Insight News ::: 6.21.10

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June 21 - June 27, 2010 • MN Metro Vol. 36 No. 28 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Suluki Fardan

Erick Goodlow, Nathan Johnson, and James Garrett, Jr.

Architects balance urban design, theory

By Maya Beecham Contributing Writer Members of the architecture industry and consumers of architecture and design use these descriptors when referring to the work of 4RM+ULA, a Blackowned full service architectural design firm established in 2002.

4RM+ULA, a phonetic acronym

that stands for form + urban landscape articulation, is linked to high profile projects such as the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit, Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center, Selby Area CDC, and Juxtaposition Arts Center Textile Lab. James Garrett, Jr., Nathan Johnson, and Erick Goodlow, are friends and partners of

4RM+ULA who balance design, technical expertise, theory, and urban planning. The three men have known each other since youth when architecture and business ventures were a dream.

After pursuing years of education at prestigious post secondary institutions on the East Coast, West Coast and Midwest, they have joined forces to bring their expertise back to the Twin Cities

and are expanding globally. Now the dream is realized.

Garrett , who serves as managing partner and resident visual artist, graduated from University of California, Berkeley with an Environmental Design degree from the School of Architecture, and received a graduate degree from Parsons The New School for Design in New York. He breaks down the

firm’s approach to projects into three categories; technology, environmental sustainability, and art. “We are very big on technology, and utilizing the newest technology; whether it is different types of computer aided drafting programs to draw things and create things, or different visualization modeling techniques. We are always looking for new products and

new equipment to design into buildings to make them more energy efficient, to make them function better. We are constantly looking for opportunities to make our buildings and our designs as green as possible, to have the lowest carbon foot print possible, and [not] use the toxic chemicals and paints as such.

4RM+ULA TURN TO 11

Kim Kanowitz: Creating a haven of hope

By Anika Robbins Kim’s story is one of struggle, self-discovery and finding peace and contentment. It’s about carving out a piece of the dream...by any means necessary.

I met Kim back in the day when I first started singing. He was something of an anomaly to me. He loved Black music, Black women, Black culture and Elijah Muhammed, who, to me, he somewhat eerily resembled --especially when he’d don his kufi and smart suits with turtlenecks reminiscent of FOI (The Nation of Islam’s ‘Fruit of Islam). But...he was Asian American.

Kimyhono Kanowitz was adopted at the tender age of one from Korea by a white, catholic, middle-class family “out to save the world” he says. “It was the thing to do in the 70s,” he quips referencing a post-Vietnam era mass

Courtesy of Anika Robbins

Kim Kanowitz adoption of Asian orphans by Americans.

Kanowitz grew-up in East St. Paul, practically the only Asian in the neighborhood at the time. He said he was called chink, gook, and other racial epitaphs. Being subjected to classic catholic school education, he fared no better.

‘They said I had too much to say at the wrong time!” he laughs. “The teachers thought, ‘he’s either really smart...or a smart ass!’”

His home setting didn’t offer much relief from the taunts. His father didn’t understand who or what he was. His mother wasn’t particularly understanding of Asian cultures either. Always the black sheep, Kanowitz said he was drawn to other cultures who were “outcasts“.

The burgeoning underground hip-hop scene interwoven with Islamic ideals, provided the brotherhood and guidance he desperately craved.

Kanowitz produced and managed artists, including groups like Vanguard, Phull Surkle...and a dawning diva, me. His career path gradually led him more into the corporate production and project management end of things. Today, he produces large shows and conventions with one of the top production companies in the midwest for clients such as General Mills, Delta Airlines and scores of non-profit agencies.

Since then, he also became a father of four Boys.

Kanowitz dated, fell in love and became a stepfather, father figure and mentor within a year. His wife came into the relationship with two children from previous relationships.

The couple eventually had two more boys together.

“When my son Julian was born, I thought to myself, ‘Wow! I did that, we did that!

No blanks here, baby!” says Kanowitz. He said holding his newborn son in his hands mad him feel grateful and humbled.

Their won was born premature; Kanowitz recalls just being happy his son was alive and in his hands.

Kanowitz admits to being in shock when his son was born and unprepared for fatherhood. “My stepfather wasn’t really around after my parents divorced, so I didn’t understand the complexities

KANOWITZ TURN TO 4

America’s racial temperature rising

By Hazel Trice Edney NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) - U. S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) was headed for the Capitol to vote on President Obama’s health care bill in March when he was pelted with racial epithets when passing near a group of conservative Tea

Party protestors.

Days later, reports of attacks on Democrats around the country included bricks smashing through windows and a potentially lethal gas pipe cutting at a home thought to be owned by Virginia Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello.

According to reports, the FBI announced the agency would investigate Tea Partiers and a

Sound Strategy:

Manage whatever money you have

PAGE 3

race hate group as potential suspects.

The madness continued into the spring as former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, and others accused the Obama administration of trying to kill the elderly with death panels in the health care bill. He has also been called a Marxist, a Socialist and a Nazi by Tea Partiers and associated radical conservatives.

Meanwhile, also, in March, Virginia’s Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell is roundly criticized by the state’s NAACP after he declares a Confederate History Month while neglecting to mention the cruelty and inhumanity of slavery – a deed for which he apologized.

Among more recent racial

Kam’s film review:

Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan star in martial arts remake

PAGE 5

RACE TURN TO 2

File Photo

Remember Brian Cole

By Carol Batsell-Benner, Tracy Batsell, and The Brian Cole Scholarship Committee Time passes some things change and others remain the same. Brian Cole is still not home with his family. Brian

Cole still resides in the cemetery with visitors throughout the year and especially on Juneteenth. A place to go remember, leave flowers and think of what was and what could have been. His family, friends and others still remember and tell stories when they see each other of the

COLE TURN TO 7

Despite murder, film signals game change

By Al McFarlane and B.P. Ford, The Editors Two events last week made indelible impressions on our perception of our neighborhood and our people. One was the tragic murder of a young man, who according to published reports, was a gentle fellow, whose presence enriched the lives of all who knew him. The other event was viewing the new Karate Kid movie starring Jaden

Get tested Knowing is greater than doubt

PAGE 6

Smith and Jackie Chan, a coming of age tale produced by Jaden’s parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The June 11 murder, the city’s 22nd homicide of the year, was brazen and senseless.

A shooter hid between two houses on Thomas Avenue in North Minneapolis and fired into a crowd of young men in the alley across the street. The alley, between Plymouth Avenue

MURDER TURN TO 11

Things Fall Apart:

We must do more about the BP oil spill

PAGE 9

Page 2 • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Insight News

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Gulf residents protest, brace for oil spill after affects

By Ishna Hagan NNPA Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) Flames coated the water as a cloud of grey and black smoke hovered over the Gulf of Mexico.

Carlos Felder could have been one of the 11 men killed in the Deepwater Horizon explosion, but he instead was an onlooker.

Felder stood on the deck of the boat, eying what has now been confirmed as the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. “I was just waking up and getting ready to start my shift,” Felder, a contract worker for Shell energy and petrochemical companies explained, “when I heard the big boom and went out on the deck to see what the big noise was - like everyone else.”

Felder described what he heard and saw as “crazy.” He said he could only think about the families of the people who did not make it off the oil rig in time. “Everyone on my vessel wanted to help. But Shell told us to stay put. So all we could do is say a prayer,” Felder said.

He added that the explosion was so bad, that he does not want to remember anything about it.

Seven weeks later, people around

NNPA

Gulf residents protest, brace themselves for after affects of oil spill the country – especially costal states - are forced to remember the oil rig explosion as they brace themselves for its aftermath.

Businesses take on the straining ramifications of the oil spill.

More than ever, the fishing and seafood industries, oil industry,

and tourism anticipate loss.

“Many members of my family are commercial fishermen or oystermen. Some have been laid off. Some have to traveled further to oil-free fishing zones,” said D.T. Simmons, a legal assistant from Apalachicola,

FL, home to Apalachicola Bay seafood harvesting areas.

With no concrete date of when the leak will be plugged, Simmons is one of many who has tightened up on her financial spending.

“Some family members and friends work in the service and tourism industry ranging in different areas of the Gulf coast. Their … industry financial projections have been greatly reduced, chiefly because of this oil spill,” Simmons said.

Harry Alford, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, raised issues about reparations to the victims and cost of the cleanup in a statement titled, “Some Words for President Obama About the Oil Spill,” which is posted on the National Black Chamber of Commerce website.

Alford suggests: “Levy BP’s bank accounts and freeze its assets. Their 2009 revenue was $246.1 billion and their assets are $236 billion. Thus, take $50 billion in cash to set up an

operating account for us to clean up the mess, cap the well and pay the victims. Set aside another $50 billion in their assets as backup.

Halliburton and Transocean are much smaller firms so take a billion dollars each from them based on principle.”

The oil spill is anticipated to have not only a strong and lingering impact on the U.S. economy, but also on the environment and animal and marine life. Fish and dolphins have already shown up dead on the coast, providing a clear indication that the oil has intruded natural habitats. Hundreds of other species are at risk.

Simmons was immersed by the health and environmental residue left after the deadly explosion, and recently organized a march for the Franklin County Democratic Executive Committee (FCDEC) to promote preservation awareness of her bay in light of the recent “fiasco.”

Simmons plans to push her State representatives for stricter legislation regarding

Race

and Conflict at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and civil rights icon the Rev. Joseph Lowery all agreed on mainly two things in interviews with the NNPA News Service. One – that racial tension in America has grown since the election of President Obama. And two – that it could be quelled by a voice of reason rising from the Republican Party.

“Most White people who are on the adverse side of this question would not admit it, but absolutely, much of this is due to the fact that they simply can not accept the fact that we have a Black leader in this country,” said Lowery. “Without the Black president, we wouldn’t have all this heavy tension and lightening rod activity that’s driving us further and further apart.”

A civil rights stalwart who cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lowery knows what it takes to quiet the currently smoldering atmosphere that he says he has not seen since the 1960s. He says it takes a person who is respected by the aggressors to rise up and call for peace.

Potok agrees, but says at this point, it will be difficult to quell the political, race and antigovernment tensions.

“This genie may be very difficult to get back into the bottle. It would have been a hell of a lot better if some of the more ostensibly main stream figures in our society had said something about this long ago. Now we’re actually seeing people driving airplanes into IRS buildings and murdering Pentagon police officers and leaving coffins on the lawns of congressmen.”

