LAWT 01-24-2013

W E E K E N D E R

Vol. XXX, No. 1320

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, January 24, 2013

L.A. Watts Times

see pages 8-9

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

HOROSCOPES

Jan. 24 - 30

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RIES ~ This week is a good week for new investment of money, time or energy. Your investment will be attractive to someone who wants to help. Make the call.

This week let the feeling of being special bathe you. Soul Affirmation: I invest new faith in everything I do this week.

AURUS ~ Opportunity knocks this week, be ready and waiting. An old love may resurface. Take a good look. This week is good for you financially. Look for a special opportunity at work. Families matters, spend time with yours.

Soul Affirmation: Old love? New love? The most important thing is true love!

EMINI ~ They get on your nerves but you’ll profit from joining with them in a common effort. Pull close to an annoying buddy. Joint adventures will pay ten-fold.

Household projects call. You and a lover can finally reach the same page. Soul Affirmation: I am patient with all that comes my way this week.

ANCER ~ This week begins three weeks during which success and romance are closely related. Kill two birds with one stone. Enjoy your feelings and let your brain relax. Suspend all judgments of others. Being stern won’t work for you this week. Soul Affirmation: I judge no one, especially myself this week.

EO ~ News that comes by phone, email or snail mail makes it easier for you to remain upbeat. Focus on what is said.

No matter what it is, find the good in it.

Invite new insights. They could well come from your lover. Soul Affirmation: I give thanks for who I am this week.

IRGO ~ Don’t be dismayed if you tried to prevent it but couldn’t. It was meant to happen, and you were intended to learn from it. Nothing was lost. Something was delayed. After you’ve learned your lesson the chance will come again.

Soul Affirmation: Faith keeps me calm in the storms of life.

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IBRA ~ Your self-confidence is making you glow all over! People are attracted to your outlook this week, and you may be deluged with offers. Some may not be sincere, but trust your fabulous instincts and you’ll pick and choose what’s real for you.

Soul Affirmation: Clinging to the old will inhibit my growth this week.

CORPIO ~ Find motivation within yourself to complete a task that has been hanging around too long. You will want to play later in the week, and you’ll feel happier then with a clear mind. Remember that you’re the boss of your emotions. Soul Affirmation: My imagination is the source of my happiness.

AGITTARIUS ~ Remember that you are in control of your emotions this week. Things will look brighter as soon as you let yourself feel like the glowing spirit that you are. Co-create your reality this week by using positive emotions to remind yourself of how wonderful you are. Soul Affirmation: I will ask joy to marry me.

APRICORN ~ You are in the middle of a dream coming true. Watch for signs that your wish is about to be granted.

You’ll be very happy with what you’ve achieved. Soul Affirmation: Love is easier than breathing.

QUARIUS ~ Overall, the vibrations surrounding you this week are very good, very good indeed. Go with the best, and refuse to allow any minor inconvenience to spoil your sunny mood. You are going to have a lovely week. Soul Affirmation: He who doesn’t ask will remain a fool forever.

ISCES ~ Remember that you look marvelous! Be prepared for lots of compliments this week, and plan to accept them gracefully. You may be planning a time period trip; it’s going to be a nice getaway.

Soul Affirmation: Communication is a skeleton key that opens many doors.

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Inside This Edition

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Pentagon opens combat roles to women

BY LOLITA C. BALDOR ASSOCIATED PRESS The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said this week.

The changes will not happen overnight, officials said. The services must now develop plans for allowing women to seek the combat positions.

Some jobs may open as soon as this year, while assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army’s Delta Force, may take longer.

The services will have until January 2016 to make a case to that some positions should remain closed to women.

The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.

There long has been opposition to putting women in combat, based on questions of whether they have the necessary strength and stamina for certain jobs, or whether their presence might hurt unit cohesion.

But as news of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s order got out, members of Congress, including the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.,

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BlackFacts.com

January 24, 1977 Howard T Ward becomes Georgia’s first Black Superior Court Judge January 24, 1962 Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

January 25, 1972 Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm begins her campaign for President of the U.S.

This Jan. 19, 2013 file photo shows Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaking during a news conference in London. Panetta has removed US military ban on women in combat, opening thousands of front line positions. announced their support.

“It reflects the reality of 21st century military operations,” Levin said.

Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, who will be the top Republican on the Armed Services panel, said, however, that he does not believe this will be a broad opening of combat roles for women because there are practical barriers that have to be overcome in order to protect the safety and privacy of all members of the military.

Panetta’s move comes in his final weeks as Pentagon chief and just days after President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech in which he spoke passionately about equal rights for all. The new order expands the department’s action of nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Army Maj. Sequana Robinson models a new women’s combat uniform that is currently being evaluated by the Army, at Fort Belvoir, Va., in this photo taken Thursday, March 31, 2011. positions to women, nearly all of them in the Army. Panetta’s decision could open more than 230,000 jobs, many in Army and Marine infantry units, to women.

In addition to questions of strength and performance, there also have been suggestions that the American public would not tolerate large numbers of women being killed in war.

Under the 1994 Pentagon policy, women were prohibited from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. A brigade is roughly 3,500 troops split into several battalions of about 800 soldiers each. Historically, brigades were based farther from the front lines and they often included top command and support staff.

The necessities of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, propelled women into jobs as medics, military police and intelligence officers that were sometimes attached — but not formally assigned — to battalions. So while a woman couldn't be assigned as an infantryman in a battalion going out on patrol, she could fly the helicopter supporting the unit, or move in to provide medical aid if troops were injured.

And these conflicts, where battlefield lines are blurred and insurgents can lurk around every corner, have made it almost impossible to keep women clear of combat.

Still, as recent surveys and experiences have shown, it will not be an easy transition. When the Marine Corps sought women to go through its tough infantry course last year, two volunteered and both failed to See WOMEN COMBAT, page 11

Thursday, January 24, 2013

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Obama girls to hit teen milestones in White House

BY CONNIE CASS ASSOCIATED PRESS That’s how it goes with kids. You hardly notice how fast they’re growing up, then suddenly big sis is nearly as tall as Mom and the little one is a tween, gently sassing Dad. On the inaugural platform again four years later, a more mature Malia

and applying to colleges. How normally can any of this go at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.?

Life in the White House is bound to feel different to a teen than it does to a second-grader.

Seven-year-old Emanuel Coleman’s grandmother positioned him on the steps of the National Gallery of Art to watch the swearing-in on a giant out-

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Sasha and Malia Obama arrive at the ceremonial swearing-in of their father President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013.

Obama, 14, and Sasha, 11, smiled, sometimes giggled, and chatted with their cousin Avery Robinson as they awaited their father’s arrival. Sasha bounced on her feet a bit as if chilly; later at the parade she danced in her seat to the beat of passing drummers. Malia, rivaling her mother’s 5 feet 11 inches, looked poised in calf-high black boots.

Like any girls their age, they whipped out their smartphones in the reviewing stand to take photos.

Both daughters appeared relaxed and oblivious to their global TV audience, unaffected by their rare status, unfazed by the fuss over their father.

Meanwhile, fashion-watchers were tweeting about the girls’ coats in vibrant shades of purple. For the record: Malia wore a J. Crew ensemble, Sasha’s was Kate Spade, and first lady Michelle Obama was in a Thom Browne coat with a navy print like a man’s silk tie.

Such attention to the Obamas’ clothes, their Hawaiian vacations, their hair — Michelle lit up Twitter last week by adding bangs — will continue as they charge into a time of turbulence for so many American families: the teen years.

In the second term Sasha, who arrived in the White House as a secondgrader, moves on to high school. She expressed her pre-teen spirit Sunday, when Barack Obama took his official, nonpublic oath of office. After giving Dad a “Good job!” she added a reminder of his flubbed words four years ago. “You didn’t mess up,” Sasha teased the commander in chief.

For Malia, the milestones to come are many — she’ll be hitting the years when typical teens start driving, dating

door screen Monday. The Durham, N.C., boy thought life for a White House kid must be cool, because the president has “his own private limo, helicopter and lives in a really big house.”

“It would be fun to fly in the presidential helicopter,” Emanuel enthused.

Sixteen-year-old Colleen Casey isn’t so sure.

“They have to live their life in their dad's shadow,” said Casey, part of a group of Girl Scout volunteers who came to the inaugural from nearby Woodbridge, Va. “You can’t be your own person.”

That’s the struggle for White House youngsters, said author Doug Wead, who has interviewed 19 sons and daughters of former presidents and wrote about them in “All the Presidents’ Children.”

“When your mom’s the first lady, and all your classmates are oohing and ahhing over her, it’s hard to compete with that,” Wead said. “At any given time, half the country hates your father and half the country loves him. It’s hard to establish a separate identity.”

Just last week, the National Rifle Association referred to the Obama daughters in an ad berating their father for opposing a proposal to put armed guards in all schools, while his children get Secret Service protection. And the president’s been criticized for sending Sasha and Malia to the private Sidwell Friends School.

Even the great stuff — traveling the globe, meeting rock stars, mingling with world leaders — can go to a girl’s head.

Mrs. Obama says she strives to give the girls a normal life — homecoming

dances, playing basketball, trick-ortreating, slumber parties — and also to keep them respectful, responsible and down-to-earth.

There’s been lots of speculation that Mrs. Obama, who turns 50 next year, may design her own transformation in the second term, when she’ll be

freed from worries about her husband’s re-election. Will the first lady who dubbed herself “mom-in-chief” add to her portfolio of family-centered causes?

The White House isn’t yet saying.

Some feminists want to see the Harvard Law School grad take on a more forceful public role. Not all her

fans are so sure.

