lawt-12-24-2009

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Vol. XXX, No. 1159

December 24, 2009

SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE

FIRST COLUMN

Church is Site of Planned Scottsboro Boys Museum BY DAVID BREWER THE HUNTSVILLE TIMES

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (AP) — For 17 years, Shelia Washington has been trying to get a museum dedicated to the 1930s Scottsboro Boys case. And on Dec. 20, an open house was held at the 131-year-old Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church on West Willow Street where the museum will be located.

Its establishment will help educate the public on the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, Washington said in a recent interview at the church. “This case was global,” she said. “It was not isolated to Scottsboro.” Scottsboro City Councilman Gary Speers said many people today believe the Civil See MUSEUM, page 4

Photos by TERENCE BUNN — AMALGAMATED MEDIA

‘CHOCOLATE NUTCRACKER’ — The “Chocolate Nutcracker,” presented by the Los Angeles Preparatory and Performing Arts Center at the University Theater on the campus of California State University, Dominquez Hills, Dec. 19 and 20. The performance was a variation of the traditional Nutcracker Ballet, which emphasized a journey exploring the regions of the Diaspora that are indigenous to people of color. Pictured (left to right): Youth performing Afro-Caribbean dance. See more photos on page nine.

Dems, White House Predict Success on Health Care BY ERICA WERNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOUTHERN JUSTICE — The Scottsboro Boys were nine young black males, ages 12 to 19, who were accused of the rape of two white women in Scottsboro, Ala., in 1931. Eight of them were found guilty and sentenced to death. After numerous retrials over six years, charges were dropped against four defendants and one other defendant in exchange for a guilty plea on a different, unrelated charge. Pictured: Attorney Samuel Leibowitz meets with his clients, the Scottsboro Boys, under the watch of the Alabama National Guard in 1932.

WASHINGTON (AP) — From the White House to Capitol Hill, Democrats confidently predicted Senate passage of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul Dec. 22 after the bill cleared its second 60-vote test and the time was set for a final tally. Coming to the Senate floor in the middle of the afternoon, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced an agreement to vote on final passage at 8 a.m. Dec. 24, Christmas Eve. It would mark the 25th consecutive day of Senate deliberation on health care. “The finish line is in sight,” Finance Committee Chairman Max

L.A. Teacher Uses Rap to Turn Students on to Math BY NADRA KAREEM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Math teacher LaMar Queen knows what it’s like to teach arithmetics to kids who wonder if they’ll ever use algebra in the “real world.” Their eyes glaze over; they rest their heads on their desks, anything to avoid learning the formulas needed to master pre-algebra and beyond. To pique their interest in math, Queen, 25, began composing rap songs for his students at Los Angeles Academy Middle School that included equations such as the quadratic formula. Sure enough, the kids who listened to his songs began to memorize math formulas and rules, improving their marks in his class. In the “Quadratic Formulove Song,” Queen raps: “You know I got a new habit/I can’t stop graphing quadratics/You know I have other homework, but the vertex is calling me/Negative B over 2A/ and I can tell you what’s next/Find the X intercepts…” Josefa Martinez, a seventhgrader formerly enrolled at L.A. Academy, said Queen helped make math interesting to her.

“The other math teacher was really dry,” she said. By setting math equations to music, however, Queen helped Josefa improve her marks in arithmetics. When Josefa got stuck on one of Queen’s math tests, she recalled his song “PEMDAS,” which is about the order of operations in math. PEMDAS stands for “Please excuse my dear Aunt

Sally” and correlates with, “Parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division, and addition and subtraction.” “I sang the song in my head during my test,” Josefa said. Inspired by the progress of his students, Queen recorded so many songs and videos about math that he had enough material for an See MATH RAP, page 11

Baucus, D-Mont., said at a news conference with other Senate leaders and cheering supporters. “We’re not the first to attempt such reforms but we will be the first to succeed.”

At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs declared: “Health care reform is not a matter of if. Health care reform is now a matter of when.” See HEALTH CARE, page 10

Health Care Issues: Who’s Insured, and How (AP) — A look at key issues in the health care debate: The issue: How many people have health insurance now, and how would that change if the system is overhauled? The politics: One of the driving causes behind the longtime effort to overhaul health care is the desire to reduce the number of families that lack health insurance. The number of people without insurance rose to 46.3 million in 2008, or about 15 percent of the population, according to the Census Bureau. Just under 60 percent of Americans get coverage through an employer, or about 176 million people. Medicare, the government program for retirees, covers most of those 65 years or older — about 41 million beneficiaries. Medicaid provides health coverage for low-income children, families and people with disabilities — about 40 million people. What it means: The insurance industry supports the idea of universal health insurance coverage because it would add individuals to their risk pools, many of them young and healthy, and thus reduce their costs. The industry opposes the idea of insuring workers through a government-run plan that would compete with private plans. Legislation pending in Congress would require Americans to obtain insurance, but exemptions would stop short of making it universal. The House-passed bill would reduce the number of uninsured by 36 million in 2019, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the legislation. The Senate bill would reduce the number of uninsured by 31 million in 2019.

NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Police Chief to Continue Immigration Policy

Photo Courtesy of LAMAR QUEEN

‘RAPTICIAN’ — LaMar Queen, second from left, autographs copies of his CD/DVD, “Mind of a Mathman,” during a release party Dec. 12 at Horace Mann Middle School in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old math teacher uses rap to help students learn and remember mathematic principles.

(AP) — Los Angeles’ new police chief says he will continue a decades-old department policy that prevents officers from stopping people only to investigate their immigration status. Chief Charlie Beck said Dec. 18 he does not think his department should be the primary enforcer of immigration laws. He said this would harm community relations and discourage illegal immigrants from reporting crimes to police. So-called Special Order 40 has been in place since 1979. A

2007 legal challenge by officers who support checking immigrant status was thrown out last year. Officers still alert immigration officials if a suspect is a gang member who has been previously deported, or if a suspect is arrested for a felony or multiple misdemeanors.

SoCal Train Line to Get Crash-Resistant Cars (AP) — Southern California’s Metrolink commuter train system will get a fleet of crash-resistant passenger cars it hopes will save lives and improve an image marred by two deadly accidents. See BRIEFS, page 5

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

OPINION EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

The Shape of Things to Come in America’s Ethnic Reshuffle It makes no difference whether non-whites will be the majority in America in 2040 as the Census Bureau projected a few years ago, or the majority in 2050, based on new bureau projections. The inevitable will happen. By mid-century, if not before, whites will be a minority in America for the first time in nearly three centuries. There’s an upside and downside to the ethnic reshuffle of America. It will permanently change political campaigning. Democrats and Republicans will spend vast amounts of money, effort, and time pitching and courting minority voters. Some of this has already happened. Starting with the 2000 presidential elections, the Republican and Democratic national committees dumped millions into Spanish-language radio advertisements, promotions, and pitches, as well as ads and promotions in Asian and African American newspapers. George W. Bush paid brief lip service to making the party a big tent for diversity. The reality that Hispanics, Asian and black voters could provide tipping-point margins of victory for Republican candidates and elected officials in the West, the South, and Northwest forced the party to drop much of its bashes

and attacks on immigration and bilingual education. Corporations, financial houses, and retailers will totally remake their advertising campaigns. They will routinely feature minorities in all ads, spend millions with minority advertising and PR firms, and in ads in minority newspapers and on radio stations. Movies such as “The Princess and the Frog” and “Precious” will no longer be novelties and hot topics of debate, but commonplace on the big and little screens. Majority minorities will become a routine part of the media and cultural mainstream of America. Most major urban and many rural school boards of education and school districts will be run by Latino, Asian and African American administrators and elected officials. They will control the funding, staff hires and assignments, and curriculum decisions. Now there’s the downside. A non-white majority won’t automatically change white-minority economic and political power relations. The majority of Fortune 1000 CEOs, CFOs, and board of directors will still be white and male. The staggering imbalance of wealth between whites and minorities will

still be glaring. And so will the funding and achievement imbalance in school districts. There will be rich and poor districts and thousands of minority school children will still be trapped in grossly failing and underperforming schools. Many will live in deteriorating, substandard inner-city housing and apartments. The backslide of President Barack Obama on Afghanistan war escalation, health care reform, and tough Wall Street regulations proved that the army of high-priced and well-entrenched corporate and financial lobbyists shape much special interest legislation and policy. That won’t change. And politicians, no matter their color, still must give a huge nod to their interests. While overt racial hate and violence will largely be a thing of the past, there will still be crucial areas in education, health care, and the criminal justice system where funding, allocation of resources, public planning, and political decision making is racially skewed. America’s erosion of global and domestic political and economic power will almost certainly engender ethnic-group infighting See HUTCHINSON, page 10

Support for Death Penalty Continues to Fall BY MICHAEL A. KROLL NEW AMERICA MEDIA

“Maybe it’s because the crime rate is going down … Maybe it’s because of publicity about judicial mistakes … Maybe it’s just the swing of history’s pendulum …” That is how I introduced a piece I wrote a dozen years ago under the title, “Death Penalty Monolith Begins To Crack” (Pacific News Service). The “crack” that was visible then has widened considerably. According to the “Year End Report” recently released by the Death Penalty Information Center (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org): • The number of death sentences handed down in 2009 was the lowest since the Supreme Court allowed executions to resume in 1976. • Even in the Death Belt, states like Texas, which averaged 34 death sentences a year in the 1990s, handed down just nine this year. • Three states in the past two years have abolished the death penalty, making New Mexico the 15th state to do so. • Eleven states considered an abolition bill, which passed in one house of Colorado and Montana’s state legislatures, and which was adopted by Connecticut’s Legislature but vetoed by the governor. • Nine more men under sentences of death were exonerated, bringing the total since 1973 to 139. • A poll of police chiefs nationwide revealed little support for the practice as a law enforcement tool (“… one of the most inefficient uses of taxpayer money in fighting crime …”)

While the center’s report does not make predictions about the future, the movement to abolish the death penalty will also suffer disappointments and setbacks. For example, while public support for capital punishment continues to drop in California, which has the nation’s largest death row, the state may soon experience a spate of executions. First, a federal court found California’s execution protocol did not meet the requirements of the Eighth Amendment’s ban on “cruel or unusual punishment,” and ordered the state to come with new procedures. But the state violated the Administrative Procedures Act and had to start over by soliciting public input on the proposals. In the meantime, individual cases continue to wend their way through the legal thicket that is death penalty law. A number have reached the end of the appellate process and await only the decisions in the challenges pending before the state court (procedural) and the federal court (substantive). Both those challenges could be decided early in 2010, and if they are decided in the state’s favor, a number of individuals will soon be put to death in San Quentin’s death chamber. But while we face the real possibility of imminent executions here, internationally, both California and the United States continue to find themselves ever more isolated in regards to the death penalty. A few examples: • Last month, the Russian constitutional court ruled that the ban

on executions would continue to be in effect. • Turkmenistan abolished the death penalty a decade ago. • Last year, Kyrgyzstan abolished the death penalty through a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the “inherent right to life for everyone.” • South Korea has signaled by letter to the Council of Europe that “it guarantees the non-application of the death penalty.” • R e c e n t l y, a m i n i s t e r i n Japan’s ruling coalition promised that “the Japanese government will work toward abolition.” • China has significantly reduced the number of offenses subject to capital punishment, and the vice president of the Supreme People’s Court has promised more leniency in capital cases. • In Africa, even while Uganda debates the death penalty for homosexual conduct, other countries are following the lead South Africa established by abolishing the death penalty about 11 years ago. Kenya commuted the death sentences of 4,000 people to life in prison, and in June Togo became the 15th country in Africa to abolish capital punishment. While the United States remains in the international company of Iran, Iraq, China and Cuba in its insistence on putting its citizens to death, mounting evidence points toward continuing erosion of support for capital punishment in the state, the country, and the world. Michael A. Kroll is a former executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

People of Conscience BY MAYA RUPERT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Now that it is looking increasingly inevitable that some sort of sweeping health care reform will be passed early next year, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and start looking for the next big fight on which we can all fixate. Ah, the change a new year brings. Turns out, we’re not going to have to look too far. While it is clear that health care will be reformed, the new battleground emerging is centering on precisely what that reform will look like. The public option is almost certainly out, the exchange is in, and abortion is shaping up to be the lightning-rod issue. Pro-lifers are afraid that reform will change existing law and allow federal funding for abortions. Because both the House and Senate versions of the bill require almost everyone to be insured, and provide generous subsidies from federal money to make that possible, they argue that some of that federal money will be going toward premiums that will provide abortions. House and Senate Democrats have been bending over backwards trying to craft language that would keep this from happening. But no matter how hard they try, and they’ve tried hard — the bill that will pass the Senate contains some truly tortured language that could force women seeking abortion care coverage into the onerous position of writing two separate checks, one for the bulk of their care and the other for the abortion care, to insure separation of funds — the pro-lifers aren’t satisfied. And here’s the surprising part: I’m with the pro-lifers. I agree that it is likely impossible to create a bill from the current House and Senate versions that will ensure that no federal funds go toward funding abortions. The segregation of funds will

be artificial at best because money is fungible, so even if the subsidies from tax dollars go toward the non-abortion portion of the care, the subsidies will Maya Rupert have facilitated the purchase of the abortion care. But my bigger question is, why is it so important that no federal dollars go toward funding abortion? I understand that it is a thorny issue and that many people do not support reproductive freedom of women. But I didn’t support the invasion of Iraq. I don’t support farm subsidies for U.S. farmers that keep farmers in developing nations in abject poverty. Some days, I don’t support Congress. But it is inconceivable to me that based on my objections, I can actually pick and choose where my tax dollars go — taxation doesn’t work the way charitable giving does. We don’t have the luxury of dictating the terms. And that’s because taxes aren’t charity; they are the price we pay for living in a civilized society. And sometimes other people in that society do things that we may disagree with, but the court charged with interpreting our Constitution has deemed abortion within their rights to do. When that happens, the government has a responsibility to make sure that access to constitutionally protected procedures is not blocked by a lack of financial resources. What better way to do that than to make federal funding available for those who need it? Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah gave an explanation for why objections to abortion occupy this privileged space in the discourse. During Senate debate of the health care bill, and particularly the added amendment See RUPERT, page 10

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December 24, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

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BUSINESS Black Businesses Shorted on Stimulus Contracts

Workshop to be Presented on ‘Bulletproofing’ Your Business The “Secrets to Bulletproofing Your Business” workshop will be held Jan. 20, 2010, at the Proud Bird Restaurant at 11022 Aviation Blvd., Los Angeles. The workshop’s topics will include: using durable powers of attorney, keeping control and privacy over your assets and more. It begins at 6 p.m. with networking and cocktails, and ends at 8:30 p.m. The workshop will also include a seminar and dinner. The cost is $45 per person. Reservations are required. Information: 310-677-9787, ext. 5, www.collinslawgroup.com.

