LAWT 07-14-2011

W E E K E N D E R

L.A. Watts Times Vol. XXX, No. 1240

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

HOROSCOPES A

RIES ~ Personal finance stays in focus this week, and you’ll be looking at new ways of creating and managing wealth. If you keep your mind open to the flow of abundance, you’re sure to be happily surprised this week.

AURUS ~ Lots of love and good vibrations are in the air this week. You’ll be whole-heartedly open to a proposal that involves something very important to you.

Keep your energy constructive and positive.

EMINI ~ This week’s vibration seems to have only a single point for you, and that is to get out and have some fun with friends. You could use the relaxation, so leave your chores undone and go have a good time!

ANCER ~ Don’t underestimate the power of persuasion. Continue to persevere and stay adamant with your ideas and pursuit. The universe is balanced, so your efforts will pay off. Learn to positively distract yourself as you wait and continue to let your enthusiasm rise about all negative feelings.

EO ~ Go into yourself this week and find those impulses that make you a good steady builder of relationships and long-range attitudes. You are a master at staying on the scene like a steady machine.

Smile because this talent will put you ahead of the pack this week.

IRGO ~ Patience! Patience! Make a game of patience, and it will not seem as boring. Smile as you apply yourself to routines that would otherwise drive you up a wall. Stay alert to the possibility of disruptions to habitual patterns. Make a game of dealing with obtrusions.

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IBRA ~ Things that have others upset this week will not bother you quite as much. This week is a good week to show that you can be depended upon when things get a little heavy for others. Handling heaviness is not all that tough for you. Turn this asset into a dividend producer.

CORPIO ~ This is a week when you can be a singular beacon. Shine for those around you. Go inside yourself and find those rays of sunshine that others need. Sure you’re a bit touchy yourself but that’s just the situation in which you can do yourself proud.

AGITTARIUS ~ Loving care is what the world is in need of this week and you get a lot of inward joy out of giving it. Your ability to move back emotionally from problems and thereby administer to them will give you an advantage this week. Use it wisely.

APRICORN ~ Cheer them up. They don’t see the big picture. You can. Let them know about the light at the end of the tunnel. It is clearly in focus for you. Enjoy it and make your joy contagious. Give love this week but wait for a while to search for its return.

QUARIUS ~ Endurance and regeneration are keys for you this week. You’ll be needing both those qualities to get you past the negative thinking that is flooding the spiritual environment this week. Soar high where the sun is shining. Seek resources from the highest levels of your nature and spread them to those you love.

ISCES ~ Did external circumstance allow you to get into your true soul vibration last week? Well, last week was good for getting into a positive way of looking at what is happening. This week you’ll be called upon to express that positive way to the entire world around you. Enjoy being yourself.

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L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

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

Black Facts July 13, 1972 Shirley Chisholm becomes the first African American presidential candidate, with 151 votes from the delegates polled.

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July 13, 1965 Thurgood Marshall is appointed the first African American solicitor general of the United States.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Cal State University approves 12 percent tuition hike

BY AMY TAXIN AND TERENCE CHEA ASSOCIATED PRESS LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The California State University system on Tuesday approved another 12

percent increase in student tuition this fall to offset a deeper-than-expected cut in state funding.

With a 13-2 vote, the CSU Board of Trustees passed the annual tuition hike of $588, which comes on top of a previously approved 10 percent

increase for 2011-2012.

CSU officials said the increase is needed to maintain classes and services while avoiding large-scale enrollment cuts that would prevent tens of thousands of students from attending one of the system’s 23 campuses.

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

University of California at Berkeley student Dior Sweeney contemplates how she’s going to afford fall tuition.

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

California State University police monitor a tuition hike protest at the Office of the Chancellor.

“We don’t take great delight in doing this,” board Chairman Herbert Carter said at the meeting in Long Beach. “We do it because we think it is in the best interest of the young people of this state that this university be available to them.”

Annual tuition for in-state undergraduates will increase to $5,472, which does not include room, board or campus fees averaging $950. That’s more than three times what CSU students paid a decade ago.

Tuition will rise by $678 for credential program students and $720 for graduate students.

One-third of the new revenue will be set aside for financial aid.

About 170,000 CSU students, almost half of all undergraduates, have all of their tuition covered by grants and fee waivers because their families earn less than $70,000 per year, according to CSU officials.

Critics say the tuition hikes will hurt middle-class and undocumented immigrant students who don’t qualify for financial aid.

The recently approved state budget reduces CSU funding by $650 million, or more than 20 percent, to $2.1 billion. Administrators had been anticipating a $500 million reduction.

The system, which has about 412,000 students, stands to lose another $100 million if the state generates less revenue than projected.

“The enormous reduction to our state funding has left us with no other choice if we are to maintain quality and access to the CSU,” said Chancellor Charles Reed.

About 50 students marched and chanted outside the board meeting, carrying signs that read “Fund instruction, not corruption” and “No cuts, no fees.” “We are vehemently disappointed in what has happened today,” said Gregory Washington, president of the California State Student Association. “The sad truth is that California isn’t prioritizing its higher education.”

Cal Poly Pomona student Pati Guerra, 21, said she’s tired of seeing CSU trustees deal with the budget crunch by pushing tuition higher and higher.

She said one of her younger brothers had to drop out of school because of the increases, and another brother is looking into studying outof-state.

“They keep on taxing the students,” Guerra said. “The CSU claims to be an affordable, accessible and a quality education. But that’s no longer the case.”

Shortly after the tuition vote, the board approved a controversial $400,000 compensation package, including $50,000 from the campus foundation, for Elliot Hirshman, the new president of San Diego State University. That’s about $100,000 more than his predecessor, Stephen Weber.

In a letter to the board chairman Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown criticized the move, saying, “I fear your approach to compensation is setting a pattern for public service that we cannot afford.”

CSU officials defended Hirshman’s salary, saying the university needs to provide competitive compensation to recruit and retain top administrators.

Carter acknowledged the governor’s concerns and said the board would create a task force to review CSU’s policies on selecting and paying administrators.

“This whole thing has been an insult,” said Grace Castaneda, a 19year-old student at California State University at Northridge, who has taken out $10,000 in loans to help pay for her education. “If they cared, they wouldn’t have salaries of $400,000.”

The University of California’s Board of Regents is scheduled to vote Thursday on raising tuition by 9.6 percent above the previously approved 8 percent increase for the coming academic year.

If approved, annual tuition for instate undergraduates would increase $1,068 to $12,192, which does not include room, board or campus fees.

One third of the new fee revenue will be used for financial aid UC officials say the additional tuition hike is needed to offset the 10campus system’s loss of $650 million in state funding.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Minority youth media consumption may be hampering academic achievement

BY NADRA KAREEM NITTLE SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM AMERICA’S WIRE LOS ANGELES — Krystal Murphy received her first cellphone at age 13, and she used it solely to keep her parents in the loop about her activities. Four years later, her use of the phone has changed dramatically.

Now 17, she relies on it to text friends, surf the Internet and send messages on Twitter.

“I’m on my cell all day, every day, as soon as I wake up and until I go to bed,” says the African American teen from South Los Angeles.

According to a Northwestern University study of youth media consumption, Krystal’s habits are widespread among young people of color.

Released in June, “Children, Media and Race: Media Use Among White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American Children” found that those between ages 8 and 18 use cellphones, television, computers and other electronic devices to consume an average of 13 hours of media content daily. That’s 4-1/2 hours more than their White counterparts.

The study has renewed debate about whether minority youths spend too much time on media consumption and not enough on reading and studying. While some people insist that the disparity in media consumption contributes to the education gap between minority and White youths, others cite it as a positive that can aid a child’s educational growth.

“I think that the results of this study coupled with the other factors that we know influence student per-

formance,” says Sharon Lewis, research director for the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocate for urban public schools and students.

“When you combine all of this together, it’s another indication that we need to take extra steps to reach [minority] youth.

“Factors such as health, such as preschool experience, such as a sibling that may not have graduated, such as coming from a single-parent household and then you add this [media consumption] to it—it’s another indication.”

Past reports have shown a correlation between television viewing and low academic performance. A 20year study of 678 families released in 2007 by the New York State Psychiatric Institute found that teens who watched three or more hours of television daily had an 82 percent greater chance of not graduating from high school when compared with those who watched less than an hour.

However, critics of that study say students who struggle academically may be more inclined to watch TV to avoid the rigors of schoolwork.

The Northwestern study is said to be the first in the United States to examine children’s media use by race. Nearly 1,900 youths participated. The study reanalyzed data from previous Kaiser Family Foundation studies on media consumption, finding that racial differences in children’s media use remained static when accounting for socioeconomic status or whether youths came from single- or two-parent homes.

The results, which appeared to counter concerns about a possible

digital divide and may give parents and educators new strategies to meet needs of minority youths, surprised Ellen Wartella, head of Northwestern’s Center on Media and Human Development. She coauthored the study.

“Recreational media use is an enormous part of young people’s lives, more than we ever thought,” she says. “It’s quite clear we have a group of young people who are tethered to their technology.”