“I like the roles she’s taken on with troops, with health, with children,” said W. Faye Butts, 68, an enthusiastic Obama supporter who traveled from Macon, Ga., for the inaugural. No need to try to do more: “She has a family to raise, that’s her first priority.”

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Supervisors unanimously approve Attorney General issues master plan for Martin Luther guidance on how mobile King, Jr. Hospital campus apps can better protect

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Master Plan for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital campus sponsored by Board Chairman Supervisor Mark RidleyThomas, embracing his vision of health care delivery for not just the new hospital, but the entire MLK campus, they said.

The Master Plan was the result of a yearlong community planning process, and was formed with the input of hundreds of residents, civic leaders, business owners and health care advocates.

business card bulletin board

On the 84th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, the

LAWT Photo

According to the plan, the new hospital will be at the heart of a web of community wellness resources, said the supervisors. It recommends not only expansion of the new hospital and existing Multi-Ambulatory Care Center, the plan also urges: a new mental health urgent care center, mixed-use retail space, medical office space, connected community gardens, safe pedestrian walkways and recreational facilities to promote wellness and physical activity.

“The master plans is a roadmap, not a hard and fixed requirement, but seeks to anticipate the future direction of healthcare and prepare for that new day,” they said.

“It also lays out a vision for the entire 142-acre Willowbrook community that surrounds the campus.”

Off campus, the plan allows space for school-based health centers, mobile clinics, blood banks, and community health centers to support the work of the MLK campus and provide a more holistic approach to health care. The plan recommends a new health park and a series of connected community gardens, safe pedestrian walkways, and recreational facilities to promote wellness and physical activity. It promotes access to healthier food options and includes space for retail. It also increases access to public transportation.

“I am thrilled with the passage of this master plan,” said Ridley Thomas.

“It is our goal to bring a complete and comprehensive network of services –not just a hospital — to South Los Angeles. The planning process was intense and intensive, but it was well worth it. This document will serve as a guide for many years to come as we bring top-notch services to a community that has long waited for quality care.”

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consumer privacy

California Attorney General Kamala Harris Attorney General Kamala D. Harris recently issued recommendations for mobile application (app) developers and the mobile industry to safeguard consumer privacy. The report provides guidance on developing strong privacy practices, translating these practices into mobilefriendly policies, and coordinating with mobile industry actors to promote comprehensive transparency.

“Californians want to know what personal information their apps collect, how it is used and with whom it is shared,” said Harris. “To meet this need and keep pace with rapidly changing technology, these recommendations strike a responsible balance between protecting consumers’ personal information and fostering the continued growth of the innovative app economy.”

The report, Privacy on the Go: Recommendations for the Mobile Ecosystem, is the result of an outreach effort that compiled input from stakeholders throughout the mobile industry. Its purpose is to serve as a template for the mobile industry to develop mobile-friendly privacy policies and practices that will improve consumer privacy without stifling innovation. To accommodate the smaller screens of mobile devices, the report recommends the use of special notifications such as icons, or pop-up notifications to inform consumers about how personally identifiable information is being collected and shared.

The issue of mobile privacy is increasingly pressing as more than

AP Photo

half of American adult cell phone owners access the Internet from their phones, and more than 1,600 mobile apps are released every day.

To protect consumers’ online privacy Harris forged an agreement among the seven leading mobile and social app platforms in 2012. The agreement – with Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion – involved displaying app privacy policies that users could find in a consistent location in the platform store and review before downloading an app.

In October 2012, she sent letters to approximately 100 mobile app developers and companies that were not in compliance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act and gave 30 days to post a conspicuous privacy policy. In December, she filed the first legal action against Delta Airlines, Inc. for violating California’s online privacy law, which requires apps that collect personally identifiable information to conspicuously post a privacy policy.

Last year, Harris also established the Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit to enforce federal and state privacy laws regulating the collection, retention, disclosure, and destruction of private or sensitive information by individuals, organizations, and the government. This includes California’s Online Privacy Protection Act, as well as laws relating to cyber privacy, health and financial privacy, identity theft, government records and data breaches.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

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MLK Legacy Shines Brightly at Kingdom Day Parade Media mogul Danny Bakewell Sr. and Dodgers star Matt Kemp Marshal before an estimated 200,000 spectators on parade route

BY SHIRLEY HAWKINS CONTRIBUTING WRITER Brisk cold temperatures gave way to a ray of sunshine and warmth befitting the Southern California climate as media mogul Danny Bakewell Sr. and Dodgers star outfielder Matt Kemp led a spectacular day of unity and pride last Saturday before an estimated 200,000 spectators who gathered to honor Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 28th annual Kingdom Day Parade on Crenshaw Blvd.

As the bevy of excitement and anticipation filled the air the parade’s Grand Marshals, Danny Bakewell, publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel and the L.A. Watts Times Weekender newspapers, and Celebrity Grand Marshal Matt Kemp of Los Angeles Dodgers,

warmly greeted thousands along the three-mile route.

“The greatness of Dr. King’s legacy is on fully display today,” said Bakewell. “This demonstration of peace and love for ourselves, community and families is what Dr. King and many other pioneers of the civil rights movement fought for. Their spirit is with us and See KINGDOM PARADE, page 11

Photos by Robert Torrence and Troy Tieuel

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Recognition sought for church bombing victims

AP Photo/ Evan Vucci

Birmingham, Ala. Mayor William Bell, right, accompanied by Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, to announce plans to ask for the Congressional Gold Medal for the four little girls killed in the 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Church in Birmingham, Ala.

BY HENRY C. JACKSON ASSOCIATED PRESS Nearly 50 years ago, white supremacists planted a bomb in a Birmingham, Ala., church that killed four young girls preparing to worship,

an act of terror that shocked the nation and propelled Congress to pass that historic 1964 Civil Rights Act. Lawmakers now want to honor those victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian

honor that Congress can bestow.

Birmingham Reps. Terri Sewell, a Democrat, and Spencer Bachus, a Republican, announced the bipartisan effort Tuesday to award the medal to the four slain children: Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, all 14 when they were killed, and Denise McNair, who was 11.

Sewell said the bombing was a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

“I wouldn’t be here, my mayor wouldn’t be here, were it not for the struggle and sacrifice of those freedom fighters,” Sewell said during an event at the National Press Club on Tuesday.

She was joined by Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell, who says he knew Denise McNair well. His brother was her classmate and their families were friends.

At that time, “everybody in Birmingham — they had some kind of connection or relationship,” to the victims, he said.

The four girls were among a group of 26 children entering a church basement on Sept. 15, 1963, when dynamite equipped with a timer detonated.

Twenty-two others were injured when the massive explosion blew a hole through a wall in the church, shattering most of its windows.

See CHURCH BOMBING, page 14

Gun violence in America Recap with Rev. Jeremiah Wright

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright

By Brittany K. Jackson LAWT Contributing Writer Gun violence is an issue that despite how much we know it’s harmful to our communities, sparks so much opposition and controversy in the political arena. Well, in my perspective, compromising the safety of our children around the world should not be a debate at all. With the overarching acceptance of history and war, video

AP Photo

games that project violence and music that glorifies killing, it becomes more and more difficult to change our communities for the better. More than anything, however, change starts in the home and with proper education, counseling and prevention.

Recently, First A.M.E. Zion Rev. Malcolm Byrd spoke of gun violence and the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. He spoke of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a straightforward, no-nonsense

kind of guy and President Obama’s former Pastor at the Trinity United Methodist Church of Chicago.

I had an opportunity to interview the Reverend, now Pastor Emeritus, during his visit to 3rd Baptist Church of San Francisco for their Season’s Peace panel also featuring Danny Glover. He talked about his position on gun violence, the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut and how to effectively reach our young people and communities at large.

Referring to the tragedy in Newtown, Wright stated that we have easily ignored the more than 500 children in Chicago killed from gun violence alone. “Now that this (tragedy) has occurred in a rich, white, affluent neighborhood, maybe we can have a conversation with those in impoverished neighborhoods and do something about changing the laws both for mental health and for easy accessibility of getting hands on weapons of mass destruction,” Wright stated.

In terms of combatting gun violence in our schools and communities across the country, Rev. Wright believes that anger management and teaching children that there are ways to resolve differences outside of violence is key.

“Starting in pre-school, not highschool, not grammar school, and teaching children the insanity of “an eye for an eye” “tooth for a tooth” and the truth of killing and vengeance.” It’s about nipping it in the bud in pre-school, because by the time they get in grammar school, they’re strapped.”