L.A. Living Wage Suit to be Settled for $6.5 Million (AP) — A uniform company has agreed to pay $6.5 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it failed to pay its laundry workers a living wage. Ohio-based Cintas agreed Dec. 11 to pay $3.3 million in back wages and interest to more than 500 Southern California workers and another $3.2 million in penalties and attorney fees. A union that sued Cintas five years ago announced the tentative deal Dec. 17. Cintas was accused of violating a Los Angeles living wage ordinance while working on city contracts from 2000-04. Cintas doesn’t admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which still needs a judge’s approval. The company says it complies with all wage laws but settled to avoid extra litigation costs. Cintas was told to pay $1.4 million to settle a similar lawsuit last year in the Bay Area.

Sales and Home Prices Inch Up in Southern Calif. SAN DIEGO (AP) — Sales and prices of homes in Southern California may be showing signs of life, with an increase in sales and prices last month from the same time last year and an unexpected jump in new-home sales, a tracking firm said Dec. 15. San Diego-based MDA DataQuick said the sales have been stoked in recent months by several factors: The federal tax credit for first-time buyers, which would have expired last month before it was extended and expanded; robust investor activity, especially inland; record-low mortgage rates; the availability of governmentinsured, low-down-payment mortgages for first-time buyers; and the allure of “deals” for distressed properties.

A total of 19,181 new and resale homes sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month. That was down 13.3 percent from October’s 22,132, but there is almost always a decline in home sales from October to November, according to DataQuck. The sales were up 14.7 percent last month from 16,720 for November 2008, DataQuick said.

Court Asked to Decide McCourt Dodgers Ownership (AP) — A court commissioner is considering whether ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers should be decided by spring training or later in the year. A hearing was scheduled Dec. 15 in Los Angeles. Jamie McCourt is asserting an ownership stake in the team during divorce proceedings. Frank McCourt, who is listed on Major League Baseball filings as the owner, claims his estranged wife signed away her interests in the team years ago. Both sides have waged a public battle over the issue, and Frank McCourt is asking the court to hold a trial to decide the issue in February. He wrote in a recent court declaration that media scrutiny of the divorce proceedings had become a distraction to the Dodgers organization. Jamie McCourt’s attorneys say the case is complicated and will require months of preparation.

‘12 Days of Christmas’ Items’ Cost Would Top $87,000 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Making one’s true love happy will cost a whopping $87,403 this year, a minuscule increase from last year, according to the latest cost analysis of the items in the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” That’s the grand total for the single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, purchased repeatedly as the song suggests, according to the annual “Christmas Price Index” compiled by PNC Wealth Management. The price is up a mere $794, or less than 1 percent, from $86,609 last year. The cost of buying each item just once is increasing this year to $21,466, up 1.8 percent from last year’s $21,081. Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investment for PNC Wealth Management, attributed the modest increase to lower energy costs and fewer wage increases. On The Net: PNC Christmas Price Index: www.pncchristmas priceindex.com.

BY AARON GLANTZ NEW AMERICA MEDIA

Since President Barack Obama signed his stimulus package into law in February, the U.S. Department of Transportation has given more than $150 million in contracts to companies for street, highway and bridge construction. New statistics released this week by the Transportation Equity Network (TEN) show that from that pot of money nothing had been allocated to any African Americanowned business. “Stunning,” is how TEN’s media director Stephen Boykewich described his organizations’ findings. “What we’re seeing all over the country is that in spite of stated language in the stimulus bill that this was supposed to go to disadvantaged communities hit hardest by the recession, those communities are having incredible difficulty gaining access to those funds.” TEN, a 22-state network of more than 300 community organizations fighting for an equity-based national transportation system, crunched numbers publicly available on-line at the Web site of the government’s federal Procurement Data System (www.fpds.gov) in making their findings. The federal Department of Transportation had so far given out $163.8 million in direct contracts, they found, and of that only $16.8 million, or about 10 percent, had gone to all minority-owned businesses; $4.7 million, or about 3 percent, had gone to Hispanicowned businesses. Not a single black-owned firm had received a contract from the DOT. In Washington, a DOT spokesman refused to comment for attribution for this story and wasn’t able to offer an explanation of the statistics assembled by the Transportation Equity Network. He added that the DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program doubled in size over the last year, and he forwarded a press release stating the agency “has participated in many national events” and organized “workshops, presentations, and DBE Days” to increase the amount of minority contracting. Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood also sent a letter to every governor in the country Dec. 7, urging them to “take advantage of existing equal opportunity programs and resources and to create innovative strategies to provide opportunities for the under-represented” with transportation infrastructure dollars they administer under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Richard Copeland, the African American owner of Thorn Construction in Minneapolis, says those efforts haven’t been successful because LaHood is only offering suggestions and not enforcement. “You’ve got to put teeth in it and be willing to withhold the stimulus money if it’s not being enforced,” he said. “Unless you mandate and enforce it, it’s not going to work. “It’s asking for voluntary participation and voluntary coopera-

tion, and power is not conceded using those types of methods,” he said. “You’ve got to mandate that money goes into communities of color and then follow up.” Copeland, who is the immediate past president of the Minority Contractors Association in Washington, D.C., said the small number of minority firms receiving stimulus contracts is a partial cause of the Depression-like unemployment levels that now plague the African American and Latino communities. In November, the Labor Department reported the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 15.6 percent for blacks and 12.7 for Hispanics. It is 9.3 percent for whites. “We know that 60 percent of the employees of minority firms are people of color,” Copeland said, “so if none of us get contracts, people in our communities won’t get jobs.”

The Transportation Equity Network believes the best way to address this issue is to create a 30 percent set-aside of work hours for disadvantaged workers as part of any new jobs bill that passes the House in the coming month, as well as stronger accountability and transparency in tracking the use of all federal funds for economic stimulus and job creation. In the meantime, Boykewich pointed to Missouri as a state where significant progress is being made. Missouri’s Department of Transportation recently agreed that lowincome construction apprentices would make up 30 percent of the work force on a $500 million highway project that was just completed. Working with trade unions and community groups, the department also agreed to use $2.5 million of the project’s federal funding to See BLACK BUSINESS, page 15

metro.net

MetroBriefs Go Metro to The Roses Celebrate the New Year on Metro. The Metro Gold Line can get you to the Rose Parade, Rose Bowl Game, viewing the ?oats after the parade and even the BCS game on January 7. Memorial Park, Lake and Allen stations are all just a short walk from the parade route. Shuttles can take you to the games and ?oat viewing area. Find out more at metro.net.

Holiday Eve Free Fares To help you enjoy the holidays safely, all Metro bus and rail will o=er free service on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Speci>cally, no fare will be charged from 9pm on Thursday, December 24 until 2am Friday, December 25 and from 9pm Thursday, December 31 until 2am on Friday, January 1. Have a safe holiday. Go Metro.

Discover The Taste of The Eastside From sushi in Little Tokyo/Arts District to tamales in East LA, the opening of the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension also opened up a new dining adventure. Metro has put together a listing of just some of the o=erings in its Eastside Dining Guide – more than 70 choices shown by nearest station location. Check it out at metro.net.

New Silver Line Freeway Service Metro has introduced new high-frequency, high-capacity bus service on the freeway carpool lanes between the South Bay and the San Gabriel Valley. The new Metro Silver Line travels the carpool lanes on the I-10 and I-110 freeways, and also serves key destinations in Downtown LA. Find out more at metro.net.

$9.5 Million in Measure R Funds Distributed The >rst installment of $9.5 million in Measure R sales tax monies have gone out to 38 cities in LA County for transportation improvements. Track the progress of Measure R funded projects in your area online. Just go to metro.net and search for “Progress Tracker.”

If you’d like to know more, please call us at 1.800.464.2111, or visit metro.net.

GEN-CE-10-007 ©2009 LACMTA

BIZSHORTS

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FORUMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Loan Modification Scam Alert (City of L.A.) — L.A. Neighborhood Housing Services and the Center for Foreclosure Solutions have announced they are working with NeighborWorks America to educate homeowners on loan modification scams. Information: (888) 895-2647, www.lanhs.org.

Empower LA Presents New Series (City of L.A.) — Empower LA has presented a new series of Open Dialogues and Candidate Preparation Sessions. The Open Dialogue Sessions, targeted for Angelenos new to the Neighborhood Council System, will offer participants an opportunity to learn about civic participation, the basics of the Neigh-

borhood Council System, and important information on the upcoming 2010 Neighborhood Council Elections. Information: (213) 485-1360.

Recreation and Parks Need Projects for the Statewide Park Program (City of L.A.) — The Statewide Park Program will award $368 million in grants to projects that create new parks and recreational opportunities in underserved communities. Applications are due on March 1, 2010. The Department of Recreation and Parks needs to identify qualified projects in the community and will organize workshops for each project. Information: Darryl Ford, darryl.ford@lacity.org.

MUSEUM Continued from page 1 Rights Movement started in Montgomery when it actually began here 78 years ago with the Scottsboro Boys case. “We want to show that the movement existed here before Montgomery,� Speers said. “It’s sad that it happened, but we can’t deny that it happened.� On March 25, 1931, nine black men were accused of raping two white women while riding a train through Jackson County. At their trial here, all but one were found guilty and sentenced to die in the electric chair on July 10. But after Ruby Bates, one of the two alleged victims, purportedly wrote a letter to a friend denying she’d been raped, the nine men were given new trials in Decatur in 1933. Charges were dropped against four of the men. Of the remaining five, four received lengthy prison sentences and one, Clarence Norris, was sentenced to death. But Norris was pardoned in October 1976. He died in January 1989. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the verdicts against the men because they were not represented in the first trial, it issued two groundbreaking rulings — the right to legal counsel and the right to equal protection under the law. Washington said she became interested in the case at 18 after discovering a book about the case her parents had hidden from her and her siblings because its content might bother them emotionally.

Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church

Having worked for 17 years in trying to get a museum created, Washington, who is now 49, said it was not until she and several other people started the ScottsboroJackson County Cultural Heritage Foundation about a year ago that progress began to be made toward that goal. Recently, the church, which closed in January, was leased to them for the purpose of locating a museum inside. The foundation now hopes to raise $75,000 to buy the church. Garry Morgan, a member of the foundation, said it’s appropriate for the museum to be located in the church because of the church’s role during Civil Rights Movement to bring people together regardless of their race. “This can be a healing process so history is not repeated,� Morgan said. Donations for the museum may be mailed to: Scottsboro-Jackson County Multi-Cultural Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 1557, Scottsboro, AL 35768.

L.A. School’s Football Success Linked to Rapper Snoop Dogg BY CHRISTINA HOAG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Football has long been the athletic stepchild at inner-city Crenshaw High School. Trophy cases are crammed with basketball awards. Gym walls are lined with hoops championship flags. But, before Dec, 19, the football team was undefeated this season, and the coach attributes part of the success to an unlikely off-field source: rapper Snoop Dogg. Nine of this year’s Crenshaw High School Cougars went through the 5-year-old Snoop Youth Football League, representing the first crop of varsity players to cut their teeth in the program. The league has produced standouts at other schools, but none has more players or a better record than Crenshaw. The league has made Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, a savior of sorts for football in an impoverished area of Los Angeles where gangs roam many of the streets. “It is more of an advantage to have kids who played in the Snoop Dogg league,� coach Robert Garrett said. “They also have the experience, the fundamentals and the attitude that guys who started from scratch don’t have.� Broadus’ reputation for raunchy lyrics and run-ins with the law brought some initial apprehension from the mostly single mothers who wanted to enroll their sons. “It was kind of hard to separate Snoop Dogg the entertainer from Snoop Dogg the coach, the father,� league Commissioner Haamid Wadood said. But the league soon caught on, especially when fathers with criminal records learned they could coach, unlike most other youth sports. Broadus, himself a former gang member, has several convictions for drugs and weapons offenses, and if the league didn’t allow excons, there wouldn’t be enough coaches. “When you look at the demographics of the area, this is the reality of the situation,� Wadood said. “We don’t condone any of that, but we look at the nature of the offense, how recent it was.� Sex offenders and domestic violence convicts, for instance, are banned from the sidelines.

