Insight News ::: 7.26.10

Got a Vote?

You got Power!

August 10

th

Join Favor Café along with Minnesota BaseNetwork and Insight for a special primary election night discussion/recap. Tuesday, The Favor Café, 913 W Lake St., Minneapolis 55408, Doors open 7:30, discussion begins after 9 pm.

For more information, please contact Khalilah Terry at beautybuttafly@ gmail.com or Brett Buckner at brettdbuckner@gmail.com

INSIGHT NEWS July 26 - August 1, 2010 • MN Metro Vol. 36 No. 33 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

Bottom: Leah Nelson, 2nd row: Jason Jackson, Cmurf, Duane Johnson and Harry Waters Jr. Top row: Malik Irby, James Davis and Earnest Simpkins.

Harry Waters Jr.

Pillsbury House Theatre play explores Fierce Love

By Alaina Lewis Contributing Writer For an African American male life may sometimes seem like an ongoing battle. But the one comfort

that resides in the struggle is that you don’t have to fight the entire world to get some recognition for your cause.

Now when you add a second layer to the problem, and consider the plight of the homosexual

African American male, you know that the struggle gets a little deeper, and the world isn’t always willing to open arms and allow you to live without borders.

But, then came Fierce Love.

Somewhere deep down

in the recess of our heart lies an uninhibited love; a love that concentrates more on the strength in a feeling rather than implementing any type of discretion on who’s sharing the bond. Fierce love is an honest

union, one that lets all the senses be free and the alliance of two individuals to be expressed on any and all levels without hindering that connection to adapt to the discriminatory world outside those walls.

The title Fierce Love takes on many different meanings, but the most important ideology is that those two words describe a freedom that the African American

LOVE TURN TO 2

Sabathanites march in Torchlight Parade

By Al McFarlane Editor-in-Chief

Necessary Exposure

Standing (left to right): Shari Smith, Terry Danforth, Suluki Fardan, Maurice Tyner, Ira Russell, Gary Hines, Bernard Carter, Johnathan Guilmant, Diane Lindquist. Kneeling: Kanisha Johnson, Ilesha Hart.

The Hines family arrived from New York a generation ago carrying a legacy of drumming in their genes. “My two brothers, my two sisters and I had always been in drum and bugle corps as drummers and majorettes. It was the family tradition,” music

maestro Gary Hines told Insight News last week.

“We hadn’t been here a good week when Spike Moss tracked us down. He had heard about us being drummers. He asked to come around to the Elks. We drummed with the Elks, Cato Lodge and others from that point on,” he said.

Hines, founder of the Grammy-Award winning Sounds of Blackness, marched Wednesday

night in the Aquatennial Torchlight Parade with another group he was instrumental in founding…the legendary Sabathanite Drum and Bugle Corps.

The Sabathanites, created by Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis, were introduced to enthusiastic parade watchers by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

SABATHANI TURN TO 2

Toliver joins technology writing team Christopher Toliver was recently named to the Minnesota Multicultural Media Coalition (MMMC) Technology Writing Team.

Toliver, 40, is native of Milwaukee, WI, who has resided in the Twin Cities since 2008. His pilgrimage to the neighboring state he compares to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

And what a “deliverance” it was, he says.

Toliver, like so many others

who are born gifted but don’t capitalize on their assets, copped out to less. He counted himself among the sleeping giants residing under bridges, in jail cells, and in graveyards.

One would think that a man like Toliver, who had been subjected to these conditions, would evaluate, search and attempt to remove himself from such degradation, he said in a recent interview.

Toliver’s epiphany came

Stedman Graham:

The Athletes Against Drugs interview

PAGE 4

while serving a long prison term in Wisconsin. He began writing poems and short stories about his dark life experiences.

Writing was his escape; he said it was a therapeutic way to slowly allow him to find himself. Pen and paper were always top priority on his commissary list, he said, because these simple items were giving him the Suluki Fardan

Christopher Toliver

Aesthetics:

Music awards honor Minneapolis Sound

PAGE 5

TOLIVER TURN TO 9

Internet marketing workshop for small businesses at UROC A free Internet marketing workshop for small business owners and leaders of community development organizations takes place 5:30 pm-7:45 pm July 29th, 2010 at Urban Research and Outreach/ Engagement Center (UROC), 2001 Plymouth Avenue North

Style on a Dime:

Girls (budget) night out - $20 martini and manicure

PAGE 8

in Minneapolis.

The University of Minnesota’s Business & Technology Center (B-Tech Center), is collaborating with Go Virtual Media, a division of Virtual Global Media Group

INTERNET TURN TO 7

Walker West: Inspiring children to excel

PAGE 9

Page 2 • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Insight News

insightnews.com

Vote 2010: Absentee ballot a choice for some Your Politics

By Keesha Gaskins Absentee ballots will be available now for the August 10, 2010, primary election. Let’s talk about voting, voting qualifications and voting absentee. Voting is the first step to civic participation. There are multiple ways to exercise your right to vote in Minnesota. You may vote at the polls on Election Day, you may vote in-person as an absentee at the county auditor or city clerk’s office before the election or mail in an absentee ballot.

July 20, 2010, was the last day to register to vote in order to appear on the list for your polling location.

If you are not registered by July 20, 2010 then you will have to register via same-day registration when

Love From 1 community of the homosexual persuasion, should feel of themselves and their unhindered choice to just be, without apology to the world around them.

Building on this infectious theory, and bringing a candid reality to stages all over the world, three men, Brian Freeman, Djola Branner, and Eric Gupton, who nicknamed themselves Pomo Afro Homos, a shortened version of

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

you go to vote on August 10th.

To vote in Minnesota in the August 10 primary you must meet the following qualifications: • You must be 18 on or before August 10, 2010 • You must be a citizen of the United States • You must be a resident of the State of Minnesota by July 22, 2010 • You must be registered to vote (either pre-registered or on the day of elections) You may NOT vote if: • You are convicted of treason • You are under guardianship of another person where a court of law revoked your right to vote • You are found to be legally incompetent • If you are currently under supervision (incarcerated, parole or probation) for a felony conviction. Once your time is served or you are “off paper” you may automatically vote.

If you know you will be away from your precinct, you are ill or disabled, prevented from going to the polling location by a religious holiday or belief or are serving as an election judge in another precinct – then you may vote by absentee ballot. You may apply and vote during normal office hours at your county auditor or municipal clerk’s office before the election. You can do this on the Saturday before the election from 10 am to 3 pm, or on the Monday before until 5 pm.

Absentee Ballot

Absentee Ballot by Mail If you choose to absentee vote by mail make sure you apply early so you can mail back or deliver your absentee ballot before Election Day. Call, write or fax your county auditor, city clerk or secretary of state’s office for an application.

You can also download an absentee ballot application at the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website or at the League of Women Voters Minnesota website.

In some places you can return your

Post Modern African-American Homosexuals, decided that the best way to provide truth, is to teach truth to the public through a play they wrote entitled Fierce Love: Stories of Gay Black Life.

Inspired by the unrepressed nature of In Living Colors infamous “Men On Film” sketch, the play is composed of 12 different vignettes that shadow the life and times of gay Black men. The stories are told through an honest perspective, one without limits, that gives both the audience and its host the comfort to share the world through their eyes and dispel any stereotypes synonymous with a group often misunderstood for expressing their free will.

The play, which once toured the world in the 90s, is now being reprised by Minneapolis’own Twin Cities Black Gay Pride group, and premieres at the Pillsbury House Theater on Chicago Avenue under the direction of Harry Waters Jr and produced by Earnest Simpkins July 30 and 31.