Katrina-era mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin indicted on 21 corruption charges

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted Friday January 18 on charges that he used his office for personal gain, accepting payoffs, free trips and gratuities from contractors while the city was struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The charges against Nagin are the outgrowth of a City Hall corruption investigation that already has resulted in guilty pleas by two former city officials and two businessmen and a prison sentence for a former city vendor. The federal indictment accuses Nagin of accepting more than $160,000 in bribes and truckloads of free granite for his family business in exchange for promoting the interests of a local Ray Nagin AP Photo businessman who secured millions of dollars in city contract work after every doggone Greyhound bus line in the 2005 hurricane. the country and get their asses moving The businessman, Frank Fradella, to New Orleans.” In January 2006, he pleaded guilty in June to bribery con- apologized for a Martin Luther King spiracy and securities-fraud charges Day speech in which he predicted New and has been cooperating with federal Orleans would be a “chocolate city” authorities. Nagin, 56, also is charged and asserted that “God was mad at with accepting at least $60,000 in pay- America.” Strong support from black offs from another businessman, voters helped Nagin win re-election in Rodney Williams, for his help in secur- 2006 despite widespread criticism of ing city contracts for architectural, his post-Katrina leadership. engineering and management services But the glacial pace of rebuilding, work. Williams, who was president of a surge in violent crime and the budThree Fold Consultants LLC, pleaded ding City Hall corruption investigation guilty Dec. 5 to a conspiracy charge. chipped away at Nagin's popularity The indictment also accuses Nagin during his second term. Nagin could of getting free private jet and limou- not seek a third consecutive term sine services to New York from an because of term limits. Mitch unidentified businessman. Nagin is Landrieu, who ran against Nagin in accused of agreeing to wave tax penal- 2006, succeeded him in 2010. Aaron ties that the businessman owed to the Bennett, a businessman awaiting sencity on a delinquent tax bill in 2006. In tencing in a separate bribery case, told 2010, Greg Meffert, a former technol- The Times-Picayune that he introogy official and deputy mayor under duced Nagin to Fradella specifically to Nagin, pleaded guilty to charges he help the mayor get Home Depot grantook bribes and kickbacks in exchange ite installation work for a business that for steering city contracts to business- he and his sons founded. Fradella's man Mark St. Pierre. Anthony Jones, company received millions of dollars who served as the city’s chief technol- in city contracts for repair work at ogy officer in Nagin’s administration, Louis Armstrong New Orleans also pleaded guilty to taking payoffs. International Airport and in the French Meffert cooperated with the govern- Quarter after Katrina, the newspaper ment in its case against St. Pierre, who reported. Some of the allegations in the was convicted in May 2011 of charges indictment have been the subject of that include conspiracy, bribery and state ethics complaints. In April 2010, money laundering. the Louisiana Board of Ethics charged Nagin, a former cable television Nagin with two possible violations of executive, was a political novice state ethics law. before being elected to his first term as One charge involves Nagin’s “use mayor in 2002, buoyed by strong sup- of a credit card and/or gifts” from St. port from white voters. He cast himself Pierre and his technology firm, a reform-minded progressive who NetMethods, while the company was wasn’t bound by party affiliations, as working for the city. NetMethods paid he snubbed fellow Democrat Kathleen for Nagin and his family to travel to Blanco and endorsed Republican Jamaica in 2005 and to Hawaii in Bobby Jindal’s unsuccessful guberna- 2004, according to newspaper reports. torial campaign in 2003. Katrina ele- In the other charge, the Ethics Board vated Nagin to the national stage, says Stone Age LLC, the Nagin famiwhere he gained a reputation for color- ly’s business, was compensated for ful and sometimes cringe-inducing installation services provided to Home rhetoric.

Depot while the home improvement During a radio interview broadcast retailer was negotiating tax breaks in the storm's early aftermath, he angri- from the city. ly pleaded with federal officials to “get Nagin has largely steered clear of

Thursday, January 24, 2013

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Obama stands his ground on fiscal debates

BY JIM KUHNHENN ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama devoted one word — “deficit” — to the issue that brought Washington to the brink of fiscal crises time and again during his first term.

But it was the paragraph that followed in his inaugural address that foreshadowed what’s to come — more hard bargaining and more last-minute deals driven by Obama’s own conviction that he now wields an upper hand.

“We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future,” he said. “The commitments we make to each other — through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security — these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.”

This was the language of his reelection campaign.

And while his speech contained no reference to either political party, his pointed rejection of “a nation of takers” was an implicit reminder of Mitt Romney’s infelicitous declaration that Obama’s support came from the 47 percent of American voters “who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”

In keeping with the objective of inaugural addresses, Obama chose to draw attention to the aspirations he hopes will define him rather than the conflicts that have characterized his relations with a divided Congress. He conceded that “outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time,” but forged ahead with a call for training more math and science teachers, for building roads and even for funding more research labs.

If there was a way to reconcile such spending with demands to stabilize the nation's debt, he didn't mention it.

“Inaugural addresses are intended for the ages, not for a particular moment,” said Matt Bennett, a former aide to Al Gore and a vice president of the Democratic-leaning group Third Way. “We will have to wait for the State of the Union, which is addressed directly to Congress, for a clearer sense of what he wants to do in the near-term and how he wants to get it done.”

Obama’s State of the Union address is scheduled for Feb. 12.

Obama and his aides approached the inaugural speech with a belief that the president had replenished his political strength with his re-election and with his end-of-year deal with

Republicans that raised upper-income tax rates on some of the wealthiest Americans.

What's more, Obama delivered the speech as House Republicans were backing off earlier threats to withhold an extension of the nation’s borrowing limit if not accompanied by sharp reductions in government spending.

Instead, House leaders planned a vote Wednesday to raise the government debt ceiling for three months to avert a first-ever default on U.S. obligations.

The White House welcomed the move, even though Obama as recently as last week had rejected the idea of a short term increase. “We shouldn’t be doing this on a one- to three-month time frame,” he said in a White House news conference. Yet, on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that while the bill still faces concerns in Congress, if it reaches Obama’s desk the president “would not stand in the way of the bill becoming law.”

The GOP bill would take the biggest potential crisis off the immediate horizon. But Obama and congressional Republicans still face two other fiscal deadlines: March 1, when steep automatic spending cuts in defense and domestic programs are scheduled to kick in, and March 27, when the current authority to keep government operating runs out. And then, on May 18, another debt limit crisis will loom.

“It’s a matter of how you interpret it,” said Jared Bernstein, the former chief economist for Vice President Joe Biden. “If you believe the Republicans will make the debt ceiling crisis a quarterly event, then this is a bad outcome.

The White House playbook is that there are now enough Republican grownups in the room they can hammer out deals.”

House Speaker John Boehner, ROhio, set a hopeful tone, declaring that the inaugural was a chance to “renew the old appeal to better angels.” On Tuesday, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate’s Republican leader, urged Congress and Obama to make spending and the debt their top priority and called for an overhaul of entitlement programs.

“It’s nice to say, as the president did yesterday, that these programs free us to take the risks that make our country great,” he said on the Senate floor.

“But if we don’t act to strengthen and protect them now, in a few years they simply won’t be there in their current form.”

During negotiations last month aimed at avoiding a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, Obama presented Boehner with a proposal that would have reduced spending on Medicare and other entitlement programs by $400 billion; reduced non-entitlement programs by $200 billion over 10 years; and lowered costof-living increases for Social Security recipients and other beneficiaries of

Photo by Valerie Goodloe for LAWT

President Barack Obama speaks during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. government programs.

But Obama also wanted some increased spending and still wants more tax revenue through changes in the tax code that would force the rich to pay more, proposals Republicans reject.

Even an ally like Bernstein pointed out that when it comes to spending outside of defense and entitlements, Obama

has an incompatible goal of reducing the budget as a share of the economy to the lowest levels since President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration.

“It is very hard for me to square those tight budget constraints on the non-defense discretionary side of the budget and many of the aspirations I heard today,” Bernstein said. “That

said, I think they are exactly the right aspirations.”

And there was little about finding common ground in Obama’s speech.

“We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate,” he said.

It was not meant as a self-critique.

The Spirit of MLK Inspires President Obama at 2nd Inauguration

By Thandisizwe Chimurenga LAWT Contributing Writer

On the national holiday of slain civil rights leader Obama marches on

700,000, was still sizeable for a blistery cold winter District of Columbia day, but did not reach the heights of the monumental 2 million people who attended the President’s first swearing-in ceremony four years ago.

While the euphoria of that first ceremony seems to have subsided there were still millions of supporters who watched the festivities at home or in public groupings.

One of the Presidents staunch supporters Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA 37), noted the historic significance of the inauguration of the first African American president being sworn in on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

“As I look on today and watch President Obama take his oath of office, I’ll be thinking of how we can all work together to further the vision Dr. King gave his life for,” she stated. “Dr. King and many foot soldiers like him made it possible for an African American to hold the highest office in our nation. Regardless of your political affiliations – I think we can all agree that today marks a moment where it’s clear America has moved mightily toward the promised land Dr. King preached so eloquently about.”

The congresswoman continued, “In this spirit, we must renew ourselves to work each and every day to fulfill that vision. It begins by making a commitment to remedy many of the social ills that continue to lock far

too many Americans out of the American Dream.”

The Los Angeles Urban League released a statement indicating the organization joins with the rest of the nation in collectively celebrating the future course that has been set. “[President Obama] cannot do it alone. We will lift him up and work together to make America what we want it to be, what it can be and what it will secure for the benefit of generations to come.”

Representative Marcia L. Fudge, (D-OH 11), the current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) echoed the words of Congresswoman Bass and LAUL adding that both she “…and Members of the CBC also look forward to working with the President and our colleagues in Congress on ways to strengthen the foundation laid by Dr. King and on ensuring his dream remains a source of inspiration and guidance for everyone’s reality.”

Locally, Isidra Person Lynn, a communications and technology consultant, viewed the day’s happenings at Derrick’s Jamaican Cuisine in Ladera Heights where she says she and about 50 others were “riveted” to President Obama’s dynamic speech. “I enjoyed seeing the diverse America I live in on display so we can truly see ourselves as we are. If only for one day, it all blended together so well, she said.

Political commentator Jasmyne Cannick was one of

Photo by:Valerie Goodloe

COVER IMAGE: AP Photo/Brendan Smialowsi

AP Photo/New York Times, Doug Mills

AP Photo/Larry Downing

During the bleakest moment since the Great Depression, Barack H. Obama took his oath by placing his left on the Lincoln Bible, but this week when the first African American president of the United States took the oath for his second term in office he did so on the national holiday for the renowned civil rights ambassador Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As resolute this week as he was four years ago, President Obama began his historical second term amid a rebounding economy with his attention firmly focused on the issues of gun control, climate change, the economy, immigration reform, gay rights and foreign policy.

The President took the official oath of office for his second term as established by the U.S. constitution the on Sunday, Jan. 20, in a private ceremony at the White House with his wife and daughters standing by his side.