Levin of the Brudnick Center, agrees with Lowery that the reason the racial temperature is out of control and will likely continue to surge is simple: “It is the Obama factor.

It is a big factor. Having an African-American as president has brought out the worse in some White Americans and it’s brought out the best in others … There are many Whites who voted for Obama, who continue to praise him, who think he’s a great president, but then there’s the other side of the coin. The problem is that it is a small but growing number of extremists who are concerned about foreign influence and they see Obama as a Marxist, a Socialist, they question whether he was born in the United States. They see him as attempting to destroy our country. And these are the same folks who are likely to join some White supremacist group or civilian militia organization.

They are so concerned about what they see as an erosion

From 1 flare ups, Arizona passed legislation that appears to unleash racial profiling on Latinos or anyone who police might perceive as an illegal immigrant; then the state of Texas passed a law to distribute history books with a conservative bent that presents slave-owning confederates as heroes.

Finally, the Obamas’ oldest daughter, 11-year-old Malia, becomes the target of mocking by a conservative talk show host after the president quotes her as asking if he had “plugged the hole” in the BP oil crisis. The mocker, Fox News’ Glenn Beck, ultimately apologized.

But are apologies enough to calm the apparent smoldering atmosphere of racism that has intensified since the election of President Barack Obama? Both Black and White authorities on racial hatred say what’s really needed is a voice of reason within the Republican Party.

“The reality is that the people who could really tamp this down are not doing so,” says Mark Potok, spokesman for the Birmingham-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a foremost authority on race hate incidents around the country. “There are large numbers of Republican officials, so-called responsible leaders of the party, who are doing absolutely nothing to tamp down the outright falsehoods, the defamatory propaganda that’s being pumped out into the political mainstream.”

Potok, Jack Levin, director of the Brudnick Center on Violence

safety standards and penalties for violation of rules.

Alford said Obama and the U.S. government have got to seize control of this and cannot rely on BP for legislative advice.

He said BP has received 760 willful safety violations at their U.S. refineries over the last three years. “They (BP) don’t care, they are an outlaw – kick them out of the country and send them back to England,” Alford said in an interview.

Tony Hayward, BP’s CEO, said in a televised statement that BP is taking full responsibility for cleaning up the spill in the Gulf.

“We will get this done and we will make this right,” he said.

Community residents of the five Gulf states - Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida - have obvious health concerns about the food they eat and the air they breathe.

“It could get into the local drainage systems and water systems of local communities if it comes inland enough and can begin to cause sickness among people using public water systems, as it has among marine life,” speculates Pensacola, FL resident, Kavontae Smalls.

But, those concerns are being dispelled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC) and partnering organizations. The CDC said in a June 11 update that it is monitoring potential health threats or conditions across the five Gulf states that may arise as a result of human exposure to the oil spill. The agency says it is in constant communication with its state partners and has a standing commitment to quickly support and respond to any emerging health threats.

The people will also be watching, assures Simmons in a statement: “The FCDEC will work hand-in-hand with the people in the local seafood industry and state and national environmental protection agencies to promote to help protect our pristine waters.”

of American culture and the American economy and they blame the Black guy who holds the most powerful office in the world.”

Potok says most of the political angst is really not coming from organized militias.

“I don’t think these are organized hate groups. These are more or less every day citizens who are very fearful of the way the world is changing around them and who have been whipped up in a kind of white hot anger,” he describes.

“Rather than seeing the changes in the world around us, the kind of globalization of the economy, the increasing diversity of our society and other societies as something that is simply occurring in the course of history, they are demonizing certain groups and saying they are responsible for these things.

So that is the problem. It is the identifying of phantom enemies and whipping up the broad masses into a fury about it.”

The name-calling and labeling of President Obama as Marxist, Socialist, etc., have been among the worse offenses, said Potok.

“These things are all utter falsehoods and yet the people in responsible positions of the party have done almost nothing to play this down and in fact have played it up,” he said.

The current frenzy has roots in 9-11, Levin points out.

“The war on terror is part of it. Certainly 9-11 made lots of Americans of any race feel uncomfortable or more insecure about their personal safety. But that’s a small part of the whole thing,” Levin said. “Immigrants of color come into this country from Latin American countries and other parts of the world as well. And whenever the economy goes sour, the immigrants get blamed. That’s part of it.”

In America’s history of racial strife, there have rarely been instances in which White leaders actually take the responsibility to speak against wrongs unless pressed to do so. Such was the case with President Lyndon B. Johnson as he called for the passage of the Voting Rights Act, declaring “We shall overcome” after the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” attacks on civil rights protestors in Selma.

But, Johnson was considered to be a friend of racial equality.

It is even rarer when a foe rises up and speaks with a changed heart.

Levin concluded, “It would be wonderful if someone who has a reputation for extremism or racism would take the other side and would come out for tolerance and respect.”

insightnews.com

Insight News • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Page 3

Sound strategy: Manage whatever money you have

By Julie Desmond Insight News Columnist Financial Consultant Lauren Boulware is busy not in spite of, but because of, our current recession. Although wealth is something people have less of to manage these days, Boulware finds her services are in great demand.

Today’s financial challenges have changed people’s views of their investments. Says Boulware, “People become more conservative during a downturn. Strategy becomes a priority.”

Boulware’s lifelong interest in finance led her into positions in treasury, including currency trading and asset management.

When she started taking Masters level courses in financial planning, she knew wealth management was more than a personal interest or hobby.

She transitioned into a career as a Financial Consultant with RBC Wealth Management, and now helps people at any income level to plan, invest and manage

their wealth.

One stumbling block to financial security is unemployment. Which money management strategy is most effective when the household income is suddenly cut in half, or disappears altogether?

“Scrub your budget,” advises Boulware. “Cut back to basic necessities and take advantage of every available resource including unemployment benefits and retraining dollars.”

Prolonged unemployment can make an IRA and other savings funds quite tempting.

Leave it alone, says Boulware, except as a very last resort.

This money has a designated and important purpose and would be difficult to recoup later on. Boulware recognizes that financial needs change over time, and she strives to bring thoughtful, creative solutions to her clients as they face life’s many transitions.

When finally returning to work, employees should commit to a savings plan.

Someone who saves as little as $5 per week at a moderate interest rate will quickly build

a solid nest egg. Aim for a three to six month emergency fund to carry you through the inevitable next crisis. And let your employer help you. Many companies maintain a 401K plan which allows employees to set aside some money from each paycheck. Often, employers will match the amount employees put aside, up to specific amounts. Your employer will be able to tell you more about corporate savings programs.

Spending and saving mindfully is the beginning of positive money management.

Want to learn more? Many publications are available to help you along. Boulware recommends Money, Ebony and Black Enterprise magazines, saying all offer good articles that will advise and encourage those learning to manage their own wealth. When it comes to building wealth, the time to start is now.

Julie Desmond leads job search and career planning classes for Help Wanted!

Workshop in Minneapolis.

Write to Julie@insightnews. com.

Courtesy Laura Boulware

Laura Boulware

Omarosa debuts sizzling new dating show on TV One

By Pharoh Martin NNPA National Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) - TV One’s new television show Donald J. Trump Presents “The

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 Ben Williams Production Intern Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Technology Reporter Ivan B. Phifer Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Brenda Colston Julie Desmond Marcia Humphrey Alaina L. Lewis Rashida McKenzie Ryan T. Scott Lydia Schwartz Stacey Taylor Photography Suluki Fardan Tobechi Tobechukwu Contact Us: Insight News, Inc. Marcus Garvey House 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis., 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.

Ultimate Merger” sounds more like business program about joint ventures than an AfricanAmerican dating show - but it isn’t.

Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump and the producers of the highlysuccessful NBC reality program “The Apprentice” have brought their can’t miss formula to TV One hoping that one of their most infamous Apprentice contestants can close the deal on love.

If nothing else, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, usually just known as Omarosa, always makes for good television.

Trump knows this. That’s why he invited his season one contestant back for a second time as a participant on Celebrity Apprentice and has now green-lighted her a reality show of her own.

In the more than 20 reality and talk shows that she has appeared on Omarosa’s onscreen persona is unapologetic, manipulative, contentious and down right mean. The selfdescribed “b----” and “diva” has also been called an ice queen, a race baiter, and worse by more than just the media.

The 36-year-old Ohio native has made a career of being a professional reality show shrew. She doesn’t care. It’s worked for her so far, judging from the avalanche of bankable opportunities and publicity as of late. In interviews, Omarosa has claimed that the mean queen seen on screen is only a persona.

“When you ask how much of that is really me, I’m a competitive woman, I’m an outgoing woman, a charismatic woman,” Omarosa said in an interview with the NNPA News Service. “There are so many facets to my life that this show introduces another facet of who I am to audiences.”

The former political consultant-turned-reality star walks a thin line between reality and “reality”. After her appearance on the original “Apprentice” in 2004, Omarosa told Jet Magazine that the show’s producers edited the show to portray her as a villain saying that those types of “shows don’t happen, nor do they portray actual reality.

They are constructed reality.”

She added: “Historically, African-Americans have been portrayed negatively on reality television. We don’t come across well. You’ve got to start looking and saying, ‘Is that really how all AfricanAmericans are?’

Because they are trying to say that this is representative of our people.” Five years later, Omarosa continued with her same venomous persona, even embracing it after many major media outlets like E! and TV Guide named her the most villainous reality television star of all time. In 2009, Omarosa was accosted by talk show host Wendy Williams after a catty exchange for reinforcing the “angry Black woman” stereotype in the media.

Omarosa replied by saying, “I would rather be an angry Black woman than a buffoon.”

And a buffoon she is not.

Omarosa has cashed in on her controversial persona and turned her 15 minutes of fame into a continuous weekly prime time slot. But how will Omarosa do with her own

NNPA

Omarosa and the bachelors dating show?

Not bad actually. Omarosa’s “Type A” personality works well as a domineering beauty looking for a fellow of equal yoke. Although she contends that her search for a mate is “genuine” she’s trying to blow away mounting smoke building around a series of photos that have surfaced her with her arm-in-arm with Green Mile star Michael Clarke Duncan at different events, to which she issued the standard issue public relations explanation that they are “just friends”.

An entertaining trailer for the “Ultimate Merger” suggests that the dating show won’t lack in the sex and drama department. At one point, Omarosa questions if she’ll make it into heaven because of all of the debauchery going on, which is interesting considering Omarosa is a seminary student.

