lost. The criminal justice system is playing an inappropriate role in many of those communities. We need comprehensive programs to address these critical problems.”

Payton said social and civil

rights groups must propose policies for corrective action and not stand by and watch.

The greatest help for the administration must be everyone’s patience said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

“I don’t think you can judge someone after only 100 days. That said, he’s accomplished more in his first quarter than most presidents achieve in their entire first term. He’s focused on creating jobs where we need them and has signed into law a number of backlogged civil rights bills,” says Henderson. “We didn’t get in the morass we’re in today overnight and we’re not going to get out of it in 100 days or 200 days or even in a year.”

Perhaps Jackson put it in the most succinct nutshell. “We’re better off than we were before he was inaugurated.”

Julianne Malveaux is president of Bennett College for Women. She can be reached at presbennett@bennett.edu.

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Insight News • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Page 5

BUSINESS Year Up and Microsoft, a most elegant partnership

Working together to create opportunities and strengthen communities An elegant equation is the simplest path to a solution.

Microsoft plus Year Up equals unlimited opportunities.

Microsoft and Year Up have come together in an effort to close the digital divide.

Partnerships such as the one Microsoft shares with Year Up are made possible through Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential grant. Through this grant, Microsoft and its partners provide hands-on technology skills training to people within the community. The Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant aims to deliver the benefits of relevant, accessible and affordable software to the five billion people who today are without access to technology or the opportunities it affords.

Year Up is a one-year, intensive training program that provides urban young adults, ages 18-24, with a unique combination of technical and professional skills, college credits, an educational stipend and corporate apprenticeship.

“Year Up has achieved excellent results,” said Tynesia Boyea Robinson, the executive director of the Washington, DC program. “91 percent of our graduates go on to further their education or obtain well-paying jobs. “ A recent Annie E. Casey Foundation report estimates that “4.3 million youth in this country have not progressed beyond a high school diploma and are neither employed nor enrolled in postsecondary education.” (KIDS COUNT Data Book, 2006) Microsoft realizes that many of America’s youth are woefully unprepared for and lack the skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce. They are hindered by the inequities of what Year Up calls the Opportunity Divide – where young people who are in need of higher education and career opportunities are isolated from institutions, people and opportunities that can help them make a successful transition into adulthood and economic wellbeing.

For years, Year Up has worked with Microsoft to broaden access to jobs through information technology education and training. Microsoft has provided dollars, software and training materials to support Year Up’s efforts.

The company’s partnership with Year Up is just one avenue the company has pursued to help close the digital divide.

“Microsoft and Year Up are working to reduce the barriers in our knowledge economy,” said Donna Woodall, Microsoft’s director of community outreach for the Mid-Atlantic region.

“Through this partnership, we are preparing the next generation for economic success through the power of technology.”

Year Up participants like Jasmine Anderson are able to apply the skills they learned in the program in real-time. Anderson, a Baltimore resident, leaves home at 5:30 in the morning to arrive on time at the Brookings Institution, where she’s been assigned. This early riser has found her

experience as a Year Up apprentice invaluable.

“Year Up has given me a lot of job training. The program has helped me with my professionalism and has laid a foundation for the technological skills that I have now,” Anderson says.

Year Up provides a high support, high expectation environment that encourages young adults to reach their full potential. One hundred percent of students who complete the training portion of the program are placed in apprenticeships.

Through Year Up’s apprenticeships, young people gain real work experience at leading area companies and organizations. Microsoft is also one of over 80 corporate partners that host Year Up apprentices.

Herbert Gay, Microsoft apprentice, said, “My mother told me about the program, but seeing is believing. It wasn’t until I attended a friend’s Year Up graduation that I realized that I had to seize the moment and apply

Global economy gets personal

By Jason Alderman By simply flapping its wings, a butterfly in the Amazon rainforest can set off an atmospheric chain reaction that will eventually trigger a tornado in Texas – or so says a popular, if highly implausible, explanation for how small actions can cause ripple effects far outside their domain.

There’s a financial “Butterfly Effect” taking place across the globe right now: We’ve seen how U.S. housing foreclosures are impacting economies halfway around the world; and because laid-off workers here and abroad are buying fewer luxury items, whole factories in China are closing.

Clearly the “global economy” is here to stay, so we all need to learn how to anticipate and plan for the impact that seemingly unrelated events can have on our own finances. But the challenge many people face is how to learn more about personal – and global – finances so they can protect themselves.

