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Vol. 24 No.34 Phone (323) 244-7286 Address:3707 West 54th Street, LA, CA 90043
Friday, June 20, 2014
Playboy Jazz Festival-The Tradition Continues
Fantasia Photo credit:Mathew Imaging
Black Panther Co-Founder, Seale Speaks at Urban Issues Forum
HOLLYWOOD-The Playboy Jazz Festival returned to the iconic Hollywood Bowl, June 14-15, 2014 for its 36th edition. For 35 years, the festival sailed under the Playboy banner. The 36th edition is under new management, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, who promised and delivered a well attended and well received festival. Tony White and J.B. Dyas deserve a “Keeping Jazz Alive” Award for their dedication and commitment to jazz education. Once again, the LAUSD/Beyond the Bell All City Jazz Big Band opened the show with a solid set of jazz on the tunes “Lowrider,” “Ginger Bread Boy,” “Blue Bossa,” “Everyday I Have the Blues” featuring vocalist Alice Chen and closed with “I Mean You.” The New Jump Blues featuring actor Antonio “Huggy Bear” Fargas came out to jump, jive and wail during their fun and entertaining set on the tunes “Chicken Shack,” “Goo d Rockin’ Daddy,” “Keep On Churnin’,” “Rum & Cola” (calypso), “Don’t Roll Those Blood Shot Eyes at Me,” and “All She Wants to do is Mambo.” Saxophonist Tia Fuller made a return engagement to the Bowl. She was booked fronting her own band. The crowd and I were groovin’ high on “Ralphie’s Groove,” and continued with “Decisive Steps,” “Lil Les,”
“Body & Soul,” and concluded with the title track from her latest CD “Angelic Warrior.” There seems to be a pattern here. A non-jazz artist usually captivates and engages the crowd at the Playboy Jazz Festival. Case in point, Allen Stone’s soulful; gospel tinged set engaged the crowd as if one were in a different setting for a different genre of music. He held the crowds undivided attention during the following tunes “Love,” “Say So,” “Quit Callin,” “Unaware,” and a shout to the Godfather of Soul, James Brown on the tune JB’s Groove,” and concluded his crowd pleasing set with “Satisfaction” that sums up the feeling of the crowd. Kenny Baron Trio with special guest saxophonist Ravi Coltrane was the highlight for me for the entire weekend, as well as for other jazz purist in the crowd. They performed a brilliant set of straight ahead jazz to usher in the dinner hour on the tunes “And Then Again,” “Phantom,” “Cook’s Bay,” and delved into the Thelonious Monk songbook on “Ask Me Now,” and “Well You Needn’t.” Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9 got the party underway once again while representing the Crescent City of New Orleans. They thrilled the crowd on “Dixie Walker,” “Viper’s Drag,” “B o o k e r T i me , ” “B u d d y Bolden’s Blues,” and “Big Chief.” The festival continued to
evolve a notch with an always entertaining set by Dianne Reeves, Jamie Cullum, Big Band sounds provided by Arturo Sandoval Big Band with special guest Patti Austin and Monica Mancini. Day one of the festival concluded with an All-Star group of musicians for a special celebratory tribute to the late, legendary George Duke. George Duke was a headliner at last year’s festival and a frequent festival participant over the years. Participating artists featured Al Jarreau, Stanley Clarke, Ndugu Chancler, Paul Jackson, Jr., Byron Miller, Greg Phillinganes, Lil John Roberts and Josie James with John Beasley as Musical Director. Sunday, day two of the festival got underway with a rousing performance of the Esperanza High School Jazz Band directed by Brad Davis. They immediately got the crowd’s attention opening with “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “It’s Just Talk,” “Moanin,” and “Don’t Get Sassy.” James Cotton Blues Band with special guest Big Jay McNeely proved once again that the blues is alright. A dose of the blues is just what the good doctor prescribed for their afternoon set on the tunes “Noel Neal Boogie,” “How Can A Fool Go Wrong,” “Blues in my Sleep,” “Blow Wind Blow,” and “He Was There.” Saxophonist Big Jay Please see Fantasia, page 9
Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® Sites Across California Launch For Summer
Photo by Ian Foxx Bobby Seale and Dr. Anthony Samad at the UrbanIssues Forum on Friday, June 13, 2014. Bobby Seale (pictured) were inspired by the teachings of Malcolm X, who was slain just a year before they began the Party. Newton and Seale, growing tired of police brutality and other forms injustice against Blacks, formed the Black Panther Party on this day in 1966.
LOS ANGELES—The Children's Defense Fund – California today announced the statewide launch of the CDF Freedom Schools program, a six-week summer literacy and enrichment program that helps children and youth fall in love with reading, build self-esteem, and develop positive attitudes towards learning. More than 1,000 children and youth will be served at 27 CDF Freedom Schools sites in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Bakersfield, and San Diego. "The greatest threat to America's economic and military security comes from no foreign enemy but from our own failure to invest in healthy and educated children," said Marian Wright Edelman. "In the CDF Freedom Schools program children learn to fall in love with reading and are engaged in activities that develop their minds and bodies and nurture their spirits. The children are encouraged to dream about college and set goals for them-
selves, and for many of them, the program is a life-changing experience. We are forging a new vision for what can be done with and for our children." At C D F F r e e d o m Schools, children are taught using a curriculum focused on high-quality academic enrichment, parent and family involvement, social action and civic engagement, intergenerational leadership, and nutrition and mental health. Every morning opens with Harambee, a 30-minute activity in which children, staff, parents, and community members gather to celebrate themselves and each other through guest readers, motivational songs, and cheers and chants. Next, highly trained college students and recent graduates lead the children through an Integrated Reading Curriculum that uses literature, group discussions, and art to strengthen students’ sense of self-worth and empower them to make a difference in themselves and in their families,
schools, communities, and nation. In the afternoon, children participate in music, dance, field trips, and other culturally enriching activities that further reinforce the connection between literacy, community engagement, and civic engagement. "The Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools ensure that children, regardless of race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status or gender have a healthy and fun place to learn over the summer," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark RidleyThomas. "We are especially pleased to see that five of our probation camps will now have a Freedom Schools program. This program changes the way children learn and read. I've seen the excitement, the enthusiasm and the results over the years – that's why this has been an annual event in the Second District. I applaud my friend Marian Wright Edelman for her work in creating this program that plants Please see, Freedom, page 10
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EDITORIAL/OPINION Publisher’s Column
Dr. Gloria Zuurveen President, CEO, Founder and Publisher
Hello Readers, Yesterday was Juneteenth, our official Fourth of July. Yes, it is the day the slave found out that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation of Proclamation giving slave their freedom. The only problem is the slaves in Galveston, Texas received the message later on June 19, 1865. It was a day of celebration for them and today we celebrate it as our official Independence Day. It is a blessing and yet it is sad that we do not recognize this day in the way we should. It is a time that we should pass on to our young one to make sure that they understand that freedom is not free and even when it is declared as such there are still those who will desire for your bondage to remain. Today, many are in chains of slavery to the stuff of this world. Stuff that is so insignificant to what is really important and that is love of family and our neighbors. This is the greatest commandment passed on to us as Christian and human being and yet during this important day in our lives there are still so much killing only today it by our own. We must love.