The report finds that Black and Latino youths spend one to two more hours daily watching TV and videos, an hour more listening to music, up to 90 minutes more on computers and 90 minutes on cellphones, and 30 to 40 minutes more playing video games than White youths. During the past decade, Black youths have doubled their daily media use, and Latino youths have quadrupled theirs, according to Wartella.

Asian American youths also consume more media than their White peers. Asians lead all groups in use of mobile devices at 3 hours and 7 minutes daily, compared with 2 hours and 53 minutes for Latinos, 2 hours and 52 minutes for Blacks and just 80 minutes for Whites. Asians also spend 14 more minutes daily watching traditional TV than do White youths and more than an hour daily than Whites watching TV online, via TiVo or on DVD. Nevertheless, Asian American youths remain high academic achievers, challenging the contention that media consumption hurts student performance.

Kerry Riley, an affiliated scholar

Studies raise the issue of whether the higher usage of electronic devices negatively impacts children of color. at the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, says media can help students of color in the classroom.

“For me, the issue isn’t having more media,” says the professor of ethnic studies. “It’s access to higher standards of media.” He adds that teachers and mentors of minority youths increasingly expose them to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to help them learn about many issues.

Riley says he has directed students to use cellphones in class to access music videos and shown them cartoons such as “South Park” and “Family Guy.” Incorporating media in class to showcase popular culture, he says, has helped Blacks and Latinos understand how music forms and television shows can function as parodies of Western society.

“We helped them to understand these weren’t just elements of popular culture,” Riley says. “They were existential forms of social critique

that related directly to their lives. So I, as an African American professor, was able to use popular culture via Google, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook as a pedagogical tool to help educate African American and Latino youth and increase their academic performance.”

Northwestern’s Wartella agrees that greater media consumption isn’t necessarily a drawback for youths but might put them at risk for obesity.

“One concern is exposure to food marketing, specifically television advertising for foods high in calories and lower in nutrients,” she says. “We’re saying maybe we should take a look at the negative consequences if they’re watching television. Our hope is to start a national conversation about youth and media.”

Her study’s finding that, among children, 84 percent of Blacks, 77 percent of Hispanics and 64 percent of Whites and Asian Americans have See MEDIA CONSUMPTION, page 15

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Hahn wins special Congressional election

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

Victory is Hahn’s!

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Democratic Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn defeated Republican businessman Craig Huey in a special election in the 36th Congressional District.

Hahn had 56.8 percent of the vote to 43.2 percent for Huey, with 127 of 261 or 48.66 percent, of precincts reporting, according to figures released by the Los Angeles County Department of RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk.

The special election was necessitated by the February 28 resignation of Rep. Jane Harman to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Hahn’s victory prompted Pat McOsker, the president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles, to declare his candidacy for Hahn’s council seat.

Hahn had represented a council district that stretches from the Port of Los Angeles to Watts since 2001.

Huey owns a direct-mail advertising business and publishes online voter guides for Christians.

Both candidates campaigned heavily on job creation but disagreed about how to stimulate job growth.

Hahn said she would push for expanded federal funding to support the clean energy industry and for job training for laid-off workers. Huey argued for lower taxes and reducing

federal regulations on businesses.

Hahn was widely expected to run away with the race for the predominantly Democratic district.

Democrats in the 36th District— which includes Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, El Segundo and portions of West Los Angeles—hold an 18-point registration advantage over Republicans.

However, Huey spent nearly $800,000 of his own money on the campaign, and he rallied conservatives and Tea Party activists to work on his behalf.

Over the last month the campaign took on a nastier tone, with the two sides battling over the

extent of Hahn’s involvement with Watts gang intervention workers who were convicted of violent crimes. Hahn’s camp accused Huey campaign volunteers of distributing copies of a 2006 Fox 11 story that tried to link Hahn with the use of taxpayer money to pay for gang interventionists, a report denounced by the Hahn campaign.

Huey campaign spokesman Jimmy Camp accused the Hahn campaign of sending out a false mailer depicting Huey as the owner of a mansion and a yacht.

“Craig’s never seen that house.

He lives in a small, ranch-style home,” Camp said. “It’s gotten pretty nasty, but campaigns are nasty.”

Is redistricting a step backwards for Blacks?

When the law was passed mandating that redistricting was to be done by the voters instead of the legislators, it seemed like a great thing. But now?

BY YUSSUF J. SIMMONDS Not long ago, in an attempt to educate the community about redistricting, there was a column in this newspaper describing the process in simple terms. Since the redistricting process has been under way, several community groups have been formed to act as watchdogs over the process: to monitor the town hall-style meetings; to keep the community informed; to write letters to the commission; and to engage the commissioners. One such organization is the African American Redistricting Collaborative (AARC).

The commissioners’ mandate was to have a preliminary draft of the maps released by June 10, which they did, and to have the final maps delivered to the California secretary of state

by August 15. It appears that the preliminary maps, if allowed to become final, would irreparably devastate the African American community politically. According to a 9-page letter sent to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) by the AARC,

A view of the proposed district map.

“Our main source of concern is the guidance supplied by your counsel, which has apparently led to some very disturbing map visualizations at the June 30 and July 2 meetings. From what we gather, these visualizations ignore the hard work by AARC, CAPAFR and MALDEF to harmonize their interests into mutually agreeable configurations …”

It is also important to note that the commission may have already received the results of a study on Racially Polarized Voting in Los Angeles County, which seemed to coincide with the ‘disturing map visualizations’ as referenced by AARC in its letter relative to the African American community.

Another disturbing trend is while the process to redraw California’s state and congressional lines has received national attention, the County of Los Angeles’ redistricting effort has proceeded without much fanfare (tantamount to magic: Keep the focus on one thing while the real trick is being

See REDISTRICTING, page 12

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

NAACP comes to L.A. The nation’s oldest civil rights organization will hold its 102nd national convention from July 23-28, 2011

Narrowed Section of PCH to Open Up for “Carmageddon”

BY LEON JENKINS PRESIDENT LOS ANGELES NAACP

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

The public is urged to plan ahead, avoid the area around the 405 or just stay at home this weekend.

July 17, 1942 Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr) was born on this day.

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July 19, 1848 Frederick Douglass attends the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. He speaks in defense of its organizer, Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

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LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Southbound Pacific Coast Highway, now narrowed to two lanes in Pacific Palisades, will be opened up over “Carmageddon” weekend, transportation officials confirmed today.

One southbound lane has been closed to accommodate work on a dry-season runoff-diversion project, but that work will be suspended late Friday through early Monday, according to Lauren Skinner of the Los Angeles Department of Public Works.

Opening up PCH from Temescal Canyon Road and Chautauqua Boulevard should help alleviate some of the increased traffic from San Fernando Valley and Ventura County motorists using Topanga and Malibu canyon roads to bypass the closure.

Starting Friday evening, the San Diego (405) Freeway will be closed in both directions for 53 hours between the Santa Monica (10) and Ventura (101) freeways, so that the Mulholland Drive Bridge can be demolished to make way for a wider one to accommodate a carpool lane running from Orange County to the city of San Fernando.

Three lanes of PCH will be opened up at least through Tuesday morning; then crews will replace the K-rails blocking the far-right lane, according to Skinner. The work, aimed at diverting dry-season runoff to the Hyperion sewage treatment plant, is scheduled to continue through mid-August.

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The NAACP 2011 National Convention will be the first in Los Angeles, and on the west coast, in over two decades, making this a celebratory event for the entire West Coast as well as Phoenix, AZ, to Salt Lake City, UT, to Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR to Las Vegas, NV, and Hawaii, thereby heightening the importance and scope of the 2011 National Convention. The interest, enthusiasm and participation by California and other West Coast and mountain-west states is at the highest level yet for an NAACP National Convention.

The convention will feature out-of-state, regional and local members, representing the leadership of the NAACP’s 2,000 branches, college chapters and youth councils, which represent the 500,000-plus national membership in almost every city in the United States with a population of 25,000 or more.

The money pumped into the local economy from the week-long convention from July 23 - July 28 is estimated at upwards of $10-$15 million, with over 50,000 local and state residents, NAACP members and general public attending some phase of the convention.

Scheduled events include but are not limited to: • July 22 at 7:00 p.m. is the kickoff Friday Night Revival, featuring Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, AME 5th District Presiding Prelate, at Second Baptist Church, located at 2412 Griffith Ave., Los Angeles.

• On Saturday, July 23, it’s the NAACP Health Fair and Symposium, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Open to the general public, there will be free health screenings, testing, etc.

• On Sunday, July 24 is the Youth Council Mass Meeting. Free entertainment from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m.

• Sunday, July 24, it’s the First Public Mass Meeting, 6 p.m. Los Angeles Convention Center, Keynote Address: Chairman Rosalyn Brock.

• From July 24 to July 27, the general public is invited to the NAACP Business Expo and Job Fair at the Convention Center, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• On Sunday, July 24, at 8:30 p.m., there will be the Delegates’ Opening Reception, which will be held at the Rose Garden in Exposition Park, featuring Cuba Gooding, Sr. and the Main Ingredients. (NAACP membership is required.) Join us and over 5,000 delegates, public officials, celebrities and religious leaders for a “Taste of L.A.,” featuring many ethnic foods of Southern California.

