5 22 2013

History Baby!

VOL. 62, No. 20

May 16 - 22, 2013

Growing black business: Back to the drawing board – again

(Part IV of The New Tri State Defender’s exploration of the city’s African-American business sector.)

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

Gone are the days where an invisible “Blacks Need Not Apply” sign branded the City of Memphis’ business sector. Still, what is the difference between stating access and creating access for African-American and women-owned business enterprises, or “MWBEs” as they’re called in the marketplace?

That was the dimes-to-dollar question as The New Tri State Defender returned (May 8 in City Hall) to the starting point for this series, the monthly meeting of the Minority Business Development Opportunity Commission (MBDOC).

Established by resolution, MBDOC – a seven-member volunteer group – cannot recommend the hiring or firing of any firm seeking business with the city. Its job is to review how the city’s divisions are complying with the stated intent to legally and ethically spur MWBE growth and to, hopefully, recommend solutions to make the process easier.

A report concerning the management of the city’s pension fund illustrated a key point. While MWBEs have gained ground in bedrock businesses such as small-scale contracting work and other service related industries, large-dollar opportunities go wanting in many fields. Reports from the city’s General Services and Engineering departments shed light.

General Service Deputy Director Antonio Adams Sr. voiced frustration about the difficulty of fulfilling some department needs through the current MWBE available list. General Services’ wide-ranging purchases include police cars and 125-horsepower Batwing lawn mowers from its $9.32 million budget. Such buys offer few opportunities for MWBE engagement.

However, the department spends significant per-project amounts on smallconstruction projects such as $2.75 million for roof repair, security, heating, plumbing and ventilation jobs that go wanting. Adams’ frustration was that more MWBEs have not made themselves knowledgeable of his department’s budget and the potential work.

“We diligently try to adhere to the (MWBE) goals, but how do I reach out to them?” He stressed that the budget for his department “is availSEE BUSINESS ON PAGE 2

- INSIDE -

Zach Randolphʼs “big boy” performance gives Memphis good reason to go crazy. (Photo: Warren Roseborough)

Grizz movin’ on to Western Finals Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kenny B. Johnson

Big Boy: street ball terminology meaning a person (or persons) who can completely and totally dominate a game in the paint.

In one of his biggest games of the playoffs, Zach Randolph put up “big boy” numbers, with 28 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 88-84 to win the NBA Western Conference best of seven, second round series 4-1.

A bandwagon of NBA analysts agrees that very few teams have the size to play the slow, methodical, half-court offense/defense that the Grizzlies claim as their own.

Heart-racing … heart-pounding … pulse shaking … headache-having … c’mon man! … hoarse from screaming … did you REALLY miss those free throws? … a collective “whewwwww!”

All these things explain the range of emotions that this sports columnist had during Wednesday nights exhilarating and thrilling win. Grizz Nation held its breath as OKC star Kevin Durant missed an open 16-foot jumper

• O.J. Simpson testifies in bid for new trial. See National, page 3.

53 years since Memphis movement The New Tri-State Defender

• Triumph over sin through Christ’s example. See Religion, page 7.

• ‘Mel Brooks: Make a Noise’ See Entertainment, page 9.

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

SEE GRIZZ ON PAGE 14

Sit-in vets plan return visit

• David Ortiz selling f---ing charity bat. See Business, page 6.

• ‘Fat City’ distinction aids Obesity Summit birth. See Community, page 13.

from the left wing with six seconds left that would have tied the game. Durant ended up with 21 points on 5-for-21 shooting, the third worst performance of his playoff career.

This was definitely a team victory and Memphis was not short on its share of “big boy” plays. There was: The steady hand of point guard Mike Conley, who added 13 points and 11 assists.

The monster dunk down the middle from Tayshaun Prince (da na da / da na da – Sports Center top play).

The story of the Memphis sit-ins, including one at the site where this Walgreens is located downtown, has not been adequately chronicled, said Grace Austin Meacham, who was arrested during the Walgreens sit-in. (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

The Walgreens at Madison and Main downtown will have some unusual visitors at noon on Friday (May 17) – 53 years after a sit-in there at the lunch counter.