The public ceremony, complete with a parade and presidential motorcade, took place on the federally recognized holiday of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth, Monday, Jan. 21.

The crowd in attendance, estimated to be around

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

F E AT U R E

Thursday, January 24, 2013

AP Photo/Jonathan Ernst

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www.lawattstimes.com

Photo by:Valerie Goodloe

several people who viewed the inauguration via large screen television at Buffalo Wild Wings. The mood at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza-area eatery appeared to be one of contentment, satisfaction and hope that issues not addressed in President Obama’s first term would now receive his full and undivided attention.

“My expectations are that he address the issue of reparations for African Americans and the issue of the poor, because this administration like previous ones seems so concerned about Middle America, but never seems to talk about the people outside of that, said Cannick.

“I also hope that we will have an intelligent dialogue in the African American community about Gay Marriage,” Cannick continued. “More proactive than reactive. I believe that the president can be the catalyst to start that type of conversation.”

Immigrant Rights advocates also gathered in the Pico-Union district to view the inauguration At the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights’ (CHIRLA) office Isabel Medina, an undocumented immigrant, said she was hopeful that Pres. Obama would honor his pledge to take positive action on the issue of immigration reform. Medina, the mother of three, has been in the U.S. for more than 15 years. Her two youngest children were born here however her oldest child is also un-documented. As part

As I look on today and watch President Obama take his oath of office, I’ll be thinking of how we can all work together to further the vision Dr. King gave his life for. ~ Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA 37

of the Deferred Action program that Pres. Obama approved last year, Medina’s oldest child will be able to attend college and not have to worry about deportation.

“That’s only for two years,” Medina told television station KCAL-9. “What’s going to happen after those two years?”

In Gardena, Black and Latino activists also watched the inauguration at the offices of Good JobsLA, nonprofit organization that works to “hold wealthy corporations accountable to pay their fair share, create good jobs, and invest in the future of our communities,” according to the group’s website. An essay by Steve Askin, Research Director of the organization, posted to the website after the President’s inaugural address, listed suggestions for the President to “redirect the U.S. economy toward justice,” such as increasing the federal minimum wage to $9.80 per hour; restore full employment with a massive public investment program; reduce the non-war military budget to the Bush-era level; investing in high-quality, universal early childhood education; and adopting what it called “the common sense tax proposals in Vermont Senator Bernie Sander’s deficit reduction plan.” Those proposals call for ending all tax breaks for oil, gas and coal companies, and those companies that move jobs overseas, imposing an emergency surtax on millionaires, and making Wall Street pay an extra tax on the swaps,

derivatives and other speculative investments that crashed our economy, amongst other things.

The president will now turn his attention to the issues of gun control, climate change, the economy, immigration reform, gay rights and foreign policy.

Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi, president of the South L.A. Power Coalition which provides training and political education for South Los Angeles residents to increase their civic engagement outcomes, was also interested in the issues that the president would tackle now that the festivities of the inauguration have worn off. While acknowledging that gay and lesbian, immigration and environmental constituents rightfully pressed for their issues to be heard, he expressed his concern about the Black community’s mandate for President Obama’s final term in office. “President Obama has about 1 year to effectively move anything before he becomes a lame duck … We have given the president a pass as it relates to our specific needs because so many of us are extremely sensitive to what we perceive as racist obstructionist tactics employed by Republicans,” said Kwa Jitahadi. “This time around, we have to pressure [Pres. Obama] around our demands.”

Photo by:Valerie Goodloe

Photo by:Valerie Goodloe

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Kenneth Miller contributed to this story.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

e v e n t LISTINGS

1 / 2013 happening this month

L.A. Watts Times Calendar, Compiled by Brandon I. Brooks, Co-Managing Editor 1/26 CASH FOR COLLEGE: Hosted by Assemblyman Steven Bradford. Get help to apply for a Cal Grant at our Workshops and you could cash in on a $1000 scholarship.

All you have to do is bring financial documents, such as: You and your parents’ Federal income tax returns from 2012 (if filed), you and your parents’ W-2 forms, pay Steven check stubs or Bradford any records of earned income, current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds or other investment. Co-sponsors, for more information please call Darryn Harris at 310-412-6400. Limited funds available.

Scholarships recipients randomly selected.

HELP AND HOPE TOWN HALL AND RESOURCE FAIR: Congresswoman Karen Bass will be hosting a town hall and resource fair that we will offer mortgage assistance and resources in accessing food stamps, healthcare and the earned income tax credits during tax season which would provide a family earning less than $50,000 per year as much as $6,000 extra dollars. These are under used resources particularly in the African American community and in California. As you know the state is ground zero in foreclosures.

Also, California Karen ranks LAST Bass out of all 50 states for those who are eligible for food stamps but don’t apply.

Several hundred are expected to attend and receive help with their mortgages

NOW – 4/7 CAAM PRESENTS GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN: The California African

SEE YOUR FUTURE MENTORING PROGRAM: The 100 Black Men of Los Angeles will hold it’s first session of 2013 for the See Your Future Mentoring Program.

WHEN: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. WHERE: 100 Black Men of L.A. 3701 Stocker St., Suite 309A, Los Angeles, CA 90008. The program is open to all African American Males between the ages of 11-17. Our group mentoring sessions will be held every 4th Saturday of the month. Some sessions and workshops may be held on other Saturdays. If you would like for your son, nephew, cousin or other young man to participate, please click here or on the image above to RSVP. It is important that you RSVP. The program is FREE! For more information call Brent F. Burton Chair, Mentoring Committee, 100 BMLA President, African

AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY WORKSHOP: County of Los Angeles Public Library – AC Bilbrew Library presents an African American genealogy workshop researching and honoring our history and ancestry.

Presented by Charlotte Bocage Family Historian, Professional Genealogist, member of the Pasadena Area California African American Genealogical Society and the Southern California Genealogical Society. This workshop is designed to introduce participants to resources and strategies that are necessary in conducting family history research. Valuable tools and information will be presented for both beginners and experienced researchers. Free and open to the public .WHEN: 1:00 p.m. WHERE: AC Bilbrew Library 150 E. El Segundo Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90061. For more information call (310) 538-3350 or visit colapublib.org. For ADA accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter or materials in an alternate format, call 562-940-8462 (voice) or 562-940-8477 (TTY), M-F, 8-5, at least six days prior to event.

available. For additional information about the program, contact Alexis Coleman, Program Director, at (310) 528-3845/ info@urbanscholarathletes.com or visit the website at www.urbanscholarathletes.org.

and in accessing federal resources to improve their lives. Congresswoman Bass will be joined

by Chairman Jerome Horton from the 4th district California State Board of Equalization to speak with community folks about these issues.

WHEN: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. WHERE: Vermont Village Community Development Corporation, at Crenshaw Christian Center, 7901 South Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, California 90044.

Photos by Malcolm Ali

the exhibit will be closed. Admission is FREE! Where: Museum of African American Art 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008 (Located on the 3rd floor of Macy’s at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall). For more information call (323) 294-7071 or visit www.theleague90.com. For more information on the Museum of African American Art, visit www.maaala.org.

NOW – 3/16 URBAN SCHOLAR SATURDAY ENRICHMENT ACADEMY: Urban Scholar Athletes, Inc. will

Brent Burton American Firefighter Museum at (323) 8550812 or visit www.aaffmuseum.org.

FREE HOME BUYING MADE SIMPLE WORKSHOP: Buying a Home in 2013 with your Tax Return! WHERE: Zahrah’s Book Store 900 N. La Brea, Inglewood, Ca 90302.

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.. Come learn how to prepare to buy a home and learn about the various loan programs. You may qualify to receive down-payment or closing cost assistance. Contact: Dawn Wiley, Realtor DRE# 01184456 (310) 592-8568 orhomebyingmadesimple@gmail.com.

conduct its Urban Scholar Saturday Enrichment Academy [Winter Term]. WHEN: Every Saturday, from January 19, 2013- March 16, 2013, from 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. WHERE: Darby Park Recreational Center, 3400 Arbor Vitae, Inglewood, CA 90305. The Academy is targeted for students currently in 1st-6th grade.

Certificated and experienced teachers will help students explore specialized areas of science, reading, and math in fun and engaging ways as well as prepare students for the upcoming California standardized test. Additionally, throughout the program, students will have an opportunity to earn “scholar bucks” for prize

ON GOING NOW – 3/7 THE LOS ANGELES URBAN LEAGUE PRESENTS: “The 90 That Built L.A.,” an exhibit at the Museum of African American Art. This multi-layered exhibit chronicles and celebrates the League’s 90 plus year milestone of serving the city of Los Angeles, in addition to honoring 90 champions for change and equality, past and present. The exhibit will include personal artifacts from honorees; a retrospect of the social, economic, political and civic challenges and triumphs for Los Angeles residents of color and the League’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the community.

WHEN: Museum hours are Thursday -Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday –Wednesday

American Museum (CAAM) presents the exhibition “Go Tell It On The Mountain.” The exhibit showcases 24 artists who examine Christianity’s role in fostering political action and social engagement. The exhibition’s curators, Nery Gabriel Lemus and Mar Hollingsworth, utilized James Baldwin’s 1953 novel of the same title, “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” as a point of departure to select a variety of pieces. The selections celebrate faith and, at times contrast, the oppositional forces within Christianity and the underlying tensions of religious control as well as human hypocrisy.

WHERE: CAAM is located at 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles. For more information visit www.caamuseum.org or call (213) 744-2024. Parking is $10 per vehicle and available on 39th and Figueroa streets.