• On Wednesday, July 25, at 7 p.m., it’s the Gospel Extravaganza at the Convention Center, featuring Marvin Sapp and a 500-member local choir. (This is a ticketed event.) Additional choir members are needed; if interested, meet at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church on Monday, July 11 at 7 p.m. for rehearsal.

For a complete list of events, opportunities and celebrations, visit us at www.naacp-losangeles.org, or www.naacp.org.

The NAACP brand is over 102 years old and is one of the most recognizable organizations in America. The NAACP’s influence in the African American and minority communities is unmatched by any other organization, and reaches into almost all African American households and families in the United States. The Los Angeles NAACP is asking all of Los Angeles to turn out and support the greatest civil rights organization in the world.

NAACP policies, statements and actions continue to literally affect the lives of almost every American through our use of the ballot, courts, legislation, churches, organizations and associations, which, through our advocacy, have elevated the status, positions and opportunities of women and minorities of all races, creeds and ethnic groups.

The NAACP’s social and community reach extends well beyond the 44 million African Americans in America. We are the premier civil rights organization in America, which not only has the attention of the Hispanic community, but also the female population of America, which has benefited from the civil rights and liberties gained by all minorities through our efforts. Our total reach includes over 200,000,000 Americans.

Many of the week-long activities during the convention require NAACP membership.

If you are not a member, please join, so that you can be a part of a once-in-a-generational event involving an organization that too many of us owe a debt of gratitude that we have yet not paid respect to.

Join and be a part of us.

What better time to be welcomed back home than now during the NAACP National Convention!

“Commitment without support is useless.” We need you to help us “Make America Confirm Its Leon Jenkins, President Los Angeles NAACP. Promises.”

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

F E AT U R E

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

by JOY CHILDS | Assistant Editor She was only 6 years old when her father started touching her. It began with his coming into her bedroom at nighttime. At first, he would just play with her face and her hair. And then he began touching her tiny breasts and the rest of her body. “And I would freeze … act like I’m asleep … so that’s how it started.”

In this case, the “it” is incest. And the victim of this sexual crime was our own columnist Wendy R. Gladney, whose father was the culprit. But as you will see, she is a strong and remarkable woman: When undoubtedly most of us would have buried these events deep inside, or succumbed to an addiction or two or three, or sought some sort of retribution, or worse, Gladney opted to take the path less traveled, forgiving her father and teaching others how to forgive the unforgiveable.

Here she candidly shares her very personal story with our readers—as she does in her book, “The Preacher’s Daughter,” as well as her play—in the hope that someone will be led to, as she did, “forgive to live.”

DEFINITIONS Under section 285 of the California Penal Code, “incest” is defined in terms of “consanguinity,” i.e., “the state of being of the same blood or origin; specifically: descended from the same ancestor.” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary).

Section 285 reads in its entirety: “Persons being within the degrees of consanguinity within which marriages are declared by law to be incestuous and void, who intermarry with each other, or who being 14 years of age or older, commit fornication or adultery with each other, are punishable by imprisonment in the state prison.”

It’s clear, then, that those in a familial relationship—fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and the like—may commit incest. Most legal persons consulted felt that, as for stepchildren, half siblings and adopted siblings, it is most likely that whether a situation give rise to a valid claim of incest would be decided on a case-by-case basis and would be based on the totality of the circumstances.

IN THE BEGINNING After describing her first recollection of incest by her father, Gladney gave a quick overview of her story but, she added, “I’ll stick to just the part about my father. I won’t go into my mother since we’re focusing on the incest component … ’cause the mother side deals with abandonment, which had to do with racial issues.

My mother’s white, my dad, black. My mother’s family disowned her when she had a black child and so she left …”

Of her father, Gladney says: “My father was a drug dealer, a gambler, had a gambling house, was a pimp and ran numbers … and growing up with my father and my father’s family, never even knowing my mother until I was grown—the first time I met my mother I was a freshman at UCLA …

So during those years when my father was caretaking in Riverside—my dad had a slew of babysitters … I would see how he was involved with them …They were always young girls—15, 16. 17. But when I was about 6 years old is the first recollection I have … It was a progression …

And I will say, the one thing—my father never penetrated me with his penis. But my dad did everything else—everything from oral sex— LAWT: --On you and you on him?

Wendy Gladney (WG): Yes—to touching me everywhere … and when you grow up with a slew of – my dad was married four times and we had a slew of babysitters … and I think for him, part of his rationale … of how he could live with himself was because he would say, ‘… but I never penetrated you’ … And my dad owned a pool hall that was a gambling house, and he would drop us oơ there—I was actually sexually abused by another man in there when I was about 9 or 10 years old, where he just left me … and so when you don’t know another world and you don’t know what to do, and the only thing I remembered as a child is that my dad would say, ‘Well, your mom’s gone so if you tell, they’ll take you away from us.’

This was Gladney’s life—and she grew up desperately wanting out of Riverside. She went on to recount a hodgepodge of memories of being biracial and growing up with her Black grandmother and darker cousins— and wanting her hair pressed like them. She remembered being beaten up by girls at school for ‘thinking she’s cute.’

She also remembered how she could see her father engaged in sex through open doors, and would think, If he’s doing that to that woman, he shouldn’t be doing that to me. So she began to understand that what her father did to her until she was 16 was wrong—but not because someone told her it was wrong.

LAWT: Did you ever tell anyone?

WG: I told my grandmother, a couple of aunts and uncles—my father had nine brothers and sisters—and at that time I was the first mixed child in our family [so] I was always told, ‘Well, that’s that White side coming out … ’ LAWT: The White side! … So no one believed you?

WG: Years later one of my aunts–she had thought something but felt she had no power—apologized to me.

LAWT: Did you ever say to your father, ‘No, daddy, this is wrong,’ or fight back?

WG: I did fight back, but I don’t think I said, ‘This is wrong.’ I do remember saying ‘Daddy, why? Why are you doing this to me? Why do I have to do this, daddy?’

LAWT: When did the abuse finally stop?

WG: I was almost 16 … It was the first time my father approached me outside of my bedroom … I was in the shower. I don’t know if it was because I was stand-

ing up … He opened the curtain and he was looking at me, and he had his pants oơ and his dick [sic] in his hand, and so I knew what was next … And so— I don’t know—I just couldn’t take it anymore and there was just something in me, and I just screamed and I yelled so hard, and I pulled the shower rack and as I pulled the shower rack, I saw him coming toward me … and that was when I could hear someone in the house … And by now my dad was in the shower so my uncle, when he came in the bathroom, he snatched the shower curtain down and wrapped it around me and he grabbed my father and threw him out of the bathroom …”

And that, she says, is when her uncle realized she’d been telling the truth. She adds: “No one ever told me that they thought I was lying but nobody ever said they thought I was telling the truth.

HER RELATIONSHIP LIFE Gladney’s been married twice and has two children.

She talked quite openly about how the incest aơected her marriages and even some relationships.

She also knows that what happened to her was not her fault—it was her father’s. But she ultimately learned to forgive him.

LAWT: What started the forgiveness process?

WG: My dad had a heart attack when I was 16, and my grandmother told me he might not make it so if you wanna see him you probably should do that … So I got on my bike, went to the hospital and I saw my dad. He was lying in bed and I just said, ‘Daddy, I just want you to know that I’ve forgiven you for everything you’ve done to me, and I want you to have a chance to get right with the Lord before you die …’ And he had a tear in his eye … So in releasing him, helped to release me…

Thus began Gladney’s ability to “forgive to live.”

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT: SEX CRIME PROSECUTORS Al Jenkins, a retired deputy district attorney who prosecuted cases involving sex crimes against children from 1985 until he retired in 1992, says there were very few incest cases, that these are largely unreported.

LAWT: What’s the most graphic case you remember, the one that you’ll always remember?

Al Jenkins (AJ): … For me, they were all important … There were a lot of cases that I imagine the aver-

W E N DY R . G L A D N E Y | A U T H O R / P L A Y W R I T E | “ T H E P R E A C H E R ’ S D A U G H T E R ”

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wendy R. Gladney, interviewed by Joy Childs in the Watts Times office. age person would find unusual … although incest in the Black community was not very prominent amongst the child sex cases … Most of the child sex cases we handled [back then] were Latino and Caucasian.” He estimates the cases he saw were 60% Latino, 2% Black, and 38% White and Asian.”

While his experience was that Black incest was “unusual,” Black child sexual assault—i.e., sexual assaults on children by non-family members—“were much more common.” These cases were prosecuted in much the same way as other cases in the DA’s oƥce. He explained: “Mother would finally find out some way that the child has been assaulted. She then calls the police. Police take a police report. Police would take the report to the DA’s oƥce; the filing deputy makes a decision with respect to whether to charge someone; charge is filed …

During the last five to six years [of my career], I was the filing deputy for a child sexual assault so police would come to me. I would look at the police report and, if I thought it was important enough or if I was unhappy with the report itself, I would interview the victim, the case would be filed and would go forward in prosecution just like any other trial.”

