LAWT 01-05-2012

W E E K E N D E R

L.A. Watts Times Vol. XXX, No. 1265

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, January 5, 2012

SEE PAGES 8-9

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

HOROSCOPES

Jan. 5 - 11

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RIES ~ Busy week as the energy around you seems super-charged. With everyone rushing about, you will wonder how you’ll get anything done, much less the things you feel you must get done. Not to worry. Stay calm and flexible, and a way will be found. Soul affirmation: The truth is in me. I bring it forth.

AURUS ~ You may feel a bit crabby about your health this week. If you feel you need a physical checkup, make the appointment this week; if you want to feel and look better this week, skip some lunches and take walks instead.

Soul affirmation: My life gives me limitless possibilities.

EMINI ~ A new version of an old project lands on your desk this week, and you are not happy about the added responsibility.

Recognize it as an opportunity to find the good in all situations. Think of ways to enjoy this task, and you’ll feel happier at the end of the week.

Soul affirmation: I enjoy learning new things about myself this week.

ANCER ~ Pleasure is on your agenda, and you’ll find many ways to indulge your craving for quality leisure time. It’s a good idea to keep a cautious eye on your budget; don’t scrimp, just don’t overspend. Get-togethers with friends and family will add to your happiness, especially in the evenings. Soul affirmation: The key to my happiness lies in my sympathy for others.

EO ~ Communications flow smoothly this week, and your intuition is high. A wild idea for money making could come to you, but you should let it walk on by. Stick to your current plan, and use your imagination for ways to streamline your work. Soul affirmation: I seek to understand but not to judge.

IRGO ~ The companionship of a dear friend or partner is special this week. You'll be deeply grateful that you have this person in your life. Friendship like this is a blessing, and you are truly blessed with many people who love and care for you. Letting them know how much you care will warm and charm the hearts near to you. Soul affirmation: Facing down challenges makes me feel good about myself.

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IBRA ~ You continue in your togetherness cycle.

Communications between partners are tender and cooperative. You who are single are attracting new admirers every week. The feeling that you share the thoughts of another will be very strong this week. Call this person and validate your intuition. A new invitation arrives in the mail this week. Soul affirmation: I know that enjoyment is a state of mind this week.

CORPIO ~ What’s this — a fly in your personal soup? Fish it out, and don’t sweat the small stuff this week. Keep your optimism revved up by remembering how unstoppably brilliant and wonderful you are. You can handle any situation with poise and grace. This week, practice your grace under a little pressure. You’ll be amazed and proud of yourself by how well you manage! Soul affirmation: The true path is mapped out by my impulses.

AGITTARIUS ~ Phone calls or letters come in from friends you haven’t seen lately, and you'll feel very happy with all their news. You continue to feel very close to a partner, and romantic chat touches on deep subjects this week. Continue to explore your levels of intimacy.

“How deep is your love?” and “Ain’t no mountain high enough”! Soul affirmation: Often it’s not what I say but the way I say that gets the message across.

APRICORN ~ This is a gold-star week. You’ll be positively glowing at any and all social events. Many gifts, both tangible and intangible, come to you this week through friendship and from close ties. Enjoy your fabulous self very much. Your sweetheart may want to talk about a deeper commitment. Soul affirmation: I keep my eyes wide open for a special person who is also looking for me.

QUARIUS ~ More luck, more opportunities, and more love are in the stars for you this week. Enjoy this up-cycle, and let the things you do with your gifts and talents have lasting effects.

Social gatherings are favored. Wear your brightest smile and trust your intuition. Soul affirmation: I find a source of strength in someone I love.

ISCES ~ Give yourself a chance to learn all you can about love this week. This is a week when you are open to new ideas. Make those ideas center on relationships. Financial matters are worrisome but they can wait. Soul affirmation: I keep my eyes open for business opportunities this week.

Inside This Edition

SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK

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A Harvard study has concluded that the lion economies of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will be leading all other world economies, with annual rates exceeding 6 percent, by the year 2020.

By comparison the U.S. saw a 2% rate of growth in the third quarter of 2011.

Other economies in the East African region at the top of the list include Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Rwanda, among the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies since the early 2000s, could not be included in the study due to the lack of reliable data.

On a GDP per capita basis, China and India are still projected to be the fastest growing economies in the world; East Africa though tops the list in terms of GDP growth.

The forecasts appear in a newly-published study called “The Atlas of Economic Complexity: Mapping Paths to Prosperity” by researchers at the Center for International Development at Harvard University.

“Just like China and Taiwan, East African countries are not really “poor” from a capabilities perspective,” observed Dimitri Stoelinga of Laterite, a consulting firm based in Rwanda. “Twenty-five years ago, China and Taiwan had the capabilities to develop the diverse range of products that they produce today; it is these same capabilities that led them to their current income levels. …”

Scholarly predictions of Africa’s growth potential can be found at web.MIT.edu/sloanafrica/Africa.html

BlackFacts.com

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January 7, 2002 Shirley Franklin is sworn in as the first African American female mayor of Atlanta.

January 6, 1867 The Peabody Fund is established to provide monies for construction, endowments, scholarships, teacher and industrial education for newly freed slaves.

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MOMBASA SQUARE ANSWERS FROM 12-29-11

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L.A. Watts Times

Three African countries to top world growth rates

Thursday, January 5, 2012

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Domestic policy chief starts, leaves amid crises

BY SUZANNE GAMBOA | AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Melody Barnes is leaving as White House chief domestic policy adviser at a time when President Barack Obama's administration is getting little notice for its work on the home front to fix the struggling economy.

Barnes, who will be gone by Tuesday, is quick to point out that

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File

FILE – On her way out: Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

there have been many domestic achievements, even though the public is dissatisfied.

“I completely understand what the American public is feeling,” she said in an interview in her tidy West Wing office. “Real people are hurting in a significant way. ... At the same time, I’m proud of the things we’ve been able to accomplish over the last few years.”

Her office is wrestling with multiple thorny issues now just as it was when Barnes started as Obama’s domestic policy team director in 2009.

Back then, the economy plunged into free fall and the country was in its worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Jobs were being lost at a rate of about 750,000 a month — a number Barnes still finds so staggering she said she has to double-check it every time she says it.

Homes were being foreclosed, unemployment was skyrocketing and reaching double the national average in the Black community.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, an outbreak of H1N1flu virus became a pandemic, and a tsunami that hit Japan crippled a nuclear plant near Tokyo, to name some of the highlights.

Even her chance to play golf with the president, the first time a woman joined him, came at a time of a public image crisis for Obama.

The president was getting flak for playing basketball with men, fostering complaints about a boys’ club in the White House.

Just before Christmas, the president and Congress wrangled over a See MELODY BARNES, page 14

Photo Of The Week Queen Drew Washington presided at the 94th Tournament of Roses Queen on January 2. Beauty and brains, academics and athleticism define her. Look for her to do great things during her reign.

SUPERVISOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS and

THE EMPOWERMENT RMEN CONGRESS

EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS SS 20TH ANNUAL SUMMIT KEYNOTE SPEAKER REVEREND AL SHARPTON

Master of Ceremonies MSNBC Host of PoliticsNation Warren Olney Founder & President KCRW Host and National Action Network Executive Producer Which Way, LA? and To the Point

Maria Elena Durazo Executive Secretary –Treasurer Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOVARD AUDITORIUM FREE ADMISSION CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST LUNCH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File

FILE – On her way out: White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, left, talks with White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, as they wait outside the East Room of the White House in Washington, before attending the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 by President Barack Obama.

REGISTRATION: 8:00A.M. SUMMIT PROGRAM: 9:00A.M. WORKSHOPS: 10:30A.M.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WORKSHOPS AND TO REGISTER, PLEASE VISIT http://www.empowermentcongress.org OR CALL 213-346-3246

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

FAMU trustees will create anti-hazing committee TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida A&M University's board of trustees approved plans to create an independent committee to study hazing Monday as well as a memorial to a marching band member who police say died after being punched and paddled during a hazing ritual.

The death of drum major Robert Champion in November and the alleged severe beating of another band member have brought renewed scrutiny to a hazing culture in the band. The board also announced it would name a scholarship after Champion.