Five students – Grace Austin, Parolee Holt, John Hooks, Willie Tom Miles and Stewart Truly – were arrested there that day in 1960. Only two – Austin (now Grace Austin Meacham) and John Hooks are still alive.

Meacham and some others involved in the sit-ins that pulsed through Memphis that year – beginning with the first on March 18, 1960 at McLellan’s 5 and 10 cents store on Main Street – plan to revisit the Wal-

greens site.

“May 17th is a significant day in our history because that is the day the (U.S.) Supreme Court ruled (1954) in Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education (outlawing public school segregation),” said Meacham.

The story of the Memphis sit-ins has not been adequately chronicled, said Meacham. “There are no monuments to that movement and this is a movement that changed the segregated laws in the whole city, not just one place…Revisiting keeps the story (alive).”

Meacham has posters that feature her police record from that day, which she plans to take with her on Friday.

On Thursday, she plans to reach out to Walgreens management and Walgreens headquarters.

SEE SIT-IN ON PAGE 2

What black women can learn from Angelina’s double mastectomy H- 7 7o - L - 6 8o Scat T-Storms

H- 8 0o - L - 7 0o P a r tl y C l ou dy

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-78 L-69 H-79 L-64 H-84 L-67

H- 8 8o - L - 7 0o Mo stl y Sun ny

Saturday H-87 L-70 H-77 L-66 H-87 L-66

Sunday H-90 L-70 H-83 L-67 H-88 L-67

The Root

by Lynette Holloway Actress Angelina Jolie’s decision on Tuesday to go public about her decision to undergo a double mastectomy after learning of her high risk of getting breast cancer sparked widespread chatter throughout the media world.

“Angelina Jolie has done a real service for women around the world,” Arthur Caplan, a New York University professor wrote in an opinion piece at CNN.

“Jolie’s Disclosure Highlights a Breast Cancer Dilemma” was the headline in a New York Times article about her story.

Jolie reportedly made the decision after undergoing genetic testing to determine susceptibility to breast cancer. Perhaps the news will make more women, especially African Americans, aware of the testing, although, as the Times points out, there is some debate about it.

A recent study found that AfricanAmerican women not diagnosed with breast cancer were 49 percent

less likely than white women to get genetic testing for gene abnormalities, despite recommendations from their doctors, according Breastcancer.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and community to those touched by this disease.

Breastcancer study

On average, African-American women have about the same risk of SEE JOLIE ON PAGE 2

Actress Angelina Jolie speaks at the G8 meeting in London last month. (WPA Pool/Getty Images News)

NEWS

Page 2

BUSINESS

Police arrest suspect in New Orleans Mother’s Day shooting

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

able online” and that potential contract seekers can get a copy delivered for a small fee.

Commenting after the General Services report, MBDOC board member Vincent Lee of ServiceMaster said he understood.

“When I want to do business with someone, let’s say General Services for example, I study them to try to learn what they want,” said Lee. “I go visit them and ask questions. It’s up to me to find the opportunity.”

MBDOC Chairman Melvin Jones saluted Lee for his savvy and knowledge, and in expanding on Lee’s point he gave an explanation of why MBDOC is needed.

“After years of discrimination there is still a myth out there among MWBEs that aren’t as savvy as you,” said Jones.

“What we are trying to overcome is (that) because of an historical discrimination of not wanting MWBEs the myth is out there with many of them that they need not apply. What we need to do to overcome the myth is to proactively get the word out. It’s really no different from what many private sector firms do.”

Jack Stevenson from the city’s Engineering department followed, reporting that while his department has generally maintained a 16 percent use rate with MWBEs, he would like to see it increase to a standard 20 percent, and more, if possible.

His report backed up the view that in the big-number contracts, sometimes qualified firms just cannot be found.

“Forty-six percent of the work we do cannot be filled by MWBEs,” Stevenson said.

Another problem his department faces is that much of the work is grant-based and cannot set specific MWBE goals.

Stevenson said he and the department are “diligently” trying to make more opportunities available.

