LAWT 02-16-2012

W E E K E N D E R SEE PAGES

10-11

Vol. XXX, No. 1271

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, February 16, 2012

L.A. Watts Times

2

Thursday, February 16, 2012

HOROSCOPES A

quarius ~ You’ve got a great idea—or two, or a dozen!, as the week begins. Keep your head well-fed, and it’ll give amazing stuff back to you now. Jot the best of it down for revisiting later! Then, if you’ve got money entangled where it shouldn’t be—maybe with another person—expect issues to crop up around Wednesday and Thursday. Get the figures straight, then reevaluate, then communicate (and don’t get derailed by off-topic stuff). Then it’s full steam ahead on Friday and over the weekend, when you’re on to bigger and better things and quite possibly something (or someone) amazing. isces ~ That intellect of yours is impressive as the week begins, but something may be getting lost in the middle. A pragmatic friend or co-worker can help translate. You’re amazingly creative around Wednesday and Thursday. Your artistic and caring sides are both favored now, which could be very useful when it comes to love!

But set the touchy-feely stuff aside at least briefly on Friday or Saturday, when it’s important to take a look at the world around you as it is—not an impression of it.

Sunday, however, is lovely for whatever you want to do. ries ~ You scratch their back and they’ll scratch yours as the week begins. Yes, you're independent, but you also see your interconnections with others now and new ways to make life easier for everyone. Around Wednesday and Thursday, though, efforts on your part tend to backfire in unexpected ways. Concentrate on using your energy to seek understanding rather than being assertive under current circumstances. On Friday and over the weekend, though, action’s favored—especially of the interpersonal variety! aurus ~ Just because it seems like someone’s waving a red cape doesn’t mean you have to go running after them.

Know when your buttons are being pushed as the week begins, and modulate your responses in a mature way.

Circumstances are more on your side around Wednesday and Thursday, and friendships (and any potential romances!) offer especially sweet rewards. Just feeling understood and accepted feels great. You’ll be all set to enjoy some more adventurous stuff starting Friday and over the weekend, so plan accordingly. (And—hint, hint—Sunday looks romantic!) emini ~ While you’re open to all sorts of new ideas and opinions as the week begins, you might change your mind. But you aren’t just being fickle. Your brain’s engaged, and you’re examining things (and people) critically and with curiosity; good for you! But watch how you work around Wednesday and Thursday. That same brainpower could get you in hot water if you aren’t careful about how you communicate what you’re coming up with. Relationships are in the stars on Friday and over the weekend, and new information’s involved. For best results, be straightforward. ancer ~ While almost everything has an emotional component for you, you’d be wise to chill out as the week begins. Your feelings are liable to be a little out of proportion now. And as far as what’s really going on, it never hurts to ask.

And around Wednesday and Thursday, the dialogue that ensues could get mighty interesting. (You can also trust your instincts more now, as your cosmic energy’s more stable.) And on Friday and over the weekend, your mind’s particularly sharp. If you’ve been puzzling over something (or someone), try putting all the pieces together again in a completely different way.

Feb. 16 - 22 L

eo ~ Curb that tendency to be possessive as the week begins. Do something solo at work or at play to get that independent spirit up and running. Remember, engaging with your world on your terms increases true self-worth. Then, while others may be flipping out around Wednesday and Thursday, you’re able to find pertinent info and weigh it wisely, right? React instead of being reactionary. On Friday and over the weekend, you’re redefining fun, for yourself and your lucky friends or significant other. Why buy or watch the action when you can make and do it? irgo ~ People! They’re messy, disorganized, prone to making mistakes and pretty much annoying in general.

Bring your sense of humor as the week begins; you’re going to need it. There’s a time and a place for less judgment, and it may be now, or around Wednesday and Thursday, when your outlook allows more wiggle room. Start with accepting yourself, then see if your perspective on an important relationship (or two) has a new hue. (Could it be rosy?) Then, plan to get outside, be active and thoroughly enjoy life on Friday and over the weekend. Your spirits should be high now. Enjoy! ibra ~ The stars are accentuating the positive as the week begins, and if you do the same, you’ll be sitting pretty. Express those feelings, and get specific about it, especially when it comes to romance! Around Wednesday and Thursday, though, when it comes to saying what’s on your mind, you avoid it (perhaps you sense some disruption in the cosmic energy). If there’s negativity in the air or negotiating to be done, you need to take care of it on Friday or over the weekend. Confront it straight on. You’ll be surprised how good it feels. corpio ~ It’s tempting to make a radical decision or major change as the week begins, but make sure you aren’t throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Try a smaller step, such as an experiment or an interim stage.

Around Wednesday and Thursday, passion’s in your personal stars, and something that’s hidden may not be for long. If it's you who's doing the hiding, you might want to come out with it before it gets away from you! And you’ll want to exercise more caution than normal on Friday and over the weekend, whether it’s with people, places or things. agittarius ~ Stretching your mind feels just as good as stretching your body as the week begins, and you really should do both. Get some fresh input and some fresh air!

You’ll be glad you did when an opportunity to expand your horizons arrives around Wednesday and Thursday, probably prompted by your own openness to serendipity. The key may be in listening closely for a clue. You’re just plain fun on Friday and Saturday, and your attraction factor's boosted, too. Hot! On Sunday, though, you’d best get the mundane stuff in order for next week. apricorn ~ Looks like money’s on your mind as the week begins, and understandably so. However, it’s true: Money can’t buy love! So if love’s a priority (which it should be!), you’ll want to shift your focus for sure around Wednesday and Thursday. If you’re single, check out options online; you’ve got a way with words that comes in handy for fun, flirty messages. (Which comes in handy for the coupled up, too!) And on Friday and over the weekend, sure, you want to take care of business, but balance is crucial. Give yourself a break!

P

V

A

L

T

Inside This Edition Los Angeles teacher’s

aide arrested for lewd acts LOS ANGELES (AP) — The FBI says a Los Angeles high school teacher’s aide was arrested on campus for investigation of sexual contact with a 15-year-old student — the third such arrest in recent weeks in the nation’s second-largest school district.

An FBI spokeswoman says Fremont High School teacher’s aide Alain Salas was booked for investigation of contact with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense.

8

Minority Boston officers sue over promotion exam

S

G

S

C

C

10 12

WEEKENDER Published Weekly – Updates

Beverly Cook – Publisher, Managing Editor 1976 – 1993 Charles Cook – Publisher 1976 – 1998 Melanie Polk – Publisher 1998 – 2010

17

EMAIL: wattsweekender@yahoo.com Circulation ..................................................................................50,000 The opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of the L.A. Watts Times.

The L.A. Watts Times is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, CDs or tapes.

CIRCULATION AUDITED BY CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL

the officers, tells The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/AvAMV4 ) that of the department's 51 lieutenants, there are two black men and one Asian man.

Of the department’s captains, the next highest rank, only one of 23 is Black.

A city lawyer says he had not been served with the lawsuit and could not comment. A police department spokeswoman also declined to comment.

BlackFacts.com

February 18, 1688 The first formal protest against slavery by an organized White body was made by the Germantown (Pa.) Quakers at a monthly meeting. The historic “Germantown Protest” denounced slavery and the slave trade.

Saluting

WWW.LAWATTSTIMES.COM Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. ............Executive Publisher & Executive Editor Brenda Marsh Mitchell ..................................Executive Vice President Tracey Mitchell ......................................................................Controller Brandon I. Brooks ..................................................Co-Managing Editor Yussuf J. Simmonds ..............................................Co-Managing Editor Joy Childs ....................................................................Assistant Editor Bernard Lloyd ....................................................Director of Advertising Benjamin Samuels ....................................................Graphic Designer Chris Martin ..........................................................Production Designer

BOSTON (AP) — Nine Black Boston police supervisors have filed a federal lawsuit in which they claim they were denied advancement because of a discriminatory promotion exam.

The supervisors are suing the city, demanding that it scrap the multiple choice lieutenant’s test.

Black and Latino officers historically fare worse on the exams than White and Asian candidates.

Harold Lichten, the lawyer for

February 22, 1911 On this day, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the so-called “Bronze Muse,” died in Philadelphia, Pa. She wrote more than a dozen books, including “Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects” (1854); “Moses, a Story of the Nile” (1869); and “Sketches of Southern Life” (1872). Harper was the most famous female poet of her day and the most famous African-American poet of the 19th century. Also a well-known orator, she spoke frequently in public (sometimes twice in one day), promoting equal rights for women and African-Americans. She was a worker for the Underground Railroad and, in 1896, she helped establish the National Association of Colored Women.

L.A. Watts Times 3800 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008 Administration – Sales – Graphics – Editorial 323.299.3800 - office 323.291.6804 - fax

Superintendent John Deasy told KNX radio that Salas was arrested during a child sex investigation, but he doesn’t have any details.

Former third-grade teacher Mark Berndt was arrested on 23 felony counts that include allegations he fed his semen to Miramonte Elementary School students. A second Miramonte teacher, Martin Springer, has pleaded not guilty to committing three lewd acts on a girl.

Black History Month

MOMBASA SQUARE

COAST MAGNETICS

ANSWERS FROM 2-9-12 5333 West Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90016 We Fully Support Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity Employment By Choice

Thursday, February 16, 2012

3

In defiant move, Iran proclaims nuclear advances

BY ALI AKBAR DAREINI | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Visit offers little insight into next China leader

BY MATTHEW PENNINGTON | ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington’s power centers is boosting his international profile but offering little insight into the man destined to rule the world's most populous nation.

On Wednesday, Xi was due to meet congressional leaders, address business executives and policy experts, then journey to the Iowa heartland, where he'll reconnect with people who hosted him on a 1985 study tour.

On Tuesday, Xi stuck to a tightly scripted and packed schedule. It took him from a lengthy meeting with President Barack Obama to an elaborate reception at the State Department and full military honors at the Pentagon before a meeting with business leaders inside the grand stone edifice of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

His grand reception — never has a visiting vice president received a 19gun salute at the Pentagon — reflects the importance the Obama administration sees in its relations with China, a major economic and trading partner but also an emerging military rival.

Xi is set to lead China for the coming decade, succeeding President Hu Jintao as Communist Party leader late this year, then becoming president in 2013.

He is widely regarded as more adept than the stiff and staid Hu at making personal connections, but he will not call the shots on policy until he fully takes the reins of power.

The diplomatic rhetoric he used in his appearances Tuesday was tried and tested, echoing the tone of the state visit to Washington by Hu a year ago.

He did, however, hint at a personal touch with his eclectic use of proverbs.

They ranged from traditional Chinese, to the words of the 17th- century British thinker Francis Bacon and even the lyrics of a 1980s theme song from a popular TV adaptation of a classic Chinese novel. He used the song, titled “Where Is the Path?,” to describe the uncertainties of charting the future of U.S.-China relations.

Both sides emphasized the promise and importance of greater U.S.China cooperation—although the soothing diplomatic words were punctuated with frank recognition of the differences that exist between them on human rights, economic disputes and worsening foreign crises, particularly the violence in Syria.

Vice President Joe Biden alluded to a deterioration in human rights in China and U.S. concern over several prominent dissidents. Xi responded as Hu did when he met Obama last year by defending China’s rights record but saying it could always do more.

A couple hundred flag-waving Tibetan protesters and other sympathizers of the exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, kept up noisy antiChina demonstrations throughout the day near the White House, but they did not derail the ceremonials.

Inside the Oval Office, Obama assured Xi, “It is absolutely vital that we have a strong relationship with China.” The visiting leader smiled and looked at ease in his first formal meeting with the U.S. president.

On the policy front, Biden announced some progress on areas of U.S. economic concern.

He said China informed the U.S. it would move forward with tax reforms this year that would increase imports and promote domestic consumption, a step away from its export-driven growth model, which the U.S. says contributes to America’s burgeoning trade deficit.

Biden also described an opening for foreign companies to sell auto insurance in China as an important step in overhauling the finance sector.

But Biden repeated U.S. concern over subsidies for Chinese stateowned companies and the forced transfer of technology as a condition for U.S. companies doing business in China. He also described the Chinese currency as still “substantially undervalued” against the dollar, which the U.S. contends hurts its exporters.

Xi urged the U.S. to lift restrictions on high-tech exports to China and create a level playing field for Chinese companies to invest in the United States.

AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Major Asian importers of Iranian oil are thumbing their noses at American attempts to get them to rein in their purchases, dealing a blow to Washington’s efforts to force the Middle Eastern country to curtail its nuclear program. have mounted dramatically with Israel and the United States over its nuclear program, which Washington and its allies say is aimed at producing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the charge,

saying its program is intended solely for research and generating electricity.

Israel has increasingly warned of the See IRAN NUCLEAR ADVANCES, page 16

metro.net/expo

Watch for trains on Metro Expo Line tracks.

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

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

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

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

12-0889jl ©2011 lacmta

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

President Barack Obama met with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran claimed Wednesday that it has achieved two major advances in its program to master production of nuclear fuel, a defiant move in response to increasingly tough Western sanctions over its controversial nuclear program.

In a further show of resistance to international pressure, state media reported Iran was taking steps to cut oil exports to six European countries in retaliation for new European Union sanctions, including a ban on Iranian oil.

The semiofficial Mehr agency said that Iran has halted exports to France and the Netherlands, and has given an ultimatum to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece to either sign long-term contracts with Iran or be cut off. State-run Press TV had earlier reported that exports were being cut off outright for all six. The contradiction in the reports could not immediately been resolved.

The EU ban on oil imports is to go into effect in July. Iranian officials say their country’s earlier cutoff will hit European nations before they can line up new suppliers, and that Tehran has already lined up buyers for the 18 percent share of its oil that goes to Europe.

Iran's tough tone comes as tensions

4

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Lawsuit in FAMU death reveals details of hazing AP Photo/David Goldman

Details surrounding his death released: Members of the Florida A&M University band led a horse-drawn carriage carrying the casket of band member Robert Champion following his funeral service last November. He died after being hazed.

BY MIKE SCHNEIDER | ASSOCIATED PRESS ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a Florida A&M band member who died after being hazed filed a wrongful death lawsuit Monday

against the owner and driver of the charter bus where the ritual took place, claiming the company’s managers told drivers to ignore hazing.

On the night Robert Champion died, the driver even stood guard outside the bus, the lawsuit said, and

forced the drum major back on the bus after he got off to vomit. The lawsuit doesn't explain how Champion was forced back on the bus.

Ray Land, the owner of Fabulous Coach Lines, said in an email that he See FAMU, page 14

Private funeral for Houston set for Saturday

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Local fans: Lawanda Howkins, left, and Melanie Braggs honor the memory of Whitney Houston at a candlelight vigil in Leimert Park in Los Angeles on Monday.

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — Whitney Houston’s funeral will be held Saturday in the church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child, her family choosing to remember her in a private service rather than in a large event at an arena.

The owner of the Whigham Funeral Home said Tuesday that the funeral will be held at noon at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church, which seats up to 1,500.

The family said no public memorial service is planned at this time.

Officials had discussed the possibility of opening up the Prudential Center, a major sports and entertainment venue, for a memorial, but the funeral home said it had been ruled out.

Funeral home owner Carolyn Whigham said the church service will be by invitation only, reflecting the family’s decision to keep the memorial more personal.

“They have shared her for 30some years with the city, with the state, with the world. This is their time now for their farewell,” she said.

“The family thanks all the fans, the friends and the media, but this time is their private time,” she said.

Houston, 48, died Feb. 11 at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California, just hours before she was set to perform at producer Clive Davis’ preGrammy Awards bash. Officials say she was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a bathtub.

After an autopsy Sunday, authorities said there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston. It could be weeks, however, before the coroner’s office completes toxicology tests to establish the cause of death.

Los Angeles County coroner’s assistant chief Ed Winter said bottles of prescription medicine were found in the room. He would not give details except to say: “There weren’t a lot of prescription bottles.

You probably have just as many prescription bottles in your medi-

cine cabinet.”

Her body was returned to New Jersey late Monday.

Houston was born in Newark and was raised in nearby East Orange.

She began singing as a child at the New Hope Baptist Church, where her mother, GRAMMY®-winning gospel singer Cissy Houston, led the music program for many years. Her cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, also sang in its choir.

Houston’s family asked Tuesday that any donations in her memory be sent to the arts-focused public school that she attended as a child and that was named after her in the late 1990s.

In lieu of flowers, they said mourners should donate to the Whitney Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange, a school serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Houston attended the school as a girl when it was named the Franklin School and was a regular visitor for many years afterward. On Monday, students held an outdoor service in her memory.

An impromptu memorial for Houston was held Sunday during a sadness-tinged Grammys, with Jennifer Hudson saluting her memory with a performance of “I Will Always Love You.” Viewership for the awards show soared over last year by 50 percent, with about 40 million viewers tuning in to the program on CBS. On Tuesday, a steady stream of well-wishers continued to stop at the New Hope Baptist Church, where the front fence was adorned with dozens of flowers, balloons and oversized cards, some with hundreds of signatures and condolences written on them.

Several people expressed disappointment that a public memorial had not been scheduled. But they also said they understood why the funeral was being kept private.

“Maybe at some point down the road, they might do something,” said B.J. Frazier, who said she had See HOUSTON FUNERAL, page 16

Thursday, February 16, 2012

A trillion dollars: easy to say, hard to imagine WASHINGTON (AP) — Remember when a billion used to be a lot?

Now we talk trillions.

That’s a thousand times more.

The numbers bandied about in Washington these days — yearly deficits in the $1 trillion range, a $3.8 trillion federal budget, a national debt piled up to $15 trillion — are so big they’re hard to grasp.

Here’s one way to think of it: a trillion is a million millions.

If you paid out $1 per second, settling a $1 million debt would take less than 12 days. To pay off $1 billion would take 32 years. Paying off $1 trillion at a dollar per second? Nearly 32,000 years.

A trillion is a 1 followed by 12 zeros, like this: 1,000,000,000,000.

A trillion square miles would cover the surface of 5,000 planet Earths.

A trillion people would be 10 times more than have ever lived (based on the Population Reference Bureau’s very rough estimate of 108 billion humans ever).

A trillion dollars is enough to give $3,195 to every man, woman and child in the United States.

But for a typical U.S. household, making $50,000 per year, to earn enough to pay off a $1 trillion debt would take 20 million years.

5

King memorial group head angry at monument change WASHINGTON (AP) — An organizer of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is criticizing plans to remove an inscription from the monument, saying the changes will threaten the design.

The National Park Service said Friday it would replace it with a full quotation from the civil rights leader.

Critics had complained the abbreviated quote on the memorial didn’t accurately reflect King’s words.

Harry Johnson is the president and CEO of the Martin Luther Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. He says in a statement that he’s disappointed the King family and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made a “unilateral decision” to change the memorial.

He says the new plan will “threaten the design, structure and integrity” of the monument.

The project’s architect has taken a similar position, saying new granite added to the memorial AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin would be a noticeably different A change is gonna come to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington color.

D.C.

Unified Grocers is proud to participate in Black History Month.

The struggle for freedom and equality has always been propelled by a belief that the arc of history bends toward equality and that we have the power to bend it. We have seen that an act as simple as riding on a bus or walking with a sign can influence the course of a nation.

One of the most important lessons of the black American story is that we each have the potential, some would say the responsibility, to bring change for the better.

unifiedgrocers.com

6

Thursday, February 16, 2012

First lady’s trips boost health and her husband

BY NANCY BENAC | AP DALLAS (AP) — In just the past few days, she’s danced with cheering school kids, chatted with troops, swapped ideas with busy parents and engaged in a friendly cooking competition with stars from “Top Chef.”

Michelle Obama’s national tour was

intended to promote the second anniversary of her campaign against childhood obesity. The images have been disarming, intriguing and nonpolitical, just the type of thing her husband's re-election campaign can’t get enough of.

Five years to the day after Sen. Barack Obama announced he was running for president, Mrs. Obama’s travels

this past week offered fresh evidence of what an out-sized role she’s assumed in the public eye and how powerful a political asset a first lady can be.

Make no mistake, Mrs. Obama said she’s “incredibly enthusiastic” about making the case for her husband’s reelection.

Simply put, “I want him to be my

PXP

Plains Exploration & Production Company

Proudly Joins the Community In Celebrating

Black History Month The Inglewood Oil Field 88 years producing California Oil to meet California’s Energy needs.

www.inglewoodoilfield.com

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

The first lady as cheerleader: Michelle Obama cheers with students from Nancy Moseley Elementary School in Dallas during a Let’s Move event with members of Bravo’s series “Top Chef” on Friday during her three-day national tour celebrating the second anniversary of Let's Move. The first lady highlighted healthy low-cost school meals. president for another four years,” she said in a 40-minute interview Friday with a few reporters.

In recent weeks Mrs. Obama has seemingly been everywhere: doing pushups with Ellen DeGeneres, serving veggie pizza to Jay Leno, playing tug-of-war with Jimmy Fallon in the White House. Then came the tour of Arkansas, Florida, Iowa and Texas to mark the two-year-point for her “Let’s Move” initiative.

The first lady draws a line between her policy efforts on childhood obesity and her political activities. But such distinctions often are lost on the public.

In an election year, it’s all to the good for Barack Obama that his popular wife is traveling the country promoting can’tmiss issues like healthy living.

“This is a bit of a two-fer,” Mrs. Obama said in her interview on Friday, “because it’s an issue that I care about, and it’s an issue that’s important to the country. ... I want to make sure that what I do enhances him.”

The first lady added that she knew from the beginning of her husband’s presidency that she had to choose issues that were important to her personally because “if you’re just doing it for political reasons or there’s some ulterior, people smell that out so easily and it’s hard to sustain.”

To a more limited extent, Mrs. Obama also fills a more overtly political role by headlining private fundraisers that raise millions for her husband's campaign, reaching out to supporters through conference calls to various states and shooting out periodic emails to campaign backers around the country.

That part of her labors will increase considerably in the months to come.

But the first lady said she’s careful to protect her time as “Sasha and Malia’s mom.”

“My approach to campaigning is, This is the time that I have to give to the campaign and whatever you do with that

time is up to you, but when it’s over, don’t even look at me. ... No calls. No anything.”

For now, the first lady’s most visible role is tied to her signature issue of fighting obesity, allowing her to connect with voters on an emotional level and relate to them as a mother who has struggled with some of the same challenges that other families face.

“We’re constantly trying to make sure that what we do is on point with what is going on in people’s lives,” Mrs. Obama told parents this past week as she chatted with them over low-calorie plates of chicken and pasta at an Olive Garden restaurant in Fort Worth. “I mean, at one point I was normal. I went to the grocery store and I did all that.”

Voters typically don’t pay attention to whether an event is political or not, said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane.

“They’re paying attention to whether they like what they’re seeing and whether they connect to it,” Lehane said. Wth a first lady talking about issues that transcend the partisan divide, he said, “the mere fact that they’re out there talking reflects well on their spouse.”

It can’t be lost on Obama’s political advisers that Iowa and Florida will be strongly contested in the fall election.

While the president’s favorability ratings and those of Vice President Joe Biden slipped considerably over their first three years in office, Mrs. Obama's have remained strong.

Barack Obama’s favorability rating now stands at 51 percent, Biden’s at 38 percent. By contrast, 66 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the first lady, about even with her ratings on Inauguration Day, according to the Pew Research Center.

That’s about where Laura Bush stood in the fourth year of her husband's first term, and it’s considerably higher than Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 42 percent at the start of her husband’s fourth See FIRST LADY, page 19

Thursday, February 16, 2012

7

Q&A: Obama and the birth control controversy

BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR | ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — What birth control debate? A half-century after the introduction of the pill, acceptance of birth control by American women is virtually universal.

But that didn’t keep the Obama administration from landing in a political mess over a side issue to a new policy that will soon make contraceptives available free of charge as preventive care for women enrolled in workplace health plans.

The big question: how the rules would apply to nonprofit institutions such as hospitals, colleges and charities that are affiliated with a religion but serve the general public.

Some questions and answers on President Barack Obama’s proposal Friday to find a way out of the problem and how his administration got there in the first place: Q: Was the Obama administration going to require churches to cover birth control?

A: No, churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship were not being required to cover the pill. That was never the issue.

Instead the battle is over nonprofit institutions affiliated with a religion.

For example, a Catholic hospital or a college chartered by a denomination but open to students of all faiths or no faith.

The Roman Catholic Church is opposed to artificial birth control methods, but

polls show that the faithful in the pews generally use contraceptives anyway.

Q: Well, what was going to change for the hospitals and soup kitchens?