That’s why several years ago Congress officially designated April as National Financial Literacy Month. In the coming

weeks, organizations around the country will sponsor events and provide educational materials designed to provide people with the tools they need to establish and maintain sound personal finance habits.

One such event is the Third Annual Financial Literacy and Education Summit being hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Visa Inc. on April 20, 2009. This free, webaccessible roundtable brings together an international group of public policy, non-profit agency and private sector financial experts to discuss the significant economic challenges facing people of all ages around the world.

According to Charles L. Evans, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, “The goal of this year’s Summit is to examine how various regions of the world approach financial education and how, in light of the global crisis, we can apply best practices to ensure that consumers have the necessary tools and resources to make wise financial decisions.”

Some key questions that will be addressed at this year’s Summit include: • Given the current state of the global economy, what are the most pressing personal finance

issues people face today?

• What financial literacy program successes can we learn from and what challenges do we face?

• What specific measures have been successful in alleviating financial illiteracy in other countries and what role should U.S. policymakers play in adapting applicable solutions?

The Summit will be moderated by personal finance expert Jean Chatzky, the bestselling author who serves as finance editor for NBC’s “Today Show” and is a contributor to “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” To register to watch the webcast of this important summit, go to www.practicalmoneyskills.com/ summit2009.

In the meantime, there are numerous resources you can tap to further your and your children’s financial education, including: • The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy offers a clearinghouse of more than 700 books, pamphlets, DVDs and other materials on financial literacy topics aimed at children from K-12 (www.jumpstartclearinghouse.or g).

• The National Foundation for Credit Counseling provides an extensive collection of tips for people facing serious debt-

Mobilize From 1 El-Amin said the program serves African American men with histories of substance abuse, mental illness, chronic unemployment and homelessness who have been routine users of the costly public-funded services. Many come with histories of multiple arrests and periods of incarceration, and many owe child support, he said.

The Network creates efficiencies and savings by orchestrating collaborations between health services, treatment, training, job placement, and housing service providers, all focused on successful reintegration of men back into their communities and families. El-Amin spoke on a recent segment of “ Conversations with Al McFarlane” Public Policy Forum which was broadcast live on KFAI from the Minneapolis Urban League.

His presentation amplified companion testimony from Louis King, President of Summit Academy OIC (SAOIC), a job training resource that is part of the Network collaborative. King said the mantra for his organization and the mantra for our community should be “the best social service program in the world is a job!” With that statement as a guiding principle, King said, it is up to the community to demand that state and federal spending programs, that is, programs that use our own taxpayer dollars, ensure that our people get a fair share of the jobs and contracts that spending creates. King specifically challenged the Minnesota Department of Transportation to meet inclusion goals established in law, to ensure people of color and women get equitable shares of jobs and contracts created by our own tax dollars.

Elliot Stewart-Franzen

Al McFarlane and Nghi Huynh

Makram El Amin

Elliot Stewart-Franzen

related financial challenges (click on “Consumer Tips” at www.debtadvice.org).

• Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com), Visa’s free personal financial management site, features interactive tools, articles and other resources for children, adults and educators on topics ranging from understanding credit issues to family budgeting to retirement planning.

Don’t get paranoid about Amazonian butterflies, but do pay attention to what’s going on in the global financial market.

for the program. I’m glad I joined the next class of students. The skills I’ve acquired in the program have given me a head start in my career.”

Perhaps the most elegant of equations is the outcome of success when preparation meets opportunity.

“With the help of companies like Microsoft, we’re helping students to envision the careers

they can have if they apply themselves diligently during and after our program,” said Robinson, “I can think of no greater return on our investment than students leaving Year Up and realizing they are assets not just to the companies that they work for but to their communities at large.”

Page 6 • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Insight News

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AESTHETICS Film Review

Jamie Foxx riveting as homeless savant in best role since Ray Film Review

By Kam Williams Despite being raised in the ‘hood by a single-mom, child prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) exhibited such promise on the cello that by the time he graduated from high school in 1970 he had earned a scholarship to Juilliard. But unlike other classmates such as Yo-Yo Ma, Nathaniel would never get a chance to realize his full potential, because during his sophomore year he began exhibiting symptoms of the schizophrenia which would derail his dream of a career in classical music.