“I think there is such a need for something like this to be done in the Twin Cities.” Simpkins said. “There’s no space in which

Black gay men can tell our stories, authentically, unapologetically and unequivocally, in a space which we’re not tokenized, we’re not stereotyped and where we’re not the hairdresser. But this play creates a space where we can connect with each other as well as our greater community and say, ‘you know what, these are our stories, our struggles, our fears, our victories, and our tears.’ I think this piece is one that’s going to introduce and create the space to show the world who we are.”

Simpkins, who is also the President of Twin Cities Black Pride, not only produced the play, but acts in it as well along with TCBP’s Vice President Jason Jackson, who also knows all too well the importance of gay black males having a voice in this community.

Rapper Kevin “Kaoz” Moore joins the two along with a host of others to assist in bringing forth this production.

For two nights only, we’ll be given an intimate doorway into the lives of gay black men, and some of the roles they play being a part of our community and often misunderstood by a society that

Sabathani

said Hines.

“And in history, whenever and wherever the drum corps assembled to practice, crowds of dozens and hundreds were drawn to the magnetically magic drum music. Every practice was an event for toddlers, to preschoolers, to youth to adults, all enjoying the practice, and with some banging on pans or fences, learning the beats,” Hines said.

As the art of drumming and marching re-emerges, Hines said,

From 1 The mayor told on-lookers the Sabathanite appearance was special indeed because the group had not marched in the Aquatennial for the past three decades.

The Sabathanites’ return to the Aquatennial this year, he suggested, marks a sea-change in

Sr. Content & Production Coordinator Ben Williams Production Intern Andrew Notsch Distribution/Facilities Manager Jamal Mohamed Receptionist Lue B. Lampley Technology Reporters Shanice Brown Ivan B. Phifer Christopher Toliver Contributing Writers Maya Beecham Brenda Colston Julie Desmond S. Himie 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.

Mayor Rybak with the Sabathanites race-relations in Minneapolis.

For it was racial hostility in the mid-60s that led to the Black community, by and large, turning its back on the Downtown event. Former 8th Ward City Council Member, Brian Herron and a group of young adults experienced police brutality that signaled to Black residents they were not welcome in Downtown Minneapolis. The Sabathanites was among cultural organizations that refused to participate in the Aquatennial from that point on.

“Sabathanites going back to the Aquatennial represents a proactive move on the part of our people to reconnect based on the restoration of respect,” Hines said. “The music, as always, is the entrée, the vanguard for resumption of interaction and engagement. The meaning of our participation and all that it represents goes beyond the Aquatennial.”

The vision: Hines said what should happen now is that our community takes a fresh look at our legacy with drum corps, locally, nationally and globally. “A lot of people here seemed to think that drum corps were just youth or teen activities. They are but they are so much more. In history in our community, and even in white communities, returning veterans formed the core members of drum corps, and these elders were intentional in passing their craft and skill on to young people. So there were always youth drum corps and senior drum corps,”

Rabin Osborne

we are going to find people will be called to community though drumming, as they were in the past.

At a practice at Sabathani last week, Hines learned, what happened before was happening again: from toddlers to elders, the community gathered to enjoy, learn and share in the joy of drumming.

Hines said he envisions development of viable junior and senior drum and bugle corps and exponential growth of the drumming movement here in Twin Cities.

go to the polls early in the day to do so.

If you know you won’t be available or think you may not be able to make it to the polls on August 10, 2010 request and absentee ballot application and VOTE!!

What if?

If I vote by Absentee Ballot and then change my mind and want to vote for someone else? What prevents me from voting both by Absentee Ballot and in person?

When you vote by absentee, absentee ballots are put in two envelopes, one inside the other.

The outer envelope has the voter’s name and identification on it. The inner envelope, which contains the actual ballot, is blank to protect the

voter’s privacy.

On Election day, the name on the outer envelope is compared to the Roster at the voter’s polling place. If the voter signed the Roster, indicating that he or she voted in person, the absentee ballot is rejected. If not, the Election Judge enters “AB” on the signature line for that voter, and the envelope is opened revealing the second, blank envelope. The blank envelopes are saved in a pile, opened later, and the ballots are put in the optical scanner or counted.

If a voter comes to the polls after the Absentee Ballot is processed, he or she will NOT be able to vote in person. If the voter comes to the polls before the Absentee Ballot is processed, he or she may vote in person, and the Absentee Ballot will not be counted. In many precincts, the Absentee Ballots are processed during quiet times in the afternoon on Election Day. If you vote by Absentee Ballot and then change your mind and want to vote for someone else, you should

chases biased ideas rather than actuality. The play is real, raw, and without a doubt a critical necessity in creating understanding, love, and awareness for all.

This play isn’t just for the

GLBT community, it’s for any and everyone who’s ever dared to love; fiercely, honestly, and without reservation.

The play runs at the Pillsbury House Theatre, July 30 and 31.

Shows are at 7:30 pm with a ticket cost of $15. Group discounts are now available online: Parties of five or more receive a $5 discount.

Tickets may also be purchased at http://pillsburyhousetheatre.org/

application by fax, check first.

Military & Living Abroad If you are in the military or reside outside the U.S., you will vote based on where you last lived in Minnesota. You or your parent, spouse, brother, sister, or child (at least 18 years of age) can apply for a ballot for you. If you are permanently unable to go to their polling places may request to be put on a permanent absentee ballot recipient list by completing a Permanent Absentee Ballot Application.

Links & Numbers: Minnesota Secretary of State www.sos.state.mn.us (612)-2151440 Minnesota League of Women Voters – www.lwvmn.org (612)333-6319 Keesha Gaskins is the Executive Director for the League of Women Voters Minnesota and the League of Women Voters Education Fund.

Gaskins holds a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law, and served as a law clerk for both the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Supreme Judicial Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For more information, visit vote.lwvmn.org

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Insight News • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Page 3

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Stedman Graham: The Athletes Against Drugs Interview Interview

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com Stedman Graham was born on March 6, 1951, in Whitesboro, NJ, a community founded in 1901 by a group of prominent African Americans which included Booker T. Washington and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Stedman attended Middle Township High School where the 6’6” phenom starred on the varsity basketball team. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from

Larry Englehart, Deja Views

Athletes Against Drugs founder Stedman Graham pictured with local students/participants of his youth empowerment program.

Hardin-Simmons University, he played professionally in Europe for a few years before returning to

the U.S. to work on his Master’s in Education from Ball State.

An enduring, high-profile

relationship with Oprah Winfrey has, perhaps, overshadowed the long list of business and charitable accomplishments accumulated over the course of Graham’s impressive career as Chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates, a management and marketing consulting firm specializing in the corporate and educational fields. A prolific writer, he is also the author of ten books, two of which became NY Times bestsellers. And he has taught at several colleges, including a course on leadership at the University of Illinois and one on strategic management at Northwestern.

Most importantly, Graham has exhibited a lifelong commitment to community via Athletes Against Drugs (AAD), a non-

profit organization he founded in 1985 which remains dedicated to developing leadership in underserved youth through scholarships and education.

Recently, Stedman talked to me about his work with AAD and other projects.

Kam Williams: Hi Stedman, thanks so much for the time.

Stedman Graham: It’s my pleasure.

KW: I have a friend, Franklin Moore, who claims he’s a cousin of yours. Is that true or has the brother been making it up all these years?

SG: It’s true. he’s my closest cousin, my favorite cousin.

Where do you know him from?

KW: His younger son, Joseph, and my son have been friends since they were in pre-school together.

SG: That’s great, Joseph’s my godson.