A: Previously the administration had said that such affiliated institutions were basically going to be treated like all other employers and insurance plans.

They would have to cover birth control as part of a package of preventive services for women. The only concession was one more year to phase in the changes.

Obama has now walked that back.

Employers affiliated with a religion will not have to provide birth control coverage if it offends their beliefs. However, the insurers that cover their workers will be required to offer birth control directly to women working for the religious employer, and do so free of charge.

Q: Wait a minute, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Insurers are going to pay for birth control themselves?

A: They may not have any alternative, but eventually they’ll figure out how to pass on the cost.

An administration report says the cost of providing birth control should be a wash for insurers. It’s a lot cheaper than paying for labor and delivery.

Officials also say the government has the power to order insurers to do so under Obama’s health care overhaul law.

That may not sit well with the industry. Insurers point out that unless drug makers stop charging for pills, and

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

On Friday, in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, President Barack Obama, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, announced the revamp of his contraception policy requiring religious institutions to fully pay for birth control. doctors decide to prescribe them pro bono, birth control coverage isn’t free.

Q: How are women who don't work for a church or a Catholic hospital

going to be affected?

A: They’re not.

Beginning next Jan. 1, in most cases, women will have access to birth

control at no additional charge through their job-based coverage, as part of a package of preventive services that also See OBAMA Q&A, page 19

8

Thursday, February 16, 2012

LMU celebrates 10th Anniversary Annual Scholarship Awards The African American Alumni Association congratulates recipients and honors special guests at the annual scholarship fundraiser.

Beef prices expected to climb for next 2 years

BY BETSY BLANEY | AP LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The smallest cattle herd since the 1950s likely will mean higher beef prices at the supermarket for the next two years.

Experts said beef prices could climb as much as 10 percent a year in 2012 and 2013, and the increase could be even greater if demand from other countries increases.

Those higher prices would follow steady increases that have seen the average retail cost of a pound of hamburger rise 23 percent, from $2.38 in December 2010 to $2.92 last December, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Last month the USDA reported the U.S. herd had declined to 90.8 million

cattle, 2 percent less than the previous year and the lowest inventory since 1952, when there were 88.1 million.

“We’re producing less beef so prices are going to go up,” Texas AgriLife Extension Service livestock economist David Anderson said.

Ranchers have sold more of their cattle in recent years to meet increased costs for feed, fuel and other expenses.

The soaring feed costs come amid heightened demand for corn to produce ethanol and to meet a growing export market.

The situation has been worst in Texas, the nation’s leading cattle producer, and other parts of the southern plains and southwest, where a record drought caused pastures to wither, See BEEF PRICES, page 18

Photo by Brian W. Carter

From left, Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President, The Annie E. Casey Foundation; Representative Karen Bass, 33rd Congressional District; and the Most Rev. Gordon Bennett, Peter Faber Fellow in Pastoral Theology and Ignatian Spirituality at LMU and former President of Loyola High School.

BY BRIAN W. CARTER, SENTINEL STAFF WRITER On Sat., February 11, faculty, scholarship recipients and honored guests gathered for the 10th Anniversary of the

Annual Scholarship Fundraiser and Distinguished Achievement Awards at Loyola Marymount University (LMU).

This year’s recipients included 35 African American students and special honorees, including Representative

Let me assist you.

There is NO Fee until we win.

Jacquelyn Brown, Disability Appeals Rep.

(323) 756-3755

business card bulletin board

HAVE YOU BEEN DENIED YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS?

Karen Bass, 33rd Congressional District; Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President, The Annie E. Casey Foundation; and the Most Rev. Gordon Bennett, Peter Faber Fellow in Pastoral Theology and Ignatian Spirituality at LMU, and former President of Loyola High School.

The African American Alumni Association (AAAA) was established by a group of LMU Alumni, faculty and staff to help provide financial assistance to students. Besides education, the association also helps to provide for professional and social programs to enhance the collegiate experience.

Scholarship fund awards are renewable, four-year partial scholarships for deserving first-year students to provide financial assistance and encourage academic achievement and community leadership.

AAAA, for the past 10 years, has awarded scholarships to its Black alumni. Founder of AAAA, the Hon. Irma Brown Dillon, LMU Trustee, AAAA Executive Board Director, along with other founders, was present to recognize outstanding alumni, scholarship recipients and honorees.

Bass was one of the honorees accepting the AAAA Legacy Award.

Smith received the William L. Strickland Excellence Award and Bennett received the Hon. Irma Brown Dillon Community Service Award.

They spoke about receiving these awards and what this event meant to them personally.

“Any time I come to LMU, it’s always very special since I’ve been connected to LMU for so many years,” said Bass. “It’s particularly special, this event, because my daughter was soon to graduate from here and my son-in-law did graduate from here.

“One of the things we did after they passed away was start a scholarship in their name. So I’m hoping to increase awareness for that so more students can benefit from the alumni association.”

“It’s humbling really, said Smith.

See LMU ANNIVERSARY, page 18

AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File

FILE – Cattle herds continue to shrink: Texas A&M University livestock economist David Anderson says, “We’re producing less beef so prices are going to go up.”

Tribe sues beer companies for alcohol problems

BY GRANT SCHULTE | ASSOCIATED PRESS LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — An American Indian tribe sued some of the world’s largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcoholrelated problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation, where alcohol is banned.

The lawsuit names AnheuserBusch InBev Worldwide, SAB Miller, Molson Coors Brewing Company, MIllerCoors LLC and Pabst Brewing Company as defendants.

The lawsuit says one in four children born on the reservation suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The average life expectancy is estimated between 45 and 52 years, the shortest in North America except for Haiti, according to the lawsuit. The average American life expectancy is 77.5 years.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska also targets four offsite beer stores in Whiteclay, a

Nebraska town that despite having only about a dozen residents sold nearly 5 million cans of beer in 2010. Most of its customers come from the reservation on the town’s border.

Leaders of the tribe blame the Whiteclay businesses for bootlegging on the reservation.

The lawsuit alleges that the beer makers supplied the stores with “volumes of beer far in excess of an amount that could be sold in compliance with the laws of the state of Nebraska” and the tribe.

A spokeswoman for AnheuserBusch InBev Worldwide said she was not yet aware of the lawsuit Thursday afternoon. Representatives for the four beer stores declined comment or were unavailable.

The reservation has struggled with alcoholism and poverty for generations, despite an alcohol ban in place since 1832. Pine Ridge legalized alcohol in 1970 but restored the ban two months later, and an attempt to allow it in 2004 died after a public outcry.

Pine Ridge encompasses some of the nation's poorest counties. U.S. census statistics place Shannon County, South Dakota, as the third-poorest, with a median household income of $27,300 and nearly half of the population meeting federal poverty standards.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

9

$25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses

BY DEREK KRAVITZ | AP WASHINGTON (AP) — A landmark $25 billion settlement with the nation’s top mortgage lenders was hailed by government officials Thursday as long-overdue relief for victims of foreclosure abuses. But consumer advocates countered that far too few people will benefit.

The deal will reduce loans for only a fraction of those Americans who owe more than their homes are worth. It will also send checks to others who were improperly foreclosed upon. But the amounts are modest.

It's unclear how much the deal will help struggling homeowners keep their homes or benefit those who have already lost theirs.

About 11 million households are underwater, meaning they owe more than their homes are worth. The settlement would help 1 million of them.

“The total number of dollars is still small compared to the value of the mortgages that are underwater,” said Richard Green, director of the University of Southern California’s Lusk Center for Real Estate.

Federal and state officials announced that 49 states joined the settlement with five of the nation’s biggest lenders. Oklahoma struck a separate deal with the five banks. Government officials are still negotiating with 14 other lenders to join.

Of the five major lenders, Bank of America will pay the most to borrow-

ers: nearly $8.6 billion. Wells Fargo will pay about $4.3 billion, JPMorgan Chase roughly $4.2 billion, Citigroup about $1.8 billion and Ally Financial $200 million. The banks will also pay state and federal governments about $5.5 billion.

The settlement ends a painful chapter of the financial crisis, when home values sank and millions edged toward foreclosure.

Many companies processed foreclosures without verifying documents. Some employees signed papers they hadn’t read or used fake signatures to speed foreclosures — an action known as robo-signing.

President Barack Obama praised the settlement, saying it will “speed relief to the hardest-hit homeowners, end some of the most abusive practices of the mortgage industry and begin to turn the page on an era of recklessness that has left so much damage in its wake.”

The deal requires the banks to reduce loans for about 1 million households that are at risk of foreclosure. The lenders will also send $2,000 each to about 750,000 Americans who were improperly foreclosed upon from 2008 through 2011. The banks will have three years to fulfill terms of the deal.

The states have agreed not to pursue civil charges over the abuses covered by the settlement. Homeowners can still sue lenders on their own, and federal and state authorities can still pursue criminal charges.

The deal, reached after 16 months

of contentious negotiations, is subject to approval by a federal judge. It’s the biggest settlement involving a single industry since the $206 billion multistate tobacco deal in 1998.

But for the many people who lost their homes to foreclosure in the past two years, some of them improperly, a check for $2,000 is small consolation.

“Two thousand dollars won’t cover my moving costs,” said Brian Duncan, who was evicted from his Tempe, Ariz., home last April.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who led the 50-state talks, said the $2,000 checks represent the homeowners' best hope of being reimbursed for any amount. They would have had trouble winning settlements in court because of the time-consuming complexity of litigation, Miller said.

Mike Heid, president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, said the agreement “represents a very important step toward restoring confidence in mortgage servicing and stability in the housing market.”

Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities, said the settlement may help the housing market in the long run. That’s because it lets banks proceed with millions of foreclosures that have been stalled. Many lenders had refrained from foreclosing on homes as they awaited the settlement.

“We’ve got a lot of issues to work our way through in the housing market,” Vitner said. “What this settle-

A. PHILIP RANDOLPH

AP Photo/Cliff Owen

A settlement to cheer for: Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, second from right, and others, watch as Attorney General Eric Holder announces an agreement regarding mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuse on Thursday at the Justice Department in Washington. ment does is allow that process to get started.”

For the banks, the settlement comes mainly as a relief. If each state had sued the lenders and won, the total settle-

MARY CHURCH TERRELL

ments could have run into the hundreds of billions. And all the lenders have set aside adequate reserves.

“It’s really a wash,” said Paul See $25B SETTLEMENT, page 12

ROY WILKINS

CLARA DAY

SEIU 721 Salutes Black History Month Honoring the Many Courageous Men and Women Who Fight for a Fair Economy!

Bob Schoonover

Linda Dent

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

D E D I C AT E D T O R E L I A B L E Q U A L I T Y P U B L I C S E R V I C E S www.seiu721.org

MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE

facebook.com/seiu721

WHITNEY YOUNG

twitter.com/seiu721

MARY MOULTRIE

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

10

Thursday, February 16, 2012

F E AT U R E

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

The spirit and soul of the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards

By Brandon I. Brooks Co-Managing Editor

LEADING UP TO THE GRAMMY AWARDS Even as the news of Whitney Houston’s death shocked the music and entertainment industry, the 54th Annual GRAMMY awards weekend was unlike any other experienced or seen before.

This year’s ceremony marked a historical moment for the Black press, as a Sentinel reporter and photographer had access to the GRAMMY Awards red carpet and media center on behalf of the Black Press of America.

This historic moment in Black history comes after the Black press (photographers and reporters) had been consistently denied proper access to cover the GRAMMY Awards for well over a decade.

In the weeks leading up the awards show, a series of articles ran in the Sentinel and the L.A. WaĴs Times newspapers exposing the biased practices and procedures of the Recording Academy (which hosts the GRAMMY Awards show) and Rogers and Cowan (the public relations agency charged by the Academy to issue GRAMMY awards credentials) towards the Black press.

The Black Press of America, also referred to as the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA), led

by Chairman Emeritus Danny J. Bakewell Sr., the publisher of the Sentinel and the L.A. WaĴs Times newspapers, met exclusively with Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. AĞer several in-person meetings and phone conversations, the two sides came to a mutual understanding that moving forward, the Black Press of America will be participating in the GRAMMY Awards from now on, year in and year out. This was a huge leap toward equality and access for all urban media outlets worthy of participation.

Current NNPA chairman Cloves Campbell and Peggy

Hunt, president of the West Coast Black Publishers Association & National Board Member of NNPA, lent their support, which was invaluable in reaching the accord with the GRAMMY. WHITNEY’S RED CARPET SPIRIT The news of Houston’s death consumed red carpet conversation, and the GRAMMY show became a standalone celebration of Houston’s life and career.