“I don’t think it’s unusual that Christians date nor is it unusual that Christians kiss,” Omarosa said. “These aren’t things that are unique to people in the secular world. I never read in the Bible where dating is off limits.”

Still, the highly entertaining show never goes overboard as some sensationalized reality shows tend to go. The Ultimate Merger specifically cast more mature accomplished Black males (and one White male) as Omarosa’s suitors, which is a departure from their competition.

The producers of ABC’s the “Bachelor” and the “Bachelorette” must not think that people who are not White are marketable enough to feature as romantic interests on their shows. VH1 proved that they are with their controversial-yet-entertaining dating reality shows like “Flavor of Love” and “I Love New York”. Yet, they also proved that anybody can be a coveted commodity of desire even if, as in the case of show stars Flavor Flav and Tiffany “New York” Pollard, they have the aesthetic appeal of a Lord of the Rings character or are just off-the-charts crazy.

“I think it’s important to note that the “Bachelor” and the

“Bachelorette” franchises never had African-Americans as their primary talent,” Omarosa said.

“As far as what they do at VH1, they are very entertaining and I really did enjoy watching them but our show is different in that we believe that love is serious business. It’s not something where you’re running around with roses and that sort of thing. If you’re truly going to build a life together then you have to start with a serious foundation.”

The best way to describe the “Ultimate Merger” is to think of it as a dating version of “The Apprentice.” So instead of weekly episodes of seeing business savvy people closing deals and coming up with marketing plans with the hopes of landing a cushy well-paying job, 12 successful and eligible bachelors are put through the paces on challenges that play upon their weaknesses, test their capabilities, and draw

out their true intentions as they to prove their love for “Lady O”, as they sometimes refer to Omarosa.

It’s a really big ego fest for her. The show’s premiere episode opens up much like “The Apprentice” with a shot of Omarosa in the back seat of a black town car pulling up to Trump’s New York office towers and then, inside Trump’s office where the billionaire, very corporate like, instructs Omarosa that he would like to help her dating life. He then hands her a brief case with folders of a dozen handpicked bachelors inside.

The elimination scenes are also similar to the NBC show in that three of the worst performers must argue their case before Omarosa so they don’t get what will become the Ultimate Merger-equivalent catch phrase of “You’re fired”, which we will find out on June 17 when the show debuts. The

eight-episode show was filmed at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Las Vegas.

In addition to the attractive Apprentice-like production, the show wins more so than the lead talent with the 12 suitors, who like Omarosa herself, are also successful and ego-driven.

They range from a foreign currency trader, a lawyer and a fashion designer to a special events company owner, a Christian rap artist, a former NFL linebacker and known recording artists like Al B. Sure!

And Ray Lavender. “I thought it was wonderful to have 12 type-A personalities in a room, as you know, I am very much a type-A personality,” Omarosa said in the NNPA interview. “I thought it was great to have very smart, accomplished, outgoing, charismatic AfricanAmerican men and having them compete and show their talents.

I thought it was a fascinating process.”

Page 4 • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Insight News

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EDUCATION Minnesota LTAP announces Roads Scholar Program graduates The Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) announces its fifth graduating class from the Roads Scholar Program, which includes Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) northwest region superintendent Dewayne Jones.

According to Jones, who has worked 23 years for Mn/DOT, the LTAP Roads Scholars Program has been helpful to his career.

“The LTAP classes provided me with new technology and ongoing research that I can use to achieve my greatest goals in

my job,” he said.

This year’s graduates earned eight Roads Scholar credits to complete the program, which includes a series of LTAP workshops, maintenance expos, and Circuit Training and Assistance Programs (CTAP) workshops.

The Minnesota LTAP Roads Scholar Program is designed for local agency maintenance personnel who are committed to learning new skills and expanding their knowledge in the latest road and bridge innovations and best practices.

Since 1992, Minnesota LTAP has provided local government transportation agencies with low-cost, high-quality training for their employees. The LTAP Roads Scholar Program combines that training into a structured curriculum.

The mission of the national LTAP program is to foster a safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation system by improving skills and knowledge of local transportation providers.

Minnesota LTAP serves these and other training needs through workshops, personalized training, demonstrations, distance learning, events, seminars, and conferences.

More information about Minnesota LTAP and the Roads Scholar Program is available online at: http://www.mnltap. umn.edu

Matt Miranda, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota

Jim Grothaus, director of Minnesota LTAP and Dewayne Jones, receiving his Roads Scholar certificate.

Khai Clardy goes to Washington D.C. Khai Clardy, a sophomore at Highland Park Senior High, was recently nominated to represent the state of Minnesota as a National Scholar at the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) to be held in Washington D.C. this summer.

She will attend the conference July 24 - August 2.

Her nomination places her among a select group of the nation’s top high school students. Less than 1% of all high achieving students are presented with this opportunity, and many alumni of the program report that it is a life changing experience.

With members of the United States Congress serving on the Honorary Congressional Board of Advisors, the National

Young Leaders Conference is the premier leadership program in the country, designed for the nation’s best and brightest high school scholar.

Together, with other distinguished young scholars emerging as the worlds future leaders, Clardy will meet with high ranking government officials, members of congress, and prominent media figures.

National Young Leaders Conference provides students with the opportunity to develop their own leadership skills by working with members of executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government, and witnessing first hand the U.S constitutional process.

For more information on NYLC go to www.nylc.org.

Khai Clardy

Courtesy Khai Clardy

Saint Paul public schools offer free summer meals Saint Paul Public Schools provides free summer meals as

part of USDA program Free meals will be made

available this summer to all children 18 years of age and under, and persons 19 years of age and over who have a mental or physical disability (as determined by a State or local educational agency) and who participates during the school year in a public or private non-profit school program (established for the mentally or physically disabled).

The Summer Food Service Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), begins Monday, June 21 and ends Friday, Aug. 27, 2010. Meals will be available at over 75 sites

throughout the city, including community sites, recreation centers and schools. Meals may include breakfast, lunch, supper or a snack, depending on their hours of operation.

For information about specific sites, call the Saint Paul Public Schools Nutrition Services Department at (651) 603-4950 or visit www.sppscafe.org.

The Summer Food Service Program is an effort to ensure that children in lower-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during school vacations. More information about the program is available at www.fns.usda.gov.

Kanowitz

adjustments in his personal life and purchased a house in the suburbs where he now lives with all four of his sons. The journey to peace and balance wasn’t easy, he admits. His exwife insisted that the children would be better off raised in a Black family. But the father relationships of the oldest sons never worked out. Kanowitz was perfectly fine with this especially since he’d bonded with the boys who he’d raised from the time they were preschoolers. To them, he’s their dad.

Today, Kanowitz is extremely proud of his sons.

His oldest son, Jeremy is now 21-years-old, has served in the military and is currently a retail manager. His 19-yearold, Josh, recently graduated from high school and the two youngest boys, Julian and Justice are doing well in grade school.

“My inspiration is my family now,” said Kanowitz.

“I want my sons to grow up humble, strong men, knowing that if they make a mistake they can get up and keep going... and laugh about it later.”

Kanowitz’s own life journey has taught him many lessons about becoming a man and a responsible father. He teaches his sons that they will be judged by how they look, sound and write and if they let it get to them, they won’t be involved.

“I tell my sons not to let the race card be a factor. Not that they should ignore it, but they should RISE above it,” he said.

Hitting a comfortable stride in life, Kanowitz is confident and proud of his family of young men, despite the odds, theirs is one of success.

“I’ll keep reaching for the stars as long as I can ride the wave,” he said.

From 1 of fatherhood.” he explained.

Complexities further amplified when his youngest son, Justice, was born with special needs. “It took me five to six years to slowly understand what was important.

Then it dawned on me, I can either sacrifice now or have regrets later,” he said.

As Kanowitz was maturing and coming into his own as a man embracing fatherhood, another challenge was brewing. He and his wife enjoyed a happy, normal relationship the first four or so years. Gradually, the good years turned into difficult ones and Kim soon realized something was wrong when his wife was later diagnosed with schizophrenia compounded with addiction.

Almost overnight, Kanowitz was spiraling in a web of child protection, custody battles and eventually, divorce. Distraught at having his family split apart --the two oldest boys lived with his older sister and the youngest lived with his youngest sister- while his wife moved into rehab.

“That’s when I became a single father,” said Kanowitz.

“My whole mentality, my perspective changed...that’s when I got serious.”

After attending the historic Million Man March in 1995, Kim returned valiant, emboldened and committed to do all he pledged, including being a responsible, involved and generally good dad.

“I didn’t want to be that ‘weekend dad’ or the dad that shows up for 15 minutes then leaves,” he said.

Kanowitz, made some

insightnews.com

Insight News • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Page 5

AESTHETICS Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith co-star in martial arts remake Film Review

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com Hollywood is in the midst of a full-blown revival of Eighties classics, and the latest beneficiary of that sense of nostalgia is The Karate Kid. The 1984 martial arts hit was

a modestly-budgeted revenge flick about a 98-pound weakling who gets bullied by classmates after he and his mom relocate to California. But the newcomer is soon befriended by his apartment building’s Japanese janitor, who teaches the boy karate by putting him on an unorthodox training regimen that’s doesn’t involve any fighting.

Other than the setting shifting to China where the events unfold on a much grander scale, the 2010 edition of the film is a fairly-faithful

rendition of the original production. The picture was directed by Holland’s Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2) and co-stars Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith whose combination of charming badinage and acrobatic stunt work add up to a cinematic experience every bit as satisfying as the first.

The story opens in Detroit where 12-year-old Dre Parker (Smith) is saying his good-byes to pals before boarding a plane with his widowed mom (Taraji P. Henson) who has just taken a job in a Beijing automobile

Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith factory. Popular Dre dreads moving to a country where he doesn’t know anybody and can’t even speak the language.

Upon their arrival, he makes acquaintances with an American neighbor (Luke Carberry) who suggests they go down to the park to play some basketball. There, Dre falls in love at first sight with a cute local girl (Wenwen Han) practicing her violin on the bench. So, he saunters over to flirt with Meiying, who is very receptive to his advances and asks if she can touch his cornrows.

Their cross-cultural

chemistry is not lost on an overprotective friend of her family, Cheng (Zhenwei Wang), who uses Kung Fu to give Dre a black eye while issuing the warning, “Just stay away from us, all of us!” Cheng and his posse attend the same school where Dre is about to enroll, and they proceed to turn Dre’s life into a living Hell.