Champion’s family responded through their attorney.

“Memorials, scholarships and committees will not bring Robert Champion back, nor will they prevent another student from dying as a result of the culture of hazing in the FAMU marching band,” the family’s attorney, Christopher Chestnut, said in an email. “We hope that the FAMU administration focuses its time and resources on developing substantive strategies that protect its band members from hazing; that is the legacy Robert would have wanted.”

The five-member committee will

AP Photo/Tallahassee Democrat, Glenn Beil

FAMU students join hands at a December 2011 anti-hazing rally in Tallahassee, Fla. Student government leaders asked students to join them in pledging to end hazing at the school in the wake of a student’s death. study hazing at other universities, methods that have helped students resist hazing and how to best govern FAMU’s famed Marching 100 band.

The committee will not investigate Champion's death or other See FAMU, page 5

metro.net/expo

Watch for trains on Metro Expo Line tracks.

BY JIM KUHNHENN | AP WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is pushing his economic message Wednesday in Ohio, eager to make his appeal to the middle class heard in a politically important state amid the boisterous start of the Republican campaign for the White House.

Obama is traveling to a Cleveland suburb a day after Mitt Romney won Iowa's Republican presidential caucus by eight votes. The trip signals the White House's intent to keep the president in the public eye even as the political world focuses on the GOP’s selection process.

Ohio is a swing state that went for George W. Bush in 2004 and for Obama in 2008. A top manufacturing state, Ohio has seen its jobless rate follow the national pattern; unemployment was 8.5 percent in November compared with 9.6 percent a year before.

Please remember to: > Obey all tra;c signals and warning devices. > Be alert at all times. Watch for a “TRAIN” signal. > Always push the button and wait for a “WALK” signal before entering the crosswalk. Never jaywalk across the tracks. > Never sit or stand on tracks. > Do not go around lowered gates. > Never make a left turn on a red arrow.

This tra;c rule will be enforced by cameras at intersections. > Right turns are allowed while an Expo Line train is passing through, but may be restricted at certain intersections.

For more safety tips, visit metro.net/ridesafely.

12-0889jl ©2011 lacmta

Test trains are now running in preparation for the upcoming opening of the Metro Expo Line, the newest extension of the Metro Rail system. Trains will be moving in both directions on the tracks.

Obama going to Ohio to challenge GOP on economy

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

FILE – Campaigning to shift the focus: On the heels of the Iowa caucus, President Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

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Authorities: Abortion doctors charged with murder States in which an abortion provider had been charged with murder in the death of a fetus. A Philadelphia doctor, Kermit Gosnell, faces murder charges in the deaths of seven newborn babies but has not been charged with killing fetuses.

The botched 2010 abortion led regulators to order Brigham to stop practicing medicine in Maryland without a license, and Riley’s Maryland license was suspended.

Brigham’s New Jersey license was also suspended, and authorities there are pursuing revocation of his license. New Jersey authorities have cooperated with the Maryland criminal probe, said Thomas R. Calcagni, director of the State Division of Consumer Affairs.

According to regulators, Brigham would begin abortions in New Jersey and have his patients

BY BEN NUCKOLS | AP WASHINGTON (AP) — Two out-of-state doctors who traveled to Maryland to perform late-term abortions have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder, an unusual use of a law that allows for murder charges in the death of a viable fetus.

Dr. Steven Brigham, of Voorhees, N.J., was taken into custody Wednesday night and is being held in the Camden County jail, according to police in Elkton, Md. Authorities also arrested Dr. Nicola Riley in Salt Lake City and she is in jail in Utah. Each is awaiting an extradition hearing.

The two doctors were indicted by a grand jury after a 16-month investigation, police said.

The investigation began in August 2010 after a botched procedure at Brigham's Elkton clinic. An 18-year-old woman who was 21 weeks pregnant had her uterus ruptured and her bowel injured and, rather than call 911, Brigham and Riley drove her to a nearby hospital, where both were uncooperative and Brigham refused to give his name, according to documents filed in a previous investigation by medical regulators.

A search of the clinic after the botched abortion revealed a freezer with 35 late-term fetuses inside, including one believed to have been aborted at 36 weeks, the documents show.

Brigham, 55, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, five counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy. Riley, 46, faces one count each of first- and second-degree murder and one conspiracy count.

The charges all relate to abortions performed at the Elkton clinic or fetuses found there, authorities said. Cecil County State’s Attorney Ellis Roberts declined to elaborate on the charges or the circumstances that led to them, saying it would be inappropriate to comment before Brigham and Riley, who were taken into custody on fugitive warrants, had seen the indictments.

Maryland is one of 38 states with a law that allows murder charges against someone accused of killing a viable fetus. The 2005 law has so far only been used for cases

drive themselves to Maryland to complete the procedures, taking advantage of Maryland’s more permissive laws. Brigham was not authorized to perform abortions in New Jersey after the first trimester, and regulators called his actions manipulative and deceptive.

Anti-abortion activists hailed the arrests of Brigham and Riley.

“These two individuals are now where they belong and should be in jail for the rest of their lives,” the Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said in a statement. “Even those who believe abortion should be legal can join with us to stop the out-of-control practices of people like Brigham and Riley.”

Associated Press writer Beth DeFalco in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

PROPOSITION 65 WARNING

AP Photo/Salt Lake County Jail

Breaking new legal ground: A spokeswoman for the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy group, said she was not aware of any cases in the United States in which an abortion provider had been charged with murder in the death of a fetus, as have Drs. Nicola Riley and Steven Brigham. in which defendants were accused of assaulting or killing pregnant women.

“We are in uncharted territory,” Roberts said. “At some point in time,” he added, “you will hear our explanation” of the charges.

Brigham’s attorney, C. Thomas Brown, said in an emailed statement that he does not believe his client has violated any Maryland laws. He said he has not seen any charging documents or spoken with Brigham since the arrest.

“Dr. Brigham has fully cooperated with this investigation,” Brown said. “I had an agreement with the state’s attorney’s office that if Dr. Brigham was charged, he would voluntarily come to Maryland to surrender. For reasons unknown to me, the state did not honor that

agreement. ... It is my opinion that Dr. Brigham’s arrest in New Jersey was orchestrated to ensure that he remained in custody over this holiday weekend.”

An attorney for Riley also took issue with her client being behind bars.

“We believe the charges are without legal merit,” said Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum. “We believe it’s inappropriate for her to be held without bond. She is not a flight risk and she should be released on her own recognizance.”

Krevor-Weisbaum said Riley’s legal team would comment further after they had seen the indictment.

A spokeswoman for the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy group, said she was not aware of any cases in the United

him. Police said Champion was beaten Nov. 19 during the Marching 100 band trip to the annual Florida Classic in Orlando.

Any death involving hazing is a third-degree felony in Florida, but no charges have been filed so far in Champion’s death. In a separate case, three band members were arrested in the Oct. 31 beating of a woman band member whose thigh bone was broken.

Band director Julian White was initially fired by FAMU President James Ammons, then re-instated and put on administrative leave.

Four students dismissed by the university were also reinstated while authorities work on the investigation.

The plans for the anti-hazing committee, the memorial and the scholarship were suggested by DKC Inc., a public relations firm hired to assist the university with crisis management and communication.

Though the trustees have reprimanded Ammons, the board rejected Gov. Rick Scott’s recommendation that he also be placed on administrative leave.

EXIDE Technologies operates a battery recycling plant at 2700 Indiana Street, Vernon California, 90058 which emits lead into the atmosphere.

Persons within the approximate area shown above are exposed to lead and cadmium at a level determined by the State of California to require a warning. Lead is a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm and cancer, and cadmium is known to the state of california to cause cancer. For more information you may contact EXIDE at (323) 262-1101 ext. 259.

FAMU Continued from page 4 hazing being investigated by law enforcement.

Trustees and university officials are being asked to make recommendations for a list of potential committee members. The committee's makeup and a timeline for its work will be decided over the next 30 days.