Black star power was in full eěect, and the Black Press of America was up close and personal, geĴing the thoughts of Hollywood on the death of Whitney Houston.

At every turn on the red carpet, stars, White and Black, referenced Houston’s worldwide iconic career and her legacy as “the voice.”

Valerie Simpson of Ashford and Simpson, a great friend to Houston, shared her thoughts on the legacy of Houston’s career: “Her legacy is her voice, her music, her natural God-given giĞ that is like no other,” said Simpson. “I think if you ask any singer of any note, ‘What voice would you want to come back with?,’ you would pick that one because it has real emotion, great range and also it didn’t need any props. She didn’t need any trick. She just had it all and God gave her something special, and she didn’t have a long time here, but she made an impact that will last forever.”

Rickey Minor, the music director for “The Tonight Show” and “American Idol,” worked with Houston for many years, and he was actually the music producer she brought to work with her when she was signed.

“For 30 years, this is a woman who did what she said and believed in helping a lot of people, and she did so, not only through her philanthropic work with her foundation but also with her voice,” said Minor. “She will go down in history as one of the most incredible singers of all time. She, in my opinion, is the most incredible singer of all time, and I have been really fortunate to work with a lot of people, so I know.”

Singer Kelly Price was with Houston just one day before her death and shared her thoughts on the legacy of the singer: “She should be remembered as an outstanding vocalist with a heart bigger than her career,” said Price. “And to push anything other than that would be a disservice not only to her but to this industry, because I go hard on saying, if she only sang one song and gave it 100% of Whitney, that’s more than what a lot of people will contribute to life.”

Gospel singer Kirk Franklin shared that the Houston’s legacy “was just iconic, groundbreaking music that opened up so many doors. … Hopefully her legacy, more than anything, will be that we have

www.lawattstimes.com

to stop this cycle … that we have to slow down. And all the money we are making oě of them, we need to put together a system that they can last longer than just a couple of hot records.”

Actress Taraji P. Henson strolled the red carpet and, when asked about the legacy of Whitney Houston, she replied, “There will only be one Whitney Houston. A talent like that comes once in a lifetime, and I am just honored and grateful that I lived to see it and experienced it … and experience her. I met her and she was an amazing woman and — you know what? She was every woman.”

Soul singer Eric Benet talked about the loss of Houston by sharing that he was “stunned, hurt and shocked.”

Singer Ledisi shared words on the legacy of Houston saying, “She was the voice.

The voice … and there will never be another like Whitney Houston, ever.”

Andrae Crouch shared that it was a shock and was a great loss. “We’re going to miss her.”

Corinne Bailey Rae was also shocked by the news when she heard. “It was very shocking … shocking when someone dies so young.”

Legendary singer Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band said of Houston’s legacy, “I think everybody should just understand how great she was as a singer, and just leave it at that because we all fall short of everything. I mean we all live in a glass house …

Who is throwing rocks? … Come on (laughs)! Let’s dig in somebody else’s bag. What have you done?

Roll yourself over because I will tell mine. I was probably the biggest crack head, but I mean … you know, I am sober now.”

Sheila. E shared that she was “sad just like everyone else.” She had just seen her. Houston had just come to Sheila’s last two concerts here in L.A., and

Thursday, February 16, 2012

she wanted to come up and play. Houston was hanging out with her daughter, having a really good time. “It’s sad but that’s how I am going to remember her, that happy moment that day,” shared Sheila E. Gospel sensation Mary Mary also weighed in on the legacy of Houston, saying, “Her legacy should be remembered as that voice that established itself as the voice of all times. ... She is amazing.”

THE GRAMMY CEREMONY LL Cool J did a wonderful job hosting the show. He didn’t miss a beat the entire night. LL was the one who took a moment to remember Soul Train legend Don Cornelius, who recently passed away from a tragic suicide. He also led the crowd in a prayer for Whitney Houston. LL declared the night “a night to celebrate and remember” and played a clip of Houston performing “I Will Always Love You” from the 1994 GRAMMY show.

Taraji P. Henson and Common presented the award for best R&B album to Chris Brown, who also gave a dance tribute to “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius during his performance.

Brown performed from his upcoming album “Turn Up the Music.”

Brown was one the biggest surprises of the ceremony, as it had only been three years since his assault on Rihanna. Many people backstage were shocked that GRAMMY oĜcials allowed Brown to participate and perform at such a capacity-filled venue. It just goes to show that time and success heal everything, even a bad-boy image in Hollywood.

Rihanna was in fact in the house and looked stunning as usual. She performed her hit “We Found Love” and was joined on stage by Coldplay’s Chris Martin for a beautiful duet of “Princess of China,” which turned out to be one of the beĴer performances of the awards night. Rihanna shared in the wins for best rap/sung collaboration and best rap song for Kanye West’s “All of the Lights,” with Kid Cudi and Fergie.

Another highlight came when Stevie Wonder took the stage and played the harmonica. He gave some words of encouragement to Whitney Houston fans, saying, “We all love you, Whitney.”

The moment of the night, without a doubt, was the tribute performance to Whitney Houston, performed by Jennifer Hudson. Music producer and band director Rickey Minor coordinated the perfor-

11

mance.

Hudson sang Houston’s most famous song “I Will Always Love You.” At times during her performance, it looked as though Hudson was going to choke up and cry, but she made it through giving a beautiful tribute.

Nicki Minaj gave one of the weirdest and most uncomfortable performances in GRAMMY history.

It was actually embarrassing to be Black during her set. With the lack of Black talent at this year’s GRAMMY show, it was sad that Nicki Minaj was the representation for Black music. She embarrassed herself as her performance mocked the Catholic Church.

The performer staged a fake exorcism as the song performed was titled “The Exorcism of Roman.” In a world where Lady Gaga and over-the-top usually wins, Nicki Minaj’s over-the-top performance fell flat and embarrassed rap music as a whole.

Minaj also came up short to Bon Iver for best new artist.

The big winner of the night was British singer Adele, who took home six GRAMMY statues, including album of the year.’ Her victory tied her with Beyoncé as the most wins by a woman in one evening. It was a fiĴing victory for the singer, who just recently had successful surgery on her throat.

On a night when Whitney Houston’s spirit filled the air, it was only right that someone like Adele owned the night. With a powerful and unique voice, it’s almost as if Houston wanted Adele to win because it proved why a voice like Houston’s will be missed and cherished. In an era where music talent is lacking in art and showmanship, Adele is a refreshing breath of air and a voice fiĴing to lead global music into a new era. She is cut from a cloth similar to Houston in that she can stand alone in an industry when so many stand together.

12

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Dirk, Pierce All-Stars; runs end for KG, Duncan

AP Photo/Risberg, File

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 1985, file photo, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Freddie Solomon (88) stands out. Solomon, who also played for the Miami Dolphins and was known as “Fabulous Freddie,” has died. He was 59.

Former receiver Freddie Solomon dies SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Freddie Solomon, the former Miami Dolphins and 49ers wide receiver who became known as “Fabulous Freddie” and committed himself to community service, has died. He was 59.

The 49ers announced the passing of Solomon, who lived in Florida and had battled cancer over the past year.

He played on the first of the franchise’s four Super Bowl championship teams in the 1980s during an 11-year NFL career.

“The 49ers lost a member of our family today. We’ll miss you, Freddie

Solomon,” CEO Jed York posted on his Twitter account on Monday.

The Dolphins selected Solomon in the second round of the 1975 draft out of the University of Tampa. He spent his first three NFL seasons with Miami and his final eight in San Francisco, finishing with 371 receptions for 5,846 yards and 48 touchdowns in 371 games.

His 43 TD catches with the Niners are tied for sixth most in team history.

Solomon was born on Jan. 11, 1953, in Sumter, S.C.

$25B SETTLEMENT Continued from page 9 Miller, bank analyst at FBR Capital Markets. “A billion dollars is nothing for these large trillion-dollar banks.”

The bulk of the settlement will go toward reducing underwater mortgages and refinancing some of them. But the banks had realized they weren’t going to collect the loans and had already written down their value, Miller noted.

The deal requires banks to make foreclosure their last resort. And they can’t foreclose on a homeowner who is being considered for a loan modification.

Still, the federal government has a dubious track record of enforcing such rules. The Obama administration’s signature foreclosure-prevention program has failed to help more than half of those who have applied to have their mortgage payments lowered permanently. Many have complained that the program is a bureaucratic nightmare.

Critics also note that the settlement will apply only to privately held mortgages and not to those owned by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and

Freddie Mac. Banks own about half of all U.S. mortgages, or roughly 30 million loans. Fannie and Freddie own the other half.

The deal is “another sad example of Wall Street not being held accountable for fraud, perjury and crimes that created the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression,” said Dennis Kelleher, CEO of Better Markets, a group that advocates stricter financial regulation. “The math does not add up in a massive ‘robosigning’ scandal that is nothing more than systemic criminal conduct.”

The settlement also ends a separate investigation into Bank of America and Countrywide for inflating appraisals of loans from 2003 through most of 2009.

Bank of America acquired Countrywide in 2008.

Associated Press Writers Michael Virtanen in Albany, N.Y., Pallavi Gogoi in New York and Ben Feller, Christopher S. Rugaber and Marcy Gordon in Washington contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki’s streak survives, despite one of the worst seasons of his career.

Two other old stars are no longer All-Stars.

Nowitzki was chosen Thursday to his 11th straight All-Star game, with coaches overlooking the lowest scoring average since his second NBA season in favor of his long-term excellence.

“It was a tough road back to full health for me, but I am honored that the coaches thought enough of me to make me an All-Star,” Nowitzki said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to represent the Mavericks organization over the last decade and I look forward to doing it again in Orlando.”

Paul Pierce will join him despite his own slow start caused by a foot injury and was picked for the 10th time.

But Kevin Garnett wasn’t chosen after 14 consecutive selections, and Tim Duncan was left out after 13 in a row.

Other All-Star regulars such as Ray Allen and Amare Stoudemire will be home, giving way to five first-timers among the reserves: Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol of Memphis, Andre Iguodala of Philadelphia, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert, and Chicago’s Luol Deng.

Also headed to the Feb. 26 game are NBA assists leader Steve Nash of Phoenix, Tony Parker of San Antonio, Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Kevin Love of Minnesota, Chris Bosh of Miami, Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Deron Williams of New Jersey.

Already voted to start by fans in the Eastern Conference were Orlando’s Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of Miami, Chicago’s Derrick Rose and New York's Carmelo Anthony. The West starters are the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Clippers, and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant.

Coaches voted for the reserves, and they had a tough task in this lockoutshortened season, when they were given only about 25 games to evaluate players. That threatened to make it tough for Nowitzki and Pierce, whose bodies weren’t ready to go after the lengthy offseason and brief training camps, and have played below their usual standards.

“I think it’s too early. I’m sitting on my couch when they announced the rosters and I’m floored. I didn’t even know they had started the voting,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

But the coaches picked Nowitzki, the NBA finals MVP, even though his average of 17.6 points is his worst since he scored 17.5 per game in the 1999-00 season. The Mavericks shut him down for a few games to work on his conditioning, and even he wondered recently whether his streak would continue, given the depth of players in his position in the West.

Pierce has been a little better, winning last week's East player of the week award and hiking his average to 18.4 per game, but acknowledged during an interview on TNT before the Celtics played the Lakers that he was a little surprised to be picked.

But he’ll go alone from Boston, a year after Garnett, Allen and Rajon Rondo went with him. Duncan was

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce waves to the crowd after reaching No. 2 on the all-time Celtics scoring list, surpassing Larry Bird, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Bobcats in Boston on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. there last year, too, having never missed an All-Star game since entering the league in the 1997-98 season.

“They’re getting older,” Rivers said. “It’s just, you know, change. It happens.”

Age didn’t stop Nash, averaging 10 assists and shooting 56 percent from the field. He became just the fourth player to earn an All-Star spot at 38 or older, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.

Coaches had to pick two forwards, two guards, a center, and two players regardless of position. They couldn’t vote for one of their own players.

They favored team success, with only Nash, Williams and Gasol getting picked from teams with losing records.

