LAWT-8-20-2009

August 20, 2009

SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE

Vol. XXX, No. 1141 FIRST COLUMN

SC Man Chronicles Black Veterans of Civil War

BY DAVID LAUDERDALE THE (HILTON HEAD) ISLAND PACKET

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — African American cemeteries in Beaufort County are enchanting places.

Tiny crabs scurry across tombstones perched at angles next to the marsh. Graves weave through the land, with no neat rows or paved roads. Plates taken from the dinner table half a century ago may be incorporated into tombstones. Information on some of the older headstones appears to be etched by a finger, while nearby

a sleek black granite stone might be chiseled with gold lettering.

These cemeteries in today’s Lowcountry rest as pricey condominiums or even a grocery store push against the lot line. Yet, somehow even solemn death can’t hush the robust spirit of an overlooked culture.

Howard D. Wright of Hilton Head Island knows these burial grounds like few others. He sees them as more than hallowed grounds.

To him, they are a reference See CIVIL WAR VETS, page 4

AP Photo by MICHAEL SOHN

ANOTHER BOLT OF LIGHTNING — Jamaica’s Usain Bolt set a new Men’s 100m World Record at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Aug. 16. Bolt, who turns 23 years old on Aug. 21, is a world record holder in both the 100m and the 200m and an Olympic record holder in the 100m.

Supervisors Approve Plan for New King Hospital

BY CHICO C. NORWOOD STAFF WRITER

Photo by DAVID LAUDERDALE/Reprinted with permission of THE (HILTON HEAD) ISLAND PACKET (ISLANDPACKET.COM)

A MATTER OF RESPECT — Howard D. Wright stands in Talbird Cemetery in Beaufort County, S.C., where he hopes 300 grave markers will be placed to honor local African Americans who fought in the Civil War.

Cheered on by many in an overflow crowd of more than 700, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a plan to build a new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital and authorized county officials to begin negotiations with the

California Struggles to Desegregate Prison Inmates

BY DON THOMPSON AP WRITER

SACRAMENTO (AP) — The riot that ravaged a Southern California prison and injured 175 inmates began with a fight between black and Hispanic gang members, a stark reminder of the difficulty of race relations behind bars and the challenges of desegregating inmates.

In America’s largest state prison system, black, Hispanic, Asian and white gangs generally don’t mix. When they do, trouble typically follows.

“It isn’t that everybody in the inmate population is against integra-

tion — they like their teeth,” said David Miles, a 46-year-old black inmate at another prison, Sierra Conservation Center.

Mindful of that, California has for decades segregated inmates by race in their cells and sleeping areas.

In general, whole cell blocks and open dormitories are mixed race.

But four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court found the practice discriminatory, citing Brown v.

Board of Education. The court said it reinforced a cycle of racial hatred and violence and ordered the state to desegregate its prisons.

At the California Institution for Men in Chino, segregation is still in

AP PHOTO

place. The weekend riot started in a dormitory-style housing wing where many races are in a large room, but the sleeping arrangements are segregated. The exact cause of the riot remains under investigation.

All the state prisons were supposed to be integrated by the end of last year, but the process is far behind schedule.

Last fall, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation began desegregating two prisons in the Sierra foothills, southeast of the state capital. They are not yet fully integrated, and officials haven’t started on any other prisons.

The delay is due in part to state budget cuts that have reduced prison staff, corrections department spokesman Seth Unger said. The system has 1,000 vacancies and is to be reduced by 5,000 positions over two years.

The beginning of a desegregation effort also has hit a number of obstacles, many of them coming from the inmates themselves.

Powerful race-based gangs oppose integration and have threatened inmates who participate. That leads wardens, guards and inmates to predict it will take years to fully integrate the state’s 33 prisons, which hold about 150,000 inmates.

See INMATES, page 3

University of California to provide clinical services.

The supervisors also approved $208.5 million in funding for tower renovations at King Medical Center and another $145.3 million for a

new multi-service ambulatory care center/ancillary building.

Under the proposed plan for the new hospital, a new private nonprofit entity would be created See MLK HOSPITAL, page 10

NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Family of Man Killed by Deputies Awarded $2.65M (AP) — A federal jury has awarded $2.65 million to the family of a gunman killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.

The panel ruled last week that deputies used unreasonable force when they shot 22-year-old Freddie Davis Jr. of Long Beach and wounded his brother in 2006.

The county counsel’s office plans to appeal. Sheriff Lee Baca says both men were armed and deputies feared for their lives.

The deputies were answering a report of an attempted liquor store robbery in Compton when they spotted the brothers. They claimed Davis motioned with a sawed-off shotgun. He was shot five times in the back.

Attorneys for the family said the brothers ran from deputies because they were carrying concealed weapons but made no threatening moves.

Anti-Gang Program Meets Payroll With City’s Help (AP) — Homeboy Industries, an acclaimed Los Angeles antigang program facing a tight budget, will get some help from the city to meet payroll.

The Rev. Greg Boyle, the organization’s founder, said the

City Council voted Aug. 14 to negotiate a $340,000 contract with the group and pay for it with money from a Justice Department gang reduction grant.

Boyle says the money will help cover payroll for two weeks.

He says city officials have promised another $160,000.

He says he’s hopeful because donations have picked up and an overdue check from the state Division of Juvenile Justice arrived.

The organization is running a $5 million budget deficit this year because of a dropoff in donations and government contracts.

THE NATION Rashied Ali Passes NEW YORK (AP) — Rashied Ali, a free-jazz drummer who backed John Coltrane and accompanied him in a duet album in the final months of the jazz master’s life, has died. He was 76.

The Philadelphia native died at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital of a blood clot in his lung on Aug. 12, said his wife, Patricia Ali. Ali played with Coltrane on the duet album “Interstellar Space,” recorded shortly before Coltrane died of cancer in 1967.

Over a career that spanned

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See BRIEFS, page 7

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

August 20, 2009

OPINION

‘Is Obama a Socialist?’

In an Esquire feature interview in July, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was asked point blank, “Is Obama a socialist?” Bush’s short answer: “I don’t know.”

His answer was as duplicitous as it was cryptic. Bush and the GOP attack hounds have worked night and day to tar Barack Obama as a stealth-red president out to socialize medicine, snatch wealth from the rich and middle class, impose a Joe Stalin-style, big-and-repressive government on America, and reorder capitalism. This is cunning, calculated, and a Kool-Aid delusion ploy.

But it’s also working.

Right-side bloggers, chatters, and talk radio gabbers pile tons of anti-Obama slurs and slams on Web sites, blogs and in responses to articles. In an August U.S. News and World Report poll, nearly 90 percent of the respondents said that Obama’s policies are socialist. There are more than 2 million references (and climbing), quotes, quips, comments and notations on Obama as a socialist on Google.

And there are more than a quarter million references and comments on Google to the dopey Obama as Joker poster. Packs of blog respondents bragged that they were plastering up posters all over the joint.

The sheer mass of anti-Obama slanders from the right, the fringe, and the GOP hounds has forced much of the mainstream media and respected commentators, analysts and bloggers who should know better than to spend time and space arguing the cons of the claim and refuting it. This just gives back-door credence to the silly charge.

The irony is that then-presidential candidate Obama also gave back-door dignity to it last October during a rally in Raleigh, N.C. Obama mocked the charge in a blast at Sen. John McCain for strongly hinting there was a red taint to Obama’s agenda. Obama laughed it off, asking whether the next thing would be that people would call him a communist. Unfortunately, there are more than a few who have happily said just that about him, too.

Even if he never pursed his lips and dignified the idiocy, and the GOP had played it on the up-and-up and stuck to the standard attack on Democrats as pro tax and spend, big government, and dovish on defense, Obama still would be branded a socialist. It’s a juicy term that touches a raw nerve with most Americans who are in a fog on what socialism is and how it works as a system. To many, a socialist is someone who is pro union, for increased government spending on health and education programs, and for civil liberties and especially civil rights. This always drew fire from the right. During the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was routinely smeared as a communist and socialist.

But it’s the mildest criticism of big business and the wealthy that ensure a slap on of the socialist tag.

The American economic sacred cow is that laissez faire wealth is tantamount to a divine right of kings, and any attempt to touch it is economic heresy. Politicians know that it is a kiss of death to be seen as an advocate for tax and income fairness.

Me, the Thief and Bystanders

BY MAYA RUPERT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This isn’t the story I planned to tell this week.

I originally wrote a story on violence against women. The article explored the disparity between convicted dog-fighter Michael Vick’s chilly reception back into the NFL and convicted rapist Mike Tyson’s appearance at the recent Teen Choice Awards to a crowd of screaming girls. It discussed the rapes in the Congo and the disturbing justification for them. The article asked why we were so comfortable seeing women attacked.

Then on the night of Aug. 16, a stranger walked up to me, jabbed a knife into my side — ripping my sweater — cursed at me and asked me if I wanted to die. Understanding my answer to be no, even though words failed me at the time, he took my purse, which contained, among other things, my saved article on violence against women.

I didn’t think he’d appreciate the irony, so I refrained from pointing it out to him as he made off with a purse my sister had given me, my phone — which pretty much contains my entire life — my house keys, all of my credit cards and cash, and that small part of me that assumed I — a grown woman — was entitled to walk to the grocery store alone after sundown.

I was lucky. I wasn’t injured, and I happen to live in a community where my yelling that I was being mugged prompted several bystanders on the street to call the cops, two to follow the mugger down the street in hopes that they would be able to help identify him, and a stranger to wait on the corner with me and hug me while I cried hysterically over the realization that someone threatened

to kill me.

Maybe it’s a good thing he stole my article — maybe I was wrong.

Turns out, there are quite a few people who aren’t comfortable seeing women attacked, and fortunately, enough of them were in downtown Los Angeles with me.

When I was asked to describe the attacker, the police asked me several times if I had said he was black.

It was an interesting question considering they asked it before I had offered any description at all of the assailant.

And then they asked it again.

And again. When I assured them he was white, they asked in disbelief, “wait, white or Hispanic?” Through gritted teeth and tears I insisted he was white.

When you’re in the back of a police car, going to identify a suspect, your mind wanders. Mines wandered to my previous experience with the police.

I’ve had the cops called on me precisely one time. I tried to use my mother’s credit card in a Coach store at her request. She called both the credit card company and the manager of the store to give me authorization to purchase a Christmas present for my sister on her behalf. The manager initially said it would be fine, but she was talked out of allowing the purchase by an associate in the store. I left, went to a different store, and minutes later the cops came in, pulled me to the back, and explained that they were called because I tried to use a credit card that wasn’t mine.

I calmly explained the situation, and fielded offensive questions about whether I knew that credit card fraud was a crime. I had passed the bar a month earlier, but I didn’t go all “don’t you know who I think I am?” on them.

Instead, I called both “sir,” assured them I had my mother’s permission to use her card, and didn’t wonder out loud why they insisted Maya Rupert on speaking to me like a criminal.

They asked me how many times I had been questioned by police before, and I managed not to scream at them.

Once they spoke to my parents, who had no qualms about mentioning that I was a lawyer, they transformed. They even apologized for “wasting my time.” I remember how I felt that day — it was the same way I felt when I heard about the Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s arrest, and the same way I felt as I listened to the cops jump to the conclusion that my attacker had been black or Hispanic as they took me to ID the wrong guy.

There is an undeniable and widespread bias against people of color in law enforcement, and it will take more than a beer to correct that.