Photo by ROB HELFMAN

AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP — The Crenshaw High School Cougars, which were undefeated in the regular season and won the city title, lost Dec. 19 to De La Salle High School of Concord, 28-14, in the California state championship bowl held at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

The coaching exception has also reconnected boys with their dads, or at least with positive male role models in neighborhoods where fathers are often behind bars or otherwise absent. The dads, many of them members of the rival Bloods and Crips, must agree to leave their gang disputes away from the field. “This is kind of like a peace treaty,� Wadood said. “Everybody wants something better for their kids.� Broadus, 38, launched the league in 2005 with $1 million of his own money after noticing that much of urban Los Angeles had no football for boys ages 5 to 13. He’s since invested about $300,000, Wadood said. The league now has 2,500 kids enrolled. Broadus, who was promoting his new album “Malice in Wonderland� recently, would not comment. The camaraderie that developed from playing together in the Snoop league has made the Crenshaw team a more cohesive, confident unit on and off the field. In a steamroller season, the Cougars earned a 14-0 record, nabbing the Los Angeles city title. The Cougars, however, were defeated 28-14 in the California state championship bowl game on Dec. 19 by Concord’s De La Salle at the Home Depot Center in Carson. “It’s like a big family,� said running back De’Anthony Thomas, a junior who sports a big gold and diamond cross pendant around his

neck and who got his nickname “Black Mamba� in the Snoop league because of his speedy agility similar to the dangerous African snake. It also helps team members fend off peer pressure to join gangs. “It keeps me out of trouble, from hanging in places I shouldn’t be,� said wide receiver Geno Hall, a senior with diamond stud earrings. “It’s helped me to grow mentally.� While Broadus’ larger-than-life figure was not the motivation for the kids to play football, his personal involvement boosts the self-esteem of boys who often receive little attention at home. The rapper attends games and allows his bodyguards to let players approach him freely. Those intangibles, said coach Garrett, are invaluable for inner-city youth. The burly coach sees his job as much about taking a troubled team member home for food or clothing as it is about football. He lectures about keeping up grades and has imposed a rule requiring neckties, dress shirts and trousers on Fridays during season to get players out of the “hood culture.� The success of Crenshaw and the Snoop league is capturing widespread attention. College recruiters have already approached players such as Thomas and Hall, and the league is fielding calls from cities such as Dallas and Pittsburgh that want to replicate the Snoop model. The L.A. Watts Times staff contributed to this report.

ENERGY STAR Products Save Money As you shop this holiday season, SCE encourages customers to look for the ENERGY STARÂŽ label on consumer electronics. These HOHFWURQLFV SHUIRUP MXVW DV ZHOO DV RWKHU QRQ TXDOLÂżHG SURGXFWV DQG VDYH \RX PRQH\ E\ XVLQJ less energy. 7HOHYLVLRQV FRPSXWHUV DQG PRQLWRUV DUH VRPH RI WKH PDQ\ (1(5*< 67$5 TXDOLÂżHG SURGXFWV DYDLODEOH 3XUFKDVH (1(5*< 67$5 TXDOLÂżHG HOHFWURQLFV WRGD\ DQG VWDUW VDYLQJ HQHUJ\ PRQH\ DQG WKH HQYLURQPHQW 7R OHDUQ PRUH YLVLW sce.com/save

FOR OVER 100 YEARS...LIFE. POWERED BY EDISON.

December 24, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 5

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Continued from page 1 State-of-the-art cars with “crush zones” to absorb the impact in a crash will begin arriving in January, Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca said Dec. 18. The idea is similar to the “crumple zones” now used in automobiles. The $229 million fleet will be the first use of the new technology by a U.S. commuter train line, Oaxaca said, although the cars have been used overseas. The cars are made by Rotem, a division of Hyundai, and will be shipped over from South Korea as they are manufactured, Oaxaca said. Metrolink hopes to have 117 in service by spring 2011. Initially, the cars will be used to sandwich lines of older carriages — one car each in front and back to provide more safety in a head-on or rearend collision, Oaxaca said.

THE STATE Rail Authority Explores Higher Ticket Price SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California high-speed rail officials say the agency would realize even greater profits if a one-way ticket

from San Francisco to Los Angeles were set at $105 instead of an existing proposal for $55. The new price is floated in a business plan released Dec. 14 by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Deputy Director Jeff Barker

says the authority is a long way from setting the actual price, but wanted to explore the higher-cost alternative. The December 2009 business plan says the higher fare would reduce high-speed rail ridership by several million passengers a year — to 41 million in 2035. But that

would also reduce maintenance and operations costs. Barker said the authority could explore even more pricing alternatives in the future. The state expects to complete construction on the line by 2020. See BRIEFS, page 6

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Man Sentenced in Boy’s Beating Death

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(AP) — A man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for beating his ex-girlfriend’s 6year-old son to death in a South Los Angeles home. Marcas Fisher was sentenced Dec. 15 in Compton Superior Court. Fisher pleaded guilty last month to killing Dae’von Bailey. The boy’s badly beaten body was found in July. The boy’s mother left the boy and his sister in Fisher’s care. He was arrested in Las Vegas in August.

Police Release New Sketches of Serial Killer

Age progressed composites: male, black, black/grey hair, 45 to 60 years old, 5’8” to 5’10”

The sketches, released Dec. 17, use age-enhancement techniques to show how the man dubbed the “Grim Sleeper” might look like today. The sketches are based on the description given by a woman who survived a brutal assault in 1988. Police hope the three images, which show how the suspected killer may have aged in 22 years, will prompt someone who knows him to contact police. The killer struck at least 11 times between 1985 and 2007, targeting young black women and one man. He was dubbed the “Grim Sleeper” because he apparently took a 14-year hiatus in his crimes.

Facts Dec. 26, 1924 DeFord Bailey Sr., a harmonica player, becomes the first black to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. Source: blackfacts.com

Prices and participation may vary. ©2009 McDonald’s.

(AP) — Los Angeles police have released two new composite sketches of a man believed to have killed at least 11 people since 1985.

bliss for a buck

Page 6

L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

COMMUNITY

Blacks Urge More Efforts to Improve Census Count BY HOPE YEN ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Black groups on Dec. 16 urged the government to improve the count of African Americans in next year’s high-stakes census, saying they won’t be satisfied with a tally that has historically overlooked millions in their community. The National Urban League, the NAACP, Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson met with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to voice their concerns the Census Bureau might not be doing enough to ensure an accurate tally. Roughly 3 million blacks were missed in 2000, while many whites were overcounted. “The undercount of blacks in the last count and the overcount of

whites by 1 percent is not just a Washington statistic,� Sharpton said at a news briefing after the meeting. “It manifests itself in goods and services that cost us.� “We want what is ours,� he said. The groups called for the Census Bureau, an agency of the Commerce Department, to expand its paid advertising to cities such as Newark, N.J.; Oakland; parts of Mississippi and other areas that have high percentages of hard-tocount blacks, many of whom are distrustful of government workers. They also are pushing for more census funding specifically targeted at black communities. About $23 million, or roughly 17 percent of the $133 million allocated for media buys, is currently ear-

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marked for black communities to promote the census. The black leaders said they wanted to see a change in how the government tallies prisoners, so they are counted as residents of the cities in which they previously lived, not in the places where a prison is located. “There are a lot more things that have to be done for us to say that we are confident that this plan can address the historic undercount in this nation,� said Marc Morial,

president of the National Urban League and chair of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee. Commerce officials said the Census Bureau would take a second look at its $300 million communications campaign to determine if there are ways to make it better. The bureau kicks off its ad campaign next month and will conduct its head count via mail and door-todoor canvassing next spring. “African Americans and other minority communities have been

consistently undercounted in past censuses so we’re grateful to the respected leaders we met with for their commitment to achieving an accurate count,� Locke said in a statement. The population figures, gathered every 10 years, are used to apportion House seats and distribute nearly $450 billion in federal aid. On the Net: Commerce Department: www.commerce.gov; Census Bureau: www.census.gov.

to turn our economy around, but it’s also about rebuilding the public’s trust and confidence that we can spend their money well,� she said.

The group promotes black empowerment and is an offshoot of the Nation of Islam. U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn said Dec. 17 he’ll likely issue a preliminary injunction in Hardaway’s favor. Still unsettled: Whether the state will be ordered to stop labeling the Nation of Gods a security threat. Cohn says a trial is possible. In August, another judge recommended that Cohn recognize the group as a religion.

BRIEFS Continued from page 5

California Population Grows Less Than 1 Percent SACRAMENTO (AP) — California demographers say the state’s population grew less than 1 percent in 2009, one of the lowest rates on record. The state Department of Finance reported new population figures Dec. 17. The state added 353,000 residents from July 2008 to July 2009, bringing California’s total population to nearly 38.5 million people. The only time the state has seen a slower growth rate was in the years from 1994 to 1996. Most of the latest growth was due to births within the state. California gained over 179,000 new immigrants and lost about 142,000 people to other states. More than half the population growth was in the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside and Santa Clara.

Calif. Stimulus Czar Falling Short of Expectations SACRAMENTO (AP) — As federal stimulus money began to pour in earlier this year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger created the nation’s first state-level inspector general to serve as a watchdog over California’s windfall. He had high expectations, saying the stimulus czar would root out waste, fraud and abuse as an estimated $50 billion was being spent throughout the state. But eight months later, the stimulus czar has not produced any audits or formal reports. The office doesn’t investigate potential whistle-blower cases. It also doesn’t track the number of jobs created or saved by stimulus dollars, and its Web site provides only bare-bones information for the public. Inspector General Laura Chick acknowledges that her office is falling short, mainly because she says the deficit-plagued state hasn’t provided enough money to hire auditors and investigators. She took the $175,000-a-year job after serving as a watchdog in Los Angeles, winning praise for exposing, among other things, a backlog of untested rape kits and contractor overbilling. She developed a reputation as an aggressive investigator who would not back down from city officials and contractors. Chick intends to fight what she calls a culture of complacency in state government while rooting out inefficiencies. “The most important thing is

THE NATION ND Supreme Court Considers Racial Slur Case BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s Supreme Court is considering whether a boy who used a racial slur against a 17-yearold black girl is protected by the First Amendment’s free-speech guarantees. The 14-year-old boy is not identified in court filings. Documents say he used the slur against the girl last February when she was leaving a dance at the Valley City teen center. She did not respond. A judge ruled the boy had committed disorderly conduct. His lawyer was arguing the boy’s appeal Dec. 21 in the North Dakota Supreme Court.

THE DIASPORA Egypt Antiquities Chief to Demand Nefertiti Bust CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s chief antiquities official says he will formally demand the return of the bust of Queen Nefertiti from a Berlin museum after he received documents to back his claim the statue is there illegally.

NYC Mayor Blasts EMTs Accused of Refusing to Help NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg has criticized two New York City emergency medical technicians accused of ignoring a pregnant woman who had collapsed in the coffee shop where they were taking a break. The woman and her baby later died. Bloomberg said Dec. 21 that refusing to help goes against human decency. The fire department is investigating the Dec. 9 death of 25-yearold Eutisha Revee Rennix. The EMTs are accused of telling employees at the eatery in Brooklyn, N.Y., to call 911 and then leaving when employees asked them to help. Rennix died at a nearby hospital. The fire department declined to comment further pending the investigation. A message left for Rennix’s mother was not immediately returned.

Judge Sides With Inmate Over Reading Material DETROIT (AP) — A judge says he’ll probably allow a Michigan prison inmate to receive literature from a group that has been declared a security threat by the state Corrections Department. Dion Hardaway is suing the state. He says he lost work and school privileges in prison until he renounced his membership in a group called The Nation of Gods and Earths/Five Percent.

Zahi Hawass said in a statement Dec. 20 that the director of Berlin’s Egyptian Museum presented documents revealing that the German excavator of the 3,300year-old artifact concocted fraudulent papers to take it out of Egypt in 1913. Since the bust was displayed in Germany in 1924, Egypt has been demanding its return. German authorities have declined, saying the bust is too fragile to move. The documents include a protocol signed by the German excavator of the bust and the Egyptian Antiquities Service headed by Gustave Lefevre in 1913, a year after the statue was unearthed in Amarna in southern Egypt.

December 24, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 7

COMMUNITY

On the Money: When Giving Gift Cards, Understand the Pitfalls BY CANDICE CHOI AP PERSONAL FINANCE WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) — You buy your sister a $100 general purpose gift card; it’s for her birthday, but it might be the bank that has reason to celebrate. Despite your good intentions, such gift cards often come with a tangle of fine print and fees that can ensnare unsuspecting recipients. Your sister might not realize that a $3 monthly inactivity fee kicks in after a year. Or it could annoy her that it costs $12 to replace a lost card. While the new credit card law passed this year includes some regulations for gift cards, it doesn’t eliminate many of the fees they often come with. So before you start loading up on gift cards for the holidays, be sure you know the pitfalls. The Basics There are two types of gift cards — store cards and general purpose bank cards. The latter are Visa, MasterCard or American Express branded cards that you can use wherever those credit cards are accepted. These are the cards that often come with fees and terms. Unlike with gift cards to specific stores, there are usually fees to buy general purpose gift cards. Chase and Wells Fargo cards cost $3.50 a piece. American Express cards cost between $2.95 and $6.95, depending on the value of the card. The cards can’t be reloaded, and don’t come with the same protections as credit or debit cards. So you can’t dispute a purchase or issue a “stop payment.” Running Meter Once a general purpose bank card is purchased, the clock on the expiration date starts ticking. At Wells Fargo, gift cards typically expire four years after the card is purchased. You can request a check for the remaining balance if you don’t use up the card before then, but that will cost you $15. So if the balance on your card is less than that, you’re out of luck. The card’s value could disappear even before the expiration date because of dormancy fees. Chase and Wells Fargo both start deducting $2.50 a month from cards after a year. So if left unused, a monthly fee could eventually deplete a card’s value. Some cards start charging monthly fees as early as six months after purchase, according to the Consumer Federation of America, which is based in Washington, D.C. American Express recently did away with the $2 dormancy fee on its gift cards. The cards also don’t have expiration dates, and replacements for lost or stolen cards are free. The drawback is that American Express cards aren’t as widely accepted as Visa and MasterCard. More Fees The attraction of general purpose cards is obvious: They are nohassle crowd pleasers, and you can

buy them at the last minute. But even apart from upfront and inactivity fees, the recipient can encounter several other surprising service charges. If a card is lost or stolen, Chase charges $12 for a replacement card while Wells Fargo charges $7.50. There could also be fees of 3 percent or so on foreign transactions, as with many credit card purchases. Other banks charge to look up the balance on a card. The best way to be sure you’re aware of all the fees is to read the fine print on the packaging before you buy any card. The cost for purchase and any other fees should be spelled out. Other Limitations One way to safeguard a general purpose gift card is to register it online; this will ensure you can get a replacement if it’s lost or stolen. You’ll need to report a missing card right away, however. If a thief goes on a spending spree with the card before then, you likely won’t get a refund. The other major pitfall with general purpose cards is that people often don’t use up the balance. One reason is that people often don’t know how much is left on their cards, and merchants can’t look up the balance. Also, some stores won’t let you use multiple forms of payment if there’s not enough on your gift card to cover the bill. As a result, 10 percent of the value on bank cards is never used, according to the Consumer Federation of America. As for making purchases online, you’ll probably need to register the card first. This is because you typically need to provide a billing address for cards when shopping online. Ultimately, it’s a good idea to keep the receipt for any cards in case there are problems. And remember to hold onto cards even after the value is depleted, in case you need to make a return or exchange. New Safeguards Retailers and banks will have to abide by some new ground rules with gift cards starting in August 2010. Issuers will be banned from putting an expiration date on gift cards, unless it’s at least five years after the card is loaded. Inactivity fees will also be banned, unless the card hasn’t been used for at least a year. And the Federal Reserve has been directed to review whether fee amounts for gift cards are appropriate. Issuers will also be required to “clearly and conspicuously” state fees on packaging. Until then, it might be easier to simply steer clear of general purpose gift cards. “Write a check or give cash — then you know there won’t be any fees,” said Michelle Jun, a staff attorney with the Consumers Union. If you have any consumer questions or experiences you want to share, e-mail Candice Choi at cchoi@ap.org.