That left out All-Star hopefuls such as Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings, the Knicks’ Stoudemire — who misses a chance to play near his Florida home — the Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay, and Golden State's Monta Ellis. Houston’s Kyle Lowry also fell short in the West, where coaches picked three other point guards.

Minnesota’s awful record last season nearly cost Love, though he eventually made it as an injury replacement.

Putting up big numbers again and this time with the Timberwolves on the right side of .500, he was an easy pick.

“It’s a lot of joy,” Love said. “It’s really a respect thing. I’ve had a great season thus far and we’ve had some success as a team. For me, it’s definitely a big deal. I put in a lot of work these last three and a half seasons and I don’t intend on stopping.”

The snubbed players still have a chance if there is an injury.

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Thursday, February 16, 2012

13

First Black NBA player gets honor at Hawks game

AP Photo/File

Earl Lloyd, one of the earliest waymakers: In this April 5, 1955, file photo, Ft. Wayne’s Mel Hutchins (9) and Syracuse’s Lloyd (11) stretch for a ball during the first period of an NBA basketball playoff game in Indianapolis.

“I’m glad I was part of something that helped pave the way for others,” recalls the 83-year-old Hall of Famer.

BY JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. | ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA (AP) — Earl Lloyd remembers when he suited up for the Washington Capitols more than 60 years ago as the first Black to play in an NBA game and wondering if he would make a good enough impression to stick around.

Lloyd and the Capitols lost the game. But he played well enough to earn a roster spot and break the color barrier in a league that had only three Black players in 1950 and now features the highest percentage of African-American athletes in any of the major professional leagues.

“Before the game, I was terrified,” recalled Lloyd, who scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Capitols in a 78-70 loss to the Rochester Royals on Oct. 31, 1950.

“I had a fear of disappointing the people who depended on me.

Luckily, letting people down was not a part of my DNA. “I’m glad I was part of something that helped pave the way for others.”

Now, as part of Black History Month, the 83-year-old Hall of Famer will be honored for his breakthrough at halftime of the Atlanta HawksMiami Heat game on Sunday. The former West Virginia State standout along with six other AfricanAmericans will be recognized at all Hawks home games this month.

“I’m blessed to still have my health,” said Lloyd, who also became the Detroit Pistons first Black coach in 1971. “I know that there are a lot of people who didn't make it to 61 years of age. So for me to be around this long and still get some recognition.”

Since Lloyd made history, the

NBA has increased its number of black players to 78 percent, according to the league’s racial and gender report last year. About 83 percent of the players in the league are people of color.

These days, Lloyd said some of his favorite players to watch are LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat.

He personally met James a couple years ago but has yet to meet Wade.

“They might be too busy with the game to come and see me,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve met LeBron before but hopefully if Dwyane slows down for a moment and decides to give me a high five, I’ll be sure to return the favor.”

Lloyd, who was drafted in the seventh round, was one of three Blacks to play in the NBA in 1950.

His debut was a couple of days before two other African-Americans who helped integrate the NBA — Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics, the first Black draftee; and Nat Clifton of the New York Knicks, the first Black to sign a league contract.

The 6-foot-5 Lloyd had his best season in 1955, averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds for Syracuse, which beat Fort Wayne for the NBA title. He and Jim Tucker became the first Blacks to play on an NBA championship team.

Lloyd played in more than 560 NBA games in the league and became known for his defensive prowess. In eight seasons, he averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.

When Lloyd first appeared in an NBA game, he said he couldn't have imagined the league as it is today. He gives credit not only to himself but also to Cooper and Clifton for breaking the color barrier.

“The league has come a long way,” he said. "I'm happy that Chuck, Nat and myself helped pave the way for others.”

Steelers GM says no decision made on Hines Ward PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t ready to part ways with Hines Ward just yet.

General manager Kevin Colbert said Monday the team has had “internal discussions” on what to do with the franchise’s all-time leading receiver, but no decision has been made.

NFL.com reported last week the Steelers were planning to release the 35-year-old Ward, who took on a diminished role last season behind Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Ward posted on his Facebook page Saturday that he’s willing to restructure his contract in hopes of finishing his career with Pittsburgh. Ward has two years remaining on his current deal at a cost of about $4 million a season.

The 14-year veteran became the eighth player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions last season.

Cornerback Ike Taylor and linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley have agreed to

AP Photo Tom DiPace)

What’s to become of Hines Ward? restructure their contracts in hopes of getting under the salary cap.

Colbert said the team is in the middle of making free agent evaluations and won’t make any move on Ward until that process is complete.

“That will give us an idea about what else is out there, where we stand with restructuring contracts and what we will have to do as far as possibly terminating people, both immediately and after the fact if we decide we want to add some players (in free agency),” Colbert said.

Ward is coming off a season in which he finished with 46 receptions

for 381 yards and two touchdowns, his lowest totals in each category since he was a rookie in 1998. The 2006 Super Bowl MVP — who also won “Dancing With the Stars” last spring — is one of only two receivers in league history to reach 1,000 receptions and win at least two Super Bowls.

Colbert also said Monday injured running back Rashard Mendenhall likely will start the 2012 season on the physically unable to perform list while he continues to rehab the torn ACL in his right knee from the regular-season finale against Cleveland.

14

Thursday, February 16, 2012

FAMU Continued from page 4 needed time to prepare a statement. He told The Associated Press last year that the bus driver was helping students unload their instruments when Champion collapsed.

The lawsuit also revealed new details about the hazing the Champion may have endured before he died. The suit described two types of hazing.

During the first, pledges of a band clique known as “Bus C” ran from the front to the back of the bus while other band members slapped, kicked and hit them, the lawsuit said. A pledge who fell could be stomped and dragged to the front of the bus to run again.

In a ritual known as “the hot seat,” a pillow case was placed over the pledge’s nose and mouth while the pledge was forced to answer questions. If a pledge got a right answer, the pillow case was removed briefly; a pledge with a wrong answer was given another question without a chance to take a breath, the lawsuit said.

A fellow pledge who was hazed with Champion said band members on the bus treated Champion more brutally than others, according to the lawsuit.

Champion suffered blunt trauma blows and he died from shock caused by severe bleeding, authorities said.

Detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.

An attorney for the Champion family said he doesn’t know exactly why he was on the bus. Champion was a drum major, a leader in the band, and

had been a vocal opponent of hazing, attorney Chris Chestnut said.

“Am I suggesting that this bus driver hit him? No,” Chestnut said.

“Am I suggesting that she knowingly aided and abetted? She opened a bus, it was running, the air condition is on.

If that’s not participation, then I don’t know.”

The lawsuit names the driver as Wendy Mellette, of Branford, Fla., where the bus company is located. No one answered the phone at that listing.

After Champion’s death, FAMU president James Ammons originally fired band director Julian White, saying he failed to report hazing he knew about. White, who is now on administrative leave, denies that he didn’t do enough.

Three people have been charged after alleged band hazing ceremonies Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, when Bria Shante Hunter’s legs were beaten with fists and a metal ruler to initiate her into the “Red Dawg Order,” a band clique for students who hail from Georgia.

The Board of Governors — which oversees Florida’s 11 public universities — launched its own investigation in November into whether FAMU officials had ignored past warnings about hazing. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also is investigating the band’s finances.

Associated Press researcher Judith Ausuebel in New York contributed to this report.

GRAMMY Foundation’s 14th Annual Music Preservation Project Seeks to Safeguard Live Music’s Rich History

BY JOY CHILDS, SENTINEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER When it comes to the preservation of live music, the GRAMMY Foundation® has been at the forefront of the fight.

Nowhere was that more evident than at the foundation’s 14th annual music preservation project last week. Dubbed “One Night Only: A Celebration of the Live Music Experience,” the pre-GRAMMY event shined a spotlight on the history and evolution of live concert performances and celebrated the various and invaluable contributions of those events, the key players behind them, and their influence on the American cultural landscape.

Most importantly, as Recording Academy Neil Portnow pointed out at the beginning of the concert, this particular GRAMMY Week celebration promotes the Foundation’s mission of recognizing and preserving America’s musical past so that future generations can continue to benefit from an appreciation and understanding of those contributions. It serves to reintroduce works from these major contributors to the public and educates them about the GRAMMY Foundation’s role in preserving our rich cultural heritage.

The venue for this affair was perfect: the recently restored Saban Theatre. Formerly the Wilshire Theatre

Mavis Staples

Ledisi

Trobmone Shorty Robert Cray

WWW.SEES.COM

F

A M O U S

1-800-347-7337

O

L D

T

I M E

C

A N D I E S

We Proudly Join Hands with the Community in Celebrating

Black History Month

.

(at La Cienega and Wilshire in Beverly Hills), the theatre, through the magic of lighting and night club names projected on a huge screen, evoked the ambience of many of those venues that played a key role in the history and evolution of live concert performances.

The Colburn Orchestra, which got things going, jammed its way through a couple of opening numbers that set the tone for the night, then segued into its back-up duties for all the performers.

The group—plus seven back-up singers—played their way through the various genres of live music made famous at popular night clubs way back in the day. With television personality Sharon Osbourne as the evening’s host, clubs like Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom came alive when the likes of New Orleans’ favorite son Trombone Shorty and GRAMMY-nominated Dave Koz took the Savoy stage.

With Shorty on trumpet and vocals and Koz on tenor sax, the duo had a fun time on “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” (Interestingly, from a historical perspective, it’s widely believed that, unlike the ‘whites-only’ policy of the Cotton Club, the Savoy Ballroom was integrated: black and white folks could perform together.)

One of the highlights of the evening came minutes later, as the crowd went crazy when Shorty showed off his lung strength by holding one note for almost five minutes!

Next up was GRAMMY-nominated Ledisi, who did her soulful thing on Billie Holiday’s “Good Morning

Photos by Robert Torrence Heartache,” and represented The Apollo Theatre of the 1940s and ‘50s.

Also “at the Apollo” was Mavis Staples, herself a GRAMMY recipient, who presented a stellar new and infinitely funkier version of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” a rendition that dovetailed right in to a Staples Singers staple: “I’ll Take You There.” She was sounding so good that Trombone Shorty felt compelled to come back out on stage and jam with her. Not wanting to be left out, out came Dave Koz. And close behind him was Ledisi.

In that one spontaneous collaboration, you had both the highlight of the concert and clear confirmation of the power of live music—and the reason live music and the venues that support it must be protected at all costs.

Next GRAMMY-winning master blues guitarist Robert Cray strummed his pain through his fingers on “Smoking Gun” and country singer George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by way of B.B. King’s House of Blues.

Other night clubs represented in this special tribute were Caffé Lena, which is the oldest continuously operating folk coffeehouse in the country, and the Paramount Club, represented by A Fine Frenzy, who sang a dirgelike rendition of the usually upbeat “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” There were noteworthy performers by GRAMMY awardwinning blues-gospel-rock guitarist Jonny Lang, who dueted with “The Voice” finalist singer/guitarist Beverly McClellan on Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.”

Thursday, February 16, 2012

15

Whitney Houston back on the charts after her death

Ice-T’s rap documentary set for theatrical release

BY SANDY COHEN | ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi

Fans of all backgrounds revered Whitney Houston, who died Saturday. Here a shopper looks at CDs on sale at the special corner set up for the pop queen at a music store in Tokyo.

NEW YORK (AP) — Fans are showing their grief over Whitney Houston’s death by buying her music.

Since her death, her album sales have been boosted by almost 6,000 percent.

Data released late Tuesday by Nielsen SoundScan showed that Houston’s album sales for the week ending Sunday — the day after her death — were at 101,000. The week earlier, she had sold just 1,700 copies of her albums.

Her “Greatest Hits” album catapulted to the No. 6 position on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart, with about 64,000 copies sold. In the past week, it had sold only 607 copies.

And “I Will Always Love You” sold 195,000 digital tracks. The past week it had sold 3,000, an increase of 6,877 percent.

The 48-year-old Houston was one of music’s top-selling artists.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Eminem, Nas and Kanye West are coming to a theater near you.

The Indomina Group said Friday it will release Ice-T's rap documentary, which features all those artists, in North America on June 8.

Ice-T’s directorial debut, “Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

The film shows classic rappers from across the country discussing how they write songs.

The 53-year-old AP Photo/Victoria Will, file entertainer says “music and movie lovers alike Rapper-actor turned director: Ice-T’s film, “The Art of Rap,” premiered at the 2012 will really get into it.” Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Brown says daughter doing better, asks for privacy

“‘SAFE HOUSE’ IS THE MOST

INTENSE THRILLER

SINCE ‘THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM’!”