The medical examiner in Orlando declared Champion’s death a homicide after finding that he suffered bruises to his chest, arms, shoulder and back and the resulting internal bleeding caused him to go into shock, which killed

SITE LOCATION

EXIDE Technologies operates a lead oxide manufacturing plant at 5909 East Randolph Street, Commerce, California which emits lead into the atmosphere. Persons within the approximate area shown above are exposed to lead at a level determined by the State of California to require a warning. Lead is a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm and cancer

For more information, call EXIDE at (323) 262-1101, extension 259

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Judge: Black church rightful owner of KKK store

BY MEG KINNARD | AP COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After a lengthy legal battle between a Black South Carolina church and members of the Ku Klux Klan, a judge has ruled that the church owns a building where KKK robes and T-shirts are sold.

A circuit judge ruled last month that New Beginnings Baptist Church is the rightful owner of the building that houses the Redneck Shop, which operates a so-called Klan museum and sells Klan robes and T-shirts emblazoned with racial slurs. The judge ordered the shop’s proprietor to pay the church’s legal bills of more than $3,300.

Since 1996, the Redneck Shop has operated in an old movie theater

in Laurens, a city about 70 miles northwest from Columbia that was named after 18th-century slave trader Henry Laurens.

Ownership of the building was transferred in 1997 to the Rev. David Kennedy and his church, New Beginnings, by a Klansman fighting with others inside the hate group, according to court records. That man, according to Kennedy, was feuding with store proprietor John Howard over a woman and “developed a spiritual relationship” with Kennedy’s church, the judge wrote.

But a clause in the deed entitles Howard, formerly KKK grand dragon for the Carolinas, to operate his business in the building until he dies.

After years of trying to have the

AP Photo/Patrick Collard, File

A victory long time in coming: Rev. David Kennedy, pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church, stands outside The Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. as John Howard watches him from inside. A judge ruled that the New Beginnings Baptist Church is the rightful owner of the building. property inspected, Kennedy and New Beginnings sued Howard and others in 2008. On Dec. 9, a judge ruled in Kennedy’s favor.

Reached on his cellphone, Howard said he did not know about

the judge’s decision and deferred comment to his attorney, who did not immediately return a message.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the judge's ruling would mean Howard must close the shop. Howard hung up on a reporter when asked about the shop’s status, but an outgoing message on the shop’s answering machine said it’s open only one morning a week.

Howard has defended his business in the past.

“If anything turns people off, they shouldn’t come in here,” Howard told The Associated Press in 2008. “It’s not a thing in here that’s against the law.”

The Redneck Shop has been the target of protests and attacks from the start. A few days after it opened, a Columbia man crashed his van through the front windows and was charged with malicious damage to property.

High-profile Black

activists have staged several protests outside the store, and Kennedy has regularly picketed there as well.

Kennedy has a long history of fighting racial injustice. He protested when a South Carolina county refused to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and he helped lobby to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse dome.

Kennedy said Tuesday his congregation was elated by the judge’s decision, which he said he had already discussed with local police in hopes of being able to visit and inspect the property this week.

“It has been a long time coming,” said Kennedy, who learned of the ruling this week. “We knew we had done everything right. ... The court knows that we have suffered.”

Kennedy said his congregation’s numbers have decreased in recent years as some of its 200 members See RIGHTFUL OWNER, page 15

AP Photo/Patrick Collard, File

A victory long time in coming: Rev. David Kennedy, pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church, stands outside The Redneck Shop in Laurens, S.C. A judge ruled that the New Beginnings Baptist Church is the rightful owner of the building where The Redneck Shop is located.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

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Calif. flood plan calls for up to $17B in repairs FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — California water officials recommended a historic investment in the state’s aging flood control system Friday, saying more than half of the state’s levees do not meet standards and the system needs up to $17 billion in repairs and investment.

The Department of Water Resources’ release of the first statewide flood plan follows a call by Gov. Jerry Brown to refocus state efforts on preparing for the effects of a warming climate as floods from a faster-melting snowpack already place increased strain on the state’s aging levees.

Officials and experts say the state’s flood control system — a piecemeal collection of 14,000 levees and other infrastructure built along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers by farmers and local governments over the last 150 years — is no longer adequate.

Once a mostly agricultural region that was lightly populated, the Central Valley where the rivers meet has experienced rapid development and population growth.

“The system is based on antiquated technologies, so you have to upgrade it and keep in mind changing societal demands,” said Jeffrey Mount, professor and founding director of Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis.

Central Valley’s flood risk ranks among the nation’s highest. About 1 million Californians now live in floodplains and levees protect an estimated $69 billion in assets, including the state’s water supply, major freeways, agricultural land and the valley’s remaining wetland and riparian habitat, said Mike Mierzwa, senior engineer in the Central Valley Flood Protection Office.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a freshwater source for

two-thirds of California’s population and irrigates millions of acres of farmland throughout the state.

While officials have long known the flood control system was in disrepair, it’s the first time they have studied it as a whole, come up with longterm solutions and a priority for investments.

More than half of 300 miles of aged urban levees do not meet modern design criteria, according to newly released analysis. And about 60 percent of 1,230 miles of nonurban levees have a high potential for failure from under-seepage, throughseepage, structural instability and/or erosion.

In addition, about half of the 1,016 miles of channels are believed to be inadequate to handle projected flooding. And two bridges are in need of repairs.

In 2006, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for California’s levee system and ordered levee repairs to the 33 most critical spots. That same year, state voters approved nearly $5 billion in bond funds for flood protection projects statewide.

Legislators also mandated that the state develop a plan to reduce flood risks.

The plan calls for $14 billion to $17 billion in repairs and other investments — including the $5 billion in bond funds already approved.

Investments would be spread over the next 20 to 25 years.

Officials said the money would come from a mixture of federal, state and local sources. Voters will need to approve another bond, Mierzwa said.

Most of the money — up to $6 billion — would be spent in urban areas, where thousands of homeowners and their property could be affected by a flood. Another $6 billion would go toward system-wide improvements.

The plan doesn’t call for specific projects, but offers recommendations. Those include extensive bypass expansion and the construction of a new bypass; major improvements to intake, weir and gate structures; sediment removal projects; urban and rural levee repairs; and fish passage improvements and ecosystem restoration.

The plan doesn’t recommend building new reservoir storage, which is very expensive.

Focusing on other projects beyond levee repairs is a good step forward, Mount said.

“There’s always the pressure to simply fix the problem, meaning just make the levies taller and stronger.

That’s the path of least resistance,” he said.

By constructing and strengthening levees, Mount said, the state may actually induce development and growth behind the levees and hence increase flood risk. Thus the need, he said, to prioritize flood control investments to areas where risk reduction is greatest — and to choose wisely which areas to develop.

“Climate change has expanded our uncertainties,” Mount said. “If trends associated with warming continue, we’ll have to constantly upgrade the levees to match these conditions. So we have to consider this constant economic investment.”

Environmental groups said the plan was a step in the right direction.

Still, John Cain, Director of Conservation for California Flood Management at the nonprofit American Rivers, noted that one concern is the plan doesn’t sufficiently tackle the effects of climate change, like sea-level rise, and it isn’t based on updated projections of what extreme floods could look like.

Another concern, he said, is that the state should not spend all the bond money on levees while leaving improvements such as bypass con-

Carter’s advice to Obama: Don’t alienate voters

BY GREG BLUESTEIN | AP

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File

FILE- Sharing lessons learned: Former President Jimmy Carter has some advice for Barack Obama as he gears up for the 2012 election: Don't alienate voters with controversial positions. The Georgia Democrat told The Associated Press on Tuesday that just about everything he did alienated voters.

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter has some advice for Barack Obama as he gears up for the 2012 election: Don’t alienate voters with controversial positions.

The Georgia Democrat told The Associated Press on Tuesday that just about everything he did alienated voters — from sealing a treaty to hand over the Panama Canal to establishing diplomatic ties with China.

Carter said: “If your main goal is to get re-elected, avoid a controversial subject as much as you can in the first term.”

Carter also faced Democratic opposition from Sen. Ted Kennedy during his 1980 re-election bid, which he said was a big handicap that Obama won’t have.