Problem identified, next steps were suggested. It was agreed that the process to spread the word about opportunities must be improved and expanded.

Dr. Judith Black summarized the session.

“What I’m hearing is that there is a need for education.

There is a need for training” to upgrade the knowledge base of the MWBE sector to increase bid levels for public and private contracting processes.

MBDOC member Alandas Dobbins has been on both sides of the fence. Now executive director of the city’s Office of Resources and Enterprise, Dobbins ran Southern Communications Systems with her father, George Dobbins, growing the business into “the most successful African American owned telecommunications firm in the city.”

A past chairwoman of MBDOC and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Dobbins said her office is now working on the consensus that emerged in the meeting – better communication that will service all ends of the marketplace.

“We’re constructing a onestop website for small businesses, and reaching out to the organizations that work with MWBEs,” Dobbins said.

“This whole process has shown that we have to get the word out better.”

JOLIE

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

having an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene as white women.

But research continues to show that non-white women are less likely than white women to have genetic testing.

The risk of having an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene is higher in women diagnosed with breast cancer who: have family history of ovarian or breast cancer; were diagnosed before age 45; have a family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer younger than 45; are of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry; are African American and diagnosed younger than age 35 Abnormal BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes account for about 10 percent of all breast cancers. Women who have an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have up to an 85 percent risk of developing breast cancer by age 70. Their risk for ovarian cancer is also higher.

Tri-State Defender

May 16 - 22, 2013

CNN

by Lateef Mungin

Nineteen people were injured in the shooting that took place during the Motherʼs Day parade in New Orleans. (Photo: Darian Trotter/WGNO

NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans police said they arrested a suspect in the Mother’s Day shooting that left 19 people wounded this week.

In a post on its Facebook page, the police department identified the man taken into custody as Akein Scott, 19. It did not provide any more details on the arrest.

A SWAT team was used during the arrest Wednesday night in east New Orleans, CNN affiliate WDSU reported .

The shooting, during a festive Mother’s Day parade, renewed concerns about crime in the city.

It was the third holiday this year when guns have been fired into crowds, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said.

A January 21 shooting near a Martin Luther King Day parade left five wounded. Four people were hurt in a February Mardi Gras attack, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.

Police identified the teen as a suspect Monday after footage of the shooting was released.

Images of the parade, released by police Monday, show a man standing at the outskirts of a packed parade route. A moment later, he charges toward the crowd.

The surveillance camera images show the panicked crowd scrambling for cover. The man runs away, leaving people and bicycles scattered on the ground behind him.

A $10,000 reward had been offered in the case.

(CNN’s Chandler Friedman contributed to this report.)

“These documents undercut the reckless accusations by Republicans that the White House scrubbed the Benghazi talking points for political reasons and in fact show just the opposite – that the primary goal was to protect the FBI’s ongoing criminal investigation and our nation’s intelligence operations.”

GOP using Benghazi to smear

(CNN) – For some Republicans, 2016 is 1992: Hating Hillary Clinton is chic again.

Only more so, since the former secretary of state is also the partner of and potential successor to the last two Democratic presidents – Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Some of us believe, with good reasons, that the Republicans are “mad-dogging” Hillary Clinton with the Benghazi hearing to damage not only her presidential prospects, but also to damage President Obama’s credibility.

Polls show Obama is trusted more than his Washington opponents, especially on the economy. So, to defeat his economic agenda and substitute their own, which has already lost on logic, they’ve decided to undermine Obama’s credibility and authority.

The Benghazi hearing, which House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, orchestrated and planned for months, is a classic “killing two birds with one stone” scenario for Republicans. Or maybe three: They see an opportunity to smear Obama, sabotage Clinton and fundraise like giddy televangelists.

Benghazi hearing chairman Darrell Issa, R-California, said Clinton is not a target of his committee. That doesn’t seem to jibe with statements by GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte of

SIT-IN

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

In Memphis, 1960 was a banner year for sit-ins and lunch-counter demonstrations. A small group of Owen College students led the way with the sit-in at McLellan’s on March 18.

