December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013
Vol. 40 No. 1 • The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • insightnews.com
Black churches confront the AIDS epidemic By Maya Rhodan NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Some churches distribute food and clothing to the needy. But Rev. Edwin C. Sanders, II, the Senior Servant and Founder of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville, Tenn. decided to distribute something else – condoms. Not to encourage more sexuality, church leaders were quick to point out, but because it is an effective weapon to curb the spread of HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS. “We believe in radical love and love to all in the community. We’re open and honest. We distribute condoms because our goal is a healthy community,” says Rev. Terry Terrell, a staff minister. Like many Black churches, Metropolitan was forced to act when the disease could no longer be ignored in the church. When the church was founded in 1981, one of its 12 founding members was HIVpositive and later died from AIDS. The leaders of the church were then moved to address the HIV and AIDS crisis through service and education.
CHURCHES TURN TO 14
Across the country, Black churches, the pillar of the Black community, are stepping forward to ad-dress HIV/AIDS crisis in their community.
Courtesy of NNPA
Adding cops and arming teachers don’t enhance student safety Congressman Ellison warns will push for gun legislation against cutting programs in early next year. Many elected officials are supporting the debt negotiations move.
NNPA
NRA’s Wayne LaPierre faces protester.
By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Rather than deter violence, placing more police officers in schools has led to more students becoming entangled in the criminal justice system for such minor infractions as disorderly conduct, an indepth study of the issue has concluded. Despite that finding by the Justice Policy Institute, a nonprofit group that seeks
ways to decrease incarceration, National Rifle Association (NRA) officials continue to argue that the best way to prevent tragedies such as the killing of 26 people in Newtown, Conn. is to arm teachers and place more police officers in schools. In an appearance Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA said, “If it’s crazy to call for putting police and armed security in our schools to protect our children then call
Dakota Indian Dark day in Minnesota and U.S. history commemorated
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me crazy.” He added, “I think the American people think it’s crazy not to do it. It’s the one thing that would keep people safe.” After LaPierre made that suggestion Friday at a news conference in which he would not take questions from reporters, Rep. Chris Murphy [D-Conn.] called it “the most revolting tone deaf statement I’ve ever seen.” After the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, President Obama said he
Aesthetics
Quintessential Quentin
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“I have found the statements by the NRA over the last couple of days to be really disheartening, because the statements seem not to reflect any understanding about the slaughter of children,” said Senator Joe Liberman [I-Conn.]. “But it’s obviously also true that the easy availability of guns, including military style assault weapons, is a contributing factor, and you can’t keep that off the table.” The Justice Policy Institute published a report in November of last year titled, “Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police in Schools.” It stated, “Fueled by increasingly punitive approaches to student behavior such as ‘zero tolerance policies,’ the past 20 years have seen an expansion in the presence of law enforcement, including school resource officers (SROs), in schools. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the number of school resource officers increased 38 percent between 1997 and 2007. Some cities, like New York City, employ more officers in schools than many small cities’
NRA TURN TO 13
By Harry Colbert, Jr. Contributing Writer With the so called “fiscal cliff” looming a few Democratic Congressmen are voicing concerns that President Obama may give in too much to House Republicans in his debt negotiations. If the president and Congress cannot reach a deal by Jan. 1 – a prospect that seems to be the case – automatic tax hikes and cuts to so called entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits and unemployment benefits will occur automatically. The automatic trigger has been deemed the fiscal cliff, as most economists say the country will fall into a mild recession. But with the prospect of the cliff looming, a few Congressmen are warning the president not to compromise to get a deal if it means devastating cuts in entitlement spending. “I’m not going to support benefit reduction for the most vulnerable to pay for millionaires to keep their tax cuts,” said US Rep. Keith
Lifestyle
Prediabetes: Dispelling myths
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Suluki Fardan
U.S. Rep Keith Ellison
Ellison (D-MN). “We don’t have to cut services for the most vulnerable to resolve the deficit.” Ellison spoke out after reports that Republicans want to cut Social Security by
CUTS TURN TO 13
Earth Talk
The benefits of public transportation
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Page 2 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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Dark day in Minnesota and U.S. history commemorated
“Public execution of 38 Dakota Indians at Mankato,” sketch by W.H. Childs, 1862.
“A meeting of the Grandfathers,” by Lyle Miller. Painted for the Minnesota History Center’s exhibit, “The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.”
Little Crow, photograph by Joel Emmons Whitney, 1862.
A Dakota perspective on Minnesota history Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White examines the history of Dakota people and their deep cultural connection to the land that is Minnesota eons before the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and in to today. Much of the focus on the Dakota people in Minnesota rests on the tragic events of the war, largest mass execution in U.S. history, and forced exile, but the true devastation of removal cannot be understood without a closer examination of the history of the Dakota people and their close connection to the land that is Minnesota. The authors interviewed many Dakota people including elders and historians for the book, enriching the text with multiple voices and perspectives. Gwen Westerman was recently featured on “This American Life” in the episode “Little War on the Prairie”. The City of Minneapolis recently designated December 26, 2012-December 26, 2013 as Year of the Dakota: Remembering, Honoring, and Truth-Telling. Part of the resolution notes: “That every effort must be made to ensure that the Dakota perspective is presented during the year 2012-2013, through discussions at forums, events, symposia, conferences and workshops”. Mni Sota Makoce is an excellent introduction to a Dakota perspective on the history of the state of Minnesota. Also new and of interest re. the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862: Henry Sibley and the U.S.Dakota War of 1862 is a new short e-book by Rhoda Gilman excerpted from her larger biography Henry Hastings Sibley: A Divided Heart. The e-book focuses on the rifts and crises leading up to the 1862 war in Minnesota as keenly represented by then governor Henry Sibley.
Alexander Ramsey, 1862.
Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 marks a painful anniversary in Minnesota and national history. It’s the 150th year since 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato on Dec. 26, 1862, the largest mass execution in U.S. history. 2012 marks the 150th year since the U.S.-Dakota War was fought over six weeks in Southwestern Minnesota, resulting in hundreds dead and the Dakota exiled from their homeland. The war’s causes began decades earlier and the impact of the war is still felt today. Throughout this year and beyond, the Minnesota Historical Society is offering many new ways to learn about the war, its causes and its aftermath. Learn about the hangings and what led to them, including an exhibit, “The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862” at the Minnesota History Center, which is extending its run through Sept. 8, 2013. Visit www.usdakotawar.org for a list of all initiatives, events and resources for commemorating and learning about the war. This web page, www.usdakotawar.org/history/ war-aftermath/trials-hanging, gives a detailed account of the hangings. Many projects and programs related to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 are made possible by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 3
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota awards $77,500 in girlsBEST Fund Planning Grants The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota has awarded $77,500 in planning grants to 16 groups through its girlsBEST (girls Building Economic Success Together) Fund. The grant period is January 1, 2013 to April 30, 2013. Established in 2002, the girlsBEST Fund awards multiyear grants to programs that build the future economic success of Minnesota’s girls. Priority is given to programs that include outreach to underserved, underrepresented populations of girls around the state. Grantees are funded in one of five program tracks: Academic; Entrepreneurial; Employment Development & High-Paying/ High-Skill Careers; Public
Education & Advocacy; and Sports & Arts. Grantees Bagosendaan (Mahnomen) | $4,600 – Planning the integration of new partnerships and collaboration with tribal, county and other nonprofit organizations to increase the effectiveness of the current program. (Program Track: Academic.) Boys and Girls Clubs of
the Leech Lake Area (Leech Lake) | $4,800 – Planning the development of a girls leadership council that includes SMART programs, peer mentoring, community service and in-depth economic focus. (Program Track: Academic.) Casa de Esperanza (St. Paul) | $5,000 – Planning the expansion of the Latina Youth Peer Educator program to include college and career planning. plus a mentoring
component. (Program Track: Public Education & Advocacy.) Hmong American Partnership (St. Paul) | $5,000 – Planning the development of a mentoring program that will link Hmong women mentors with current Girls Runaway Intervention and Prevention Program participants. (Program Track: Academic.) La Oportunidad (Minneapolis) | $5,000 – Planning the expansion of
the Chicas Fuertes program to include a focus on girls’ economic development. (Program Track: Academic.) Men as Peacemakers (Duluth) | $5,000 – Planning the expansion of the Girls Restorative Program to area middle schools and high schools. (Program Track: Academic.) Minneapolis Community and Technical College Foundation (Minneapolis) | $4,500 – Planning the development of a
program to provide opportunities for girls from underrepresented communities to develop interests and career awareness in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) areas. (Program Track: Academic.) Minneapolis Public Schools – Broadway High School (Minneapolis) | $5,000 – Planning the expansion of a
GRANTS TURN TO 7
MACY’S WEEK OF WONDERFUL
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Page 4 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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BUSINESS Decrease your 2012 tax liability Despite an uncertain tax code future, taxpayers can still lower their tax liability. H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) advises on five strategies taxpayers can use in December to lower their 2012 tax bills. “While many may be focused on talk of the fiscal cliff and next tax season, it’s important for taxpayers to know there are still tried-and-true tax strategies they can use in the final weeks of 2012 to reduce their tax bill,” said Clarice Westall, enrolled agent at H&R Block. As taxpayers watch to see if any eleventh hour changes to the tax code are made, they can make the following money-saving moves. 1. Take care of health needs to meet lower deduction threshold
Starting in 2013, in order for taxpayers under 65 to be able to claim medical expenses, they must exceed 10 percent of their adjusted gross income, an increase from 2012. Some impacted taxpayers may want to consider purchasing high-dollar items like eyeglasses and contact lenses so these eligible costs can be paid in 2012 to take advantage of the current 7.5-percent threshold. 2. Give to others to get a tax deduction Taxpayers claimed nearly $180 billion in charitable donations (cash and non-cash) in 2010, and this time of year charitable functions and gift-giving take center stage. It’s important for taxpayers to remember for charitable
donations to be tax-deductible, they must be made to qualified, tax-exempt organizations (IRSapproved nonprofit religious, educational or charitable groups), and claimed as itemized deductions on tax returns. Use the Salvation Army donation guide to estimate the value of used clothing and household items, and be sure to keep receipts and pictures as needed to substantiate donations. 3. Pay some 2013 bills early Taxpayers may want to consider pre-paying expenses to ensure they take full advantage of some tax breaks, especially if they might expire this year. Those who haven’t met the $2,500 maximum of the American Opportunity Credit, which is set to expire Dec. 31,
should consider paying spring college tuition now to get the maximum credit. Also, taxpayers could prepay their mortgage payment due in early January or make an additional student loan payment to claim the highest possible interest deduction (up to $2,500) on their 2012 tax return. 4. Offset capital gains with capital losses Those with a large net capital gain in 2012 could reduce their tax liability by selling stock before Dec. 31 if it would generate a loss. Also, capital losses don’t just offset capital gains; if capital losses exceed capital gains, up to $3,000 of capital losses can be used to offset wages. 5. Maximize retirement plan contributions
Taxpayers who have not contributed the maximum to their 401(k) may consider increasing contributions for the remainder of the year; contributions are made pre-tax, which reduces taxable income and potentially the overall tax bill. Also, taxpayers eligible to deduct IRA contributions can make traditional IRA contributions to decrease 2012 income until April 15, 2013, and thus reduce tax liability on 2012 tax returns. Taxpayers who think they could be eligible for tax breaks they didn’t claim on their last three years’ returns could benefit from H&R Block’s free Second Look® review to ensure they received the maximum refund possible. This offer is good at
participating offices through Dec. 31 for the review of 2009, 2010 and 2011 income tax returns not prepared by H&R Block. New this year, taxpayers can get a Second Look from the comfort of their own homes with the secure, video conferencing tool Block LiveSM. “With so much uncertainty about what taxes will look like next year, taxpayers need to focus on what they can do right now to claim as many tax breaks to which they are entitled before they go away,” Westall said. For more information about last-minute ways to improve tax outlook, contact a local H&R Block tax professional. To find the nearest H&R Block office, visit www.hrblock.com or call 800-HRBLOCK.