Max Evry, ComingSoon

AP Photo/Laura Rauch

In better days: Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was ruined by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bobby Brown says daughter Bobbi Kristina is doing “much better” after being hospitalized following the death of her mother, Whitney Houston.

The 18-year-old woman was taken to a Los Angeles hospital Sunday after Houston’s death the day before.

A source close to the family who spoke on condition of anonymity pre-

viously told The Associated Press she was treated and released for stress and anxiety.

In a statement Wednesday, Brown said the family is providing “love and support” to Bobbi Kristina and pleaded for privacy. He says she’s still dealing with the tragedy and “would prefer to do it outside the public eye.”

Bobbi Kristina is Houston’s only child.

DENZEL WASHINGTON AT HIS BEST!”

“

Lee Thomas, FOX-TV

UNIVERSALPICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVITYMEDIA A BLUEGRASS FILMS PRODUCTION DENZELWASHINGTON RYAN REYNOLDS “SAFE HOUSE” VERA FARMIGA BRENDAN GLEESON SAM SHEPARD EXECUTIVE MUSIC RUBEN BLADES NORA ARNEZEDER ROBERT PATRICK

BY RAMIN DJAWADI PRODUCERS DENZELWASHINGTON SCOTT AVERSANO ADAM MERIMS ALEXA FAIGEN TREVOR MACY MARC D. EVANS PRODUCED WRITTEN DIRECTED BLUEGRASS A UNIVERSAL PICTURE

BY SCOTT STUBER

BY DAVID GUGGENHEIM

BY DANIEL ESPINOSA FILMS SOUNDTRACK ON BACK LOT MUSIC AND VARÈSE SARABANDE

© 2011 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes – Text SAFE with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)! No charge from 43KIX, std. rates may apply. Text HELP for info.

16

Thursday, February 16, 2012

GRAMMY® in the Schools The 3rd Annual GRAMMY in the Schools live concert honors and celebrates talent at USC’s Grand Ballroom

Photo by Brian Carter

Students performing in front of a packed house.

BY BRIAN W. CARTER, SENTINEL STAFF WRITER On Weds., Feb. 8, the GRAMMY Foundation presented its 3rd Annual GRAMMY in the Schools live concert at the USC Grand Ballroom. Members of the GRAMMY Camp (GC)-Jazz Session, along with the multitalented student alumni from GC and GRAMMY Signature Schools, performed the night away with GRAMMY-winning artists.

The event recognized GRAMMY in school projects, sponsors and talent. The evening’s festivities were hosted by 94.7 The Wave’s Pat Prescott.

GC, which started 8 years ago in Los Angeles, is in its second consecutive year in New York, and is starting for the first time ever in Nashville, Tenn., this summer. It’s a music industry camp, and high school singers and instrumentalists audition for a chance to attend the GC-Jazz Session. The GRAMMY Foundation, as a way to keep youth in the arts and expose them to opportunities in the music industry, created GC. “The GRAMMY Foundation’s mission is making sure that young people have exposure to the arts, particularly music in schools,” said Neil Portnow, chairman of the GRAMMY Foundation.

“Over the years, we’ve had a number of programs that have been developed. One thought was, let’s start a ‘camp’ situation, where kids can come out … but what we have from GRAMMY that nobody else has, is that we have stars, and we have the talent that wants to come.

“When we put out the call … the artists’ community really responds.

We’ve had the best-of-the-best participate with us.”

A GRAMMY award-winning artist, jazz bassist and singer, Esperanza Spaulding shared her feeling about GRAMMY Camp and keeping music relevant.

“To be around these young people who play so beautifully—it’s really invigorating,” said Spaulding.

“Kids, when they’re involved with music, they get practice in all the skills that are important to be good citizens—you learn responsibility … you know what’s expected of you, you’re contributing your strongest qualities to a greater whole.”

Jazz drummer, composer, record producer, entrepreneur, appointed professor at Berklee College of Music and a winner of the best vocal jazz album award for “The Mosaic Project,” Terri Lyne Carrington shared her first exposure to music and its importance in schools.

“My dad plays [saxophone] and my grandfather — he passed away right before I was born — he was a drummer,” said Carrington. “I started playing drums at 7 — I started playing the saxophone at 5.

“I really don’t remember what I was hearing first … If you have a gift, you need to give back in some way. We need programs like this to help young people.”

Another GRAMMY winner, R&B artist, record producer and Taste of Soul All-Star, Anthony Hamilton echoed the same positive feedback about programs like GRAMMY Camp.

“It’s very important; some people are just born musicians and

that’s what their ultimate goal is: to be a musician,” said Hamilton.

“That’s the way they learn, that’s the way they communicate. If you cut off [the arts], and those personalities have no were to go, you’ll have a lot of miserable people and a lot of drop-outs in schools.”

GC in schools is possible thanks to the many sponsors who believe in keeping the arts in our schools. Ford Motor Company Fund is one of those sponsors who was there to share its support of GRAMMY in the Schools.

“We started this partnership with the GRAMMY Foundation a few years ago,” said Pamela G. Alexander, director for community development and safety programs.

“We came together and discovered that we had a similar goal. “[Our] philanthropic arm of Ford, one of our main funding areas, is education.

“People don’t realize, when a music program is in a school, the entire school has higher test scores and higher graduation rates. So it’s just natural for us to partner with them on GRAMMY in the schools.”

It was a night of sheer talent as GC alumni performed everything from jazz and pop music to scat singing, and everything in-between.

GC alumni accompanied Spaulding, Carrington and Hamilton during their awesome performances.

GRAMMY Camp will be starting in Nashville in June 17-24; in Los Angeles July 9-18; and in New York Aug. 2-8.

For more information on GRAMMY in the schools, please visit their website at http://www.

GRAMMYintheschools.com/

IRAN NUCLEAR ADVANCES Continued from page 3 possibility of a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and it has accused Iran of being behind attempted attacks on Israeli diplomats in India, Georgia and elsewhere. Iran denies any role in the attacks, which have resembled recent bombing-assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator on Wednesday formally notified the European Union’s foreign policy chief that Tehran is willing to return to talks with the world powers on its nuclear program. Many in the West, however, feel that negotiations are a ploy to buy time.

Iran is meanwhile pushing ahead on what it says is a drive toward nuclear-self-sufficiency.

On Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad oversaw the insertion of the first Iranian domestically made fuel rod into a research reactor in northern Tehran, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported.

Separately, the semiofficial Fars agency reported that a “new generation of Iranian centrifuges” had been installed and had gone into operation at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz in central Iran.

The moves were aimed at showing that Iran is mastering the entire cycle of producing nuclear fuel on its own despite the restrictions of sanctions that have hampered its ability to procure materials from abroad. In the fuel cycle, mined uranium is processed into gas, then that gas is spun in centrifuges to purify it. Low-enriched uranium — at around 3.5 percent — is used to produce fuel rods that power a reactor; however, the same process can be used to produce highly enriched uranium — at around 90 percent purity — that can be used to build a warhead.

The Tehran facility where IRNA said the new fuel rods were installed is a research reactor intended to produce medical isotopes used in the treatment of cancer patients. It requires fuel enriched to around 20 percent, considered a threshold between low and high enriched uranium.

Iran has been producing uranium enriched up to 5 percent for years, and began enriching up to near 20 percent in February 2010 after attempts at a deal with the West to import the fuel rods broke down. In January, Iran said it had produced its first such fuel rod. IRNA said the nuclear fuel rods were produced at a plant in Isfahan, central Iran.

Iranian officials have long spoken of introducing faster, more efficient centrifuges at the Natanz facility. The Fars news agency report did not give details on the advanced models that were installed.

A diplomat accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors Iran’s known nuclear programs, said the “new generation” of

centrifuges appeared to be referring to about 65 IR-4 machines that were recently set up at an experimental site at Natanz. The new model can churn out enriched material at a faster rate than the more rudimentary IR-1 centrifuges, thousands of which are at work in Natanz producing lowenriched uranium, said the diplomat.

The newer machines were set up at a separate operation at Natanz used to test its more advanced centrifuges, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because his information is privileged.

Iran has been slow to expand its more advanced models, apparently because strict international embargoes make procurement of parts and materials difficult, and 65 of the newer generation machines are not nearly enough to set up an effective enrichment operation.

Still, the fact that Iran continues to build the newer machines, even at a slow pace, shows that it is able to circumvent sanctions — or produce materials it needs domestically.

Tehran’s announcement that it had started loading domestically produced fuel roads into its research reactor had less potential proliferation implications than its expanding enrichment program. The diplomat said IAEA inspectors had seen the rods recently and — while they showed some flaws — they were crafted well enough to work inside the reactor.

Apart from the EU’s recent measures on Iran, which include an oil embargo and a freeze of the country’s central bank assets, Washington also recently levied new penalties aimed at limiting Iran’s ability to sell oil — which accounts for 80 percent of its foreign revenue. Iran’s Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi said several days earlier that Tehran could cut off oil exports to “hostile” European nations.

Members of Iran’s parliament have been discussing a draft bill, although not finalized, which would cut off the flow to the European Union before the latest EU sanctions on Iran go into effect this summer.

Iran's unchecked pursuit of the nuclear program scuttled negotiations a year ago, but Iranian officials last month proposed a return to the talks with the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.

IRNA news agency on Wednesday reported that Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili had written to the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, to formally announce its readiness to start those negotiations.

In the past, Iran has angered Western officials by appearing to buy time through opening talks and weighing proposals even while pressing ahead with the nuclear program.

AP correspondent George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report.

HOUSTON FUNERAL Continued from page 4 performed as a singer with one of Houston’s aunts. “But it’s like they’re saying today, they shared her for a long time and they just want her to themselves for now.”

A sensation from her first album, Houston was one of the world’s bestselling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “How Will I Know,” “The Greatest

Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You.” But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes.

Houston left behind one child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, from her marriage to singer Bobby Brown.

AP Entertainment Writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles and AP Music Writer Nekesa Moody in New York contributed to this report.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

17

PAFF Night of Tribute honors 9 stars

BY JOY CHILDS, SENTINEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER Though it got off to a bit of a late start Friday, it was well worth the wait to see nine prominent Africans and African Americans walk the red carpet to be honored at the 20th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival at the Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills 15 at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

PAFF is America’s largest and most prestigious international Black film festival. Its Night of Tribute, produced by the Africa Channel, annually honors world-renowned actors, filmmakers, community leaders and fine artists for their contributions on television, film, stage, the arts and the community.

Leading the esteemed group of honorees, Loretta Devine received the highest honor, a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on television, film and stage.

After more than 30 years in the business, Devine nabbed an Emmy last year for outstanding guest actress in a dramatic role for her work as Adele, the wife of the chief (played by James Pickens, Jr., who presented her with the award) on ABC’s hit medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.”

She picked up three NAACP Image Awards for her TV work as

Jewel Thais-Williams Ja’net Dubois and Ayuko Babu

Eric Kabera

Leon Garr Meagan Good teacher Marla Hendricks on David E. Kelly’s Fox series, “Boston Public,” from 2000-2004.

Just announced, she’s set to co-star with Jennifer Love Hewitt in Lifetime’s new series, “The Client List.”

On the big screen, she received an Independent Spirit Award nod for best supporting female for her role as Cassey Jordan in 2004’s “Woman Thou Art Loosed.” And she’s been nominated for several NAACP Image Awards in television and film, grabbing two awards for outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture for her roles in “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Preacher’s Wife.”

She’s appeared in some of audience’s most beloved movies, including “Jumping the Broom,” “This Christmas,” “Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls” and “Madea’s Big Happy Family.” Other film credits include the Academy award-winning film, “Crash,” “I Am Sam,” “What Women Want” and “Stanley and Iris.”

Not to be forgotten was her breakout stage role, the one that brought her to national attention. In the role of Lorrell, the Houston native was one of the three original “Dreamgirls” in Michael Bennett’s classic, award-win-

Loretta Devine ning Broadway musical of the same name. She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse’s critically-acclaimed stage production, “Big Deal.”

Other performances, including George C. Wolfe’s “The Colored Museum” and “Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill,” which cemented Devine’s status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses around.