So many times that I’m reminded of some of the worse features of our humanity, I’m also reminded of some of our best. As ugly as crime and institutionalized racism are, they’re up against the beauty of a generation of people as good as those who helped me that night.

I’d say it’s gonna be a fair fight, and in fact, my money’s on us.

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

That invites being plastered with the socialist tag.

GOP presidents and presidential candidates ritually play the taxand-spend card to brand their Democratic rivals as dangers to middle-class wage earners. This stokes fear that underneath the Democrat’s supposed taxing and spending the rich will be hammered and the poor will be the beneficiaries. The wealthtaking scare has worked in the past precisely because wealth and income inequities are so great, and the notion that there’s nothing wrong with those inequities is so deeply entrenched in tax policy, philosophy and politics.

Any talk of putting more wealth into the hands of the nonwealthy in the way of tax cuts, a Social Security tax increase on upper-income wage earners, capital gain increases, and closing tax shelter loopholes is plainly regarded as wealth redistribution downward. During the campaign, McCain grabbed at the formula that GOP contenders traditionally use and hit Obama with it.

It has worked to the extent that

it has because millions of middleand working-class wage earners dream that they will be rich someday and are horrified that they can have their imagined wealth downsized by a tax-and-spend Democrat, or worse, a Democrat who’s branded as socialist-leaning.

Obama cringed in horror at the absurd notion that he is a wait-inthe-wings Marxist. But tossing the damaging political label at him is more than just a last desperate effort by the GOP attack hounds to get an edge on Obama. It taps into the deeply held belief and even fear that Obama can and will actually mug the rich and by extension those who fantasize about being rich.

The question “Is Obama a Socialist?” is silly and revolting. Yet, to even ask it creates just enough doubt. And that suits the GOP. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, “The Hutchinson Report,” can be heard in Los Angeles, Fridays on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and streamed live nationally on ktym.com.

This is personal.

She was the cornerstone of our family. But my mother died of colon cancer when she was only 56. Let my heartbreak be your wake-up call.

Colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cancer killer in the U.S., but screening helps prevent this disease.

Photo: Andrew Macpherson

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Terrence Howard, actor/musician

If you’re 50 or older, please get screened. Screening saves lives.

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) s www.cdc.gov/screenforlife

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

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August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

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BUSINESS BIZSHORTS Business Association to Present Economic Development Town Hall Luncheon The Black Business Association will present the Economic Development Town Hall Luncheon Sept. 3, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Los Angeles City Club on Bunker Hill, 333 Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles.

The luncheon speaker will be Donna J. Gambrell, director of the U.S. Department of Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The fund expands the capacity of financial institutions to provide credit, capital and financial services to underserved populations and communities in the United States.

Gambrell will address how the current administration’s economic stimulus plan affects job creation, business development and community empowerment.

The luncheon will also feature special guest Rep. Maxine Waters of the Congressional Financial Services Committee and Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.

Admission is $50 per seat.

RSVP by Aug. 31. Information: (323) 291-9334, mail@bbala.org, www.bbala.org.

California to Stop Issuing IOUs as Budget Stabilizes SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s top financial officers said they will stop issuing IOUs, ending a practice that became the most visible symbol of the state’s fiscal crisis.

The decision came after meetings between Controller John Chiang, Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s financial advisers, who needed to review California’s cash flow and assess investors’ appetite for buying California bonds.

When Schwarzenegger signed California’s revised $85 billion budget three weeks ago, it gave the state the leeway to seek short-term loans to cover its daily expenses, ending the need for the IOUs. Chiang said he is confident he will be able to get an interim loan of $1.5 billion by Aug. 28, allowing the state to start cashing the IOUs given to individuals and businesses.

The state started issuing IOUs at the beginning of July, sending them to taxpayers who were owed refunds and state vendors that provide an array of products and services, such as office supplies, equipment and janitorial services.

INMATES Continued from page 1 “If I hung out with this black man on the street, that’s cool. But in here, the rules are different,” said Tim Heffernan, a heavily tattooed 41-year-old white inmate at Sierra Conservation Center.

He and Daniel Mabson, a 25year-old black inmate, sat across from each other on bunk beds as they spoke to a reporter about prison race relations and the halting desegregation efforts.

“How can we comply if it puts our lives in danger?” Mabson said.

California’s inmates are racially

AP Enterprise: California Lawmakers Boost Staff Pay SACRAMENTO (AP) — Against a backdrop of deep fiscal distress, several state lawmakers rewarded their employees with pay hikes during the first half of the year, an Associated Press review of legislative pay records showed.

At least 87 California Assembly staff members received raises totaling more than $430,000 on an annualized basis, even as the state faced a growing budget deficit that led to furloughs and pay cuts for many other government workers and steep reductions in core services.

Salary bumps went to three employees in the office of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, the Los Angeles Democrat who leads the 80-member chamber, and three to staff members of the Democratic caucus she oversees.

In the 40-member Senate, nine staffers had a boost in pay, leading to an annualized increase of $152,000.

Bass’ spokeswoman said the Assembly has cut $42 million from its budget over a two-and-a-half year period. She said that was more than the 10 percent Schwarzenegger asked legislative leaders to cut this fiscal year and more than the state Senate trimmed.

Minority Group Files Complaint with White House WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A group of African American businesses is asking the White House to withhold federal funds from three Wichita-area governments until they spend more with minority contractors.

United Builders and Contractors Inc. includes more than 50 businesses. In its complaint, the group says less than $500,000 of the nearly $800 million spent last year by Wichita, Sedgwick County and the Wichita School District on goods and services went to blackowned businesses.

The group’s administrator, Prentice Lewis, said the complaint was filed with the office of Vice President Joe Biden because of his involvement with stimulus funds.

City and school officials said they could not comment on the complaint.

But Darren Muci, the school district’s operations division director, said the district adopted a policy in June to help provide opportunities for disadvantaged businesses. diverse: 26 percent white, 29 percent black, 39 percent Hispanic and 6 percent of other races.

Under the new policy, inmates are assigned housing based on their compatibility with members of another race, their age, the type of crime they committed and their physical characteristics. They are given a “racial eligibility code” showing their ability to be housed with others.

The department’s regulations permit segregating individual inmates if officials can show it is necessary for their safety. For example, members of the Aryan Brotherhood See INMATES, page 6

Build a Solid Financial Plan No one can say for sure when the economic upturn will start to relieve the pressure on the nation’s households, but one thing is certain: the landscape for consumer borrowing and spending will be different for a significant amount of time.

It is wise to look at this as an opportunity. Any recent efforts you’ve made to scrimp, save and pay off debt should become a permanent part of your financial philosophy. If you still haven’t taken those steps, it might be wise to implement the following: Create a Budget If you’ve never tracked your spending before, make a commitment to do so for at least two months as you pull together financial statements, income sources and your bills.

Start separating all your expenses into both fixed (amounts that don’t change) and variable (amounts that may change, such as restaurant meals, gasoline expenditures and entertainment expenses).

Take into account any major expenses that are coming up within the year.

Total your monthly income and expenses and then start identifying the expenses that you can trim, and figure out whether you can direct the money you save to spending or debt. Also, don’t ignore planning for perks and vacations and make sure you plan ahead for big expenditures, such as cars and retirement.

Go Cash or Debit Return credit cards to their correct use — a way to afford emergencies. Debit cards with a bankcard logo are typically welcome at most stores where credit cards are accepted. This way, you pay cash without carrying cash.

If you don’t have such a card, you can probably get one from your bank or credit union to replace your traditional ATM card, but remember to tell them to limit your buying power to the cash balance in your account. Also, check to make sure what protections exist on that card if it is lost or stolen and if they will forgive the balance in the event of the cardholder’s death.

Be aware that some banks freeze your underlying checking account for your debit card until a disputed item from a stolen card is resolved.

Live Off Lists Yes, everyone makes shopping lists from time to time so they don’t forget to bring home milk and bananas. But the advantage of making very detailed shopping lists for everything — preferably on one page — is that it’s really a good way to keep impulse spending down. If, for example, you have a week of unexpected expenses (car repair, home repair, unexpected fees for your child at school), you can see what real priority items are and what you might be able to do without.

Set a Schedule for Checking Your Credit Report This is not so much a spending issue as a way to monitor the ongoing safety of your accounts and your borrowing status. You have three credit reports to check — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian — and you have the right to get all three of these for free once a year.

The best way to do this is to

request each report at staggered points during the year at annualcreditreport.com, which is the only guaranteed free site to order these reports (if any credit report site requests a credit card number before it surrenders a report, chances are good that you’ll be paying for that “free” report).

Why stagger your reports?

Because the same information travels between each agency and if there is an error or security breach, you may catch it faster if you’re checking throughout the year rather than at one time only.

Comparison Shop at Your Desk Shopping online has its own risks — paying expensive shipping fees and overspending with a simple click among them — but using the Internet to browse and compare prices can save time, gasoline and

m o n e y. We b s i t e s l i k e e B a y, Amazon, mySimon.com or cheapuncle.com can help you determine general price ranges for gifts you need that are sold online. Once you have those ranges, get on the phone and determine whether you can buy the same items more affordably at retailers close to home.

Don’t Shop Without Coupons and Discount Codes You don’t have to buy a newspaper to get coupons anymore. If you know particular stores where you’ll shop, sign up for their e-mail lists. You’ll start receiving coupons and news of specials on a regular basis. Ditto for particular products you buy on a regular basis; go to the manufacturer’s Web site and see if you can sign up for regular discounts online and in the mail.

See SOLID PLAN, page 6

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

August 20, 2009

COMMUNITY CIVIL WAR VETS Continued from page 1 library. Tombstones offer the missing link in what he calls “unscrambling the slave code in South Carolina.”

“When you figure it out,” he said, “it becomes as clear as reading a line of Shakespeare.”

Wright took notice when his grandmother was buried in the almost-hidden Elliott Cemetery on Hilton Head in 1982. He was more accustomed to the bustling city where his father, Samuel D. Wright, was a New York City councilman, state representative, lawyer and powerful political organizer said to be instrumental in the elections of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan and others. But the Lowcountry also is home.

It’s where the old hardball political power broker — who the New York Daily News said “was an elegant man, a skilled lawyer and magnetic speaker equally at home at a church lectern or a pool hall” — came in retirement.

Howard Wright’s father worked on legal papers to document and preserve 17 African American cemeteries on Hilton Head.

And it is where Howard Wright spent much of his youth living with his grandmother, Daisy Chisholm Wright Stewart — “Miss Daisy” — in Beaufort. He’s a 1968 Robert Smalls High School graduate influenced by teacher James Jenkins and

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee leader Cleveland Sellers.

Until 2001, Wright worked in New York, where he served on the steering committee of the African Burial Ground when the remains of an estimated 15,000 unknowns were discovered and preserved in the heart of the city.

Now Wright has come home to family land on Hilton Head’s Jonesville Road. He rides a bike to work as a cashier at a supermarket, and at 59 is preparing to embark on a three-year online quest for a law degree.

But it was in the Elliott Cemetery, on the marsh by Dolphin Head in Hilton Head Plantation, where Wright first felt the tug of what has become his avocation. He wants to document and preserve in a comprehensive way the personal, family and cultural histories lying dormant in hundreds of African American cemeteries across South Carolina.

What began as a personal quest — and one that tells him his family has been in Beaufort County since 1782 — now falls within an organization he calls the Sankofa Restoration Project.