Stay warm with energy efficient windows Many consumers strive to winterize their homes and save money through better energy efficiency. The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) and the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) advise consumers to balance cost effectiveness with energy efficiency, as more efficient windows, doors and skylights can make a big difference in energy consumption over time. According to the Energy
Information Administration, home heating costs this winter are expected to rise by 10.2 percent for homeowners who rely on heating oil. Luckily, homeowners can fend off some of the rising energy costs by winterizing their home before the harshest weather takes hold. Consumers in northern climates concerned about indoor comfort in the winter should pay special attention to U-factor ratings to determine which
products are better at keeping heat in. The lower the U-factor, the better the product will perform. The BBB and NFRC recommend the following checklist for consumers to consult when preparing their windows and skylights for the cold months ahead: Start by looking for products that carry the NFRC Energy Performance Ratings label. This label can help determine how well a product will perform its key functions - keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, keeping out wind, and resisting condensation. By using the information contained on this label, builders and consumers can reliably compare one product with another and make informed decisions. As with any home improvement project, make sure you are dealing with a reputable contractor and reputable materials. The BBB encourages consumers to consult with their home contractor to see that all energy performance materials carry this label. Check out bbb.org to find a home contractor you can trust. If you are looking for a well insulated room, check the window’s U-Factor. U-Factor
ratings generally fall between 0.20 and 1.20. The lower the U-value, the greater a window’s resistance to heat flow and the better its insulating value. Is your room sunny and bright? The Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) rates how much solar radiation is admitted through the window. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The lower a window’s solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits in the house.
Are you looking for a well-lit room or one that’s on the dimmer side? Visible Transmittance is an optical property that indicates the amount of visible light transmitted through the window. VT is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The higher the VT, the more visible light is transmitted. Check window seals. Heat loss and gain occur by Air Leakage through cracks in the window assembly. The lower the AL, the less air will pass through cracks in the window assembly. Check to see how well your window will resist condensation. The higher the Condensation Resistance (CR) rating, the better that product is at resisting condensation formation.
While this rating cannot predict condensation, it can provide a credible method of comparing the potential of various products for condensation formation. CR is expressed as a number between 1 and 100. Look for ENERGY STAR® products before making a purchase. ENERGY STAR helps consumers to easily identify products with superior energy performance. Since the energy efficiency performance of windows can vary by climate, ENERGY STAR’s performance criteria vary by climate zones, so that you can choose products that are best suited for where you live. For more information of NFRC’s Energy Performance Ratings label, visit www.nfrc.org/ label.aspx. For more consumer tips this holiday season in both English and Spanish, visit bbb. org. The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through selfregulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the BBB at bbb.org or 651-6991111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222. Visit our Centennial website at bbbis100.org.
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 5
COMMENTARY Want an assault weapon? Join the army Nobody Asked Me
By Fred Easter Nobody asked me, but, in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn. tragedy, a number of discussion possibilities leap to mind. I prefer not to address the racial aspects that occur to me and, instead, focus on the drivel I’m hearing about the Second Amendment to the Constitution and how, “If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” Let’s begin with a look at the amendment in question. It states,
“a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Our Founding Fathers were precise with their word choices. Their concern was the right of a state to form a well-regulated militia from among its citizenry rather than hosting an occupying federal – read British – militia. This “security of a free state” seems to have been the issue on which the British and our Founding Fathers disagreed. The right to bear arms was never intended to assure an individual’s protection from his or her fellow citizens, at all. Moreover, the Constitution always seems to be invoked as some perfect document, crafted by men with the wisdom of Solomon.
For good reasons, the document has been added to and subtracted from numerous times over the centuries. The world has changed drastically since it was written. For example, for the purposes of establishing the population (and therefore the electoral votes apportioned to states) AfricanAmericans were originally counted as five-eighths of a person. A significant number of its framers were themselves slave owners. All references to men in the document were understood to mean white, male property owners. Not only did women not merit a mention; they could be committed to insane asylums on the word of their husbands. What would Solomon have said to that? Women and AfricanAmericans got the right to vote
over a century later, after a long struggle, and the Civil War. The right to vote came sooner, and more quietly, to non property owning white males. So, we can safely separate the Second Amendment from any discussion of gun violence. After all, our revolutionary militia used muskets and they fell out of military use even before bayonets and horses did. So that we’re clear, I do not advocate banning all guns. It’s clear that modern hunters need guns. Our Native-American brothers could get close enough to a deer, buffalo or whatever to fill a stewpot without telescopic sights, semi automatic rifles or even modern bows and arrows. When modern hunters are hunting wild game, they do their best work from a distance.
I do, however, believe that folks who wish to own and operate assault weapons should be required to join the Armed Forces. I also believe that the source of every donated campaign dollar should be disclosed to the public. Then, there’d be a potential downside, at election time, to being supported by the NRA. Now, lest we forget; guns are only part of the problem. People are also in the equation. This country must face its own nature squarely. We have, as a nation, always killed to support our (sometimes twisted) beliefs. Ask the natives and former slaves. Other developed countries have “head cases” among their citizens. Other developed countries have widespread private gun ownership. But, we lead the world in head cases with guns
mowing down innocent people for no apparent reason. We lead the world – by a lot – in what I will call non-military gun deaths. We also lead the world in hand wringing, weeping and saying, “I didn’t think that sort of thing could happen here.” Believe it; every last one of us lives in a here where it could happen. Some of us live in a here where gun deaths are already all too common. We all must decide to lead the world in harassing our elected officials into making mental health services easier to get, and guns harder to get. If not, we’ll all too soon find ourselves in the news crying and hugging some other bereaved survivor. And when it happens, don’t blame it on the Second Amendment.
It’s time to turn our tears into action To Be Equal
By Marc H. Morial “These neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children. We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this…” President Barack Obama A movie theater in Aurora, Col. A Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. A shopping mall in Oregon. A political event in Tucson, Arizona. The weekend streets of big cities like Chicago. And now a first grade class in Newtown, Conn. When will the madness stop? When will we take “meaningful action” to end gun violence in America? These are just the latest high-profile mass shootings that have taken
the lives of too many innocent victims. And when those victims are small school children and their teachers, the weight of
We must take time to grieve first. But after the flying of flags at half-staff and the tearful memorial services, we
[...] gun violence can happen anywhere. The one common denominator is easy access to guns. grief is almost too much to bear. A weight of responsibility also falls on our shoulders. Immediately after one of these mass killings, someone always says it is too soon to talk about sensible gun control measures.
invariably go back to business as usual. I say, not this time. As a father, a former mayor and a life-long advocate of a safe and quality education for every child, I too am in mourning. But at the same time, I call on our
It’s time to protect children against gun violence Child Watch
By Marian Wright Edelman Over the past few days we’ve all learned a bit more about 20 beautiful 6- and 7-year-olds who each seem as if they could have been any of our children or grandchildren. Jessica asked Santa for new cowgirl boots for Christmas. Daniel’s family said he “earned” all the ripped knees on his jeans. James liked to remind people that he was six and three-quarters. Grace loved playing dress-up and with her dog Puddin.’ As the stories kept coming about the children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School and their families began saying goodbye, many of us have spent much of the last week in tears. But many parents, especially those with their own young children, have instead gone through each day desperately willing themselves not to cry, trying to do what little they could to protect their children from the overwhelming adult sadness all around them. After all, for most parents protecting their children is a primal and primary instinct. This is just one reason this tragedy, which happened in school—a place where tens of millions of parents send their children every single day and need to trust they will be safe, has instilled so much horror and despair. When two serial snipers terrorized the Washington, D.C. area 10 years ago, using a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle very similar to the one used in the Newtown shootings, one of the most horrifying moments came after the shooters targeted a child on his way to school,
later asserting in a note: “Your children are not safe anywhere at any time.” After this latest tragedy, America’s mothers, grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers, and all those with a mothering spirit must finally stand up and fight that truth and make our politicians act to fight that truth doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes. We must seize the moment and say “no more.” Right now the pervasive culture of violence in America only reinforces the sense of threat both children and adults feel. This year’s “Black Friday” shopping set a record for gun sales: the FBI reported 154,873 requests for background checks from shoppers wanting to buy guns on the day after Thanksgiving alone. Those numbers are not about what many people think of as the “criminal” gun culture involving guns bought and sold on the streets. These are the guns being sold to the millions of Americans who are willing and able to go through background checks and follow all existing laws and proper legal channels so that they can either buy guns for their own pleasure or their own theoretical protection. It appears the Newtown shooter’s mother fell into this very large category of Americans. There were 16.8 million background checks in 2012, nearly double the number 10 years ago. What is it about American culture that encourages tens of millions of Americans to either use guns as a form of entertainment or feel so fearful they believe they need guns in their homes, including semiautomatic weapons and high capacity ammunition clips designed specifically to kill large numbers of other people, to feel a sense of safety? Why are we so terrified of one another, even during periods when actual crime rates go down? There is an obvious connection
between that feeling of terror and the culture of violence that saturates Americans in violent language, violent imagery, and violent entertainment. Right now, instead of responding as parents and a nation by saying “no” to the culture of violence, we are apparently responding by defensively arming ourselves with more and bigger weapons. If that cycle of violence and fear is having such a deep psychological impact on adults, how do we expect our children to navigate or survive it? The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence reports a gun in the home is more likely to be used in a homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting than it is to be used in self-defense. Other studies have found guns in a home are more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than a stranger. Guns lethalize anger and despair. Gun owners who know these facts seem to either discredit the research behind them or hold to the belief their own guns and families would certainly be the exception. If the Newtown shooter’s mother knew those risks she likely felt the same way. In fact, if her son had only used her guns to kill her or kill himself, it would have been an outcome that would never have been national news. Instead, the weapons she apparently chose to buy and bring into her home were used to kill her, her child, and 26 other people who were all somebody else’s mother, child, or both. All mothers who allow firearms in their homes should ask themselves what kinds of guns they are deliberately, inadvertently, or by example giving their own children access to—and why? All mothers who don’t keep guns in their own homes but do allow their children to visit anyone else’s homes should be aware that nearly half
GUNS TURN TO 6
leaders in Washington and in states across this nation, to take immediate action to protect our children and prevent the kind of senseless carnage we saw last week. Even before this latest tragedy, for years, the National Urban League has been calling for sensible gun control. In fact, on the day after the recent presidential election, I sent a letter to President Obama and the leaders in the House of Representatives, saying in part. “The scourge of gun violence cries out for a comprehensive approach to community safety and crime reduction. This requires stronger enforcement of existing gun laws and reenactment of the assault weapons ban…” We asked the president and the Congress to make this a top priority for the
next four years. Gun violence has often been associated with poor, urban neighborhoods, and it is true that urban violence is much too prevalent. But most of these mass shootings have occurred in quiet, suburban towns where crime is typically low and gun ownership is high. The point is, gun violence can happen anywhere. The one common denominator is easy access to guns. In a nation of 314 million, there are 270 million privately held firearms. It is no coincidence that America has the highest gun-related murder rate of any developed country. And it’s not just criminal gun violence. There are a substantial number of gun-related suicides and accidental deaths. Just last week, a 3-year-old Oklahoma boy found a gun in a relative’s
home, shot himself in the head and died. Clearly, fewer guns in America and none in the wrong hands must be part of the solution. We are pleased that two weeks ago on “Meet the Press” Senator Dianne Feinstein [D-Calif.] pledged to introduce a gun control bill on the first day of the next Congress that would limit the sale, transfer and possession of assault weapons, along with high capacity magazines. She expects the president to offer his support for the law. We hope so. It’s time to turn our tears into action. Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.