When asked about the youngest sex crimes victim he recalled, Jenkins told of an almost unimaginable /incomprehensible case of incest. The victim was a Black 1-year-old child—Jenkins didn’t recall whether the victim was a girl or a boy—whose grandmother was having the baby perform oral sex on her.

AJ: So the baby’s just lying there, really … It was in an automobile. It was on Vermont just across from USC in a parking lot.

LAWT: Was it repetitive or just one time?

AJ: One time as far as we know. The grandmother was seen outside the car … The observer called the police … And … thereafter when the grandmother was out on bail, she was arrested for the attempted murder of her daughter. She tried to break in to kill the mother of the child …

LAWT: Wow! … Are there other cases that stand out?

AJ: I’ve had priests sexually assault altar boys …

This was unusual in that he spent Christmas Eve in the house and molested the children— two boys, both altar boys at his church—in the house … Eventually they said something to somebody … who said something to the mother who went to the kids who finally admitted it. Then she went to the church. Church said, ‘Well, we’ll look into it.’ She waited but the church hadn’t done anything so she went back and they gave her more yada yada, so eventually she went to the police. And by the time we got to the church the priest had been sent—or had gone back to—Mexico. Never came back.

The recently appointed head of the sex crimes division of the district attorney’s oƥce, Patricia Doyle, who’s practiced for 30 years, describes a current prose-

cution practice that’s much as it was when Jenkins was practicing in that division: Patricia Doyle (PD): Cops investigate a complaint from someone who could be a family member, a child or a teacher … a girlfriend. They bring it to the DA’s oƥce. It is screened and it’s decided whether there’s enough evidence. Interviews are conducted. A deputy DA is assigned by the screener. [S/He] interviews the kids, who in many instances don’t disclose the whole story right away. There may be forensic psychologists involved.

Doyle explained that a forensic psychologist is frequently appointed by the court to assess a defendant’s competency to stand trial or to assess the state of mind of the defendant at the time of the oơense.

Doyle continued by explaining that the DA will file though, unlike other divisions, the sex crimes division utilizes “vertical prosecution,” meaning the same deputy DA handles the case from beginning to end. “If there’s a suspect, arraignment is within 48 hours.

There’s a preliminary hearing within 10 days. If court feels there’s enough evidence, then a trial is set.

Her youngest sexual abuse case was a [bi-racial] child of 4. The case involved the mother’s [Latino] boyfriend; fortunately, the authorities had suƥcient physical evidence within 24 hours of the event. It took about a year to get to trial. The kid was 5 by then. There was a competency hearing, and it was determined she was competent to testify.

PD: She was doing a good job on the stand until she saw the defendant —she hadn’t noticed him until then. And then she started to cry. The deputy DA’s called for a break, during which the little girl kept saying she didn’t wanna talk. But we persuaded her (even bribed her with candy!), and she finally sighed and agreed to tell her story.

During the trial, the defense attorney asked her how she knew the touching was wrong, pressing her with, ‘Did your mommy tell you it was wrong?’ Child: ‘No.’ Defense attorney: ‘Did the deputy DA tell you it was wrong ?’ Child: ‘No.’ Defense attorney: Well, how did you know?

Child: ‘Because I thinked it in my brain.’

The childspeak, translated, of course, led to a conviction.

To learn more about Wendy’s story, you can contact her at:

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Tribe Called Quest reunited, on-screen at least

BY RYAN PEARSON AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Michael Rapaport has reunited A Tribe Called Quest—on movie screens, at least.

The pioneering New York hiphop group, best known for classics like “Check the Rhime,” “Bonita Applebum” and more, split upon the release of 1998’s “The Love Movement.” While they’ve reunited for performances since then, a longsimmering clash between childhood friends Q-Tip and Phife has kept them out of the recording studio ever since.

Rapaport, a longtime fan, says he started work on his recently released documentary in 2008, hoping to determine why they broke up and answer the question, “Will they continue to make music going forward ever?”

Not a likely scenario.

“We haven’t recorded an album in like 13 years now. We don’t just want to go in there for the money and it sounds like crap. The consensus would be, ‘I’ve waited so-and-so years for this and y’all come out with this?’ So we’d rather not do it than for that to happen,” Phife told The Associated Press while helping to promote Rapaport’s film, “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.”

Though made with the group’s cooperation, Q-Tip has criticized the movie for focusing too much on

infighting and not enough on music.

He didn’t show for its screening at the recent LA Film Festival and voiced his anger at Rapaport via Twitter, although he has recently retweeted other people’s positive thoughts on the film.

Even Phife—who is supporting the film—isn’t enamored of the director.

“He was very animated, adamant, any word you could mention with an ‘A,’ ” Phife said.

“Sometimes he’ll lose his composure, and he’ll get it back. He was just real antsy.”

Rapaport says tension between the Q-Tip and Phife was “very apparent the minute I started filming. The minute they were in a room together, you could just feel something was a little off. I didn’t know—or try to dictate or manipulate the film at all. And I was persistent, diligent and open and non-judgmental.”

“Their conflict and their strife is the same thing that the Beatles and ‘N Sync and Destiny’s Child and Guns N’ Roses went through,” added Rapaport, whose acting credits include “Mighty Aphrodite” and “Hitch.” ‘‘Talking to the press and getting the accolades and who is in charge. ‘Q-Tip is better than Phife!’

‘No, Phife is better than Q-Tip!’ ” Phife, whose real name is Malik Taylor, seems to remain bruised by his clash of egos with Q-Tip. In the film, he blames Q-Tip for dissolving the group for a solo career, a claim

Producer Alphonso ‘Fonce’ Mizell dies at 68

BY EURWEB.COM Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell, a renowned producer, songwriter and member of Motown hitmakers The Corporation as well as half of the legendary production duo The Mizell Brothers, has passed away. The cause of his death is not known. He was 68 years old.

Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell with his brother Larry and their Sky High Productions company transformed the soul jazz genre by combining Motown’s commercial sound with the music virtuosity of the Blue Note roster, producing a number of One of the famous Mizell brothers passes away. now-classic LPs. After leaving Motown, the Mizell brothers formed their own production company, Sky High Productions. The duo produced a string of jazz/R&B hybrid hits for various artists, like Bobbi Humphrey, Gary Bartz, A Taste of Honey and Donald Byrd (“Dominoes”) among others.

that Q-Tip has denied. The two feud so much that at one point, they get into a brief scuffle on tour.

Rapaport interviewed each of the group’s original members separately. Rapper Jarobi left after the group’s first album, “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm,” to become a chef.

Beatmaker Ali Shaheed Muhammad has moved on to other projects. But like many fans of New York hiphop’s early-1990s “golden age,” all speak fondly of Tribe in its prime.

Tribe’s mostly laid-back style and inclusion of jazz samples shifted the soundscape of New York hiphop and wielded a powerful influence on current hitmakers ranging from Pharrell Williams to Kanye West, both of whom make appearances in the new film.

The contrast between Q-Tip’s humble approach in songs like “Electric Relaxation” with Phife’s aggressive style on “Buggin’ Out” was “what made A Tribe Called Quest,” Phife said. “He wasn’t as braggadocio so people paid attention. And I was. So we bounced off of each other ... It was a matter of playing to our strengths.”

Phife hasn’t been so strong in recent years. A diabetic, he received a kidney transplant from his wife in 2008 and is shown struggling with weight loss and nervously entering the operating room. He says he’s glad for fans of Tribe’s music to see his struggles.

“With this documentary, I want them to see when I was cool, when I fell by the wayside with it, when I was turning the corner, and now I’m back,” he said.

As to whether fans will ever be able to welcome Tribe back, Phife demurs: “We’re taking it one day at a time. We’re friends right now. QTip and I are friends. We’re brothers, better yet. And um, I’m happy with that right now.”

AP Photo/Jennifer Graylock

The tension between Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor, pictured here, and Q-Tip, led to the break-up of A Tribe.

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Black Facts July 16, 1991 In Paris, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis was named a Knight in the (French) Legion of Honor, one of that nation's highest cultural honors.

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July 16, 1862 Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was born on this day in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Wells-Barnett became a prolific social activist and champion for the right of AfricanAmericans. She was also a founding member of the NAACP. July 19, 1941 First U.S. Army flying school for Black cadets dedicated at Tuskegee, Alabama.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Legendary artist Bernard Stanley Hoyes opens studio for rummage sale brilliance in color and depth of spirituality. Hoyes’s work is included amongst the artists featured in the coffee table pictorial, “L.A. Rising: SoCal Artists Before 1980” by Lyn Kienholz and also “Immaculate Immigrant: The Virgin of Guadalupe in Los Angeles: Reflections and Meditations” by Meg Garduño. His masterful work is also included in the 2011 African American Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Hoyes’ gallery is located at 985 Westchester Place in Los Angeles (one block west of Wilton Place off of Olympic Boulevard). Originals from his collection, as well as watercolors, serigraphs, etchings,

L.A. culture icon, Bernard Stanley Hoyes, is opening the doors of his private art studio and announcing an art rummage sale on Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Considering the fact that Oprah Winfrey, Natalie Cole, Steve Harvey, Keenan Ivory Wayans and the National Urban League are among his collectors, this is a sale not to be missed.