KW: Small world. Tell me what’s going on with Athletes Against Drugs?

SG: The focus of the organization, which is really known now as AAD Education, Health and Sports is the positive, not the negative. Being in this business for 25 years has taught us that it’s not about the drugs but about providing positive choices, keeping yourself active and keeping yourself busy with activities, the proper curriculum, and special events like taking kids to games. That’s how you keep our youth off drugs.

KW: Where is the organization located?

SG: We’re operating out of Chicago. That’s our home base.

But we do programs all around the country in coordination with various teams and various athletes.

We provide programming in the schools, class curriculum, tutoring, and sports field trips.

And we have athletes come speak in the schools. We’ve done all that for years. So, we’re really strong in terms of programming.

KW: Didn’t you have a big event recently?

SG: Well, we had our annual golf tournament where we bring in a lot of athletes. It’s one of our fundraisers. This year was our 25th anniversary celebration.

KW: I told my readers I’d be interviewing you, and they sent in a lot of questions. FSU grad Laz Lyles says she heard that you teach at Full Sail University, which she says is an amazing arts college. She wants to know, what attracted you to this school, and what you’re teaching there?

SG: I teach identity education and development. I teach people how to find their passion. I do it using a nine step plan. I also teach them how to develop a bigger vision once they have that passion. The thing that attracted me to Full Sail is that they have their passion

GRAHAM TURN TO 11

insightnews.com

Insight News • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Page 5

AESTHETICS Music awards honor Minneapolis Sound international map, and spawned the careers of Prince, Mint Condition, The Time, and many other predecessors to today’s marketplace.

Even as awards were given to long time greats such as Gary Hines and his group the Sounds of Blackness, Mint Condition and T Mychael Rambo, it wasn’t without the presence of the latest generation of entertainment tastemakers. Acts like Paris Bennett, New Congress, Heiruspecs, and others, gave a sample of what makes them as

Chris McDuffie

Tearra & Toki Wright

Work ethic: this was the resounding theme behind the 30th Anniversary of the Minnesota Black Music Awards (MBMA) which took place July 16, at the Pantages Theater in Downtown Minneapolis, MN. After a 12-year hiatus, MBMA founders Pete and Kimberly Rhodes returned with a fabulous bang to reignite the

unforgettable ceremony.

A Music Industry Symposium, hosted by Peter Rhodes preceded the awards program. Special guests Louis Andre Fischer, Jamecia Bennett, Bobby Z and others gave attendees a blue print design for how their dreams went from inception to a tangible reward.

Questions were answered, bonds were formed, and there was a wealth of priceless information offered by some of the best in the business

who understand that a lack of knowledge can cost you more than money, but rather opportunity, if your plan isn’t executed properly.

Following the symposium, a reception was held at Seven Ulra Lounge, where local artist Mia Malone Jennings’ showed incredible one of a kind paintings dedicated to our music, and the MBMA. The year’s awards honored the Minneapolis Sound, a style that put our state on the

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PHOTO: YUVAL BINUR

Lee Breuer and Bob Telson’s

The Blind Boys of Alabama The Legendary Soul Stirrers The Steeles NOW - AUG 11

the outcome of being celebrated that always supersedes every fall.

MBMA was reprised with an outstanding result of triumphant rewards, and a threshold for creating incredible memories.

Stay tuned to the Black Music America Network, a station created by Pete and Kim Rhodes that airs on Comcast 937 to see coverage of the awards program.

For more information visit www.blackmusicamerica.com or www.mnblackmusicawards. com

Chris McDuffie

Sounds of Blackness

By Alaina Lewis Contributing Writer

incredible as the awardees; their command over the art and their love for entertainment. I can’t wait to see who will pick up a trophy next year.

The 30th Anniversary of MBMA taught us that finding the greater degree of good notes through the midst of the fallen is a fete that defines a musical superstar when amidst a field of other artists. For those who were honored, and the many who hope to achieve the same star, it is not without an incredible journey of sweat, tears, and music, but

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Page 6 • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Insight News

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HEALTH

Safety tips to ensure a comfortable Summer

By Melody Mendiola In the midst of these summer months in Minnesota, it is especially important to protect against the harmful effects of the hot summer sun and to take extra safety measures around water.

Did you know that each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 9.2 million children aged 0 to 19 years are seen in emergency departments for injuries, and 12,175 children die as a result of being injured.

Whether you are relaxing at home, exploring one of Minnesota’s recreational areas or going for a swim, here are a few helpful reminders to ensure your comfort and safety.

Hot Summer Sun Tips

Overexposure to the sun can damage the skin and may even cause skin cancer. And, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash and heat cramps are harmful conditions caused by prolonged exposure to excessive heat and humidity. The National Safety Council and the CDC recommend these safety measures, especially when heat and humidity levels spike: Use sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and make certain that children are protected.

Reapply sunscreen after prolonged periods in the hot sun or after swimming.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your head, neck, face and ears from damaging sun exposure. Baseball caps provide little protection except to the face.

Carry a long-sleeved shirt to

wear in direct sun. For comfort, it should be light-colored and loose fitting, except when working around machinery.

Drink plenty of water during the summer – sipping ever 15 minutes on especially hot days.

Take frequent breaks in the shade or inside during the hottest times of the day.

Recognize the signs of heat stroke: Confusion, or decreased level of consciousness, either profuse sweating, or lack sweating, fast heart rate, or convulsions (uncontrollably shaking or seizure like activity).

Heat stroke is a true medical emergency. You must seek emergency medical care, and even with excellent care, many people still die from heat stroke.

Make Water Safety a Priority While over 90 percent of families

with young children will be in the water this summer, almost half (48 percent) plan to swim in a place with no lifeguard, according to a study conducted by the American Red Cross. It is especially important to follow basic water safety measures and to monitor children near water.

The Red Cross offers these water safety tips: Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.

Always swim with a buddy.

Do not allow anyone to swim alone -- even when a lifeguard is nearby.

Never leave a young child unattended near water.

Make certain that young children and inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water.

Be cautious around lakes and

rivers, where cold temperatures, currents and underwater hazards can be dangerous.

Always wear a life jacket when boating.

Avoid alcohol use around water. Alcohol impairs judgment, balance and coordination.

Avoid swimming for about 30 minutes after eating.

Hennepin County Medical Center – For all Your Emergency Needs In the unfortunate event of an emergency, Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is Minnesota’s premier Level 1 Trauma Center with many nationally recognized programs and specialties. Patients with minor acute illnesses, simple injuries, and other nonemergency conditions now have a fast track through the

Emergency Department since HCMC’s new Emergency Express Care opened on level one of the Red Building downtown. The Emergency Express Care is open 363 days a year from 9 am to 7 pm No appointment is necessary. For more information, call (612) 873-5555.

Put safety first in all your summertime activities, and make the most of these warm, sunny days!

Melody Mendiola, MD, is a board-certified general internal medicine doctor and medical director of Hennepin Care North, a clinic of Hennepin County Medical Center, located in Brooklyn Center, MN. Dr. Mendiola is accepting new patients at Hennepin Care North.

To schedule an appointment, call (612) 873-8800.

CDC report: AIDS is a Black--and poor-- disease

By George E. Curry NNPA Special Contributor VIENNA, Austria (NNPA) – Phill Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, has good reasons for describing AIDS as a Black disease. Although Blacks are 12.8 percent of the U.S. population, they represent 45 percent of all people infected each year with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Black women represent 66 percent of all new HIV cases each year among women, a study conducted in five major cities found that 46 percent of gay and bisexual Black men have contracted HIV, compared to 21

percent of similar White men, and although Black teenagers are only 15 percent of U.S. teen population, they account for 68 percent of all new AIDS cases among teens.