Page 6 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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EDUCATION Close the achievement gap, one student at a time BY Tina McCabe, TC Daily Planet Searching for a way to give back this year? Think about volunteering as tutor. Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation and Volunteer MPS are just two partnership organizations that will help match your volunteer preferences with a tutoring program in either Saint Paul or Minneapolis. Each year, about 500 new volunteers are matched with a program through Volunteer in MPS. With a new term starting, both these organizations are searching for reliable people to join these rewarding programs. Believe*Achieve Website:http://sppsfoundation. org/tutoring-partnership/ believeachieve On-line application: http:// sppsfoundation.org/volunteer/ volunteer-tutor-application Location: Thirteen sites district wide
Grades: K- 12 Tutoring Hours: Vary depending on school, typically between 7:30am- 3pm Contact: Differs for each school (see site for details) Contact: Maggie Jacoby Maggie. Jacoby@sppsfoundation.org 651.325.4205. Volunteer in MPS http://volmps.mpls.k12.mn.us/ vol_opps Individual school volunteer pages for more than three dozen schools in Minneapolis. On-line application: http:// volmps.mpls.k12.mn.us/ applicationform.html Next volunteer orientation: January 8! (Other orientations later in the semester as well) Besides these two programs, which can match volunteers with many different opportunities, other nonprofit and school opportunities are listed below:
Great Transformations Make Great Schools Come see for yourself how a Breck education transforms young lives — and check out the progress of our amazing Upper School transformation, too. Grades P-12 Admissions Open House Sunday, January 13, 2013 | 1:30–3:30 PM Call Admissions Director Scott Wade at 763.381.8200 for more information, or visit our website: www.breckschool.org Breck School | 123 Ottawa Avenue North | Minneapolis, MN 55422-5189
Athletes Committed to Educating Students (ACES) Website: http://www.aces4kids. org Locations: Various sites district wide Grades: Pre-K - 8 Tutoring Hours: Monday- Friday, after school (3:30- 6pm) Must commit to 8 weeks, 1 day/ week for approx. 2.5 hours Contact: Catherine Maun, St. Paul Program Coordinator catherinediersen@aces4kids.org 612- 331- 3454 American Indian Education Website: http://indianeducation. spps.org Location: Various sites district wide 65 E. Kellogg Boulevard (Office) Grades: K- 12 Tutoring Hours: Monday- Friday 7:30am- 3:30pm Contact: Cynthia Johnson cynthia.s.johnson@spps.org (651) 744-4015 American Indian Magnet School Website: http://aims.spps.org Location: 1075 3rd Street East Grades: K- 6 Tutoring Hours: Mon-Fri. 8:05am-4:45pm Must commit to at least 1 hour/ week Contact: Nathan Patrash npatrash@ minnesotareadingcorps.org (651) 744-6226 Breakthrough St. Paul Website: http://www. breakthroughsaintpaul.org/ academic-coach-tutor.html Location: 2051 Larpenteur Ave. East Grades: 6- 12 Tutoring Hours: Varies depending on student needs Must commit 3-4 months, approx. 2 hours/ week Contact: volunteer@ breakthroughsaintpaul.org (651) 748- 5504 Building Blocks Tutorial Website: http://www.
There are dozens of volunteer opportunities across the Twin Cities. cherokeeparkunited.org Location: Cherokee Park United Church 371 Baker St. W. Grades: 1-4 Tutoring Hours: Tue, Thus 3-5pm Contact: Jill Jackson buildingblocks@usfamily.net (651) 228-1378 Central Community Services Website: http://www.ccsimn.com Location: Central Baptist Church 420 Roy Street Grades: K- 6 Tutoring Hours: Tues, Thus 3:156pm Contact: Terri Hansen terrilhansen@msn.com Dayton Bluff Achievement Elementary School Website: http://daytonsbluff.spps. org/ Location: 262 Bates Ave Grades: K- 6 Tutoring Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am3pm, Mon-Wed 3:15-5pm East Side Learning Center Website: http:// wp.eastsidelearningcenter.org/ Location: Four sites district wide Grades: K- 4 Tutoring Hours: Varies depending on site, Mon- Thurs Contact: Victoria Perkins victoria.perkins@spps.org (651) 793- 7331 Hmong American Partnership, Hmong Youth Pride Website: http://www.hmong.org Location: Battle Creek Middle School 2121 North Park Drive Grades: 3-8 Tutoring Hours: After school enrichment program Contact: HR@hmong.org Jackson Preparatory Magnet Elementary School Website: http://jackson.spps.org/ Location: 437 Edmund Avenue Grades: K- 6 Tutoring Hours: Mon- Fri 8:303pm Contact: 651-293-8650 Keystone Community Services: Hmong Youth and Family Program Website: http://www. keystonecommunityservices.org/ Location: McDonough Homes Community Center 1544 Timberlake Road Grades: K- 12 Tutoring Hours: Mon- Thurs 5-8pm Contact: volunteer@ keystoneservices.org (651) 603-6650 Neighborhood House Website: http://www.neighb.org/ Location: 179 E Robie St Grades: K- 12 Tutoring Hours: Mon- Fri 3-8pm Minimum of 50 hours
Guns From 5 of Americans say they keep a gun in their home or on their property, that one-third of homes with children younger than age 18 have guns, and that more than 40 percent of guns in homes with children present are left unlocked. Before your child visits a friend or relative’s home, do you ask? If not, it’s time to start. Parents need to wake up and take care to protect all children. There are many more questions: Do you buy your child violent video games? Why? Do you allow your child to see violent movies or listen to music with violent lyrics? Why? Do you keep those things from your children but continue to do them for your own entertainment? Why? Why? Why?
commitment Contact: Riley Karbon rkarbon@neighb.org (651) 789- 3626 Obama Service Learning Elementary Website: http://obama.spps.org/ Location: 707 Holly Avenue Grades: K- 6 Tutoring Hours: Vary Contact: (651) 293-8625 Project for Pride in Living Website: http://www.ppl-inc.org/ Location: 710 Selby Avenue Grades: K- 5 Tutoring Hours: Tues, Thurs 5:30- 7:30pm Contact: Joan Bennett Joan.bennett@ppl-inc.org (651) 208- 4416 Project SPIRIT Website: http://spacc. nonprofitoffice.com/ Location: Four sites district wide 1671 Summit Avenue (office) Grades: K- 8 Tutoring Hours: Mon- Thurs 3-6pm Contact: Rev. Dr. Darcel Hill dhill@spacc.org (651) 592- 4128 Rockstar Supply Co. Website: http://www. rockstarsupplyco.org/ Location: Como Park Senior High 710 Rose St Grades: 9- 10 Tutoring Hours: Mon/Tue 9-11am, Tue/Thur/Fri 12-1pm, Fri 9am-2pm Contact: Brittany, Volunteer Coordinator brittany@rockstarsupply.org Saint Paul Public Library Website: http://www.sppl.org/ Location: Eight district wide Grades: K- 12 Tutoring Hours: Typically MonThurs 3-7pm, Sun 1-4pm Must meet at least 1 hr/week for at least a semester Contact: Mark Saldana Mark.saldana@ci.stpaul.mn.us (651) 266- 7437 West 7th Community Center Website: http://www.west7th.org Location: 265 Oneida Street Grades: K- 8 Tutoring Hours: Mon- Fri 2:306pm Contact: Aaron Wanserski awanserski@west7th.org (651) 298- 5493, x211 YWCA of Saint Paul Website: http://www. ywcaofstpaul.org/ Location: 375 Selby Avenue Grades: K- 3 Tutoring Hours: Mon- Thus 2:45-5pm Contact: volunteer@ ywcaofstpaul.org (651) 265-0701
An advertising campaign for bestselling Bushmaster rifles uses the tag line “Consider Your Man Card Reissued.” When the Newtown shooter used that Bushmaster .223 semiautomatic rifle to kill seven women and 20 first-graders, did he earn his “man card?” Is this the best definition of American manhood we have to give our children? On April 4, 1967, exactly a year to the day before he would be killed by a gun, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the speech “Beyond Vietnam” at New York City’s Riverside Church. He said: “We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action . . . If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and
Academia Cesar Chavez Website: http://www. cesarchavezschool.com Location: 1800 East Ames Avenue Grades: K- 6 Contact: Martha Dominguez mdominguez@ cesarchavezschool.com (651) 294- 4643 Ain Dah Yung Center Website: http://adycenter.org Location: 1089 Portland Ave Contact: Jim Berling jim@aindahyung.com 651-227-4184 Saint Paul/ Minneapolis Volunteers of America: Experience Corps Website: http://www. experiencecorps.org Location: Multiple locations Grades: K- 3 Tutoring Hours: Vary One year commitment of 4-15 hrs/ week Contact: Janet Triplett jtriplett@voamn.org (952) 945- 4164 America Reads Literacy Initiative Location: Multiple locations Grades: K- 8 Tutoring Hours: Vary Contact: Jennifer Kohler jkohler@umn.edu (612) 626- 6748 Minneapolis Athletes Committed to Educating Students (ACES) Location: Various sites district wide 1115 E. Hennepin Ave (office) Grades: Pre- K- 8 Time: Varies, Mon- Fri 3:30- 6pm Contact: Emmy Matzner emmymatzner@aces4kids.org (612) 331- 3454 Aeon Website: http://aeonmn.org/ homework_help_pine_cliff.aspx Tutoring Hours: After school, evenings Contact: Tashia Weisenburger volunteer@aeonmn.org (612) 746-0524 Field Community School Website: http://field.mpls.k12. mn.us/ Location: 4645 Fourth Ave. S Grades: 5-8 Tutoring Hours: Tues, Thurs 2-5pm Contact: Yonah Kambale Yonah.Kambale@mpls.k12.mn.us AchieveMpls! Website: http://www.achievempls. org Location: 111 3rd Ave South #5 Grades: 9-12 Contact: Marika Pfefferkorn mpfefferkorn@achievempls.org (612) 455-1570 © 2012 Christina McCabe
strength without sight.” For mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, teachers, faith leaders and everyone else in America who is saying enough, this is our moment. Which one will we choose? (Please sign CDF’s letter to the President and members of Congress demanding they #ProtectChildrenNotGuns) Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® 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.