The remarks came as Iowa residents cast the first votes of the 2012 presidential race to help determine Obama’s Republican opponent.

struction for a later date when funds may not be available.

But Mierzwa said the plan calls for working on levees and other improvements simultaneously. The state is already putting together a team to start feasibility work for two bypass expansions, he said.

Thus far, state officials say they have spent about half of the $5 billion in bond funds on more than 200 projects. Those include flood emer-

gency exercises, 120 critical levee erosion site repairs, the removal of three million cubic yards of sediment from the bypasses and substantial levee improvement projects, among others.

The Central Valley Flood Protection Board must adapt the plan

by July 2012.

Associated Press writer Jason Dearen contributed to this report from San Francisco.

MetroBriefs Start The New Year Out Right, Go Metro There’s never been a better time to Go Metro. You can save as much as $10,000 annually by taking public transit in LA instead of paying for gas and parking. And now it’s even easier with Metro’s new Nextrip, a tool that gives you real-time bus arrival information on your cell phone. Find out more at metro.net/nextrip.

Metro Getting Ready For The Expo Line Metro has increased train testing along the Expo Line corridor between Downtown LA and Culver City in anticipation of the new line opening this year. Trains are running on a schedule of every 12 minutes during the day to simulate regular mid-day service on the line once the system opens.

Metro Rail Evening Service A Success More trains, more often is proving to be the way to hit LA’s hot spots at night. Metro’s Red, Purple and Blue lines now have trains running every 10 minutes until midnight. And the number of riders to Hollywood, Downtown LA and L.A. LIVE has jumped 60 percent since the service started in November.

Check it out yourself and when you’re ready, we’ll be there for you within 10 minutes.

Metro Civil Rights Policy Metro is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the bene>ts of its services on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

For more information on Metro’s civil rights program, and the procedures to >le a complaint, contact 213.922.4845.

Get Metro News, Service Alerts On Twitter Twitter is the way of instant information, so it’s only right that Metro uses it to send immediate updates on news and alerts. Stay informed on LA County transit topics and service alerts in your area. Sign up and follow Metro at twitter.com/metrolaalerts and twitter.com/metrolosangeles.

If you’d like to know more, visit metro.net.

12-1021kg_gen-ce-12-007 ©2011 lacmta

BY GOSIA WOZNIACKA | AP

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Senegal music star Ndour makes bid for presidency

BY SADIBOU MARONE | AP DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — World music icon Youssou Ndour says he plans to run in Senegal's presidential election next month, challenging an 85-year-old incumbent whose plans to seek a third term have sparked violent protests.

Ndour, who made the announcement late Monday on his private radio and TV stations, joins some 20 other candidates already running against President Abdoulaye Wade.

While the Grammy-winning artist sells out concert venues worldwide and is the West African country’s most famous cultural export, his prospects with Senegalese voters remain unclear.

The election is less than two months away, and the incumbent president has been in power for more than a decade.

“For a very long time, many Senegalese of different backgrounds have called for my candidacy for the presidency next February,” Ndour said. “I’ve listened, I’ve heard and I

am responding favorably to their request. I am a candidate. It’s a supreme patriotic duty, the best I can give of myself. I am the alternative to the current leadership in place in the country.”

Ndour, 52, is well-known in Senegal for his scathing critique of the country’s ruling party. He already owns a hugely popular private radio station that holds regular debates featuring government critics.

And he has a newspaper that routinely highlights corruption allegations involving the country;s ruling elite, including the president’s family.

Residents of Senegal’s capital expressed doubt that the musician would fare well at the polls — or in office.

“It’s good enough that he makes good music,” said Abdou Ngom, 26.

“Politics is made of treason and low blows. I’m sure that real politicians will not help him.”

But retiree Moussa Diop, 70, said he admired the musician.

“Ndour is a good example of

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File

Senegalese singer and composer Youssou N'Dour announced Monday that he plans to run in Senegal’s presidential election next month. The announcement comes amid growing criticism of the current Senegalese president's quest for a third term in Feb. 26, 2012 elections. courage. Because he shows that it’s possible to start with nothing and to succeed,” Diop said.

But political analyst Cheikh Yerim Seck said Ndour is taking a risk by running.

“He risks first of all the credibility of his media holdings,” he said, adding that Ndour’s newspaper, radio station and TV station could be

seen as complicit in his bid.

Wade’s plans to run, as well as frequent power cuts and the spiraling cost of living, sparked violent protests last year in what has historically been one of West Africa's most stable democracies.

Once a symbol of the opposition, Wade became president in a landmark election hailed for being one of the first peaceful transfers of power on the continent.

He set off a wave of criticism

though when he announced he planned to run for a third term, using a loophole in the electoral law to circumvent the two-term maximum set out in the constitution.

And massive street protests hit Senegal’s capital last year following a proposed constitutional change that would have paved the way for Wade’s son to succeed him. Wade later agreed to cancel it, but the unrest marked the biggest challenge to his 11-year rule.

Mathew Knowles resumes his recording industry class at Texas Southern University

´ FILM UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVITY MEDIA AWORKINGTITLE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH BLUEEYES/LEVEMUSIRAGE/CLOSE ST TO THE HOLEEXECUTIPRODUCTI ONS A BALTASAR KORMAKUR VE C MARK WAHLBERG KATE BECKINSALE “CONTRABAND” BEN FOSTER GIOVANNI RIBISI CALEB LANDRY JONES AND BASEDJ.K.SIUPONMMONS

BY CLINTON SHORTER PRODUCERS LIZA CHASIN EVAN HAYES BILL JOHNSON THE FILM PRODUCED ´ JONASSON ´ SCREENPLAYBY AARON GUZIKOWSKI ´

BY TIM BEVAN ERIC FELLNER BALTASAR KORMAKUR STEPHEN LEVINSON MARK WAHLBERG “REYKJAVIK-ROTTERDAM” WRITTEN BY ARNALDUR INDRI-DASON AND OSKAR DIRECTED ´ A UNIVERSAL RELEASE

BY BALTASAR KORMAKUR SOUNDTRACK ON BACK LOT MUSIC

© 2011 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

STARTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Mathew Knowles, founder, president and CEO of Music World Entertainment, will resume his signature course, The Recording Industry, during the spring 2012 semester at the Texas Southern University School of Communication.

The course begins on January 23 and will meet weekly in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center. The course offers students the opportunity to learn a 21st-century approach to the music business in an interactive setting.

Professor Knowles gives his students a rare glimpse of the functions of a record company and the 20 departments that are within the label.

Students will learn the function of each department, which includes as A&R, business affairs, marketing, digital marketing, radio promotions, sales, public relations and publicity, international, distribution, video production, art and creative services, production and others.

This course also explores other specialized areas of the music indus-

Music executive — and TSU professor Mathew Knowles try, including artist management, artist development, branding, merchandising, songwriting, music publishing, booking agents, touring and concert promotions and more. At the end of the semester, students create audio and video presentations for a new music company and/or record label based on what they have learned, and present it See KNOWLES, page 15

Thursday, December 5, 2012

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Winfrey: Dedicated to OWN despite rocky first year

BY LYNN ELBER | AP LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oprah Winfrey earned the rare opportunity to convert her media charisma into a monogrammed TV channel. Now she’s the one tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network,

after a disappointing first year.

It’s a high-stakes, potentially egoshattering challenge that could make the strongest woman or man flinch. But win or lose, Winfrey says she relishes the fight to turn OWN’s fortunes around.

“Yes, some mistakes were made.

Who hasn’t made mistakes? The real

beauty is you can say, ‘I learned from that,’” Winfrey said. “I don’t worry about failure. I worry about, ‘Did I do all I could do?’ ” The cable channel, which marks its first year Jan. 1, is trying for a fresh start after executive turnover and missteps See WINFREY, page 14

AP Photo/Harpo, George Burns

TV personality Oprah Winfrey and rocker Steven Tyler are shown at Tyler’s lakefront home in Lake Sunapee, N.H. during the filming of an interview for “Oprah’s Next Chapter” premiering Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 at 9 p.m. EST on OWN. Winfrey is tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year.