The police were called, the store was closed and the students left without being

N e w Hampshire and Lindsey Graham of S o u t h Carolina, among others.

And further contradicting Donna I ssa ’s Brazile protestation, the National Republican Congressional Committee was boasting that its Clinton/Benghazi fundraising page was the most successful in its history.

Benghazi is a rather unseemly subject to turn into a political weapon. It’s one thing to try to drag the former secretary of state through the mud. But the Republicans are trying to drag her through blood – blood that’s tainted with partisan politics. The Republicans cut the funding for embassy security by $128 million in 2011 and $331 million in 2012. Clinton warned that doing so would be “detrimental to national security.” Republicans scoffed then, scream now.

Obama called the Benghazi hearing a circus. He’s right.

It’s not a transparent, due process hearing. Democrats have complained they were excluded from much of the investigations, weren’t allowed arrested.

The next day, 36 students from Owen College and LeMoyne College and five newsmen were arrested on city charges for public library sit-ins at two locations.

The sit-in at Walgreens on May 17, 1960 was accompanied by a similar sit-in that same day at the Woolworth lunch counter on Main Street.

There were two females, Gloria Jean Story and Sadie

to call witnesses or to look at documents.

As Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland and ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said Wednesday after the White House’s release of approximately 100 pages of e-mails relating to the attacks in Benghazi: “These documents undercut the reckless accusations

by Republicans that the White House scrubbed the Benghazi talking points for political reasons and in fact show just the opposite – that the primary goal was to protect the FBI’s ongoing criminal investigation and our nation’s intelligence operations.”

A transparent, due-process hearing would call the witnesses who would testify that the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli mistakenly believed Katibat Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi had claimed credit for the attack. The group didn’t make the claim and later denied any role. But that was an on-theground, in-the-moment embassy mistake. (While no friend of the United States, the Benghazi al-Sharia organization has not, so far, been implicated in terrorist activity.)

It came from mistaken identity: There were two distinct and unrelated Ansar al-Sharia militant groups in Libya. Even Fox News interviewed an ex-

Sawyer and two males, Woodrow Miller (deceased), and T.C. Heard.

At Walgreens, the store manager closed the store after the students were denied service but would not leave the counter. They remained seated almost three hours while quietly reading books before being arrested and taken to police headquarters.

The students faced charges of disturbing the peace and con-

pert, J. Peter Pham of the Atlantic Council, who said these groups have no formal affiliation with each other. They are grass-roots up organizations, whereas al Qaeda organizes from the top down.

It is suspected that the Ansar al-Sharia in Derna was involved in the attack in Benghazi that killed four Americans. Its leader is a former prisoner at Guantanamo who was released under the Bush administration and deported to Libya for jail. Gadhafi later released him.

In a transparent hearing we would learn that the Republicans’ chief witness, Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks, was likely, even today, in error about which Ansar alSharia was involved. It is the difference between a local militant militia group and professional terrorists.

Hicks clearly was referring to the Benghazi al Sharia when he testified about his concern that Ambassador Chris Stevens was taken to the hospital that the Benghazi group then guarded. But, this week the same hospital was bombed; the rival al-Shaira group in Derna, with al Qaeda links, is a reasonable suspect.

Getting the facts right matters. Getting the truth matters.

Posturing for propaganda points not only misleads us, it endangers us. For whatever the Benghazi hearings are

spiracy to interfere with trade and commerce, along with other charges such as disorderly conduct. Due to the state charges, the arrested students were sentenced to 30 days at the County Penal Farm. Eventually during the appeal trial, the charges were dropped.

It is important to note, said Meacham, that Walgreens opted to dismantle the lunch counter rather than integrate.

Make www.tsdmemphis.com your home page

about, they’re not about learning the lessons from this tragedy and improving securities at American embassies and other facilities overseas.

They are, in fact, a partisan campaign fundraiser for the Republican Party, and not a fact-finding inquiry to help the State Department and military correct their mistakes.

Karl Rove’s American Crossroads super PAC has already taken on Hillary Clinton, spending megabucks on a 2016 attack ad that savages her judgments. Some Republicans, to their credit, can’t stomach any more from their fellow Republicans.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a Republican, appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and said he would have handled Benghazi just as Obama handled it.