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 7
AESTHETICS
Quintessential Quentin
so pleased with themselves and so happy to have the opportunity that they got lost in visuals, they got lost in the vistas and the pretty scenery. Suddenly, Westerns, which were our action films and what the working man went to see to blow off steam and have a good time, became boring to most people growing up from the Eighties on, because they’re kind of pastoral.
obidos/ASIN/1578060516/ ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
Interview
By Kam Williams kam@insightnews.com With a vibrant imagination and dedication to rich, layered storytelling, Quentin Tarantino has established himself as one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation. His World War II epic, “Inglorious Basterds,” was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Achievement in Directing, and landed an Oscar for Christoph Waltz for his memorable portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa. . Prior to “Inglorious Basterds,” Tarantino thrilled audiences with “Death Proof,” starring Kurt Russell and Zoë Bell. In “Kill Bill Vol. 1″ and “Kill Bill Vol. 2,” Uma Thurman, as “The Bride,” enacted a “roaring rampage of revenge” on her former lover and boss, played by David Carradine. Quentin wrote and directed “Jackie Brown,” a crime caper starring Pam Grier in the title
KW: Let me start with a question from Larry Greenberg, a reader who also sent in a question for that interview: He says: When I got to ask Mr. Tarantino a question about Inglorious Basterds his answer changed my life and inspired me to go into filmmaking. It gave me permission to pursue my dream. If that had not happened, I doubt that I would be sitting here today with a script and an insane deadline. It was a key turning point in my life. This time, I’d like to know how you came up with the characters Django and Dr. Schultz [played by Christoph Waltz] and how did you dream up their relationship? QT: Wow, Larry! That’s great! As for the scriptwriting process, it was kind of funny. I always knew I wanted to do a Western. And trying to think of what that would be, I always figured that if I did a Western, it would have a lot of the aesthetics of Spaghetti Westerns, because I really like them. They’re really brutal and operatic with a surreal quality to the violence. So, about eight years ago, I came up with the idea of a black man who was an ex-slave who had become a bounty hunter. And his job would be to track down white
Most countries have been forced to deal with the atrocities of their past that still affect them to this day. But America has been pretty slippery in the way that it has avoided looking slavery in the eye.
role. Loosely based on Elmore Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch,” the picture netted Robert Forster an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Tarantino co-wrote, directed and starred in “Pulp Fiction” which won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. He wrote, directed and starred in “Reservoir Dogs,” which marked the beginning of his career and made an auspicious debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Here, he talks about his new movie, “Django Unchained”, a Western featuring Jamie Foxx in the title role as a slave-turnedbounty hunter, and co-starring Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kerry Washington. Kam Williams: Hi Quentin, thanks for the interview. Quentin Tarantino: Oh, it’s my pleasure, Kam. KW: The last time we spoke, the conversation went so well, the interview is going to be published in the new edition of Quentin Tarantino Interviews. QT: Oh yeah! Edited by Gerald Peary! Volume 2. Cool! http://www.amazon.com/exec/
Grants From 3 newly created school store that will include new management systems and products. (Program Track: Entrepreneurial.) Pillsbury United Communities – Brian Coyle Community Center (Minneapolis) | $5,000 – Planning the development of a girl-run resale shop. (Program Track: Entrepreneurial.) Project FINE (Winona) | $5,000 – Planning the development of a new immigrant girls program focused on building identity and strengths and creating a roadmap to pursue dreams. (Program Track: Academic.) Redeemer Center for Life (Minneapolis) | $5,000 – Planning the development of a girls STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-focused program, Pedal Power. (Program Track: Employment Development & High-Paying/High-Skill Careers.) SELF International (Minneapolis) | $5,000 –
outlaws who were hiding out as overseers on Southern plantations. Now, that’s not a story; that’s just an idea. That was kicking around in the incubator for about eight years, waiting for its time. At the same time, I was writing a film criticism book on Sergio Corbucci, the director who did the original Django. So, I was kind of getting immersed in his world. Towards the end of the Inglourious Basterds press tour I was in Japan. Spaghetti Westerns are really popular there, so I picked up a bunch of soundtracks and spent my day off listening to all these scores. And all of a sudden the opening scene just came to me. It just came to me, and I knew I had to sit down and write it, even though I didn’t even have my notepad with me. So, I was just writing it on the hotel stationery. During those previous eight years, I never had a German, dentist bounty hunter in mind for the character. [Chuckles] But during that time, I did get to direct Christoph Waltz who was one of the best actors I’d ever worked with. Nobody does my dialogue better than he and Sam Jackson do. They just sing it! And now I think it’s going to be hard for me not to write for him. Anyway, I just started writing that scene, and
Planning the development of a girls STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-focused program, in partnership with Sabathani Community Center. (Program Track: Academic.) St. Cloud State University – Native Skywatchers (St. Cloud) | $5,000 – Planning the development for an American Indian, girl-focused program connected to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and cultural knowledge. (Program Track: Employment Development & High-Paying/High-Skill Careers.) Western Community Action, Inc. (Marshall) | $5,000 – Planning the development of Generation Next II: Building Young Women of Excellence, which will encourage junior and senior high school girls to pursue post-secondary education. (Program Track: Academic.) Willmar Community Education & Recreation (Willmar) | $5,000 – Planning the development of an immigrant girls group in Willmar middle and high schools. (Program Track: Academic.)
KW: Interesting. I never thought of them that way. Film student Jamaal Green asks: What are your three favorite Shaw Brothers films? QT: Great question, Jamaal! My three favorite Shaw brothers films would be The Avenging Eagle directed by Chung Sun, King Boxer, AKA Five Fingers of Death, and the last would have to be one by Chang Cheh. So, I’m going to go with Five Element Ninja, AKA Chinese Super Ninjas.
Quentin Tarantino this German bounty hunter shows up. KW: What was the most challenging aspect of writing the script? Addressing racial issues? Historical accuracy? Did you feel any pressure to conform to political-correctness, or did you feel free to take poetic license, given the glowing reception of audiences to Hitler’s dying in a movie theater in Inglorious Basterds? QT: I felt no obligation to bow to any 21st Century political correctness. What I did feel an obligation to do was to take the 21st Century viewers and physically transport them back to the ante bellum South in 1858, in Mississippi, and have them look at America for what it was back then. And I wanted it to be shocking. KW: Have you seen the film yet with a black audience? QT: Yes I have! KW: And what was their reaction? I know how an all-black audience feels comfortable enough to talk back to the screen and let you know exactly how they feel about what’s happening. QT: [Laughs] Let’s put it like this: We screened it for heavilyblack audiences quite a few times, where the audience was between 40 and 60 percent black. That’s pretty black. We also screened it for a 100 percent black audience, and you would’ve thought it was 1973 and they were watching the end of Coffy [A blaxploitation era flick starring Pam Grier]. It’s funny because I was sitting next to [executive producer] Harvey Weinstein and he turns to me and says, “I guess we know who we made this movie for.” [LOL] But the film really has a lot of ups and downs, and taps into a lot of different emotions. To me, the trick was balancing all those emotions, so that I could get you where I wanted you to be by the very end. I wanted the audience cheering in triumph at the end. So, as rough as some of the things
I show in the movie are, they couldn’t be so rough that you’re too traumatized to enjoy the movie any longer. KW: Gil Cretney doesn’t have a question, but he just wants to say thanks for not filming the movie in 3-D. QT: [LOL] You’re welcome, Gil! KW: Irene Smalls: Why this film? Why now, in the Obama era? QT: [Chuckles] I would’ve written this story if Obama were president or if he never existed. For one, I think it’s time to tell a story that deals with this subject America has avoided for so long. Most countries have been forced to deal with the atrocities of their past that still affect them to this day. But America has been pretty slippery in the way that it has avoided looking slavery in the eye. I believe that’s a problem. We should be talking about it to get past it and to get over it. Not only that, frankly, this is an American story that needs to be told, when you think of slavery existing in this country for 245 years. In slave narratives there were all types of tales and drama and heroism and pain and love that happened during that time. That’s rich material for drama! Everyone complains that there are no new stories left to tell. Not true, there are a whole bunch of them, and they’re all American with a capital A. KW: Why do you think you’re the first director to confront slavery in such a frank fashion? QT: I hate to sound full of myself but maybe I just have the shoulders. KW: Nick Antoine says: Westerns seem to have fallen out of favor in recent years. Even Rian Johnson’s Looper, which was sort of a subtle homage to the genre, didn’t enjoy as much success as I think it deserved. Why do you think Westerns are so unpopular? I think Westerns are the best! QT: If you ask me, I’d say Westerns have been doing really well. True Grit did great, and
Columbia Pictures
3:10 to Yuma did pretty well, too. I actually think there’s something else going on. There was that last blast of Westerns that came out in the Seventies, those Vietnam/Watergate Westerns where everything was about demystification. And I like that about those movies. And there’s another aspect about the Seventies. Blazing Saddles, as wonderful as it was, sort of hurt the Western. It made such fun of them, that you almost couldn’t take them seriously from that point on. That’s why only Westerns that had the stink of Watergate or Vietnam could be taken seriously. There were so few Westerns made since then, from the Eighties on, that the few directors who did were
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles: What would you say were the most essential components in a script you consider working on? QT: That’s kind of a tough question. Well, maybe not. The dialogue. But the dialogue and the characters would be wrapped up in each other, because if I’m doing my job right, then I’m not writing the dialogue; the characters are saying the dialogue, and I’m just jotting it down. So, it’s all about me getting into the heads of the characters. I prop them up a little bit, and then they take over from there. KW: Since you’re also the director, do you ever have trouble adapting your vision to the screen? QT: Sometimes. But usually
TARANTINO TURN TO 9
Page 8 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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LIFESTYLE LIVING
Resolve to save more of your money in 2013 (StatePoint) Two of the most commonly made and commonly broken New Year’s resolutions are saving money and paying off debt. These are promises we all seem to
make to ourselves every year with every intention of seeing through. But somehow, we wind up in the same spot we were before. So how can you make sure
that 2013 is the year you take control of your finances and start making your money work for you? • Figure out what your objectives are -- be it paying off debt, buying a first home, or saving for vacation. Identifying your goals can help you stay motivated. Consider placing a visual reminder somewhere you’ll see all the time, like the refrigerator. • Many people have no idea how much money they spend monthly. Creating a spending plan is vital if you want to make your money do for you what you want it to. If you share your finances with someone else, make sure he or she is part of this process as well. • Many financial services companies offer free tools to help you easily see what (c) Rangizzz - Fotolia.com
you’ve been spending and ways you can save. For example, the non-profit Family Credit Management offers spending plans, savings guides and a comprehensive personal financial goals workbook that help you to lay out a strong plan in an easy way. Visit www. FamilyCredit.org to see these and other financial tools. • Make the small changes that add up to big savings. Most people have small expenses that they can live without. Maybe for you it’s a coffee every morning on your way to work. If you do this every weekday,
that adds up to $1,300 per year! If that’s important to you, then fine. But if it’s not worth the annual amount you’re spending, cut the cost. The idea is not to strip the fun from your life, but to save money on things that you really don’t care about. For more areas to save in your daily life, visit www.StopThinkSave.org. • Involve your whole family. Many parents feel the need to shelter kids from financial strain, but budgeting is an invaluable life lesson that you
MONEY TURN TO 10
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 9
HEALTH PART 2
Prediabetes: Dispelling the myths Our Health
By Nicole Winbush MD This week’s article is part of a multi-part series on prediabetes. In the first article I discussed prediabetes and provided information regarding how it is diagnosed and how you could figure out your risk. This week I will address several misconceptions regarding prediabetes. The final article will provide some more individual and community strategies for addressing this health issue. Myth 1 - Diabetes runs in my family, I can’t do anything about it. Fact, lifestyle can trump genetics. It works both ways. People who have no significant family history of diabetes can develop diabetes if they follow a plan of eating and inactivity that increases their risk. Similarly, people with a strong family history of diabetes who are committed to remaining active and maintaining a healthy weight, greatly decrease their chances of developing diabetes. Conditions we blame solely on our genes are often related to the fact that we grow up in family systems and cultures that have ways of eating and being that may increase the risk of disease. It is important to know one’s family history and take it seriously. However, it is not your destiny. The food that we feed our body is information that helps determine how our genes express themselves. There is much in our genes
PhotoXpress
People with a strong family history of diabetes who are committed to remaining active and maintaining a healthy weight, greatly decrease their chances of developing diabetes. which we have the power to influence for good or ill. If you have already developed prediabetes (or even diabetes), significant and sustained lifestyle changes may improve your condition. However, the further down the line you get, the more difficult these
reversals can become. So when possible, start early and start with prevention. Prevention is especially important for our youth who are facing epidemic levels of overweight, obesity and prediabetes. We have to help them by modeling and developing healthy habits
Norovirus: The holiday ‘gift’ nobody wants, but many get ‘Tis the season of giving, but too many Minnesotans this time of year are giving and receiving something nobody wants: norovirus infection – and the nasty illness that comes with it. Noroviruses are a group of viruses that can cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines, leading to vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Other symptoms can include lowgrade fever or chills, headache, and muscle aches. Noroviruses are very contagious and are the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in Minnesota, infecting thousands of people each year, said state health officials. Found in the stool (feces) or vomit of infected people, the viruses are transferred to food, water or surfaces by the hands of infected people who have not washed adequately after using the bathroom. November through January is the peak time of year for norovirus infections in Minnesota. It’s not unusual to see a spike in cases around the holidays, according to foodborne disease specialists at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). People become infected with norovirus by: • Eating food or drinking liquids contaminated by an infected person. • Eating uncooked shellfish that has been harvested from contaminated waters.
• Touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their mouth or eating without washing their hands first. Several recent large outbreaks in the state are reminders of how contagious norovirus can be and how important it is to take steps to prevent it. Things you can do include: • Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds: • After using the bathroom. • After changing diapers. • Before preparing foods • Before eating • Wash your hands more often when someone in your household is sick. • Clean and disinfect surfaces with a household bleach solution immediately after vomiting or diarrheal accidents. • Steam oysters before eating them. • Avoid preparing food for others while you have symptoms and for at least three days after you recover. “If everyone followed these guidelines diligently, we could eliminate the majority of the norovirus outbreaks in Minnesota,” said Dr. Kirk Smith, foodborne disease supervisor at MDH. “The season of giving should also be the season of good handwashing,” he said. Symptoms of norovirus
Tarantino
care? QT: [Laughs] For some reason, everyone thinks I’m always too cool for school when it comes to competing for trophies. But I worked extremely hard on this movie all year long, so it’s really nice to get recognized and be considered one of the best in the end. And it’s nice to get invited to the parties and to be able to hobnob and celebrate a job well done with your colleagues. However, I have it all in perspective. If the film is nominated for awards, and even if it wins them, it doesn’t make the movie any better, just as if it’s ignored that doesn’t make the movie any worse. A lot of the movies I love didn’t get nominated the years they came out. The Wild Bunch didn’t win best picture in 1969, Oliver did. [Laughs]
From 7 the process is that it gets better, because when I’m writing in my bedroom, in a bar, at my kitchen table or wherever, I’m conjuring it all up on the page. That’s all well and good, but it is going to be a limited perspective at that point and time. Occasionally, what I write might read really well initially, but then you change your mind while hunting for locations when you discover settings which offer even better opportunities for drama or dramatic staging. KW: Keith Kremer asks: How do you feel about the end of the year award season? Is it too much? Are you honored when recognized or do you not even
usually begin 1 or 2 days after ingesting the virus, but may appear as early as 12 hours after exposure. The illness typically comes on suddenly. The infected person may feel very sick and vomit often, sometimes without warning, many times a day. Sometimes people infected with norovirus have no symptoms at all, but can still pass the virus to others. Most people recover in 1 or 2 days and have no long-term health effects. Dehydration can be a concern in the very young, the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems. Occasionally infected people may experience milder symptoms for a week or more. Of note, even after people recover they still remain infectious to others for at least several days. If you develop norovirus symptoms, drink plenty of fluids so you don’t become dehydrated, wash your hands often and don’t prepare food for others, and contact your health care provider. For more information on norovirus, visit the MDH website at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/ divs/idepc/diseases/norovirus/ index.html. To report a suspected foodborne illness, call the Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Illness Hotline at 1-877 FOODILL (OR 651-2015655 from the Twin Cities).
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? QT: So far, I see a happy guy doing what I’m supposed to be doing. So far, so good. KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory? QT: Frankly, my earliest childhood memories are of watching Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. I remember not liking Frankenstein then and going, “Who is this bald guy?” But I love it now. KW: Well, thanks again for the honor, Quentin, and best of luck with the film. QT: I always look forward to talking to you, Kam. Good talking to you.
regarding eating and activity. Myth 2 - It is just prediabetes. Once I am diagnosed with diabetes I will make changes, because that is when the real risks start. Fact, it is now clear that people who have blood sugars in the prediabetes range already
experience an increased risk of many dangerous health conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Some research suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may be related (at least in part) to disturbances in the way that the brain uses glucose and that people with diabetes (and
prediabetes) are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Prediabetes IS a serious condition and can increase your risk for other health problems. Improving your blood sugars can reduce your risk factors for developing these conditions. Myth 3 - I know I need to lose weight. I will just get the bypass surgery and that will take care of it. Fact, weight loss surgery is increasingly common and in people who are severely overweight, this may represent an appropriate option to help achieve significant weight loss. Nonetheless, surgery should not be looked at as a miracle cure. Some studies have suggested that this surgery may decrease the chances of developing diabetes or even reverse diabetes in some people. However, a more recent study shows that when people who already have diabetes get bypass surgery, the majority of them will either remain diabetic or (if their diabetes resolves after surgery) be re-diagnosed with diabetes within five years of surgery. Gastric bypass (and other types of weight loss) surgeries are still relatively recent interventions and we are only beginning to appreciate some the long term health problems from changing the body this way. As this surgery becomes more popular, I am also increasingly concerned that our health system is often willing to pay for an expensive and potentially risky surgery but there are very limited resources and support available for people to receive intensive lifestyle and nutritional support that might prevent the need for surgery. It is also important to realize that even in folks who go on to
DIABETES TURN TO 12
Page 10 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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FULL CIRCLE Inaugural committee announces traditional prayer service Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper WASHINGTON– On the day following their second inauguration, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the National
Prayer Service, 10:30 a.m., Jan. 22 at Washington National Cathedral. A tradition dating back to President George Washington, the National Prayer Service will include prayers, readings, blessings and hymns delivered by religious leaders from across the country. The National Prayer Service takes place at
the conclusion of Inaugural activities and will represent America’s diversity of faith and belief. “The Inaugural Prayer Service is an historic observance that Washington National Cathedral is honored to host once again for President Barack Obama,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the Cathedral.
“The Cathedral has come to be known as a spiritual home for the nation, and as part of living into that calling it is our prayer that the service will embody the hopes and vision of our nation, and that God’s purpose might shine forth with new clarity in our lives.” “The beginning of President Obama’s second term will be
marked by the acknowledgement and celebration of the role of people of faith in American life,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee spokeswoman Addie Whisenant. “President Obama’s own faith has played an integral role in his life, his commitment to service and his presidency, and this important tradition will celebrate the values and
diversity that make us strong.” Attendance for the National Prayer Service is by invitation only and tickets are required. The service will also be webcast live at www.nationalcathedral. org. For the latest updates on the 2013 Presidential Inauguration please visit www.2013pic.org.
A New Year’s resolution for our veterans By U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar As we gather with family and friends this year to enjoy the holiday season and the New Year and give thanks for our many blessings, there’s no better time to remember our men and women in uniform who have given our country the gift of freedom and liberty for generations. This year over 62,000 American veterans will spend the holidays without a place to call home. That is 62,000 too many. But it’s also far fewer than past years. In December, the Department of Housing and
Money From 8
Urban Development (HUD) released a report stating that the number of homeless veterans in the U.S. dropped by seven percent in 2012. That is no small number. And while we know our work does not end until every veteran has a place to sleep at night, we also know that our efforts are working—that our promise to give these men and women the resources and support they need when they come home is closer to being fulfilled. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) made a commitment to address homelessness among veterans and set a goal to end it by 2015. Along with this goal came the 2010 signing of the can teach them by including them in the process. • Ask for help! If you feel you could use some guidance, reach out to a certified credit counselor who is licensed by
Honoring American Veterans Act, legislation that provides a comprehensive package of benefits to veterans.
Earlier this year, I passed legislation to help us get closer to that goal. The Helping Our Homeless Veterans Act improves homeless services for rural and underserved urban veterans. Specifically, it strengthens a program that provides chronically homeless veterans with housing vouchers and case management services, such as access to counseling and job training. Before this legislation was passed, housing vouchers and accompanying service programs could only be distributed by VA medical centers located in the Twin Cities and regional population centers. This meant that a veteran living in a rural community like
Fairmont or International Falls might have trouble accessing critical resources. Now the VA can consult with community providers and collaborate with local groups and organizations to ensure that veterans in every community across the state can get the support they need and deserve. While this marks significant progress, we know that there is still much more work to be done. In Minnesota, studies show that on any given night more than 300 individuals who previously served in the military are homeless. But we are taking important steps toward making sure that we can reach every one of these 300 veterans so that no veteran
falls through the cracks, no matter where they live. Because while we know that we can never truly repay the debt we owe our brave troops and veterans, we also know that we can honor them with our actions. As we reflect on the past year and set our goals for the new one, we are heartened by the fact that these actions are working. As we make our resolutions for the New Year, let us not forget one resolution we must keep: may we never rest until the heroes who have sacrificed for our country have a place to call home during the holidays and every day in between.