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The Fight for the South By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. With the Republican takeover of the Virginia State Senate, Republicans now control the state legislatures in all 11 former confederate states. Now the reconstruction of the New South that was launched by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson is under assault. King’s movement and Johnson’s presidential power transformed the South after the Supreme Court ruled segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. The Voting Rights Act gave blacks the right to vote. Civil rights legislation opened up public facilities and launched an era of affirmative actions to overcome segregation. The War on Poverty extended Medicare, food stamps, housing aid, jobs programs and more to the impoverished. The transformation generated its own reaction. Johnson predicted that Democrats would lose the South for a generation. Under Nixon, the Republican Party adopted a southern strategy, making itself the party of white sanctuary, displacing conservative Democrats. Slowly, Republicans began picking up seats and consolidating their position, even as the country grew more diverse. Barack Obama’s election shocked many white southerners, accelerating the process. Now Republican governors and legislatures across the South are chipping away at the progress that has been made. Emboldened when the Supreme Court overturned key parts of the Voting Rights Act, they are passing legislation that makes voting harder for working and poor people, disproportionately minorities. And when the Supreme Court affirmed state rights over the expansion of Medicaid in health care reform, Republican governors and legislatures across the South blocked the expansion, depriving millions of poor working families of decent health protection. Where governors once sought to stand in the schoolhouse door, now they stand at the hospital door. These states are not opposed to federal money. Of the
top 10 states with budgets containing the highest percentage of revenue from the federal government, five are in the South — Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia and South Carolina. South Carolina, for example, suffers the third-highest poverty rate in the U.S., with nearly 20 percent of all residents and more than one-fourth of all children in poverty. Yet, Gov. Nikki Haley has turned her back on $11 billion in federal resources for Medicaid expansion and hundreds of millions for education. The state lobbies for more money for military bases, ports and highways, but turns its back on the poor. Will the progress of the last decades be turned back? Will the Old South block the growth of a New South? The political threat is clear. Republicans consolidate their position as a party of white sanctuary and dominate elections across the South. National Democrats decide it is not worth investing in those states, with the exception possibly of outliers, like Texas and Florida. The Deep South descends once more into a region of racial reaction. One problem with this is that a reactionary South can have an inordinate influence in our national politics. We’ve seen how a Republican minority in the Senate, constructed significantly of senators from the southern states, can obstruct sensible reforms, from raising the minimum wage to paycheck fairness to allowing refinancing of student loans at a lower rate. This Republican Party could block steps to strengthen civil rights laws, enforce labor laws, or provide a helping hand to the poor. If the New South is to be revived, the battle must be fought at the state and local level. As Dr. King taught us, only the victims of oppression can stop their own victimization. A new movement of poor working people — joining across lines of race or gender — must rise to challenge the new reaction. When that movement builds, people of conscience across the country will respond. In North Carolina’s Moral Monday demonstrations, we may be seeing the beginnings of that movement. It is spreading to Georgia and South Carolina. Once more, the battle for the future of the South is joined. We all have a stake in its outcome.
How Much Are You Worth? By James Clingman In a 2010 report titled, Lifting as we Climb: Women of Color, Wealth, and America’s Future, posted by Insight – Center for community and Economic Development, a startling and unbelievable statistic was cited. Written by Mariko Chang, Ph.D., with the help of Meizhu Lui, Director of the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative, the report stated the median wealth for Black females from “36-49 years of age is $5.00!” If you took statistics you may remember that the “median” is the number in the middle of a given set of numbers arranged in order of increasing magnitude. That being true, this statistic also means that some Black women in that age group have even less wealth, while the others cannot be too much higher, considering that $5.00 is right in the middle. Just for disclosure sake, the report used the term “women of color,” which includes Hispanic women. So what are we to make of yet another indicator of Black economic disparity—or should I say economic despair? Do we just shake our heads and continue down the path of apathy, giving into the notion that there’s nothing we can do about it? Do we view it as a microcosm of our overall economic condition? Or, do we address this issue head-on with our “leaders” and demand economic, political, educational, and social change? For perspective, the report also cites the following: “White women in the prime working years of ages 36-49 have a median wealth of $42,600. Prior to age 50, women of color have virtually no wealth. Moreover, in comparison to their same-sex white counterparts, women of color in the two youngest age groups, have less than 1% of the wealth of white women…” The report also noted the same relative statistics for Black men. Compared to White people, Blacks are so far behind that it’s almost meaningless to even discuss the “gaps” in income and wealth. In addition, compared to Asians and so-called “East Indians,” who even exceed Whites in some categories, we have moved to fourth place on the economic scale, only barely ahead of Hispanics. Notwithstanding John Sibley Butler’s “Economic Detour” that Black people had to take to create wealth in this coun-
try, the discrimination against us in credit and land ownership, the lack of government assistance as opposed to the subsidies White companies received, we have come quite a distance in spite of having to run from behind with weights tied to our feet. But how much consolation can and should we take from that? We are still in very poor economic shape as a whole, which the $5.00 wealth of Black women 36-49 years of age graphically indicates. Our families are still at the bottom in median net worth; our businesses are at the bottom in receipts and number of employees; and our children are still at the bottom in education and employment, but at the top in incarceration. Doesn’t this suggest to you that we have to change our economic behavior? Doesn’t it indicate a dire need to develop multiple streams of income for our people? Doesn’t our position in this country, much of its wealth having been built on the backs of our enslaved ancestors, point out that business as usual is a prescription for failure? How many more reports do we need? The one I cited was written four years ago in 2010, but there are so many others that were written over 100 years ago. What are we waiting for, the next crisis? Auction Some of our women are worth less now than they were on the auction block, and we are sitting around waiting for Barack Obama to make things right. We are ensconced in discussions about politics and politicians who are doing absolutely nothing to help us. We are spending our time on voting rights instead of economic rights, not understanding that our voting rights only lead to economic rights for the politicians and their hacks. We are not asleep; we are in a coma! For twenty-one years I have been sounding the alarm via this column, first locally in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then nationally via the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA), and others have done much the same thing for even longer. It is beyond frustration, disappointment, discouragement, and disillusion that I submit another wake-up call to my people in hope and prayer that we will work together to change our economic situation in this country. Even though a segment of our women are only worth $5.00, we have the collective wherewithal to raise that value exponentially. We have the economic capability to determine our own worth. Do we have the will?