He added a flat, “No” that he did not think Hillary Clinton would be involved in any kind of a cover-up.

Bill Kristol, conservative editor and commentator, told Fox News Sunday, “I wish the Republicans would just be quiet for a while and that the partisan Republican groups that are fundraising off this would be quiet ... for a while ... and let’s find out what really happened.”

Amen.

(Donna Brazile is a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist.)

The Woolworth protests did not result in arrests, but the males were physically attacked and ejected by two white militants, she recalled.

The females left when the store closed.

On Friday, the group visiting Walgreens will also visit the McLellan site, if time permits. Later during the year, they plan to re-visit other sites where sit-ins occurred during the movement.

NATION

Tri-State Defender

Page 3

May 16 - 22, 2013

Jay Harris: Did he actually choose rap over football

O.J. Simpson testifies in bid for new trial CNN

by Michael Martinez

Wearing a blue prison uniform, O.J. Simpson testified Wednesday that his former attorney advised he could use some force to reclaim personal items from sports memorabilia dealers as long as he didn’t trespass.

Simpson took the witness stand in a Las Vegas courtroom in an effort to get a new trial on his armed robbery, assault and kidnapping convictions in 2008.

He insists that his attorney in that case, Yale Galanter, didn’t adequately represent him.

Simpson said he trusted Galanter’s advice on how to get the items back. The items, he believed, were stolen, and he wanted to give them to his children someday.

“The overall advice that he gave me is that you have a right to get your stuff. He gave me an example that if you’re walking the street and you see your laptop in a car, you can use force to break the window of the car,” Simpson told the court.

The 65-year-old former foot-

ball star was convicted of leading a group of associates into a room at the Palace Station hotel and casino and using threats, guns and force to take back items from the two dealers in 2007.

Simpson testified that Galanter advised him that he could demand his property back from the dealers, and if they refused to return it, he could use some force, but could not trespass.

Simpson didn’t tell his attorney, however, that he planned to use a weapon.

A deputy escorted Simpson to the stand and unlocked the manacles binding his hands to his waist. His feet were also shackled. The former NFL player was heavier and had more gray hair than when he gained notoriety in the early 1990s in his trial on charges of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. A jury acquitted him in that case.

In the Las Vegas courtroom, Simpson recounted his working relationship with Galanter, who he said had a conflict of interest in the case and failed to

by Jenée Desmond-Harris The Root

O.J. Simpson took the witness stand Wednesday in a Las Vegas courtroom in an effort to get a new trial on the robbery, assault and kidnapping charges he was convicted of in 2008. He insists his former attorney, Yale Galanter, didnʼt represent him adequately. (Photo: Pool)

mount an effective defense.

“Yale had a relationship with the media and he would go on various shows to refute the tabloid stories,” Simpson said.

“He had a good relationship with the media and consequently I was in the media a lot and that gave him an opportunity to go on TV.” Under questioning by his attorney, Simpson seemed relaxed, alert, and attentive to each question. He voice was low and at times raspy. His left wrist was handcuffed to the witness stand, creating an image of a one-armed man as he gestured only with his right hand in animated moments.

The courtroom gallery is

small, occupied by mainly journalists, and the hearing lacked the big media spectacle of prior Simpson court appearances.

In documents filed requesting the new trial, Simpson argued that Galanter prevented him from testifying on his own behalf, leaving nothing to challenge evidence put forward by prosecutors of criminal intent and other issues.

Because Simpson didn’t testify in the 2008 trial, he now “wants to tell his story,” attorney Osmaldo Fumo said Tuesday, the second day of the hearing.

Simpson is serving a 33-year prison term.

The Nevada Supreme Court

upheld his conviction in 2010.

Prosecutors say there is no evidence of conflict of interest and Simpson’s claims are “without merit.”

Simpson, who played in the NFL from 1969 to 1979, was acquitted in a criminal trial in the 1994 deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. A civil jury later slapped him with a $33 million wrongfuldeath judgment.

He is eligible for parole in the 2007 case in 2017.