Selections of Hoyes’ work have been featured in several television shows, including the Showtime hit series, “Dexter,” and President Barack Obama has even been photographed in front of his work. An internationally celebrated craftsman, Hoyes’ work is known for its African American and Jamaican influences,

limited editions and posters, framed and unframed, will all be available and in many instances, you will be able to make a deal directly with the Hoyes.

“Every few years, I begin to notice the art clutter in the studio.

This rummage sale is a great opportunity to secure some beautiful pieces at bargain prices. It’s also a house clearing for me so that I can make space to continue to create and expand into new dimensions,” adds Hoyes.

Art lovers unable to attend may browse online at http://www.BernardHoyes.com, and call 323-7324601 for discounts and to arrange pick up. Offers made are good for the sale days only.

In living color.

Sean Kingston back to work

BY EURWEB.COM After suffering critical injuries in a near-death jet ski accident, Sean Kingston is back to work.

He was seen with a wrist brace at a video shoot Saturday in Miami for Iyaz, a Myspace sensation, alongside Soulja Boy and Travie McCoy. Although he wore the brace, the singer appeared healthy.

The accident left him with a broken jaw, fractured wrist and water in his lungs. He was hospitalized for more than three weeks. H was released June 21.

“Love my life,” he tweeted Saturday. “The Lord blessed me with a secKingston says he’s gotten a “second ond chance at life and [I’m going to] cherish it … ” chance at life.”

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The man and his art.

Halle Berry stalker arrested LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A man who has shown up at Halle Berry’s Hollywood Hills home several times was booked today on suspicion of stalking, and the actress went to court to obtain a restraining order against him.

Richard Franco, 27, was arrested about 11:15 p.m. Monday after neighbors reported the presence of a possible burglar, said Sgt. George Hoops of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood Station.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson issued a temporary stay-away order, directing Franco to stay 100 yards away from Berry and her young daughter if he is released from jail.

“Richard Franco is a stranger to me and I have no desire to have any contact with him,” Berry wrote in a court declaration. “He has terrorized me and my family in three consecutive incidents over the last three days ... This person has jeopardized not only my own personal safety, but also the safety and well-being of my family,” she wrote, adding that she was “extremely frightened of him and what he might do to me or those I love.”

Berry positively identified Franco as the man who also showed up in her backyard on Saturday and Sunday, Hoops said.

He allegedly jumped over Berry’s backyard wall Monday before her private security detail of off-duty police officers saw him on a security camera, the celebrity news website TMZ.com reported.

Officers took Franco to the Hollywood AP Photo/Matt Sayles Station, where he was booked early today, Hoops said, adding that he had been sought since he A judge issued the Academy-Award winning actress’s stalker a stay-away order. appeared at Berry’s home on Saturday.

12

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Durant not ruling out SPORTS BEAT going abroad during lockout

BY BRAD PYE JR. CONTRIBUTING WRITER

TIANJIN, China (AP) — Kevin Durant isn’t ruling out playing basketball abroad next season if the NBA lockout isn’t resolved.

The Oklahoma City Thunder forward said Tuesday during a promotional tour in China that he thinks more players will follow Deron Williams’ example and play overseas if the NBA season is disrupted.

Williams has said he will play for Besiktas in Turkey if the lockout remains. “We’ll see. I would like to try something new,� Durant said. “But of course, my first option is playing in the NBA. So now I want to see how this lockout goes.�

AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying He said he’s still hopeful that a new collective bargaining Professional basketball player Kevin Durant contemplates what he’ll do if a agreement will be reached. “If not, I will make a deci- new deal isn’t struck. sion on where I am going to play basketball,� said Durant, who added he’s in no hurry to make a decision. “I am going to take it slow. Everybody’s going to wait to see how this plays out. D-Will, you know, he made his decision quick and I am sure you are going to see a lot of guys kind of follow his footsteps. So, he’s very brave to be the first guy to do it.�

He added it is “tough� to see Yao Ming retire, and the 7-foot-6 Houston Rockets center deserves to be in the basketball Hall of Fame.

Durant said it has been an honor to play Yao, who is expected to announce July 20 that he’s retiring from the NBA after nine seasons because of leg and foot injuries. The 30-year-old Yao has missed 250 regular-season games over the past six seasons. “Tough, man, tough to see a great player and a great competitor like Yao Ming leave the game after being injured a few years,� Durant said. “As a player, you come into the league, the first thing somebody asks you is what you want to do when you get here, and a lot of players say, ‘I want to dunk over Yao Ming.’ So you can tell how much impact he has in the game. “He comes in, he works every day and you can tell that he’s never in trouble and he sets such a good example for the players coming into the league.�

Asked if he thought Yao should have a place in the basketball Hall of Fame, Durant said the Chinese player deserves the honor. “It was exciting to watch such a tall guy but that can shoot the basketball and put so much pressure on your defense by playing down low, and also his defense, too,� Durant said. “He does so much for the game, and he does deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. He’s so dominant in the game, and he changed the game by him just running up and down the floor.�

Yao boosted the popularity of the basketball league in China and throughout Asia, spiking merchandise sales and TV ratings for games after the Rockets made him the top overall pick in the 2002 draft.

REDISTRICTING Continued from page 6

performed elsewhere). It has been reported that over the past year and a half, 19 plans have been submitted by the public to alter representation for the county’s 10 million residents, and some have recommended adjustments to the Second Supervisorial District [represented by Mark Ridley-Thomas], which has the highest concentration of African Americans. This has been done outside the purview of African Americans and without a spotlight as with the CCRC’s mandate.

Historically, African Americans have fought, bled and died in the fight for civil rights FOR ALL AMERICANS. Every group, ethnicity, race and religion has benefited from the burdens that African Americans have borne so that this nation can live up to its creed that “all men (women and children) are created equal.� So it appears paradoxi-

cal that the rights that African Americans have fought for are now being eroded and shifted to others.

Specifically, two out of the three African American congresswomen in South Los Angeles are being threatened to lose their districts if the present maps become permanent. How-ever, a careful analysis of the proposed district boundaries suggests that it has to be a win-lose outcome. But that is not the case. An alternate boundary map does show just the opposite: a win-win situation for all concerned.

A new map shows that African Americans can maintain their political base and Latinos can have their just due also. It has been proposed, and it is incumbent upon the commission and other communities of interest to fairly and objectively review the proposed map that will result in a solution mutually acceptable for all concerned.

See REDISTRICTING, page 14

Notes quotes and things picked up on the run from coast to-coast and all the stops in between and beyond.

The New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter exploded like a Fourth of July firecracker Saturday as he blasted a third inning home run served up by the Tampa Rays’ David Price (a man of color) and collected a total of five hits (including the go-ahead single in the eighth) to join the 3,000 hit club.

Jeter is the sixth player to reach this milestone. This enabled the Yankees to defeat the Tampa Rays, 5-4. Jeter is the first Yankee to reach the 3,000 hit plateau in 28 years. As of Sunday, going into the All-Star break Jeter had 3,304 hits, three behind Al Kaline (3,307) for 26th place in the record books.

What about those lowly Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of a sweep over the San Diego Padres, going into the All-Star break with 4-1 victory? The Dodgers swept the Padres back to the Border City and escaped falling all the way to the bottom of the barrel as they ended with a first half record of 4l-51—10 ? games back of the first place San Francisco Giants (51-40).

On the bright side, centerfielder Matt Kemp continues to put up MVP numbers. For the record, the Dodgers go into the second half of the season with a 1,000 to 1 shot to make it to the World Series.

Bulletin: Derek Jeter isn’t the only happy New York Yankee today.

His teammate Robinson Cano is just as happy after winning the All-Star Home Run Derby with a joyful 32 round trippers.

The AL West-leading L.A. Angels of Anaheim is counting on Tori Hunter, Vernon Wells, and Jr., to keep them moving up the baseball ladder. The Angels are hoping to battle for their second trip to the World Series.

Two members of the 3,000 hit club were once members of the San Diego Padres. They are Tony Gwynn Sr. and Dave Winfield. Today Tony is the baseball coach at his alma mater, San Diego State. And Dave is currently a senior advisor and vice president of the Padres.

There weren’t as many African Americans in the July 12 All-Star Game in Phoenix as there were when Willie Mays, Don Newcombe, Willie McCovey, Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks all dominated the game, but one of the two managers was a man of color. He’s Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers, the losers in last season’s World Series. Washington piloted the American League All-Stars.

At 36-years-old, ex-New York Giants All-Pro running back Tiki Barber plans to make an NFL comeback after four years if the Lockout is ever lifted. New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson, 32, who will see limited action, thinks Tiki Barber can be successful.