Wright is pushing to get a Veterans Administration tombstone for every African American who fought in the Civil War. That would be 2,000 headstones in Beaufort County. He wants

COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FORUMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS LAPC to Hold Meetings about New Police Chief The Los Angeles Police Commission will present “Community Meetings Inviting Angelinos to Share Their Desires for What They Would Like to See in Their New Chief of Police” Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m., at the Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles; Sept. 3, 6 p.m., at the Department of Water and Power Community Auditorium, 4030 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles; Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m., at the Felicia Mahood Senior Center, 11338 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles; and Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m., 300 of them to go in Talbird Cemetery on Hilton Head, and he wants a memorial here to veterans of the “United States Colored Troops,” first organized on Hilton Head during the Civil War. One of these people in the troops was Wright’s great-greatgrandfather, Caesar Kirk-Jones, a slave on Rose Hill Plantation in Bluffton who fought in Company G of the U.S. Colored Light Artillery and was buried in 1904 in the Talbird Cemetery.

Wright believes the contributions of African Americans in local, national and world history is, by and large, unknown.

It’s information that could help all races.

18255 Victory Blvd., Reseda.

All meetings will be attended by two police commissioners and facilitated by police commission Executive Director Richard Tefank.

Information: (213) 485-3531.

Hahn Asks to Keep Los Angeles Fire Stations Fully Operational Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn has asked city staff to find a way to stave off the Los Angeles Fire Department’s service cuts, with an eye toward keeping L.A. fire stations fully operational through the month of August.

“When people start to realize that they weren’t just servile pawns in a game of commerce, that they brought more to the table — once that is understood, people begin to look at their culture in a different way,” Wright said. “It sort of fortifies their abilities and their aptitude to go on. They begin to accelerate in whatever they do.

“This isn’t to say we’re better, or they’re better, but it is to bring greater light to the diversity of mankind. An even playing field can be created in which people can respect all the cultures, not just one or two.”

After all, the freedoms to explore, tolerate, speak, write, gather, challenge authority and share

Faced with a $52 million dollar deficit, the fire department will begin to implement cuts that will eliminate up to 38 engines, trucks, and ambulances, reduce the number of daily on duty employees by 125, and increase response times.

The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City have made a goodfaith proposal to defer their excess sick payout and uniform allowance for the fiscal year 2009-10. This could result in savings of about $4.2 million dollars, which would enable L.A. city fire stations to operate at full capacity for the remainder of August. knowledge, Wright says, form America’s strength.

Discovery of the Lowcountry’s rich culture might begin in a graveyard. But it shouldn’t die there.

Information from: The Island Packet, www.islandpacket.com.

Facts Aug. 20, 1619 Twenty Africans arrive in Jamestown, Va., aboard a Dutch ship. They were the first blacks to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the North American British colonies.

Source: blackfacts.com

August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

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COMMUNITY

WHAT’S GOING ON? Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, 12 p.m., at least two weeks prior to activity.

Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

PROTEST, OPEN MIC — The kick-off meeting for the October 22 Coalition’s Annual Police Brutality Protest will take place on Aug. 16, 5 p.m., at Chuco’s Justice Center, 1137 E. Redondo Blvd., Los Angeles.

Information: (323) 446-7459. A monthly open mic that benefits the coalition will also be hosted by Aidge34 of the Aesthetics Crew, with sounds by DJ Starchild from Divine Forces Radio. Attendees can bring their rhymes, poetry, spoken word, drums, visual art, stories or just bring themselves. The open mic will take place Aug. 20, 8 to 10:30 p.m., also at Chuco’s Justice Center, in Inglewood. Information: (323) 235-4243, freelanow@ yahoo.com.

SIP AND SHOP — Complimentary cocktails and “grown folks” conversation are the cornerstone of Sip and Shop affairs. This week, Nosizwe Chimurenga will offer an overview of ways to align your finances and spending habits with your lifestyle endeavors. This event will take place Aug. 21, 6 to 8 p.m., at Lucy Florence Image, 5671 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Admission to this

event is free but you should RSVP. Information: (323) 747-5364, rhonda@ wellnessuprising.com.

SEASHORE SCIENCE — Preschool children are invited to discover the wonders along the shore at Cabrillo Beach with hands-on exploration, stories and puppets in the “Tales Between the Tides” workshops. Session three will be offered Aug. 25 and 27, 10 to 11:30 a.m., and session four on Aug. 26 and 28, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Children may attend the class by themselves but are encouraged to bring their favorite adult with them. The fee for this event is $26 for the two-day sessions and preregistration is required. The Cabrillo Marine Museum is at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. Information: (310) 548-7562, www.cabrilloaq.org.

TENNIS MIXER — The Rancho Tennis Club will sponsor a free summer night community mixer and book signing at the Rancho Cienega Sports Complex’s Arthur Ashe Tennis Courts Aug. 21, 6 p.m. to midnight. Tennis enthusiasts of all levels will enjoy a summer night of singles and doubles in Baldwin Hills. Additionally, Yvonne Profit, mother of African American tennis players Elizabeth and Mary Profit, will sign copies of her new book “Never Give Up,” based on the true story of raising her two daughters. Music, food, games and rackets will be available.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. The Arthur Ashe Tennis Courts are at 5001 Rodeo Blvd., Los Angeles. Information: (323) 392-6864, tayloyp660@sbc global.net.

WOMEN’S JOB FAIR — The City of Los Angeles Human Services Department will sponsor a free Women’s Resource and Job Fair Aug. 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Los Angeles Derby Doll Arena, 1910 W. Temple St., Los Angeles. Construction, green industries, tech trades and many more will be represented.

Information on low- and no-cost career training, as well as career advice, will be available. Interested persons must RSVP in advance. Information: hsd.fair@lacity.org, (213) 978-0300.

FASCISM — “Big Business: Financiers of the Storm Trooper Movement” is the topic of discussion at this week’s Freedom Socialist Party study group on fascism, its origins and how to fight it. This event will be held Aug. 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. A door donation of $2 is requested and light snacks will be served at 6:30 p.m. for a $5 donation. Information: (323) 732-6416, fsplosangeles@gmail.com, www.socialism.com.

SUPER SATURDAY — California State University will sponsor a college fair as part of its African American Initiative. The event will be held Aug. 29, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.,

How have we helped 5.8 million Americans in need?

Photo by MARTY COTWRIGHT

“A WHITE LINEN AFFAIR” — The Regalettes held their Garden Soirée at the Exposition Park Rose Garden on Aug. 16. The “White Linen Affair” featured entertainment and more than $17,000 in scholarships were awarded to local college-area students. Pictured: (top) attendees at the white linen affair; (bottom) Bobbie Parks (left) Garden Soirée committee chair, and Lois Buckman (right) president of the Regalettes and host of the Garden Soiree.

in the Sculpture Garden of California State University, Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson. Free parking is available in Lots 3 and 6.

Information: (562) 951-4804, www. calstate.edu/supersaturday.

RESOURCE FAIR — The Foundation for the Junior Blind will sponsor a “Back-to-School Inclusion and Resource Fair” Aug.

30, 2 to 6 p.m., at its View Park headquarters, 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd., Los Angeles. Free backpacks, shoes and school supplies will be available, and vendors with food, music, arts/crafts and games will be in attendance. Information: (213) 389-7100, www. specialneedsnetwork.net.

See WGO, page 6

50 states. 2,500 cities. 300,000 miles.

The PPA bus is traveling throughout the country with one clear message: no

one

who

needs

medicine

should go without. And in just over 4 years, we’ve helped nearly 6 million people who are uninsured and struggling. Since the program began, the PPA bus—sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies—has spent more time in California than any other state. We’ve been from Redding to Riverside and Salinas to Santa Ana helping more than 345,000 Californians in need. If you or someone you know needs help paying for medicine, call 1-888-4PPANOW or visit www.pparx.org.

By never stopping.

Page 6

L.A. WATTS TIMES

August 20, 2009

COMMUNITY Continued from page 3 are not housed with members of the Black Guerrilla Family. The divisions even occur within races: Hispanic gang members from Northern California are kept apart from Hispanics from Southern California.

Prisoners also have a longstanding practice of self-segregating.

“If you’re a white inmate, you’re approached as soon as you get off the bus: Here’s where you eat, here’s where we stay,” said Lt. Jimmy Hurtado, of the Sierra Conservation Center. “It’s pretty much at all 33 prisons statewide.”

But with integration at the Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown and Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, inmates have been required to take the first available bed. The approach was patterned after one adopted in Texas 18 years ago.

The two prisons are being integrated first because they were expected to be among the easiest.

Both house gang dropouts, homo-

SOLID PLAN Continued from page 3 Also, if you do shop online, sites like BradsDeals.com and CouponCabin.com have promotional codes that you can type in for discounts before you hit the “total” button on an order — most often,

sexuals, child molesters, the elderly, disabled and mentally ill, who were thought to be more amenable because they need protection from other prisoners.

Sierra Conservation Center also houses lower security prisoners who hope to win a coveted transfer to one of the state’s 19 inmate firefighting camps that can earn them an early parole.

Even there, trouble arose soon after the policy was implemented.

At Sierra, hundreds of white and Hispanic inmates refused to work, eat or leave their cells for up to three days after integration began.

Rules violations spiked fivefold.

“To me, this is like using us like lab rats, to see if it works,” said Glenn Brooks, a 44-year-old black inmate from San Bernardino. “It ain’t ever going to work. All it’s going to do is get somebody hurt, get somebody killed.”

Attempts to integrate bunk beds inside open dorms, where low- and medium-security inmates sleep, have been as problematic as trying to integrate prison cells. these codes will buy free shipping, but they might also buy additional discounts on an order. Never complete an online order without searching for a promotional code.

This column is produced by the Financial Planning Association, a membership organization for the financial planning community.

Blacks, whites and Hispanics were willing to sleep side by side in beds spaced an arm’s length apart.

But they would rather fight or risk longer sentences than accept an inmate of another race in a bed above or below them in the same bunk.

Inmates consider each tier of bunks like a cell without walls, and that’s where they draw an imaginary line.

Inmates who refuse to integrate can lose television, commissary and exercise yard privileges and have their sentences extended up to 90 days. Repeated violations can mean a transfer to a higher-security prison.

Resistance to integration is more about power than it is about race, said Rusty Otto, Sierra Conservation Center’s mental health director. The race-based gangs control the flow of contraband and money, who rules each cell house, and who gets a share of the profits from crime on the streets.

The number of prisoners, level of racial diversity, and extensiveness of gang networks make California’s prison system particularly prone to violence, meaning it’s a good idea for corrections officials to approach desegregation slowly, said University of North Texas professor Chad R. Trulson, who is advising California on its integration policy.

“Prisoners are known to blow the place up over little things,” he said. “And race in prison is not a little thing.”

Hello, There are some ugly household items just hanging around my parkway and sidewalk.

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CALL 3-1-1 or 800-773-2489 Make the Call. L.A. will haul!

WGO Continued from page 5 REBEL HEARTS — “Rebel Hearts: The Grimke Sisters” highlights the lives of these feminists and anti-slavery movement leaders who were key figures in the campaign for U.S. women winning the vote in 1920. This documentary highlights their role in pushing the abolitionist struggle forward to not only fight for black liberation but also equal rights for women. This event will take place Aug. 30, 2 p.m., at Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. A $5 door donation is requested, and summer lunch will be served at 1 p.m. for an $8 donation.

Information: (323) 732-6416, radicalwomenlosangeles@gmail.com, www.radicalwomen.org.