Enter Mr. Miyagi, I mean Mr. Han (Chan), the Parkers’ compassionate custodian.

He miraculously heals Dre’s wounds with an ancient remedy and offers to teach the lad to defend himself, Asian-style.

Han then negotiates a truce

Sony Pictures

with Dre’s tormentors, buying time by promising to enter his protégé in the upcoming Kung Fu competition. Okay, cue the taskmaster’s offbeat teaching methods that whip the kid into a black belt.

Does any of this sound familiar? It should. A note for note remake which magically manages to make you cry at all the same emotional push points as the original.

Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG for bullying, violence and mild epithets.

Running time: 140 Minutes Studio: Columbia Pictures

Page 6 • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Insight News

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HEALTH th Get tested for HIV on June 27

By Phill Wilson NNPA Columnist (NNPA) - What you need to know about HIV testing and why Black people should get tested on this June 27th, National HIV Testing Day. Scientific denialists have been around since, well‌ the beginning of recorded science.

One group of denialists refused to believe that the earth was round. Another group insisted that the sun revolved around the earth until long after scientific evidence had proved it works the other way around.

A group of denialists wants us to believe that President Obama is Muslim, while another group, called “birthers,� continues to challenge his presidency because they refuse to believe he was born in the United States.

It should come as no surprise that there are AIDS denialists as well. Typically they either reject the fact that AIDS exists, disagree that HIV causes AIDS, claim that AIDS is caused by the very medications designed to treat it, or try to dissuade people from getting HIV

tested. Given the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic in Black America, we cannot allow ourselves to be either distracted or bamboozled by these types of dubious claims. In fact, we should consider AIDS denialists not only dangerous, but even enemies of our community.

Nevertheless, with all the myths and misinformation swirling around about HIV/AIDS, I completely understand how some of us might be nervous about getting tested. Let’s consider the facts.

Nearly 500,000 of the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS are Black. Nearly 40 percent of Black Americans have a family member or close family friend who is living with or has died from HIV/AIDS. I have been living with HIV for nearly 30 years. Those of us living with HIV/AIDS or who have lost family and friends to it know painfully well that the connection between HIV and AIDS is not theoretical; it is very, very real. I also know first hand the benefits of getting HIV-tested early, receiving love and support from family and friends, and having access to appropriate care. I thank

God that no denialist was by my bedside in 1996, when my doctors thought I had less than 24-hours to live and insisted I start new medical therapies. I am alive today and am living proof of the benefits of medical treatment.

Whether we’re talking about their blood pressure, blood glucose, blood cholesterol or HIV status, every person

needs as much information as possible to make informed decisions about their health.

An HIV test tells us whether we have the virus that causes AIDS. When people who are HIV-positive know it, they can obtain the same kinds of lifeextending and life-saving care and treatment that has helped me, including medications that can delay or even prevent some life-threatening conditions.

People who know their HIV status are also more likely to take precautions to prevent their partners from becoming infected than people who don’t know they are positive.

That’s why I believe that all of us need to take responsibility for knowing our own and our partners’ HIV status, and everyone should have access to HIV testing regardless of their ability to pay. Knowledge also empowers us with choices, including the option of whether to have unprotected sex or even to have sex at all. Knowing is greater than doubt.

Can the results of an HIV test be incorrect? Yes, but rarely.

Similar to other screening tests—for various cancers, diabetes, blood pressure,

cholesterol, etc.—the test yields a very low number of inaccurate results. This is why positive HIV-test results are always confirmed by an additional test and why sexually active individuals are encouraged to get tested at least once a year even if they have tested negative in the past.

Acknowledging and confronting our risk of HIV/ AIDS can be scary. Sometimes it seems easier to allow myths and misinformation to paralyze us and prevent us from taking action. But it would be tragic if we were to allow urban legends, conspiracy theories and fear-mongering about HIV/AIDS and HIV testing to drag us backwards so that we relive the suffering and death that existed during the 1980s.

There is a drastic difference between the healing and selfempowerment that happens in communities that confront HIV/ AIDS directly and the death and devastation that takes place in communities that do not. Black Americans represent nearly half of the nation’s new HIV/AIDS cases and nearly half of the AIDS-related deaths because for far too long, we either pretended

that AIDS was not real or that it was somebody else’s problem.

Fortunately, in recent years Black leaders, institutions and community members have started to mobilize to confront HIV directly and honestly.

Ask anyone infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS, and they will tell you that AIDS is no joke. We must avail ourselves of all of the possible tools at our disposal: participating in clinical trials, early access to appropriate care and treatment, using condoms properly, educating ourselves about every aspect of the disease and getting tested. Knowing is greater than doubt.

Phill Wilson is the President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, the only National HIV/ AIDS think tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black people. The Greater Than AIDS movement responds to the AIDS crisis in the United States, in particular the severe and disproportionate epidemic among Black Americans.

To learn more go to www. greaterthan.org or www. facebook.com/greaterthanaids.

The Living Skills Fifth Grade Semester: Fighting childhood obesity

By Marian Wright Edelman As a co-founder and the current Creative Director of the Rancho La Puerta fitness resort and Golden Door spas, Deborah Szekely has long been known as a pioneer in health and wellness. My remarkable friend Szekely is now focusing on a new target audience: our nation’s children. She is adding her extraordinary mind, energy, and voice to the chorus of those concerned about America’s child obesity problem. Together with Dr. David Kessler, former FDA Commissioner and now

Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, she is promoting a pilot program they hope will help educate schoolchildren on the importance of healthy lifestyles.

It’s called the Living Skills Fifth Grade Semester. Szekely explains it is targeted to fifth graders because they believe children at that age still adore their teachers, parents, and friends and are old enough to understand lessons on healthy choices and to take on tasks like food preparation, gardening, shopping and budgeting. This

makes them good candidates to be enthusiastic about learning how healthy food and exercise will make their bodies work best and makes them likely to be excited to share what they are learning at school with their families at home.

As Szekely says, “We believe these children will become proselytizers to their family, much as past generations did when confronting their parents about smoking.�

How would this semesterlong intervention work?

Deborah Szekely and Dr. Kessler envision the program this way: “What if fifth-grade American children receive an entire semester in which all classes in math, science, geography, language, history and the environment integrated existing fifth-grade educational requirements with studies of how the body functions; its nutritional and physical needs, and proper sources and preparation of healthy, fresh, nutritious foods?� They point

out proven programs that are already being funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through land-grant universities and colleges that could serve as models. These include a program at Rutgers University in New Jersey that offers children the chance to work on a farm; a University of Massachusetts program called Strength and Power in Nutrition (SPIN) that is tailored to low-income, culturally diverse adolescents; and a Louisiana State University Agriculture Center program that brings a traveling exhibit on the importance of healthy eating and exercise to schools across the state. The Living Skills Fifth Grade Semester would build on successful ideas like these and bring similar kinds of lessons right into the classroom.

In the sample curriculum, assignments might include learning about the different tactics advertisers use to try to influence people’s food choices; creating recipes for healthy holiday gifts; studying

how different Native American cultures used the land; learning about the different parts of the digestive system; planning and planting a class garden; researching heart-healthy activities and foods while celebrating Valentine’s Day; designing a nutritious “child friendly� restaurant menu; studying how the immune system works; calculating how much energy it would take to burn off the calories in favorite snack foods; and developing a sample family food budget.

The program would have goals of teaching children how their bodies work, the causes of disease, and the importance of prevention—the “living skills� needed “for a long, healthy, and happy life.�

At a time when more and more experts are sounding the alarm about the threat rising child obesity levels pose to our nation’s future health and productivity, parents, schools, communities, and experts all have a role to play in finding

solutions to this crisis. But the Living Skills Fifth Grade Semester is another crucial proposal to add to the list.

As Deborah Szekely and Dr. Kessler say: “What if we don’t let our children lead the way to their—and our—healthier lives?

Then, as current trends continue, an appalling 86% of Americans could be overweight within two decades. Obesity-related medical bills will amount to almost $1 trillion. The solution is prevention via education, and it must start now.�

I hope our leaders and citizens will hear and heed them.

Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child BehindŽ mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www. childrensdefense.org.

ECHO awarded $100,000 outreach grant ECHO (Emergency, Community and Health Outreach) has been awarded a $100,000 grant by Susan B. Komen for the Cure MinnesotaÂŽ. The grant will support outreach to the Latino, Hmong, Somali, and low literacy individuals and families in Minnesota to increase awareness of breast cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

The grant will underwrite a portion of the cost to produce a television program, public service announcements for radio and phone, and Web resources in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, and English. In addition to

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these tools, there will be direct outreach to these communities at events, other gatherings, and through ELL (English Language Learners) classes throughout the state. “Research shows that immigrant women are one of the least likely groups to receive mammograms,� said Lillian McDonald, ECHO executive director. “We’re honored to work with Susan G. Komen for the CureŽ to help these populations learn about breast cancer prevention and treatment.�

Production of materials will begin in June, with the

television broadcast and additional resources released in October (DVD available soon after). The ELL program will be launched this fall and community outreach activities will continue through April 2011.

The outcome of this program will be that Latino, Hmong, Somali and lowliteracy women in Minnesota will be more knowledgeable about breast cancer prevention, detection and treatment and will ultimately have increased rates of screening for breast cancer.

Health care providers and public health professionals will also

be impacted, as they increase their knowledge of how to best reach low English proficiency communities.

Formed in 2004, the mission of ECHO is to leverage partnerships to deliver vital health, safety, emergency and civic engagement information to help the ever-changing, diverse population integrate and become successful in our communities.

The Susan G. Komen for the CureÂŽ promise: to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.

insightnews.com

Cole From 1

Insight News • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Page 7 skinny legged kid who loved basketball. Brian Cole a son, grandson, nephew, athlete and friend. Boy do we still miss

you! Oh yeah! Do we still talk about you? Oh yeah! Do we wish that we could see your smile and talk of those great

For over 80 years, Hallie Q. Brown has been the Lighthouse of the Community...

...this is why we shine so bright.

The Hallie Q. Brown Early Learning Center is currently accepting applications for enrollment.

We are a licensed daycare and preschool program with a 4 Star Parent Aware rating. We feature licensed and trained staff, Project Early Kindergarten (PEK) curriculum and a sliding fee scale. We gladly accept Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Contact us today for a tour and more information.