(CNN’s Paul Vercammen contributed to this report from Las Vegas. Matt Smith also contributed to this report.)

So just how many millions do the Obamas have?

(CNN) – The White House released documents Wednesday that show President Barack Obama and the first family hold assets valued between nearly $1.9 million and nearly $6.9 million.

The disclosure forms, required by the Ethics in Government Act, reveal the president’s largest asset is U.S. debt in the form of

Treasury notes and bills. In total, the president has between $1.1 million and $5.25 million invested in Treasury debt.

Obama reported a few other large assets, including a JPMorgan Chase checking account that holds between $250,000 and $500,000 and a set of 529 college savings plans.

The disclosure forms pro-

vide a range for the value of each asset, leading to the widely divergent estimates of wealth.

Obama made between $100,000 and $1 million from royalties on his 2004 book “Dreams From My Father” in 2012. He also profited between $50,000 and $100,000 on another book, “Audacity of Hope,” which came out in 2006.

His latest title, “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters,” a 2010 children’s book, brought in royalties last year between $100,000 and $1 million.

As for liabilities, the president has a mortgage ranging from $500,000 to $1 million for an Illinois residence.

Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, reported assets between $448,000 and $867,000

last year. A bulk of that comes from rental property in his home state of Delaware.

He earned between $17,600 and $58,000 in 2012, with between $15,000 and $50,000 of that money coming from the rental property.

(CNN’s Ashley Killough and Charles Riley contributed to this report.”

By now you’ve probably heard about Jay Harris, a top Philadelphia high school wide receiver who raised a lot of eyebrows, inspired some people by following his dreams and made others want to kick him when he told the Philadelphia Inquirer that h e turned down an athletic scholarship to Michig a n State University to pursue Jay a rap Harris career.

H i s plan to, as Gawker puts it, make music about “having sex and smoking weed and being awesome” instead of getting an education was a little hard to believe.

An update in Gawker explains that it also wasn’t that simple: “The Inquirer is now reporting that Michigan State likely had a hand in Harris’s decision. In an updated post, the Inquirer wrote that his explicit rap videos pushed the school to revoke the student’s football scholarship. Even though Harris says the choice to pursue rap was his, but a Michigan State spokesman says it was “a mutual decision.”

“We see. Maybe he’ll shed more light on the details of the post-high school change of plans on his mixtape. It comes out June 1.”

Page 4

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

May 16 - 22, 2013

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

A Real Times Newspaper

• Bernal E. Smith II President / Publisher • Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku Executive Editor

FLASHBACK: 2005

Charles Ramsey: Hero or hood

When some of us saw the first video of Charles Ramsey, the colorful black dishwasher in Cleveland who is being celebrated as a hero for rescuing three white women captives from horrid conGeorge ditions in a E. Curry Cleveland house, we had a flashback to Antoine Dodson, who became a flamboyant Internet sensation after saving his sister from a wouldbe rapist in their Huntsville, Ala., housing apartment, and Sweet Brown, who barely escaped a fire in her Oklahoma City complex.

But more than any other famous “hilarious black neighbor” Internet sensation, the coverage of Ramsey – and his criminal past – raises serious questions about how we treat a hero with a troubled past and, yes, how blacks and whites look at the same event through different prisms of race.

First, as they say in TV news, let’s go to the videotape.

“I’ve been here a year,” Ramsey said in an interview with WEWS, a local television station. Referring to Ariel Castro, the suspect arrested for holding the women against their will, Ramsey said, “You see where I’m coming from? I barbeque with this dude. We eat ribs and whatnot and listen to salsa music…

“He just comes out in his backyard, plays with the dogs, tinkers with his cars and motorcycles, goes back in the house. So he’s somebody you look, then look away. He’s not doing anything but the average stuff.

You see what I’m saying? There’s nothing exciting about him. Well, until today.”

Ramsey explained that Castro “got some big testicles to pull this off, bro.”

He added, “I knew something was wrong when a little, pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something wrong here. Dead giveaway.”