AFRICAN WARRIOR ARTS — There will be an African Warrior Arts Demonstration as part of Black August Resistance activities. This event will be held Aug. 30, 2 p.m., in front of Leimert Park’s Vision Theater, 3314 W. 43rd Place, Los Angeles. At 3 p.m. there will be an open Capoeira Roda hosted by Capoeira Angola de Sao Bento Grande.

Information: (424) 200-4968, blackaugust.la@gmail.com.

SOME OF US ARE BRAVE — “A Black Women’s Radio Program,” airs Thursdays at 2 p.m. on KPFK, 90.7 FM, in Los Angeles and online at www.kpfk.org. The voices, views and experiences of black women in particular are highlighted.

Information: someofusarebrave@ gmail.com, www.myspace.com/souab.

ROUNDTABLE — The Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable meets Saturdays, 10 to 11:30 a.m., in Leimert Park at the Lucy Florence Coffeehouse, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles. The roundtable features expert speakers on hot-button local and national issues followed by an open discussion. It is free and open to the public. Information: (323) 3836145.

GANG TALK — Longtime community activist Lita Herron hosts “Gang Talk with Sister Herron,” Thursdays, 6 to 6:30 p.m., on KTYM-AM 1460. The show addresses the devastating impact of gangs and violence on families and communities.

BLACK ATHEISM — Sikivu Hutchinson, author and commentator, will speak on “Beyond Religiosity: Black Atheists and ‘Moral’ Combat” and the tensions that exist in African American culture around living a moral life beyond the boundaries of organized religion. The talk will take place Aug. 26, 8 p.m., at the Center for Inquiry, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. Information: (323) 6669797.

Facts Aug. 20, 1830 In Philadelphia, Richard Allen chairs the first National Negro Convention.

Source: blackfacts.com

Report Sewer Odors If you smell it... report it!

It is important that you report sewer odors so that we can send a crew to investigate and take necessary action.

We can’t fix the odor if you don’t report it.

Call the Sewer Odor Control Hotline:

3-1-1

or report the odor online at:

www.lasewers.org

Save time: Calls to other offices about sewer odors will be routed back to us.

Call us directly at 3-1-1 or visit us online at:

www.lasewers.org

U

BLIC W

.

O

P

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L.A

R

F

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As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to tits programs, services and activities.

6

INMATES

ND

9 ED 1

0

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services and activities.

Produced by the Public Affairs Office

August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 7

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Continued from page 1 more than four decades, he performed with artists including Don Cherry, Albert Ayler, Alice Coltrane and Archie Shepp. In recent years he formed The Rashied Ali Quintet, and this year he released a “Live In Europe� album with the group.

Suspect in ’64 Killings Dies JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Federal authorities will continue to investigate the 1964 Mississippi killings of three civil rights workers — a case that helped pass landmark legislation — despite the death of a key suspect, the Justice Department says.

Billy Wayne Posey, 73, died Aug. 13. Federal investigators were looking into his possible involvement in the June 21, 1964, killings of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who had been working to register black voters.

Posey’s funeral was Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, Miss., which is at the heart of the case.

Goodman’s brother, David Goodman, of New York City, said, “This is still the country of law and order, and the laws are clear. There is no statute of limitations on murder.�

The slayings shocked the nation, helped spur passage of the

landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and were dramatized in the 1988 movie “Mississippi Burning.�

No Charges in NYC ‘Friendly Fire’ Police Shooting NEW YORK (AP) — A white police officer who killed an off-duty black colleague in a “friendly fire� incident that raised questions about racial profiling will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said Aug. 13.

After hearing from 20 witnesses and examining 68 documents, a grand jury voted not to indict Officer Andrew Dunton in the May 28 shooting of Officer Omar Edwards on a dark street, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said.

Edwards, 25, had drawn his gun and was chasing a man who had broken into his car. Dunton apparently mistook the off-duty officer for an armed suspect and shot him.

Since then, some civil rights advocates have charged that race was a factor in the shooting.

Edwards’ mother, Natalia Harding, said in a television interview that she believed Dunton shot her son because he was black.

Dunton, 30, has been on administrative duty since the shooting.

Police officials said the grand jury decision clears the way for an administrative review of the shooting to see if it fell within department guidelines for use of deadly force. A

spokesman for the police union declined comment.

Former NAACP Board Chair Passes ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pioneering civil rights lawyer Margaret Bush Wilson, a former national chair of the NAACP, died Aug. 10.

She was 90.

She died at Barnes-Jewish Hospital of multiple organ failure, her son, Robert E. Wilson III, said.

Wilson, whose life passion was being a lawyer, had continued practicing law until June. She was the second black woman to pass the Missouri Bar after graduating from the now-defunct Lincoln University School of Law, a “separate but equal� institution that had been created for blacks in Missouri.

Wilson was born in 1919, one year before women won the right to vote, and broke barriers in her career.

She and her husband, Robert E. Wilson Jr., started a law firm in St. Louis after World War II. After presiding over the city and state NAACP, Wilson became the first black woman to head the national NAACP board for nine terms starting in 1975.

She also served as U.S. attorney for the Rural Electrification Administration and assistant attorney general in Missouri.

See BRIEFS, page 15

Notice of Availability of Record of Decision, Notice of Determination and Limitations on Claims for Schuyler Heim Bridge Replacement and SR-47 Expressway Project Effective July 1, 2007, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) assigned, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) assumed, environmental responsibilities for this project pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327. Caltrans has completed the Record of Decision (ROD) pursuant to NEPA, and is filing the Notice of Determination (NOD) with the State Clearinghouse pursuant to CEQA for the Schuyler Heim Bridge Replacement and SR-47 Expressway Project. The selected alternative is Alternative 1 “Bridge Replacement and SR-47 Expressway�.

A copy of these documents is available at the Caltrans District 7 Office by contacting Caltrans at the address provided below. These documents are also available at the Caltrans website http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/resources/envdocs/ and the ACTA’s website http://www.acta.org.

The NOD starts a 30-day statute of limitations on court challenges to the Caltrans’ approval of this project under CEQA. A Notice of Limitation on Claims is also being published in the Federal Register, which starts a 180-day statute of limitations on court challenges to the Caltrans’ approval of this project under NEPA. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact Karl Price, Senior Environmental Planner, 100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, telephone (213) 897-1839, email Karl_Price@dot.ca.gov.

PROPOSITION 65 WARNING

Saturday, August 22, 2009 8:00 am

EXIDE Technologies operates a battery recycling plant at 2700 S. Indiana Street, Vernon, California which emits lead into the atmosphere. Persons within the approximate area shown above are exposed to lead and cadmium at a level determined by the state to require a warning. Lead is a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm and cancer, and cadmium is known to the State of California to cause cancer.

Crystal Casino & Hotel 123 E. Artesia Blvd Compton, CA 90220

An informal breakfast gathering for Mayor Eric Perrodin and Compton clergy to meet, network, exchange ideas and discuss issues.

SITE LOCATION

For reservations, contact Jaquel Porter at 310.605.5597 or at jporter@comptoncity.org.

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

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

Page 8

L.A. WATTS TIMES

ARTS & CULTURE August Movie Roundup

SHORT TAKES FILMS • A screening and discussion of the film “Black August,” said to depict the true story of George Jackson, Angela Davis and Jonathan Jackson, will take place

26, the featured film will be “The Secret Life of Bees.” Information: (310) 929.8129, www.warnergrand.org.

BY DARLENE DONLOE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Paula McGee

George Jackson

Aug. 21, 6 p.m., as part of Black August Resistance Films activities.

Also, a discussion and screening of the films “The Murder of Fred Hampton” and “Cornbread, Earl and Me” will be held Aug. 22, 6 p.m. All films will be shown at the Afiba Center, 5730 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles. Information: (424) 200-4968, e-mail blackaugust.la@gmail.com.

• “Warner on Wednesdays” is a summer film series every Wednesday at 6 and 9 p.m., hosted by the Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro. The cost per film is $3 per person. On Aug.

August 20, 2009

• “Black Dynamite,” starring Michael Jai White, Kym Whitley and Tommy Davidson, will be shown Aug. 27, 4 p.m., at the Wilshire Screening Room, 8670 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. The 90-minute film is rated R for sexuality/nudity, language, some violence and drug content. Information: www.blackdynamitemovie. com. RSVP information: kkrause@ mprm.com, (323) 933-3399, ext.

4222.

LUNCHEON “Success Is In Your Hands” is the theme of the PowerGirl Network’s Third Annual Back-toSchool Leadership Luncheon. The Rev. Paula McGee, former NCAA

and professional basketball player, will be the keynote speaker at this event, which will take place Aug. 23, 3 to 6 p.m., at the Wilfandel Club House, 3425 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. The suggested donation is $25 for individuals and $20 for two or more. Interested persons must RSVP for this event. Information: (323) 8733038, e-mail info@powergirl ministries.org.

This month’s movies offer something very different, yet palatable. There’s a unique WWII war drama, a racially tinged sci-fi flick, and a lighthearted film about a chef and her relationship to food. Just a snippet of what’s currently at the box office, the following movies have something for everyone.

Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, “DISTRICT 9” (Sony) is one of the most ingenious sci-fi movies to come out in a long time.

best. It’s inventive, dramatic, comedic and unsettling. What makes this movie work is how Tarantino weaves in elements of suspense coupled with basic shock. This is a welldirected and well-acted thriller that should not be missed. If you’re squeamish about seeing heads being smashed in or bodies blown apart, this isn’t for you. If you can handle it, don’t miss it. This movie is rated R. Running time: two hours, 32 minutes. “Inglourious Basterds,” currently in theaters, gets and E (excellent).

See SHORT TAKES, page 11

Facts Aug. 17, 1887 Marcus Mosiah Garvey, journalist, organizer and father of Black Nationalist and PanAfrican movements for unification of all black people, is born in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica.

Source: blackfacts.com

“District 9”

When an alien ship mysteriously hovers of Joburg, the country is not only curious, it’s thrown into a panic, followed by uneasiness and disdain for unwelcomed visitors.

After ailing aliens are found aboard, they are carted off and put into a segregated camp called “District 9,” where they become an impoverished sore on society. The allegory of the racial tension of apartheid and this celluloid fantasy knocks you straight in the gut.

After years pass and the Transformer-like creatures are still on Earth, a company called MultiNational (MNU) is contracted to get rid of them. When a field agent (Sharlto Copley) of the company contracts an alien virus that begins to change his DNA, he soon becomes the hunted and hides out in “District 9.” Copley is stunningly fantastic in the role. William Allen Young makes a cameo appearance.

The movie is loud, gritty, thoughtprovoking and fun — even with its serious race relations/unwantedimmigrant undertones. It has great special effects, and is rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. Running time: one hour 53 minutes. “District 9,” currently in theaters nationwide, gets an O (OK).

“INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS” (Universal/The Weinstein Co.) is director Quentin Tarantino’s campy war drama about a squad of Jewish American soldiers on a mission to kill Nazis. The organizer of the group is Lt. Aldo Raine, played fantastically by Brad Pitt.

The movie is segmented into various chapters, starting with the first year of the German occupation of France and ends with a bang (once you see the movie you’ll understand the pun). The remaining chapters tell unforgettable stories about fabricated moments in World War II. One outstanding storyline includes a love affair between a black man and a German woman.