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EDUCATION & COMMUNITY NEWS International School Shows How Common Core Can Work By George White From New America Media NEW ORLEANS – When Morris Jeff Community School, a charter elementary, reopened its doors here in 2010, five years after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, journalists were eager to interview Principal Patricia Perkins about the school’s plan to adopt an international education association’s more rigorous academic standards. “It’s a curriculum framework that...focuses on foreign languages, critical thinking skills, arts and physical education,” Perkins told one reporter at the time. “It’s a very holistic way of educating children.” Today, those same words could just as easily be used to describe the new education standards, known as Common Core, that schools in more than 40 states across the country, including Morris Jeff, will be adopting this fall. As a result, eyes are once again being placed on Morris Jeff because, explained Perkins, the school already "offers a rigorous curriculum that... aligns with many of the Common Core State Standards for learning."
The critical thinking skills that students are expected to learn under Common Core, for example, have already been among the objectives at Morris Jeff and more than 3,800 other “world schools” in 147 countries affiliated with International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), an association founded in 1968. Morris Jeff is the only elementary school in Louisiana with an IBO affiliation. “Under IBO and Com-
Rep. Bass Fighting To Ensure South Los Angeles Designated as a “Promise Zone” LOS ANGLES— Congresswoman Karen Bass (DCalif.) sent a letter recently to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan to help areas in South Los Angeles become a designated “Promise Zone.” In April, HUD released its draft guidelines for the second round of Promise Zone applications. The Promise Zone initiative is an Obama administration program designed to foster partnerships between the federal government and communities, leverage local investments and increase access to tools and resources that will help leaders revitalize their communities. “The Promise Zone initiative is an opportunity for the federal government to fulfill its promise to South Los Angeles,” said Rep. Bass. “Over the last several months, I have been working with South Los Angeles community leaders and community organizations to make sure that the area is in a prime position to be designated as a Promise Zone. Community leaders worked together and we are united in voicing our ideas for improving the qualifications for this important designation.” “South Los Angeles is unique because its devastating marginalization impacts more than three-quarters of one million residents within a contiguous 51square mile geography and its collective adverse public health challenges rank among the worst in the country,” said Charisse Bremond, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Brotherhood Cru-
sade. “Despite significant efforts by local community and systems leaders to change the narrative and trajectory of the community, transformational change will not occur until these efforts are fully supported by the federal government. Designation as a Promise Zone is the necessary first step in this process.” Specifically, Rep. Bass is requesting that HUD require applications have a plan for preserving and protecting affordable housing, include investment in subways and light rail lines, ensure that areas designated as Promise Zones are large to suit large urban areas, and to allow cities like Los Angeles to submit more than one Promise Zone application. In January, President Obama announced the first five Promise Zones, which were located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Southeastern Kentucky, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and East Hollywood in Los Angeles. In his budget released earlier this year, Obama called for the creation of forty Promise Zones. Founded in 1968, the Brotherhood Crusade's principal mission is dedicated to building and sustaining an institution that raises funds and resources from within the community and distributes those funds directly back into the community. Brotherhood Crusade has a history of building alliances with other organizations, corporations and foundations of goodwill that are committed to and understand the tremendous need for helping our community and people grow and prosper.
mon Core, students are asked how and why information is important and how they made that determination,” Perkins said at a recent meeting with ethnic media journalists during a school visit organized by New America Media. Perkins said the IBO school movement has been growing because the affiliated schools offer consistent, high-quality standards for the children of parents working outside of their home countries. Similarly, most states are adopting Common Core because it is designed to ensure that standards are consistent between districts and states, and because of the emphasis it places on high quality instruction in English language arts and math. In addition to placing more value on critical thinking and analysis, the new Common Core standards require the creation or adoption of curriculum that prompts students to develop real-world applications for their studies and engage in group problem-solving with their peers. In mathematics, the Common Core standards call for a change from traditional instruction to a more visual, problemsolving approach exemplified by Singapore math, a type of curriculum that Morris Jeff has already used its classrooms for four years. Over the same four-year period, Morris Jeff has been using an English language arts curriculum developed by Lucy Calkins, a series of books and lesson plans that many schools and districts are planning to adopt as
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they begin the transition to Common Core. Visiting ethnic media journalists were able to observe this teaching approach in Morris Jeff's third-grade class, taught by Catherine Coyle. She asked her students to sort 26 pieces of paper – each piece embossed with a letter from the alphabet – into various subgroupings based on a pattern or theme. Subsequently, many of the students sorted letters into smaller subgroups that reflected their order in the alphabet. When the sorting was completed, Coyle asked the students to "tell your neighbor how you grouped the letters and why you did it that way.” Each student then explained their grouping logic to their seat mate. Under Common Core, students are expected to communicate more with each other in this fashion and – in some exercises – solve problems as members of small teams within the class. Common Core also calls for curricula that engages students and requires them to demonstrate what they’ve learned. In Courtney Wilde’s second grade class, for example, students were given a tutorial on script-writing by a member of a local theater troupe. The students are then asked to write a short script of their own. After her students transitioned to gym class, Wilde told reporters about a math-related problem-solving exercise that also requires writing skills. In the exercise, the students conduct a “lab” experiment that required them to put a small cart on two
ramps – one that declines at a 45degree angle and another with a 33-degree drop. After the experiment, the students are assigned to write a paper explaining why carts travel at different speeds at different angles. “Common Core is helping these kids become critical thinkers,” Wilde said. “Under Common Core, there is no regurgitation. This is needed because the workplace is more competitive nationally and globally.” To be sure, as an IBO school, Morris Jeff emphasizes global awareness. There are flags of foreign countries in the hallways. Such an emphasis is not required under Common Core. However, the new standards give schools more flexibility in curricula selection if the lesson plans and themes prompt students to do exercises requiring practical application of knowledge. For example, Morris Jeff students were taught about water as a finite resource, and learn about the emerging global need for conservation. Subsequently, they learned how to track and measure their daily water use at home and at school. The exercise was immediately relevant because the assignment was devised when a local utility began charging schools for water. Older students at Morris Jeff are expected to demonstrate their capacity for analysis by conducting research and by delivering oral or multimedia presentations. During their visit, journalists observed a fifth grader giving a presentation on gentrification in New Orleans. She used a large board displaying the names of neighborhoods that are undergoing change. She then went on to discuss the negative impacts of gentrification – among them, residents displaced because they can no longer afford the higher rents - as well as the positive impacts, such as more city tax revenue from new restaurants that have opened in gentrified areas. This type of instruction approach promotes critical thinking that can help students excel in the United States and abroad in a more globalized economy, said Principal Perkins, an advocate of Common Core. “It’s important because we know how transient societies
are today,” she said.