Tomlinson says: “I hope it happens for him. When a man is on a mission to do something that’s never been done, a great one makes it happens.�

The L.A. Angels of Anaheim have the best fielding outfield in baseball. Who says so? Baseball Info Solutions. Just before the All-Star

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Derek Jeter, baseball’s newest ‘Mr. 3000.’ break the Angels had saved 28 runs— the most in MLB. Vanity Fair has it correct when it writes in the August issue: “There’s been a deathwatch for Frank (L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt) for months now ‌ He is a carcass on the ground at this point, and MLB is the buzzard circling.â€?

Race car driver Lewis Hamilton gets very little note, but he is still the Formula 1 World Champion. Lewis is featured in an ad in the Sporting News and other publications with Tony Stewart, two-time NASCAR champion. Hamilton is one of a very few men or women of color competing in this kind of racing.

And the beat continues.

What is the real reason why Jennifer Gillom is out as L.A. Sparks head coach and Kobe Bryant’s dad, Joe “Jellybean� Bryant is in for his second term as head coach in the middle of this season? All of those salutations from all sides don’t appear to run true. Like the late Texas Governor Ann Richards once said: “That dog can’t hunt.�

Mrs. Ramona Hahn, the widow of the late legendary L.A. County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, and the mother of former Mayor Jim Hahn and City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, was the true champion of the Hahn family. She died July 10; she was 86. Supervisor Hahn, through his unprecedented 40 years of service, repeatedly declared in many of his motions on the board, saying: “Ramona said this. Ramona said that.� Rest in piece, Mrs. Hahn, the love of Supervisor Hahn’s life.

Supervisor Hahn was Mrs. Hahn’s professor at their alma mater, Pepperdine College, on Vermont Avenue at the time. Supervisor Hahn told Mrs. Ramona one day: “I’m going to marry you.� Mrs. Ramona replied, “Not on your life.� That conversation turned into more than four decades of loving togetherness.

And the beat ends.

Brad Pye, Jr., can be reached Switchreel@aol.com.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Steelers’ Harrison to magazine: Goodell a ‘devil’

AP Photo/NFL Photos

David Lee “Deacon” Turner was “the backbone of the family,” says his nephew.

Ex-NFL Bengal killed by Calif. deputy in scuffle BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — A California deputy shot and killed a former running back for the Cincinnati Bengals in front of a convenience store after he allegedly hit an officer with a bag holding two cans of beer.

David Lee “Deacon” Turner, 56, played with the Bengals from 1978 to 1980 and had long arrest history after his playing career was finished.

Deputies who were investigating reports of teenagers asking adults to buy alcohol and cigarettes approached Turner on Sunday as he left the convenience store with his 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old juvenile.

The deputies detained Turner while they investigated. The sheriff’s office said Turner initially complied but then decided to leave, and the scuffle occurred when deputies tried to stop the former NFL player. Deputy Aaron Nadal was hit on the back of the head with a bag holding two, 24-ounce cans of beer before Deputy Wesley Kraft drew his handgun and fired twice at Turner, authorities said.

Friends and family told the The Bakersfield Californian they have trouble believing authorities’ account of the story. Nephew Kevin Turner called his uncle “the backbone of our family.”

“He was a marvelous kid,” Bakersfield College coach Gerry Collins told the newspaper.

Turner excelled at shredding defenses at Shafter High School, Bakersfield College and San Diego State University before getting drafted by the Bengals in the second round in 1978.

Turner was used primarily as a kick returner in his three years in the league, amassing 1,149 return yards in 1979 for the last-place Bengals. He had 549 career rushing yards.

Court records show an arrest history stretching back to 1986.

The most recent, on June 17, was for driving while his license was revoked because of a conviction for driving under the influence.

Sheriff Donny Youngblood said department investigators were getting tapes from video cameras at the store to see if the incident Sunday was recorded. He said he has purposely not researched Turner’s criminal background.

“I want to look at it with an open and objective mind,” Youngblood said. “Having a record is a tiny piece of the puzzle, but not a significant piece.”

He declined to comment about the investigation directly. The department issued a release saying Nadal was treated and released at a hospital. Officials have not described the nature of his injury.

Kraft is on administrative leave while sheriff’s detectives investigate the shooting.

NEW YORK (AP) — Heavily fined Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison calls NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “crook” and a “devil,” among other insults, in a magazine article.

The 2008 AP Defensive Player of the Year hasn’t been shy about ripping the league after he was docked $100,000 for illegal hits last season. In the August issue of Men’s Journal, his rants against Goodell reach another level of wrath.

“If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it,” Harrison told the magazine. “I hate him and will never respect him.”

His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay slur, “stupid,” ‘‘puppet” and “dictator.”

If the Steelers had defeated the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, Harrison said, he would have whispered in Goodell’s ear during the trophy ceremony: “Why don’t you quit and do something else, like start your own league in flag football?”

Harrison also criticizes other NFL execs, Patriotsturned-commentators Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi (“clowns”), Houston’s Brian Cushing (“juiced out of his mind”)—and even teammates Rashard Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger for their performances in the Super Bowl loss. Harrison questions whether a Black player is punished more for a hard hit on a White player than the opposite.

Beyond the insults, Harrison makes some serious points about what he believes are the league’s misguided attempts to increase safety. He explains how non-guaranteed contracts make players more likely to hit high, because in the short term, a torn knee ligament is more costly than a concussion.

And Harrison suggests the real way to prevent head injuries is to shorten the season to 14 games, start offseason workouts later and trim the length of training camp so “we’re not bangin’ heads so much in August. That’s where the brain trauma comes from.”

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has some choice words for others in the league.

Black Facts July 14, 1999 On July 14, 1914 Marcus Garvey arrived in Jamaica after a long tour which had taken him through Central America and Europe. Five days later on July 19 he launched the largest independent organisation the world has ever seen - the Universal Negro Improvement Association, UNIA, intended to be the mouthpiece of Black women, men and children all over the world.

Source: blackfacts.com

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is one of Harrison’s targets.

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www.lawattstimes.com

T.S. No.: AF11-118 Loan No.: Church of Greater Works NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 5/23/2005. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, cashier's check drawn on a state or national bank, check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings association, or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown below, of all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust described below. The sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale. Trustor: Church of Greater Works, Inc., a Non-Profit Religious Corporation Duly Appointed Trustee: AMERICAN FORECLOSURE SERVICES Recorded 6/9/2005 as Instrument No. 05-1347588 in book , page of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, Date of Sale: 7/27/2011 at 10:30 AM Place of Sale: AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE NORTHRIDGE BRANCH OF THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY, 9051 DARBY AVENUE, NORTHRIDGE, CA 91325 Amount of unpaid balance and other charges: $78,199.00 Street Address or other common designation of real property: 523 East Washington Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90044 A.P.N.: 5127-020-028 & 5127-020-029 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address or other common designation, if any, shown above. If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. Date: 6/30/2011 SECTION 1692(E): THIS COMMUNICATION IS WITH A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE AMERICAN FORECLOSURE SERVICES 9016 White Oak Avenue Northridge, California 91325 (818) 781-9800 Sale Line: 714-573-1965 / Los Angeles County Sales only: 818-781-9800 Kim Kaufman, Trustee Sales Officer Ad #13453 2011-06-30 2011-07-07 2011-07-14 2011-07-21

Trustee Sale No. CA09003584-10-1 APN 6006-001-020 Title Order No. 4910405 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED December 20, 2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On July 25, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL INC. dba TRUSTEE CORPS, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on January 4, 2007, as Instrument No. 20070017256, of Official Records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CA, executed by MANUEL ARMANDO HENRIQUEZ AND ELENA HENRIQUEZ, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor(s), in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 115 EAST 59TH PLACE, LOS ANGELES AREA, CA 90262 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest Theron, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $357,134.78 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale.

Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: June 23, 2011 TRUSTEE CORPS TS No. CA09003584-10-1 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Rowena Paz, Authorized Signatory SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Ad #13487 2011-06-30 2011-07-07 2011-07-14

T.S. No.: 11-00801 Loan No.: 1421446855 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 8/29/2008. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, cashier's check drawn on a state or national bank, check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings association, or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown below, of all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust described below. The sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time

Thursday, July 14, 2011 of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale.

Trustor: Mousa Namvar, a married man as his sole and separate property Duly Appointed Trustee: Stewart Default Services Recorded 9/5/2008 as Instrument No. 20081604438 of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, Date of Sale: 7/27/2011 at 1:00 PM Place of Sale: at the front entrance to the Pomona Superior Courts Building 350 West Mission Blvd., Pomona, CA Amount of unpaid balance and other charges: $5,816,884.42 Street Address or other common designation of real property: 516 North Carmelina Avenue Los Angeles, California 90049 Legal Description: LOT 2 OF TRACT NO. 12682, IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS PER MAP RECORDED IN BOOK 263 PAGES 15 AND 16 OF MAPS, IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY RECORDER OF SAID COUNTY. A.P.N.: 4405-002-002 Notice of Trustee Sale - continued The beneficiary or servicing agent declares that it has obtained from the Commissioner of Corporations a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to California Civil Code Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date the Notice of Sale is filed and/or the timeframe for giving Notice of Sale specified in subdivision(s) of California Civil Code Section 2923.52 applies and has been provided or the loan is exempt from the requirements. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address or other common designation, if any, shown above. If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. Date: 6/24/2011 Stewart Default Services Olesya Williams, Foreclosure Specialist If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. Ad #13557 2011-06-30 2011-07-07 2011-07-14

Trustee Sale No. CA09003794-10-1 APN 6005-002-017 Title Order No. 4940914 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED May 21, 2007.

UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On August 1, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL INC. dba TRUSTEE CORPS, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on May 30, 2007, as Instrument No. 20071296675, of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, executed by JESUS S FERNANDEZ A SINGLE MAN AND SERAPIA CARCAMO A SINGLE WOMAN AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor(s), in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 318 W 63 RD PLACE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90003 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $318,862.68 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale.

Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: June 28, 2011 TRUSTEE CORPS TS No. CA09003794-10-1 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Rowena Paz, Authorized Signatory SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Ad #13569 2011-07-07 2011-07-14 2011-07-21

Trustee Sale No. CA09001588-10-1 APN 6083-003-016 Title Order No. 100528715-CA-LPI NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED April 25, 2007.

UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On August 2, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL INC. dba TRUSTEE CORPS, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on May 1, 2007, as Instrument No. 20071045044, of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, executed by ERMINIO MUNOZ, A MARRIED MAN, AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, as Trustor(s), in favor of Mortgage Electronics Registration Systems, Inc as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 212 -212 1/2 EAST LANZITAVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90061 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations

secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $407,395.97 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: June 28, 2011 TRUSTEE CORPS TS No. CA09001588-10-1 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Paul Gutierrez, Authorized Signatory SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Ad #13570 2011-07-07 2011-07-14 2011-07-21

Trustee Sale # CA0960419-2 Loan# 159093402 Order # 4308610 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 04/02/2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 08/01/2011 at 1 :00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 04/13/2007 as Document No. 20070889049 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, LOURDES MORALES, A MARRIED WOMAN AS HER SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, as Trustor, COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS, INC., as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 6069-015-003 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 1713 EAST 111TH PLACE , LOS ANGELES, CA 90059-1913 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $326,816.57 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse.

The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell.

The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 06/29/2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: ROWENA PAZ, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 RPRequests@trusteecorps.com Ad #13630 2011-07-07 2011-07-14 2011-07-21

Trustee Sale No. CA09001628-11-1 APN 6069-027-022 Title Order No. 5207774 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED September 22, 2008. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On August 1, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL INC. dba TRUSTEE CORPS, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on September 30, 2008, as Instrument No. 20081749637, of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, executed by ELODIO SANTIBANEZ, A SINGLE MAN AND RUDY LENORE CARDENAS, A SINGLE MAN, AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor(s), in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 1667 E 115TH ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90059-2501 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed

of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $321,130.65 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale.

Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: June 30, 2011 TRUSTEE CORPS TS No. CA09001628-11-1 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Rowena Paz, Authorized Signatory SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Ad #13671 2011-07-07 2011-07-14 2011-07-21

Trustee Sale # CA0958766-2 Loan# 153459152 Order # 55010530 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 11/16/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 08/09/2011 at 1 :00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 11/29/2006 as Document No. 20062635977 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, WILLIE LEE STEELE, AND MARCIA E STEELE, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor, COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS, INC., as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 6134-006-005 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 13125 STANFORD AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90059-3341, The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $390,578.72 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse.

The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell.

The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 07/07/2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: PAUL GUTIERREZ, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 RPRequests@trusteecorps.com Ad #13867 2011-07-14 2011-07-21 2011-07-28

REDISTRICTING Continued from page 12

There is still time to correct the above-stated imperfections in the mapping process. Marqueece HarrisDawson, president of Community Coalition, who has been active in the South Los Angeles community for more than 20 years, will speak to the community on July 9 at 12:15 p.m. at the EXPO Center located at 3990 Bill Robertson Lane (formerly Menlo Avenue) on redistricting and its economic and political impact on South Los Angeles. His lecture will be a part of the Brotherhood Crusade’s workshop series, of which Charisse Bremond-Weaver has said, “Our latest workshop series, The Economic Impact of Institutional and Structural Racism,

CITY OF LOS ANGELES $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, CLINT SMITH, in the City of Los Angeles.

On Thursday, May 13, 2010, at approximately 6:15 p.m., Clint Smith, a 28-year old man, was standing in front of 6309 Brynhurst Avenue, when an unknown suspect approached and shot him with a handgun. Mr. Smith was struck twice in the upper torso, and later succumbed to his injuries. 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, JANUARY 6, 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-s35 7/14/11 CNS-2131878# WATTS TIMES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2011058295 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Scholastic Tennis Academy, 1753 Preuss Rd., LA, CA 90035, County of L.A. P.O. Box 35735, L.A, Calif. 90035.

Registered owner(s): Larry Smith, 1753 Preuss Rd., LA, CA 90035.

This business is conducted by an individual.

The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)

S/ Larry Smith, Owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on July 6, 2011.

NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

Original 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4/11 CNS-2135590# WATTS TIMES

GOVERNMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP #7544) INDEPENDENT AUDIT AND TAX RETURNS SERVICES The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles invites proposals from qualified firms interested in providing independent audit and tax returns services. Copy of the RFP may be obtained beginning July 11, 2011via www.hacla.org/ps or call (213) 2525405 or 252-1832. Proposals will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Blvd, #3100, Los Angeles CA 90057, until 2:00 P.M., by August 12, 2011.

7/14, 7/21/11 CNS-2133816# WATTS TIMES

is a prime example of how we help the entire community establish positive habits and attitudes about money that ultimately lead to an understanding of its power.”

The time is at hand and, as AARC’s letter also states, “…We can no longer remain silent in the face of so many instances of misstatements about important elements of voting rights law.

Time is too short and the stakes are far too high for our community …”

See REDISTRICTING, page 15

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Thursday, July 14, 2011 HELP WANTED Lateral Police Officer $5,275 - $6,373 per month The City of Claremont Police Department is looking for a highly energetic and motivated selfstarter, whose work ethic and moral standards are of the highest caliber, to preserve the peace, protect life and property, prevent and detect crimes, and enforce laws and ordinances, while maintaining a positive public service approach toward the community.

Additional information about job duties and qualifications are available on the City website at www.ci.claremont.ca.us or from the Personnel Office at (909) 399-5450. Completed application required. Position is open until filled. EOE Police Aide $10.22 - $12.34 per hour (Part-time) The City of Claremont Police Department is looking for a highly energetic, customer service oriented individual who has top-notch office skills. Police Aides are utilized in a variety of areas within the Police Department, including Records, Investigations, Overnight Parking, and Traffice. The current open position is in the Records Bureau.

Additional information about job duties and qualifications are available on the City website at www.ci.claremont.ca.us or from the Personnel Office at (909) 399-5450. Completed application required and mist be received by Tuesday, July 26, 2011, by 1:00 p.m. EOE

MEDIA CONSUMPTION Continued from page 5

TV sets in their rooms is telling.

Blacks not only lead youths in TV ownership but also are also more likely to be obese or overweight.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 22.4 percent of Black children are obese and 44.4 percent are overweight, compared with 17.4 percent and 36.9 percent for White children,

REDISTRICTING Continued from page 14

To reach the commission, citizens are urged to write: California Citizens Redistricting Commission 901 P Street, Suite 154-A Sacramento, Ca 95814 Fax: (916) 651-5711 Email: votersfirstact@crc.ca.gov In addition, there will be a meeting on redistricting on Thursday, July 14, at 10 a.m. at the California African American Museum (CAAM), Exposition Park, 600 State Drive, Los Angeles, Ca.

NOTICE INVITING BIDS FOR PROVIDING BITUMINOUS PAVING, TRAFFIC STRIPING, PAVEMENT MARKING, AND OTHER RELATED SERVICES AT LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S2423 All bids must be submitted before 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 9, 2011. Any Bids received at or after 10:00 a.m., Tuesday August 9, 2011 will be deemed non-responsive and will not be opened. Bids will be publicly opened in the 6th Floor Board Room of the Harbor Department Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, California, 90802 at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

Bids shall be sealed in an envelope and the outside of the envelope should clearly state the specification number, title of the project and the bid opening date. Bids received before Tuesday, August 9, 2011 shall be sent to the 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications office, where the bid envelope will be date stamped. If bids are handcarried or received the day of bid opening, prior to 10:00 a.m., the bids will be clocked in at the Lobby desk of the Harbor Department Administration Building and taken to the 6th Floor Board Room by the Port Contract Administrator. It is anticipated that the Board of Harbor Commissioners will consider a conditional award on September 9, 2011 with Staff given the authority to execute a Contract provided the lowest responsive bidder submits the required completed insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) days after conditional award by the Board.

Copies of said specifications in CD format may be obtained, at no cost, in the Plans and Specifications office, 4th floor, Harbor Department Administration Building beginning July 14, 2011 during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To arrange to receive a CD by courier at the expense of the Bidder call the office at (562) 590-4146. The printing of hard copies from the CD will be the responsibility of the Bidder.