The movie is very intense and violent, but it’s one of Tarantino’s

Meryl Streep is a master thespian and in her latest film, “JULIE & JULIA.” She plays a master — a master chef, that is. Julia Child was a bigger-than-life personality whose cookbooks and cooking show made

“Julie & Julia”

her a big star in the 1950s. Streep plays her to perfection.

The Julie character is also real.

Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams, is a huge Julia Child fan.

And when she needed to energize her life, she decided to spend a year cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and writing a blog about it.

It’s an interesting, lighthearted story that not only showcases Streep’s range, but it reveals Child’s surprisingly saucy personality. This is a nice popcorn film but not much more. It’s rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality, and currently in theaters nationwide. “Julie & Julia,” directed by Nora Ephron, gets an L (Likable).

The Donloe Scale, D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (Outstanding) and E (excellent).

“Inglourious Basterds”

August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 9

ARTS & CULTURE The Harold Pump Foundation seeks to raise funds to combat cancer by creating awareness, establishing treatment programs, and helping to find a cure for this disease. The organization held its annual gala honoring basketball greats Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Bill Russell at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on Aug. 13.

Singer Smokey Robinson and family

Pump Foundation honoree Earvin “Magic” Johnson and wife Cookie; Liz Watson and husband Barry Bonds

NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving and wife Dorys

Former NBA player Robert Horry

Los Angeles saw the premiere of “Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jump Off” on Aug. 5 at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. The film examines the underworld of rap and music video dancers through the story of Karinne Steffans.

Bishop Don Magic Juan

Premiere host Norwood Young (“Pieces of a Dream”) and guest

Asia Lee and actor Clifton Powell

Actress Loretta Devine

Peter Travers

AWESOME.

“

‘DISTRICT 9’ SOARS ON THE IMAGINATION OF ITS CREATORS.”

MOMENT OF TRUTH — Family and friends of Samantha Cook (second from left) face the consequences of her actions in Alretha Thomas’ play, “One Woman, Two Lives.” Pictured (left to right): Thomas Bell, Kellita Smith, Esther Scott, Evan Thurman (back), Sharon Munfus and Lavaunte Jackson (kneeling).

Review: ‘One Woman, Two Lives’

BY THANDISIZWE CHIMURENGA ASSISTANT EDITOR

I’ll be honest: I was a bit concerned when I first sat down to watch this play at the Imagined Life Theater on a Sunday afternoon. I was told the performance would be two-and-a-half hours long and I immediately thought to myself, “Oh, Lord. What am I going to do for two-and-a-half hours?”

Fortunately for me, the answer became readily apparent within moments of the opening act: I was going to sit there and enjoy every minute of this performance.

“One Woman, Two Lives” tells the story of Samantha Cooke (played by Kellita Smith of “The Bernie Mac Show”), a homemaker, mother of three children, and the wife of Jonathan (Thomas Bell), the pastor of First New Harvest Church.

First New Harvest, a church with more than 3,000 members, was pastored by Jonathan’s father before him, and his mother Edna (exquisitely played by Esther Scott) is the former first lady of the church.

As the current first lady, Samantha has been chosen to

receive an award from the church membership — one in which both women subconsciously doubt she is deserving of.

Belinda (Sharon Munfus), neighbor of the Cooks and best friend of Samantha, is a “worldly woman” who “keeps it real.” Her marriage to Michael (Sammie Wayne), a deacon at First New Harvest and Jonathan’s right-hand man, also holds a secret: Sharon is a survivor of a previously abusive relationship and a decade-old indiscretion by Michael that Sharon has never forgiven him for, one that she makes him pay for everyday, and

everybody can see it.

Secrecy is the obvious theme of this play (but judgment and fear are ever-present, looming just as large) — the need for secrecy due to the fear of losing everything that one has based on the judgment of others. Acceptance and forgiveness appear to be foreign concepts for the time being.

Samantha Cook loves her family and church. She works very hard to be the perfect wife, mother and homemaker. But Samantha comes perilously close to losing everything when her “long lost brother Melvin” See ‘ONE WOMAN’, page 10

“‘DISTRICT 9’ WILL

BLOW YOUR MIND.

THE MUST-SEE MOVIE OF THE SUMMER.”

PETER JACKSON PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH TRISTAR PICTURES AND BLOCK/HANSON MUSIC A WINGNUT FILMS PRODUCTION A FILM BY NEILL BLOMKAMP “DISTRICT 9” SUPERVISOR MICHELLE BELCHER PRODUCTION DIRECTOR OF CLINTON SHORTER EDITOR JULIAN CLARKE DESIGNER PHILIP IVEY PHOTOGRAPHY TRENT OPALOCH EXECUTIVE PAUL HANSON ELLIOT FERWERDA PRODUCERS BILLILLWRITTEN BLOCK KEN KAMINS PRODUCERCO- PHILIPPA HILIPPA BOYENS PETER ETER JACKSON CAROLYNNE CUNNINGHAM DIRECTEDBY NEILL BLOMKAMP AND TERRI TATCHELL

BY NEILL BLOMKAMP

MUSIC BY CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS PRODUCED BY

Summer Membership Mixer August 27, 2009 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

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Page 10

L.A. WATTS TIMES

August 20, 2009

HEALTH MLK HOSPITAL

THE PULSE

Continued from page 1 to operate the hospital. That entity would be called “HospitalCo” and would be responsible for providing management and staff, setting policy, maintaining licensure, accreditation, certification and other regulatory approvals as well as maintaining a reserve of 10 percent of operating expenses.

The new state-of-the art hospital would have 120 beds. With about 1.5 million people living in the area, county officials estimate 10,000 annually in outpatient and follow-up care visits and 30,000 annual visits to the hospital’s emergency room.

“The MLK hospital will serve as a safety net provider treating a high volume of Medi-Cal and uninsured patients; it will be coordinated with the County's existing network of specialty and primary care ambulatory clinics, and optimize public and private resources to fund care,” county Chief Executive Officer William T. Fujioka told the board in a report.

If all goes as planned, the hospital would open in 2012.

Funding for the hospital would

FDA Warns of Faulty Results with Blood Sugar Tests

Nick Ut / AP file photo

Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital site.

be the sole responsibility of the county. Included are $50 million in start-up costs and $28 million in a reserve fund to be in place on the fifth anniversary of the hospital agreement, and another $20 million in temporary funding, which would be available once the hospital becomes operational.

The plan calls for an agreement with the University of California to provide assistance in establishing “HospitalCo,” providing physicians for the hospital, and

Testosterone Dose Response in Surgically Menopausal Women Principal Investigator: Matthew H. Ho, Ph.D., M.D. “Thank you for your interest in our research program. The purpose of this particular study is to find out the effects of testosterone, in women. Women who are post-menopause often have low testosterone levels in their blood. Some doctors recommend giving testosterone to women after menopause, but it is not clear whether this helps women health. This study may find out whether it is beneficial to replace testosterone in women who are post-menopause and therefore have low testosterone in their blood. This research study may also find out the most appropriate dose of testosterone that shows beneficial effects on women’s sex life, muscle and fat mass, physical function, and ability to solve some types of problems with the least amount of side effects.

“We will measure the effects of testosterone on fat and muscle size, muscle strength, sexual desire and activity, and higher functions of the brain. Approximately 140 women will take part in this study that is approved and funded by the National Institutes of Health. The protocol of this study has also been reviewed and approved by our Institutional Review Board.

“For this study, we are looking for women between the ages of 21 to 60, who are post-menopausal (either menopause occurred naturally with their ovaries intact or occurred surgically with their ovaries removed) and have had their uterus removed by surgery, and who do not have breast or uterine cancer. Do you meet these criteria?”

For information call (323) 357-3697 “If you are interested in obtaining more information about this study or taking part in this study, I can set up an appointment for you to come to our Clinical Study Center at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. During this visit, I will explain all the procedures in great detail, describe the risks and benefits involved, and answer any questions that you might have about this research study.”

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assistance with quality assurance.

UC would not be responsible for providing any funding.

The action came several days after the death of Mary Henry, who along with Lillian Mobley, Caffie Green, Johnnie Tillman and several other Watts-area residents led the fight for the construction of Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital and Charles Drew University following the 1965 Watts Rebellion.

Mobley, who has continued to fight for the hospital’s reopening, attended the board meeting. Although happy about the action, Mobley was still a little apprehensive.

“I haven’t finished doing my evaluation … I think it’s a good idea but there are a lot of pieces that I have to find out for myself,” Mobley said. “The idea that they want to open it is fine, but how they want to open it is another story.”

Watts activist Sweet Alice Harris applauded the supervisors for their action and said she plans to meet with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to enlist the formation of a community committee to act as watchdogs, an idea she has touted since the proposal was first unveiled by the county in March.

“If anything (doesn't) look right we’ll be able to tell him (Ridley-Thomas) ahead of time,” Harris said after the board meeting.

“We’re going to be a watchdog over this.”

The plan is contingent on the approval by the UC Board of Regents entering into an agreement with the county at its meeting scheduled for next month.

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Operated by Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA). For more information please call

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INVOLVED — L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has been heavily involved in trying to bring back Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, speaks to news media.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is warning diabetes patients that certain blood sugar tests can give inaccurate results in patients taking other medications.

Public health regulators told consumers not to use certain glucose testing strips from Roche, Abbott Laboratories and other companies in combination with dialysis and other biologic drugs.

According to the FDA, those formulations can falsely elevate blood sugar level results, raising the risk of insulin overdose.

People with the disease often have to inject insulin, which helps break down carbohydrates, because their bodies have become resistant to the protein.

Brands affected by the action include Roche’s Accu-Chek Comfort Curve strips and Abbott’s Freestyle test strips.

Walk With the Mayor at Pasadena Rose Bowl Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard’s special guest for “Walk with the Mayor” in September is Israel Estrada, executive director of Pasadena Forward, an organization which aims to have a broad impact on the nonprofit community’s ability to deliver services by offering financial and logistical support to civic and charitable agencies.

Bogaard, Estrada, the Pasadena Forward staff and other community members will walk 3.1 miles around the Rose Bowl Sept. 2, 7:30 a.m.

Radio station 100.3 FM The Sound will join in as well in honor of the upcoming 2010 Pasadena Marathon presented by Kaiser Permanente on Feb. 21, 2010.

‘ONE WOMAN’ Continued from page 9 shows up on her doorstep after a 20year absence.

The appearance of “Melvin” on the scene provides the twist to the story and the explanation of Samantha’s “two lives;” Melvin is actually Taylor, Samantha’s common-law, abusive and criminal husband when she was known as “Sheila,” a down-and-out woman hooked on crack cocaine.

Samantha’s fear of losing her family due to her unsavory past keeps her from telling them the truth. That decision causes more problems for Samantha, now that Melvin/Taylor has decided that a percentage of First New Harvest’s collection plate should be the price for his silence.

The part of Melvin/Taylor is usually played by Billy Mayo; on this day it was understudy Jason E. Kelley who played the part masterfully.

The interplay of the lie that has been told, the decision to hold off on telling the truth, and the danger that both decisions have now placed Samantha’s family in provides for the emotional and climactic final act of this play. It is a final act that reminds the audience that everyone has another life/story that resides in

The Pasadena Marathon is a fundraiser to further the mission of Pasadena Forward.

“Walk with the Mayor” is Up & Moving Pasadena’s effort to encourage the community to embrace fitness for health. Walks are scheduled every first Wednesday of the month. Participants should meet at Gate A at the Rose Bowl. Parking is free.

For more information, visit pasadenamarathon.org or pasadenaforward.org.