Rapper C-Murder’s conviction, sentence upheld

AP Photo/OWN, George Burns

FILE - TV personality Oprah Winfrey is tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year.

CHARLES MCNULTY, LOS ANGELES TIMES

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN | AP

AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file

FILE – A Louisiana appeals court in New Orleans has upheld the murder conviction and life imprisonment sentence of rapper Corey Miller, who once went by the stage name of C-Murder, for a teenager's 2002 shooting death.

BOB VERINI, VARIETY

photos by monique carboni

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana appeals court has upheld the murder conviction and life sentence for rapper C-Murder.

C-Murder, whose real name is Corey Miller, was convicted of shooting a teenager to death in 2002.

A three-judge panel from the state’s 5th Circuit Court of Appeal on Wednesday rejected Miller’s argument that he didn’t get a fair trial.

In 2009, a jury convicted Miller of second-degree murder for shooting 16-year-old Steve Thomas during a confrontation at a nightclub.

Miller claims the judge who presided over his trial allowed jurors to hear prejudicial and unsubstantiated testimony that he threatened witnesses to the shooting. He also accused prosecutors of systematically eliminating Black people from the jury.

But the 5th Circuit rejected those arguments.

One of Miller’s attorneys didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Buccaneers fire head coach Raheem Morris

Williams withdraws from Brisbane with injury

BY JOHN PYE | AP

AP Photo/Bob Leverone

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris has been fired as coach of the Buccaneers, the youngest team in the NFL this season, after three seasons. The team announced the change Monday, one day after a 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons extended the franchise's longest losing streak within the same season since 1977 to 10 games.

BY FRED GOODALL | AP TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dumping coach Raheem Morris, although not necessarily their determination to win with one of the NFL’s youngest teams.

Morris was fired Monday after three seasons that raised questions about ownership’s commitment to winning because the club has resisted spending large amounts of money in free agency.

A 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday’s season finale was the 10th straight following a 4-2 start.

The skid was the franchise’s longest within one season since 1977, when the Bucs lost 12 in a row to extend the longest losing streak in league history to 26 consecutive games over two years.

Morris went 17-31, including a 10-6 mark in 2010, when the Bucs narrowly missed the playoffs. His entire staff of assistants was dismissed, too.

“In these things it is not just one thing, but I will point to just the progress of the team and where we’re at,” Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said at a news conference. “Again, you can’t point to one thing or another. You look at totality of the situation when making your decision.”

The 35-year-old Morris was hired in January 2009, replacing Jon Gruden after Tampa Bay lost the final four games of 2008 to miss the playoffs following a 9-3 start.

This year’s collapse followed a promising start that included wins over NFC South rivals New Orleans and Atlanta, which are both headed to the playoffs.

Morris was hired at the same time that the Glazer family, which owns the team, promoted Mark Dominik to general manager. The GM’s job appears to be safe, although questions persist about whether he provided the type of talent necessary to be successful.

“I think that’s a fair question, and I do take responsibility for what happened on this football team as well.

Obviously as a general manager, my job is to help acquire talent, provide talent, draft players and get us to a competitive level,” Dominik said.

Morris began his stint as the league’s youngest coach with a sevengame losing streak. It ended with a skid that rivaled some of the worst stretches in franchise history, in part because it came only a year after it looked as though the plan to build with young players was on track.

“Obviously we all felt like at 10-6 ... the team was going in the right direction,” Dominik said. “Certainly during the season, it’s difficult to acquire talent when you have injuries.

A coach is never supposed to stand up here and talk about the injuries he has or else he looks soft and weak and he can't handle it. We did have some injuries this year. It was difficult. But at the same point, I thought we had some good players here that are still developing. I still feel like we have some players that will continue to grow.”

With young quarterback Josh Freeman showing great promise in his first full season as a starter, Tampa Bay won 10 games in 2010 and barely missed the playoffs. Morris entered training camp following the NFL lockout declaring he had a “youngry” team that was confident and talented enough to compete with the more experienced Saints and Falcons for a division title.

The team’s strong start included wins at home over Atlanta and New Orleans that lent credence to the coach's assertion that a 48-3 road loss to San Francisco was simply a bad day at the office, not a sign that the Bucs were not nearly as good as their record suggested.

While injuries did contribute to the season-ending slide, so did inconsistent play — starting with Freeman.

He threw for 16 touchdowns vs. 22 interceptions after tossing 25 TD passes and being intercepted just six times in 2010. The Bucs turned the ball over See MORRIS, page 15

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Serena Williams’ Australian Open preparations took a major hit Wednesday when she injured her left ankle and withdrew from the Brisbane International.

In her first tournament since losing the U.S. Open final in September, Williams was serving for the match with a 6-2, 5-3 lead against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia,when she twisted her ankle and crashed heavily to the court.

The 13-time Grand Slam winner lay near the baseline for several minutes while getting medical attention.

She was helped to a courtside chair and had the ankle re-taped before resuming the second-round match and losing the next point to surrender a service break to Jovanovski.

Williams limped through the next game, wincing in pain after at least two points, before securing a 6-2, 6-4 win to advance to the Brisbane quarterfinals in her first trip Down Under since 2010, when she won her fifth Australian Open title.

She withdrew from the Brisbane tournament later Wednesday, saying that tests “confirmed that I have a left ankle sprain (and) that I probably shouldn’t play on.”

“I’m going to take a couple of days off — not too many — and see how I feel,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m still hopeful of playing the Australian Open.”

Her scheduled quarterfinal rival, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, advances directly to the Brisbane semifinals.

U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur was eliminated in the match on center court immediately before Williams went on.

In the last night match, men's top seed Andy Murray was only two points from defeat in the second set before he rallied to beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0 to move into a quarterfinal against Marcos Baghdatis.

Williams hobbled into a postmatch news conference with her ankle heavily wrapped and initially said she was “anticipating it’ll be OK.” “I’m always thinking I can play on, but at the same time I don’t want to stress it out right now,” Williams said.

Even if Williams’ ankle heals, her fitness for the year’s first Grand Slam tournament could be an issue given that she’s only played two matches in four months.

The Australian Open starts on Jan. 16 in Melbourne. Williams missed the 2011 Australian Open while she was recovering from two operations on her foot and blood clots in her lungs that kept her sidelined for about a year after the 2010 Wimbledon tournament.

She won two tournaments heading into the U.S. Open in August but, after losing the final to Sam Stosur, Williams didn’t play another tournament last year due to injuries.

Williams said her first thought when she sprawled to the court near the baseline on Wednesday was “not again.”

AP Photo/Tertius Pickard

Serena Williams collapses after twisting her left ankle in her match against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia during the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Australia on Wednesday.

“That’s what I felt,” she said. “I was like, ‘No way.’ ” Williams usually wears a protective guard on her left ankle, but took it off during the second set because it was irritating another minor injury on her foot.

Stosur lost to Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-2 to extend her run of never advancing beyond the second round at her home tournament.

It was the 28-year-old Benesova’s fourth win over a top-10 player.

The No. 54-ranked Czech had never taken a set off Stosur in four previous matches but now finds herself in a quarterfinal match against Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters.

“Hopefully it was just a bad day and I will bounce back next week and the week after,” Stosur said. “I don’t want to dwell on it.

“It’s not the ideal start but I am not going to panic and think it’s all lost.”

Also, sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia beat Nina Bratchikova of Russia 6-3, 6-2 and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia ousted seventh-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-0, 6-3.

On the men’s side, second-seeded Gilles Simon of France beat Australian teenager James Duckworth 6-3, 7-5; third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine beat Igor Andreev of Russia 6-7 (3), 7-6 (9), 6-2; sixth-seeded Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic had a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Jarkko Nieminen of Finland; and No. 8 Bernard Tomic of Australia trounced Tatsuma Ito of Japan 6-1, 6-2.

For the second consecutive night, Murray was below-par until the adrenaline kicked in, overriding the aches and pains of his offseason training.

Muller took the match to him until he missed a routine volley to start the tiebreaker, which Murray controlled after picking up four set points with a stunning, scrambling backhand from near the baseline.