WHAT’S GOING ON? Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, 12 p.m., at least two weeks prior to activity. Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010. NEW YEAR’S RODA — The Ngolo Arts Preservation Society will sponsor a New Year’s Open Capoeira Angola roda on Jan. 2, 3 to 9 p.m., at Chuco’s Justice Center, 1137 E. Redondo Blvd., Inglewood. A roda is the circle where people gather to play the game of capoeira with music and song. The public is invited to come and mark the beginning of the new year. There will be food and drink, videos, and an announcement to share with the community. Information: (424) 200-4968.

PET FOSTER PARENTS — The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles’ fostering program is in need of volunteers to assist with the care of pets of all ages. The next foster parent class is scheduled for Jan. 9, 10 a.m. to noon, at the South Bay Pet Adoption Center, 12910 Yukon Ave., Hawthorne. This class is free. Information: (310) 676-1149, ext. 222, www.spcala.com. NEW YEAR SWIM — The 58th annual First Swim/Dip of the Year event will be held Jan. 1, noon, at Cabrillo Beach. Participants will gather at the Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse, 3800 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. The bathhouse is the official home of the Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears.

The 2010 king and queen of the Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears will be crowned at 11:30 a.m. and will lead the crowd to the water. Everyone who enters the ocean — even a little — will receive a certificate of participation. Refreshments will include coffee and hot cocoa and cupcakes and cookies made by the Lady Polar Bears. This event is free. Information: (310) 548-7554. See WGO, page 11

Facts Dec. 25, 1965 The Congress of Racial Equality announces that its national director, James Farmer, would resign on March 1. Source: blackfacts.com

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

ARTS & CULTURE The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) sponsored its 16th Annual Sandra Evers-Manley African American Short Film Festival Dec. 18 to 20 at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. The festival opened with a tribute to Juanita Moore on the 50th anniversary of the classic film “Imitation of Life,” which starred Moore and Lana Turner. (Left to right) Jennifer Jones, Michael Brewer, Kim Ogletree and Julie Dash

Actor Ben Guillory and wife Princess

SHORT TAKES BOOKS • Routledge Books recently published “African Americans and the Haitian Revolution.” The book’s release is just in time for the 206th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution on Jan. 1, 2010.

published by Polity Books and was written by Molefi Kete Asante. The book is the first monograph to discuss the intellectual ideas of Karenga, known as the founder of Kwanzaa and Kawaida Theory, in a sustained analytical manner. In this work, Asante, a leading African American scholar and cultural theorist in his own right, examines the sources of Karenga’s intellectual preoccupations and writes that Karenga’s concerns with the liberation narratives and mythic realities of African people are rooted in the best interests of a collective humanity. The 224-page paperback book retails for about $20. Information: www.wiley.com.

CONCERTS • Recording artist Raaki Solomon will be joined on stage by drummers from Los Angeles, Venice and Mexico at the Venice Bistro, 323 Ocean Front, Venice,

DVD

Edited by Maurice Jackson and Jacqueline Bacon, the book is a combination of contemporary scholarship and historical primary texts written by African Americans. This book is not about the revolution per se; rather, the book attempts to show how the events in Haiti served to galvanize African Americans to think about themselves and to act in accordance with their beliefs, and makes a contribution to the study of African Americans in the wider Atlantic world. The 272-page paperback book retails for about $40. Information: www.routledge.com. • “Maulana Karenga: An Intellectual Portrait” was recently

• “Black History Collection: Soul of the Church” is scheduled to be released on DVD Jan. 19 from Infinity Entertainment Group. “TV Gospel Time,” which aired from 1962 to 1965 on NBC Sunday

mornings in Chicago, featured guests on location and highlighted nonprofessional performers alongside the day’s biggest stars. This collection, transferred from the show’s original kinescopes, includes enigmatic performances (rarely, if ever, seen since their original broadcast) by the Rev. James Cleveland, Blind Boys of Mississippi, Dixie Hummingbirds, Clouds of Joy and many others. The package also includes as a bonus “Mahalia Jackson Sings.” The two-disc set, which runs about eight hours, retails for about $15. Information: www.infinity-enter tainmentgroup.com.

Raaki Solomon

on Jan. 5, 5 to 10 p.m. This event is billed as a musical, pre-Valentine love-in on the beach. There is no cover charge, and all drummers and musicians are invited. Information: (310) 722-7470. • The 25th commemorative concert in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held Jan. 17, 4 p.m., at Trinity Baptist Church, 2040 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles. This event is sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities. The Delta Sigma Theta Choraliers, directed by Danellen Joseph, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Chorus, conducted by Hansonia Caldwell, will be featured. Others participants will include the 2010 Panhellenic Chorus (singers from Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Zeta Phi Beta), and the United Methodist Male Chorus directed by Perry Hayes. Together, the ensembles form the 80-voice Martin Luther King Celebration Choir. As a special feature, Ryan Bancroft, first-place winner of the 2009 National Association of Negro Musicians scholarship competition, will also perform on trumpet. The concert is free to the public, but a free-will offering will be accepted. Information: (310) 7493186.

Moonlighting: Usher is Building a Lifestyle Brand BY SAMANTHA CRITCHELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) — Usher knows his stuff when it comes to fashion. The R&B singer describes his style as “flashy classy” and he is known for seamlessly moving between three-piece banker suits and leather jackets. He admires edgier designers such as Rick Owens, Marc Jacobs and Kris Van Assche. Usher has enough business savvy to say it’s not the right time for him to launch his own label, but he is in New York to promote his new fragrance, Usher VIP, a followup to Usher He, which ranked in the top 40 of men’s prestige fragrance sales this year, according to market data researcher NPD. This is all moonlighting for him, though. Musically, Usher had the No. 3 hip-hop song according to Nielsen/BDS with “Papers.” On this day Usher is in a luxurious hotel suite wearing a long blue cardigan sweater, dark jeans and black leather boots to answer fashion questions from The Associated Press: AP: What’s the most important element of your look? Usher: It’s about how you feel, not about ‘fashion.’ It’s about healthy living, the combination of foods you eat. ... Those ancillaries are what lead you to ‘fashion.’ Fashion can be a beautiful scarf, soft cashmere sweater or cool boots. AP: Where do you find inspiration for your style? Usher: My taste develops the more I’m introduced to things, the more I travel and experience different lifestyles. I always go out and embrace where I am — I don’t stay locked up in a hotel room. I am an eclectic spectator. AP: Why isn’t there an Usher fashion label yet? Usher: I’m building a lifestyle brand and I’m not rushing to do clothes. I feel like I’m speaking to my customer now with the fragrances, and, in this economy and with my style and attention to detail,

Photo by SEHER SIKANDAR FOR CEHES CREATIVE

Singer Usher

my clothes won’t come cheap. It’s not the right time. AP: What did you wear when you sang at President Obama’s holiday concert earlier this month? Usher: I worked with the president’s tailor. I wanted an edge but be appropriate and I wanted to be warm. The scarf I wore was attached to the jacket, which was cashmere and had waxed silver thread. I wore a slim pant that was dressy and well-tailored — and I’m in good shape now so I didn’t mind showing off a little. I wore black boots that were like spats with French buttons by Dsquared2. ... It was all new for the president. AP: What’s with the beard? Usher: It keeps me warm.

Facts Dec. 26, 1931 Lonnie Elder, author and playwright (“Ceremonies in Dark Old Men”) and screenwriter (“Sounder,” “A Woman Called Moses”), is born. Source: blackfacts.com

December 24, 2009

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ARTS & CULTURE

‘CHOCOLATE NUTCRACKER’ — The “Chocolate Nutcracker,” presented by the Los Angeles Preparatory and Performing Arts Center at the University Theater on the campus of California State University, Dominquez Hills, Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Pictured (clockwise, left to right): Jeffrey VanSciver and Brittany Johnson dancing the Pas de Deux; praise dancers; stilt-walker Kehendi and company; Lizett Cobian, Tyler Moore, Arianna White performing Brazilian dance; Master Drummer Malik Sow and company.

Photos by TERENCE BUNN — AMALGAMATED MEDIA

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Page 10

L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

ARTS & CULTURE

KWANZAA CALENDAR

Photo by MARTY COTWRIGHT

LOOKING FORWARD — L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted a Christmas tree lighting for the Los Angeles community Dec. 18, in part to celebrate a recent decision to open a new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital; the lighting took place at the hospital’s future site. Pictured: Mark Damon Braughan (front), Schwarzenegger and Ridley-Thomas.

HEALTH CARE Continued from page 1 Senate Democrats remained united early Dec. 22 behind their compromise bill over steadfast Republican opposition. A motion to shut off debate and move to a vote on a package of changes by Reid passed 60-39. The final 60-vote hurdle, limiting debate on the bill itself, was expected to be cleared Dec. 23, setting up the Christmas Eve vote on the legislation, which at that point will need only a simple majority to pass. Obama said the Senate legislation accomplishes “95 percent” of what he wanted on health care. “Every single criteria for reform I put forward is in this bill,” the president said in an interview with The Washington Post. The Senate measure would still have to be harmonized with the health care bill passed by the House in November before final legislation would go to Obama. There are significant differences between the two bills, including stricter abortion language in the House bill, a new government-run insurance plan in the House bill that’s missing from the Senate version, and a tax on high-value insurance plans embraced by the Senate

✁

but strongly opposed by many House Democrats. Senate moderates have served notice they won’t support a final deal if government-run insurance comes back. And Democratic abortion opponents in the House say a Senate compromise on the volatile issue is unacceptable. But there’s considerable pressure on Democrats to avoid messy negotiations over a final bill. Public support for the legislation continues to sink in opinion polls. The bills probably have more in common than differences. Each costs around $1 trillion over 10 years and installs new requirements for nearly all Americans to buy insurance, providing subsidies to help lower-income people do so. They’re paid for by a combination of tax and fee increases and cuts in projected Medicare spending. Unpopular insurance company practices such as denying coverage to people with existing health conditions would be banned. Uninsured or self-employed Americans would have a new way to buy health insurance, via marketplaces called exchanges where private insurers would sell health plans required to meet certain minimum standards.