Soon, he had to drop out of school and return home to Cleveland where he was cared for by his mother until she passed away in 2000. At that juncture, he headed west, prompted by a delusion that his long-lost father resided in Los Angeles. Instead, Nathaniel only ended up on the infamous Skid Row, leading a hand-tomouth existence in obscurity alongside thousands of the equally destitute and lessfortunate.

There, the only hint of his musical past was revealed when he periodically played the violin in the park while standing beneath a statue of Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Nonetheless, Nathaniel generally went unnoticed by passersby until the fateful day, Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.), a writer for the L.A. Times, was struck by the virtuosity being exhibited by this homeless man on a battered, old instrument with only two strings. The intrigued reporter introduced himself, and was shocked to hear semi-lucid Nathaniel, during rare moments of clarity, assert that he had once studied at Juilliard. After confirming that rarified pedigree with the school’s administration office in New York, Lopez decided to write a series of feature stories about how someone so talented could end up a street musician

begging for tips. However, he gradually found himself crossing the line from dispassionate journalist to friend and benefactor as he became increasingly involved with rehabilitating his subject, not only finding him an apartment, but arranging for violin lessons and mental health treatment as well.

Thus, “Can this lost soul be saved?” is the burning question posed by The Soloist, a bittersweet bio-pic based on Lopez’s best-seller of the same name. Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement), the film features Jamie Foxx who does a magnificent job in his most challenging outing since Ray. Here, he convincingly conveys the tragic plight of a man still capable of flashes of brilliance who is more often than not

betrayed by his own brain.

Narrator Robert Downey, Jr. is just as effective playing the would-be Good Samaritan forced by his estranged wife (Catherine Keener) to question his own motivations when his every overture is ostensibly thwarted by the very person he’s hoping to help.

Was Lopez truly altruistic, or just motivated by the potential book and movie deals that Nathaniel’s sensational tale might enable him to land? And was it fair of him to presume to know what was best for a schizophrenic without walking a mile in the man’s moccasins or medulla oblongata? Judge for yourself. There are no easy answers here, so don’t expect a Hollywood ending, even though the picture was shot on location right on Skid Row (and

employed hundreds of homeless as extras), virtually in the shadow of Tinseltown.

A compelling cross of a couple of Academy Awardwinning Best Pictures, A Beautiful Mind and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, capable of holding its own up against those similarly-themed, screen classics.

Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG-13 for mature themes, drug use and profanity.

Running time: 109 minutes Studio: Dreamworks Pictures To see a trailer for The Soloist, v i s i t : http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=vrrLJT4YS9I

Previews for movies opening May 1

By Kam Williams BIG BUDGET FILMS Battle for Terra (PG for violence and mature themes) Animated sci-fi adventure about the peaceful inhabitants of a distant planet who face annihilation when desperate human invaders declare war in the wake of the destruction of Earth.

Voice cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, Danny Glover, Rosanna Arquette, James Garner and Chris Evans.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Romantic comedy about a confirmed bachelor (Matthew McConaughey) who finds himself confronted by the disembodied spirits of the women he’s seduced and abandoned on the eve of his brother’s (Breckin Meyer) wedding. Cast includes Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Lacy Chabert, Robert Forster, Emma Stone and Anne Archer.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (PG-13 for intense violence and partial

nudity) Latest installment in the Marvel Comics franchise focuses on Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) search for Sabertooth (Live Schreiber) in order to exact a measure of revenge for the death of his girlfriend, Silver Fox (Lynn Collins). With Will i. Am, Ryan Reynolds and Danny Huston.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS Eldorado (Unrated) Unlikely-buddy comedy about a Belgian auto dealer (Bouli Lanners) who befriends the young burglar (Fabrice Edde) he

catches in the act of robbing his house. (In French with subtitles) Home (PG-13 for disturbing images) Female empowerment flick, set in the Sixties, about a breast cancer survivor (Marcia Gay Harden) stuck in a bad marriage to an emotionally-unsupportive jerk (Michael Gaston) who makes the most of a bonding opportunity with her 8 year-old daughter (Eulala Scheel) during a life-transforming road trip the two take together over the summer.

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Insight News • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Page 7

HEALTH Minnesota addresses laboratory shortages through innovative partnerships Clinical laboratories in the United States are in crisis due to workforce shortages, increased laboratory testing needed to sustain patient care, and educational program closures caused by high costs necessary to maintain them.

While many laboratory education programs are closing throughout the nation, like the

University of Wisconsin at Madison program that announced their decision to close last week, Minnesota laboratorians are working at increasing capacity and making progress toward solving the critical staffing shortages of medical laboratory technicians/clinical laboratory technicians (MLT/CLT) and clinical lab scientists/medical

technologists (CLS/MT).