In what it calls the first federal study of its kind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now added poverty as another factor – at least for heterosexuals living in poor, urban communities in the United States – likely to increase the risk of becoming infected with HIV. “The study reveals a powerful link between poverty and HIV risk, and a widespread HIV epidemic in America’s inner cities,” Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said in a

Ann Ragland / NNPA

Phill Wilson (left) and Dr. Johnathan Mermin statement. “In this country, HIV clearly strikes at the economically disadvantaged in a devastating way.”

The CDC findings were

released here at the biennial international AIDS Conference.

The study, conducted in 2006 and 2007, included more than 9,000 heterosexual adults aged 18 to 58, about 77 percent of whom were Black. Specific census tracts in 25 communities with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent were selected to be studied. The CDC report combined data from census tracts in 23 of the 25 cities, including Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Newark, St. Louis, New Orleans, Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Seattle. It did not

provide data on the individual cities.

Although the CDC has conducted major studies on HIV prevalence rates among gay and bisexual men as well as drug users, this is the first time it has conducted a separate study on heterosexuals living in poor urban communities.

Researchers were surprised to discover that although African Americans overall have disproportionately high HIVinfection rates, there was no significant racial or ethnic gap among heterosexuals living in poor urban neighborhoods.

“Within the low income urban areas included in the study, individuals living below the poverty line were at greater risk for HIV than those living above it (2.4 percent prevalences vs. 1.2 percent), though prevalence for both groups was far higher than the national average (0.45 percent),” the CDC said in a statement.

“There were no significant differences in HIV prevalence by race or ethnicity in these low income urban areas: prevalence was 2.1 percent among blacks, 2.1

percent among Hispanics, and 1.7 percent among whites.

“By contrast, the U.S. epidemic overall is characterized by severe racial/ethnic disparities: the HIV prevalence rates for blacks is almost 8 times that of whites, and the HIV prevalence rate among Hispanics is nearly 3 times that of whites.”

In an interview Sunday with a group of African American reporters assembled by the Black AIDS Institute, Dr. Jonathan Merimin, director of the CDC’s Division on HIV/AIDS Prevention, stated, “There is nothing biological that has caused African Americans to have such a disproportionate rate of HIV infection. It’s the social, it’s the economic, it’s the epidemilogical environment in which people live.”

He added, “There are multiple factors associated with HIV infection in the United States.

One of the main factors is race.

In addition, even among African Americans, poverty is also a risk factor, as it is with others.”

CDC TURN TO 11

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Insight News • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Page 7

BUSINESS Extreme makeover, employment edition Plan Your Career

By Marcia Humphrey julie@insightnews.com “Almost two freaking years not working,” writes Ric, “and I miss it. How do I address this on a resume?” Miss going to work? Ric is not alone. After two freaking years, it is time to get back to work. Update your attitude, your past and your aspirations, and you soon will be wistfully missing these days off, rather than daydreaming about going to work.

To help Ric rethink his job search, I sent him to Nicollet Mall with instructions to scowl

at the first ten people he saw.

At the next ten people, he had instructions to smile broadly, as if he’d just won the lottery. If you wonder whether attitude is contagious, try this. The results are amazing and consistent. If you’re nowhere near Nicollet Mall, try grinning at the next person you see, whoever it is.

What happens?

The enthusiasm of someone who truly wants to work is equally contagious.

Before applying for another position, Ric had to boost his enthusiasm for each job. He printed out job descriptions and noted, bullet point by bullet point, where his experience and interests lined up.

One of his leads was with a paper manufacturer.

He looked around at the magazines and mail piled on his desk and thought, I like paper. He

checked out the company’s web site and saw they were innovative and extremely green, both strong values of his. By the time he applied, Ric knew exactly why he wanted that job. His knowledge and interest came across clearly both in the application and during the interview. How much do you want the job you’re applying for?

Riding on his excitement for the job, Ric took a few minutes to rewrite his employment history. Yes, you can change the past. Group jobs on your resume according to skill sets, including volunteer and temporary positions right alongside “real” jobs. By highlighting relevant experience, you save a manager time decoding your skills and abilities.

If your past is less than illustrious, realize that whatever

Review: The Brand Within Here, the enterprising Mr. John emphasizes the importance of self-branding, urging his readers to recognize and make the most of any opportunity to enhance their image. “From the day you’re born, you’re branding yourself,” he says. “You are what you wear. You are what you drive, where you live, what you drink…” And consequently, he writes, “every move you make will establish… how the world looks back at you.”

While it isn’t exactly pleasant to think of the road to riches as paved by a series of critical consumer decisions, who am I to argue with a guy this successful and so convincing when he makes a case that, “Like it or not, intentional or not, you will be stamped—branded… and once you’ve been tagged, it will follow you around.” Branding as the blueprint for making it in the 21st Century.

Author Daymond John

Film Review

By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com “What I hope to do with this book is reach out to anyone who wants to get a leg up on their own careers… And more than anything else, it’s a book meant to remind readers that they will prosper from making the right choices, from conducting themselves in the right way, no matter what stage of the business world they happen to occupy.

I’ll look back and offer examples from my FUBU career to illustrate certain points… My hope is that readers walk away from this book realizing it’s not enough to talk the talk. You’ve got to walk the walk, if you mean to get and keep ahead.”

-- Excerpted from Chapter One (pgs. 29-30) At 41, Daymond John might not seem old enough to be writing his second autobiography, but

Internet From 1 (Minneapolis/Toronto), LLC to offer this introductory Internet Marketing Workshop.

The workshop will teach small business owners and leaders of community development organizations how to use the Internet to effectively market their business or organization.

Photo courtesy the author

after perusing The Brand Within, I’m convinced that far more important than chronological age are a person’s accomplishments and ability to share pearls of wisdom in an engaging and informative fashion.

John definitely achieves all of the above in this combination memoir/ marketing handbook written in a culture-crossing style that ranges from street to sophisticated.

One minute, he might drive home a point via salty language like “All I have is my balls and my word, and I don’t break ‘em for no one.” The next moment, he is just as likely to resort to terms generally employed in corporate boardrooms to explain complex business concepts.

In either case, John is an entrepreneur to be taken seriously, if only because he built a haberdashery started in his mother’s basement into a multimillion-dollar fashion empire. FUBU, founded as “Five Urban Brothers United” in 1992, eventually was strategically changed to “For Us, By Us,” a “blackronym” conveniently exploiting the popular notion that the company’s styles were made by blacks for blacks.

The workshop will cover topics such as, Social Networking; Google Rankings; Blogging techniques for your Business; Social Bookmarking; How to reach millions of Internet users with a click of your mouse; and “Publish a press release about your business or community organization – for free!

Registration: Contact Brandy Churchill at 612-6243404 or bchurchi@umn.edu

you do today becomes part of your past tomorrow. Strive to develop new skills and to expand your network, even if you are uncertain about the payback potential. What if you don’t develop new skills? What if you do?

Finally, Ric had to do a reality check on his aspirations.

After two years looking unsuccessfully for work, he realized he was probably looking in the wrong places. This is not

a great time to transition if you don’t have to. Look for work at about the same level and in the same industry you left, or look at the low end of what you’ve trained for. Simply working, anywhere, beats not working, and will actually make you more attractive to other employers.

No one is locked in to a single position for life. First, get employed, and then consider your next steps from there.

Two years seems like too

long to be looking for work, but, for Ric, reworking his job search plan meant two years didn’t have to become three or four.