your state’s banking department and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Visit www.FamilyCredit.org to find a certified counselor. • Finally, figure out what
to do with your new found savings! If you’re not sure where you’d like to keep or invest your money, you can visit bankrate.com and investigate high interest, low
balance requirement savings accounts. Once you’ve completed these steps, you are on your way! Saving money is habit forming -- when you get your
monthly statement and you see money building up, you’ll want to put more and more away. It’s a great way to get started on a financially successful New Year.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 11
State gains 10,800 jobs in November Unemployment rate down to 5.7 percent Minnesota employers added 10,800 jobs in November, according to figures released last week by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The agency also said job figures from October were revised from 8,100 jobs lost to 4,800 jobs lost. The state has gained 55,200 jobs in the past year, a growth rate of 2.1 percent, compared with job growth nationally of 1.4 percent during that period. The Minnesota unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 5.7 percent in November, down 0.2 percent from the revised rate of 5.9 percent in October. “The Minnesota labor market continues to make progress, having recovered more than 100,000 jobs since September 2009,” said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. “The state has regained jobs at a pace well ahead of the nation during that period.” Trade, transportation and utilities led all sectors with 5,200 new jobs in November. Other gains occurred in education and health services (up 3,800), leisure and hospitality (up 3,200), other services (up 1,500), construction (up 1,300) and manufacturing (up 800). Job losses occurred in professional and business services (down 1,900), information (down 1,300),
government (down 1,300), financial activities (down 400), and mining and logging (down 100). Over-the year job gains occurred in education and health services (up 23,300), professional and business services (up 6,600), construction (up 5,100), trade, transportation and utilities (up 5,100), government (up 3,700), other services (up 3,600), financial activities (up 3,300), leisure and hospitality (up 2,000), manufacturing (up 1,800) and information (up 800). The only sector to lose jobs over the past year was logging and mining, down 100 jobs. In the state Metropolitan Statistical Areas, job gains occurred in the past 12 months in the St. Cloud MSA (up 2.3 percent), Mankato MSA (up 2.2 percent), Duluth-Superior MSA (up 1.9 percent), Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA (up 1.7 percent) and Rochester MSA (up 1.3 percent). DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit us at www. PositivelyMinnesota.com . Follow us on Twitter at www. twitter.com/PositivelyMN.
Seasonally adjusted Unemployment Rate
Not seasonally adjusted
November 2012
October 2012
November 2012
November 2011
Minnesota
5.7
5.9
5.1
5.3
U.S.
7.7
7.9
8.2
November 2012
October 2012
Nov. '11-Nov. '12 % Change
2,724,600
2,713,800
7.4 Nov. '11Nov. '12 Level Change 55,200
133,852,000
133,706,000
1,897,000
1.4
Employment Minnesota U.S.
2.1
Over The Year Employment Growth By Industry Sector (NSA)
Total Non-Farm Employment Logging and Mining Construction Manufacturing Trade, Trans. and Utilities Information Financial Activities Prof. and Bus. Services Ed. and Health Services Leisure and Hospitality Other Services Government
OTY Job Change
OTY Growth Rate (%)
U.S. OTY Growth Rate (%)
55,200 -100 5,100 1,800 5,100 800 3,300 6,600 23,300 2,000 3,600 3,700
2.1 -1.1 5.4 0.6 1.0 1.6 1.9 2.0 4.9 0.9 3.1 0.9
1.4 1.8 -0.1 1.4 1.7 -0.3 1.0 2.9 1.9 2.4 0.9 -0.2
OTY Employment Change (#, NSA)
OTY Employment Change (%, NSA)
29,900
1.7
Duluth-Superior MN-WI MSA
2,400
1.9
Rochester MSA
1,300
1.3
St. Cloud MSA Mankato MSA
2,400 1,200
2.3 2.2
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Minneapolis-St. Paul MN-WI MSA
Page 12 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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Twin Cities Community Land Bank receives national award for urban innovation The Twin Cities Community Land Bank (TCC Land Bank) was named Urban Land Bank of the Year at the 7th Annual Land Bank Conference, a national gathering of experts in land reuse and reform hosted by the Center for Community Progress. TCC Land Bank was recognized for its success in transforming vacant and abandoned properties into community assets throughout the seven-county metropolitan region. It operates in over 130 cities and has acquired and/ or financed more than 1,000 single family or multifamily housing units. The land bank has generated over $7.6 million in savings off listing prices through a special property acquisition program with the National Community Stabilization Trust. Formed in 2009, the land bank is a subsidiary of the nonprofit organization the Family Housing Fund that produces and preserves affordable housing throughout the Twin Cities metro area. “We are honored to receive this national recognition of our work in reclaiming blighted or underutilized properties for affordable housing and other community benefits,” said Sandy Oakes, president of the Twin Cities Community Land Bank. “With our local, regional, and national partners
Sandy Oakes and the strong support of our funders, we are finding new and creative responses to revitalizing communities.” “The Twin Cities Community Land Bank has been a great partner to the City of Minneapolis. It has been highly
Scott Streble
successful in neighborhood recovery reclaiming damaged or vacant properties, which ultimately provides quality homeownership opportunities for families and generates tax revenue,” said Minneapolis Mayor Rybak. “An excellent
Tom Fulton recent example is our critical partnership with the land bank in tornado recovery work in north Minneapolis.” Saint Paul City Councilmember Melvin Carter said, “The Land Bank’s acquisition of both vacant
Family Housing Fund
single family houses and larger sites for redevelopment has supported our goals for neighborhood stabilization. The land bank has partnered with the city on a new plan to construct new single family homes on vacant lots owned by the city—
creating new homeownership opportunities and strengthening our community.” Tom Fulton, president of the Family Housing Fund and chair of the Twin Cities Community Land Bank board, said, “The Land Bank works with over 70 socially responsible developers throughout the metro area to help revitalize communities and neighborhoods. The land bank recently created a $750,000 loan pool to support emerging developers that lacked access to traditional financing mechanisms.” The land bank’s status as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) also allows it to offer reduced interest rates to developers working in underserved neighborhoods. “TCC Land Bank is also partnered with several organizations and government agencies supporting activities along Central, Hiawatha, and Southwest LRT corridors,” said Fulton. “The Corridors of Opportunity/Living Cities Integration Initiative extends through 2013 and will ultimately provide hundreds of families with affordable housing opportunities connected to transit, job and educational opportunities, and social and cultural supports.”
KCS wins coveted Midwest Supplier of the Year Award With projected revenues exceeding $15 million for the fiscal year 2012, Maplewood, Minn.-based KCS, a services company providing asset disposition, supplier management and professional staffing, which has a client list that includes numerous Twin Cities’ Fortune 500 corporations, has been named 2012 Regional Supplier of the Year. This coveted recognition is awarded annually by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC) to an outstanding NMSDC-certified minorityowned business. Sixteen outstanding minority-owned businesses were awarded the 2012
Diabetes From 9 have surgery, they will have to make significant changes to the types and amounts of foods that they eat for their surgery to be successful. So, no matter how you look at it, finding ways to maintain healthy lifestyle patterns regarding eating and activity are essential for your good health. Myth 4 - I know I need to eat better, but it costs too much. Fact, we can pay for our health now or pay for illness later. Changing the way that we eat can be a big undertaking. It is not something one can do all at once or that one can do in isolation. To create an environment where all people have access to healthy affordable foods takes individual and community-wide
Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council
Joset Wright (left), CEO of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), presents the 2012 Regional Supplier of the Year award to Dorothy and Joe Richburg, leaders of KCS, at the NMSDC conference in Denver. efforts. But, here are a few ways to get started: 1. There are many healthful and affordable additions to one’s diet that do not cost a lot of money: add as many vegetables as you can to your diet. Frozen are often more affordable than fresh especially in the winter. Try to avoid canned vegetables as they provide less overall nutrition and are often high in salt. 2. Plan ahead. Plan your meals (at least dinner) for the week and shop to have items on hand that you need to prepare your meals. Any meal you cook at home, is going to generally be more healthful than a meal eaten on the go at a fast-food restaurant. Consider preparing meals ahead or in a crock pot to save time. 3. It is not all about the meat. There is mounting evidence that eating a diet that has too much meat (especially
red and processed meats) can be detrimental to our health. There are many other excellent non-meat sources of protein.
Regional Suppliers of the Year. Approximately 16,000 businesses nationwide were eligible; 78 were nominated and evaluated on the following criteria: business growth, development and performance, community service and the ability to overcome challenges that were a result of the owner’s heritage or background. Founded in 1987, KCS is led by Dorothy Richburg, president and chief executive officer, and her husband Joe Richburg, executive vice president. The company employs 175 consultants and posted annual sales of $8.9 million in 2011. KCS’ direct spend with minority business enterprises (MBEs)
during 2011 was more than $1.4 million. Richburg credits her company’s success to a recent diversification of the company’s service offerings, and well-leveraged business relationships with the Twin Cities corporate community. KCS was named minority supplier of the year in May 2012 by its local council, the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC), for earning high ratings as a local supplier. In addition, KCS was recognized by the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce as the 2011 Outstanding Business of the Year, and by BDPA – Twin Cities Chapter as the 2011 IT
Business of the Year. The company provides in-kind support to local organizations and made more than $95,000 in charitable contributions in 2011. Under the Richburgs’ guidance and direction, KCS is committed to educating and exposing students to the IT field to increase the awareness and accessibility historicallydisenfranchised populations have to information technology. To learn more and find out how KCS’ services can benefit your company, please visit the KCS web site at www. keystonecs.com.
little can go a long way and tough cuts (which are often more affordable) can be made deliciously tender when added
to support our health, we can multiply the power of these efforts with community action. Find creative ways to support healthy food cultures in our community: create a supper club where friends bring and share healthy foods and recipes, have a neighborhood soup potluck, create a committee at your church that works on community food issues, make requests of the stores where you shop to carry specific items. Finally, make sure that your elected officials know the value that you place on having access to healthy food in our community and vote for people that share this interest. I hope these suggestions have been helpful. I would love to hear from you. What are your thoughts about how we can reverse the epidemic of prediabetes in our community?
Dr. Winbush is a family physician practicing at NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center. She has a strong interest in wellness and patient education to help individuals feel empowered to optimize their health and functioning. She wants to hear from you! To respond to this article, request topics for future articles and for additional resources visit www. functionwellmedicine.com or LIKE Function Well Medicine on Facebook. The information contained herein should not be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only. In no way should it be considered as offering medical advice. Please check with a healthcare provider if you suspect you are ill.
[...] we can pay for our health now or pay for illness later.