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center 270 N. Kent Street St. Paul, MN 55102 651-224-4601 www.hallieqbrown.org

basketball shots you used to make. We wish all of the above but time has moved on and change has happened.

Your friends from your high school graduating class that went on to college are ending their junior year. They will be starting their senior year of college and still remember you and take you in their hearts to class, each basketball game they play and of course you are not forgotten in those pickup lines. Girls you and your friends hollered at are still part of their memories. Remembering brings a smile to our face. You and your friends were all that and had so much fun and laughed so hard and b-balled so well together!

Juneteenth is upon us and again and we are remembering that day and how you did not come home. You were supposed to meet your friends, kick it and come home. We still wait even though we know you are not coming home and we can only carry you in our hearts and minds. You are not forgotten even though time has passed and it is four years later. We remember the reason you are not coming home is because of the street violence that continues to plague our community and the bullet that took you from us.

Four years has not eased our pain or outrage. We have been in court for two trials of the persons charged with taking your life. We were there each day that included judge selection for a court trial and jury selection for trial by jury. We were there for each witness and heard those horrific words “that killing you was a mistake” because “you didn’t get no points cause you were a nobody, just some basketball player.”

We were there as many of the witnesses were brought from their jail cell in Hennepin County or from federal prison and we watched each of these young Black men whose lives are permanently changed by choice and violence.

One was sentenced to life in prison without parole and the other, who had prior convictions and who was on probation, received a 40 year sentence.

Black on Black crime and violence in our community continues to be tolerated. We continue to act as if the route to manhood is through joining a gang and preying on the unsuspected and the community at large. One must ask where was the parent of these two Black boys who turned into violent Black men.

What kind of upbringing did they have that would make them believe that Brian Cole’s life

Courtesy of Tracy Batsell

Brian Cole and mother Carol Turner was worth nothing. What kind of upbringing and thinking were they doing when they rode around on Juneteenth when the streets were filled with parents, children, the elderly and others that would make them want to shoot into a crowd and then try and justify that shooting and believe shooting into a crowd and killing someone is tied to manhood and toughness?

We must rethink our responsibility to our community and each other. We must stop complaining about the police and take the necessary steps to raise children who are caring and know right from wrong.

We must go back to the days when getting an education was important and

teachers were valued instead of being blamed for the conduct and faults of our children. We must set higher expectations for our Black children and hold each other accountable: guns, violence and not attending school in our community will not be tolerated.

Each person reading this should make a pledge to report crime, volunteer in your community, mentor a child, support our schools by volunteering at your child’s school or your neighborhood school. Each person reading this article should make a pledge that you will tidy up this community by picking up trash,

COLE TURN TO 9

Page 8 • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Insight News

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LIFESTYLE Save money by keeping food fresh longer Style on a Dime

By Marcia Humphrey marcia@insightnews.com It’s true what they say about opposites attracting. I like my food spicy; my husband likes his bland. I like my fruit cold; he likes his hot. Well, not exactly hot, but at room temperature.

The problem is that all day the fruit sits in our excessively warm house-he likes it that wayand it quickly goes bad. In the name of marital unity, I have finally convinced my husband that the jumbo bag of oranges from Costco can remain in the fridge and then be taken out to “warm up” one by one, on an as needed basis. I am also faced with the challenge of my three little blessings leaving the boxes of cereal and crackers open. By

the time I reach for the crackers for my tomato soup, it’s usually too late. I have started hiding my own stash of crackers in a secret location. Aside from hiding your food, here are a few more ways to stop throwing money down the drain and keep food fresh longer.

Microwave Magic - If the cereal box at your house is left open, just pour it onto a plate and pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. It will be good as new!

A Dash of Salt - Did you know it could keep your milk fresh about a week longer if you put it in right after you open the carton? Salt naturally preserves and slows bacteria growth.

Steam to the Rescue - Your stale bread can have a new life with a little steam. Just boil a little water, and place a cookie rack on top of the pot. After a few minutes of being on the rack, your bread is ready to be used as a sandwich.

RED Visual Group

A Kitchen Sponge will Work Wonders - Simply place it in your fridge’s crisper and it will absorb excess moisture, which prevents moldy fruit and vegetables.

Freezer Bbrrr - If you know

you can’t eat your fruit before it rots, freeze it. Most Fruits and Vegetables do just fine and will be ready for later use (my favorite is a breakfast fruit smoothie.) Here’s the big picture; If you plan your meals accordingly, you can usually

avoid the costly mistake of buying more food than you can consume at one time. If you can’t eat it all before it goes bad, refrigerate or freeze it and save your food and your money.

You’ll still get good nutrition and good flavor and that’s good

enough for me. Enjoy!

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

insightnews.com

Insight News • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Page 9

COMMENTARY Things Fall Apart: We must do more about the BP oil spill

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist (NNPA) - William Butler Yeats did a good job of capturing a harrowing pandemonium in his poem, The Second Coming. He wrote, in 1919 Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.

I was twice introduced to the poem in college, first in a class that required the study of English poets, then in a class that examined African literature, including the powerful novel of Nigerian colonization by Chinua Achebe, ironically titled, Things Fall Apart. The poem is so emblazoned on my brain that from time to time it comes to mind, most recently when I contemplate the BP oil spill, its damages, its consequences, and its handling.

I am writing from the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference, 55 days after the Deepwater Horizon explosion

HSE workers clean up Port Fourchon beach that killed 11 people and started an oil leak that apparently continues. While BP says that the leak was only 5000 barrels of oil a day, scientists estimate that between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels of oil leaked each day between April 22 until June 3. If you use the midpoint of 30,000 barrels and a period of 42 days (assuming all leaking stopped when a dome to catch some of the leak was installed on June 3), we are talking at least 1.2 million barrels of an oil leak.

BP CEO Tony Hayward outwardly seems to take

this matter much less than seriously. At one point (he later apologized) that he couldn’t wait for “this” to be over. “I want my life back”, he said with some insensitivity, given the fact that eleven people actually lost their lives. In addition, millions are losing a way of life, fishermen with nowhere, now to fish, all of the industries supported by fishermen with nothing to do, a delicate ecological balance upset, with pelicans, turtles, fish and crabs drowning in oil.

And with BP stalling on paying claims, or only paying them to

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those who can document their income through ledgers and tax returns. So many fishermen live in an informal economy that the BP standard is one that has motivated more than 200 lawsuits already.

On his Sunday radio program, Rev. Jesse Jackson had a conversation with Billy Nungesser, who is the President of Plaquemines Parish in coastal Louisiana. Nungesser talked about the many ways his parish had been affected by the BP oil spill. One of his most harrowing stories was about a 94 year old

man who earns money catching minnows as bait for fishermen.

Now, even if he can catch the minnows, there are few fishermen who are fishing. So what does a 94-year-old man do now, Nungesser asked? The way he made his living, the way he organized his life, has completely changed. Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.

Was this just an accident?

Exxon Mobil has had just one safety violation in the past three years. BP has had a whopping seven hundred and sixty safety violations. While no one thinks that Tony “life back” Hayward and his team deliberately caused this massive disaster, their safety record suggests there was always a good possibility that something like this would happen. But BP is whining that when people say “British Petroleum” (which is what BP stands for), we Americans are being “Anglophobic”.

They have whined so long and so hard that President Obama has spoken with the British Prime Minister to assure him that nothing could be further from the truth. Again, this matter brings Yeats to mind, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”

BP has been shilly shallying for nearly two months.

President Obama has been to the coastal area 4 times, visiting

Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, all affected states.

What really needs to happen, as former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has said, is that the US operations of BP need to be put in some kind of receivership. This is a public sector problem, now, not a private sector problem.

Our government must more forcefully contain the predatory capitalism and utter greed that precipitated this crisis.

The tea party folks (full of passionate intensity) are calling the BP spill “Obama’s Katrina”.

That’s not accurate. The policies of deregulation that allowed this to happen are Reagan/ Bush policies, not Obama’s.

Still President Obama has the opportunity to be forceful and focused as things fall apart, and to respond to the people British Petroleum feels so free to ignore. What will happen if there is still oil in the water when a hurricane comes? Why is our entire nation not more outraged?

How can we all sit silent and complacent while things fall apart?

Billy Nungesser asked that all of us push our Congressional representatives to pass legislation containing BP. That is the absolute least we can do.

Julianne Malveaux is President of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.

South Africa must prioritize crime, expanding wealth gap

By William Reed South Africa’s wealth gap is widening and the average Black citizen still only earns an eighth of what his White counterpart does; this nearly 14 years after the end of apartheid.

The people who marched in the 1980s anti-apartheid demonstrations should note what an Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) researcher says about the disparity they marched to eliminate.

“We are not succeeding in reducing inequality,” says senior researcher Jan Hofmeyr. The institute shows that the per capita income of Black South Africans is just 13 percent of that of Whites. The issue is political. African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma made the disparity between rich and poor the theme of his successful campaign to oust Thabo Mbeki from the head of the ruling party and office of president.

But, nowadays diversity “be

Cole From 7 repairing your house, telling your landlord repair where you live and develop new words for living “Pride”. Pride in yourself, pride for your children, pride in obtaining and supporting an education, pride in where you live, pride in keeping where you live neat and clean. We treat our community like a huge garbage can. We should treat our community as well, or better than, we treat ourselves.

No other family should lose a son to a bullet or prison. It puts us in the mind frame of blaming

damned”. “Football” is the thing on everybody’s mind in South Africa. The world’s most popular sport is starting and as the World Cup kicked off June 11, organizers expect the month-long tournament to boost South Africa’s tourist arrivals to more than 10 million this year. South African officials expect around 400,000 foreigners to visit South Africa during the tournament each spending $4,000 on average. Tourism officials project visiting fans will add nearly $2 billion to the economy creating thousands of new jobs.

But, should South Africa be spending over $6 billion on the event while many of its population survive on $120 a month? The government has spent over $1 billion dollars building five new stadiums and upgrading existing facilities.

Over $800 million has been invested in public transport initiatives and supporting infrastructure.

The national government, 10 provincial administrations and 9 host cities have each spent hundreds of millions of dollars on preparations.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football (soccer) tournament. It will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a policy to rotate the event among football confederations. The nine host city officials say that the stadiums are ready, airports and transport links complete and 41,000 dedicated police enlisted to counter security fears.