Swine Flu Inspires New Video Game LONDON (AP) — Since swine flu first emerged in April, it has sparked panic, vaccine production, and now, a video game.

In an effort to raise awareness, Dutch researchers have created a game that challenges players to control a new pandemic.

“It is actually what is happening now, what is happening in the real world,” said Albert Osterhaus, head of virology at the Erasmus Medical Center, who designed “The Great Flu” game with colleagues.

The game can only be played online at www.thegreatflu.com and it is free. To fight the emerging outbreak, players use measures including setting up surveillance systems, stockpiling antivirals and vaccines, and closing schools and airports. Players also have a limited budget.

The World Health Organization has reported nearly 178,000 cases of swine flu, including 1,462 deaths worldwide, though those numbers are believed to be a gross underestimate of the actual caseload, since hard-hit countries no longer test all cases with flu-like symptoms.

the past, including Mother Edna and Melvin/Taylor.

“One Woman, Two Lives” takes place in The Imagined Life Theater, formerly known as the 2100 Square Foot Theater, so named because those are its actual dimensions. Although Kellita Smith gives a superb and at times gut-wrenching performance, for some reason, I just kept getting the feeling that if she had more physical room to work with she could have really let her character go.

A few minor stumbles and one or two forgotten lines, though noticeable, did not detract from this performance. All of the actors in this performance rose to the occasion and their chemistry made those two-and-a-half hours speed right on by.

“One Woman, Two Lives,” written by Alretha Thomas and directed by Denise Dowse, stars Kellita Smith, Thomas Bell, Billy Mayo, Sharon Munfus, Esther Scott and Sammie Wayne.

The play, for mature audiences only, runs through Aug. 23 at The Imagined Life Theater, 5615 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available through www.ticketweb.com.

August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 11

HEALTH

Despite Opposition, Obama Confident on Health Care

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite mounting opposition, President Barack Obama said in an opinion piece published Aug. 16 that he remains “confident” his drive to overhaul the U.S. health care system will succeed.

But the administration signaled it was ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of a new government-run health insurance program as part of his ambitious health care reform proposal.

In Aug. 16 television news shows, administration officials left open the chance for a compromise with Republicans that would include nonprofit health insurance cooperatives. Such a concession is likely to enrage his liberal supporters but could deliver Obama a much-needed win on a top domestic priority opposed by Republican lawmakers.

Reforming the U.S. health care system is arguably Obama’s most challenging political fight yet as president, in no small part because of the vast number of diverse stakeholders involved.

His goal is to ensure health care for everyone in a country with the world’s costliest system and an estimated 48 million uninsured people.

It’s an issue that touches everyone in the United States.

There are thickets of competing interests among patients, doctors, drug makers, insurers, labor, businesses and others.

Any plan must get through a Democratic-controlled Congress, where many lawmakers are up for re-election next year. Also, there’s an ideological fault line between Democrats and Republicans, and liberals and conservatives over the level of government involvement in health care.

“I am confident that when all is said and done, we can forge the consensus we need to achieve this goal,” Obama wrote in an opinion piece published in The New York Times. “We are already closer to achieving health-insurance reform than we have ever been.”

Obama cited support for reforms from the American Nurses Association; the American Medical Association, which represents

SHORT TAKES Continued from page 8

FESTIVALS • The “Long Beach Funk Festival” will take place Aug. 29, noon to midnight, at the intersection of Pine Avenue and East Broadway. Scheduled performers include Mandrill, Dawn Silva of the Brides of Funkenstein and the Meter’s Experience. There will also be a George Clinton art exhibit. This event is free. Information: http://longbeachfunkfest.com, e-mail bobby@longbeachfunkfest.com.

• The Seventh Annual Jazz Festival in Gardena will take place Aug. 23, noon to 7 p.m., at Rowley Memorial Park, 13220 S. Van Ness Ave., Gardena. Michael Franks and Joyce Cooling are among those scheduled to perform.

many doctors, and the influential seniors’ advocacy group AARP, among others.

“We have broad agreement in Congress on about 80 percent of what we’re trying to do,” he added.

Officials from both political parties reached across the aisle recently in an effort to find compromises on proposals they left behind when they returned to their districts for an August recess.

Obama has been pressing for the government to run a health insurance organization to help cover the nation’s uninsured, but Republicans remain steadfast in arguing against it.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that a new government alternative to private health insurance is “not the essential element” of the administration’s health care overhaul. The White House would be open to nonprofit co-ops, she said, a sign that Democrats want a compromise so they can declare a victory on the showdown.

“I think there will be a competitor to private insurers,” Sebelius said. “That’s really the essential part, is you don’t turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing.”

Obama’s top spokesman refused to say a public option was a make-or-break choice for the administration.

“What I am saying is the bottom line for this for the president is, what we have to have is choice and competition in the insurance market,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate’s budget committee, pushed the coop model as an alternative.

“It’s not government-run and government-controlled,” he said.

“It’s membership-run and membership-controlled. But it does provide a nonprofit competitor for the for-profit insurance companies, and that’s why it has appeal on both sides.”

As proposed by Conrad, the co-ops would receive federal startup money, but then would operate independently of the government.

They would have to maintain the same financial reserves that private insurance companies are required Gates open at 10 a.m. General admission is $10 and limited tent seating is $50. Parking will be available Serra High School and Rowley Park. Ticket information: www.eticketfarm.com.

ART The Youth Justice Coalition will present “Indigenous Art Uprising,” Aug. 22, 1 p.m. to midnight, at Chuco’s Justice Center, 1137 E. Redondo Blvd., Inglewood. This is a free event benefiting the coalition’s work to end the mass incarceration of young people. Local artists will have works on display. Lowriders and motorcycle art will be shown, and live air brush body art will be performed. There will also be a raffle, a live hip-hop performance and an open mic session. Information: (323) 235-4243, e-mail freela now@yahoo.com.

to keep to handle unexpectedly high claims.

Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, said Obama’s team is making a political calculation and embracing the co-op alternative as “a step away from the government takeover of the health care system” that the Republicans have pummeled.

“I don’t know if it will do everything people want, but we ought to look at it. I think it’s a far cry from the original proposals,” he said.

Republicans say a public option would have unfair advantages that would drive private insurers out of business. Critics say co-ops would not be genuine public options for health insurance.

But Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a liberal Texas Democrat, said it would be difficult to pass any legislation through the Democratic-controlled Congress without the promised public plan.

“We’ll have the same number of people uninsured,” she said. “If the insurance companies wanted to insure these people now, they’d be insured.”

Republican Rep. Tom Price of Georgia said the Democrats’ public option would force individuals from their private plans to a government-run plan, a claim that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office supports.

“There is a way to get folks insured without having the government option,” he said.

Obama, in his opinion piece, said that the status quo is unaccept-

able when millions of Americans are struggling “with a system that often works better for the healthinsurance companies than it does for them.”

“In the coming weeks, the cynics and the naysayers will continue to exploit fear and concerns for political gain,” he wrote. “But for all the scare tactics out there, what’s truly scary — truly risky — is the prospect of doing nothing.”

Congress’ proposals, however, seemed likely to strike a proposal to provide reimbursement to doctors for end-of-life counseling sessions.

Sebelius said the end-of-life proposal was likely to be dropped from the final bill.

AP Writers Philip Elliott in Washington and Liz Sidoti in Grand Junction, Colo., contributed to this story.

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Page 12

L.A. WATTS TIMES

August 20, 2009

EDUCATION High School Scientists Spend Summer in UCLA Lab ERIKA A. MCCARDEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“The children are our future.”

The popular quote rings true as nine African American and Latin high school scientists spent their summer vacation conducting scientific research in the dental laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Dentistry.

The slang they speak isn’t the regular BFF, BRB or LOL, but rather formulaic, scientific “lab talk” that will leave many lab outsiders scratching their heads and running to look up medical terms in a dictionary.

Many teens slept in this summer, attended camps or enjoyed family vacations, but these students, who represent Long Beach, Los Angeles and other cities, spent six weeks rising at 6 a.m. for a group breakfast before making the daily trek up and down hill to campus for a full day of work in the dental lab with fellow graduate research students and dental school faculty.

FUTURE SCIENTIST — Chelcee Baker, one of nine African American and Latin high school students who spent their summer vacation conducting scientific research at the School of Dentistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. The students worked alongside graduate research students and dental school faculty.

“It was hard adjusting to waking at 5 or 6, getting ready by 8:30, then making the walk up and down the hill every day,” said Rigo Martínez, who entered the program through College GRAD and attends San Fernando High School. “During the first week, the days felt extra long and at first I

didn’t know how I would manage.

But, I learned the lab techniques. It was hard to understand, but I got through it and then after the first week it seemed like a breeze.”

Martinez was partnered to conduct research on “Oral cancer, and trying to control a tumor repressor gene.”

“We researched Cdk2ap1, which is our main gene, and the tumor suppressant gene. Our research was detecting oral cancer prematurely and being able to treat it before offset in the body,” Martinez said.

The school of dentistry started the yearlong pre-college science education outreach program in 2007 from a grant made possible by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The only school in the country to receive the five-year nearly $750,000 Biomedical Research Institutions Initiative grant, it works in partnership with nonprofit organizations College Bound of See UCLA LAB, page 13

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An Open Letter to LAUSD Board District 1 Constituents from Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte (Note) My intention was to personally share this verbally with the Mayor during our conference.

However, since he cancelled our meeting twice within the last week, I am using this medium to communicate my request to him and to inform my constituents.

Mr. Mayor, This morning, while channel surfing, I stopped on a channel with Colin Powell talking. He referenced the Civil War that divided this nation and alluded to current times as being described as the country’s Second Civil War. Colin Powell went on to say that we cannot rest in America until, what he referred to as this “Second Civil War”, comes to an end. He also said we must help each other out of this Second Civil War. I acknowledge my role as a warrior in this battle, along with some other warriors I’ve met, including present company.

A few years ago, a fired-up warrior/candidate for mayor whom I met in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown L.A. invited me to sit on the sidewalk on the curb of the street. Reluctantly, I sat on the curb and listened as he shared with me his hope for Los Angeles with him as mayor, and then solicited my support of his envisioning the residents of this city under his leadership as one united and viable constituency. As I listened intently to him on that curb, I believed him and based upon that belief, my friends and I embraced you and your vision.

Today, as I reflect on that talk the two of us had a few years ago and as we sit and talk today, based upon the trust and sincerity we experienced sitting in the middle of that downtown street, I solicit your support to jointly prevent another phase of Colin Powell’s reference to this “Second Civil War” in Los Angeles. I am personally asking you to accept and advocate support of this collaboratively drafted language of the Resolution which I will submit to you this afternoon. Your, Yolie’s, and the Superintendent’s acceptance of the newly proposed language will result in a “win-win” situation for everyone involved, especially the hundreds of thousands of students we serve. This drafted language gives you what you desire, gives Yolie (along with the supportive Board members) what she desires, but more importantly, the language opens the process so that it is fair and equitable, thus resulting in greater student access and improved academic performance. Also important is the fact that the newly proposed language makes the process more inclusive, rather than exclusive, for parents/guardians, charters, partners and all stakeholders, including community members and organizations.

With the City of Los Angeles under your supervision and under your care and jurisdiction, you have the power and the control to prevent our entering into another phase of Powell’s “Second Civil War” where the current Resolution’s direction is headed. Because of this Resolution, fierce battle lines are currently being drawn among the city’s citizens and if we do not prevent this from occurring, those lines will inevitably and unnecessarily divide this City of Angels for years to come and our children will be the losers.