In the past year since a Department of Labor (DOL) lab grant was awarded to Saint Paul College and its industry and educational partners, their innovative approaches to building and growing capacity in the Minnesota clinical laboratory workforce is being noticed nationwide.

“This is a model program for the nation,” said Jeff Jacobs, vice president of Public Policy, American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). “Minnesota continues to lead the nation in healthcare innovation with this collaborative model program they built for the industry and implemented by a consortium of healthcare partners in industry and education that includes both two and four-year colleges and universities.”

Healthcare EducationIndustry Partnership (HEIP), a task force established 10 years ago and spearheaded by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) to address clinical laboratory workforce shortages, is at last seeing the fruits of its labor. The DOL grant of $2 million has grown to $3.2 million through leveraged resources from industry partnerships. Its purpose is to expand enrollment and produce more graduates in the clinical laboratory science profession.

The partners are actively developing a clinical laboratory sciences online curriculum that improves access for interested students, renovating the Saint Paul College MLT lab, expanding and streamlining clinical rotation experiences and developing pipeline opportunities for middle school students, high school students and adults to explore laboratory careers. “A new stateof-the art laboratory was built at Winona State University to offer the necessary lab experiences to students as they go into clinical rotations for their clinical lab internships,” said Dr. Judith Loewen, CLS program director, Winona State University.

“This collaboration came together in an unprecedented way,” said Michelle Briski, MLT program director, Saint Paul College. “The DOL grant is acknowledging the need for this innovative pilot program to address clinical laboratory workforce shortages in Minnesota and across the nation.”

The Shortage Despite starting salaries ranging from $45,000 to $50,000, 39% of health care facilities in the Midwest and 44 % nationally are reporting difficulties in hiring lab staff, according to ASCP. Clinical laboratory scientists and technicians provide clinical application and quality patient care by performing tests to help providers diagnose, treat, and monitor the full range of diseases from strep throat to HIV/AIDS to diabetes to cancer.

Projections show an even greater need for laboratory technicians and scientists by 2016 for Minnesota and the nation, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Minnesota is expected to have more than 1,000 CLS and 1,000 CLT job openings by 2016, while nationally that number is more than 46,000 CLS and 45,000 CLT job openings.

Further laboratory workforce shortages will occur when approximately 10% of the clinical laboratory professionals reach retirement age within the next 10 to 15 years.

Other factors pressuring the field are the increasing number of tests needed for general patient care, disease control and the maladies of an aging population.

Industry experts predict test usage will increase 17% as the population ages.

Another element of the shortage is cost of the programs and the ailing economy.

“Hospitals, clinics and laboratories are feeling the affects of budget cuts because they impact the ability to provide clinical rotations to students,” said Rick Panning, vice president for Laboratory Services, Allina Hospital and Clinics.

“Universities also are planning to close four-year programs because laboratory programs aren’t cheap.

School officials weigh program costs versus tuition and in the short term it may make sense for them to cut costs, but long-term they are going to suffer.”

“Minnesota’s laboratory training program will fill vacant jobs and have a major impact on Minnesota’s shortage of laboratory professionals,” said Barbara McKenna MD, president, American Society for Clinical Pathology. “Jobs associated with the field of laboratory medicine are in high demand across the nation and this pioneering

HIRE

workers and companies from communities of color under the pretext that the department couldn’t find workers or companies to do the work. “Look around,” he said. “Men and women in hard hats who are people from First Nations, Latinos, Asians, and African Americans, are here and they are ready to work.”

The rally included spirited performances by hip hop artists, Brother Ali and Maria Isa. The program opened with performances by the First Nations Drummers and Dancers, and included a marvelous performance by the Lao Community’s Minnesota Angels Dance Group.

So what is a green job? Insight looked at discussions at the Green Jobs Coalition website and passes these synopses along:

From 1 hail, rain, and windstorms to make their point to the Legislature at state administrators.

Speaker after speaker pointed to the historic failure of the Minnesota Department of Transportation to properly engage members of communities of color in multi-million dollar highway and road construction jobs and business contracts. Bill Means, head of the Minnesota OIC Council, said over half billion dollars in tax revenues from the state gas tax must be spent by law for MNDOT roads projects. He said it is no longer acceptable for the state agency to allow exclusion of opportunity to

Allina Hospitals & Clinics

program serves as a model project for laboratory professional educators nationwide.”