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CHURCH & COMMUNITY NEWS NYC Launch Promises One Million Accounts for Children's Future WASHINGTON— PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans, will announce a ground-breaking strategic partnership with TrustEgg, Inc. on June 19 at the historic Canaan Baptist Church in New York City. This partnership will offer one million children the benefit of TrustEgg's expertise and resources to NBCI's nationwide membership base of over 15 million congregants across the country. "This collaboration will leverage TrustEgg's relatable financial resources to help bridge the socioeconomic divide affecting African American families." said Reverend Anthony Evans, NBCI President. During the June 19th launch, NBCI leadership will be joined by community leaders and elected officials in an
event that promises to reach African American families with the message that early and often savings is within their reach through partners like TrustEgg. "TrustEgg's resources translate the oftentimes intimidating obstacles of financial savings." said Evans. "We are a trusted financial and housing expert in the Black Church community. By leveraging social media networks we can make saving money as easy as logging onto Facebook accounts. Delivering easy-tounderstand financial resources is a difficult task, and TrustEgg makes it possible." Over the next few months, both organizations will work together through grassroots efforts to engage as much of the black faith community as possible, carrying the message that early financial planning delivers great rewards and creating over one million accounts for families and children.
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HEALTH & COMMUNITY NEWS U.S. Says Government Lab Workers Possibly Exposed To Anthrax By Julie Steenhuysen As many as 75 scientists and staff in U.S. government laboratories in Atlanta may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria after researchers failed to follow safety procedures, prompting an investigation by federal authorities. Researchers working in a high-security bioterror response lab at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were preparing inactivated samples of the deadly organism, the CDC said on Thursday. But the bacteria may still have been infectious when the samples were transferred to lower-security CDC labs not equipped to handle live anthrax. Two of the three labs conducted research that may have aerosolized the spores, the CDC said. The agency first detected the exposure on June 13,
when live bacteria were found on the original slides used by scientists. Environmental sampling was done and the lab areas remain closed for decontamination. "No employee has shown any symptoms of anthrax illness," Dr. Paul Meechan, director of the environmental health and safety compliance office at the CDC, told Reuters. "This should not have happened," he said. For those exposed, "we're taking care of it. We will not let our people be at risk." The safety breach in the nation's premier bioterror lab raises new doubts about security measures at the CDC, whose infection control protocols are held up as a model to the world. The FBI is working with CDC to investigate the incident, but has no evidence of foul play, a spokesman for the bureau said. U.S. lawmakers said they would be monitoring the situation.
Bring Me Something To Eat By Dean L. Jones, CPM Television show host, physician and cardiothoracic surgeon, Doctor Mehmet Oz this week volunteered to help rid those bogus business offers that peddle socalled miracle pills and cure-alls to lose weight. Dr. Oz appeared before the Senate's consumer protection panel, Chaired by US Senator Claire McCaskill, where he explained how his outreach about green coffee and many other products can help Americans shed pounds and get healthy. It is somewhat sad knowing that our federal representatives are conducting hearings about the vulnerability of our eating habits. With the severity of so many other issues plaguing the American populace, being overweight should not have to take center stage. However, for a large variety of reasons a majority of people disregard the obvious like the American Heart Association's recommendation to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts, and reduce or eliminate red meat and sugary-filled foods and beverages. Long ago, being fat was revered as a sign of health and prosperity, as plumpness was a status symbol, showing that you did not have to engage in manual labor to earn your meals. Today the tables have turned, where historically, rich people were fat and poor people were thin due their inability to eat. Although we are more enlightened and being fat is simply not a good quality option, still 34.9% of the adult US population is obese. And those with little money who aim to lose weight, eating right is quite difficult. The working class and lowincome citizenry are far more likely to be overweight than those of greater means. It seems ridiculous, but as income falls, the rate of obesity rises, mainly due to the access to the cheap prices food for lowerincome sectors, but it is the unhealthiest and most fattening foodstuff. For example, on average $3.00 buys you a fast food
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Dean L. Jones deal with French fries, a cheeseburger and an unlimited refill of soda. The option to buy raw ground beef at $3.33 a pound leaves literally no money for a side dish of healthy vegetables. Our local economy has given permission to operate ineffective food marts. The challenge is there is no real food sold in these sham grocery stores, where every item carried is empty calories, unless you buy the last banana sitting near the register. The latest top ten highest obesity rated states are Mississippi-35.4%, West Virginia-34.4%, Delaware-34.3%, Louisiana-32.7%, Arkansas32.3%, South Carolina-31.4%, Tennessee-31.3%, Ohio-30.9%, Kentucky-30.6%, and Oklahoma30.5%. The state with the lowest obesity is Montana at 19.6%, and California is at 23.6%. Time was, when someone brought something to eat, it was cooked from fresh ingredients. Nowadays, the phrase 'bring something to eat' constantly results in trouble, where processed sugary, fatty and salty laden items will ensue, thus perpetuating higher rates of obesity. In view of that, stay SugarAlert! www.SugarAlert.com Dean Jones, Ethics Advocate, Southland Partnership Corporation (a public benefit organization), contributes his view on health attributes derived from processed foodstuff items.