NOTEBOOK Black Male University Enrollment Still Lags JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — It has been more than a year since the state College Board began work on an initiative to bolster the number of black males attending and graduating college in Mississippi, yet no specific recommendations have been made.

Assistant Higher Education Commissioner Reginald Sykes, who is in charge of developing a committee and report on the issue, says there’s still a lot of work to be done.

The statewide committee has met a few times since its creation in June 2008, but officials say it could be at least another year before any plans are put into action.

Black males accounted for about 8,500 of the nearly 72,000 students enrolled in the state’s public universities last fall, which is less than 12 percent.

Sharpton, Gingrich Push Obama’s School Reforms WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Arne Duncan is joining forces with two unlikely allies, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to push cities to fix failing schools.

The trio will visit Philadelphia, New Orleans and Baltimore later this year. They plan to add more stops as their tour progresses.

The idea came from a meeting they had with President Barack Obama in May. The president has vowed to make the United States the world leader in the number of people who graduate from college.

Sharpton, a liberal Democrat, said teachers and administrators aren’t the only ones responsible for improving schools. Parents need to be involved, too.

Interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show Aug. 14, Gingrich and Sharpton were asked how they had agreed to work together on education in view, despite their many

✁

political differences.

“I think that he has it exactly right, that education has to be the No. 1 civil right of the 21st century and I’ve been passionate about reforming education,” Gingrich said. “And we can’t get it done as a partisan issue.”

Sharpton said the time has come to “change the conversation ... to say we need to put everybody’s hands on the table.”

Report: School Segregation Worsens In Vegas Area LAS VEGAS (AP) — University researchers say that despite “substantial investment,” school segregation trends are getting worse in the neighborhood of West Las Vegas.

Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles say elementary schools in the historically black neighborhood, which has a growing Hispanic population, are in danger of segregation by language, poverty and race.

A third of students at six elementary schools are limited English speakers.

UCLA Professor Gary Orfield found that few students at the six schools take advantage of opportunities to transfer elsewhere.

The report also says students in West Las Vegas are taught by teachers with less experience that the average teacher in the Clark County School District.

State Senate Approves Legislation to Affirm Parental Participation in Education SACRAMENTO — Assembly Bill 1510 by Assemblyman Mike Eng (D–Monterey Park) passed out of the California State Senate with unanimous support from both Democrats and Republicans.

AB 1510 seeks to remove barriers for English learner parents that wish to be engaged in their child’s education by reinforcing the parent’s right to an oral interSee NOTEBOOK, page 13

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In the interest of safety of all of our constituents, I am requesting of you that, after reading the newly proposed language, all parties involved jointly announce an agreement/acceptance publicly by Friday, August 21, 2009 to stave off and denounce all potential unrest and demonstrations scheduled for August 25, 2009. Despite my total rejection of the original Resolution, I am willing to accept this newly proposed language and hope that agreement will be reached and announced via media or press conference to ensure a united front of seven board members, City Hall, the superintendent, unions, parents, charters, partners, and other community stakeholders to, in the greatest interest of students and schools, facilitate a smooth 2009-10 opening of the traditional school year and a continuance of a tranquil school year for year-round school students

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August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 13

SPORTS BRAD PYE JR.

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

Three shockers! The biggest one was Y.E. Yang’s three-stroke victory over Tiger Woods in the

UCLA LAB Continued from page 12 Greater Los Angeles and Project GRAD Los Angeles to identify high school junior and senior students who desire to work within the many fields of science. “In this country we’re not promoting science,� said Dr. Marvin Marcus, chair of the dental school’s division of public health and community dentistry. “Most who study science here come from China and India. Howard Hughes Medical Institute developed the minority pipeline program for developing sciences to minority students. I thought it was a natural partnership between the two community organizations and the school of dentistry.�

Jessica Juarez, who also attends San Fernando High School, added, “The most enjoyable part was working with grad and under grad students, doing the experiments and cell staining. We don’t have those types of hands-on experiences at my school, and having the chance to interact with college students and get a view of college life was great. This meant a lot to me and now I’m a step closer to becoming a pediatrician.�

Juarez performed research for canker sores and finding a better way to cure them.

The program requires each applicant to provide a resume, write an essay, and conduct an interview with a panel. Upon acceptance, the students are given a taste of independence and college life by means of a six-week stay in the campus dorms with a roommate.

Monday through Friday they worked in the science lab conducting research from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., followed by reading and writing assignments of their findings.

With select faculty and graduates on hand as mentors, the students were paired to perform research in several areas, including establishing whether DNA samples must be refrigerated, blending a better cocktail of antibodies, and early detection of oral cancer.

Each year the program is different, Marcus said. “The students from last year learned molecular biological techniques about cells, how they work, bone formation, and cancer immunology — all what lab directors do research on,� he added.

On the weekends, the students were allowed home visits, field trips to 3rd Street Promenade, Venice Beach, and visits to a faculty member’s home.

Chelcee Baker, of Rialto, said she didn’t know what to expect at

PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

Ranked 110th, Yang dumped on Woods for the first time in a major tournament after holding or sharing the third round lead. Tiger went into the final round leading by two

the beginning of the program, but now Baker plans to work in the field of research. “We started in the lab on a Monday, and before that a mentor asked me to read tons of manuscripts to become familiar with what we would be doing and the concepts. I took step-by-step notes on the procedure, and within a week I was able to do it myself,� she said. “I would be tired, but I always came prepared and ready to work. This program has helped me tremendously with deciding where I want to go in my career.�

At the conclusion of the six weeks, the students presented their research findings to faculty, graduate students, family and friends. They will continue to meet once a month and conduct further research of their areas of concentration.

As this year’s program prepares to wrap up, the first-year students who studied and researched topics such as salivary diagnostics and cellular aging and cancer presented their research this week at the American Academy for the Advancement of Science Pacific Division’s annual meeting in San Francisco, where they also were awarded. Five of the students from last year’s group will attend UCLA this fall, including Michaela Scott. “My lab research concentrated on bisphosphonates, osteoporosis and osteoporotic patients,â€? said the first-year program participant. “In the beginning it was a little frustrating because our group was the first in lab and the last to leave because the procedures took so long,â€? Scott added. “But I look back now, and all of the frustration was worth it. I learned a lot. What ‌ this program did for me was introduce something to me that will definitely be a part of my future. I have so much more respect for researchers and might consider it as a career option.â€?

NOTEBOOK Continued from page 12 preter in school-related parent meetings in the event existing federal and state law does not require one.

Passage of this bill allows parents of English learners to communicate more effectively with their child’s teachers and administrators. “Democrats and Republicans alike understand the importance of parents being engaged in their child’s education,� stated Assemblymember Eng. “AB 1510 complements existing law to help provide parents with more opportunities to be engaged in their child’s education.�

second chance. Two teams — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers — opened the preseason with at least two black QBs. And the beat continues The Los Angeles Sparks’ Lisa Leslie put on quite a show in her team’s 75-63 victory on Aug. 10 over

strokes and ended with a three over par 75.

The elimination of both Williams sisters — Venus and Serena — in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open were the other two shockers of the week. Venus lost to Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 with 38 unforced errors. While Serena

Lisa Leslie

Venus Williams

was beaten by Austria’s Sybille Bammer 7-5, 6-4 with 44 unforced errors.

In other news, Usain Bolt beat the USA’s Tyson Gay in a new world record-setting time of 9:58 — 11 seconds faster than his old world record of 9:69 at the World Games in Berlin. Gay came in second with a 9:71 new American record.

And the beat continues Black quarterbacks will be popping up all over the place in the NFL in 2009. But the most-watched QB of them all will be Michael Vick.

Vick signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles for $1.6 million per season.

Eagles Coach Andy Reid declared he believes Vick deserves a

the Indiana Fever (best team in the East, as of presstime) at the Staples Center as she hit for 21 points to become the first WNBA player in history to score 6,000 points.

The Sparks were at full strength for the first time this season. The starters included four Olympians: Leslie, Tina Thompson, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones.

And the beat continues Jerry West, former L.A. Lakers great and now general manager, isn’t too pleased about the acquisition of Ron Artest, and the exit of Trevor Ariza. West, according to Sports Illustrated, asks the question: “Will (Artest) fit into what they’re doing?

Trevor Ariza

Michael Vick

Trevor Ariza was a nice fit for them.

Ariza’s not as talented as Artest, but sometimes talent gets in the way of people being able to play together.�

I second West’s observation.

In other basketball news, LeBron James is becoming a movie star. The Cleveland Cavaliers

superstar is featured in a flick called “More Than a Game.� It’s set to debut Oct. 2.

The Pittsburgh Pirates second base farmhand Mpho Ngoepe, from Johannesburg, South Africa, could become an African big leaguer. The Pirates gave him a $15,000 signing bonus. He’s 5 feet, 8 inches and 178 pounds.

And the beat continues Chris Ballard’s entire Aug. 10 Sports Illustrated column (Point After) is written by ex-San Francisco Giants player and home run king (762) Barry Bonds. In the column, Bonds writes: “I’m thinking that right about now you’re feeling bad about how you treated me. I’m thinking maybe you’d like to apologize.

Not that I care, of course. No, not at all.�

Remember the name Marielle Hall. The Haddonfield High (Mount Laurel, N.J.) is a future long distance star, if you believe what Sports Illustrated has to say about her.

SI says she won the young women’s division titles in the 3,000 meters (9:56.100, and the 1,500 (4:33.62) at the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympics.

This past spring, Hall was the New Jersey Group 2 champion in the1,600 meters and the 800, setting state meet group standards in both races.

And the beat continues Damon Evans, Georgia Tech’s athletic director, is the head of the NCAA’s Division 1 Leadership Council. This group presents their findings to presidents and chancellors who determine if any Division II schools should be added to Division I. Evans is believed to be the first man of color to head this group.

And the beat ends Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at switchreel@aol.com.

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Page 14

L.A. WATTS TIMES

COME TO DODGER STADIUM AUGUST 31ST THROUGH SEPTEMBER 4TH TO HELP HONOR OUR MILITARY HEROES. EACH DAY, THE DODGERS WILL HONOR EACH BRANCH OF THE MILITARY WITH CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCHES, NATIONAL ANTHEMS AND GOD BLESS AMERICA. vs.

Miltary Appreciation Week

MONDAY, AUGUST 31ST, 7:10PM Navy Night

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST, 7:10PM Air Force Night

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 7:10PM Army Night

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 7:10PM Marines Night

DODGERS.COM | 866-DODGERS

August 20, 2009

August 20, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 15

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR RENT Section 8 welcome, 2 BR, remodeled, huge living area, Ceiling fan, new blinds, off street parking, Call 310-350-0953 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091058359 The following person is doing business as: Ana Karina Vazquez 10449 Marklein Ave. Mission Hills, CA 91345 Kary’s Day Care 10449 Marklein Ave. Mission Hills, CA 91345 This business is conducted by an individual.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Ana Karina Vazquez..