Laboratory Careers Clinical labs are an integral part of health care facilities and more than 70% of the information that a patient receives about treatment and diagnosis comes from the lab.

Clinical laboratory professionals work in all areas of the clinical laboratory including blood banking, chemistry, hematology, immunology and microbiology.

“We are the backbone of medicine,” said Xia Thao, a clinical laboratory technician studying to be a CLS. “People are taking for granted the need for certified, educated and trained individuals,” said Panning. “Often times the world simplifies what these individuals do. Without certified laboratory professionals in smaller hospitals these institutions would be at risk of being closed.”

Students Students who receive their degrees, certifications or licenses can expect employment anywhere nationally or internationally.

Some working adults are pursuing the field as a second career and the program is aimed at attracting them through an online curriculum and possibly evening classes.

In addition to good starting salaries, “full health benefits, moving and relocation fees are possible. And some employers will pay for college course credits earned at two and four-year colleges,” Loewen said.

Laboratory professionals must possess a number of skills and abilities such as “science and

math aptitude, critical thinking ability, dexterity and fine motor skills, composure in a stressful working environment, visual acuity, compassion and ethical responsibility,” said Briski.

Primarily a female dominated industry 10 years ago, more men are choosing the profession. “The DOL grant is also helping Minnesota provide opportunities to immigrants who in turn improve a component of their community,” said Loewen. Dung Vo, recipient of a National Clinical Laboratory Science Scholarship, and his wife, Toanh Ly both pursued a laboratory science career. Toanh completed her MLT degree last year and is employed while her husband, Dung, is completing his final weeks of the program. His next step is to study for his CLS degree. As a clinical laboratory scientist, “I help discover the human body’s mysteriousness and act like a detective tracking down fugitives,” said Vo. DOL Lab Grant Partners The lab grant consortium consists of Saint Paul College, which is also the fiscal agent, and other two-year institutions granting MLT/CLT degrees, including North Hennepin Community College, South Central Community and Technical College and Argosy University; four year institutions granting CLS/MT degrees, including Winona State University and the University of Minnesota; healthcare industry partner Allina Hospitals & Clinics; the Centers of Excellence in Healthcare, HealthForce MN and HEIP; and Minneapolis Workforce Centers.

Suluki Fardan

State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-58B and State Rep. Jeff Hayden, DFL-61B

• Green can refer to a sustainable business practice that does not exhaust or exploit any resources, and can be applied to virtually every job function available.

• Example: Green investing can refer to purchasing stock in ethanol production or in electric vehicle technology. It can also mean (and has been used to describe) behaviors and principles that support a sustainable and long term approach to many varied investment types.

• Green Products - those with demonstrated superior performance via certifications, registrations, or demonstrated performance superiority in areas such as life cycle carbon, water use, renewability, hazardous air emissions, etc.

• Green jobs must play a role in building a green economy which is truly sustainable. Sustainability includes not just environmental quality and general economic prosperity, but a significant reduction in poverty, inequality, and discrimination. Without addressing these socioeconomic

HIRE Minnesota rally at the Capitol factors, the new economy will not be truly green and sustainable.

This aspect of green jobs has been recognized widely and there are a number of possibilities for enhancing the current definition.

As Van Jones has put it in “The Green Collar Economy” “The best answer to our ecological crisis also responds to our socioeconomic crisis. The surest path to safe streets and peaceful communities is not more police and prisons, but ecologically sound economic development. And that same path can lead us to a new, green economy - one with the power to life people out of poverty while respecting and repairing the

Suluki Fardan

environment.”

Examples of sectors of the economy which may include green jobs: • Energy Efficiency Weatherization

and

•

Public Transit

•

Renewable Energy

•

Green Building

•

Green Products

•

Green Services

•

Environmental Conservation

Page 8 • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Insight News

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LIFESTYLE Going on vacation, but staying with family/friends? Be a good houseguest!

Style on a dime

By Marcia Humphrey Will this summer’s vacation or travel plans include staying with family or friends? If there is no money left in your budget for a hotel room, this can be a great option. Most likely you will be able to kill two birds with one stone; you get a free place to stay and you get the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones.