NOW – 4/30 CRENSHAW/LAX CORRIDOR TRANSIT CORRIDOR – CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: Attention commuters and residents on 59th PL between 8th Ave and Crenshaw Blvd. As part of advance utility relocation activities for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project, Metro’s contractor, Metro Builders, will be relocating sewer lines on 59th Pl in the City of Los Angeles to make room for the underground section of the Crenshaw Light Rail Line. WHAT: Sewer Relocation. WHEN: Beginning approximately Monday, January 21 through approximately April 30; Monday through Friday. The anticipated work hours are from 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. weather permitting.

WHERE: 59th Pl between 8th Av and Crenshaw Blvd. WHAT TO EXPECT: 59th Pl will be closed to through traffic in the vicinity of the construction activities. Parking restriction will be implemented in the immediate area of the construction. No parking will be allowed on 59 Pl on either side of the street between 8th Av and Crenshaw Bl during working hours.

Interruptions to driveway access for homes on 59Pl will be coordinated by the Contractor. Access for pedestrians will be maintained outside of the construction zone.

Access for the Fire Department and emergency responders will be maintained. For more information, call the Construction Relations Team at (212) 9222736 or email us at crenshawcorridor@metro.net or visit metro.net/Crenshaw.

TO MAKE A CALENDAR SUBMISSION:

redemption, receive free books, and participate in fieldtrips and community service initiatives.

Program registration is $40.00, which includes the 1st session, t-shirt, and a Scholastic Weekly Reader magazine subscription. Weekly classes are $20/week, in which sibling discounts are

Include event name, date(s), time, location, contact/RSVP information and admission price, if any. Use BRIEF paragraph format (no lists, line breaks, or all caps). All calendar submissions are space-permitting and may be edited for brevity. Send submissions, along with any images, to brandon@lasentinel.net with the subject heading “LAWT Community Events.” Please include text in the body of your email, not in an attachment.

opinion

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Hands off Malia and Sasha Obama

BY GEORGE E. CURRY NNPA COLUMNIST Just when you think leaders of the National Rifle Association can’t stoop any lower, they keep managing to plunge even deeper. This time, they have strayed way over the line of respectability by using Malia and Sasha’s enrollment in Sidwell Friends, a private Quaker school, to malign President Obama over his proposal to place limits on the sale of assault rifles and expand background checks.

“Are the president’s kids more important than yours? Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school? Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. But he’s just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. Protection for their kids. And gun-free zones for ours.”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was correct when he said in a statement: “Most Americans agree that a president’s children should not be used as pawns in a political fight.

But to go so far as to make the safety of the president’s children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, said: “To talk about the president’s children or any public officer’s children who have – not by their own choice, but by requirement – to have protection and use that somehow to make a political point I think is reprehensible.”

I am tempted to call NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and his comrades scum.

But I’m going to resist the tempta-

George E. Curry

tion. Not because they don’t fit that description. I’m restraining myself because to call them scum would be an insult to scum.

A second NRA ad, running fourand-a-half-minutes, tossed in an image of NBC newsman David Gregory – whose children also attend Sidwell Friends School – for good measure. The narrator in the ad says “Armed Guards — Good enough for David Gregory’s kids’ school, not for the rest of us. …[The] school Obama’s daughters attend has 11 armed guards.”

Not surprisingly, the ad conveniently ignores the fact that the Secret Service is required to protect the president’s children. They protected Chelsea Clinton and Julie Nixon when they attended the school, known as “the Harvard of Washington’s private schools.”

Although the original NRA ad

leaves the impression that it is referring to Secret Service agents, the longer version makes it clear that NRA is referencing security guards at the school, which has a lower school campus in Bethesda, Md. and middle and upper schools in northwest Washington, D.C. The Washington Post’s Fact Checker column awarded the NRA ad four Pinocchios, representing a “whopper” of a lie. The newspaper noted, “…the online directory for Sidwell Friends lists 11 people as working in the Security Department.

Five are listed as ‘special police officer,’ while two are listed as ‘on call special police officer,’ which presumably means they do not work full-time. The directory also lists two weekend shift supervisors, one security officer and the chief of security.“ “… But we spoke to parents who said they had never seen a guard on campus with a weapon. And Ellis Turner, associate head of Sidwell Friends, told us emphatically: ‘Sidwell Friends security officers do not carry guns.’”

The NRA’s ad claiming that President Obama is “skeptical about putting armed security in our schools” misrepresents his position.

The clip was taken out of context from this exchange between the president and David Gregory on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com.

You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.

WOMEN COMBAT Continued from page 2 complete the course. And there may not be a wide clamoring from women for the more intense, dangerous and difficult jobs — including some infantry and commando positions.

In the Navy, however, women have begun moving into the submarine force, with several officers already beginning to serve.

Jon Soltz, who served two Army tours in Iraq and is the chairman of the veterans group VoteVets.org, said it may be difficult for the military services to carve out exceptions to the new rule. And while he acknowledged that not all women are interested in pursuing some of the gritty combat jobs, “some of them are, and when you’re looking for the best of the best you cast a wide net. There are women who can meet these standards, and they have a right to compete.”

Two lawsuits were filed last year challenging the Pentagon’s ban on women serving in combat, adding pressure on officials to overturn the policy. And the military services have been studying the issue and surveying their forces to determine how it may affect performance and morale.

The Joint Chiefs have been meeting regularly on the matter and they unanimously agreed to send the recommendation to Panetta earlier this month.

A senior military official familiar with the discussions said the chiefs concluded this was an opportunity to maximize women’s service in the military. The official said the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps laid out three main principles to guide them as they move through the process: — That they were obligated to maintain America’s effective fighting force.

— That they would set up a process that would give all service members, men and women alike, the best chance to succeed.

—That they would preserve military readiness.

Part of the process, the official said, would allow time to get female service members in leadership and officer positions in some of the more difficult job classifications in order to help pave the way for female enlisted troops.

“Not every woman makes a good soldier, but not every man makes a good soldier. So women will compete,” said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, DCalif. “We’re not asking that standards be lowered. We’re saying that if they can be effective and they can be a good soldier or a good Marine in that particular operation, then give them a shot.”

Women comprise about 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel. More than 280,000 women have been sent to Iraq, Afghanistan or to jobs in neighboring nations in support of the wars. Of the more than 6,600 who have been killed, 152 have been women.

The senior military official said the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15.

If the draft were ever reinstated, changing the rules would be a difficult proposition. The Supreme Court has ruled that because the Selective Service Act is aimed at creating a list of men who could be drafted for combat, American women aren’t required to register upon turning 18 as all males are.

If combat jobs open to women, Congress would have to decide what to do about that law.

Black Facts.com January 25, 1980 Black Entertainment Television {BET} - first black owned company to be listed on the NYSE, begins broadcasting from Washington, DC

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KINGDOM PARADE Continued from page 5 continues to inspire and carry each one of us as we move forward in life.”

Marching and riding to the Kingdom day theme of “His Dream Will Never Die,” the event featured a spectacular array of floats, school marching bands, community organizations, drill teams, beauty queens, celebrities, and civic leaders.

“I'm definitely part of his dream, and I'm living in this great world today,” Kemp told reporters Saturday. “If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this position.”

Originally founded by the late Larry E. Grant who died last year, the Kingdom Day parade was organized by Adrian Dove, chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality and an assembly of outstanding volunteers.

Dozens of notables greeted the crowd, including Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, Councilman Bernard Parks, Councilwoman Jan Perry, Councilman Eric Garcetti, Councilman Dennis Zine, L. A. City Controller Wendy Gruel, L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, Congresswoman Janice Hahn, Carson Councilman Mike Gipson, Councilwoman Lula Davis-Holmes, and Compton Councilwoman Janna Zurita.

Los Angeles Unified School District, School Board Member Marguerite LaMotte, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Brian Cummings, Parents of Watts founder “Sweet” Alice Harris, actor Babba Obbutunde, actress Paula Jai Parker, Tony Cornelius, son of the late Don Cornelius; Ray Charles Jr., blues singer Linda Hopkins, ABC sportscaster Rob Fukusaki, actor Hal Williams, actress Marla Gibbs, and SEIU Local 99 ere all gleefully in attendance.

Former Dodger legends such as Maury Wills, Kenny Landreau and “Sweet” Lou Johnson, received thunderous applause as they waved to the massive crowd from a blue fire truck.

The crowd cheered and clapped as nearly a dozen marching bands filled the air with music, including the 350member All City Honor Band, while the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, dressed in crimson jackets, marched in front of their elaborate three-level-high float that paid tribute to King by blasting Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.”

Many parents and grandparents brought their children and grandchildren to the event to enlighten them about Dr. King’s legacy of equality and nonviolence. “I brought my five grandchildren all the way from Orange County just to see the parade,” said Buddy Monroe. “I wanted my grandkids to understand the meaning and significance of this day and to let them know why Dr. King is celebrated by people around the world.”

“Martin Luther King was a significant part of our history,” observed Los Angeles resident Micah Foster who proudly watched as a drill team marched down Crenshaw Boulevard. “I didn’t believe in King’s notion of turning the other cheek, but if it wasn’t for him, there would be one less significant African American for us to look up to,” he observed.

Leimert Park resident Trina Murphy, who was enjoying the festivities with her husband, Timothy, reflected on the sacrifices made by the civil rights leader. “Martin Luther King paved the way for African Americans, so I felt it would be an injustice not to attend today,” she said.

“The parade is outstanding. It’s very positive,” nodded Gail Davis, who said she drove with friends from Pasadena. “I’ve been here several times, and each year the parade keeps getting better and better. I really liked the high school bands, the Boy Scouts, and the teamsters. It’s great to see all the black people coming together.”

“I’ve been coming to the parade for 28 years, ever since it started,” said Los Angeles resident Mike Jones who watched attentively from the sidelines.