A microscopic picture of spores and vegetative cells of Bacillus anthracis which causes the disease anthrax is pictured in this undated file photograph. Credit: Reuters/Files
“There is no room for error or negligence when it comes to bioterror research and every precaution must be taken to ensure the safety of our scientists," House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton said in a statement. Meechan said the CDC is conducting an internal investigation and that disciplinary measures would be taken if warranted. He stressed that there is no risk to the general public. INHALATION ANTHRAX The handling of pathogens inside U.S. government laboratories has been a growing concern since 2008, when the FBI identified Dr. Bruce Ivins, a U.S. Army anthrax researcher, as the prime suspect in a series of anthrax letter attacks in 2001. The threat of insiders having access to lethal bioterror agents led to a crackdown on lab security. The Ivins case touched off fears that “malicious actors” would use the substances to harm humans, according to a 2009 report by the American Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science. The CDC said that once the live bacteria were discovered, it immediately began contacting people working in the labs who may have been exposed. Meechan said seven researchers are the most likely to have come into contact with live anthrax, but the agency is casting as wide a net as possible to offer treatment to anyone who may be at risk. The normal incubation period for Bacillus anthracis can take up to five to seven days, though there are documented cases of the illness occurring some 60 days after exposure, Meechan said. Infection can occur through a cut in the skin, breathing in anthrax spores or eating tainted meat. Of the three, the biggest threat is inhalation anthrax, in which bacterial spores enter the lungs. Once they germinate, they release toxins that can cause internal bleeding, swelling and tissue death. Inhalation anthrax occurs in two stages. In the first stage, symptoms resemble a cold or the flu. In the second stage, anthrax
causes fever, severe shortness of breath and shock. About 90 percent of people with second-stage inhalation anthrax die, even after antibiotic treatment. Meechan said CDC workers in the lower-security labs were likely not wearing masks. Around 75 people are being offered a 60-day course of treatment with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and an injection with an anthrax vaccine. SECURITY CHECK Meechan said it was too early to determine whether the transfer of live bacteria was accidental or intentional. All employees who were doing procedures to inactivate the bacteria had passed a security check, he said. The CDC said in a statement it has reported the labsafety incident to the Federal Select Agent Program, which oversees the use and transfer of biological agents and toxins that pose a severe threat to the public. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the potential exposures are still "profoundly unfortunate and serious." "What's good about it is the exposures are minimal," he said. "CDC responded appropriately, aggressively and transparently. The risk to the individual is low and to the surrounding community, essentially nil." Schaffner said it is not yet clear exactly what the breach in infection control protocol was, but said, "Whatever it was, it should not have happened." (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by David Morgan and Marilyn Thompson in Washington; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Eric Walsh and Lisa Shumaker)
Obamacare Insurance Holders Rate Themselves Sicker: Survey (Reuters) - Individuals who purchased health insurance set up under U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law rate their personal health as worse than people who bought individual plans elsewhere, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey found. The survey, conducted after enrollment in Obamacare plans closed in April and released on Thursday, is the first comprehensive study addressing the health of those who have purchased this new insurance, created by the Affordable Care Act. About 8 million people purchased Obamacare plans, more than half of them qualifying for government subsidies toward their monthly premiums based on household income. The relative health of policyholders is a key factor for insurers when they set premium rates, which are designed to cover the costs of medical services among participants. Kaiser said it was unclear how this finding might influence rates because insurers had been anticipating a
sicker-than-average customer base. The telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 742 people also found that 57 percent of the new Obamacare plan members had been uninsured just before they obtained coverage. Most of them said they had not had coverage for at least two years. Insurers including WellPoint Inc and Aetna Inc have said they are still gathering data about their new customers, many of whose coverage did not start until May 1. Insurers have already submitted many of their 2015 rates to regulators. The survey found that 16 percent of respondents with Obamacare plans purchased on state exchanges rated their health as "fair," the fourth-worst of five levels offered. That compared with an average of 11 percent for all people who bought individual insurance. About 4 percent of people buying from the Obamacare exchanges rated their health as "poor," compared with 2 percent in individual plans sold outside of those exchange and less than
0.5 percent of people who still hold plans that do not comply with the law. These plans are expected to phase out of the market in the next three years. At the opposite end, 21 percent of people in Obamacare exchange plans said they had "excellent" health, compared with 24 percent of all individual plan holders. Twenty-seven percent of Obamacare plan members said they had "very good" health, compared with 31 percent overall, and 31 percent said they had "good" health, compared with 30 percent overall. Kaiser found the 55-to64 age group was the largest among members of ACAcompliant plans sold both on and off the exchanges. People older than 65 are eligible for the government's Medicare program. Of the other holders of ACA-compliant plans, 17 percent were aged 18 to 25, and another 17 percent were 26 to 34. About 19 percent were 35 to 44, and 21 percent were in the 45-to-54 age bracket. The survey was conducted April 3 to May 11.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Playboy Jazz Festival-The Tradition Continues Low-Budget Moving, Hauling (Continued from page 1) McNeely joined the band for “Big Fat Mama,” and his classic timely hit “There’s Something On Your Mind.” Juan DeMarcos & The Afro-Cuban All-Stars spiced up the festivities with some fiery hot Latin rhythms. They took the tempo up a notch while cooking on the following tunes “Barbaridad,” “Dos Gardenias,” “Chan Chan,” Tumba Y Bongo,” “Sabrosura Natural,” and “Candela.” I was completely surprise at not seeing a huge conga line form that snake around the Bowl as in years past. There were some couples dancing to the contagious sounds laid out by this tight ensemble. Jon Batiste and Stay Human was another festival highlight. Musicians from New Orleans have a unique way of connecting with the crowd. Jon Batiste engaged the crowd right away on “People in the World,” “Let God Lead,” “You & I,” “The Entertainer,” a bluesy rendition of “St. James Infirmary,” “Shreveport Stomp” by Jelly Roll Morton, while channeling James Booker and Professor Longhair and concluded
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NEWS & VIEWS New NAACP President Will Walk Thin Line on Same-Sex Marriage by Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) --- The newly selected NAACP president, the Rev. Cornell William Brooks, indicates he will walk a thin line in order to defend the NAACP’s stance on same-sex marriage and keep his ordination as a minister in the African American Episcopal Church (AMEC). Brooks, who is also CEO, has taken this stance because while the NAACP’s 64member board, two years ago, voted to support “marriage equality” ---marriage between people of the same gender --- the AME church’s Board of Bishops has voted emphatically against it. B r oo ks, a fo ur thgeneration ordained minister who is an associate minister at the Turner Memorial AME Church in Hyattsville, Md., says he sees no conflict between the opposing views and that he will be prepared to address fully his position during the NAACP annual convention in Las Vegas July 1923. “This role is one of civil rights leadership; not necessarily one of a theological authority,” Brooks said in an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. “I want to be clear that people of faith are still citizens of this Republic and it is not inconsistent to recognize the rights of gays and lesbians under the Constitution that protects African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and everyone else.” He concluded, saying, “I don’t find any irreconcilable differences between me honoring