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KWANZAA PARADE — The 33rd Annual Kwanzaa Gwaride will begin its processional Dec. 26, noon, from the intersection of Adams and Crenshaw boulevards in Los Angeles. The parade will travel south to Leimert Park at 43rd Place to open the 44th Year of the Kwanzaa Era: The Year of Kujichagulia (Self Determination). The role of oba (king) of the parade this year will be posthumously given to the late Tommy Jacquette, a founder of the Watts Summer Festival. The role of iyaba (queen) of this year’s gwaride will be jointly shared by Regina Kimbell, filmmaker and producer of the awardwinning film, “My Nappy Roots,” and Denise Estelle, producer of the Wooli Me Natural Hair Expo. Information: (323) 735-6643, www. kwanzaalive.com. UMOJA MEANS UNITY — A Kwanzaa candle-lighting ceremony for Umoja (Unity) will be held Dec. 26, 6:30 p.m., at Exposition Park’s California African American Museum, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles. This annual ceremony will include poetry, music, and wishes for the New Year to mark the beginning of Kwanzaa. Attendees are asked to bring warm, clean or new clothing, coats and blankets for those in need to celebrate this season of harvesting and sharing the good. This event is sponsored by the African American Cultural Center, KRST Unity Center of Afrakan Spiritual Science, the Kwanzaa Heritage Festival and several others. Information: (323) 299-6124, www.official kwanzaawebsite.org. LONG BEACH KWANZAA — Shades of Afrika will hold its seventh annual Kwanzaa celebration Dec. 26, 5 to 9 p.m., at Recreation Park Social Hall, 4900 E. 7th St., Long Beach. There will be a karamu (community feast), drummers, dancers, arts and crafts, storytelling and more. Tickets for this event are $12 for adults and $5 for children, and the proceeds will benefit Starting Over Inc., a transitional housing provider

for men, women and children. Information: (562) 436-2210, shadesof afrika@verizon.net. HERITAGE FESTIVAL — “Be Healthy, Be Smart, Be Strong” is the theme of the eighth annual Kwanzaa Heritage Festival, Block Parade and Candle Lighting Ceremony that will be held Dec. 26 to 27, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the parking lot of Leimert Park’s Vision Theatre, 4330 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles. There will be live music, drum circles, an international food court, a health pavilion, a children’s village with a petting zoo and more. Information: (213) 955-5239, kwanzala7@yahoo.com. DRUM FEST — S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi will present the Second Annual Drum Festival, “Honoring The Drum Tree,” Dec. 26, 8:30 p.m. to midnight, at Leimert Park’s Kaos Network, 4333 Leimert Blvd., Los Angeles. This event will pay honor to the master drum families throughout the community and the international Drum Diaspora. Guests include Balandugu Kan, Malik Sow, and Chief Matsemala Camara and more. Attendees are asked to bring a donation of a new unwrapped toy, game, book, hygiene toiletries such as tooth paste, deodorant and nonperishable food items. Information: (323) 2368649, shine.mawusi@gmail.com. UNITY FEST — S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi will present the Second Annual Unity Festival Dec. 26, 8:30 p.m. to midnight, at Leimert Park’s World Stage Performance Gallery, 4344 Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles. Guests will include Dwight Trible, Kamau Daaood, Bongo of RasStart International and many more. The suggested donation for this event is $10 or more. All proceeds from this event will benefit community icon Nate Morgan. Information: (323) 236-8649, rene fishernowmims@yahoo.com. “KONCERT” — The First Annual Kidzz Kwanzaa Koncert celebrating Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), presented by Naptivity Productions, will be held Dec. 27, 1 to 4 p.m., at Leimert Park’s World Stage Performance Gallery, 4344

Degnan Blvd., Los Angeles. For admission, bring a new unwrapped toy, game, book, hygiene toiletries such as tooth paste, deodorant, or nonperishable food items, but no one will be turned away. Games and prizes will be available, and music will be performed by youth. Youth who play instruments, sing, perform poetry, etc., are especially encouraged to attend. Information: (323) 236-8649, renefishernow mims@yahoo.com. KUJICHAGULIA NITE — The Ma’at Club for Community Change and the AFIBA Center (Afrikan Firefighters In Benevolent Association) invites the community to attend “Kujichagulia Nite” Dec. 27, 6 p.m., at 5730 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles. There will be Kwanzaa activities, food and a discussion about how residents are working to improve South Los Angeles today. Information: amandla_now@yahoo.com. DANCE THEATRE — The Lula Washington Dance Theatre will hold its 19th Annual Kwanzaa Celebration Dec. 29 to 30, 7:30 p.m., at 3773 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles. Rapper and poet “YoYo” will join the Lula Washington Youth Dance Ensemble in its “celebration of family, community, and culture.” Proceeds from the evening will benefit the dance company’s ongoing programs including its dance school, dance company, youth scholarships and local performances. Information: (323) 2925852, www.lulawashington.org. KARAMU — “An Evening in Africa” is the theme of the annual Kwanzaa Community Feast. This event will be held Dec. 31, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles. There will be a libation, dance, drumming, stories, poetry, African foods and special cultural presentations from Maulana Karenga, Asha’s Baba and others. This event is sponsored by the African American Cultural Center. Tickets are required to attend and no tickets will be sold at the door. Information: (323) 299-6124, www. officialkwanzaawebsite.org.

RUPERT

entitlement to a higher moral plane as they do. Women deserve a lot better than the assault on reproductive freedom in both versions of the health care reform bill. I listened to my conscience, and that’s what it told me. Maya Rupert is an attorney in

downtown Los Angeles. She has previously contributed to the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as other publications. Her column explores issues of race, gender, and politics and appears in the L.A. Watts Times regularly. She can be reached at maya.rupert@gmail.com.

Continued from page 2 that would prevent federal funding of abortion, Hatch asked a rhetorical question: “Why should people of conscience be forced to participate in any aspect of abortion?” People of conscience. I actually couldn’t believe it when I read it. As if those of us who support comprehensive reproductive health care for women lack a conscience. As if those of us who place a value on the health and safety of women and children do so without a moral mandate. Support for reproductive choice is rooted in morality, just like the objections of those who oppose it. We believe that the bodily integrity of women is important. We believe women should be given freedom to decide when they will begin their families. We believe that every child should come into this world feeling loved, cared for, and wanted. And those who disagree are free to do so, but they cannot claim

HUTCHINSON Continued from page 2 and jockeying for scarce funding and programs for housing, education, and social services. There’s already been a scary glimpse of that. There have been clashes between blacks and Koreans over business ownership in innercity neighborhoods. There have been battles between blacks and Latinos in prisons and in some schools over funding and bilingual instruction, and racially motivated hate crimes by blacks and Latinos against each other. Blacks and Latinos have pointed fingers at each other on the tinderbox issue of whether undocumented workers take jobs from blacks. The prospect of inter-ethnic

conflict makes it imperative that black, Latino and Asian leaders, elected officials, and religious groups work hard to develop solid coalitions to jointly fight for increased spending and programs for health care, jobs, quality education, neighborhood services and political empowerment. The ethnic reshuffle of America will be traumatic for whites and nonwhites. The certainty, though, is that a non-white majority will permanently change the face of America. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, “The Hutchinson Report,” can be heard in Los Angeles, Fridays on KTYM Radio 1460 AM, and streamed live nationally on ktym.com.

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‘Operation Small Axe’ Aims at Police Brutality BY THANDISIZWE CHIMURENGA ASSISTANT EDITOR

An organizing meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. at Chuco’s Justice Center in Inglewood for people interested in monitoring the trial of Johannes Mehserle, the former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer who shot Oscar Grant, an unarmed 22-year-old black man, in the back on an Oakland subway platform on Jan. 1. Mehserle was indicted on charges of murder in June. In October, a Superior Court judge ruled that Mehserle, who is white, could not get a fair trial in Alameda County and the trial was ordered to be moved to Los Angeles in November. The organizing meeting is scheduled about five days before Mehserle has a hearing where Judge Robert J. Perry is scheduled to preside, and comes after activists from the Bay Area traveled to Los Angeles to connect with local activists concerned about the case. A group of about 50 people filled into the Kaos Network in Leimert Park Dec. 12 for a screening of “Operation Small Axe,” which shows the resistance of Oakland’s black communities to what is described in the film as “police terrorism.” The film takes its name from the song “Small Axe” by reggae artist Bob Marley: “So if you are the big tree, we are the small axe, ready to cut you down …,” with the police and government repression representing the “big tree” and the people representing the “small axe.” The screenings are part of a campaign by the Prisoners of Conscience Committee “to educate the people of LA about what has been going on with the justice against police terror-

WGO Continued from page 7 TRADING CARDS CHAMPIONSHIP — Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. is sponsoring the YuGi-Oh! Trading Card Game Championship Jan. 8 to 9, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., at the Los Angeles Convention Center (Concourse E and F), 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. The registration fee is $20, and each player will receive five Stardust Overdrive booster packs for participating. This event is the kick off of the 2010 Shonen Jump Championship series. Information: www.lacclink.com, www. yugioh-card.com/en/events. “SERVING THE SKIES AND THE COMMUNITY” — The Black Flight Attendants of America Inc. LAX will celebrate its 35th Anniversary Dec. 27, 1 p.m., at the House of Blues, 6255 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. The attendants will celebrate “Serving the Skies and the Community and Promoting the Legacy of Black History in Aviation.” Information: (888) 682-2322, www. BlackFlightAttendants.com. FORECLOSURE INVESTING — The California Foreclosure Institute will present a free, two-hour workshop for beginner investors and realtors on how to get started finding and buying foreclosure properties. The featured speaker will be Lloyd Segal, author of “Stop Foreclosure Now,” and “Foreclosure Investing.” This event will be held Jan. 7, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Julian Dixon Library,

Photo by NAILAH MADYUN

‘AXE WIELDERS’ — Adimu Madyun, left, and JR Valrey, right, are the creators of “Operation Small Axe,” a film that examines resistance to what some say is “police terrorism” in Oakland.

ism and murder movement specifically in dealing with Oscar Grant and Lovelle Mixon,” the film’s co-creator, 31-year-old JR Valrey, minister of information for the committee and associate editor of the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, said via e-mail. Valrey said there were three groups of people he wanted to connect with by showing the film in Los Angeles. “What we hoped to do and what we did was to connect more with the Los Angeles art community, media community as well as the organizing community,” he said, specifically to “see what we could do in the future to aid not just the Oscar Grant case but … trying to strengthen the network and fighting police terrorism.” Grant was shot to death by Mehserle while laying on his stomach on the subway platform. The incident was caught on numerous cell phone cameras, which partly led to Mehserle’s indictment on charges of murder. Mehserle is scheduled to stand trial later in 2010. Lovelle Mixon is alleged to have killed two Oakland Police Department officers on March 21 of this year 4975 Overland Ave., Culver City. The workshop is free but reservations are required. Information: (310) 3790101, www.foreclosureworkshop. net. SEA CLUB — Third- to sixthgrade students with an interest in marine life can explore the local marine environment by enrolling in the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s afterschool SEA Club. This event will be on four consecutive Wednesdays, Jan. 6 to 27, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. Under the guidance of aquarium staff, students will have an opportunity to use microscopes and learn about the relationship between humans and the ocean. The cost for four weekly sessions is $30, and financial assistance is available. Information: (310) 5487562, www.cabrillomarineaquarium. org. TIDEPOOL WONDERS — The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium invites the community to start the new year by exploring low tides on the rocky shore Jan. 2, 3 to 4:30 p.m.; Jan. 9, 10:30 a.m. to noon; Jan. 10, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Jan. 16, 2:30 to 4 p.m.; Jan. 17, 3 to 4:30 p.m.; Jan. 30, 2 to 3:30 p.m.; and Jan. 31, 2:30 to 4 p.m. There will also be a slide show followed by a walk to the Point Fermin State Marine Park. This event will be at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. Reservations are appreciated. Information: (310) 5487562, www.cabrilloaq.org.

after being stopped for a traffic violation. He was then said to have fled the scene and hid at a nearby relative’s apartment where he was later killed by members of Oakland’s Special Weapons and Tactics unit (SWAT) after mortally wounding two of the SWAT officers. Valrey and the film’s director, 37-year-old Adimu Madyun, showed a 14-minute clip of the work-inprogress film, which focused on the reactions of black Oakland residents to the killings of Grant and Mixon. The men say they are currently in talks with the Los Angeles-based Pan African Film Festival to have the final, 60-minute version screened during the festival’s 18th annual showcase in February 2010. The partial version of “Small Axe” debuted at the Oakland International Film Festival in October. Since then, it has been shown to audiences in Chicago, Brazil, Libya, Malaysia, England, and in South Africa, where it was hand-carried by

former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney during her recent trip to the country. Madyun, who is best known as a member of the Oakland-based “Afro hip-hop” group Hairdoo, says that the original plan was to not make a film focused on police terrorism but on the Block Report Radio show, a grassroots citizen journalism project created by Valrey. “We didn’t know that Oscar Grant (would be) murdered. We didn’t know that Lovelle Mixon was (going to) do what he did,” he said. “We didn’t know any of this stuff when we set out to make this film.” Likening the process of filmmaking to music in general and hip-hop in particular, Madyun said: “We just … put ourselves in the situation toward where we could attract the good stories, and as a filmmaker that’s my job, to always be in a position where I can attract the story that my people want to see. And so, everything manifested like that … it’s building like a song

MATH RAP Continued from page 1 album and DVD. He celebrated his “Mind of a Mathman” release party Dec. 12 at Horace Mann Middle School in South Los Angeles. The accomplishment is just the latest Queen has achieved since his math-rap career began about two years ago. He has already received two awards for his efforts to teach kids through music — the Videos in the Classroom Award and the Digital Voice Award. Olga Maye, department chair of math at Horace Mann, brought Queen to her school in the spring and again in December for his album release party because she saw the positive impact his music had on students. “They see the connection between math and music as something positive,” Maye said. “You give them these songs, and they memorize them. They don’t even know they’re learning math.” An L.A. Watts Times reporter spoke further with Queen about his success with students, musical influences, and new company Music Notes, through which he plans to work with other educators to record music about a variety of subject matters. LAWT: When did you write your first math rap song? LQ: The first song was during my first year of teaching in 2007. I wrote ‘Slope Intercept’ after my class challenged me to write a song because they say I look like Kanye West, and they didn’t think I could rap. I told them I could. I’ve been rapping since I was in middle school. They were just amazed by ‘Slope Intercept’ and kept singing it every day and never forgot the formula. They kept asking me to do more and more songs, so I kept writing whenever I had a song that matched where we were in the textbook. LAWT: Talk about the impact your music has had on students. LQ: Kids who were really turned off, who’d come to class not caring about anything, opened their

LaMar Queen

eyes. I had a student memorize all the songs. Kids forget stuff so easily. They don’t want to go home and study their notes, but the kids remember these songs instantly. All the songs are curriculum-based. They learn all they need to know in the song. LAWT: Why did you decide to start your company Music Notes? LQ: Music Notes was created around three months ago to provide teachers who want to make music and videos but don’t have the resources to get into a studio. It will also give students an opportunity to learn about producing, video editing and directing. We want the company to be sort of like a program where kids can learn about the music industry. LAWT: Who did the production on your album? LQ: Jamal Lee, my cousin, did

would if you were in the studio freestylin’ in a cipher with your boys. Next thing you know, you got a song, so that’s how it came to be.” Valrey says that the film’s purpose is to be a vehicle for activism. “We don’t think that our film or the way that we are organizing is the end-all; it’s just one example, one model, for fighting, and all we hope to do is inspire other people to fight in whatever way that they see fit. And hopefully we can borrow something from them and they can borrow something from us, and we can be a more effective fighting unit as the people against police- and government-sanctioned oppression.” “Operation Small Axe” is produced by 393 Films. For more information, visit blockreportradio.com or e-mail blockreportradio@gmail.com. For more information on the Jan.3 organizing meeting, call (323) 2354243. Chuco’s Justice Center is at 1137 E. Redondo Blvd., Inglewood. half of the production, and Simeon Lagget, my friend, produced half. We did everything ourselves. LAWT: The music is quite good. To be honest, I was expecting something cheesy when I heard about a teacher doing math-rap. LQ: Everybody expects it be cheesy, but when they hear it, they say, ‘I would listen to this in my car.’ When they say that, it really makes me happy. LAWT: How are you publicizing your music? LQ: Right now, it’s just word of mouth and through Facebook. Also, LAUSD wants to air some of the videos on their TV station. LAWT: Do you want to branch out to general rap or stick to educational rap? LQ: I’ve decided that I’m gonna stick to this. I do still write other music here and there, but I want to stick to the educational rap. Everything I’ve done is very positive music. I wouldn’t want a parent saying I’ve made any music that contradicts all the other music I’ve been doing. LAWT: Who are your musical influences? LQ: Nas is my favorite rapper. He got me into hip-hop. I like Lupe Fiasco, The Roots, Jay-Z, Ludacris … I like rappers that are very lyrical. For more information on LaMar Queen’s music, visit www.musicnotes online.com.