“It’s just good to watch all the floats and festivities and just to see the community come together as one.”

Attendees clapped and whistled as the parade’s official beauty queen and court of princesses excitedly waved and threw kisses at the crowd. “I had a really good time,” said beauty queen Carla Banks, a recent University of California Berkeley graduate who waved to the crowd in her sparkling diamond tiara and shimmering green gown. “People were waving and smiling at us. It was a really wonderful feeling to connect with people in the community.”

Health care was a recurring theme as several organizations offered services for rapid HIV testing while the Donate Life California bus spread awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. The To Help Everyone (T.H.E.) clinic’s bus reminded parade goers that no cost to low cost health care was available to the public.

Businessman Ron Smothers, owner of the popular Denny’s restaurant located on Crenshaw Boulevard, said, “We’ve been part of the parade for the past five years and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the vision that King had.”

A bus representing “Project Cry No More,” an organization founded to assist community residents who had lost loved ones to gun violence, drew thunderous applause from the crowd while activist Amanda Sanders, who marched with the Stop Mass Incarceration Network and the Revolutionary Club, chanted and proudly waved a sign proclaiming “Stop Mass Incarceration.”

“Ninety percent of the people in jail today are Black and Latino,” she pointed out. “We are trying to call attention to this issue because mass incarceration plus silence equals genocide. We are also working to help save our youth from the prison system.”

Tony Muhammad, the Western Regional Minister of the Nation of Islam, said he enjoys the festivities each year. “We are here to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, who I personally feel is a saint,” he said. “I would like to see much the application of his legacy practiced by more of our people, especially when it comes to nonviolence.

Since King’s death, 30,000 youths have been murdered in Los Angeles alone.

We’ve lost more young people to gun violence than we lost in Vietnam.”

“I feel proud to honor Dr. King in our community and to show the next generation our heritage,” said Los Angeles resident Donna Sampson, who accompanied friends to the parade. “I was pleased to see Police Chief Charlie Beck and County Sheriff Lee Baca marching in the parade. I heard on the news that crime was down and I believe that the reduction in crime is due to having more police presence in the community.”

Kenneth Miller contributed to this story

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Film Review: ‘LUV’ Steve Harvey to host Feb.

1 NAACP Image Awards ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by BILL GRAY

Danny Glover, left, and Common star in Luv, an urban, indie drama and coming-of-age tale.

By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic Never has contributing to the delinquency of a minor been so wonderfully tragic and compelling.

Sometimes Woody Watson (Michael Rainey Jr.), an 11-year-old, is a vulnerable kid: “Only one place I have is OK. Inside me where I can hide everything.” Other times he’s a little man, a baby gangsta tuff; one morning he points a squirt gun at a mirror with a scowl on his face, “What you gon’ do? I’m the man, I’ll kill you.”

Woody lives with his grandma (Lonette McKee) at her house in the Baltimore ‘burbs. His Uncle Vincent, nicknamed V (Common), has been “away” for eight years, and he’s shacking there, too. V is caring and nurturing, when he’s not acting like a smooth-talking, well-dressed thug. He dream of opening a high-class crab joint, cause local folks like to eat those indigenous crustaceans. But, dreams cost money.

Life changes for Wood the day V lets him skip school so he can show him the ropes, “You with me today.

I’m gonna teach you real work s—.”

V’s trying to stay on the up and up, but devils from his past tug at him. In the middle of a drug war, a crime lord named Fish (Dennis Haysbert) and his cagey older brother Arthur (Danny Glover) scheme on V. A buddy named Caufield (Charles Dutton) tries to steer him in the right direction, but bad choices and circumstance pull him down harder than gravity.

There is something so disturbing about watching a child being initiated into a life of crime. This daring film does it with gruesome authenticity drawn from true, life experience.

Sheldon Candis, director and cowriter, was just 9 years old when he rode shotgun with an older family member who was a purported drug dealer, “During those rides, he would explain to me what it takes to be a man.” But a child can’t really comprehend adulthood; they can’t fathom the consequences of their actions. They just posture. Wood drinks, shoots a gun and scams like a 40-year-old, but he is clueless. You feel for him.

Candis and Justin Wilson’s screenplay starts off almost magical, like urban ghetto fairy dust, then becomes more and more grim as the boy and his

uncle descend into a merciless crime world that devours them. V is like the devil, tempting an angel, yet he still has redeeming qualities and he imparts wisdom: He confirms that Wood knows Frederick Douglass taught other slaves to read, right there in Baltimore: “When you think you can’t make it, think about your ancestors ‘cause that’s what’s in your spirit.”

As a director, Candis has perfect instincts for urban storytelling. The gritty atmosphere he creates is so real you can taste the fresh Baltimore crabmeat, smell the streets and you flinch and duck when bullets fly. If you liked the cable series “The Wire,” this is your cup of java. There’s a very refined blend of memorable dialogue, graphic action, silent moments, pained glances and eye-catching visuals. Candis doesn’t overcook the characters or dramatic scenes; he lets them simmer. He gives the actors plenty of time to work their magic. In ways this film feels like an intelligent, artistic character study with a European sensibility.

Portuguese composer Nuno Malo has created a hypnotic score with strained strings and synthesizers. It’s not typical music for an urban tale, but the contrasts works. Some of the cinematography (Gavin Kelly) feels a bit soft almost emitting a blinding cloudy light. It’s too atmospheric when stark realism might have been a better choice Common has a natural swagger; it helped him become a noted rapper. In this film, the musician becomes an actor capable of emoting and conveying deep feelings. He goes head to head with veteran thespians like Glover (his Arthur is impeccably nuanced), Dutton (sure-footed as ever) and Haysbert (he should stop doing those insurance commercials and go back to film or theatre so people can be reminded that he is a top-notch actor).

If there is a scene-stealer, it is the very endearing and natural Rainey Jr. He has acting chops far beyond his years and turns in a performance that is on par with Quvenzhané Wallis’ in Beast of the Southern Wild. When Rainey Jr. and Common get into their screaming matches, it’s powerful stuff.

V tries to prepare Wood for the worst, “If you show weakness they gon’ get at you.”

Film Rating: *** (3 Stars) Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at www.DwighBrownInk.com.

Comedian-TV talk show host Steve Harvey is hosting next month's NAACP Image Awards.

The organization said Tuesday that presenters will include “Django Unchained” nominees Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx. Queen Latifah and Tony Goldwyn also will be among the presenters. Dennis Haysbert will be the announcer for the live broadcast.

Harvey said he’s honored to host the ceremony and promised “great things in store for the night.”

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards honor diversity in the arts. Contenders for the top movie prize are “Flight,” “Django Unchained,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Red Tails” and “Tyler Perry’s AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file Good Deeds.”

The 44th annual ceremony is This May 12, 2012 file photo shows comedian Steve Harvey performing at Gospelfest in Newark, N.J. scheduled to air Feb. 1 on NBC.

Wayans nephews enter family trade

BY KIMBERLY ROBERTS SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE The new BET-scripted comedy “Second Generation Wayans” debuted earlier this month (Jan. 15) after the premiere of “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” The half-hour series stars Damien Dante Wayans, Craig Wayans, George O. Gore II and Tatyana Ali. According to the network, viewers will see “the good, the funny and the

ugly” as Damien Dante and Craig emerge from the long shadows of their uncles, Keenan, Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans (as well as their aunt, Kim), to carve out their own paths to stardom in Hollywood.

Joining the comedic duo, who have essentially grown up in show business, is George O. Gore II (formerly of the sitcom “My Wife & Kids”) as friend and business partner George and Tatyana Ali (formerly of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”) as their office assistant Maya.

“It’s basically ‘Entourage,’ but with my nephews in it,” said Marlon Wayans, one of the executive producers of the show. “That’s my sister Elvira’s son — Damien, and Deidre’s son is Craig.”

“I’m involved in it if they need me,” Keenan Ivory Wayans, the monarch of the Wayans comedy dynasty, told BET.com. “When they went to do this show, it initially was going to be all of us producing. But I said to Craig and Damien, ‘This is See WAYANS NEPHEWS, page 13

Photo Courtesy of BET Network/TONYA WISE

From left, “Second Generation Wayans” cast members Celeste Sullivan, George O. Gore II, Damien Dante Wayans, Tatyana Ali and Craig Wayans, at the Los Angeles premiere screening for the series beginning Jan. 15 at 10:30 p.m. on BET.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

13

Al Green: turned down Judge rejects ‘together’ time with Obamas restraining order

BY NEKESA MUMBI MOODY ASSOCIATED PRESS Al Green says if things had worked out, it would have been him serenading President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle at the inaugural ball.

Jennifer Hudson sang Green’s classic “Let’s Stay Together,” leaving many to wonder why the soul legend wasn’t singing his own hit for the first couple.

In a statement to The Associated Press, his representative said Green had been asked to sing, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from attending Monday’s festivities.

Green said he'd be honored to sing for the president in the future.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Obama famously sang a snippet of the song at an event last year that Green attended.

for Fishburne

AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File

In this Feb. 17, 2012 file photo, Laurence Fishburne poses backstage at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles judge on Wednesday Jan. 23, 2013 refused to grant Fishburne a three-year restraining order against a convicted felon who has tried to evict him from his house.

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, file

This July 5, 2009 file photo shows Al Green performing during the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.

Police sent to Chris Brown home in latest 911 hoax ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chris Brown

AP Photo

Police responded to Chris Brown's home after they received a call about a domestic violence situation that turned out to be false.

The Los Angeles Times reports police were contacted shortly before 5 p.m. Monday about a domestic violence incident. When police arrived, members of Brown’s staff were at the home, but the singer wasn’t.

Police searched the home and didn’t find any problems.