Rev. Cornell William Brooks my faith tradition, which prohibits me from marrying –-- not only people of the same gender –-- but people who are in fact divorced.” He pointed out that the AMEC discipline is also against remarriage of divorced people. But divorce and remarriage is not an issue before the NAACP. The same-sex marriage issue has been a stickler in the black community; especially in the black church, particularly since President Obama announced his support for marriage equality in the spring of 2012. When the NAACP followed by officially announcing its position May 19, 2012, at least one NAACP president, an ordained minister, resigned because of it. The Rev. Keith Ratliff, then president of the NAACP Iowa-Nebraska conference and pastor of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa, resigned from the organization "due to the NAACP’s position and support of same-sex marriage," quotes
Google Launches New $50 Million Initiative To Help Inspire Girls To Be Computer Programmers Mountain View, CA — Chelsea Clinton, actress Mindy Kaling, Girl Scouts of the USA, SevenTeen Magazine, and several other organizations and foundations have partnered with Google to launch “Made with Code” – a global initiative to inspire girls to become programmers. According to USA Today, the initiative includes a commitment of $50 million to support programs
with cartoon berets or blouses or build basic animated GIFs. To officially launch the program, Google held a huge event in Manhattan, New York, and the host of the event was none other than actress Mindy Kaling (of The Mindy Project). But Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, was also a featured speaker. Thousands of tech-savvy women and girls attended. Google will also give out
Charisma News in June 2012. NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock, responded then in a statement issued to Charisma: "The NAACP strongly affirms his personal convictions as we do the religious conscience of all people as protected under the First Amendment…The constitution of the NAACP states that our mission is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all people. "Our resolution to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the constitutional rights of LGBT citizens remains within the scope of this mission. "We do did not issue our support of marriage equality from any personal, moral or religious perspective," she continued in the statement, published in Charisma News. "However, we affirm that civil marriage is a civil right, and our support of marriage equality is consistent with equal protection
under the law provided by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. We understand that there will sometimes be differences of opinion in our ongoing struggle to eliminate discrimination in this country, and we will always welcome diverse voices at our table." The AME Church Discipline states as follows: “The AMEC believes that unions of any kind between persons of the same sex or gender are contrary to the will of God. Therefore, the AMEC strictly prohibits and forbids any AMEC clergy person, licensed and/or ordained from performing or participating in or giving any blessing to any ceremony designed to result in any pairing between persons of the same sex gender, including, but not limited to, marriage or civil unions.” In an interview days after his appointment, Brooks who is currently president and CEO at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice based in Newark, ticked off a list of civil
rights, educational, economic and criminal justice issues that are high on the NAACP agenda, he indicated that he looks forward to further discussion on the issue of marriage equality: “I just don’t see a conflict and it’s my inclination --my style, if you will --- to listen to people. And there are going to be brothers and sisters who don’t support marriage equality as a matter of civil rights or as a matter of theology. But, does that mean I shouldn’t be listening, to be engaging? If we are willing to talk to conservatives who disagree with some of the NAACP’s positions or liberals who disagree with some of the NAACP’s positions, why can’t we be in conversation and in dialogue with people who disagree with our position on marriage equality even as we defend it?” Brooks says he is open to discuss the issue in the appropriate setting. “So there will be plenty of occasions and opportunities to address the issue at length.”
White Evangelical Protestants Say Small Businesses Should Be Able to Refuse Service to Blacks Eight percent of white evangelical Protestants said that small businesses should be able to refuse to service blacks based on religious reasons, according to a survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute,
which is based in Washington, D.C. Some 12 percent of white evangelical Protestants said the small businesses should be able to refuse service to people who are Jewish and 26 percent said small businesses should be able
to refuse service to gay and lesbian people. Another 21 percent of white evangelical Protestants said small businesses should be able to refuse service to atheists. Source: TheNorthStarNews
Congresswoman Waters Responds to Iraq Crisis Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), founder of the former Congressional Out of Iraq Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the ongoing situation in Iraq: "I am deeply concerned about the situation in Iraq, and my heart goes out to the Iraqi civilians who have been injured or killed and the displaced families who have been forced to flee their homes. Despite our humanitarian concerns, the United States cannot solve all international
crises, and the future of Iraq should be in the hands of its people. I voted against the Iraq war authorization in the first place in 2002, and formed the Out of Iraq Caucus to bring to the House of Representatives an ongoing debate about the war in Iraq and urge the return of U.S. service members to their families. "We were at war in Iraq for 8 years and nearly 4,500 of our men and women in uniform lost their lives. Tens of thousands more came back wounded or
injured, and their lives were changed forever. The cost of the war is estimated at $815 billion, of which $20 billion alone was invested to train Iraqi security forces to defend themselves and their country. "The American people are war-weary and not interested in another prolonged military effort in Iraq. I will continue to closely monitor the situation, but every conceivable effort must be made in working with the international community to negotiate peace, not a return to war."
Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® Sites
Photo credit: USA Today that can help get more females into computer science, like rewarding teachers who support girls who take CS courses on Codecademy or Khan Academy. It also provides great resources such as introductory Blockly-based coding projects, a web-based, graphical programming language, and fun projects such as enabling coders to play with x and y coordinates to accessorize selfies
grants to local Girl Scouts and Boys and Girls Clubs around the country to host girl-coding parties and to fund a range other awareness campaigns. And to top it off, there is a great website with how-to videos that educate girls on how to use basic coding technique to make bracelets and other similar items. For more details about the i n i t i a t i v e , v i s i t www.madewithcode.com
(Continued from page 1) the seeds for a positive future for our children, giving them what I hope will be a life-long love of reading." CDF Freedom Schools are making an impact in the lives of children by helping to stop summer learning loss and close achievement gaps. In 2012, according to a four-year study of the CDF Freedom Schools program by the Center for Adolescent Literacies at UNC Charlotte 90% of children showed no reading loss, and 63% of children actually improved their reading skills. In 2011, the Harvard Family Research Project reported that the CDF Freedom Schools program was among the
nation's most innovative programs having "...demonstrated success in providing quality learning opportunities for youth.” CDF Freedom Schools programs sites in California are supported through partnerships with community-based organizations, faith institutions, schools, universities, and juvenile probation camps. These organizations include: Agape International Spiritual Center, Community Coalition, LightWave Education, Lincoln Child Center, Miguel Contreras Foundation, Mt. Erie Christian Academy, Read Lead, Roberts Family Development Center, Stephen S. Wise Temple, Success in Challenges, Inc., Youth Policy Institute, and the Los
Angeles County Office of Education. Additionally, Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams Family Foundation, the Wasserman Foundation and the Los Angeles District 2 Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas currently support a network of sites within the Greater Los Angeles area. Media and community members are invited to visit a CDF Freedom Schools site. Please contact Hanif Houston at 510-684-0322 or hhouston@childrensdefense.org. For more information on the CDF Freedom Schools program and to see current site locations, visit http:// www.cdfca.org/programscampaigns/freedomschools/2014-locations.html.