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

Copies of all Port insurance forms are available at: http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/forms_permits/insurance.asp.

The Engineering Staff of the Harbor Department will conduct a pre-bid meeting at 9:00 a.m., on July 21, 2011, in the 1st Floor CM Central Conference Room, of the Harbor Department Administration Building. Attendance is not mandatory, but highly recommended.

This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small Business Enterprises (SBE) and Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program.

POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal for this project which is ten percent (10%) SBE/VSBE of which a minimum of three percent (3%) must be allocated to VSBEs. Award of the Contract will be conditioned on the Bidder providing documentation that it has obtained enough SBE/VSBE participation to meet the goal or that it made adequate good faith efforts to meet the goal even though it did not obtain enough SBE/VSBE participation to do so as specified in the Special Provision 37 (S.P. 37). The Port’s SBE Program Staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact the staff at (562) 499-3472. You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at: http://www.polb.com/sbe/contractors/sbe_program/default.asp This project consists of furnishing all labor, material, power, equipment, tools, transportation and supervision necessary to provide bituminous pavement milling, fine

respectively.

Félix Gutiérrez, a University of Southern California journalism and communication professor who has written extensively about race and media, doesn’t necessarily recommend advising youths of color to watch less television. It depends on whether they’re intellectually engaged, he says.

The New York State Psychiatric Institute study found that students who passively absorb entertainment on television find classroom lessons boring. Gutiérrez advises parents that rather than leaving children alone to watch favorite shows, they should join them and initiate meaningful discussion about what’s on the screen.

“Studies in the past have shown that when children saw a stereotypical portrayal of an Indian or Black or Mexican, it helped to have parents there to challenge the message,” he says. “There weren’t many Latinos on TV, so if a Ricky Ricardo type came on, the child could hear the parent saying, ‘People think we’re all like that.’ ”

Such critical feedback from parents helps children of color not to internalize racially demeaning messages, according to Gutiérrez.

Of course, not all minority youths spend much time watching television. Melissa Reed, 15, of the San Fernando Valley in California, says she rarely tunes in. Instead, the Black teen exercises regularly and spends “maybe like up to five hours listening to music on my iPod.” Melissa also spends about an hour daily on her computer but not necessarily for homework.

The Northwestern study found this trend among youths of all races.

White, Black and Hispanic juveniles spend on average of 16 minutes daily on computers for studies, with Asian Americans using computers for that purpose a mere four minutes more.

That the Northwestern report showed little difference in numbers of computers in homes of White, Black and Latino children surprised Gutiérrez.

Homes of each of these groups have about two computers, while Asian American homes average three.

grading, slurry sealing, paving, paving materials, miscellaneous patching and repairing services, construct/repair curbs, gutters and sidewalks, provide striping, markers, wheel stops and all related appurtenances and related services at various locations as required by the Long Beach Harbor Department. The quantity of work to be performed and materials to be furnished are approximate only, being given as a basis for the comparison of bids.

The term of this contract shall be for two (2) calendar years following issuance of a Notice to Proceed by the Engineer.

Bidders shall, at the time of submitting their bids, in compliance with Section 7028.15 of the California Business and Professions Code, be licensed by the State Contractor’s License Board as a Specialty Contractor with a "Class C12, Earthwork and Paving" license, or a General Engineering Contractor with a “Class A” license. If traffic control work is to be performed by a subcontractor, the subcontractor must have a “C-31 Construction Zone Traffic Control” license.

Whenever any material, product, thing, or service identified in the specifications is described by one or more brand or trade names and is followed by the words “or equal”, the apparent low bidder shall submit data substantiating a request for the substitution of equivalent item(s) within forty-eight (48) hours following bid opening.

All bids shall be submitted upon forms provided by the City accompanied by a satisfactory "Bidder’s Bond" or other acceptable security deposit in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of such bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if conditionally awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) days thereafter, execute and deliver such Contract to the office of the Chief Harbor Engineer along with all required insurance forms and a “Payment Bond” for not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price, and a “Performance Bond” for not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price. The “Bidder’s Bond” shall be submitted on forms provided by the City, signed by the Bidder and the surety and both signatures shall be notarized.

Work shall be completed within the time frame specified in one or more written Annual Contract Task Order (ACTO) issued by the City. Failure of the Contractor to commence, continue, or complete the work within the time frame specified in each ACTO issued by the City will result in liquidated damages (LDs) in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500) per calendar day of delay in commencing, continuing, or completing the work that is in excess of the time specified in the ACTO, plus any authorized time extensions. Concurrent LDs may be assessed for each ACTO work that is being performed at the same time.

The Board of Harbor Commissioners, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time prior to the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject all bids and to return all deposits accompanying said bids. If the lowest responsive bidder fails to submit the required insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) days after conditional award, the Board reserves the right to rescind the conditional award and conditionally award the Contract to the next lowest responsive bidder. All bids and bid bonds shall be guaranteed for a period of ninety (90) days following the bid opening or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first. The Board also reserves the right at any time to terminate the Contract for its convenience.

Dated at Long Beach, California, this 27th day of June, 2011.

Richard D. Steinke Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California

“This runs counter to the digital divide talk of the late ’90s and early part of the millennium when they said that Black and Latino youth would be left behind technologically,” Gutiérrez says.

Now that minority youths rely daily on new and traditional media, parents and educators should engage them by using these tools, says Lewis of the Council of the Great City Schools. “Educators need to be more familiar with this new media, so we can use this to our advantage, so young people can have an educational experience with it that’s meaningful.”

Krystal and Melissa say teachers routinely assign them homework requiring Internet use and that taking shortcuts that way is all too easy.

According to Melissa, students must be motivated to use technology to develop better thinking skills.

“I think the Internet can easily give you answers if you use it just to look up answers for homework, but it doesn’t really help,” she says.

“That’s the easy way out. If you actually want to learn, that’s not

going to help at all.”

Parents can help by monitoring how children use different forms of media and for what length of time, Lewis says. The worst thing parents can do is allow children to shut themselves in their rooms while using media because that offers no way to gauge whether critical thinking skills are being used, she says.

Wartella agrees. She says media shouldn’t function as babysitters but should entertain and inform youngsters, and connect them with parents.

“Parents should start talking to young people about what media they’re using and why they’re using it and try to figure out what’s going on,” she says. “It’s the way we communicate with our children.”

America’s Wire is an independent, non-profit news service run by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. America’s Wire is made possible by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information, visit www.americaswire.org or contact Michael K. Frisby at mike@frisbyassociates.com.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Lakers’ Ron Artest Honored by County Board of Supervisors

BY ELIZABETH MARCELLINO CITY NEWS SERVICE LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest was honored today by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for his work in raising awareness of mental health issues.

“Ron Artest is in the house,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. He recognized Artest for “his demonstrated courage in helping to erase the stigma associated with mental health challenges.”

Artest’s goal, he said, is to let kids in particular know that there’s nothing shameful about seeking help when they need it.

“There’s nothing wrong with improving yourself ... there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

The Lakers player, pilloried for attacking

a fan in the stands in 2004 as an Indiana Pacer, has appeared in public service announcements for the county and other organizations and raised $650,000 to support mental health programs by raffling off his 2010 NBA championship ring. His advocacy earned him the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.

The county’s director of mental health services, Marvin Southard, reinforced Artest’s message today, saying, “If you get the help, anything is possible.”

In a hallway behind the board’s hearing room today, Artest was asked about his request to change his name to Metta World Peace, filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 23.

“I always want to have fun,” Artest said.

Kudos to Ron Artest for his support of mental health causes.

Mayor Villaraigosa announces interim fire chief

Brian Cummings to head LAFD.

Last week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued the following statement regarding the appointment of Brian Cummings as Interim Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department: “Today, I am pleased to appoint current Assistant Chief Brian Cummings as Interim Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department. An accomplished 31-year veteran of the LAFD, Cummings has served with dedication and distinction. Both he and his brother—a Captain I in the Harbor Gateway area—followed in their father’s footsteps to protect and serve their fellow Angelenos with the LAFD. “Having served as Chief of Staff to Chief Peaks, Cummings is intimately familiar with the details and inner workings of the organization, allowing him to pick up where Chief Peaks left off and ensuring the smoothest transition possible until the position is permanently filled. I look forward to working closely with Interim Chief Cummings and his team in the weeks and months ahead.”

Metta is a Buddhist word meaning loving-kindness, according to John Black, the Los Angeles Lakers vice president of public relations, an understanding supported by Artest’s comments to various news organizations in the wake of the filing.

But today, asked whether he planned to go forward with the change, Artest said he was “not sure.” He didn’t elaborate further before stepping into an elevator to exit the building.

A hearing on Artest’s requested name change is scheduled for Aug. 26 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Artest is a part-time rapper, and his wife, Kimsha, is part of the cast of the upcoming VH1 reality show “Basketball Wives: Los Angeles.” He is also trying to generate interest in a reality TV show for himself that would be called “Last Second Shot.”