It’s the latest so-called “swatting” prank targeting celebrities. The practice is intended to get multiple officers, including specialized SWAT teams sent to a home.

Last week, Beverly Hills police responded to a fake armed robbery call at Tom Cruise's house. Other hoax calls have been made involving the homes of Justin Bieber, Ashton Kutcher and Miley Cyrus.

A judge refused Wednesday to grant Laurence Fishburne a threeyear restraining order against a convicted felon who claims he owns the actor’s home.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson said she could not consider Mark Francisco’s criminal history and she did not think his conduct warranted a lengthy restraining order.

Francisco, who police say was recently paroled on a cyberstalking case, went to the actor's home on Jan. 1 and threatened to evict the family.

He also left a letter at the Oscar-nominated actor’s home, but the judge said there was nothing threatening about it.

Fishburne’s attorney, Donald Etra, said Francisco was waving an umbrella. The actor’s security guard

testified Wednesday that the man was agitated while speaking to him and police outside the gated home.

Neither Fishburne nor Francisco attended the hearing.

The actor had been given a temporary restraining order, but Goodson said Francisco’s conduct didn’t warrant an extension.

Etra said he disagreed with the ruling and will return to court if Francisco goes to the home again. “A man is entitled to feel secure in his home,” Etra said.

Fishburne starred in “The Matrix” series and was nominated for a best actor Academy Award in 1993 for “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” His wife is an actress, appearing in “24” and other television series.

WAYANS NEPHEWS Continued from page 12 your thing and you’re doing this to establish yourselves, so you all don’t need me.’ They don’t need Marlon either [laughs]. But Marlon is there in case they need him. They’re doing their thing.”

It appears that the irreverent Marlon, whose hilarious feature film, “A Haunted House,” is now open in theaters, is passing on to his young nephews the showbiz knowledge that his big brother shared with him. “My brother Keenan taught me that you can’t just be a ‘Black actor,’” he said. “If you want to be a Black actor, expect not to work. If you want the Black actor to work, then you must take your Black a**

and write and produce and learn to direct, so that you can write a vehicle for your Black actor to be in, and that’s the bottom line.”

“The Wayans family name is synonymous with comedy and entertainment, and you’ll indulge in plenty of laughter and amusement in ‘Second Generation Wayans.’ You’ll also witness firsthand that life as a Wayans and childhood star isn’t all fun and games in Hollywood. In a way, this series is a behind-thescenes look at what it’s like to juggle the pressures of being famous while trying to create your own path,” said Loretha Jones, president of original programming at BET.

14

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Seau’s family sues NFL Te’o tells Couric over brain injuries he briefly lied

AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File

This Jan. 10, 2010, file photo shows New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau before an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Foxborough, Mass.

BY BARRY WILNER ASSOCIATED PRESS Add Junior Seau’s family to the thousands of people who are suing the NFL over the long-term damage caused by concussions.

Seau’s ex-wife and four children sued the league Wednesday, saying the former linebacker’s suicide was the result of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing football.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its “acts or omissions” that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. It says Seau developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from those hits, and accuses the NFL of deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries.

Seau died at age 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot in May. He was diagnosed with CTE, based on posthumous tests, earlier this month.

An Associated Press review in November found that more than 3,800 players have sued the NFL over head injuries in at least 175 cases as the con-

cussion issue has gained attention in recent years. The total number of plaintiffs is 6,000 when spouses, relatives and other representatives are included.

Scores of the concussion lawsuits have been brought together before U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia.

“Our attorneys will review it and respond to the claims appropriately through the court,” the NFL said in a statement Wednesday.

Helmet manufacturer Riddell Inc., also is a defendant, with the Seau family saying Riddell was “negligent in their design, testing, assembly, manufacture, marketing, and engineering of the helmets” used by NFL players. The suit says the helmets were unreasonably dangerous and unsafe.

Riddell issued a statement saying it is, “confident in the integrity of our products and our ability to successfully defend our products against challenges.”

Seau was one of the best linebackers during his 20 seasons in the NFL, retiring in 2009.

“We were saddened to learn that Junior, a loving father and teammate, suffered from CTE,” the family said in a statement released to the AP. “While

CHURCH BOMBING Continued from page 6 The grisly images from Birmingham drew national attention and deepened tumult in Birmingham, a city already rife with racial tension. In the aftermath, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a eulogy for the “martyred children.”

The bombing proved to be a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. Within a year, Congress passed the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and, a year later, the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But it took more than a decade before any of the bombing’s perpetrators were successfully brought to justice.

In 1977, Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the case, asking the FBI for help. That led to the murder conviction of Robert Cham-

bliss, a known Ku Klux Klan member.

Eventually, two others — Thomas Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry — were convicted for roles in the bombing, Blanton in 2001 and Cherry in 2002. A third suspect, Herman Cash, was identified by federal investigators but had already died when the FBI announced its case.

The push for a Congressional Gold Medal, which will be led by Sewell and Bachus in the House and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., in the Senate, is part of a yearlong effort to commemorate Birmingham’s role in the civil rights movement.

Bachus, who couldn’t attend Tuesday’s event, said recognition from Congress is the right way to honor the four girls whose deaths “led to a permanent change in our society.”

Junior always expected to have aches and pains from his playing days, none of us ever fathomed that he would suffer a debilitating brain disease that would cause him to leave us too soon.

“We know this lawsuit will not bring back Junior. But it will send a message that the NFL needs to care for its former players, acknowledge its decades of deception on the issue of head injuries and player safety, and make the game safer for future generations.”

Plaintiffs are listed as Gina Seau, Junior’s ex-wife; Junior’s children Tyler, Sydney, Jake and Hunter, and Bette Hoffman, trustee of Seau’s estate.

The lawsuit accuses the league of glorifying the violence in pro football, and creating the impression that delivering big hits “is a badge of courage which does not seriously threaten one’s health.”

It singles out NFL Films and some of its videos for promoting the brutality of the game.

“In 1993’s ‘NFL Rocks,’ Junior Seau offered his opinion on the measure of a punishing hit: ‘If I can feel some dizziness, I know that guy is feeling double (that),’” the suit says.

The NFL consistently has denied allegations similar to those in the lawsuit.

“The NFL, both directly and in partnership with the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations, is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address CTE and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels,” the league told the AP after it was revealed Seau had CTE. The lawsuit claims money was behind the NFL’s actions.

“The NFL knew or suspected that any rule changes that sought to recognize that link (to brain disease) and the health risk to NFL players would impose an economic cost that would significantly and adversely change the profit margins enjoyed by the NFL and its teams,” the Seaus said in the suit.

The National Institutes of Health, based in Bethesda, Md., studied three unidentified brains, one of which was Seau’s, and said the findings on Seau were similar to autopsies of people “with exposure to repetitive head injuries.”

“It was important to us to get to the bottom of this, the truth,” Gina Seau told the AP then. “And now that it has been conclusively determined from every expert that he had obviously had CTE, we just hope it is taken more seriously. You can’t deny it exists, and it is hard to deny there is a link between head trauma and CTE. There’s such strong evidence correlating head trauma and collisions and CTE.” In the final years of his life, Seau went through wild behavior swings, according to Gina and to 23-year-old son, Tyler. There also were signs of irrationality, forgetfulness, insomnia and depression.

“He emotionally detached himself and would kind of ‘go away’ for a little bit,” Tyler Seau said. “And then the depression and things like that. It started to progressively get worse.”

about girlfriend

AP Photo/Disney-ABC, Lorenzo Bevilaqua

This Jan. 22, 2013 photo released by ABC Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, right, speaking with host Katie Couric during an interview for “Katie,” in New York.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o told Katie Couric this week that he briefly lied about his online girlfriend after discovering she didn’t exist, while maintaining that he had no part in creating the hoax.

Pressed by Couric to admit that he was in on the deception, Te’o said he believed that his girlfriend Lennay Kekua had died of cancer and didn’t lie about it until December.

“Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told me that she died on Sept. 12.

Everybody knew that. This girl, who I committed myself to, died on Sept. 12,” Te’o said in an interview airing today on Couric’s syndicated talk show. A segment of the interview with Te’o and his parents was broadcast Wednesday on “Good Morning America.”

The Heisman Trophy runner-up said he only learned of the hoax when he received a phone call in December from a woman saying she was Kekua.

“Now I get a phone call on Dec. 6, saying that she’s alive and then

I’m going be put on national TV two days later. And to ask me about the same question. You know, what would you do?” Te’o said.

An Associated Press review of news coverage found that the Heisman Trophy runner-up talked about his doomed love in a Web interview on Dec. 8 and again in a newspaper interview published Dec. 10.

Te’o’s father defended his son when Couric pointed out that many people don’t believe the Irish star, suspecting he used the situation for personal gain.

“People can speculate about what they think he is. I’ve known him 21 years of his life. And he’s not a liar. He’s a kid,” Brian Te’o said with tears in his eyes.

On Tuesday, the woman whose photo was used as the “face” of the Twitter account of Te’o’s supposed girlfriend says the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her.

Diane O’Meara told NBC’s “Today” show that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua.

Black Facts.com January 26, 1990 In 1990, Elaine Weddington Steward was named assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox, making her the first Black woman executive of a professional baseball organization.

January 28, 1970 Arthur Ashe, first Black male to win Wimbledon, is denied entry to compete on the US Team for the South African Open tennis championships due to Ashe’s sentiments on South Africa’s racial policies

Thursday, January 24, 2013

FPA proposes revisions to Rooney Rule Frtiz Pollard Alliance wants Rooney Rule to include coordinators, assistant head coaches

BY ROB MAADDI AP PRO FOOTBALL WRITER After minority candidates were recently shut out by NFL teams for 15 top jobs, the Fritz Pollard Alliance wants the Rooney Rule to include coordinators, assistant head coaches and club president positions.