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NATIONAL/REGIONAL & STATE NEWS
Thad Cochran Courting Union, Black Supporters JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Six-term Republican Sen. Thad Cochran is trying to survive an intense tea party challenge in Mississippi by reaching out to union members and black voters — two groups that traditionally support Democrats. But he risks a backlash from conservatives ready to support his opponent, state Sen. Chris McDaniel. Cochran is running TV ads aimed at conservatives by saying he’s the only candidate who has “voted against Obamacare more than 100 times.” And the former Senate Appropriations Committee chairman is traveling the state to remind people that he has brought home billions of federal dollars for projects that transcend party lines. He cites such projects as disaster relief, agriculture and nutrition programs, public education, military installations and highways. Cochran says McDaniel, who pledges to slash spending, could put those at risk. “My opponent says he’s not going to spend money like I spend money,” Cochran told diesel mechanics last week at a trucking center in Richland. “Well, you’re not going to have any roads and bridges. You’re not going to going to have a lot of things that are essential to our economic betterment and growth opportunities…. Just a word of warning if you’re thinking about voting for my opponent, you need to know that.” After the shocking ouster of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia last week, tea party groups are energized for the next test of their clout: A June 24 runoff between Cochran and McDaniel, neither of whom won the GOP nomination outright in Mississippi’s June 3 primary. McDaniel finished 1,418 votes ahead of Cochran in the three-person contest but fell short of the majority needed to win. McDaniel’s message: Cochran has piled up a huge federal debt and done little to resist President Barack Obama’s policy initiatives, including the health care overhaul. “He is pandering to liberal Democrats to save his Senate seat,” McDaniel said Saturday after a campaign stop in the Jackson suburb of Pearl. “It’s a sign of desperation.” In his last election in 2008, Cochran received 766,111 votes against a Democratic former state lawmaker who ran a low-budget campaign and received 480,915. Cochran campaign
tion blood thinner. She said she votes “sometimes, but not very often,” and usually for Democrats. Her situation points to Cochran’s challenge in attracting large numbers of black voters: While Willi said she likes the medical mall because it’s near her home and is a convenient place to go, she said she had never paid much attention to Cochran’s name on the facility. “I’m not too much into politics,” Willi demurred. “I should be, but I’m not.” U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (left) and Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel (The Associated Press)
staffers say that shows the incumbent has broad appeal, and they believe expanding the electorate for the GOP runoff would give him a boost. Mississippi voters don’t register by party, so Democrats and independents can vote in a Republican primary. The only ones banned from voting in the June 24 GOP runoff are the 85,866 people who voted in the June 3 Democratic primary. Mississippi Democratic Chairman Rickey Cole said he has long expected Cochran to seek support across party lines. But Cole said Cochran will have to find any margin of victory from within Republican ranks. “We like Senator Cochran,” Cole said, “most everyone does. But that doesn’t mean we owe him anything.” Democratic former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers will be on the November ballot, as will the Reform Party’s Shawn O’Hara, a perennial candidate for governor and other offices over the past two decades. Mississippi last had a Democrat in the U.S. Senate in 1989, and the state has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980.So, the GOP runoff winner enters the general election campaign with an advantage. Cochran’s urgency to turn out nontraditional voters for a Republican runoff yielded a surreal scene at a recent pre-dawn shift change at the state’s largest private employer, Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula — where about 9,000 Mississippians work. Cochran and several supporters — including fellow Republican Sen. Roger Wicker — shook hands with workers and distributed campaign material boasting: “Thad protects our shipyard, our Gulf Coast, our people, our jobs and our way of life.” During one lull, Wicker and Cochran huddled with two leaders of the local trade unions that endorsed Cochran over McDaniel. “Can you get your guys out?”
Wicker asked Mike Crawley and Warren Fairley, in a rare instance of two Republican senators openly discussing turnout with organized labor leaders. The union leaders said they were confident they could. Cochran says there’s nothing nefarious about seeking support from a broad cross-section of voters. After Cochran toured a Raytheon defense manufacturing plant in Forest on June 5, he was asked by The Associated Press about reaching out to black voters. “I think it’s important for everybody to participate,” Cochran said. “Voting rights has been an issue of great importance in Mississippi. People have really contributed a lot of energy and effort to making sure the political process is open to everyone.” Black residents make up 37 percent of Mississippi’s population — the highest percentage of any state; only Washington, D.C., has a higher percentage at 50 percent. At Mississippi’s Republican dinners or executive committee meetings, it’s often possible to count the number of black participants on one or two hands. Cochran is hoping all those voters reward him for his support of a wide variety of projects in the state. One of many buildings named for the senator is the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center, an 800,000-square-foot former retail mall that now houses physicians’ offices, an outpatient cancer treatment center and other medical operations. It’s in the heart of a mostly black neighborhood in central Jackson. Democr at i c Rep. Bennie Thompson, the longest-serving of Mississippi’s current four House members and the only one who’s black, said Cochran’s work in securing federal money was vital to developing the medical mall in the mid-1990s. Burtin Willi, 73, came for a checkup because she takes a prescrip-
Mississippi Sues Credit Reporting Giant Experian, Alleges Violations of Consumer Protection Laws WASHINGTON (AP) — Mississippi has sued credit reporting giant Experian, alleging sweeping errors in the company’s data and routine violations of consumer protection laws. Mississippi’s action — and a previously unreported multi-state investigation of credit bureaus led by Ohio — represent a significant new legal challenge to the industry. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood’s complaint against Experian Information Solutions was filed without fanfare last month in a Biloxi state courthouse and transferred to Mississippi federal court late last week. The lawsuit accuses Experian of knowingly including error-riddled data in the credit files of millions of Americans, jeopardizing their ability to obtain loans, employment-related background checks and sensitive government security clearances. Experian has even wrongly reported that consumers are on a federal terrorism watch list, the lawsuit said. Both Experian and a spokesman for its trade group, the Consumer Data Industry Association, declined to discuss the litigation or related questions about the quality of the company’s data. Experian warned investors earlier this year that the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its British counterpart were regulatory agencies responsible for protecting consumers and said, “It remains uncertain how these bodies may affect our credit and consumer business processes and business models in the future.” Experian told investors that, to the best of its knowledge, it complies with data protection requirements, but it warned that, “We might fail to comply with international, federal, regional, provincial, state or other jurisdictional regulations, due to their complexity, frequent changes or inconsistent application and interpretation.” Despite the errors, the Mississippi lawsuit said, Experian provides no straightforward way for consumers to correct erroneous blemishes affecting their credit. When consumers file a dispute, Experian reflexively finds in favor of the bank or debt