Photo Courtesy of LAMAR QUEEN

‘MIND OF A MATHMAN’ — LaMar Queen (right), being interviewed during his CD/DVD release party Dec. 12 at Horace Mann Middle School in Los Angeles.

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December 24, 2009

EDUCATION NOTEBOOK Black Fraternity Leaders Meet in Atlanta

Photo Courtesy of the AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL

“GO H20” — (Left photo) Students from 109th and 112th Street Elementary schools show reusable plastic water bottles used during the “Go H20!” challenge. The American Chemistry Council and LA’s BEST partnered to develop the challenge to educate students about plastic recycling and healthy habits. (Right photo) After correctly answering a recycling trivia question at the “Go H20!” challenge celebration, a student receives a surprise $100 bill from California Assemblyman Isadore Hall.

Calif. Senate Passes New Compromise Education Bill BY JULIET WILLIAMS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SACRAMENTO (AP) — The state Senate on Dec. 17 approved legislation that would clear the way for California to compete in a $4.3 billion school funding competition from the Obama administration, but the state’s chances of securing a slice of the money remained in limbo. After late-night negotiations lasting several days, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, introduced new legislation that

Facts Dec. 25, 1875 Charles Caldwell was the first black in Mississippi to be accused of the murder of a white man and found “not guilty” by an all-white jury. He is later elected to the state Senate and on this day is assassinated in Clinton, Miss. Source: blackfacts.com

attempted to forge a compromise between the two houses on education reform. Divisions remained, however, and Romero said she would work through the holidays to complete a bill with broad support and which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign. Senate President Pro Tem Darrel Steinberg, D-Sacramento, urged Senators to support the package, despite a process he called “herky-jerky” that has pitted Democrats against one another and left many legislators torn between interest groups. The bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan 21-7 vote. The Senate Education Committee approved the bill earlier Dec. 17 after a contentious threehour hearing in which interest groups complained the legislation was drafted too hastily. The bill is California’s latest attempt at making the state eligible for the federal “Race to the Top” program, in which California could

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get up to $700 million for school reforms in a competition with other states. An Assembly committee failed to pass Romero’s previous legislation, which Schwarzenegger supported, after the powerful California Teachers Association and other groups lobbied against it. It instead passed legislation by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, DSanta Monica, which she revoked Dec. 17. The proposed changes released Dec. 17 retain several controversial elements, including allowing parents to petition to close or drastically revamp a badly failing school and allowing them to transfer children out of a failing school to another district. School districts have serious concerns about how that would work and whether they would end up bearing the cost of taking on new students. Education groups that advocate on behalf of minority children worry that without strong language preventing it, school districts could reject poor or special needs students who would cost more to educate. The legislation also would spell out consequences for identifying and intervening in around 180 chronically failing California schools, Steinberg said. California’s education system was once considered a national model that bred a generation of scientists and entrepreneurs, but the state has fallen to near the bottom among states in school funding and academics, earning a D in academic achievement this year from Education Week magazine’s annual national schools survey. Students perform below the national average on nearly all measures, with black, Hispanic and poor children faring worst. Romero removed another school reform element that proved too controversial: removing California’s cap on the number of charter schools that can operate. Despite the bill’s passage Dec. 17, the state faces a tight timeline to enter the competition for federal funds. Applications are due Jan. 19

ATLANTA (AP) — Leaders from the Black Fraternity Coalition met with Big Brothers Big Sisters officials in Atlanta to figure out how to attract more minority men to the national mentoring program. The summit on Dec. 18 came after the Philadelphia-based organization’s announcement in June that it was forming a partnership with the country’s three largest black fraternities — Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi. Nationally, there is a waiting list of about 8,500 black boys who are waiting for mentors, which represents 40 percent of the boys looking for matches. But only about 15 percent of mentors involved in the program are black men, and the numbers aren’t growing fast enough to meet the demand. Big Brothers Big Sisters has about 400 agencies across the country. On the Net: Big Brothers Big Sisters: www.bbbs.org/.

Sierra Club Awards Grants to Dorsey and Crenshaw High Schools The Eco Clubs of Crenshaw and Dorsey high schools recently received a $60,000 grant from the Sierra Club’s Building Bridges to the Outdoors (BBTO) program. The grant will enable Eco Club members to go on day hikes in the local parks and mountains as well as overnight camping trips. Crenshaw and Dorsey High School administrators and representatives from the offices of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Bernard Parks acknowledged the Sierra’s Club donation and commitment to encouraging healthier and more active lifestyles for the next generation.

L.A. Schools Ordered to Weed Out Poor Teachers (AP) — The head of the Los Angeles Unified School District says bad teachers must go. Superintendent Ramon Cortines on Dec. 17 ordered administrators to get rid of new teachers who do poorly on probation before they receive tenure. The nation’s second-largest school district has about 400 probationary teachers who’ve been evaluated as needing improvement. Cortines says removing poor teachers now could save the jobs

and the legislation still needs approval from the state Assembly, which is unlikely to meet again until the new year. In seeking votes, Romero also promised to bring the bill back to Senate committees after amendments are made, adding to the anticipated time crunch. Romero acknowledged there were gaps in the legislation, but she told lawmakers she is confident compromise can still be reached;

of better — but less senior — teachers next summer, when the district may face another round of layoffs. State law requires the district to lay off instructors based on seniority, not performance. The teacher’s union says it supports a fair process to ensure the removal of struggling teachers who do not improve.

Georgetown Students Say Campus Satire is Racist WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgetown University students are slamming a humor magazine for an online satirical piece they say is racist and not funny. The story in The Georgetown Heckler describes the official campus paper, The Hoya, holding a fictional cross-burning on campus and refers to “dark, humanshaped piñatas.” A photograph with the story shows what appear to be Ku Klux Klan members in front of a burning cross. The Heckler was poking fun at troubles The Hoya ran into earlier this year when it published an April Fool’s issue that students criticized as racist and sexist. The Hoya’s April Fool’s Day issue included a piece calling for more sex between blacks and whites on campus. The Black Student Alliance and other groups held a sit-in at the newspaper office, and student editors issued an apology.

HU Receives $1.4 Million to Increase Minority STEM Professionals Hampton, Va. — Hampton University was recently awarded two grants totaling more than $1.4 million from the National Science Foundation. The cross-discipline grants both seek to increase retention efforts and the production of minority professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). HU received a NSF Educational Research grant of $565,441 to support Financially Oriented Research Calculus Experience (FORCE), a collaborative effort between the School of Science and the School of Liberal Arts. The grant will investigate whether the integration of financial applications into calculus courses significantly increase achievement for STEM majors. FORCE will support the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan targeted at enhancing studentlearning outcomes in mathematics and financial literacy.

she reminded them that President Barack Obama has called for a fundamental change in how states deal with the worst-of-the-worst schools. Obama announced Race to the Top in August, and Schwarzenegger called a special session of the state Legislature shortly afterward. “We have delayed. We have waited. The clock has ticked,” Romero said. “The nation’s not waiting.”

December 24, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 13

HEALTH Fitness Video Games Are Reshaping Medium

THE PULSE H1N1 Vaccine Now Widely Available in Los Angeles (LACPH) — The growing H1N1 vaccine supply, which comprises more than 2.4 million doses available to date in Los Angeles County, has prompted the county Health Officer, Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, to announce that the vaccine can now be provided to individuals outside of the five vaccine priority groups. Certain retail pharmacies should receive at least some H1N1 vaccines by the end of December and will administer them for a small fee. A limited number of appointments for no-cost H1N1 vaccine will be available at a Los Angeles County Public Health center for uninsured residents. Individuals in the priority groups are still at greater risk of infection and should make a special effort to get vaccinated. The priority groups for H1N1 vaccine are pregnant women, people caring for infants under six months old, health care workers, those ages 25 and younger and those with chronic medical conditions. More information: 211, www. publichealth.lacounty.

FDA Panel Votes Down New Use for OSI Cancer Drug WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers on Dec. 16 recommended against expanding approval of an OSI Pharmaceuticals lung cancer drug to patients who are already responding to chemotherapy. A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said the agency’s panel of cancer experts voted 12-1 against using Tarceva. The drug is already approved as a treatment for patients whose cancer has spread despite chemotherapy treatment. The FDA is not required to follow the advice of its panels, though it usually does. A decision on Tarceva is expected by Jan. 18. A company study of 889 patients showed Tarceva stopped cancer from progressing for about three months when taken immediately following chemotherapy. But FDA scientists said it was unclear whether earlier use of Tarceva was any better than the currently approved indication, in which patients begin taking the drug only after their cancer has returned. OSI company officials said the new use would “be an important advance in treating” lung cancer. Tarceva is also marketed as a treatment for pancreatic cancer.

Eleven Baby Deaths Now Linked to Simplicity Cribs WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite several recalls and warnings, the number of reported baby deaths linked to defective Simplicity cribs has risen to 11. The most recent death occurred in September when a 7month-old child from Princeton, Ky., became entrapped in the crib when a part of it broke, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Dec. 17.

The agency also said it’s aware of 25 other incidents involving drop-side parts detaching from Simplicity cribs. The recall of Simplicity-manufactured cribs began in December 2005. More than 2 million Simplicity drop-side cribs have been recalled so far because of problems with their plastic hardware. Some of the recalled cribs have the Graco logo and Winnie the Pooh motif. The crib’s hardware can break or deform, causing the drop side to detach. This detachment creates a space between the drop side and crib mattress that babies can roll into and become entrapped, leading to suffocation risk. The agency announced the new death tally with another reminder to parents about the dangers of Simplicity cribs. The agency says caregivers should check their cribs to see whether they have a recalled Simplicity crib. If they do, consumers should stop using them immediately and should not attempt to fix the cribs. Information: www.cpsc.gov/ cpscpub/pubs/simplicity.pdf.

South Africa Ex-Health Boss Dies; Touted Garlic for HIV JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who gained notoriety for her dogged promotion of lemons, garlic and olive oil to treat AIDS, has died. She was 69.

Manto Tshabalala-Msimang

The ruling African National Congress said Tshabalala-Msimang died in a Johannesburg hospital Dec. 16 from complications related to a 2007 liver transplant. Media outlets said she was possibly undergoing tests for a possible second transplant when she died. Tshabalala-Msimang’s HIV policies during her nine years in office made her the most unpopular government minister in postapartheid South Africa. She was ridiculed locally and internationally and nicknamed “Dr. Beetroot” — another one of her suggested AIDS remedies — and “Dr. Garlic.” However, she was responsible for some advances. She improved basic services in rural areas, forced down the price of medicine, tried to stem the exodus of doctors and nurses to rich countries, and was one of the driving forces behind a global anti-tobacco treaty. A former anti-apartheid activist, she spent nearly 30 years in exile. Tshabalala-Msimang had a loyal defender in her close friend, former President Thabo Mbeki, partly because of his own doubts about the link between HIV and AIDS. She was replaced in 2008 after Mbeki was ousted by the ANC.