Julie Desmond has fifteen years recruiting and career counseling experience and currently leads career planning and job search workshops in Edina, Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. Write to Julie@ insightnews.com.

Page 8 • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Insight News

insightnews.com

LIFESTYLE Girls (budget) night out - $20 martini and manicure Style on a Dime

By Marcia Humphrey marcia@insightnews.com Have you been looking for a new idea for girls’ night out?

If so, then look no further than the Minneapolis W Hotel. For only $20, you and your girls can receive a Martini and Manicure.

I see you rolling your eyes and saying, “Can $20 really give me a girls’ night to remember at a swanky downtown hotel?” I too was a little skeptical, so of course I had to test it out. The girls and I went last Thursday and we had a great time! For several hours, we did just what girls of every age love to do-eat and drink, laugh and talk too much, share and solve each other’s minor personal challenges, and admire and encourage each other to be our personal best. If that sounds like your kind of night, then read

this quickly because like all good deals, this fun and cheap offer is available for a limited time only!

The idea for this evening all started when my girlfriend opened an email about a $20 Martini and Manicure (or chair massage) Special happening at the Living Room Bar of the W Hotel. Knowing that we all could use a night out together, she emailed her group of girlfriends to see how many were interested and then made the reservation. In total, around 12 women showed up. We had

such a great time that we’re already planning to go back next month!

Through September, you can take advantage of this bonding opportunity on the third Thursday of each month. A friendly, licensed and certified crew of men and women, from Spa Mobile Events, www.spamobileevent. com, performed the services in the fabulously decorated and comfortable lounge of the W (I was getting ideas for my home). As the name implies, Spa Mobile Events can go reneeslimosines.com

anywhere, including to your home or business, so check them out on the web to make reservations for the $20 Tini n Mani Event or to get more information.

In keeping with the budget friendly vibe, The W also offered light, yet delicious appetizers for only $5. We ordered and everyone shared, like girlfriends do. Finally, if you don’t drink alcohol, no worries! Several of us had the

fruity “virgin version.” Was it the best manicure I ever had?

Far from it, but was it a great excuse to get together with good company and share good will and sisterly love? Absolutely!

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 • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Page 9

Walker West inspires children to excel

By Maya Beecham Contributing Writer In 2009, Marquis Strauther was beginning to find his stride in music. He struggled with daily issues of school and life, but his high school music instructor saw improvement. The instructor approached Strauther about the James T. and Lavinia Murray Scholarship at Walker West Music Academy in Saint Paul.

Eventually, Strauther was granted the scholarship and began training in the French horn under the tutelage of Felix James.

Lessons offered respite from life issues, and helped Strauther develop a passion for music.

Strauther is now a graduate of Saint Paul Central High School, and current student at McNally Smith College of Music in Saint Paul. His dream is to become a music instructor, and provide unconditional support in leading students to success. Strauther said he is grateful to Walker West Music Academy for the opportunity. He is especially moved by the instruction that not only taught him fundamentals of playing a musical instrument, but improved his well being.

Strauther said, “these teachers care that we have success. It is more than just a job. In regular school I felt under pressure by better students. Walker West is

Toliver From 1 wherewithal to medicate and rebuild his tainted, damaged soul.

After compiling a collection of stories of his reality, Toliver took a chance and began sharing his pain with the men who squeezed into the same tight quarters with him for over a decade. Lacking the courage though to claim his stories as his own personal experience, he changed his name in the tales he related. He just could not allow his fellow convicts to know that he had a drug habit. Revealing to his cellmates that he was molested by a man of the cloth

great because it has given me a chance to prove I can be so much better --like some of the people I idolize or look up to.”

Strauther is a success story that will be celebrated amongst many others at the James T. & Lavinia Murray Scholarship Fund and Walker West Music Academy Anniversary Fundraiser, “Honor the History, Ensure the Future” on Saturday, August 7, 2010, from 3-5:00 pm at Wilder Center Auditorium, on 451 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul. The event will feature performances by Wenso Ashby featuring Zsame, The West Bros., Reverend Walker & Faculty, Walker West Music Academy students, and KMOJ’s Q Bear and Miss Georgia will emcee the event.

For community leader Mary K. Murray Boyd, daughter of James T. & Lavinia Murray, there is nothing more important than continuing her father’s legacy of caring and supporting the successful development of all children, and especially youth who may not have exposure to benefits of music education. Boyd said of her father, “he had given to community through his music.

There was such a connection with what Rev. Walker and Grant West were doing in starting Walker West Music Academy 20 plus years ago in the community that would make music available

to people in that community, that was really very unusual. That was the love of the community.

My mother and father had that same passion for the community, children and music. So it was really like shared dreams.”

There is hope that Walker West will continue to produce the likes of James T. Murray through the support of community.

Murray was an internationally acclaimed singer with a fullbodied baritone voice that could sing in German, Swedish and Latin. He performed across the world in the production of Porgy and Bess where he shared the stage with celebrities such as Dr. Maya Angelou. He was known

for his riveting rendition of “Old Man River” from the production of Showboat. Music opened many doors of opportunity for Murray, but he and his wife Lavinia were known for being true pillars in the Rondo Community. Murray dreamed of scholarships being made available to children for music lessons.

Fifteen years after his death, Boyd is committed to the scholarship fund in the name of her parents that is saving children’s lives through music.

The James T. and Lavinia Murray Scholarship Fund was created

by Boyd as an endowment fund within the Pan African Community Endowment of

Saint Paul Foundation dedicated to the sole purpose of Walker West Music Academy student scholarships. Half of the proceeds from the James T. and Lavinia Murray and Walker West Music Academy Anniversary Fundraiser will be divided into the endowment fund for future access, and the other half will be available immediately for Walker West scholarships.

Walker West Music Academy was founded in 1989 by Reverend Carl Walker and Grant West, located in the historic Rondo Community of Saint Paul at 777 Selby Avenue, and to date is one of the oldest arts organizations in the nation of its kind. The

organization operates with a twofold goal that reads, “to preserve African American styles of music by teaching jazz, gospel and blues among other genres and to keep music education accessible to students.”

As professional musicians, members of the contemporary jazz group Wenso Ashby featuring Zsame, understand the value of music in children’s overall development and well being. They stressed the importance of supporting a community institution like Walker West Music Academy for the livelihood of children and the world. And the connection it gives its students to music that exposes them to a whole new world. Group members are challenging the community and musicians specifically to meet or exceed the group’s donation of $100 towards Walker West Music Academy. Ashby said, “make an effort to come out and support Walker West. Saving a kid may save the world.” His counterpart Zsame said, “it is imperative for us to help each other. What we do or don’t do will affect the outcome of this world.”

For more information on the James T. and Lavinia Murray Scholarship Fund and Walker West Music Academy Fundraiser, visit www. walkerwestmusicacademy.org or call (651) 224-2929.

would have been insanity. And why would he allow the cons to know that he had experienced spurts of homelessness? Pride had encouraged Toliver’s stagnation. But what he had failed to realize was that his peers were also cursed and selfpunctured with similar vices.

After hearing their feedback, it finally dawned on Toliver that his words held power. The affirmation he sought in order to continue to tell his stories came through the responses, the body language, the cascading tears, even the silence that flowed from the legions of his felonious readers.

Now, Toliver is home, his chains lifted, his liberation celebrated, his wings flapping, his selfrehabilitation accomplished. He says he

knows his purpose and present reason for being here.

Not only has Toliver changed dramatically, the times have also. In Toliver’s opinion, the world got herself in a big rush during the period of his incarceration. Toliver says he has realized he has to change with the times. In the beginning, frustration and confusion consumed him, but now his pit bull spirit has kicked in, and he is challenging his new fears of the changes in technology.