“Ms. Devine is probably one of the hardest-working women in show business,” said Ayuko Babu, founder and executive director of the Pan African Film Festival. “She is an extremely gifted and versatile actress, creating soulful characters in some of our favorite televisions shows and films.” He added, “Through her craft, she is an amazing storyteller, delivering memorable performances and portraying characters with a richness and vulnerability that connects with audience on many different levels.”

Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Oscarwinner Louis Gossett Jr.; Tony awardwinner Phylicia Rashad; Emmy award-winning actor Glynn Turman; award-winning actresses Marla Gibbs

Pharoah Sanders and Dr. Della Reese; and the honorable Ambassador Andrew Young.

The other eight recipients of awards were: • Meagan Good, recipient of the Beah Richards Rising Star Actress Award, awarded for a rising star in television and film. She rose to fame in “Eve’s Bayou” with Samuel L. Jackson.

Today, Good is one of the most soughtafter young actresses, with a string of film credits, including “Jumping the Broom,” “The Unborn,” “The Love Guru,” “35 & Ticking,” “Video Girl” as well as fan favorites, “Stomp the Yard” and “You Got Served.”

Good will appear in the film adaptation of “Think Like a Man,” based on radio host Steve Harvey’s bestselling book, which is scheduled for theatrical release on March 9.

• David Oyelowo, recipient of the Canada Lee Rising Star Actor Award.

Named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the “faces to watch in 2012,” Oyelowo’s credits include “The Help,” “The Rise of the Planet of Apes” and the indie flick “96 Minutes.” Currently, he can be seen as one of the Tuskegee Airmen in

George Lucas’ bio-pic, “Red Tails.”

• Mr. Leon Garr, recipient of the Community Treasure Award. A wellrespected entrepreneur and philanthropist, Garr launched Garr Construction, thereby contributing to the architectural fiber of Southern California. Though he was semi-retired, at the age of 76, Garr purchased the failing Founders Savings and Loan and transformed it into Founders National Bank — i.e., the only African American-owned commercial bank in Southern California. Today, he’s 88.

• Jewel Thais-Williams, recipient of the Community Service Award.

She’s a club owner and health care practitioner who’s celebrating 39 years of business with her night club, Jewel’s Catch One Night Club, affectionately known as “The Catch,” on Pico just east of Crenshaw. She founded the Village Health Foundation to offer health and hope to the un- and underinsured. But more courageously, she befriended the LGBT community— initially hit with HIV/AIDS pandemic—providing a safe haven for those stricken with the deadly disease.

See PAFF TRIBUTE, page 18

Jimmy Jean-Louis Photos by Cover Up Photos

18

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Are these boundary lines or battle lines?

Politics pits L.A.’s Redistricting Commission against communities

BY COUNCILMEMBER BERNARD C. PARKS AND COUNCILMEMBER JAN PERRY Anger. Frustration. Bewilderment.

These are the emotions being felt by many Los Angeles residents in the wake of the city's Redistricting Commission releasing a proposed map recently with big changes to the city—with little reason or explanation.

There’s the story of the people in Westchester; historically the ones charged with holding the decision-makers at LAX accountable, now being told that their neighborhoods will be crammed into another district, giving them little to no say over what is probably their biggest issue.

And there are business people who’ve been told to put their beliefs and their money into downtown, who hopped on the redevelopment bandwagon before it had wheels. As thanks for their effort, they are being separated from what they helped build just before they cross the finish line.

In Leimert Park, L.A.’s center of the African-American cultural experience, communities are being told that lines will divide them from the shops they patronize and the park they enjoy even though the shops and the park are located just down the street.

How did this happen? You can often predict the outcome of a process by how it begins. And from the start, this has been a mess. This commission appointed by our city’s elected officials has been plagued by talk of secret maps, trading boundaries for political favors and more conflicts of interest than you can shake a council presidency at.

The public surely deserves better.

The lack of leadership from the mayor and the city council is one thing, but the disdain for the simplest laws regarding redistricting is quite another.

In the commission’s proposed map, The Voting Rights Act, one of the principal rules guiding the redistricting process, is applied quite differently in districts that are similarly situated. The

Bernard Parks populations of majority nonwhite districts, like Council District’s 14 and 7, appear to be treated with far more regard than the majority population in Council District 8, even though all three districts enjoy the same federal anti-discrimination protections and have a history of effective political participation.

One issue that has been raised is the treatment of downtown and Koreatown, because public testimony from those areas did not call for the commissioners to drastically change communities. Without an apparent rationale for these changes, it’s hard to dismiss claims that the commission made unfair or illegal considerations while making its decisions.

As the councilmembers representing South L.A., we are adamantly opposed to gutting downtown from the “Great 9th District,” thereby turning it into one of the most impoverished political constituencies in the country. And we do not view the 8th District as a junkyard, open to receive mismatched

parts.

Historically, our districts had been ignored. Few economic development opportunities left countless old buildings in South L.A. In addition, the area has struggled due to a community planning process that can take a slow and daunting 10 years.

Now, things are looking better in the communities south of the 10 Freeway. A report commissioned by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce lists Council Districts 8 and 9 as the leaders in job creation. The 8th District created 3,700 new jobs last year alone.

In the last 10 years, 90,000 jobs have been created in downtown Los Angeles. And the work continues to ensure local hiring on major development and public works projects to ease unemployment in South L.A. These accomplishments bring accolades, community pride and the attention of others who want to partake in the success. But redrawing district lines is the wrong way to obtain it. This redistricting process should not be a glory grab for ambitious politicians nor should the lines carve out a favored candidate’s opportunity in future elections.

This process should not be based on politics alone. Redistricting must start and end with the concerns of the people.

The “people component” is absent from the commissioners’ production of this map. In fact, a week after its release, commissioners still won’t tell the public who created it. But they have opted to take the mystery map drawer’s recommendation over the thousands of people who appeared at public hearings to say, “Leave my district alone!” And they’ve failed to involve the neighborhood councils, which have been actively creating communities of interest for a decade.

The commission needs to be reminded at every turn that following public input, following the law and assuring that communities can elect their preferred representatives are all essential parts of the redistricting process that protect and empower the people.

LMU ANNIVERSARY Continued from page 8 “This is a wonderful institution that has contributed a lot to me as a person, to my career, and having an opportunity to come back here and be the recipient of the William Strickland Award is an important and very humbling moment.”

“I feel humble and grateful that would honor a man of my age,” said Bennett laughingly. “And, actually, someone who never got his undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount but got a master’s degree later on.

“I’ve been involved in the [AAAA] Association for a while. I’ve been back several years and it’s a blessing—it’s an absolute blessing. They are very gifted young men and women throughout all of the areas of the curriculum. It’s wonderful to see that.”

LMU president, David W. Burcham, attended the event and shared his thoughts on AAAA, diversity and the scholarship program.

“This is wonderful event,” said Burcham. “This alumni association does such a fantastic job of supporting our African American students, and that’s really important to the mission of LMU.” “[We] believe in inclusive excellence, and every time I get a chance, I say you can’t have academic excellence without diversity—religious, ethnic, nationality.”

Some of the recipients of scholarships spoke about AAAA and what it meant to them to receive the funds to be able to get a quality education.

“I feel honored because Congresswoman Bass personally selected me,” said Kenneth Chansey, political science freshman at LMU. “I feel honored to carry on [in] her daughter’s honor.”

“I appreciate it very much,” said Imani Hayes, a sophomore dance major and minor in theater at LMU, who’s looking to go into law. “It helps me get through

school, and I’m glad to be a recipient.”

“I’m honored, blessed, very happy,” said Giavanni Glover, a communications major and an African American studies minor at LMU. “I didn’t have to receive this award and someone thought enough of me to donate.

“Someone thought enough of other students like me, to be here and continually do this every year. So I’m most grateful.”

“It’s about a village raising a child,” said Dillon. “These students, these young adults, make me feel so good about our future.

“This is about investing in our future, and I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d want to be on a Saturday night.”

A silent auction was also held, with funds going towards AAAA scholarships and events.

For more information about the African American Alumni Association, visit at http://alumni.lmu.edu/aaaafund.

BEEF PRICES Continued from page 8 leaving ranchers with few options but to sell their cattle or pay top-dollar for feed.

There are 1.4 million fewer cattle — a record 660,000 of those cows — in Texas this year compared with the previous year, accounting for about 74 percent of the drop in numbers nationally. The animals were either moved to another state or were slaughtered.

Texas still leads the nation with 11.9 million head of cattle and calves, an 11 percent drop from last January.

Cattle numbers plunged 12 percent in Oklahoma, to 4.5 million head, and in New Mexico by 10 percent, to 1.39 million head.

While cattle numbers dropped in those states, they have climbed elsewhere, especially in the Northern Plains where more rain led to plentiful pastureland.

Even in the southwest, there has been some good news, as the USDA reports that producers held onto more heifers, or young cows, than some expected. The January report showed a 1 percent increase over last year’s number of heifers retained.

That could put the industry in position to grow the herd more quickly.

Until the cattle supply increases, consumers will see higher prices, said Lane Broadbent, a livestock analyst with KIS Futures in Oklahoma City.

Broadbent said worldwide demand for U.S. beef also could increase in the next couple of years, causing prices to stay steady or rise even if the herd size grows as expected.

“An era of cheap meat might not happen for another two to three years,” Broadbent said. “It’s basically supply and demand, and this USDA report showed that our supplies are going to increase.”

USDA livestock analyst Shayle Shagam said producers who see good prices at auction might still sell off their heifers. Ranchers must weigh whether they’ll come out ahead by selling those heifers in coming months or hang onto them and sell the calves from the animals.

“There’s potential for increased retention,” Shagam said. “How that evolves during the year will depend on these producer decisions.”

The cattle industry has for decades gone through cycles of expansion and contraction. The U.S. herd typically grows for about 10 years before supplies increase to a point where cattle and beef prices begin to drop. That's when ranchers begin to sell off their animals and the contraction begins.

“This is free enterprise,” Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist Stephen Amosson said.

“Everything goes to the bottom line.

If they’d be making a bunch of money, they would have been expanding before this.”

Starting in the 1980s and through the 1990s the cycles were influenced by a shift in demand, which brought about big declines in cattle numbers.

During that time people began to eat more chicken when the meat started showing up as nuggets, wings and in forms other than whole chickens, Anderson, the economist, said.

The USDA projects per capita beef consumption will drop to 55.7 pounds in 2013 before climbing to 58.9 pounds in 2020. Meanwhile per capita consumption of chicken was forecast to increase throughout the decade, with 2020 showing 91.5 pounds.

Richard Thorpe, a rancher in Winters, about 200 miles southwest of Fort Worth, culled more than 75 percent of his 1,000-head herd because of drought. He plans to slowly rebuild with the animals he kept, and is optimistic now that the long drought is finally over.

“We’ve kept the youngest, best and most fertile,” said Winters. “We have a lot of hope we are through with this horrible drought. What makes it scary to us is we have to have spring grass.”

Associated Press writer Betsy Blaney can be reached at http://twitter.com/betsyblaney.

PAFF TRIBUTE Continued from page 17 • Van Vicker, recipient of The Africa Channel’s Creative Achievement Award. One of Africa’s hottest movie stars, he’s one of the most sought-after “Nollywood” (i.e., the cinema of Nigeria) actors. The award-winning actor has appeared in more than 100 movies, including “Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark,” “Royal War,” “Broken Tears,” “Return of Beyonce” and “Princess Tyra.” He’s been nominated twice for an African Movie Academy Award.

• Jimmy Jean-Louis, recipient of The Africa Channel Diaspora Award. One of the most popular and recognizable actors in Africa, who’s currently making his mark in television and film in Hollywood, the Haitian actor is best known to American audiences from his stint on NBC’s “Heroes” and as the romantic lead in “Phat Girlz” with Oscar® winner Mo’Nique. His Nollywood credits include “Toussant Louverture,” “Sinking Sands” and “I Sing of a Well.”

• Eric Kabera and the Rwanda Cinema Centre, recipients of The Africa Channel’s Visionary Award.

Kabera is an acclaimed Rwandan filmmaker and documentarian. His credits include “Africa United,” “Through My

Eyes,” “Keepers of Memory” and “Kist Towards a Brighter Future.”

Kabera founded the Rwanda Cinema Center, which trains young filmmakers and promotes the art of movie-making in Rwanda. He is the founder of the Rwanda International Film Festival, which is organized by the Rwanda Cinema Center.