collector that reported the debt, Mississippi said. And when consumers call to complain, the lawsuit said Experian employees attempt to sell consumers credit monitoring products of questionable value. “Experian has turned its failures to maintain accurate credit reports and its refusal to investigate consumer disputes into a business opportunity,” Hood, a Democrat, said in a statement. Less information was immediately available about the separate investigation being conducted by Ohio and other states, though Republican Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has regularly criticized the credit bureaus for inadequate quality control and consumer protections. According to two people familiar with the investigation, attorneys general have demanded and received records from both Experian and its primary competitors, TransUnion and Equifax. Experian is the largest of the companies, with revenues of $4.8 billion last year. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the confidential investigation. The key allegations in Mississippi’s complaint are not entirely new: consumer advocates, plaintiffs’ attorneys, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have assailed credit bureaus for inadequately addressing erroneous credit reports. According to an FTC study, 5 percent of all consumers’ credit reports contain errors that could harm their ability to obtain credit. The Mississippi complaint stands out as the first major legal action by a state against a credit bureau in recent years, however, and its litigation may pressure other states and federal agencies to take public action. Much of Mississippi’s case appears to be rooted in documents obtained directly from Experian. At the company’s request, examples of allegedly inappropriate business practices were censored in the public court filing because Experian considers them a trade secret. Experian’s alleged mis Please see Experian, page 12
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NEWS Mississippi Sues Credit Reporting Giant Experian (Continued from page 11) conduct has harmed Mississippi consumers, the lawsuit said. Because of the company’s alleged failure to maintain reasonable procedures to verify credit information and correct mistakes — a violation of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act — consumers have been wrongly hounded for debts they did not owe, blocked from taking out loans and threatened with the loss of top secret military clearances. Mississippi alleges that even simple errors in Experian files — such as a credit file that wrongly stated that a Mississippi resident described in the complaint as “Consumer 5″ was dead — can prove nearly impossible to fix. “At first, Consumer 5 and his wife thought it was funny,” the complaint said. But months later, his unsuccessful efforts to fix the error cost him the ability to purchase a truck at a favorable interest rate. In another
This May 6, 2013 file photo shows Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood speaking in Jackson, Miss. Mississippi has sued credit reporting giant Experian, alleging sweeping errors in the company’s data and routine violations of consumer protection laws. Mississippi’s action _ and a previously unreported multi-state investigation of credit bureaus led by Ohio _ represent a significant new legal challenge to the industry. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File) example cited in the Mississippi complaint, a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard was
denied credit and forced to buy numerous credit monitoring services due to Experian’s failure to
distinguish between his credit history and those of other people in his family. Mississippi also alleges that consumers have lost access to the financial system after Experian wrongly confused their credit files with those of people on a U.S. Treasury Department terrorist watch list. At the root of Experian’s misbehavior, Mississippi claims, is how the company gathers data in consumers’ credit reports. The company — like its peers — builds consumer credit files out of proprietary data — such as whether a person has made regular payments on his mortgage. It also uses public records — such as whether court records list a tax lien on a person’s home. Banks and other prospective creditors that subscribe to the credit bureau’s service see both types of records but consumers who request their own credit reports sometimes receive only the proprietary data, leaving them in the dark about public records that can be inaccurate.
A second alleged violation of the law occurs when consumers dispute alleged inaccuracies in their credit reports. Under federal law, credit reporting bureaus are required to conduct a free, reasonable reinvestigation of consumer complaints. According to Mississippi investigators’ interviews with former Experian employees and Experian’s own documents, the lawsuit said, “Experian fails to conduct any — let alone a reasonable — reinvestigation of consumer disputes regarding their credit history or accounts.” Consumer advocates have argued that lax quality control and investigations of disputes is part of the credit bureaus’ business model. While the deficiencies cited by Mississippi sometimes result in costly lawsuits by aggrieved consumers — an Oregon woman won an $18.6 million jury verdict against Equifax last year — such legal costs are cheaper for the credit bureaus to pay than it would be to improve their systems.
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2014161666
The following person (s) is/are doing business as: 1. Global Research Institute of International trade (GRIIT), 2342 S. Holt Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034; LA; P.O. Box 642445, Los Angeles, CA 90063 Registered Owner(s): Global Research Institute of International Trade (Gritt), 2342 So. Holt Ave., LA, CA 90034 California. This business is conducted by a Limited Liability Partnership. The date registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 4/10/2013. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) SIGNED:Global Research Institute of International Trade (GRIIT) Title: President & CEO; Registrant Signature: Sarita Jackson, Global Research Institute of International Trade (GRIIT) This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on June 13, 2014 Expires June 13, 2019. Notice-This fictitious Name Statement expires five years from date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). (First Filing) Pub June 20, 27 , July 4, 11, 2014PN
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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2014134550
The following person (s) is/are doing business as: 1. Marketing Messiah Media Concious Content Prolific Products Superb Services 2. We Walk On Water Quenching Thirsty Souls Everywhere 3. The Holy Goldy-We Are One 4. The Beautiful Birthday Bible 5. Astrology Divine 6. L.A.’s Poppin!! Popular On & Poppin Population 7. Manly Cures 4 Mankind Heroic Manicures: Pedicures for Men 8. Let There Be Light Merch. 9. Seraphim Recordings Holi Holi Holi, 2746 Clyde Avenue, Los Angelesm CA 90016 LA Registered Owner(s): Shauna Chappell, 2746 Clyd Avenue, LA. , CA 90016. This business is conducted by an Individual The date registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) SIGNED:Shauna Chappell Title: Owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on May 16, 2014/Expires May 16, 2019. Notice-This fictitious Name Statement expires five years from date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). (First Filing) Pub June 13, 20, 27 , July 4, 2014PN
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2014135931 The following person (s) is/are doing business as: 1. Los Angeles Monthly Meeting 2. Los Angeles Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends 3.Los Angeles Friends Meeting 4. Los Angeles Monthly Meeting of Pacific Yearly Meeting 5. Los Angeles Quaker Meeting (Friends) 6. Los Angeles Friends Meeting (Quaker), 4157 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037 Los Angeles Registered Owner(s): Los Angeles Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, 4167 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90037. This business is conducted by an Unincorporated Association other than a Partnership The date registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 1939. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) SIGNED:Douglas Barnett Title: Clerk This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on May 19, 2014/Expires May 19, 2019. Notice-This fictitious Name Statement expires five years from date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). (First Filing) Pub June 6, 13, 20, 27 2014PN
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