“That point was a big one, and it gave me more confidence in my movement. Sometimes it takes a big point like that to get yourself going,”

said Murray, who has lost the last two Australian Open finals and is still aiming to break a drought for British men in Grand Slam singles tournaments that dates back to 1936.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Boxer Mayweather completes plea deal in Vegas Josie Harris, while two of their children, ages 9 and 10, watched in LAS VEGAS (AP) — Attorneys September 2010 at the woman's for boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. com- home.

Mayweather spent two nights at pleted the second part of a plea deal Friday that let the championship the Clark County jail in downtown fighter pay a $1,000 fine and avoid Las Vegas after an arrest in the trial and jail time for a November domestic violence case and one night 2010 scuffle with a homeowner asso- in jail after the poking incident.

Mayweather’s lawyers have said ciation security guard in an argument they may ask the judge who senabout parking tickets. tenced Mayweather in the domestic violence case to reconsider the 90-day jail term, but Winckler declined comment after Friday’s hearing for the other case.

Judge Melissa Saragosa sentenced Mayweather to six months in the Clark County jail but suspended half the term.

She gave him credit for three days previously served and ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service, pay a $2,500 fine and complete a yearlong domestic violence counseling program.

The plea allowed Mayweather to avoid a trial on felony and misdemeanor charges that could have gotten him 34 years in state prison if he had been convicted on all counts.

Police said good AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File IFILE – Multiple legal troubles for boxer Floyd behavior could reduce Mayweather Jr.: Attorneys for Mayweather Mayweather’s jail term completed a plea deal that let the championship sentence by several weeks. fighter pay a fine and avoid trial and jail time. But his time behind bars will likely cut into training Mayweather, 34, didn’t appear in time for a May 5 date that person before Las Vegas Justice of the Mayweather’s promoters have Peace Janiece Marshall while his reserved for a bout against an as-yet lawyer, Karen Winckler, pleaded no unnamed opponent at the MGM contest on his behalf to misdemeanor Grand Garden Arena.

Mayweather and Pacquiao have a battery and said the fine had been defamation lawsuit pending in federal paid.

The plea acknowledged allega- court in Las Vegas stemming from tions that Mayweather poked the 21- statements by Mayweather that he year-old guard in the face several suspects Pacquiao took performancetimes with his finger during their enhancing drugs.

Mayweather is also on the hook argument in front of Mayweather's million-dollar-plus home in an exclu- to complete 40 hours of community sive gated community several miles service by Jan. 31 with the Las Vegas Habitat for Humanity Project under a south of the Las Vegas Strip.

Mayweather is scheduled to start South Carolina federal judge’s order a 90-day jail sentence Jan. 6 in an for dodging a deposition in a music unrelated case, which raises doubts rights lawsuit.

And he faces a civil lawsuit in Las about a long-anticipated fight between Mayweather and Philippine Vegas from two men who allege he orchestrated a shooting attack on fight rival Manny Pacquiao.

He pleaded guilty Dec. 21 to mis- them outside a skating rink in 2009. demeanor battery domestic violence Police have never accused Mayand no contest to harassment for a weather of firing shots, and he has hair-pulling, punching and arm-twist- never been criminally charged in the ing argument with his ex-girlfriend, case.

BY OSKAR GARCIA | AP

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Saints set NFL record for offensive yards NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have set an NFL record for the most yards of offense in a season.

The 2000 St. Louis Rams held the previous mark of 7,075. New Orleans eclipsed that number in the second quarter of Sunday's season finale against the Carolina Panthers on a pass from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem, reaching 7,081.

The record by the Saints comes one week after Drew Brees passed Dan Marino’s 27-yard-old mark for yards passing. He entered this week's game at 5,087 yards and added 140 through a little more than a quarter against Carolina.

Brees’ first TD pass also gave the Saints a franchise record for points in a season with 516, breaking the 2009 mark of 510.

AP Photo/Bill Haber

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston.

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WINFREY Continued from page 11 that proved OWN lacked a solid foundation on which to build, this despite a Discovery Communications investment of a reported $250 million and counting.

Viewers snubbed the lineup that skimped on programming and, surprisingly, what should have been OWN’s unique weapon of choice: Winfrey herself, whose limited on-air presence will be boosted Sunday with a new weekly series, “Oprah’s Next Chapter.”

OWN has failed to improve on, or in some instances even match, the modest ratings and small audience earned by the low-profile Discovery Health channel it replaced.

“I would absolutely say it is and was not where I want it to be for year one,” Winfrey said. “My focus up until (last) May was doing what I do best, which is ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show,’ and giving that my full attention” until its conclusion.

But Winfrey, who said management team errors in planning and execution could serve as a cautionary tale (“I was never interested in writing a book. ... THIS could be a book”), rejects the idea that a single year’s performance will determine OWN’s ultimate fate. Or hers.

“Somebody was talking to me in that kind of saddened, ‘How are you?’' tone, and I was thinking, ‘I’m fine,’ ” said Winfrey, 57, who ruled as the queen of daytime TV until she ended her talk show after 25 years and turned her attention to the channel.

“I realized the reason people have this tone is they’re reading all the press (about OWN), so you see me and wonder if I can still walk. ... I am a determined and committed woman. I don’t give up. I’m just getting started,” she said in a recent interview.

One bonus of being Oprah: She has received pep talks from other media movers and shakers.

“Everybody has told me — Ted Turner has told me, Barry Diller has told me, Lorne Michaels has told me, David Geffen has told me — anybody who's ever worked with a channel, who's ever done anything, has said it takes three to five years,” she said, adding, “You have to do the work. ... You do not have to pay attention to the criticism.”

Year two for OWN will reflect executive changes made last July, when Winfrey expanded her role at the channel by adding the roles of chief executive and chief creative officer to her position as chairman. Discovery Communications COO Peter Liguori had filled in as interim head after OWN CEO Christina Norman was dismissed in the wake of poor ratings.

Although the channel’s ownership is split evenly between Discovery and Winfrey’s Chicago-based production company, Harpo Inc., it is Discovery’s money that’s on the line.

With more scheduling consistency, movies, original series with and without Winfrey, and “a lot more Oprah in general,” Discovery is “a lot more confident that we’re heading in the right direction,” said company spokesman David Leavy.

Sheri Salata and Erik Logan, two veteran Harpo executives, were brought on board to share the title of OWN president, with Logan moving from Chicago to OWN's Los Angeles headquarters.

Logan said he clearly understands the hard work in establishing any cable channel, and this one in particular.

“One of the greatest gifts and challenges is to have her name on the door,” Logan said of his top boss.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

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The initially slight programming lineup is being beefed up, most notably with “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” The weekly series debuts 9 p.m.-11 p.m.

EST Sunday with Winfrey’s visit to the New Hampshire home of Steven Tyler.

“Next Chapter” turns the once studio-bound Winfrey into a globe-trotting interviewer who drops into the home of a Hasidic Jewish family in New York, George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in California and cook Paula Deen’s Georgia estate. There is also a trip with Sean Penn to Haiti, fire-walking with Tony Robbins and a planned India trip with Deepak Chopra.

The injection of Winfrey on-screen, not just in the executive suite, is sorely needed, suggested one industry analyst.

“The biggest mistake they made is, if it’s the Oprah Winfrey Network, where’s Oprah?” said Bill Carroll of media buying firm Katz Media.

He compared OWN’s Winfrey vacuum to programming the Court TV channel without courtroom shows or the Major League Baseball channel without games: “After a while, viewers stop going,” Carroll said.

OWN has averaged about 136,000 viewers a day, a drop of 8 percent from what Discovery Health drew in 2010, although it’s up slightly in total viewers in prime time and has seen an 8 percent increase among women ages 25 to 54, part of the channel’s hopedfor demographic.

Popular shows include “The Judds,” which ran for six episodes in April and May; “Our America With Lisa Ling”; and the reality series “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” which attracted a strong African American audience (prompting media reports that OWN intended to skew toward Black viewers, an assertion that Discovery and Winfrey deny. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to turn into the ‘Roots’ channel,” Winfrey said, wryly.)