“Google this! E-mail me!

Pay it on Pay Pal! Tweet me!

Facebook this!”

Toliver said he was naïve to all these new technological terms. Though overwhelmed by it all, he chose not to falter, but instead began to ask questions.

He had to learn this new way.

With seven felonies, he knew his chances of acquiring a good job were slim to none.

But Toliver had an ace up his sleeve. He had a book to market! A great book, his baby, a blessing to the Kingdom of God, as he puts it. Instead of cruising in his car Toliver is now surfing the web. He is amazed by all the overnight success stories of those who utilize the internet as their marketing vehicle to cultivate new lives.

He is fascinated by the fact that the push of a button backed up by a great idea can generate wealth and self-satisfaction.

Prison was the humble ending to his former life, and the web is the new beginning of his bright future. Toliver wanted to get his book out into the

world, so he began checking out the websites of publishing companies and learning how an impatient writer could selfpublish.

Knowing himself to be a more persistent than a patient man, he opted to selfpublish.

Toliver met with Jermaine Taris, a graphic designer who assisted him in bringing his vision of his book cover to life. He then created his own website: www.cryingscrolls. com. He located a printer in Chicago, IL, and the rest is history. Toliver said he feels important now. He is making a difference. He is his own boss and no longer has to worry about that question on most applications which makes felons quiver, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”

With the assistance of Taris, Toliver is learning how to upload new posts on his website. He is selling his first novel, Hallway Man, through this same website, www. cryingscrolls.com.

Al McFarlane of Insight News has personally taken an interest in Toliver and enrolled him in the Broadband Access Project which will help him broaden his technological skills.

Toliver runs his fledgling, itty bitty business out of an itty bitty room in the itty bitty ‘hood.

He recently found out that he has an itty bitty roommate – a mouse!

Toliver said he would sure love to copy and paste that little joker back to where it came from!

Walker West Music students

Photos Courtesy Mark K. Boyd

Page 10 •July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Insight News

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COMMUNITY UnitedHealthcare and KaBOOM! hosted Design Day for new playground UnitedHealthcare and organizers from KaBOOM! hosted a Design Day for children at Pillsbury United Communities’ Oak Park Center last week. Children from the Center had the opportunity to put crayon to paper and draw their dream playgrounds, which will later become a reality. Elements from the children’s drawings will be incorporated into the final design for the new community playground which will be built at the Center in September. Design Day was also the first meeting of the planning committee what will work for the next eight weeks to prepare for the playground’s construction.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Send Community Calendar information to us by: email, ben@insightnews.com, by fax: 612-588-2031, by phone: (612) 588-1313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411, Attn: Ben Williams. Free or low cost events preferred.

Events

Photo courtesy of the artist

Chantel SinGs performing at 2010 Colon Cancer Walk Chantel SinGs, an ovarian cancer survivor of four years performs at the Colon Cancer Walk presented by 3Way Entertainment on August 7, 2010 at Como Zoo. Chantel SinGs will perform her song “Autobiography” which address her story and what she’s been through.

The Colon Cancer Walk is 8 am – 2 pm.

Registration is at 8 am and the walk begins at 9 am.

Donations are $10 individual and $50 for teams of 10 people. The walk is 3 miles; runners are welcome.

For more information or to sponsor this event, contact Sharice McClain- at (651) 3994097 or email 3wayentmn@ gmail.com.

Additional information may be found at www.3WayEnt.com

Senior Companions Make a Difference - Ongoing Are you interested in visiting homebound or isolated elders in their homes and helping with transportation for appointments or errands? If so, the Senior Companion Program would like to match you with people in the community who need a little extra help to stay in their homes.

Senior Companion volunteers earn a tax-free stipend, mileage reimbursement, training and liability insurance while serving. Volunteers must be 55 or older and serve 15 hours a week. For more information, contact Ron Urbanski with the Senior Companion Program of Lutheran Social Service at 651310-9445 or at ron.urbanski@ lssmn.org.

Gubernatorial Candidate Business Forum - July 26 Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) intend to make 2011 “the year for change” to improve the state’s business climate for minorityowned businesses. The two organizations are collaborating for the first time to host a gubernatorial candidate business forum to address issues specific to minority business owners and to learn which of the candidates will make fostering minorityowned business growth a priority.

The MBCC and MMSDC invite business owners, individuals and community members to the two-

Director, CLA Diversity Student Support Programs The College of Liberal Arts is seeking a dynamic, innovative person to provide leadership for its diversity student support programs and to provide strategic assistance to the College in attracting, enrolling, and graduating students of color.

For more information please go to employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=88276 The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR APPLICATIONS FOR U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE On June 23, 2010, the Court announced an upcoming vacancy for U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of Minnesota, and asked for interested persons to apply by Wednesday, July 21, at 5:00 p.m. This notice is to inform the public and members of the Bar that the deadline has been extended to Friday, August 6, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

A Merit Selection Panel comprising attorneys and members of the community will review applications in confidence and recommend to the Judges of the U.S. District Court the persons it considers best qualified to fill the position. The Court will interview the finalists and make the appointment following a background investigation of the appointee. An affirmative effort will be made to give due consideration to all qualified candidates including women and members of minority groups. The salary of the position is $160,080 per year and the position will be located in Minneapolis or St. Paul. The term of office is eight years, and incumbents may be reappointed to successive terms.

Applications are invited from individuals who meet the following qualifications:

• • • •

At least five years membership in the bar of the highest court of a state; Active practice of law for at least five years; Competent to perform all the duties of the office as specified in 28 U.S.C. 636; Be less than 70 years old; and Not related to a judge of the U.S. District Court

The duties of Magistrate Judges are enumerated in 28 U.S.C. § 636 and Local Rule 72.1, and include presiding over initial proceedings in criminal cases; trials of misdemeanor cases, including petty offenses; pretrial matters and other proceedings in civil and criminal cases; conducting civil settlement conferences; and disposition of civil cases with consent of the parties.

The official application is available on the Court’s website at www. mnd.uscourts.gov. The original complete application and nine copies must be received at the address listed above no later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on Friday, August 6, 2010. Completed applications may not be e-mailed and disks will not be accepted.

Children from Oak Park Center along with volunteers from UnitedHealthcare share drawings of their dream playgrounds.

PHONE: FAX:

hour Gubernatorial Candidate Business Forum, Monday, July 26 from 9 – 11 am in the Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave. S., Mpls.

Lutheran Social Service Seeks Adoptive Parents - July 27 Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Adoption: Join us to learn about exciting opportunities and changes in adoption. Discover the tools and support for families who would like a flexible, proactive adoption process, and learn how LSS can partner with you to grow your family. The adoption information meeting will be held on Tues, July 27, from 6–8pm at the Center for Changing Lives (Room 182). 2400 Park Ave. Mpls. Call (612) 879-5230 to register. For more information, or to register online, visit www. minnesotaadoption.org.

Program helps people with disabilities gain control, flexibility - July 27 If you are disabled and want more control, flexibility and responsibility for your care, come to a free information session about the “Consumer Support Grant” on Tuesday, July 27, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Hennepin County Library – Ridgedale, 12610 Ridgedale Drive, Room 229, Minnetonka.

To attend, you must register. Call 612-596-6631 or go to www. hennepin.us/adsinfo.

Safe Women, Strong Nations July 29 1 of 3 Native women will be raped in her lifetime. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the incidence of violence against Native women is nearly 3 times greater than

612.588.1313 612.588.2031

any other population in the U.S. Lucy Rain Simpson will speak about the Indian Law Resource Center’s Safe Women, Strong Nations project, which works to prevent violence against Native women by ensuring they receive equal access to justice.