• Pharoah Sanders, recipient of the Creative Achievement Award. As a tenor saxman, Sanders has been nonpareil, having played with Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner, Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane and John. Though he was deeply influenced by his collaborations with John Coltrane, Sanders became a leading proponent of free jazz, later dabbling in African rhythms and even rhythm and blues.

Sanders provided the evening’s only live music, invoking the old-school jazz vibes of the 1960s with his signature “The Creator Has a Master Plan.”

The ceremony will be televised by the Africa Channel, which is broadcast in major markets across the United States and the Caribbean.

Visit www.TheAfricaChannel.com to confirm dates and times.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

19

CITY OF LOS ANGELES

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority Presents Project: REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS/PROPOSAL SPECIAL INSPECTIONS & MATERIALS TESTING PROJECTS E11-28, E11-29, E11-30 (not federally funded) Services to be contracted: Special Inspections and Materials Testing OUTREACH EVENT (mandatory) Meeting Date & Time: FEBRUARY 15, 2012, 2:00 P.M. Outreach Event Purpose: Promote diversity, create opportunities for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE’s) Outreach Event Location: Bob Hope Airport, Terminal A; Skyroom, 2nd Floor 2627 Hollywood Way, Burbank CA 91505 Please park in the short–term parking structure on the rooftop level only.

Bring your ticket for validation. We do not validate Valet Parking.

$50,000 REWARD NOTICE The City of Los Angeles offers a reward payable at the discretion of the City Council to one or more persons in the sum or sums up to an aggregate maximum total sum of $50,000 for information leading to the identification and apprehension of the person or persons responsible for the act of murder against, HERBERT SEYMOUR, JR., in the City of Los Angeles. On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, at approximately 10:40 p.m., Herbert Seymour, Jr., a 31-year old man, was shot and killed as he was walking eastbound across South Western Avenue, near 104th Street. LAPD is still searching for this suspect(s), and encourages witnesses to come forward, even anonymously, to assist them in their investigation. The person or persons responsible for this crime represent an ongoing threat to the safety of the people of Los Angeles. Unless withdrawn or paid by City Council action, this offer of reward shall terminate on, and have no effect after, AUGUST 10, 2012.

The provisions of payment and all other considerations shall be governed by Chapter 12 of Division 19 of the LAAC Code, as amended by Ordinance Nos. 158157 and 166666. This offer shall be given upon the condition that all claimants provide continued cooperation within the criminal justice system relative to this case and is not available to public officers or employees of the City, their families, persons in law enforcement or persons whose misconduct prompted this reward. If you have any information regarding this case, please call the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-LAWFULL, 24 hours.

C. F. No. 11-0010-s13 2/16/12 CNS-2256918# WATTS TIMES

SOQ/P – SUBMITTAL DEADLINE March 9, 2012, 5:00 P.M. Project Types & Description: New Construction: Intermodal Transportation Center, Consolidated Rental Car Facility, Concrete Parking Structure, Elevated Walkway with Moving Sidewalks RFQ/P is available on the Bob Hope Airport’s website at: www.bobhopeairport.com Hyperlink: Business Opportunities

OBAMA Q&A Continued from page 7 includes HIV screening and support for breast-feeding mothers. (Some employers won’t have to provide the added coverage, but not for religious reasons.

They’re considered “grandfathered” under the health care law.)

Birth control pills are the most common drug prescribed to women, and medical experts say that planned, optimally spaced pregnancies are good for the health of mothers and infants alike.

The coverage requirement applies to all forms approved by the Food and Drug Administration. That includes the pill, intrauterine devices, the so-called morning-after pill, and newer forms of long-acting implantable hormonal contraceptives that are becoming widely used in the rest of the industrialized world.

The morning-after pill is particularly controversial. It has no effect if a woman is already pregnant, but many religious conservatives consider it tantamount to an abortion drug.

As recently as the 1990s, many health insurance plans didn’t cover birth control. Protests, court cases, and new state laws led to dramatic changes.

Today, almost all plans cover prescrip-

FIRST LADY Continued from page 6 year as president.

Mrs. Obama is particularly popular with women and younger Americans, polling shows. And she does well with the moderate and liberal Republicans and independents whom Democrats will try to lure away in the fall elections.

There are other ways to measure her appeal: Her Twitter account shot up to more than a half-million followers in less than a month. And her Facebook page has more than 6.6 million “likes.”

The first lady still has her detractors. Her anti-obesity campaign has attracted some “nanny state” grumbling

tion contraceptives — but usually impose copays. Medicaid, the health care program for low-income people, also covers birth control.

Costs for an individual woman vary depending on the form of birth control.

Generics are available at Walmart pharmacies, for example, for around $9 a month. Brand-name contraceptives are more expensive, and some IUDs may cost $500 up front but last as long as 10 years.

A government report suggests the average cost to insurers ranges from $26 to $41 a year per woman for providing the coverage.

Q: What’s been the reaction to Obama’s concession?

A: It will take time to see if it tamps down the furor.

Some conservatives say it doesn’t go far enough. They would like a conscience exemption for any employer, not just religious ones.

Women’s groups are relieved that Obama has proposed a plan that maintains access for all women.

Catholic hospitals are saying they can support the compromise, as are anti-abortion Catholics who helped pass the health care overhaul in Congress.

The bishops say they’re still concerned but are reserving judgment until they talk with the administration. from conservatives who think it intrudes on personal matters.

She said Friday that the five years since her husband announced he was running for president actually have turned her from a natural pessimist into more of an optimist, hoping to make the most of her time in the White House.

“There’s a window,” she said.

“Whether it’s four years or eight years, it’s not a lot of time.”

As for how she’s preparing her daughters for the coming campaign, sure to be hard-fought and bitter at times, Mrs. Obama said her focus is on reassuring the girls that “whatever happens, you guys are going to be good. So don’t worry about this—just focus on your world.”

GOVERNMENT LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB No. C0990 Crenshaw/ LAX Advanced Utility Relocation per specifications on file at the Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt.

One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (9th Floor). The Work includes permitting , traffic control measures, saw cutting and demolition removal of the pavements, excavation, trenching, jack, and boring, plating, shoring, utility line installations, manhole installations, service line connections, inspection, demolition and removal of existing utility lines, testing, backfilling, paving, striping, street and curb/gutter construction and repair, and all other ancillary work involved in accomplishing the Work.

All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt on or before April 11, 2012 at 2012 at 2:00 pm Pacific Time 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. C0990. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held on March 1, 2012 at 9:30 am in Union Station Conference Room located on the 3rd Floor at the address above.

PSOMAS REQUEST FOR BIDS & NOTICE OF INTEREST Psomas is bidding on the following project as a Prime Contractor: As-Needed Engineering Design and Support Services, Water Resources Division, LA County Department of Public Works (LADPW) Bid Date: March 8, 2012 @ 3:00 pm Psomas is seeking qualifications from CBEs and other subcontractors for the following work: • Geotechnical Consultant • Landscape Architect with experience in native species • Graphics renderings • Structural Experience providing similar services directly to LADPW and/or in LA County is preferred.

This proposal is in alignment with the LA County Community Business Enterprise (CBE) Program. Certified CBEs—Disabled Veterans, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, and Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses (DVBE, DBE, MBE, WBE)—are encouraged to respond.

In addition, Psomas can provide assistance to firms in obtaining required bonds, lines of credit, or insurance. No plans are available but the RFP can be provided, if needed.

Psomas intends to conduct itself in good faith in regards to all firms.

Interested businesses should email a two-page firm overview with LADPW experience and CBE documentation by February 21, 2012 to Outreach_LA@psomas.com.

JACKSON HERB CENTER “Health is the Most Precious Wealth a Person Can Possess.”

Rev. 22:2 ~ Rom. 14:2 ~ Psm. 104:14 Click here to order: www.mynsp.com/herbjack www.trivita.com/13411343 Contact Mr. Jackson Tel: (800) 755-4372

No Job too Big for God www.deathbymedication.com www.dorway.com Good Health Is Up to You

You may obtain bid specifications available on a CD, or further information, by emailing Zachary Munoz at munozz@metro.net.

2/16/12 CNS-2261268# WATTS TIMES

Q: How did the administration get itself into such a mess in the first place?

A: Maybe they should have listened to people like Sister Carol Keehan, head of a Catholic hospitals trade group.

She and other prominent Catholics defied the bishops to support passage of Obama’s health care overhaul at a critical stage of the congressional debate.

Democratic Catholic lawmakers thought they had an iron-clad deal with the administration to protect the conscience rights of religious employers.

Associated Press writer Connie Cass contributed to this report.

Preparing them for a victory or loss, she said, “I just try to play both sides of the scenario and make both sides seem great.”

So far, Mrs. Obama has headlined 32 fundraisers over the past 10 months, including six this year.

Tickets to her political events range from $100 to $10,000, making them more accessible than higher-dollar fundraisers for the president. And her political schedule includes smaller cities, such as Charlottesville, Va., and Cape Elizabeth, Maine, that aren’t likely to draw a presidential visit.

Still, she’s hauling in millions with a fundraising stump speech that mixes a recitation of administration policy initia-

tives with a personal sketch of her husband as a man who stays up late after the children are in bed fretting over the concerns of ordinary Americans.

It’s the same humanizing role that Mrs. Obama serves regularly in her public appearances, as she mixes public pol-

icy with stories about her own family.

What parent wouldn’t think it was cool when she confessed to her dinner guests at the Olive Garden that her daughters aren’t that interested in the White House kitchen garden—”because anything I do they're not interested in.”

20

Thursday, February 16, 2012

PAFF kicks off 20th Anniversary with “Think Like a Man” premiere

BY BRANDON I. BROOKS ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) kicked off its 20th Anniversary on Thurs., February, 9th with a star-studded red carpet premiere and private party for the screening of “Think Like a Man,” based on the New York Times bestselling book by radio host/comic Steve Harvey.

The ensemble cast includes an array of talent: Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence J, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union, Chris Brown and many star-studded cameos.

The comedy follows four interconnected and diverse men whose love lives are shaken up after the ladies they are pursuing buy Harvey’s book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers realizes that they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire, using the book’s insider information to turn the tables and teach the women a lesson of their own.

The movie is directed by a Los Angeles native and Westchester High School graduate in Tim Story. The film was written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman. It’s produced by Will Packer in conjunction with Rainforest Films and distributed through Sony Pictures. The film is scheduled for theatrical release March 9, 2012.

The exclusive red carpet event was held in Hollywood at the world famous Archlight Cinerama Dome. The best and brightest of Black Hollywood came out to support the film and the festival’s opening night.

We caught up with director Tim Story on the red carpet and asked him how he got involved with the film.

“I was sent the script from one of my reps and I was laughing out loud upon reading it and knew

I had to do it and went in and luckily Will Packer liked what I was saying and he gave me the opportunity to bring it to the screen,” said Story.

Story was asked what he thought about the title of the film and if he agrees with Steve Harvey’s statement that women should think like men? “At times I think they have to choose the times when they do and don’t,” says Story. “We as men like ladies so we also like when they can understand where we are coming from as a man.

So they have to pick and choose when they think like a man.”

Ayuko Babu, founder and executive producer of the PAFF, shared his thoughts about what has changed over the last 20 years while putting on the festival.

“The only thing different is there are more stories,” shared Babu. “African people throughout the world, we have to tell our stories. So whether we are in Brazil, whether we are in Guinea or wherever we are we have to tell our story. We are driven to tell our story and if we don’t tell our story, no one will. Plus, in order to really understand where you are going, you have to understand everybody’s stories. If you don’t know Guinea, if you don’t know where you are from then you are not going to find your direction.”

Actress Ja’net Dubois is also one of the original founders of the PAFF. As this is the 20th anniversary of this historic institution, it was fitting to get a quote from Dubois about the growth of the festival over the years.

Dubois shared that the festival is “like a woman that is pregnant at nine months and now it’s 20. Now my baby is out and it has muscles. It’s walking the red carpet and I didn’t dream red carpet. I just dreamed to open up the world so we could see and share our art.”

For more information, please visit www.paff.org or call (310) 337-4737.

Photos by Cover Up Photos

Gabrielle Union

Jennifer Hudson

La La Vasquez

Sean Patrick Thomas

Golden Brooks

Kelly Rowland

Ja’net Dubois

Kevin Hart

Terrence J & Regina Hall

Big Boy

Ne-yo

Meagan Good

Antonio Fargas

Bill Duke

Serena Williams

Taraji P. Henson

Toccara