Sounds great, right? Not so fast! While I don’t want to put a damper on your budget-friendly get-a-way (because you know I am a lover of all things thrifty), please allow me to give you a word (okay maybe several words)

of caution before you roll up into Aunt Bertha’s home. Please remember to mind your manners as a guest, and be considerate. Oh I hear you talking back at me right now. You are saying, “Auntie Bertha and Cousin Rochelle are cool and they always tell me that I am welcome any time!” Well, if you go to Aunt Bertha’s house and act like you have no hometraining, before the visit is over, she will be rolling her eyes at you.

I want you to consider the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” So in order to keep the stench at bay, let’s visit the three basic rules of “good houseguest etiquette.”

Don’t Wear Out Your Welcome Generally speaking, if you’re planning to stay at the home of a friend or loved one, limit your visit to around three days (like Ben said earlier). Although your visit is welcomed, it is likely that Auntie has rearranged her normal

schedule (and maybe the household sleeping arrangements) to accommodate you comfortably, so please be considerate of that.

In addition, if you are travelling with little ones, make sure that daily they have an opportunity to burn off some energy outdoors; in the yard, at a park, or while sightseeing.

This way little Johnny won’t work Auntie’s nerves too much. Also before using the phone for a local call (or the computer), please ask and then keep it brief. If your plans require you to be in the area longer than three days, consider getting a hotel for the remaining time. You will still save big money, and you’ll be sure to get another invitation.

Bring a Hostess Gift/ Treat the Family to Dinner As a gesture of appreciation, it is always nice to arrive bearing gifts.

They do not have to be elaborate gifts. For instance when we lived in Alabama, I would always take my mother-in-law, a Michigan resident, a watermelon. Other ideas are a music CD of her favorite artist, a bouquet of mixed flowers, or even a book that you think the family might enjoy —I recently bought a cool book called The Jesus Storybook Bible for our family, and we all enjoyed it so

http://image20.webshots.com

much that I bought three more copies as gifts for other families.

In addition, consider taking the host family out to dinner one night during your stay, or better yet, go to the market and make dinner.

None of these gestures will cost you more than one night’s stay at a hotel, so everybody is a winner.

Do Keep it Clean I have a (another) confession.

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is make my bed and I require that my children make their beds, too. When I am a houseguest, the same rules apply. Pick up after yourself and the children if they are with you.

If your hostess cooks a meal, offer to do the dishes-and make your daughter take out the trash, and your son sweep the floor. Finally, prior to leaving, spruce up the bathroom, ask your host how you should leave the bed (stripped or unstripped), and leave a handwritten message expressing your gratitude.

Summer is America’s favorite time to hit the road. If your plans include summer travel on a budget, consider lodging with your loved ones, but be considerate and do a few things to “earn your keep.” Then you will be the type of guest that will be invited to come again soon (just

not too soon). That’s what my family will be doing this summer.

We are travelling South to see my new niece, my 93-year-old grandma, and many other relatives and friends. Throughout our adventure, we will be welcomed into many homesstaying only three days or lessand we will ENJOY the pleasures of free lodging, southern cooking, and good fellowship!

Marcia Humphrey is an interior decorator and home stager who specializes in achieving high style at a low cost. A native of Michigan, she and her husband, Lonnie, have three children.

Driven to drive less in Minnesota If people drive fewer miles, will policies from zoning to energy change to reflect a shift away from the culture of the car? The latest figures from the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) say miles driven in Minnesota in December 2008 were down 3.3 percent when compared with the year before.

That follows a 5 percent slide in November. Historically, miles driven usually increase when gas prices are low, but the number continued to fall in Minnesota even as gas prices dipped in November and December.

Eric Sundquist, a University of Wisconsin energy and transportation policy analyst with the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, says if the recent mileage downturn becomes a trend, major policy changes could result. Looking at a Google Earth image of a major city clearly shows how carcentric Americans have become, he adds.

“There are just little dots of buildings surrounded by asphalt.

Nobody can really walk from building to building because it’s so far and unpleasant.”

One benefit of fewer miles driven, Sundquist says, is less need for wider expanses of land to be paved to accommodate ever-expanding hunger for more parking. If the number of miles driven continues to drop, policy makers could change zoning laws to require less paving and parking, he points out, and more resources could be devoted to walking and public transportation.

“If you have a walkable neighborhood, you should be able to lower the amount of pavement and make everything

more compact because you’re going to have less parking.”

Sundquist says a less carcentric society also could affect basic notions of how cities are designed.

“There are ways to build good, compact neighborhoods that don’t bring back memories of 1890 and tenements and other things that sometimes concern people when they think about density.”