“It’s our time,” say organizers, who promulgate the vision that the World Cup is the ultimate “nation building” event and helps write a new chapter in the country’s post-apartheid history. Yet, the South African media has loudly questioned whether the World Cup will do more for FIFA, which has banked $3.2 billion in media and marketing revenues, than the host country and its people.

others for our plight. We are responsible for ourselves and our children. Stop and take stock for your own family as you read this article. We should do better for ourselves and for our family members.

Brian Cole was somebody! Those who made the mistake of thinking he was not will have the rest of their lives in prison to remember his name: his name is Brian Cole and that is why your new residence is prison.

Final note, the family and friends of Brian Cole took the pain they still carry and wanted to do something positive for student-athletes at the school Brian loved to play

basketball for, Minneapolis North Community High School. Four scholarships have been awarded since Brian’s untimely death and the recipients are doing well. The Brian Cole Scholarship Committee would like to thank those who have donated to the scholarship fund and congratulate the scholarship recipients. We Miss You Brian!

Donations can still be made to: The Brian Cole Scholarship Fund c/o City County Federal Credit Union 6160 Summit Dr. Brooklyn Park, MN 55430

The global governing body argues that those revenues fund its development work around the world and everything it does in the four years between World Cups.

Under its profitable model, costs are borne by the host nation and all marketing and media revenues retained by FIFA. The local organizing committee retains some ticket income to meet its costs, and say FIFA’s long list of demands is considered worthwhile in return for the value of inward investment

and the promotional power of having the eyes of the world on you for a month. Whether the sums add up in a fast developing nation – in which up to 50 percent of the population lives in poverty – remains open to a debate.

Not much has changed since apartheid in South Africa except increases in poverty and violence.

Is it “Fool’s Gold” that South African officials were chasing by investing multi-billions in the hope of transforming its reputation for rampant crime and

racial tension? More than 5,700 incidents of serious crime happen daily in South Africa, including one of the world’s highest homicide rates. South Africa’s Black-led government would do well remembering that “charity begins at home”; and as it puts on the planet’s “big show”, it should look inward to see that much of the billions being circulated finds its way to many more among the country’s 30 million Blacks.

William Reed – www.

BlackPressInternational.com

Page 10 •June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Insight News

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, ben@ insightnews.com, by fax: 612588-2031, by phone: (612) 5881313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Ben Williams. Free or low cost events preferred.

Events Hazelden Offers Free Educational Opportunity Ongoing Concerned about someone’s alcohol or drug use? Addressing Concerns Together (ACT), Hazelden’s new outreach program, can help. Join us for a free event to learn more about addiction, intervention, assessment, and treatment.

Hazelden’s St. Paul campus, 680 Stewart Ave., St. Paul. 2nd and 4th Mon. of each month at 6pm. This is an open event and there is no need to register. If you have questions, please contact Hazelden at 800-257-7800.

West African Drumming with Fode Bangoura - Ongoing Learn traditional rhythms from Guinea West Africa.

This is an open level class that will teach beginners basic technique and foundations of hand drumming while offering experienced drummers the opportunity to broaden their repertoire and learn challenging accompaniment. Every Tuesday 5:30-7pm Patrick’s Cabaret 3010 Minnehaha Ave. S. $17 per class, $150 - 10 class card, $5 Drum rental - Must call or email ahead if renting a drum (651-3385409).

Minnesota’s Waiting Children Free Information Sessions Ongoing Downey Side…families for youth invites community members to attend a FREE information session regarding adoption and Minnesota’s Waiting Children. Sessions are held every third Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Downey Side’s St. Paul office located in the Bigelow Building at 450 No. Syndicate Street – Suite 380.

Midtown begins Tuesday farmers market - Ongoing Starting on June 1, the Midtown Farmers Market will be open Tuesdays from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 2225 East Lake, the very same location as our Saturday (8:00 to 1:00) market. Experience Midtown’s new mix of vendors and wares—you’ll find your week’s worth of seasonal produce, a selection of arts and crafts, and delicious dinner or late afternoon snacks (gelato, pizza, hotdogs, doughnuts)!

Classic Black films at VOA Park Elder Center – Ongoing First and third Mondays of each month, 11 am - 12:15 pm. These films are free of charge and the public is invited. Popcorn, hotdogs and drinks are provided for a suggested donation of $1.

VOA Park Elder Center, 1505 Park Ave. Mpls. 612-339-7581, parkcenter@voamn.org Take Charge of Your Health

Care: Asking Questions, Getting Answers - June Free class that teaches consumers to empower themselves by using the Internet to learn about health issues and to ask questions of health care providers. After this program, participants will feel more empowered to ask questions of health care providers and more confident in finding health information on the Internet.

•The “Take Charge of Your Health Care” class will be presented on the following dates: •Sat., June 26, 11pm, St Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Ave. 651-642-0411 •Wed., July 7, 10:30am, Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway St. Paul, 651-695-3700 For more information, please call or email: Nathan Maas @ 612298-7068 or nathanmaasmhlp@ gmail.com Credit Smart- Ongoing FREE Credit Education Classes. Every Tuesday, 6-8pm.

Minneapolis Urban League 2100 Plymouth Ave. N. Mpls.

HYPERLINK “http://www. mul.org/”www.mul.org Contact Theresa (612) 827- 9268.

Realizing the American Dream – Ongoing Home Buyer Program. First Thurs. of every month, 6-8pm. $25.00 per Family Minneapolis Urban League 2100 Plymouth Ave. N. Mpls.

HYPERLINK “http://www. mul.org/”www.mul.org Contact Theresa (612) 827- 9268.

“Critical Conversations: Middle East Conflicts, Root Causes” - Ongoing A course on Middle East Conflicts will be held through St. Paul Community Education, every Tues. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for five weeks, beginning Tues., April 20 at Como Park Senior High School, 740 West Rose Ave., St. Paul. Fee: $35. Info / registration: call 651-293-8733.

Energy Saving Workshops June & July Community Energy Services is a one stop, residential energy program available to only select Minneapolis neighborhoods designed to make saving energy and money easy. Upcoming CES workshops: Hawthorne Neighborhood Tues., June 29, 6:30 pm at Farview Rec Center Lind-Bohanon, Shingle Creek Neighborhoods - Wed., June 30, 6:30 pm at Creekview Park Rec Center Seward Neighborhood - Thur., July 8, 6:30 pm at Matthews Park Rec Center Webber-Camden, McKinley, Folwell Neighborhoods - Tues., July 13, 6:30 pm at Folwell Park Rec Center Standish-Ericsson Neighborhoods - Thur., July 22, 6:30 pm at Sibley Park Young Writers -June – Aug. Young Writers is the place for youth! A gathering of aspiring young poets, novelists, fiction writers, essayists and more.

We laugh, work, create, and grow together in a community workshop setting - come check it out! Open to ages 13-19.

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center Substitute Teacher

Second and Fourth Tuesday of every month 6PM - 8PM at Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave. S, Mpls. FREE! 2010 Movies in the Parks Thru Aug 28 The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has packed more than 80 movies into its third annual Movies in the Parks series. The mobile series, which travels to parks across the city throughout the summer, will run Monday through Saturday June 14-Aug. 28. Movies are free to the public and start 15 minutes after sunset. For more information, check out www. mplsmusicandmovies.com.

Video Games: Create Your Own – June 23, & 26, July 14 Create your own video gameexplore character development, narrative and story structure.

Learn skills necessary to create your own game from concept to “play again”. Open to youth in grades 7 -12. FREE. Wed., June 23, 1PM - 4PM at Hopkins Library 22 11th Ave. N., Hopkins, Sat., June 26, 2PM - 5PM at Walker Library 2880 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls, Wed., July 14, 2PM - 5PM at Hosmer Library 347 E. 36th Street, Mpls.

Licensing and Certifications: CPR and Meet all applicable licensing regulations. Valid Driver’s License and proof of insurance. Minnesota Teachers’ License (preferred).

Work Experience: 5 years of Child Care Center or related experience required.

Other Requirements: • Dealing with confidential information.

• Tight deadlines.

• Dealing with unfavorable weather conditions.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to work effectively with employees, colleagues and manager.

• Agree to mandated child abuse reporting guidelines.

• Ability to relate to children from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements and references to: Hallie Q. Brown Community Center ATTN: Human Resources 270 N. Kent Street Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-224-7074-Fax hr@hallieqbrown.org

“Know your Status.” - June 25 Come take charge of your health and wellness. Come celebrate National HIV Testing Day June 25th, 2010, a collaboration between Turning Point and The Minneapolis Urban League.

Testing is free, confidential and open to the public, no appointment needed. Testing takes place at Turning Point located at 1500 Golden Valley Road, Mpls, MN 55411. Testing will run from 9am-2pm. Call 612302-3148 for more information.

Hands Across the Sand - June 26 Attend Hands Across the Sand to protect our oceans, beaches, and wildlife from more offshore drilling! Join Sierra Club and concerned citizens on Sat. June 26th at Lake Calhoun Thomas Beach. Questions: Joshua Low, joshua.low@sierraclub.org.

(612)659-9124.

The Power of the PSA - June 23 Explore the power of words to persuade. Create your own PSA to advocate for causes and events that are important to your community. Open to youth in grades 7 -12. 3PM - 6PM at Franklin Library 1314 E. Franklin Ave., Mpls. FREE. New District Headquarters: Info Session - June 24 Minneapolis Public Schools and the Mortenson/Legacy team invite you to join us for an informational session on the new district headquarters to be built at 1250 West Broadway Ave. Thur. June 24 6:30-8pm at Capri Theater 2027 W. Broadway Mpls.

Kairos Dance Theatre Presents: Dance & Jazz: Food for the Soul - June 24 Performance featured in: Music in the Parks 2010, Lake Harriet Band Shell, 43rd St. W and E Lake Harriet Parkway Thurs, June 24th at 7:30pm. Free and Open to the Public.

The Minnesota Sinfonia- June 24 & 25 Ft. Hye-Jin Kim performing “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and “Gypsy Air” by Pablo de Sarasate. Other works

by Haydn and Brahms. 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 24, Lake Phalen Regional Park, 1600 Phalen Dr., St. Paul and 7:30 p.m.

Friday, June 25 at Lake Harriet Bandshell, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Pkwy, Mpls. www.mnsinfonia. org, 612-871-1701. FREE. Children welcome.

Minister Louis Farrakhan Who are the Real Children of Israel?

Login to view @ www.noi.org Saturday June 26, 2010 7pm EST/4pm PST Info:773-324-6000

Events for Youth Determined to Succeed (YDS) - June 26 Youth Determined to Succeed (YDS) Community Health Fair.