BY DERRIK J. LANG AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

(AP) — At first glance, the rack of video games seems out of place next to the row of elliptical machines at The Sports Authority in Burbank. The nation’s largest sports retailer partnered with Nintendo last month to sell the popular Wii console and games. It’s another sign of the times: Video games aren’t just for shooting aliens anymore. “I actually came here looking for soccer equipment for my sons for Christmas, but this caught my eye,” said Celia Fernandez while browsing the sports- and fitness-themed Wii games at The Sports Authority. “We bought a Wii last year but don’t use it as much anymore, so I was thinking we might get them a new Wii game to go with their new soccer equipment.” Launched by Nintendo last year, the fitness game “Wii Fit” and the accompanying Wii Balance Board have bench-pressed the gaming world. Thanks to the Wii’s motion-controller and the scale-like balance board, exercise games — or exergames, as they’re known — have become a fully formed gaming genre, attracting scads of users who don’t normally play with joysticks. “With sales of over 8 million, it’s a sure bet that ‘Wii Fit’ has gone well beyond the traditional video game consumer in its reach,” said industry analyst Anita Frazier from research firm NPD Group. “I hear stories all the time from friends and colleagues about their 60-, 70- and even 80-something parent, grandparent or aunt using ‘Wii Fit.’ ” Several publishers are working up a sweat this holiday season in hopes of enticing similar consumers. Electronic Arts, THQ, Ubisoft and Majesco Entertainment have all unleashed their own exergames featuring an array of attention-grabbing gimmicks from digital cameras that scan users’ flabbiness to virtual trainers who urge players to “never stop moving.” The biggest competitor to “Wii Fit” is “EA Sports Active,” the gaming giant’s own fitness franchise launched earlier this year starring “The Best Life Diet” author and Oprah Winfrey personal trainer Bob Greene. The workout simulator comes with a resistance band and leg strap, which work in tandem with the motion-controller to track players’ movements. “Before I made this commitment to do this project with EA Sports, I’ll be honest, I was skeptical,” Greene said. “What kind of workout can you really get? I looked at what was already on the market at the time. To me, it was mostly just slow movements and relaxation, which is a great part of overall wellbeing. However, it didn’t actually challenge you.” Whether these exergames actually help players lose weight or build muscle mass have been called into question. According to a recently released study by the American Council on Exercise that measured calories burned using “Wii Fit,” the game’s simulated activities provided a “a very, very mild workout” compared with their real-life counterparts. That hasn’t stopped exergames

from experiencing healthy sales. “EA Sports Active” has sold nearly 1 million copies since it was released in May, according to the

NPD Group. A beach-themed sequel, “EA Sports Active: More See FITNESS VIDEO GAMES, page 15

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This Holiday Season, Get a Flu Shot and Give the Gift of Health to Your Family When you get a flu shot this holiday season, you’re not only decreasing your own risk of getting sick from H1N1, the swine flu. You’re also giving the gift of health to your family, because when you get vaccinated, you’re also protecting your loved ones. When you get vaccinated, you help build a wall of protection for those you live with, work with, and even sit next to on an airplane. Since April, the Centers for Disease Control reports, 10,000 Americans have died from the swine flu. Another 213,000 people have been sick enough to be hospitalized. “It’s important to understand that the vaccine’s not only for you, it’s also for those around you,” says the CDC’s Alan Janssen. Experts call it "the cocooning effect" because when you get a vaccine for flu—seasonal or H1N1 -- you in effect are building an immunity wall for those you come in contact with, especially those you're closest to. You're not exposing them through yourself to the virus because you've immunized yourself. The opposite is equally true. When you get infected, you can pass the virus on to those you care about most. This is especially important for parents of newborn babies, who have little if any immunity to influenza for the first 12 months of life. In addition, infants under six months old cannot be vaccinated. To ensure protection for the baby, immediate household contacts (representing its cocoon) must vaccinate themselves against influenza so they won’t transmit the virus to the baby. The same is true for those in regular contact with elderly family members with compromised immune systems, the CDC’s Janssen says. While studies show the vaccine for H1N1 is 97 percent effective, older Americans can benefit from the additional protection of having their family members vaccinated. The upshot, Janssen says, if we all build a cocoon around ourselves and our families, we will be able to keep the swine flu from spreading further. “We’re trying to decrease the number of folks who can get influenza by having a vaccination,” he said. “That way you’re preventing it from getting into the community.” Gift of Health is supported by grants from The California Endowment and California Community Foundation. ADVERTORIAL

Page 14

L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

SPORTS BRAD PYE JR.

SPORTS BEAT Notes, quotes and things picked up on the run from coast-to-coast and all the stops in between and beyond. A big holiday hug for you and yours, and in the words of the Rev. Joseph C. Nixon, senior pastor of the Brookins Community AME Church, “I love you and yours, and you can’t do anything about it.â€? The next time you read from me, it will be on New Year’s Eve, the day before Oregon and Ohio State tangle in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. On Jan. 7, Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram marches his Alabama Crimson Tide into the Rose Bowl against the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns’ thenquarterback, Vince Young, put the Texans into the victory column on the final play of 2005 championship game. Perhaps Colt McCoy can duplicate Young’s victory march long before the final play of the game. And the beat continues‌ Almost similar to the New Orleans Saints, coach Robert Garrett’s Crenshaw Cougars had its 14-0 streak snapped by the

Terron Ward (who set a new school rushing record) and the Tyler Patterson-backed De La Salle (13-2) to a 28-14 victory in the State Championship Open Division Bowl at the Home Depot Center in Carson Dec. 19. If the Cougars’ De’Anthony Thomas hadn’t injured his ankle in the second quarter, the game would have been closer. And the beat continues‌ Coach Jim Caldwell’s Indianapolis Colts is the only unbeaten team in the NFL after the 14th week of play. The previous unbeaten New Orleans Saints, now 13-1, had their winning streak snapped by the Dallas Cowboys 24-17 on Dec. 19. In other NFL highlights, the Tennessee Titans’ Vince Young passed for a career-high three touchdowns to upset the Miami Dolphins, 27-24, in overtime. That Philadelphia Eagles’ duo of quarterback Donovan McNabb

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off against LeBron “Kingâ€? James and Shaquille O’Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Staples Center. The L.A. Sparks received its Christmas gift early in the person of new head coach Jennifer Gillom, former Minnesota Lynx coach. Gillom, 45, takes the place of Michael Cooper, now the women’s head coach at USC. And the beat continues‌ How valuable is Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour? Joe Flint of the L.A. Times writes in a Dec. 15 article: “The TV industry already got a taste of what life is like without Tiger. Last weekend, he did not play in the Chevron World Challenge, and NBC’s broadcast (audience) shrunk by more than 50 percent.â€? And the beat ends. Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at switchreel@aol.com.

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Serena Williams is 2009 AP Female Athlete of Year BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP TENNIS WRITER

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women’s tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press. Williams received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of The AP. No other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally, which was announced Dec. 22. Clearly, Williams’ most infamous on-court episode — a tirade directed at a line judge after a footfault call near the end of her U.S. Open semifinal loss in September — didn’t hurt her standing in the eyes of the voters. “People realize that I’m a great player, and one moment doesn’t define a person’s career,� Williams told The AP. “And I was right, for the most part: It wasn‘t right the way I reacted — I never said it was — but I was right about the call.� She also noted that the outburst, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary period at Grand Slam tournaments, “got a lot more people excited about tennis.� The 28-year-old American tends to do that, thanks to her powerful, athletic play and her outgoing personality. “We can attribute the strength and the growth of women’s tennis a great deal to her,� WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a telephone interview. “She is a superstar.� Williams, who is based in Florida, also won The AP award in 2002, a seven-year gap that is the longest between AP Female Athlete of the Year honors since golf’s Patty Berg won in 1943 and 1955. “I’m just happy and blessed to even be playing seven years later. All this is a bonus, really,� Williams said. “In 2002, I just was really dominant, and I think in 2009, I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again.� Indeed she did. Williams finished the year at No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She topped $6.5 million in prize money, breaking the single-season tour record by more than $1 million. She won three significant singles titles — Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the season-ending tour championships — and paired with

Photo by JET MAGBANUA

Serena Williams

sister Venus to win three Grand Slam doubles championships. “An incredible performance,� Allaster said. “Her game just continues to improve through this long career she’s had.� Williams went 50-12 in singles, an .806 winning percentage that was the highest for any woman who played at least 20 matches in 2009. She tied for the tour lead in singles titles. She led the tour with 381 aces, 75 more than anyone else, and also led in percentages of first-service points won and service games won. Her two Grand Slam singles titles raised her career total to 11, the most among active women. At the year’s other two majors, she lost to the eventual champion: Svetlana Kuznetsova at the French Open and Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open. “Serena really peaks for those big moments on big stages,� Allaster said. Zenyatta, the 5-year-old mare who capped her 14-0 career by becoming the first female horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, finished second for the AP honor — with 48 fewer votes than Williams. For context: Last year’s AP honoree, WNBA star Candace Parker, edged runner-up Lorena Ochoa by a single vote, while two other athletes finished within seven votes of Parker. Clijsters, who came out of retirement only weeks before winning the U.S. Open, was third in 2009 with 16 votes. So what does Serena Williams have planned for 2010? “My goal is to have a better year than ’09 — and to stay healthy,� Williams said, “and I think if I can do that, I’ll be fine.�

December 24, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 15

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091680352 The following person is doing business as: The Rhythm Shack Production & Publishing Co. 2217 W. 25th St. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Angela Woods P.O. Box 191087 Los Angeles, CA 90019 Angela E. Woods 2217 W. 25th St. Los Angeles, CA 90018 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Angela Woods. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on November 6, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 11/26/09, 12/3/09, 12/10/09, 12/17/09 LAWT 394

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB #OP3442482, Landscape and Irrigation Maintenance per specifications on file at the Office of Procurement & Material Management (Procurement), One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor). All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the Procurement reception desk on or before 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), January 28, 2010, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. OP33442482. A Pre-Bid conference will be held at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), on January 7, 2010 in the Imperial Conference Room on the 12th floor at the address above. You may purchase bid specifications at the Procurement reception desk for a non-refundable fee of $25.00. For further information, email Wayne Okubo at via email at: okubow@metro.net. NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF CLAUDETTE MACK Case No. BP116686 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of CLAUDETTE MACK. A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by JAMES MACK JR. in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that JAMES MACK JR. be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A HEARING on the petition will be held on DECEMBER 22, 2009 at 8:30 A.M. in Dept. 11 located at 111 N. Hill Street, Room 258, Los Angeles, CA 90012. IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within four months from the date of first issuance of letters as provided in Probate Code section 9100. The time for filing claims will not expire before four months from the hearing date noticed above. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. PETITIONER JAMES MACK JR. 2015 N. Castlegate Ave. Compton, CA 90221 Phone#310-404-3441 12/17/09, 12/24/09, 12/31/09 LAWT395-PROBATE

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091895258 The following person is doing business as: Haymon Realty & Investments 8306 Wilshire Blvd., #302 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Haymon Property Management 8306 Wilshire Blvd., #302 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Raymond Haymon 8306 Wilshire Blvd., #302 Beverly Hills, CA 90211 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Raymond Haymon. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on December 14, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 12/17/09, 12/24/09, 12/31/09, 1/7/10 LAWT 396

FITNESS VIDEO GAMES Continued from page 13 Workouts,” was released last month. The follow-up features a six-week fitness program, virtual watersport activities and 35 new exercises. Nintendo’s “Wii Fit” expansion, “Wii Fit Plus,” outsold its predecessor its first month of release, pumping out over 440,000 copies in October. With Nintendo rivals Micosoft and Sony slated to launch their own motion-controllers for their respective Xbox

360 and PlayStation 3 consoles next year, the exergame genre may have only begun to hit its stride. On the Net: www.wiifit.com; w w w. e a s p o r t s a c t i v e . c o m ; w w w. t h e w i i a u t h o r i t y . c o m ; http://yourshapegame.us.ubi.com; www.biggestloserthegame.com.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091859197 The following person is doing business as: Rhythm Records 2217 W. 25th St. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Mad Gear Clothing Co. P.O. Box 191087 Los Angeles, CA 90019 Angela E. Woods 2217 W. 25th St. Los Angeles, CA 90018 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Angela E. Woods. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on December 8, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 12/24/09,12/31/09, 1/7/10, 1/14/10 LAWT 397 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091878498 The following person is doing business as: Primeview Properties 24126 Silver Spray Dr. Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Primeview Group P.O. Box 151945 Los Angeles, CA 90015 Kevin Webb 24126 Silver Spray Dr. Diamond Bar, CA 91765 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Kevin Webb. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on December 10, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 12/24/09,12/31/09, 1/7/10, 1/14/10 LAWT 398

CAREERS PRINT ADVERTISING SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE The L.A. Watts Times, the most widely distributed African American newspaper in Los Angeles has an immediate full-time opening for a Print Advertising Sales Account Executives. The right candidate will sell advertising solutions to corporations and industries locally and nationwide over the telephone and by mail.

City of Gardena PARATRANSIT DRIVER PARATRANSIT DISPATCHER Valid Class “B” CA Drivers License w/ Passenger endorsement H-6 DMV Print out w/ app

Qualifications

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Prior successful sales experience required, preferably in a media environment Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, able to establish rapport with all levels of clients/prospects and must be able to effectively close sales Ability to produce an effective call volume that exceeds goals Goal oriented and results driven Motivated, self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit Superb follow-up, strong organizational and planning skills Must be flexible and maintain a positive attitude

We offer a positive work environment and excellent compensation and benefits package. If you possess the above qualifications, we’re looking for you. Please e-mail your resume to willa@lawattstimes.com.

L.A. WATTS TIMES “News You CanUse” 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Phone: (213) 251-5700 Fax: (213) 251-5720 Website: www.lawattstimes.com

EQUIPMENT UTILITY WORKER Valid Class “B” CA Drivers License Apps will ONLY be accepted in person @ Gardena City Hall/Personnel Office PLEASE READ JOB BULLETINS CAREFULLY BEFORE APPLYING Recruitment will close after 25 apps are rcv’d or 1/29/10 4 PM Whichever comes first How to apply: Please visit our website at www.ci.gardena.ca.us Or the 24hr hotline (310) 217-9515

What’s Being Planned?

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What’s Available?

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The California Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”) proposes to construct a new south-half interchange on the I-405, at Arbor Vitae Street, in the City of Inglewood. The new half interchange would provide a new southbound on-ramp to the I-405 from Arbor Vitae Street, as well as, a new northbound offramp from the I-405 to Arbor Vitae Street. This would create, from the I-405, a new direct vehicle access to and from the Hollywood Park Casino, the University of West Los Angeles, the Forum, and Centinela Hospital. The project’s purpose is to reduce congestion at the Century Boulevard and Manchester Boulevard interchanges through the creation of this new direct vehicle access. Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed project may have on the environment and community. The results of these studies are contained in an environmental document known as an Environmental Assessment/ Initial Study (EA/IS). The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of its completion and availability to any interested individuals. The project Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) is available for viewing and download at http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/resources/envdocs/, and is available for review and copying at the Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Planning (100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles) on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The EA/IS is available at the Inglewood Main Library located at 101 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90301 and also at the Los Angeles Public Library – Westchester-Loyola branch, located at 7114 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90045. Do you have any comments regarding the EA/IS? Would you care to make any other comments about the project? Please submit any written comments no later than Wednesday, February 3, 2010 to: Mr. Ronald Kosinski Deputy District Director California Department of Transportation Division of Environmental Planning (Arbor Vitae) 100 South Main Street MS 16A Los Angeles, CA 90012

Caltrans will begin accepting comments: Monday, December 21, 2009. A public hearing will be held to allow any interested When individuals an opportunity to discuss certain design and Where? features of the project with Caltrans staff before the final design and alternative is selected. The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at the Crozier Middle School Auditorium, 120 West Regent Street, Inglewood, CA 90301. Individuals who require special accommodation (American Sign Language interpreter, accessible seating, documentation in alternative formats, etc.) are requested to contact the Department’s Public Affairs Office at 213-897-3656 at least 21 days in advance, Tuesday, December 29, 2009) prior to the scheduled hearing date. TDD users may contact the California Relay Service TDD line at 1-800-735-2929 or Voice Line at 1-800-735-2922. For additional information, please contact Mr. Eduardo Contact Aguilar at (213) 897-8492. Thank you for your interest in this transportation project! Caltrans improves mobility across California!