The entire DOT report can be found at www.fhwa.dot.gov.

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Insight News • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Page 9

In loving memory

In loving memory

Sharla Tolbert Sharla Tolbert born on November 16th, 1951 to the late Ida Jean Tolbert and the Tharon Howard in Chicago, IL. Sharla, the eldest of 6 siblings, one of which who preceded her death (Leonard Tolbert). She grew up in Gary, IN and attended school at Drew Elementary, Pulaski Junior High, Roosevelt High School and Indiana University. She received her foundation as a Christian at New Hope Baptist Church.

Sharla was a social worker for 20 years before relocating to Richfield, MN and became an accountant. However, neither role was considered as rewarding to her as the role of mother. She prided herself on being known as Maya’s and Lola’s mother. Even as an “empty nester” she made it a priority to be actively involved in the lives of her grandchildren and great-nieces/nephews. Sharla’s unconditional love and nurturing spirit made her shine while brightening the lives of those around her.

Sharla lived a simple and sincere life. Some of favorite things included: Sewing, crossword puzzles, performing

Olive E. Willis

Sharla Tolbert arts, coupon clipping, Mexican food and a snowy day. She was an enthusiastic volunteer who dedicated her time to local thrift stores, theater companies and her church (Church of New Life Christian Ministries) where she served faithfully for 20 years.

Sharla will forever be applauded by an incredible audience of family and friends: Daughters: Maya and Lola Tolbert Sisters: Pamela Tolbert-Bynum and Tammie (Ron) Hartfiel Brothers: Paul (Carla) Sherman

and Terrence Thorton Grand daughters: Laila and Lainiqua Tolbert Nephews: Taj Robinson, Kyle Thomas, Ta-Raj Jr., Xavier, Mosaic, Ta-Kari, Kenneth, Anthony and DeShawn Great nieces: Tammie, Dayjeena, Ta-Maya and Jade Special friends: Aleta Macon and Felecia Billingsley A host of aunts, uncles, cousins, loved ones and friends

Olive was preceded in death by her husband Dorsie Willis of the “Brownsville Raid” fame. Olive had no children but had many nieces, nephews, and friends who loved her dearly. Olive’s sister Roma Batsell also preceded her in death. They were always together. To know Ollie was to love her.

Please send condolences to 5105 13th Ave. So., Minneapolis, MN 55417.

Funeral Service Monday, April 27, 2009 at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, 3355 4th Street North, Minneapolis. 10:00 Visitation 11:00 Service, internment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, 7601 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN.

Olive E. “Ollie” Willis

Hear the amazing Thomasina, sample her divine & delicious Cashew Brittle Thomasina Petrus Thomasina Petrus' handcrafted Cashew Brittle says, in a most delectable way, "I Love You" to

Mom, sister, daughter or friend this Mother's Day. The multitalented songstress, actress and confectioner will

offer Insight readers a special discount for her nationally renown candy, Thomasina's Cashew Brittle, in advertisements in today's Insight News and in next week's edition as well. The exclusive offers are available online through insightnews.com.

Hear Thomasina and sample her delicious food creation at this week's "Conversations with Al McFarlane" Public Policy Forum 11am - 12 Noon Tuesday at Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Avenue North.

Insight News invites community businesses with special offers for Mother's Day to advertise in our special Mother's Day edition next week. We are especially interested in promoting businesses owned and operated by, and serving members of our community.

Call Selene White at (612) 588-1313 to advertise your business' Mother's Day specials.

Sirleaf From 1 Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civil award, for her personal courage and unwavering commitment to expand freedom for, and improve the lives of, people in Liberia and across Africa.

“Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s story is one of courage and breakthrough,” said Humphrey Institute Dean Brian Atwood, who introduced her to a full house at Northrop Auditorium.

“We traveled together to Africa and I saw firsthand the respect she generated. Standing for President in a country emerging from civil war takes a great deal of courage. Then came the breakthrough: she was the first woman ever elected as an African head of state. We are fortunate indeed to welcome her back to Minnesota to tell her magnificent story as the Distinguished Carlson Lecturer.”

Johnson-Sirleaf met and exceeded all expectations in her riveting story about her own march toward destiny, and in her confidence inspiring report of a nation devastated by war and corruption, now seeing the light that leads to the light at the end of the tunnel.

And while she praised her country’s willingness to embrace austerity as it worked to restore markets for its abundant diamond and other minerals, and timber products, in her evening remarks to the “family” the OLM, she said corruption remains a formidable barrier to restoring health to the nation and its economy.