Brooklyn Center High School: 6500 Humboldt Avenue N. Brooklyn Center, MN 55430 Sat., June 26, 2010 10am–2pm.

A Report Back on the 2010 Labor Notes “Troublemakers” Conference - June 26 Speaker: Bill Onasch. Sat. June 26 at 7pm. @ Mayday Books, 301 Cedar Ave. S. Mpls. For more info call 612-333-4719.

Workshop series on childhood trauma - June 26 Have you wondered about the effects of early trauma on your child - and wanted to know what you can do to help him or her form and maintain a sense of attachment that’s so vital to a healthy relationship?

Trauma & Attachment II: 9am12:30pm Sat., June 26 at HOPE Adoption, 5850 Omaha Ave. N, Oak Park Heights, MN. $20 per person per workshop. visit www. hopeadoptionservices.org or call HOPE at 651-439-2446 for registration.

EMAIL: ONLINE:

ben@insightnews.com www.insightnews.com

Summer Saturday Film Workshops – June 26-Aug. 21 Through a series of hands-on workshops, teens will learn both the technical and conceptual skills needed to make a successful film. Youth will work in small groups to collaborate on films in different genres (narrative, documentary, experimental, animation). Youth will get experience in screenwriting, storyboarding, lighting, camerawork, directing, acting, and editing. The completed films will be shown to an audience at the end of the summer in the Intermedia Arts theater. June 26 - August 21, 2001; Saturdays Only1PM - 4PM at Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.

FREE. Next Generation of Parks Speaker Series - June 26 Wed., June 16, at the McGuire Theater at the Walker Art Center: Robert Hammond, President of Friends of the High Line, and Lisa Tziona Switkin, of James Corner Field Operations and primary designer of this innovative park, will present on New York City’s High Line, an abandoned elevated railway that has been transformed into a dynamic public pedestrian greenway. All talks take place at 7:00 PM and are free and open to the public. Tickets will be available each evening starting at 6:00 PM. Tour De Vail 9 - June 26 Tour de Vail, Roll & Stroll for Mental Health, on Saturday, June 26. The Tour is a noncompetitive event that includes a family-friendly bike, blade, walk or run around Lake Calhoun, followed by food and festivities at nearby Minneapolis Vail Place. Early registration is $30 and day of registration is 35$.

Sat., June 26, 9am-2pm Starting Line: Minneapolis Vail Place (36th St. & Hennepin) – around Lake Calhoun. Contact: Stefano LoVerso 952.938.9622 ext. 27 or sloverso@vailplace.org B-Girl Be: Hip-Hop History, Culture and Creation – June 29 & July 8 B-Girl Be curriculum engages boys and girls in discovering the power of authentic hip-hop.

Participants learn the history of hip-hop as a radical form of social commentary, community engagement and protest for communities of color; analyze lyrics, form and content; and create their own work. Open to youth in grades 7 -12. Tue., June 29, 1PM - 3PM at Rockford Road Library 6401 42nd Ave. N., Crystal, & Thur., July 8, 1PM 3PM at Brooklyn Park Library 8600 Zane Ave. N., Brooklyn Park, FREE. Sign up now for summer classes and camps at Camden Music School! - Thru. July Summer term: July 12 – August 20.

Includes vocal and instrumental lessons, ensembles, Musikgarten and music theory classes. Summer camps: Monkey Mind Pirates, July 19 – 23, performances July 23 and 24. Ages 8 – 11. Camp Komoniwannarock, August 2-5 and 9-12, performance July 12. Grades 5-8 (’09-’10).

Scholarship application deadline: 5pm Tuesday, July 6. Family discounts also available. More information: 612-618-0219 or www.camdenmusicschool.com

The Minnesota Sinfonia - July 5 Family Pops Concert. Monday, July 5, 7 p.m. Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 N Lexington Pkwy, St. Paul. FREE. Children welcome. 612-871-1701. www. mnsinfonia.org ‘9 Nights of Music’ Returns - July 6 The Minnesota History Center’s popular series of free outdoor concerts kicks off with the International Reggae All-Stars on July 6. Now in its 14th year, “9 Nights of Music” presents the rich and vibrant rhythms and sounds of Minnesota’s multicultural community. Bring a lawn chair, and pack a picnic or purchase food from the Café Minnesota terrace grill. Come early and take advantage of free admission to the museum galleries from 5 to 8 p.m. and stores that are open until 8 p.m.

The Minnesota Sinfonia - July 9 Family Pops Concert. Friday, July 9, 7:30pm. Lake Harriet Bandshell, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Pkwy, Mpls. FREE. Children welcome. 612-871-1701. www. mnsinfonia.org Taking a Leap of Faith - July 10 Daughter of Zion Gospel Ministry presents a soul stirring musical. World wide outreach for Christ. At the Potter House of Jesus Christ. For ticket information please call Minister Robin-Maria at 612-327-4890.

Video Poems: Video Poetry Workshop for Teens – July 10 & 24, Aug 4 Combine creative writing with digital video to create your own video poem! Work collaboratively to create poetry and make it come alive through visual arts. Open to youth in grades 7 -12.

FREE! Sat., July 10, 2PM - 5PM at Pierre Bottineau Library 55 Broadway Ave. S., Mpls; Sat., July 24, 2PM - 5PM at Walker Library 2880 Hennepin Avenue, Mpls; Wed., Aug. 4, 2PM - 5PM at St. Louis Park Library 3240 Library Lane, St. Louis Park.

Express Yourself! Creative Writing for Teens – July 11 & Aug 1 Unleash your imagination and set your voice free as you try out new styles, forms and ways to express your self on the page.

Open to youth in grades 6 -12.

Sun., July 11, 2010 1PM - 3PM at Rockford Road Library 6401 42nd Ave. N, Crystal, & Thur., Aug. 1, 2010 1PM - 3PM at Rockford Road Library 6401 42nd Ave. N., Crystal, FREE. The Minnesota Sinfonia - July 12 Children’s Concert: Music From Other Lands. An exciting musical journey featuring music from far off countries. Monday, July 12, 12:30pm. N. Commons Park, 1801 N James Ave, Mpls.

FREE. Children welcome. Bring your own seating. 612-871-1701. www.mnsinfonia.org Minnesota Black Music Awards - July 16 At Pantages Theater 710 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 | 1.800.982.2787 (box office) This is a 21+ event. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

CLASSIFIEDS

POSITION SUMMARY: This is a substitute position designed to fill in as needed on a short or long term basis for permanent teaching staff. Substitute Teacher participates in long and short range activities for students in accordance with curriculum objectives and engages students in developmentally appropriate activities. Assists with ensuring that the classroom is appropriately staffed and maintained to provide a safe and secure environment for each child.

QUALIFICATIONS: Education: Associates degree or equivalent in early childhood development. B.S. in Early childhood Development preferred.

612.588.1313 612.588.2031

Children’s Vacation Bible Studies - June 19th-July 17th For ages 5-12 years of age.

Saturdays, June 19th through July 17th, from 9:30am12pm. Dennis Ministries, 1919 Broadway NE, Mpls, MN 55413.

For more details contact Gloria Dennis by phone 763-952-2288 or email dennisministries@ yahoo.com

DEPT: Early Learning Center SUPERVISED BY: Youth Program Manager TITLES SUPERVISED: N/A FLSA: Non-Exempt SALARY GRADE: $10-13/hour

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Works with teaching staff to implement program curriculum and coordinate students activities.

2.

Plans and supervises the arrangement of the classroom environment in accordance to program goals and philosophy.

3. Maintains a safe and healthy environment, including safely managing developmental activities for the participants.

4. Keeps all appropriate records such as records, attendance, time sheets and accident reports.

5.

Maintains open communication with parents/guardians of the program participants regarding the developmental needs of the participants.

PHONE: FAX:

PHONE:

612.588.1313 FAX:

STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF HENNEPIN

612.588.2031

DISTRICT COURT FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT CASE TYPE: CONTRACT Court File No. ______________

Joseph F. Mikolic, Plaintiff, v.

Brian K. Ahern, Defendant.

THE STATE OF DEFENDANT(S)

SUMMONS

MINNESOTA

TO

THE

ABOVE

NAMED

You are hereby Summoned and Required to serve upon Plaintiff or his attorney an Answer to the Complaint which is hereby served upon you within 20 days after service of this Summons upon you, exclusive of the day of service. If you fail to do so judgment by default will be taken against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

Rule 114 of the General Rules of Practice provides for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) in most cases. Notice of ADR processes will be provided by the Court Administrator after this action is filed.

Dated: May 13, 2010 _________________________ Patrick M. McVary #0388083 Attorney for Plaintiff 200 Village Center Drive, Suite 800 North Oaks, MN 55127 651-255-9500 Fax 651-255-9504

EMAIL: sales@insightnews.com EMPLOYMENT/HOUSING

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1 BRs starting at $595 • Huge bedrooms • Tons of closet space • Indoor & outdoor pool.

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ABA Minnesota Blizzards Basketball

Request for Proposals for Food Service Contract(s)

The Minnesota Blizzards ABA Basketball Team is announcing a program for college Internships for the fall and winter. The program will consist of five teams of 5 interns each in the following areas: (1) Sales, (2) Basketball Operations. (3) Marketing (4) Public Relations (5) Business administration.

Each team will have a leader and be given challenging assignments.

The Senior Nutrition Programs of the Senior Services Consortium of Ramsey County, Scott-Carver-Dakota CAP agency Inc., and Volunteers of America of Minnesota will accept proposals through July 9th, 2010 for their food service contracts, beginning January 1st, 2011 through December 31st, 2011.

The contract(s) will be awarded for one year , with possible renewal for up to two additional years.

We are looking for college students majoring in Sports Management, Business, Public Relations, Marketing Sales, Broadcasting and Event Planning. We need 20 or 25 interns working with us for a (minimum of 8 hours a week) on a part-time basis. Interns will gain valuable experience, and in most cases college credits.

Interested Parties please send resume to: The Minnesota ABA Team Attn: Internship Program 10125 Crosstown Circle #200 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-829-1250 Fax: 952-829-1040 www.minnesotablizzards.com

The contracts call for approximately 780,000 meals annually in aggregate with 2,600 noon congregate and home delivered meals per day plus an additional 1,550 weekend and evening meals per week. The programs also deliver another 600 frozen meals per week.