BLACK BUSINESS Continued from page 3 train low-income residents in construction work. “And the best part was the project came in on time and under budget,” Boykewich said. Boykewich said he’s cautiously optimistic after seeing LaHood’s

letters to the governors. The Obama administration is moving in the right direction, he said, even if communities of color have yet to see any results. Aaron Glantz is NAM’s stimulus editor.

Page 16

L.A. WATTS TIMES

December 24, 2009

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We are committed to preparing a publication that you will eagerly anticipate each week. The L.A.Watts Times is scanning and probing news and information resources to deliver the best of the African American community to you. To receive the L.A. Watts Times via U.S. Postal Service each week, fill out this subscription form and send with check or money order payable to: L.A.Watts Times for the yearly rate of $65. January 15,

Vol. XXX, No.

1110

SERVING LOS

2009

G AREAS SURROUNDIN

te, n, a Confidan Xernona Clayto Legacy g’s Reflects on Kin

ANGELES AND

System Inc. She Broadcasting of the oneis also the originatorin History” s minute “Moment is a ball of broadcasts televised annually Xernona Clayton History Month. during Black schedule is a minute, the Although her Moving a mile and former found Clayton recently a man veteran is full, civil rights King, to talk about King Jr. confidante for severMartin Luther calls, time knew , fielding respected Atlanta the she with durin her office in , and putting years, and worked the Civil doing interviews Trumpet Awards, al of the ing the height With a venfinal touches on accomMovement. highlights the e, of Rights an affair that of knowledg contributions erable wealth at “never plishments and y admittedl s. African American founder and CEO Clayton, words,” has a million for Clayton is the n a loss to tell. Awards Foundatio Times pro- stories of the Trumpet and executive The L.A. Watts get her to Inc., and creator Awards, which with Clayton ducer of the Trumpetand will air on spoke the nation’s upcoming year take on is in its 17th One. Atlanta on TV tribute to King. best the but is April 12 from vast, ents are LAWT: What ty activist, Her achievem horn. dge King’s preacher, communi one to toot her the way to acknowle husband, and Clayton isn’t KING — Baptist son, brother, woman in who HONORING birthday? wouldn’t Nobel Prize winner, The first black Luther King Jr., televiXC: He definitely like all a prime-time intellectual, author, and more, describe Martin were it not for an South to host a vice He didn’t 15, words, Clayton was Tenn., father. These old today, Jan. want the hoopla. in Memphis, sion talk show, been 80 years at Turner April 4, 1968, would have urban affairs sanitation workers He was killed president of assassin’s bullet. in support of the city’s black rest of the counthe gone where he had Watts Times joins our Special Edition. strike. The L.A. this man with who were on — in honoring world and — try

PRESIDENT OB AMA INAUGU RATION EDIT IO N

E DONLOE BY DARLEN WRITER CONTRIBUTING

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Assembly Speaker

Karen Bass

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Obama America ’s 44th Presid ent January 22,

2009

BY TERENCE HUNT AP WRITER

Civil Rights ‘Little Rock 9’ Inauguration Icon to Attend

of violence from taunts and threats adults opposed MN and FIRST COLU white students BRISCOE BY ANDRE of Central High. WRITER the integration CONTRIBUTING Roberts has lecObama is sworn Over the years, When Barack college stuUnited high school and president of the in as the 44th s may tured at seminars, and has been 20, American ly about what States on Jan. finally dents the nation has interviewed extensive turbulent year conclude that like during the racist past. was it its He uses his Roberts overcome Dr. Terrence psychology pro- he spent in high school. teach But for retired 67, one a platform to e in as many and experiences as Dr. Terrence Roberts, intefessor e of education ips at events, and participat .” teenagers who the importanc as possible, Roberts relationsh Today and Tomorrow of nine black inaugural balls ld great grandD Little Rock Central how to best improve to speak to “My 11-year-o C. NORWOO , grated Arkansas’ He also plans color. ceremony of Williams BY CHICO the Sidwell people to said. in 1957, Neeko Anthony faculty at the in among this leading up High School STAFF WRITER Speak- son, students and 7 cleared hurdle the theme for In the days ROCK 9, page “Little Rock California Assembly as the came up with will be just another for equal rights. Larry E. See LITTLE ion Day, the serve organizer battle g will Inaugurat said , speak the continuin J. year,” er Karen Bass validates behind the will attend luncheons and Norris the driving force Obama’s election to Nine” grand marshal grand Grant, Rock Nine” tried the celebrity “Little the Jr. Los Angeles parade. the what former Bishton and Bishton Roberts, a Association and In his the 25th annual Joining Bass NEWS IN BRIEF accomplish, said Commerce. P. Valin Psy19 marshal for as Chamber of Gen. David the Master’s Parade on Jan. service role will be Lt. Unico-chair of offiKingdom Day public AND Antioch reviewing at previous year’s THE SOUTHL for Real Estate chology program has been in Los Angeles. celebration of court, this Kingdom Day deputy director Angeles who state of cer, and 2009 The largest versity in Los cereent for the ld to Serve as the inaugural Wyvetta Taylor. King Jr. holiDevelopm Rosenfe attend credited Queen Luther to is in Parade invited the Martin a, Rosenfeld s and offiCalifornia, the first black president Other celebritie Planning Deputy Supervisor Californi to create about mony for the 11 day in Southern to attend include with helping will begin at ctor jobs, Second District cials slated U.S. history. 2.5-mile parade Stanis of to what we homas has chosen 72,000 new private-se Avenue and urban Bern Nadette “It adds substance Mark Ridley-T “When a.m. at Western Boulevard. It actress to serve as which revitalized struggling fame; jazz legend Roberts said. King Daniel A. Rosenfeld “Good Times” tried to do,” history, a State Martin Luther areas. this country’s west to Crenshaw Herby Hancock; Californi to a Senior Deputy you look at Instrucon will proceed Disat the opposition at ds of L.A. turn south ndent of Public for the Second and you look in Superinte Boulevard and District: Thousan ll; members of then you look Vernon Avenue Lose Jobs trict team. Rosention Jack O’Conne integration, and Crenshaw onto Council; with Obama’s Teachers Could where a festival the Los Angeles City ds of Los feld will be responwhat has happenedapparent that the Leimert Park, (AP) — Thousan other emit is quite for planning, more. sible 14 and and election, will follow. include enKABC Telecrumbling. Angeles teachers laid off this The parade will in transportation, Set to air on old system is be teams to what we did fits and ployees could secbands, 20 drill 7 from 11 a.m. “In retrospect, vironmen t 4 chip the nation’s to Daniel A. vision-Channel page as , theme marching able year were parade school grapSee MLK PARADE economic developRosenfeld that pattern. We system — weak1 p.m., this year’sLives On For st school district old of ond-large a $250 million deficit, ment. now away a bit at the is “The Dream than 35 years with — to the point He has more and ples officials recently said. en it if you will faster than ever.” assessment Ramon Corprivate sector co- school where it’s crumbling the election and is the Superintendent Legislature Roberts said developm ent Partners LLC, blamed the state anything, because founder of Urban entrepreneurial tines potential cutbacks, saying doesn’t change elements that the for the an award-winning there are “systemic fabric of this on develrs need to solve lawmake focusing the that Los real estate firm are woven into crisis if the investment opportu- state’s budget District is opment and society.” ds the harm western United Angeles Unified School If anyone understan Roberts. In nities in the force intact. it is to keep its work , page 6 States. segregation causes,age 15, he and the as a board See BRIEFS at He has served City who the fall of 1957, the Central black teenagers the member of eight other as to be known would come braved insults, Nine” “Little Rock Grant

s on in The Dream Live of Year This Historic Parade Day m gdo Kin

Vol. XXX, No.

‘HOPE OVER FEAR’ — Barack John Roberts Obama, joined to become the by his wife Michell 44th presiden e and t of the United States at the U.S. daughters Malia, third from left, and Capitol in Washing Sasha, takes the ton Jan. 20. oath of

FIRST COLU MN

Not Just a Dre am: Obama Sparks Black Men to Action

BY LUCAS L. JOHNSON II AP WRITER

The Son of Our Soil

AP Photo/RON

EDMONDS

office from Chief

Justice

WASHINGTO into history, Barack N — Stepping Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America’s first black presiden t on Jan. 20, declarin g the nation must choose “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” to overcome the worst econom crisis since the ic Great Depress ion. In frigid temper atures, an exuberant crowd of more than million packed a the National Mall and parade route Obama’s inaugur to celebrate ation in a highnoon ceremony. With 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars lost in the stock market’s tumble, Obama emphas ized that his biggest challen ge is to repair the tattered econom y outgoing Preside left behind by nt George W. Bush. “Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and See OBAMA, page 6

they say they BY REMA REYNO might not have LDS SPECIAL TO NASHVILLE taken without L.A. WATTS , Tenn. (AP) his example. TIMES — An actor NAIROBI, Kenya Van Jones, turns 40, founde d — I sent one inner-city mosque a dilapidated, Green For last e-mail to my All, a into a theater Kenyan friend in just a few asking her what I gram that seeks national prodays. A 20-year should expect. to create -old energy buckles down I would be teaching jobs. His Oaklan clean on in Nairobi d-based historically black his studies at a program during the time , which employ college after his of Preside nt Barack s 25 peomother dies of Obama’s inaugur ple and has an cancer. A commu ation. I wonder nity organizer - of $4.5 million operating budget ed Kenyans were decides his plan excited as I was, if , was instrum create thousan to in passing ental excited as the as ds of green jobs a portion of a majority of Amerinational too modest and is energy bill cans, as excited as enlarges it twencalled the Green ty-fold. Jobs cans particularly. African AmeriAct. It will use up Barack Obama to train 30,000 to $125 million My BlackBerry people in jobs flashed her the White House ’s election to such as reply just as HOME PRIDE installing solar is I boarded the — Kenyans react ization of what the very real- and retrofit panels plane: a large screen, “Kenya is full AP Photo/SAY as U.S. Presiden ting buildings so many black as thousands of Obama mania t Barack Obama YID AZIM to make of people fathers have don’t be surprise them more so guration ceremony appears on told their sons — from Nairobi, gather to watch the U.S. enviro nment d if Jan 20th aspire to for to friendly. presidential inaually another nationa Kenya — that is D.C., Jan. 20. Across the years, even l holiday. Kenyan took place country, if it often was just are extremely s year ago came together to celebrat neighbors divided by political in Washington, With Obama’s proud of this election, Jones e the inaugura violence only booster not meant a confidence- decided son of our soil!” tion of its favorite a to shop a $33 to be taken litson, Obama. billion erally. And proposal before Congre Another nationa long before NEWS IN BRIE l holiday? Yes, ss that would he wrapped up the another. F contest, his can- hire about 600,000 people didacy had over the next two When Obama driven these THE SOUTHLAND years for similar three Top police official black men and ident of the United was elected presothers to actions work. States, Kenyan edged that minorit s acknowlwere granted See BLACK Los Angeles Police a day off, a holiday s MEN, page 3 frequently subject ies are more commemorate to Reject ed to searche the occasion. Study on Racial but they told As I turned off my the commission s, Bias phone the statistics do not (AP) — A commi the flight attendan in obedience to prove racial prossion that filing oversees the is rampant in me, in my jealousy t hovering over Los the departI thought, “Now Department told Angeles Police ment. why didn’t we police on Jan. get a day off?” to investigate 13 Information whether data While waiting from Times, http://w from: Los Angeles in London to a recent study board the last ww.latimes.com. can be used plane of the identify officers to trip, Kenyans spoke who discriminate L.A. Gang has with against minorit $5 Million asm and animate great enthusiies. d gestures Tab to Pay The commission’s Americans as to they decision came after hearing (AP) — City symbol of hope pontificated the hours of testiofficials said Obama embodi mony about the they secured with proud, boomin es a $5 million study, which was judgment g voices. They conducted by civil couldn’t have against a Los a Yale Univer cared Angele sity street gang professor, and flight was delayed less that our whose 11 membe s published in Oct- control the five hours — ober by the Americ rs more time to brag heroin an Civil Liber- downto trade in the about Obama ties Union of wn area. their relative. Southern Califor nia. The City study Attorne When we finally found that Los y Rocky DelgaAngeles police HE’S GOT dillo and other arrived at Jomo Kenyatt MOVES — officers are more law enforcement a International A parade participa the many perform Photo by HGSTAR1 likely official to stop and search Airport s announced in Kenya, everyon nt nearly does /UNW ances that took the judgment black and against 19. Go to page the splits as part e Latino residen 17 to view more place at the 2009 Kingdom the 5th and Hill of ly Kenyan passeng— even the livets than they Day Parade on parade photos. gang are week. Officia whites, even last Jan. subdued, exhaust ers — seemed though whites ls ed from the journey are obtained againstsaid it is the first more often found . a gang in Calicarrying guns See KENYAN and contraband. fornia. SON, page 6 See BRIEFS, page 7

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