At Birchbark Books, 2115 W. 21st St. Minneapolis, MN. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served.

Ard Godfrey House open during Dog Parade - July 30 The historic Ard Godfrey House, Minneapolis’ Oldest Surviving Wood Frame House is open evening hours During the Northeast Mpls. Dog Parade, Fri, July 30, 5-7pm. The GODFREY HOUSE, built in 1849, is located at the corner of University & Central Avenues SE, in Chute Square in Minneapolis.

Rwanda NOW - July 30 Prospects for the Rwanda August 9 Election: What Are the Stakes for US Progressives?”

Speaker: Peter Erlinder: Professor of Law at William Mitchell College of Law Lead Defense Counsel at the UN Tribunal for Rwanda Past National President (93-97) of the National Lawyers Guild Recently released from a Rwanda prison. Fri. July 30, 3-5pm @ Blue Moon Coffee House, 39th & East Lake, Mpls.

Blues Benefit: Live Music, Dance Lesson & Silent Auction - July 31 Have a great time, support a great cause! Blues Benefit to raise money to help a local Mom and kids who have survived homelessness and domestic violence to get legal help to give her a voice in court, and reunite her family. Enjoy West Coast Swing lesson by Soleman

EMAIL: ONLINE:

ben@insightnews.com www.insightnews.com

Krebs, learn new moves from a top professional. Dance to Blues and R&B performed by Mikil Lewis and Star Time, Paul “Baby Bluez” Johnson and singers Lady G. and Pearl.

Great selection of gifts in our silent auction. $8 singles. $14 couples. Thank you! July 31st, 7pm-Midnight, SOS Club 1417 Helmo Ave. North, Oakdale (Hwy 694, 10th St Exit, 3/4 mi behind Carmike in Oakdale Plaza). http://www.dj-justicefund.com/ Living Spirit UMC Barbecue July 31 A tradition slow cooked to perfection with a bold new zing!

Join Pastor Donna Dempewolf and the Living Spirit congregation for slow cooked BBQ, delectable desserts, and live jazz with a twist by Elbow Room. BBQ dinners $10. Slabs of ribs $18. Come for the BBQ. Stay for the fun. Everyone is welcome. Sat. July 31st 11am4pm. 4501 Bloomington Ave. Mpls, MN 55407 The Variety Showcase Show July 31 On Sat., July 31st, 10pm, Join us for an evening of some of this country’s best spoken word and special surprises featuring National Individual Slam Champion, Ed Mabrey.

Accompanied by Twin Cites’ legends, Thadra Sheridan, Spoken Word from Dessa, Shane Hawley, Peter Paul Rousseau, Improv from HUGE, Big Poppa E, and special surprises. $10 cover, all ages Visit bryantlakebowl.com for tickets and more information.

The Urban SCRUBS Camp Aug. 1-5 At the Augsburg College campus.

Students entering

grades nine through 12 this fall are eligible for the camp, which is designed for kids interested in health-related careers. During the camp students will learn about the wide array of healthrelated professions in the fields of medicine, dental, nursing, public health, emergency medicine, physical fitness, cardiovascular, laboratory, bioinformatics, sleep technology, and more. Students also will participate in handon workshops, tour labs and medical facilities, and network with college students, faculty, and health professionals. It’s an opportunity to experience a week of college life and find potential career paths.

Applications are due June 15 for both the camp and the scholarship. The forms are available at www. healthforcemn.org or by calling Pam Cosby 612-624-4541.

2014 Project SUCCESS – August 23-26 Project SUCCESS, working with the Minneapolis Public School District designed a fourday event, August 23-26, aimed at helping all Minneapolis Public School 8th graders successfully transition to high school. The entire event is at NO COST to students and families. Activities will take place throughout Minneapolis, from downtown to the Mississippi River. Students will learn how to prepare for high school, get their questions answered, meet upper classmen, tour their new school, learn how to overcome obstacles they may face, and go on a canoe adventure! Students can provide their own transportation, or free bus transportation will be provided. To register, go online at www.projectsuccess.org and click on the 2014 logo, call 612-874-7710, or email 2014@ projectsuccess.org.

CLASSIFIEDS

University of Minnesota

•

Photos by Courtney Johnson, courtesy of UnitedHealthcare

Chandra Torgerson, chief nursing officer at UnitedHealthcare, listens as a child at Oak Park Center describes his dream playground.

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center Substitute Teacher DEPT: Early Learning Center SUPERVISED BY: Youth Program Manager TITLES SUPERVISED: N/A FLSA: Non-Exempt SALARY GRADE: $10-13/hour 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.

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.

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

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

EMPLOYMENT/HOUSING Updated 1-2 Bedroom Apartments in Whittier Clean, quiet, secure, Parking available near bus WHITTIER COMMUNITY APARTMENTS 612-870-RENT(7368) “Equal Housing Opportunity” Provider”

Huntington Place Apartments The BEST 1 bedrooms in Brooklyn Park!

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

Call today! 763-560-0244 www.liveathp.com EHO

ABA Minnesota Blizzards Basketball 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.

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

Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners (IOCP) has 2 FT openings Program Coordinator (immediate start) plans, implements, manages and evaluates programs provided within affordable housing communities in Plymouth, MN. Programs focus on family/housing stability, youth success and community building. Minimum qual: BSW and 3-5 years of work with families, program development and management experience, ability to work effectively with kids, computer proficiency.

Preferred: MSW and social work license, community organizing experience, bilingual.

Case Manager (October start) provides crisis intervention, needs assessment, information, referral, advocacy services and access to emergency financial assistance to IOCP clients facing crisis and/or struggling with multiple barriers to stability. Minimum qual: BSW and 3-5 yrs exp in social services setting, case management experience, ability to creatively problem solve, demonstrated ability to work well in a diverse environment. Preferred: MSW, 5 yr exp in case management, social work license.

Apply to Wendy Geving via e-mail, wgeving@iocp.org, or fax, 952-473-4337.

Thank you for your business

Townhomes Available Fieldcrest in Moorhead, MN Rent based on 30% of income 2 & 3 bdroms open MetroPlains Management 701-232-1887 w w w. m e t r o p l a i n s management.com

insightnews.com

Insight News • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Page 11

SPORTS

The real Twins Time is coming soon Mr. T’s Sports Report

By Ryan T. Scott ryan@insightnews.com Well, it’s after the All-Star Break in Major League Baseball, and this means that the season is actually starting. No sport has as a lazy a first half of the season as the NBA, but they can use the “7 feet tall and running” excuse.

However, the baseball players have the “what idiot decided we need 182 games” excuse.

Regardless of the sport, the first half of the season determines whose good, and who isn’t good. During the second half of the season, pro-sport folks start playing for extra checks in the current season and re-negotiated contracts for the coming season.

The Twins recently had a 3-run 9th inning comeback, plus the extra winning run, that typifies the scrappy character of the team. And though there have been consistent pesky injuries throughout the early part of the season, I repeat, Minnesota is fortunate to have a scrappy professional baseball team.

One of the benefits of having a team with the character of the Twins is that the sentiment seems

Graham From 4 already. So, what they needed was the other eight steps.

The curriculum that I teach encompasses all of that. It’s especially pertinent to folks who already have an identity in terms of their job, their future employment or career path. [For more info, see Stedman’s book, You Can Make It Happen: A Nine Step Plan for Success.

KW: Robin Beckham asks what’s happening with AAD, but you already answered that.