This contract can be bid for in total or by program. Additionally, Volunteers of America of Minnesota will take bids separately for Anoka and Hennepin Counties. The Senior Services Consortium of Ramsey County will take separate bids for bulk and frozen meals. To request a written proposal, call Nancy Christianson, Director of Senior Nutrition, Volunteers of America, MN, 612-617-7845.

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Murder From 1 and Farwell Place, separates Homewood Apartments, the twin buildings facing Thomas Avenue and Sheridan Avenue with a commons courtyard between them and the residences on Farwell.

Neighbors have complained to police about increasing numbers of fights and/or disturbances by visitors to the apartment complex. They said the street in front of the complex increasingly became a site for drug sales from automobiles.

Presumably, the shooting was not a feat of marksmanship, but a spraying of bullets with a deadly

4RM+ULA From 1 We are looking to make [buildings] as efficient from a space efficiency standpoint, and efficient from an energy efficiency standpoint. We are always looking for materials

Insight News • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Page 11 consequence. Police reported one person hit in the head by one bullet of the 8-9 rounds fired. The victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where he was pronounced brain dead.

People who live in the immediate area say they are saddened by the loss of life, traumatized by the shattering of the sense of neighborhood safety, and angered by the thought that such mindless violence always produces unintended consequences for our community and our culture.

“What is it?

What’s going on?” we asked at our neighborhood barber shop, the following Saturday morning.

Saturday customers, who, like us, look forward to weekly barber moderated exploration of

local and global issues, weighed in with the classic assessment of how the neighborhood and culture had changed over the past generation.

“When we had beefs, we fought with fists. And if we were gang-banging, we didn’t act independently. Even if we were jumped by a rival gang or group, we would have to wait for permission to retaliate. There was a structure, an order that everyone had to respect. Then when retaliation was sanctioned, it was our best fighter and their best fighter. We duked it out,” said the customer, now a long time Twin Cites resident, who grew up in Chicago.

“The hierarchy doesn’t exist anymore. There is no chain of command. Small groups form

themselves into gangs and operate independently,” he said.

“But things really changed with the release of Boys N the Hood,” the seminal film about ghetto killing and dying that demarked new levels of gun violence among urban youth, said a neighbor, who was born and raised in North Minneapolis.

“We never had drive-by shootings before that. That’s when it started.”

Of course, no one is saying the film or the genre caused the violence. Rather, this art, like rap music and the like, mirror what is going on in the street. If this is so, can it be that a game changer is at hand?

Sunday afternoon we took our 10 ½-year-old grandson to see the Smith/Chan remake of The

Karate Kid. The messages are universal and accessible, whether you are ‘in the Hood’ in North Minneapolis, in Edina, in Kingston or Beijing: Bullies are bullies, justifying their status with racial, cultural, geographic or familial rationales that mask or bury the deeper impulse to be a decent human being.

Bullies are taught by older bullies, even some with seemingly impeccable credentials, others with deep depravity of selfrespect, buttressed by canyons of self-loathing and hatred.

Fear forces people and communities to hide.

Courage, however, liberates and heals, albeit with the risk of defeat and pain.

Courage, health, and respect

are teachable, and properly taught and learned, will win against and win over the bully.

People and communities that adopt and pursue a culture of courage and health unleash joy and possibility, peace and confidence, passion and productivity, pride and power. They train the will of the community to focus on health and wellbeing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Willard-Homewood Organization meets Thursday at 6 pm at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center’s social service building, 1315 Penn Avenue North. The meeting is open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend to discuss the uptick in violence and to explore crime reduction and prevention strategies.

and methods of construction that are sustainable. We are always looking for opportunities to engage art, and bring artists in.”

As a trained architect and visual artist, Garrett developed a business evolution that eventually turned into 4RM+ULA. He left a big architecture firm in 1998, and started JAGA Studio, a business

that produced multi-disciplinary design. “I was very interested in designing not only buildings but jewelry, clothing, just a number of other things. And so JAGA Studio was sort of created as really a venue for me to be able to explore some other things outside of traditional architecture.” In 19992000 Garrett purchased a parcel of land in the Midway/Merriam Park neighborhood that he wanted to turn into a five unit town house development. JAGA Studio then became a vehicle for design and real estate development. In 2000-2001, Garrett partnered with Goodlow and together they turned JAGA Studio into Urban Development Collaborative. Then they had an epiphany. Garrett explains, “ we can do something more, something larger than just this particular individual development project and so we started having conversations about being more of a full service design firm focused on architecture, but also bringing the art aspect and the green aspect. It was 2002 that we sort of took our partnership and changed it into 4RM+ULA….. and really looking at larger issues of design, urban planning and architecture. It was sort of at that point that we had serious conversations with [Johnson] and started looking for opportunities for him to collaborate with the two of us.”

Johnson, a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, participated in the initial development talks for 4RM+ULA and became partner in 2007. He is a LEED

Accredited Professional, recipient of the AIA Minnesota 2009 Young Architect Award, and professor of Architectural Technology at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Johnson and fellow partners have assumed the stance of architectural stewards for their home community. “I think we’re very concerned about what impacts our city, and what specifically impacts the urban environment. We are all Twin Cities natives. All of our families go back here for years. We have a vested interest in this community.

We are particularly concerned with forming long-term public and private partnerships; adding to and improving the building stock in urban communities; cultivating vacant and/or underutilized properties in transitional urban neighborhoods; producing new housing and commercial opportunities by introducing mixed-use medium density, socially responsible designs that are fully environmentally responsive, economically viable, and transit-oriented. All tailored to fit at the neighborhood scale,” he said.

Goodlow, the “non-creative architect” partner, converges architecture with community through his expertise in politics, public administration, and urban planning. He handles the books, and politics in working with different municipalities and governments. Goodlow graduated from Minnesota State University at Mankato with a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Studies, has 10 years of management experience from Medtronic

Corporation, and serves on the board of directors for the St. Paul Planning Commission, Fairway Foundation, and St. Paul Board of Parks and Recreation. “We didn’t necessarily say let’s get three diverging skill sets and bring them together and really bring a balanced brain trust to a small business. But honestly I think that’s kind of what happened.”

Marilyn Porter is co-founder and immediate past president of Assembly of Architects (AOA), a non-profit organization that serves communities of color with services such as architecture, planning, facilities management; services not readily accessible.

Additionally, AOA encourages its members to network amongst themselves, and the group collectively reaches out to larger majority organizations and architectural firms. Currently, Johnson serves as President of AOA and Garrett serves as a vice president. Porter met the young men in 1993 as they began their careers with different architectural firms, and now she has seen them evolve into masters of their trade.

“I think 4RM+ULA is a very good organization because they have that balance between them.

Johnson is a recognized designer for his vision, and James brings the marketing and the technical skills to the table. They balance each other’s strengths and capabilities, from the technical side to the more theory and design side. They have aligned themselves with people who have other expertise outside of what they do. So they have put together a very diverse and skilled group of people,” said Proter.

Porter was contacted by Roxanne Givens, co-founder of the Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center, who was in search of African American architects to develop the Coe Mansion in Minneapolis as the future site of the museum.

The connection made for a perfect match, and Givens continually sings the praises of 4RM+ULA. “Their commitment and focus is to design and excel; as a client they listen to what our desires are while at the same time seamlessly merge the demands that are inherent to the historic preservation dictates of the African American museum.

They achieve all of this without compromising the integrity of the design aesthetic! The team is extremely innovative and creative as well as resourceful, embracing the art of collaboration whenever necessary.”

Johnson said 4RM+ULA “doesn’t have preconceived notions of what the outcome is going to be. Each project is its on individual thing and we work with the client/owner to come up with the best solution, and we spend a lot of time analyzing , thinking , trying to be creative and not trying to think within a box about how the end product is going to be. We want to give the owner, our client, the best solutions and give them all the information that they need to develop a great product, and especially since we work with a lot of community groups, I think that is an imperative.

For more information on 4RM+ULA Architectural Design Firm visit www.4rmula.com or call (651) 292-0106.

Page 12 • June 21 - June 27, 2010 • Insight News

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Conversations with Al McFarlane Tune in for stimulating conversations with Al McFarlane and civic, business & cultural leaders about issues and events that shape community.

For more information, call 612-588-1313

www.insightnews.com | www.kfai.org

Culture and Business: From the Marcus Garvey House in Mpls.

Radio: June 29, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: July 1, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Rick Aguilar Aguilar Productions Irma McClaurin, Ph.D. Urban Research and Outreach Center Seann Nelipanath India Chamber of Commerce Sherry Pugh Northside Residents Redevelopment Council Irma McClaurin , Ph.D.

Sherry Pugh

Emerging Markets From the Multicultural Marketing Summit

Bruce Corie

Business and Wealth Creation From the Marcus Garvey House in Mpls.

Organizing for Wealth CreationFrom the Marcus Garvey House in Mpls.

Radio: July 6, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: July 8, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Radio: July 13, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: July 15, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Radio: July 20, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: July 22, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Bruce Corie

Alfred Babington-Johnson

Lance Knuckles

Concordia University

Stairstep Foundation

Emerge!

Rick Aguilar

Paul Bauknight

Andre Dukes

Aguilar Productions

Bauknight & Associates

Northside Achievement Zone

Seann Nelipanath

Art Weddington

Wesley Walker

India Chamber of Commerce

Selby Community Development Corp.

Northway Community Trust

David Morse New American Dimensions

Community Development StrategiesFrom the Marcus Garvey House in Mpls.

Alfred Babington-Johnson

Lance Knuckles

Public Policy and Economic DevelopmentFrom the Marcus Garvey House in Mpls.

Public Policy and Economic DevelopmentFrom the Marcus KFAI Studios Garvey House in Mpls.

Radio: July 27, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: July 29, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Radio: August 3, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: August 5, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Radio: August 10, 11AM on KFAI 90.3FM and 106.7FM Television: August 12, 6:30PM on MCN 6

Robert Porter

Don Samuels

Rev. Randolph Staten

N. Mpls. Community Development Corp.

5th Ward Minneapolis City Council

Veronica Birts

Robert Lilligren

Coalition of Black Churches and African American Leadership Summit

Save Rondo Community Coalition

6th Ward Minneapolis City Council

Dr. John Williams Dentist & Community Business Leader

Veronica Birts

Don Samuels

Nghi Huynh MN Multicultural Media Consortium

Rev. Randy Staten