Page 10 • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Insight News

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Assumed Name

Assumed Name

1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: Boyer International Trucks

1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: Just 4 You In - Home Services

2. State the address of the principal place of business: 21701 Industrial Blvd, Rogers, MN 55374

2. State the address of the principal place of business: 3032 Columbus Ave. So, Minneapolis, MN 55407

3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name: Boyer Ford Trucks, Inc 2601 Broadway Rd NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name: Sunita Persaud, 3032 Columbus Ave. So, Minneapolis, MN 55407

4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statues section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath.

4. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statues section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath.

Signed by: J Bradley Gorsuch Date Filed: 4/8/2009 Contact Person: J Bradley Gorsuch Daytime Phone Number: (612) 627-5501

Signed by: Sunita Persaud, owner Date Filed: 4/9/2009 Contact Person: Sunita Persaud Daytime Phone Number: (612) 825-9348

Insight News 4/20/2009, 4/27/2009

Insight News 4/27/2009, 5/4/2009

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Insight News • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Page 11

SPORTS

Bring back Dwayne Casey!

Mr T’s Sports Report

By Ryan T. Scott ryan@insightnews.com If you follow the Timberwolves at all, then you know that former coach Dwayne Casey got a raw deal. We are all aware that “good ole boy” networks exist, and you may find it surprising that I am not completely against it. In the African American community we have our own version of the “good ole boy” network, it’s called “the hook up.”

Many of the jobs that I have gotten in my life were due to knowing someone. Once I have my foot in the door, I generally start sending smoke signals to the good people I know who also might fit well with that type of job…whether there is a referral bonus or not.

Occasionally we might

overextend ourselves with that “hook up” or see that person’s capabilities and commitment through rose-colored glasses.

But there is nothing wrong with wanting to give someone an opportunity…just be careful if you know of past crack use.

Kevin McHale gave his friend Randy Wittman an opportunity to coach the Timberwolves.

Eventually, owner Glenn Taylor had to realize that the Randy Wittman

be fine with him continuing as the coach.

Before Wittman there was Dwayne Casey.

I had the opportunity to sit with Coach Casey in the barbershop (shout out to Fades of Gray in Uptown), and I’d be hard pressed to find a person with a more qualified resume and demeanor to lead an NBA team.

As a former athlete, I can say that he was the type of coach that you want because you

Casey inherited this offering of young players, disgruntled superstar, and no help from management, and still managed to coach the team to its maximum potential. led Timberwolves were stuck in neutral (at best), and thus McHale needed to step down from management and take over after Wittman’s dismissal.

McHale didn’t necessarily do a bad job as a coach, and if he had a real passion for coaching a very young team, then I would

know you’ll develop as an athlete under his direction.

Kevin Garnett was the center of the Timberwolves’ universe during his time here.

When asey took over the team he stepped right into a mess with concern to that universe.

Garnett felt his championship

opportunities slipping and didn’t want to listen to a rookie coach trying to coach up a bunch of young players.

Casey inherited this offering of young players, disgruntled superstar, and no help from management, and still managed to coach the team to its maximum potential. Garnett was traded during Casey’s tenure, and Casey still managed to keep the team at a level of respectability.

The next season, Casey got the boot early on, even though the team was still performing to its maximum potential.

Wittman came in and did much worse, but was still given the chance to continue through this season. Once the team reached its dismal pinnacle midway through this season, Wittman was finally sent packing.

McHale stepped in and brought the team back to the level that Casey had achieved before.

That is until he had his star player (Al Jefferson) swept away from him due to injury.

So just the same as it would be fair to bring back McHale as the head coach, it would be

Dwayne Casey equally, if not more fair, to bring back Casey.

White coaches get these opportunities

http://i2.cdn.turner.com

to return back to coaching after a difficult first run at it. I am certainly left at a loss to think of a black coach given the same chance.

Adored by many in the local media, you are impossibly pressed to find a person to say a bad word about Coach Casey, or his basketball acumen.

The Timberwolves have an improved, athletic, and more cohesive roster now. Casey’s system of coaching would blend well with the current roster of players, and through bringing him back the Wolves would be able to kill two birds with one stone. The first bird is called ‘selecting the right coach for the current roster’. The second bird is called ‘Do the right thing’.

Page 12 • April 27 - May 3, 2009 • Insight News

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