Consider incorporating more of these into main meals. For instance, consider beans and eggs. When you use meat, a
to soups or stews. 4. One person cannot do it alone. For all the efforts that we make as individuals
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 13
PUZZLES
Cuts From 1 changing the way inflation is calculated. “This change would be devastating to beneficiaries, especially widowed women, more than a third of whom rely on the program for 90 percent of their income and use every single dollar of the Social Security checks they’ve earned,” said Ellison. “This would require the most vulnerable Americans to dig further into their savings to fill
NRA From 1 entire police force.” The expansion of police has had an adverse impact on many students. “With this rapid increase in the presence of law enforcement, including SROs, in schools, districts from around the country have found that youth are being referred to the justice system at increased rates and for minor offenses like disorderly conduct. This is causing lasting harm to
ANSWERS TURN TOO 14
the hole left by unnecessary and irresponsible cuts to Social Security. I have to go back to North Minneapolis and Richfield and Columbia Heights and I can’t tell them that your benefits are getting cut, but defense spending has doubled since 2001. But your nephew who’s a soldier, his pay didn’t double – his benefits didn’t double.” As for US Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), though he is not suggesting doing nothing, he is strictly opposed to cutting benefits and said if Congress and the president agree on taxes, it will have to come with
a reduction in entitlements in order to balance the budget. According to Scott, even President Obama’s initial proposal of raising income taxes on anyone making over $250,000 a year and keeping rates the same for everyone else would result in a deficit. Scott said upwards of $3 trillion will be needed to eliminate the country’s deficit. Most recently, the president has amended his proposal to now not raise taxes on anyone making $400,000 or less in a year. “You can’t get $3 trillion out of nondiscretionary and
According to a 1996 study by the Centers for Disease Control, between 1992 and 1994, a youth had less than one in a million chance of suffering a violent death at school, including as a victim of homicide or committing suicide. In addition, the National School Safety Center found that there was a 27.3 percent drop in the number of schoolrelated homicides and suicides between 1992 (55) and 1998 (40) – the same period in which Clinton was calling for more police officers in schools. Increased presence of police
student arrests. Communities should improve the learning environment rather than placing so much emphasis on adding police officers, according to some experts. “Educating all youth and keeping them in school benefits communities in a variety of ways. Youth that are in schools are engaged during the day, preventing them from engaging in illegal behaviors. High school graduation increases social bonds and community ties which promote responsibility in young adults. In addition, keeping students in school saves communities millions in the long run.” Some past supporters of NRA are now calling for a ban on assault weapons. The Violence Policy Center produced a list of 33 mass shootings involving high-capacity ammunition magazines, including Sandy Hook Elementary School (Bushmaster assault rifle); Century Movie Theater in Aurora, Col. (Smith & Wesson M&P assault rifle); and Virginia Tech University (Glock 19 pistol). The Violence Policy Center noted that the NRA’s corporate partners include many gun manufacturers, including the Freedom Group, the gun industry conglomerate of which Bushmaster, the manufacturer of the AR-15 assault rifle used in the Newtown, Conn. school mass shooting, is part of as well as Smith & Wesson, the manufacturer of another model of AR-15 assault rifle that was used in the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater mass shooting. Supporters of tougher gun laws say they are not suggesting that school safety should be de-emphasized. The Justice Policy Institute report concluded, “School safety should be a priority: it is not only important for protecting the physical safety of students, teachers, and staff, but also for maintaining a productive learning environment. However, law enforcement in schools is not the best nor most cost-effective way to achieve those goals. SROs and law enforcement in schools are not needed to keep kids safe, especially when youth pay the price of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system and suffer a lifetime of negative effects as a result.”
Communities should improve the learning environment rather than placing so much emphasis on adding police officers, according to some experts.
youth, as arrests and referrals to the juvenile justice system disrupt the educational process and can lead to suspension, expulsion, or other alienation from school,” the report stated. “All of these negative effects set youth on a track to drop out of school and put them at greater risk of becoming involved in the justice system later on, all at tremendous costs for taxpayers as well as the youth themselves and their communities.” The push to add more police at school began at the federal level with the concept of zero tolerance. The Gun Free Schools Act of 1994, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, required any jurisdiction receiving money through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to adopt a policy that suspends a student for at least a year for bringing a firearm to school. By the time 15 people were killed at Columbine High School in Littleton, Col. In 1999, President Clinton had already called for more police officers in the schools. Clinton was reacting to some highly-publicized acts of violence rather than facts.
World leaders
in schools has contributed to the school-to-prison pipeline, according to the Justice Policy Institute study. “No data exists showing that SROs arrest youth of color more often than white students, but other data shows that youth of color are disproportionately arrested compared to white youth,” the report stated. “In school, youth of color are far more likely to be subjected to harsh punishments in school than whites. A study from the Applied Research Center shows that African American students are disciplined more often and more harshly than white students. Related to suspensions, a 1998 study from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights shows that African American and Hispanic students are suspended from schools at disproportionate rates compared to white students.” In South Carolina, for example, Black students make up 42 percent of the enrollment, but 75 percent of disorderly conduct charges, of which 90 percent are referred to law enforcement agencies. Blacks make up 19 percent of the students in Pinellas County, Fla. but 54 percent of the
defense spending,” said Scott. “You would have to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Some people think that tax cuts are so important that they are willing to get it by cutting Social Security and Medicare. If you vote to extend tax cuts, you’re required to cut Social Security and Medicare.” In the president’s 2013 budget is approved, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will account for 42 percent of the budget collectively with Social Security accounting for 21 percent, Medicare at 14 percent and Medicaid at 7 percent.
ACROSS 1. Like children’s book character Nancy 6. Grade A item on grocery list 9. Spill the beans 13. Greeting from Don Ho 14. ___ chi 15. *Location of Mohammed Morsi’s presidential palace 16. It lacks appropriate punctuation 17. Wood-shaping tool 18. It often fell in old cartoons 19. *One of EU leaders 21. *Anti-apartheid leader 23. Moray ___ 24. I, to a Greek 25. Where massages are given 28. Letter opener 30. Pincered insect 35. Animal mitts 37. Doofus 39. Narcotics lawman 40. Please do not delay 41. Ringworm 43. Shore extension 44. Quiet gesture 46. Enameled metalware 47. Seat locator 48. Type of lightweight cotton 50. Reduced Instruction Set Computer 52. Austin Powers, e.g. 53. Not naughty 55. Bur or white ___ 57. Scope 61. Ligament injury 64. *George W’s is in Crawford, TX 65. Back of a boat 67. *He’s president again 69. Lemur from Madagascar 70. Public health promoting org. 71. NBA venue 72. ____ en scene 73. Be mistaken 74. Smallest detectable sensation
DOWN 1. ___ cry 2. Reunion attendee 3. “____ the wiser” 4. House duty 5. Pulled with a jerk 6. And others, for short 7. Cowboy’s boot prod 8. Its name is not known 9. Paul McCartney’s “____ on the Run” 10. In real-time 11. Seed cover 12. Western cord necktie 15. Promised Land 20. *Obama, President-_____, e.g. 22. Chowed down 24. Pig iron predecessor 25. Accompanies seizure 26. Turkish bigwig 27. Nobel Prize, e.g. 29. Came or climbed down 31. What Eminem does 32. Court orders, e.g. 33. Freeze over 34. *Perestroika leader, nickname 36. Tim Duncan, e.g. 38. Where things are made to order 42. Famous fabulist 45. *Mohandas or Indira 49. Canine command 51. ______ tunnel 54. Irritate by rubbing 56. Resin-producing tree 57. Hat part 58. Feminine of raja 59. “____ of the earth” 60. Used for measuring land 61. *Eisenhower was a five-____ general 62. Big-ticket ___ 63. Supreme Court count 66. *Famous for New Deal 68. Old-fashioned form of Anna
Scott made his comments during a web seminar conducted by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. According to the center, African-American workers, families, and seniors stand to be unduly affected if Congress and the president do not reach a deal before the end of the year. Additionally, the potential expiration of extended jobless benefits and cuts in education will have devastating and long lasting consequences for AfricanAmericans who have suffered disproportionately from the effects of the recent recession.
Scott is calling for a return to the President Bill Clintonera rates on estate taxes and other means of producing revenue, including raising the capital gains tax, limiting deductibility of corporate interest, having a so called surcharge on millionaires and proposing a Wall Street Trading and Speculators Tax. “My fear is that we (Congress) will pass a bipartisan bill that will cut $3 trillion in revenue and we’re going to slap ourselves on the back, then come back and try and figure out how to pay for it,” said.
Page 14 • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Insight News
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COMMUNITY Calendar • Classifieds Send Community Calendar information to us by email: info@insightnews.com, by fax: 612.588.2031, by phone: 612.5881313 or by mail: 1815 Bryant Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55411. Free or low cost events preferred.
EVENTS Watch Night Services Dec. 31 The Minnesota African American Museum (MAAM) in conjunction with local faith communities presents “A Night to Remember – December 31, 2012: Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Freedom’s Eve.” Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church will hold a Watch Night service from 9:00 p.m. to midnight (2600 East 38th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406). Pilgrim Baptist Church will hold a Watch Night Service from 10:00 p.m. to midnight (732 West Central Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104). Also, St. Mark’s African
Methodist Episcopal Cathedral will hold a Freedom’s Night Watch non-denominational service on December 31, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. (530 N. 5th Avenue E., Duluth, MN 55805). Walker Art Center Free First Saturdays Jan. 5 Free First Saturdays are for families. Activities are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 am–3 pm. Gallery admission is free from 10 am–5 pm on Free First Saturday. Families can enjoy live performances, films, gallery adventures, and hands-on art-making from 10 am–3 pm. Activities recommended for ages 6–12. The Walker Art Center is located at 1750 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. For public information, call 612.375.7600 or visit walkerart.org
Washburn A Mill Tour Jan. 5, 19 Take an in-depth look at the historic Washburn A Mill complex and the award-winning Mill City Museum building 1 p.m. Supervising Attorney Saturdays, Jan. 5 and 19. Supervising Attorney – Housing Discrimination This is the only opportunity Law Project, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. For details for a guided tour through go to http://www.mylegalaid.org/jobs. the entire museum building and the only chance to see Chief Financial Officer some of its non-public TCC Land Bank, a nonprofit financial service org., spaces. The tour includes seeks CFO to perform strategic financial planning and admission to the museum data analysis, oversee all financial activities including budgeting, audit, and contract and reporting compligallery, Baking Lab, Water ance. 5 yrs of experience as CFO or equiv. Letter of Lab and Flour Tower application and resume received at hr@tcclandbank.org show. Fee: $14 adults, through January 14, 2013 will be considered. $12 seniors and college
HIV/AIDS From 1 Twelve years later, the church founded the First Response Center, which provides health
care and support services to those impacted by or at risk for HIV. From medication to assistance finding housing and preparing for employment, the First Response Center, headed by Rev. Terrell, is open and able to provide to all, even the
Phone: 612.588.1313
students, $10 children ages 6-17 and MHS members. Tour includes museum admission. Reservations required; call 612-341-7555 or register online: http://www. millcitymuseum.org/tours. Mill City Museum is located at 704 South Second Street, Minneapolis. Resident Artists IX: Rule of Thirds at Altered Esthetics Jan. 3-24 Three is a powerful number in science, religion, music, and the arts. For the ninth annual resident artists exhibition, artists incorporate the number three or triptychs. Ae artists will be displaying their take on the number three and how it influences their artwork. The pieces displayed will be in a variety of mediums ranging from watercolor to acrylic to photographs. There will be an opening reception on Friday, Jan 4 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Artists’ Discussion Panel on Saturday, Jan 12 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. The Show runs January 3 - 24, 2013. Gallery Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays – 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturdays – 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.; and Every First Friday – 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Altered Esthetics is located at 1224 Quincy St. NE Minneapolis MN 55413, (612) 378-8888.
Fax: 612.588.2031
Fair Showcase on Saturday, Jan. 12, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301-2nd Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. This event will bring together families of prospective students in one location to meet educators from public and charter schools and to explore an array of educational possibilities for school-age children, prekindergarten through high school. MPS’ deadline for submitting school priority request cards is Tue., Feb. 19, 2013. Free childcare for children ages 3-5 will be provided. Call the Information Line, 612.668.1842 about free parking and free shuttle transport for families. With questions about the fair, call Student Placement Services at 612.668.1840. You may also visit www.mpls.k12. mn.us.