She’s another person who says she knows you. She’s in public relations in Pittsburgh where she used to be a TV anchorwoman for one of the networks.

SG: Right, absolutely, yeah.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman who is vacationing on a vineyard in Vacqueyras, France, as we speak, says, “I know you have a background in education.

Do you support early childhood educational programs which help young African American males bridge the achievement gap, even before the first grade?”

SG: Totally! I have a 10-week

CDC From 6 According to the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, 24.7 percent of Blacks lived below the poverty line in 2008, compared to 23.2 percent of Hispanics, 8.6 percent of nonHispanic Whites and 11.8 percent of Asians. Poverty was defined in 2007 as an individual with an annual income of approximately

to somehow infuse itself into the talent that is brought in. I have to admit, that through my slightly out-of-focus baseball glasses, I didn’t see the emergence of outfielder Delmon Young coming. In hindsight I would assess that Young was simply not comfortable with the move from the Florida Marlins two years ago, and the majority of humankind wouldn’t want to up and move from Florida to Minnesota…especially when you’re 22-years-old making a lot of money. During the next year, Young was faced with the passing of his mother. A whole lot of perspective is thrust on a young man’s life through a series of events such as these, and having faced similar trials in such order, I can say that Minnesota is a good backdrop to gain some perspective.

A little perspective goes a long way, and a lot of perspective may just catapult a baseball player trying to catch his groove, into a baseball player looking for only a few extra votes in order to qualify as a Major League All-Star.

Together with the steady nature of fellow outfielders Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer, Young completes an outfield trio that has an opportunity to be something special. Though I didn’t like the loss of Carlos Gomez from last years’ Central Division Championship team, it doesn’t seem like the outfield is where this years’ midseason

program in the high schools, which we’d like to push down to the middle and elementary schools. And we also have a program for parents and teachers.

So, we’re very much proponents of helping kids develop an identity as early as possible in their lives.

KW: Ella Kegler from Lufkin, TX asks, what is the lifestyle you see for yourself in ten years?

SG: I’d like to be able to travel around the world working with organizations and institutions to help educate as many people as possible about how to develop an identity for themselves, --about how to find out who they are. And I’d like to teach them information making it relevant to their own development.

KW: Jersey boy Larry Greenberg asks, “Do you have any plans to come back to your hometown, Whitesboro, this summer?”

SG: I’ve been going back to Whitesboro, working in the community where I grew up, for the last 21 years. I haven’t missed a Labor Day celebration yet. And I don’t expect to this year.

KW: Filmmaker/author Hisani Dubose asks, what is your PR firm’s specialty? $10,000 or less.

“What’s surprising about these results is that if you are living in these areas and your household income is less than $10,000 a year, your’re seven times more likely to have HIV than if you’re in these areas and your household income is greater than $50,000 a year,” said Mermin, whose department supervised the study.

Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute looked at the numbers from another perspective.

He said, “The study tells

Jon Marthaler

sputtering was born.

It’s been argued that hot pitching performances are the key to success in the playoffs.

Yet while the Twins pitching staff doesn’t immediately strike fear into the heart of opposing teams, they are still a very consistent and capable bunch. Thus, I don’t see pitching as “the gift or the goat” for this years’ Twins team, though Liriano and Pavano are a couple to keep your eyes on.

The Twins have a few new faces on the team, and I’m not sure that they’ve all been fully infused with the Twins’ blood type just yet, nor has the glimmer of lake life and calm waters (I just got back from a lake trip if you can’t tell) fully hypnotized them into amazing baseball feats.

While Orlando Hudson and Jim Thome are veterans, and thus should make adjustments quicker than most, I think joining the

Twins organization is different.

Most people recognize the Twins organization as somewhat unique, and the result is that the team seems to almost always be in fair contention for a playoff bid. Hudson was a curious pick for the Twins due to his forceful and outgoing personality. Yet at the same time, Hudson can be everything you need in a 2nd Baseman, and is statistically having one of his better years as a

pro.

It’s hard to tell whose time it is to step up and carry the Twins over the hump this year, and the other teams in the division don’t seem like they’ll provide any help in figuring it out, other than the wrong kind of help. But, seeing as we’ve seen this script before from the Twins, you “betta getcha popcorn” and settle into a new stadium seat, and a warm night under the Minneapolis skyline.

SG: We have a marketing and management consulting business.

What we do is focus on the books that I’ve written and the content that I have, and other projects and ventures, including seminars, speaking engagements, online training and development, and on serving our strong existing client base to set up win-win situations.

personal relationship with him as a friend get mixed up with his political aspirations. Also, I don’t make judgments about people just because they may have a different point-of-view from mine.

KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?

SG: I try not to be.

don’t think they’re good enough to understand who they really are and that the process for success is the same for everybody, if you understand it.

KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks, what’s your goal for the future?

SG: My big goal is to develop a strong operational structure and alliances with our partners to build a better distribution network to deliver our content.

KW: Batala-Ra McFarlane asks, what advice do you have for those who’d like to start their own business in this challenging economic environment?

SG: I would say, make sure you focus on what you love and what you’re passionate about, so that when times get tough, you can overcome that obstacle.

KW: The Rev. Florine Thonpson asks what is your most powerful, spiritual source of strength?

SG: My most powerful, spiritual source of strength is knowing that God is love. So, when I focus on love, and put that in my heart, then I have the power of a strong, spiritual base and foundation.

KW: Prof. Mia Mask asks, do you think President Obama has handled the BP oil disaster well?

SG: I think Obama has done a great job, based on what he was handed at the start of his administration. I also believe that he needs the support of the whole country. There are so many people trying to tear him down.

America needs to come together as a country to figure out how we can support him as the President, including the BP disaster.

KW: Marcia Evans asks are you still associated with Armstrong Williams and do you share his political perspective?

SG: I’ve known him for a number of years. He’s been a friend of mine. I try to not allow my

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

SG: No, but that’s the toughest question I’ve been asked.

us that when other racial and ethnic groups face the same social determinants of health as Blacks – the social and economic conditions within which they live and that impact their well-being – their HIV rates rise to similar levels as those of Blacks, even for

Whites whose rate of infection is normally substantially lower than rates for both Blacks and Latinos.”

The link between poverty and HIV is an intriguing one that raises critical questions about access to health care, the socio-economic standing of sexual partners and

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?

SG: Happier than I’ve ever been.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

SG: Just today.

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

SG: How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins.

KW: Heather Covington asks, what are you listening to?

SG: The last thing I listened to was a CD that came with Success Magazine .

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

SG: Spaghetti!

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

SG: I see hope!

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

SG: For all the people who have dropped out of school and who the impact one’s environment has on contracting the virus.

CDC officials acknowledge that additional research needs to be conducted now that a direct link has been clearly established between poverty and HIV. “Why poverty is associated

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

SG: I was running in the backyard and scraped my leg against a sharp edge of a rusty chair that severed a big piece of meat out of it.

KW: The Tavis Smiley questions.

First, how introspective are you?

SG: I’m a Pisces, so I’m all internal.

KW: Second, what do you want your legacy to be?

SG: That I succeeded in teaching people how to maximize their potential as human beings.

KW: Well, thanks again for the interview, Stedman.

SG: Thank you. This was fun.

Man, you’re good!

KW: I get a lot of help. If you notice, most of my questions come from my readers and from celebrities.

SG: Well, you’re the conduit, so you gotta be good to organize it all. Take care. with HIV infection among African Americans and even more so, perhaps, among White Americans and Latino Americans?” Mermin asked, rhetorically.

“That’s something we need to look at.”

Page 12 • July 26 - August 1, 2010 • Insight News

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