Winfrey also is on-air with “Oprah’s Lifeclass,” which draws on her talk-show archives, and “Oprah’s Master Class,” a series of high-achiever biography specials. But, she said, she never “was supposed to carry the channel on my back, and it never was supposed to be about me being on the air as much as possible.” Instead, O magazine, with Winfrey as monthly cover girl and articles reflecting her betterlife philosophy, is the intended model.

She attributes the channel’s rough start to a more basic error: The lack of a

“library” of programming for the many hours of airtime not filled by original shows, compounded by overconfidence about her market value in general.

“I don’t understand what anybody was thinking. You’re going on the air, you’ve got four shows. What do you think you’re going to do by Tuesday? Did they think people were going to turn on the channel just because it had my name on it?” she said, sounding almost eager to cast doubt on her drawing power.

“People didn’t turn on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ because my name was on it. It was absolutely topic-driven every day,” she said.

Such modest expressions aside, Winfrey’s involvement clearly is key to the channel's success. She’s glad to make the commitment, she said. As her longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham told her, she'd be bored silly today if she’d taken any lengthy break after ending her daytime show.

Discovery is also in it for “the long term,” said spokesman Leavy, citing the three to five years that other cable channels have needed to develop audience-grabbing hits and firmly establish themselves.

He declined to specify what Discovery has spent so far on the venture, calling media estimates high. But he pointed to long-term advertising contracts with major companies including Procter & Gamble, and hopes of new carriage fees from cable providers that have been airing the channel for free.

Viewership that has been lower than expected, however, has meant “make goods” in ad time for sponsors.

Winfrey, who describes herself as obsessed by ratings for the first time in her career, said she’s giving OWN “everything I’ve got. I’ve spent more energy doing this than anything I’ve ever done in my whole life.”

With good reason. “I walked in today (to OWN’s offices) and felt uplifted to see my name on the door, Oprah Winfrey Network,” she said.

“Just to ... be able to sit in a room with a team of people presenting you with ideas — what a gift that is.”

It has also made OWN her ultimate responsibility.

“Every third week, someone new was in charge, and now she’s in charge. From where I sit, this is going to be her success or her failure,” said analyst Carroll.

Winfrey claims to have an unlikely sounding Plan B if the channel falls short.

“If this doesn’t work out, I’m going to go into organic farming in Maui. And I’m not kidding.”

MELODY BARNES Continued from page 3 two-month extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Obama won a victory when the proposal won bipartisan support in the Senate and finally was accepted by House Republicans under extreme pressure.

Barnes, a Richmond, Va., native, with a career in government and private sector work, is bowing out of the political arena as Obama struggles with low approval ratings on his handling of the economy.

A majority of Americans do not think the president deserves a second term, according to the most recent Associated Press-GfK poll.

But at the same time, the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.6 percent, the lowest level since March 2009. The president’s overall approval rating stands at 44 percent, the lowest of his term in AP-GfK surveys.

His strong stance against House Republicans in the payroll tax standoff has caused an uptick in approval ratings in subsequent polls.

Barnes expects the list of legislative victories that she and others pulled off amid the hemorrhaging economy will become more clear in the coming year as the dark clouds of the economy disperse.

She tops that list with the early work to stabilize the economy, 21 months of consistent job growth and the president's long-term investments in education overhaul, an area that became her specialty.

“Our work on education reform, it’ll be part of this president’s legacy,” she said.

Barnes said that with a fraction of what the federal government spends annually on education, about $100 billion, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of

2009, the administration tapped into an education reform movement taking place at the grassroots among governors and local communities frustrated with the prescriptive, onesize-fits-all mandates of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration's education cornerstone.

Congress has yet to approve revisions to No Child Left Behind, states are using up the stimulus money, and Obama’s Race to the Top grant program faces spending cuts. But Barnes said Obama has given a boost to education law changes that now allow such things as connecting student performance and teacher evaluations.

Barnes, chief counsel to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Obama also deserves credit for passage of a health care overhaul, legislation that she had worked on for eight years with Kennedy. The Massachusetts senator spent his career trying to restructure health care.

There’s also the auto industry bailout, expansion of Pell grants to help fund college education, the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays and work to advance civil rights, she said.

“When you are worried about day to day, it’s hard to step back and to take all those other things in,” Barnes said. “Although at the same time, I’m literally in the grocery store and people come up to me and say, ‘Hey, you work for the president. You keep on doing what you are doing.’ ” Married a few months into the president’s first year, Barnes plans to spend more time with family. She is considering offers in the private sector but hasn’t disclosed what those are.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

KNOWLES Continued from page 10 to Professor Knowles. Students travel from the TSU campus to Music World Entertainment's campus to make their final project presentations at the renowned House of Deréon Media Center.

“Teaching and mentoring young adults is one of my passions,” says Knowles. “I am most impressed with their intellect and creative thinking abilities. I’m confident that my students will continue to develop into critical thinkers and will go on to be brilliant contributors to society.”

In between his professorship duties and overseeing day-to-day activities of his music empire, Knowles lectures throughout the year at Ivy League colleges, historical Black colleges and universities, toptier state and private universities as well as corporate and nonprofit organizations.

Knowles is also in the process of completing his first in a series of books to be released in 2012.

RIGHTFUL OWNER Continued from page 6 became fearful of reprisals from Klan members. Nazi and Confederate symbols have been tacked to the door of the double-wide mobile home where New Beginnings now meets, Kennedy said, and dead animals have been left at the building.

“A lot of people became so afraid,” Kennedy said. “I just told them that it is part of our faith to endure.”

Kennedy, who has previously said he would like to close the store and hold his church meetings there, declined Tuesday to detail his plans, saying only that he thought some parishioners would feel uncomfortable worshipping in the structure that once segregated moviegoers and now sells Klan-related materials.

“I don’t count anything out,” Kennedy said. “I think that the church would do good in that building.”

MORRIS Continued from page 12 a league-leading 40 times compared to 19 last season.

The defense, which has a proud tradition, sank to unheard-of lows in Tampa Bay. In addition to surrendering a franchise-record and league-high 494 points, the Bucs lost eight games by double-digit margins and allowed 31 points or more seven times during the season-ending skid.

With Morris serving as his own defensive coordinator, he shouldered much of the blame for the steady decline.

Still, last week the coach laid out his argument for keeping the job.

The Bucs had the youngest team in the NFL this season, with 30 players on the 53-man roster in their first, second or third years in the league.

In addition, there are 21 players on the roster, including leading rusher LeGarrette Blount and third-leading receiver Preston Parker, who entered the NFL as undrafted free agents.

Among the veterans who didn't return in 2011 were middle linebacker Barrett Ruud and running back Cadillac Williams, who left via free agency.

Rookie Mason Foster stepped into

15

NOTICE INVITING BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Long Beach, California, acting by and through the City’s Board of Harbor Commissioners (“City”) will receive, before the Bid Deadline established below, sealed Bids for the following Work: PIER J, BERTHS J245-J247 AND J266-J270 PIER J SHORE TO SHIP POWER RETROFIT AT PIER J, BERTHS J245-J247 AND J266-J270 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S2341 AND DRAWINGS LISTED ON DRAWING NOS. HD 10-02010-00-G-IN-MS-S-002 AND HD 10-02010-00-G-IN-MS-S-003 Bid Deadline: Prior to 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 7, 2012.

Bid packages will be time/date stamped on the 4th floor or in the Lobby and shall be submitted prior to 10 a.m.

Place for Submission of Bids: 1. By Delivery Any Calendar Day Before the Bid Deadline Harbor Department Administration Building 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications/Program Management Office 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 2. By Delivery on the Same Calendar Day as the Bid Deadline Harbor Department Administration Building Ground Floor Lobby 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Bid Opening: As soon as practical after the Bid Deadline Harbor Department Administration Building 6th Floor Board Room 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Contract Documents Available: Date/Time: Beginning Thursday, January 5, 2012 Monday –Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: Harbor Department Administration Building 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit: Date/Time: 9:00am, Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Location: Harbor Department Administration Building 6th Floor Board Room Project Contact Person: Sailendra Bandatmakur Bandatmakur@polb.com Fax: 562-283-7356 NIB -1 Contract Documents. Copies of Contract Documents in DVD format may be obtained, at no cost, at the Plans and Specifications Office, 4th floor, Harbor Department Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90802 during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To arrange to receive a DVD of the Contract Documents by courier at the expense of the Bidder, call (562) 283-7353.