Minneapolis School Fair Showcase Jan. 12 Minneapolis public and charter schools are partnering to host the first Minneapolis School
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Event Jan. 14 The Human Rights Commission and the Human Services Division of the City of Bloomington will sponsor Dr. Don Bartlette and his presentation, “My Journey Across Black America” in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during lunch on Monday, January 14, 2013 at Creekside Community Center. Prior to presentation, watch his film, “Macaroni At Midnight,” which shares his remarkable story growing up as a Native American child, living in poverty, experiencing issues such
uninsured and uninsurable. And Rev. Sanders is a nationallyknown leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “The church has the largest consistent audience of African Americans,” says Paul Grant who created the documentary The Gospel of Healing: Volume 1: Black Churches Respond to HIV/AIDS. “You can tell how the community is doing by going to a church. We get our messages there, that’s where our social norms are set.” The message of HIV/AIDS in the Black community is a vital one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): • Although Blacks represent only 12 percent or the U.S.
population, they accounted for 44 percent of all new HIV infections in 2009 and are 44 percent of all people living with HIV. • Black women accounted for 57 percent of all new HIV infections among women in 2009 and 64 percent of all new AIDS diagnoses among women. In 2010, 85 percent of Black women were infected through heterosexual activities. • A similar picture is reflected among teens. Although Black teenagers represented only 15 percent of U.S. teens in 2010, they accounted for 70 percent of all new AIDS diagnoses among teens. • A study in five major cities found that 46 percent of
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as racism, abuse, and struggles with his own disabilities. The film will show at 9:45 a.m. Following an 11:30 a.m. lunch and presentation. A question and answer session will follow presentation. The following are additional dates the film will be shown for free at Creekside Community Center: Wednesday, January 9 at 9:30 a.m. and Friday, January 11 at 1:00 p.m. This event does require a prepaid registration 3 days in advance. Meal cost is $0-3 for guests 60+ (NAPIS form required) and $6 for guests under the age of 60. If you would like more information or would like to make a reservation, visit or call Creekside Community Center 9801 Penn Ave. S., 952-563-4944, TTY 952-563-4933. King Boreas Toastmasters Club Open House Jan. 19 King Boreas Toastmasters Club is hosting an Open House Saturday, January 19, 2013, 7:45AM – 9:30AM (w/continental breakfast), @ Associated Bank, 176 Snelling N. (Selby/Snelling). Toastmasters helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualization and enhance leadership potential. For more information call 651603-5854. Metropolitan State Black and White art exhibit Jan. 24-Mar. 1 Metropolitan State University Black men having sex with other men were infected with HIV, more than double the 21 percent of White men exhibiting similar behavior. “We have a health crisis within the African-American community that is impacting every facet,” says Rev. Terry Terrell, the chief operating officer of the First Response Center at Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville. “If healing is going to happen within the community, it will have to come from within the community.” More than 800 miles away in Wilmington, Del., the leadership of Bethel AME Church also believes in healing from within the community. In the lower level of the
Gordon Parks Gallery presents Black and White art exhibit. The exhibit runs from Jan. 24 through March 1 with a reception on Thursday, Feb. 7, from 4:30 –7 p.m. This is followed by an artists’ talk from 7–8 p.m. Gallery hours are Mondays–Thursdays, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; and Fridays– Saturdays, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The gallery is located at the Saint Paul Campus in the Library and Learning Center, 645 East Seventh Street, Saint Paul. NHCC Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In Concert Jan. 24 North Hennepin Community College is celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in concert on Thursday, January 24th at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Theatre. The concert will feature songs of praise by the NHCC Chamber Singers, directed by Karla Miller; Sandy Hodges and Friends; and Voices of Inspiration from Macedonia Baptist Church, directed by Nerita Hughes. This event is free and open to the public, with a meet and greet and refreshments preceding the concert. Theatre seating is limited, so arriving early is recommended. Sponsored by NHCC’s Diversity Council, Student Life, and the Fine Arts department. For more information, contact Sean Davis at 763-488-0490 or visit www. nhcc.edu.
church, what began as a small AIDS ministry in 1994, a year after Rev. Silvester Beaman and his wife, Renee, relocated from Bermuda to lead the church, has grown to be the leading HIV test site in the state of Delaware. While on the island, Mrs. Beaman she served as a nurse at a local hospital where she encountered many of her church members and neighbors infected with the virus. “The nursing director gave me a little black book filled with names and addresses,” Beaman recalls. “These were all of the people on the island with HIV— there were members of the church, political leaders.” She wanted to tell her husband the information, but new she couldn’t disclose the information. Instead she told him they needed to start a ministry to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention from within the church. In 2001, the ministry expanded to include Beautiful Gate Outreach Center, which now provides testing, patient care, education, and other services to their predominately Black community, which has some of the highest rates of HIV/ AIDS in the city. When Mrs. Beaman first opened the center, it took nine months before anyone came in. “No one came in, all the calls were wrong numbers,” Beaman recalls. “But, after those nine months, we ran out of space for everyone.” She added, “The thousands of people that we’ve tested, the number of people who were found were positive and got into care have validated us as a full-fledged HIV ministry. We’re making an unbelievable difference.” Rev. Keron Sadler, the NAACP HIV and AIDS health program manager says, “We don’t just want churches to create health ministries, we
HIV/AIDS TURN TO 15
Answers From 13
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Insight News • December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013 • Page 15
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A large public transportation network, in concert with other sustainability efforts, could reduce our carbon footprint by 24 percent, significantly reduce our oil consumption, save us money, reduce our travel time and its associated stress, and improve our overall health. Pictured: a Washington, DC Metro station.
The benefits of public transportation EarthTalk® E - The Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk: It might seem obvious, but what would be the primary benefits of public transit as an alternative to the private automobile if our country were to make a major commitment to it? --James Millerton, Armstrong, PA The benefits of making a major commitment to building up and efficiently managing a larger and more comprehensive public transit network are many. According to the National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates (NAPTA), an organization that represents grassroots transit coalitions, organizations and advocates, expanded public transit, coordinated with greener development and other “operational efficiencies,” can reduce our carbon footprint by some 24 percent, which is significant given that carbon dioxide (CO2) output from the transportation sector as a whole account for 28 percent of total
HIV/AIDS From 14 want to change systems,” Sadler says. “ Black faith leaders have great power, people really respond to the voice of their leader, so we begin with the leader.” Not every church leader was quick to join the campaign against HIV/AIDS. “Churches are hesitant to talk about HIV because they’re hesitant to talk about modes of transmission. They don’t want to talk about sex, they don’t want to talk about homosexuality, they don’t want to talk about incest and rape,” says Sheila Sullivan, the project coordinator at Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland. Sullivan works with a network of 16 churches throughout Cleveland that are educated on HIV prevention, treatment and works to keep congregations and leadership open to talking about the disease in the church. Over the past five years, Sullivan has serviced over 50 church communities outside of the network providing on-site testing, attending health fairs, distributing information, and conducting presentations on HIV/AIDS and its effect on the Black community. “I remember going to churches that were hesitant, but are now very open. I have churches that have condoms in their vestibule, not because they’re promoting sex, but because they’re promoting
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. After all, buses and trains burn much less fuel per rider than a car with a single rider in it. Switching to public transit for a typical 20-mile round trip commute would decrease a commuter’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by some 4,800 pounds a year, which is equal to about a 10 percent reduction in a two-car household’s carbon footprint. Another group, the American Public Transit Association (APTA), reports that current use of public transit in the U.S. already saves 37 million metric tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to the emissions resulting from electricity generation to power some five million typical American homes. A massive shift to public transit would also be good for our pocketbooks. According to NAPTA, U.S. car owners can save as much as $112 billion a year in gasoline and other vehicle costs. “Public transportation offers an immediate alternative for individuals seeking to reduce their energy use and carbon footprints,” reports NAPTA. “Taking public transportation far
exceeds the combined benefits of using energy-efficient light bulbs, adjusting thermostats, weatherizing one’s home, and replacing a refrigerator.” As to reducing oil use, NAPTA says public transit already saves Americans the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually, or some 900,000 automobile fillups every day. And the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) reports that individuals who live in areas served by public transportation save more than 300 million gallons of fuel a year. Meanwhile individuals can save upwards of $9,000 a year by taking public transportation instead of driving and by living with one less car. An improved quality of life is yet another benefit of more public transit. In some ways public transit can be considered a life saver: It produces 95 percent less carbon monoxide and nearly 50 percent less nitrogen oxide—both key triggers for asthma and other respiratory and cardiovascular health problems—per passenger-mile than driving a private vehicle. Also, transit
safety,” Sullivan explains. Parnessa Seele is the founder and CEO of the Balm in Gilead. Through the organization she builds the capacity of faith communities by providing information on HIV to help address stigma and get people preventing, testing for, and treating the disease. In her work, Seele has seen a number of churches open up to the idea of protecting the community from HIV/AIDS, but just as many who want nothing to do with it. “We still have some churches that don’t want anything to do with it because they believe HIV stems from people living in sin,” Seele says. “Today we have to work to educate our congregations that HIV is still real.” No one knows that better than Rae Lewis-Thornton, who has been living with AIDS for 20 years. In 1994, she was the focus of Chicago’s CBS affiliates feature series “Living with AIDS,” during which she gave viewers a glimpse into her dayto-day experiences as a woman with the virus which was then seen as a death sentence. She remembers sitting in a pew of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church on the city’s southwest side one Sunday when her pastor called out to her in the middle of service. “Lewis, was that you I saw on TV?” she remembers Rev. Clay Evans asking. She responded, “Yes, pastor.” She had been too scared to disclose her status to her pastor, so she kept the fact that she had AIDS a secret within the walls of
the church. So when her pastor said “good work,” she was surprised, but not as surprised as she was when she asked him to write her a letter of recommendation to a seminary school. After the application sat on her desk for months – again, out of fear – she finally built up the nerve to approach Rev. Evans about her call to ministry. She remembers him laughing at her and saying, “I know, I was just waiting for you to figure it out.” Lewis-Thornton still waited 13 years after being licensed to get ordained to minister. Now, as a member and pastor at Westpoint Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, Lewis-Thornton is excited to share information on the virus she fights every moment her life – from the pulpit. “Everyone is going to be talking about HIV and AIDS in my church,” says LewisThornton, who refers to herself as a “diva living with AIDS.” She explains, “You can’t do a public ministry the way I do and not have a pastor who supports it,” Thornton says. “The fact that God has given me a place that I can worship and do ministry inside those walls for the church, outside the walls for the church and in the community without any shame or friction is a blessing.” Beaman, the Bermuda native who moved to Wilmington, Del., observes: “To know that there is a church that is really caring about it and not condemning HIV and AIDS is so important.”
users tend to be healthier than car commuters because they walk more, which increases their fitness levels. Public transit use also means fewer cars on the road, thus reduced travel times—and less stress and road rage accordingly—for everyone. TTI reports that Americans living in areas served by public
transportation save themselves almost 800 million hours in travel time every year. CONTACTS: NAPTA, www.publictransportation. org; APTA, www.apta. com; TTI, tti.tamu.edu. EarthTalk® is written and
edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@ emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www. emagazine.com/trial.
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