The proposal sent Tuesday to league executives came a week after no minorities were hired for eight coaching vacancies and seven general manager openings. There are only four minority head coaches going into the 2013 season, the fewest since 2003.

“I think the league recognizes that these are the challenges we are dealing with when it relates to diversity and this is a plan of action that they can accept and be willing to work with,” John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance AP Photo/Patrick Semansky Foundation said. “I feel very com- Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinafortable that this will be extended tor Jim Caldwell speaks during a into the Rooney Rule.”

Robert Gulliver, the NFL’s news conference at the team's practice executive vice president of human facility in Owings Mills, Md., resources, said in a statement last Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. The Ravens week the hiring results were “disap- are scheduled to face the New pointing” and anticipated making England Patriots in the AFC Championship on Sunday. revisions.

In a letter to Gulliver and Jeff Pash, the NFL’s executive vice president and general counsel, the alliance said: “We believe pipeline issues are a part of the reason we’ve seen a reduction in head coaches of color over the past few years, and this expansion will diversify the head coaching pipeline.”

With teams trending toward hiring coaches with offensive backgrounds, it’s important for minorities to hold coordinator positions. Baltimore’s Jim Caldwell and Pep Hamilton, hired last week by Indianapolis, are the only minority offensive coordinators in the NFL. Caldwell, who led the Colts to a Super Bowl appearance in his first season in 2009, didn’t even get an interview for a coaching vacancy this offseason.

“In this quarterback-dominated era, it seems clubs are increasingly looking for offensive coaches to fill head coaching positions in particular, and far too few minority coaches have been given offensive coordinator and play-calling responsibilities,” said Cyrus Mehri, co-founder and counsel of the FPA. “We want to see a special focus on offensive coordinator and play calling duties going forward. We have many experienced wide receiver and running back position coaches ready to be coordinators now.”

Wooten said the Rooney Rule for coordinators wouldn't apply to just-hired coaches because “it wouldn’t be fair to them” going into their interviews.

“We made a differential in that the rule extends to a sitting coach when he starts to hire coordinators and assistant head coaches,” Wooten said. “It wouldn’t be fair to a coach coming in because that’s one of the real positives of a new coach when he’s sitting in that interview is to be able to tell them exactly who his staff will be and who has committed to coming with him.”

The alliance also proposed a reinstatement of the league’s front office and coaching symposia to train coaches and front office personnel for future opportunities.

There’s never been a minority team president.

“That’s very important now because the president is very much involved in the selection process,” Wooten said.

The Rooney Rule was implemented in 2003 and named after Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who pushed for it. Before the diversity rule, there had only been six minority head coaches in the NFL in more than 80 years. Since then, 12 have been hired.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance is a group of minority coaches, front office and scouting personnel established 10 years ago.

15

First-down line could be coming to NFL stadiums

In the future, first-down line on TV could become a part of in-game experience at NFL stadiums

In this Sept. 12, 2012, file photo, officials measure for a Cincinnati Bengals first down during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass.

Football fans watching NFL games on TV have grown accustomed to the imaginary first-down stripe that runs across the field. The league is considering the possibility of making that line a reality at the stadium.

BY DAVID GINSBURG AP SPORTS WRITER Fans watching NFL games on television have grown accustomed to the imaginary yellow line that runs across the field in accord with the first-down marker.

That first-down line could one day become part of the in-game experience at all 32 NFL stadiums.

Alan Amron, with financial backing from former NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, has developed the First Down Laser System.

Amron said the system projects a firstdown line across the field that can be seen in the stadium and on TV. The league is intrigued, but not completely sold on the idea — not yet anyway.

“The NFL is our prime customer at this point,” Amron said, “and if we can make something that they like, maybe the NCAA and Canadian Football League will follow suit.”

Amron first met with the NFL in 2003 and again in 2009. There may soon be future meetings.

“They give me different opinions and suggestions along the way,” Amron said. “We comply with them and come back. They tell me it took them years and years to implement replay and the overhead cam. The NFL right now has made it very clear to us that they didn’t want to eliminate the chains, but augmenting them wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

League spokesman Greg Aiello said, “We have not been convinced that it would work for us, but we are open to further discussion after the season.”

The laser system would be attached to the first-down markers on both sides and project a contrasting light green line across the field. The system would work in accord with the chain gang, but is designed to provide a more accurate focal point in terms of measurements. When a player hits the turf, by theory, it would become immediately apparent whether he made a first down.

“A misplaced ball on a first-down measurement can mean the difference between winning and losing a game,” Summerall said.

For fans at home, the first-down line is a visual aid that has become as much a part of the telecast as replay and out-oftown highlights. Amron got the idea for the laser after watching a game at home, then going to the stadium and having to do without the line across the field.

“Right away I realized it would be a great thing to be able to project it onto the field,” he said. “I filed patents on it within weeks.”

In recent years, the NFL has attempted to lure fans from home by making larger replay screens, displaying in-house photos of what the replay official is watching and showing clips from games around the league. Could a first-down line be the next addition?

“It will help all teams bring more fans to the stadium to see the game in person,” Summerall said.

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File

GOVERNMENT LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) Metro will receive Bids for IFB NO. PS13312010 – Removal and Disposal of Hazardous Waste and Universal Waste per specifications on file at the Office of Procurement, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (9th Floor).

All Bids/Proposals must be submitted to Metro, and be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Procurement on or before February 19, 2013 at 2:00. Pacific Time, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received after the above date and time may be rejected and returned unopened. Each Bid must be sealed and marked IFB NO. PS13312010. A Pre-Bid conference will be held on January 30, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. in the Wilshire Conference Room, on the 9th Floor, located at the address above.

You may obtain Bid specifications a copy of the IFB, or further information, by faxing Jean Davis at (213) 922-1005.

1/24/13 CNS-2435737# WATTS TIMES LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Metro will receive proposals for RFP No. PS42403059, Articulated Bus Pavement Wear Studyper specifications on file at the LACMTA Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (9th Floor).

All proposals must be received on or before February 14, 2013, 4:00 PM Pacific Timeat the address listed above, sent to the attention of Ben Calmes, Principal Contract Administrator.Proposals received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the proposer unopened. A Pre-Proposal conference will be held on January 23, 2013, 2:00 PM, located in the Palisades Conference Room on the 8th Floor at the address above.

You may obtain a copy of the RFP, or further information, by downloading at http://www.metro.net/ EBB/bids1.asp or by contacting Ben Calmes at CalmesB@metro.net.

1/24/13 CNS-2434098# WATTS TIMES REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES DEPARTMENT The County of Los Angeles, Child Support Services Department, is soliciting proposals from qualified businesses, consortiums, partnerships or corporations to provide Legal Service of Process Services.

Proposers who have demonstrated verifiable experience in Legal Service of Process are invited to submit a written proposal in accordance with the Request for Proposal package. Copies of the Request for Proposal package can be obtained beginning January 30, 2013 at 8:00 am., at the Child Support Services Department, 5770 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 900402924, by calling Aimee Torres, Administrative Services Manager, at (323) 889-3365 or by e-mail to aimee_torres@cssd.lacounty.gov. There will be a mandatory Proposer’s conference held on March 13, 2013 at 9:30 am., at the Child Support Services Department, 5500 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 90040-2924, Philip L. Browning Conference Room.

1/24, 1/31/13 CNS-2404941# WATTS TIMES

To place a Classified Ad Call (323) 299-3800

*** REVISED FROM AD POSTED ON 1/10/13 *** NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING – DRAFT DISPARITY STUDY REPORT The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will hold public hearings in February 2013 to receive public input on the Metro draft disparity study examining its contracting practices in construction, architecture and engineering, miscellaneous and other professional services, and goods and other services as it relates to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in the Los Angeles County region. The study also includes experiences of DBEs and small businesses seeking work with Metro and statistical findings on whether or not there is evidence of discrimination or its effects based on race, gender or ethnicity in the transportation contracting industry. Metro is gathering comments on the Disparity Study which will be considered when implementing its Federal DBE Program on Federal Transit Administration-funded contracts.

The draft disparity study report is available for review on the Metro website: at metro. net/disparity-study.

All public hearings will be held at Metro Headquarters Building, One Gateway Plaza, Board Room, 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA. 90012: February 7, 2013, Transportation Business Advisory Council Meeting, at 9:30 am – 11:30am; February 7, 2013 at 6:00pm; February 21, 2013, Executive Management and Audit Committee Meeting, at 11:30am. The public hearings offer vendors, contractors, industry representatives, and others the opportunity to provide personal testimony and accounts of experiences and other information related to implementation of the DBE program, contracting with Metro, and any difficulties or barriers faced in the transportation contracting industry.

The public may view and provide testimony on the disparity study report for 45 days. Persons unable to attend the hearings may submit written testimony through 5:00 p.m. on February 28, 2013, the close of public comment. Submit all written testimony electronically via email with “DS Public Comment” as the subject line to dscomment@metro.net and postmarked by US mail to Metro, Diversity & Economic Opportunity Department (DEOD), Attn: DS Public Comment, One Gateway Plaza, 99-8-4, Los Angeles, CA 90012; Facsimile (213) 922-7660.

Upon request, foreign language translation, sign language interpretation, materials in alternative formats and other accommodations are available to the public for Metro-sponsored meetings and events. All requests for reasonable accommodations must be made at least three working days (72 hours) in advance of the scheduled meeting date. Please telephone 213.922.4600 between 8a.m. and 5p.m., Monday through Friday.

Individuals with hearing or speech impairment may use California Relay Service 711+213.922.2603.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

ONE

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