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on July 14, 2009.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

First Filing: 7/30/2009, 8/6/2009, 8/13/2009, 8/20/2009 LAWT 377

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091060191 The following person is doing business as: Domino LA Domino Los Angeles 11822 Gorham Ave. #9 Los Angeles, CA 90049 Amina F. Shaif 11822 Gorham Ave. #9 Los Angeles, CA 90049 This business is conducted by an individual.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Amina F. Shaif This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on July 14, 2009.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

First Filing: 7/30/2009, 8/6/2009, 8/13/2009, 8/20/2009 LAWT 378

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091068287 The following person is doing business as: MS Enterprise P.O. Box 641836 Los Angeles, CA 90064 MS Enterprise 2210 S. Hobart Blvd. #3 Los Angeles, CA 90018 Monica Brogdon 2210 S. Hobart Blvd. #3 Los Angeles, CA 90018 This business is conducted by an individual.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Monica Brogdon.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on July 15, 2009.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

First Filing: 7/30/2009, 8/6/2009, 8/13/2009, 8/20/2009 LAWT 379 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20091244699 The following person is doing business as: Common Sense Investors of Southern California 8111 West Blvd.

Inglewood, CA 90305 Ward Martin 1084 Flintlock Rd. Diamond Bar, CA 91765 Jimmy Mitchell 1052 Fernrest Dr. Harbor City, CA 90710 This business is conducted by Copartners.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Ward Martin and Jimmy Mitchell.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on August 13, 2009.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

First Filing: 8/20/2009, 8/27/09, 9/3/2009, 9/10/09 LAWT 380

DBA’s and Legal Notices, Call (213) 251-5700

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) NO. 7519 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro)

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles invites proposals from qualified environmental consultants to provide services related to leadbased paint, asbestos, and other hazardous substances.

INVITATION FOR BIDS

The work to be accomplished includes: testing for lead-based paint (LBP) through the use of an Xray fluorescence (XRF) device or through the use of bulk paint chip sampling; testing dust for the presence of lead through the use of wipe sampling; testing the soil for lead content; testing for the presence of asbestos containing materials (ACM); testing for the presence of other hazardous substances (OHS); laboratory analysis; performance of LBP risk assessments; design of methodologies and specifications for LBP, ACM and OHS abatement; and monitoring at sites during the LBP, ACM and OHS removal process to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, guidelines and technical specifications.

Proposals will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 3100, Los Angeles, CA 90057 until 2:00 p.m., (local time) September 4, 2009. Offers received after this date and time may, at the discretion of the Authority, be rejected without consideration.

Instructions for preparing your RFP are contained in the RFP and is available at www.hacla.org/psor call (213) 252-5405 or 252-1832 for a copy of the RFP. Questions of a procedural nature may be directed to John Price, Contract Administrator at (213) 252-5416 or by e-mail John.price@HACLA.org A pre-proposal conference to discuss the RFP and answer questions will be held at 2:00 p.m., August 18, 2009, in the Authority's 5th floor Board of Commissioners meeting room at 2600 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

8/13, 8/20/09 CNS-1664279# WATTS TIMES

CAREERS CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH A NEW CAREER! BECOME AN ALCOHOL & DRUG COUNSELOR Start Working in Clinics, Hospitals & Treatment Centers NO HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA REQUIRED GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL AID (if qualified)

1 (800) 213-5229 ICDCCOLLEGE.COM

Facts Aug. 18, 1963 The first black person admitted to the University of Mississippi, James Meredith, graduates.

Aug. 18, 1964 The Union of South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games because of its apartheid policies.

Source: blackfacts.com

L.A. WATTS TIMES EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES PART-TIME BOOKKEEPER The L.A. Watts Times has a position available for a mature, reliable and experienced part-time bookkeeper. Candidates must have experience in A/R, A/P and payroll and exhibit attention to detail. Bookkeeper will work under the supervision of company CPA. Excellent work environment.

Compensation commensurate with experience.

ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE - ADVERTISING SALES Call on corporate clients, small and mid-sized businesses for the purpose of selling print and on-line advertising. You must have prior phone sales success. We want energetic, enthusiastic sales people who can control the entire sales cycle on the phone, willing to prospect, have strong closing and account retention skills, we want you on the L.A. Watts Times team.

Competitive commission plan offered.

For either position, send your resume to: staff@lawattstimes.com or fax your resume to 213-251-5720.

Metro will receive bids for IFB No. C0933, Division 21 Body Shop, per specifications on file at the Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor).

All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Proc. & Mat. Mgmt. on or before 3:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), October 7, 2009, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. C0933. A Pre-Bid conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), September 15, 2009, in the Union Station Conference Room, located at the address above.

You may obtain information on how to obtain bid specifications, or further information, by faxing Joe O’Donnell at (213) 922-7500.

BRIEFS Continued from page 7

Supreme Court Says Ga. Man Should Get Hearing ATLANTA(AP) — The Supreme Court on Aug. 17 ordered a new hearing for death row inmate Troy Davis, giving him a chance to present evidence his lawyers say could clear him in the murder of an off-duty police officer almost 20 years ago.

The court told a federal judge to hold a hearing to decide whether evidence “that could not have been obtained at the time of trial” could establish Davis’ innocence. His case has become a rallying cry for death penalty opponents.

Davis’ attorneys contend he deserves a new trial because new evidence proves he was mistakenly identified as the killer. They say several trial witnesses have recanted their testimony, and others who did not testify during the trial have said another man confessed to the killing.

“This is exactly what we asked for,” said Jason Ewart, Davis’ attorney. “It’s been years since these witnesses have come forward, and they’ve never had their day in court.

And now they will.”

Davis was convicted 18 years ago for the 1989 slaying of Savannah, Ga., police officer Mark MacPhail, who was shot twice while working off-duty as a security guard at a bus station. He was gunned down after rushing to the aid of a homeless man who had been attacked.

Former NFL Official Burl Toler Dies CASTRO VALLEY (AP) — Burl Toler, the first African

Burl Toler

American official in NFL history who went on to work one Super Bowl in a distinguished career, has died. He was 81.

The University of San Francisco says Toler died Aug. 16 at a hospital in Castro Valley. Toler was a star player on the Dons famous “Undefeated, Untied, Uninvited” 1951 football team that was denied a bowl bid despite a 9-0 record because it refused to leave its two black players — Toler and Ollie Matson — behind.

After suffering a career-ending knee injury in a 1952 college AllStar game, Toler turned to officiating and was hired by the NFL in 1965. He became the first black official in major American team sports.

He spent 25 years as a field judge and head linesman in the NFL. He was head linesman for Pittsburgh’s 31-19 Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams in 1980.

“Burl Toler was a pioneer as the first African American game official in pro sports,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “He was a great athlete who then became a great official. The NFL will always be proud of his contributions to football and his unique place in NFL history.”

Toler is survived by his brother Arnold, six children and eight grandchildren.

CLASSIFIEDS STATEWIDE “Be wary of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send any money for fees or services. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.”

AUTOS WANTED DONATE YOUR CAR: Children’s Cancer Fund!

Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-252-0615. (Cal-SCAN) DONATE YOUR VEHICLE! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf.info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted, 1-888-468-5964. (CalSCAN)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY ALL CASH VENDING! Be Your Own Boss! Your Own Local Vending Route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy for $9,995. MultiVend LLC, 1-888-6252405. (Cal-SCAN)

BUSINESS SERVICES CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price.

25-words $450. Reach 6 million Californians!.

FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SCAN.com (Cal-SCAN) DISPLAY ADVERTISING in 140 Cal-SDAN newspapers statewide for $1,550! Reach over 3 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SDAN.com (Cal-SCAN)

NEWS RELEASE? Cost-efficient service. The California Press Release Service has 500 current daily, weekly and college newspaper contacts in California.

FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6010. www.CaliforniaPressReleaseService.com (CalSCAN)

HEALTH/MISCELLANEOUS/LEGAL SERVICES IF A LOVED ONE UNDERWENT HEMODIALYSIS and received Heparin between September l, 2007 and August 31, 2008 and died after the use of Heparin, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles Johnson - 1-800-535-5727. (Cal-SCAN)

HELP WANTED ATTENTION: International Wellness Company Expanding ONLINE COMPUTER WORK! Work from anywhere 24/7. Great pay. Will train. Request info online: www.KTPGlobal.com or 1-800-330-8446.

(Cal-SCAN) JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! California Army National Guard.

No Experience. Paid training. High School Jr/ Sr & Grads/ GED. May qualify for $15,000 BONUS. www.NationalGuard.com/Careers or 1-800-Go-Guard.

(Cal-SCAN)

HELP WANTED/DRIVERS ANDRUS TRANSPORTATION Seeking Team Drivers! Dedicated Team Freight. Also Hiring OTR drivers - West states exp/hazmat end, great miles/hometime. STABLE Family owned 35 yrs+ 1-800-888-5838, 1-866-806-5119 x1402. (CalSCAN)

SLT - IMMEDIATE OPENINGS for CDLA teams, solo drivers willing to team. $1,000 Sign-on bonus. $1100/wk minimum pay. Hazmat & 1 yr experience.

Background check required. 1-800-835-9471. (CalSCAN)

HELP WANTED/SALES OVER 18? AVAILABLE to TRAVEL? Earn Above Average $$$ with Fun Successful Business Group! No Experience Necessary. 2wks Paid Training. Lodging, Transportation Provided. 1-877-646-5050. (CalSCAN)

LAND FOR SALE/OUT OF STATE LAND FORECLOSURE 40 Acres $29,900 SOUTHERN COLORADO Warranty Deed, Survey. Rocky Mtn. views, utilities. Enjoy 300 days of sunshine. Low down payment. CALL TODAY! 1-866-696-5263 x5338. (Cal-SCAN) UNPRECEDENTED MONTANA LAND OFFERINGS 20AC w/ Road, Utilities, Gorgeous Views- $2949,900 160-1000 acres starting at Under $1000/ Acre Beautiful treed ridges, mtn. views, ponds, the best elk & deer territories in Montana! Over 100 properties ALL OFFERS CONSIDERED See pictures at www.WesternSkiesLand.com Or call for a guided tour 888-361-3006. (Cal-SCAN)

REAL ESTATE AUCTIONS ABSOLUTE AUCTION - No Minimum Bid/ No Seller Reserve! September 2nd @ noon. 5,500 sq.ft. home, guest house, horse corral on 1 acre. Nuevo, Riverside County. www.AuctionCA.com (661) 3256500. (Cal-SCAN)

Page 16

L.A. WATTS TIMES

August 20, 2009

BUSINESS CARD BULLETIN BOARD DISCIPLES ON THE MOVE Sat., Aug. 29, 2009 • • • • • •

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HAVE YOU BEEN DENIED YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS? Let me assist you.

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• Dynamic Preaching and Testimonies Come help us take the gospel to the beach! ~ This event is free ~

For Information 323-766-1194

You may be eligible to participate in a research study that examines the psychological and physical stress of men who experienced forced sexual contact as a child or adolescent.

RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT LEGAL DOCUMENT PREPARERS

This study is conducted by Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and UCLA. We are interested in interviewing: • African American, Latino and White men • Over 18 years of age and under 40 years If you agree to participate, you will be asked to: • Participate in an interview that lasts 2 to 3 hours • Give 3 saliva samples • Provide a urine sample

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You may receive up to $100 for your participation in this study. For more information, please call Jennifer Payne, LCSW, at (323) 357-3629.

WE ARE NOT ATTORNEYS

(323) 756-3755 A VOLUNTARY RESEARCH STUDY Join hundreds of other Black men in Los Angeles, who are part of a program to promote self-acceptance, healthy lifestyle choices and reduce HIV infection in the Black community. To get more details about the program and find out if you are eligible, call 310-825-5474. Both HIV-ve and HIV +ve men may participate. Cash compensation and refreshments provided.

All calls are confidential.

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