For information on this Project and other upcoming Port projects, you may view the Port website at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/out_for_bid.asp.

Copies of all Port insurance endorsement forms, SBE/VSBE Program forms, Harbor Development Permit Applications and other Port forms are available at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/forms_permits/default.asp.

NIB -2 Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit. The engineering staff of the City’s Harbor department will conduct a pre-bid meeting at 9:00 am on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in the Board Room, 6th floor, of the Harbor Department Administration Building. A guided Site tour will follow the pre-bid meeting. Attendance at the pre-bid meeting and Site tour is mandatory. Each Bidder must have a valid picture identification card (driver’s license, TWIC card) to attend the Site tour. Note that attendance at the pre-bid meeting can be used to satisfy a portion of a Bidder’s good faith efforts to meet the SBE/VSBE participation goals listed below. EACH BIDDER MUST ATTEND THE MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING AND SITE TOUR. FAILURE TO ATTEND THE MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING AND SITE TOUR SHALL DISQUALIFY YOUR BID. NIB -3 Summary Description of the Work. The Work required by this Contract includes, but is not limited to, the summary description in the subsequent paragraph.

Refer to Section 01110, Summary of Work in the Technical Specifications for a more detailed description of the Work.

Furnish all transportation, labor, materials, tools, equipment, services, and incidentals to accomplish the PIER J, BERTHS J245-J247 AND J266-J270, PIER J SHORE TO SHIP POWER RETROFIT Project. The Work includes installation of temporary K-Rail and fence, Best Management Practices (BMP) measures and debris collection measures for wharf work; construction of 12 kV feeders, shore power substations (12 kV/6.6 kV), underground duct banks, manholes, conduits/containment; boring and jacking under railroad tracks; removal and reconstruction of railroad tracks; construction of shore power outlet (SPO) vaults and assemblies; construction and installation of conduit supports (trapeze) under the wharf; installation of substation electrical equipment; testing and commissioning of electrical system; ductbank trenching, asphalt concrete paving removal and replacement; waterline relocation and valve installation; demolition and construction of associated civil and structural works; and removal of temporary BMP measures, fencing and K-Rail, and debris collection measures.

Ruud's spot and took on play-calling responsibilities, and the loss of Williams left Freeman without a proven third-down back once veteran Earnest Graham was lost for the season to injury.

“We made a collective agreement

to go young when we took over this program. That’s something we wanted to do,” Morris said at the time. “I believe in my guys. I believe in the system. I believe in the program. I believe in what we do. We want to build this thing young, and want to develop a

NIB -4 Contract Time and Liquidated Damages. The Work shall be completed within six hundred thirty seven (637) calendar days as provided in Paragraph SC - 6.1 of the Special Conditions, from a date specified in a written “Notice to Proceed” issued by the City and subject to adjustment as provided in Section 3.1 of the General Conditions. FAILURE OF THE CONTRACTOR TO COMPLETE THE WORK WITHIN THE CONTRACT TIME AND OTHER MILESTONES WILL RESULT IN ASSESSMENT OF LIQUIDATED DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNTS ESTABLISHED IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS. NIB -5 Contractor’s License. Each Bidder shall hold a current and valid Class ”A” and Class “C10” California Contractor’s License to bid this Project.

NIB -6 Contractor Performed Work. The Contractor shall perform, with its own employees, Contract Work amounting to at least 50% of the Contract Price, except that any designated “Specialty Items” may be performed by subcontract and the amount of any such “Specialty Items” so performed may be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees. “Specialty Items” will be identified by the City in the Schedule of Bid Items.

NIB-7 SBE/VSBE. This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small Business Enterprises (SBE)/Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program. The combined SBE/VSBE participation goal for this project is twenty-five percent (25%), of which a minimum of five percent (5%) must be allocated to VSBEs. POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal. Award of the Contract will be conditioned on the Bidder submitting an SBE-2C Commitment Plan demonstrating the Bidder’s intent to meet the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal. If the Bidder’s Commitment Plan does not demonstrate intent to meet the combined goal, the Bidder shall demonstrate that it made an adequate good faith effort to do so, as specified in the Instructions to Bidders (ITB-18). The Port’s SBE Program staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact the SBE Office at (562) 283-7598 or sbeprogram@polb.com. You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at www.polb.com/sbe.

NIB -8 Prevailing Wage Rates and Employment of Apprentices. This Project is a public work as defined in Labor Code Section 1720. The Contractor receiving award of the Contract and Subcontractors of any tier shall pay not less than the prevailing wage rates to all workers employed in execution of the Contract. The Director of Industrial Relations of the State of California has determined the general prevailing rates of wages in the locality in which the Work is to be performed. The rate schedules are available on the internet at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlsr/DPreWageDetermination.htm. Bidders are directed to Article 15 of the General Conditions for requirements concerning payment of prevailing wages, payroll records, hours of work and employment of apprentices.

NIB -9 Trade Names and Substitution of Equals. With the exception of the sole source determination identified in the paragraph below, Bidders wishing to obtain City’s authorization for substitution of equivalent material, product, or equipment, are required to submit a written request for an Or Equal Substitution using the form included in Appendix A together with data substantiating Bidder’s representation that the non-specified item is of equal quality to the item specified, not more than thirty five (35) calendar days after Bid Opening.

Authorization of a substitution is solely within the discretion of the City.

Bidders shall note that the only acceptable manufacturer specified in the following Technical Sections shall be Square D Company, pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 3400 (c)(2) and (c)(3): 16350, "MEDIUM VOLTAGE METAL-CLAD SWITCHGEAR", 16361, "MEDIUM VOLTAGE LOAD-INTERRUPTER SWITCHGEAR", and 16463, "SUBSTATION CAST-COIL TRANSFORMER". Any bid listing any other manufacturer will be nonresponsive.

NIB -10

NOT USED.

NIB -11 Bid Security, Signed Contract, Insurance and Bonds. Each Bid shall be accompanied by a satisfactory Bidder’s Bond or other acceptable Bid Security in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the Base Bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if Conditionally Awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) calendar days after the Contract is conditionally awarded to the Contractor by the City, execute and deliver such Contract to the Chief Harbor Engineer together with all required documents including insurance forms, a Payment Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, and a Performance Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. All Bonds shall be on forms provided by the City.

NIB -12 Conditional Award of Contract and Reservation of Rights. The Board, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time before the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informality or irregularity.

The Conditional Award of the Contract, if any, will be to the responsible Bidder submitting the lowest responsive and responsible Bid. If the lowest responsive responsible Bidder fails to submit the required documents including insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after Conditional Award of Contract, the Board reserves the right to rescind the Conditional Award and Conditionally Award the Contract to the next lowest responsive and responsible Bidder.

NIB -13 Period of Bid Irrevocability. Bids shall remain open and valid and Bidder’s Bonds shall be guaranteed for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first.

NIB -14 Substitution of Securities. Substitution of Securities for retainage is permitted in accordance with Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code.

Issued at Long Beach, California, this 12th day of December, 2011 Richard D. Steinke Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California

team that goes out and wins, and wins consistently.”

Glazer said there”s no timetable for naming a successor.

“We just want to find the right person,” he said, adding that his family also remains committed to building a

roster primarily through the draft.

“We will be happy to spend in free agency, but we have got to build a team,” Glazer said. “We have to draft well and build a foundation for this team. But we’re open-minded: Whatever we have to do to win.”

16

Thursday, January 5, 2012

For our children and community of Inglewood and Ladera Heights

PENIN

O

G

2012

JOHNNY J. YOUNG, PH.D.

TRINA L. WILLIAMS

ARNOLD C. BUTLER

CAROL RAINES-BROWN

President

Member

ENROLL TODAY!

ALENA C. GIARDINA Member

CALL

Vice President

Member

GARY MCHENRY Superintendent

( 310) 680-5170