There was plenty wrong, as Ramsey learned when he put down his McDonald’s Big Mac and answered a call for help from Amanda Berry, who had been last seen in 2002 on the eve of her 17th birthday. The two other women were Georgina “Gina” DeJesus, who had been missing since 2004 at the age of 14, and Michelle Knight, who disappeared in 2002 at the age of 21.

While being hailed as a hero, Ramsey was the object of both racism and ridicule.

Though we’re reluctant to publicly admit it, some African-Americans cringed at the sight of Ramsey. His hair, curled in the back like Al Sharpton’s “do” and as slick as Chuck Berry’s, is interspersed with what we once called post office hair – each nap has its own route. This is one of the few cases where a person’s mug shot looks better than his real life photo.

To put this in context, think back to when black civil rights protesters dressed up in their Sunday’s best, knowing they were going to get physically assaulted by police and white supremacists. Then, as now, image matters. Especially when one of us appears on TV. Still, there are plenty of people in our community who look like Ramsey and their speech and appearance make them no less valuable than the best dressed and most articulate among us.

Charles Ramsey

Antoine Dodson

African-American empowerment – ‘At Last’ – or just last?

Sweet Brown

Some have suggested than many whites take delight in seeing blacks caricatured in the image of Charles Ramsey and Antoine Dodson.

“Perhaps it’s time for the world’s meme artists to stop assuming that any black dude getting interviewed on local news about a crime he helped to foil can be reduced to some catch-phrase or in-joke,” Miles Klee wrote on Blackbookmag.com. “It’s just baffling that we’re trying to find a way to laugh about what is, in itself, a harrowing turn of events.”

Most of us knew, or at least suspected deep down, that something about Ramsey’s past would surface, causing further embarrassment.

The Smoking Gun website disclosed on May 8 that Ramsey “is a convicted felon whose rap sheet includes three separate domestic violence convictions that resulted in prison terms.”

Blacks instantly asked: Why is something that happened a decade ago – and had nothing to do with Ramsey’s heroism – relevant today?

Cleveland’s WEWS-TV, facing a backlash from viewers, apologized for reporting on Ramsey’s criminal past.

“While the story was factually sound, the timing of it and publication of such information was not in good taste, and we regret it,” the station said on its Facebook page.

Normally, I would agree that Ramsey’s criminal past, certainly in this situation, should be irrelevant. But there’s nothing normal about this case.

Unfortunately, Ramsey invited the scrutiny when he said he suspected domestic violence because he “was raised to help women in distress.”

In view of that assertion, Ramsey’s domestic violence convictions – hardly a record of helping women in distress – became fair game and should have been reported by the news media. But the reporting should not end there. Ramsey’s ex-wife, since remarried, said Ramsey eventually apologized for battering her and they now interact on “an okay basis.”

In addition, she posted two earlier photos of Ramsey on her Facebook page. She told the Smoking Gun, “For my daughter’s sake I show he didn’t always look hood.”

(George E. Curry is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) He can be reached via www.georgecurry.com. Follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.)

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When Beyoncé Knowles sang the Etta James song “At Last” at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, the song could have had several meanings. At last we have an African American president? At last, the muscle of the African-American vote has been flexed? At last, there is some hope for our country to come together with the mantra “Yes, We Can”.

Watching the President and First Lady Michelle Obama slow dance to the romantic standard reminded us that African-American families have not often been positively depicted. This attractive image of an intact African-American family had come “At Last”. Thus, the song was symbolic of what many folks, and especially African Americans, believed about the Obama presidency.

Some of us blindly believed that with an African-American president opportunity had come “At Last.”

Some believed it so fervently that the least criticism of President Obama, no matter how mild and how lovingly conveyed, could cause you to be run out of the race.

An alumnus of Morehouse College, the Rev. Kevin Johnson, the selected baccalaureate speaker at his alma mater, wrote an opinion piece that was mildly critical of President Obama. As a result, the former director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs and new Morehouse President John S. Wilson Jr. changed the format of baccalaureate to a panel, not one speaker, as is customary.

The purpose of baccalaureate is to have one speaker to focus on the spiritual dimensions of graduation.

There is no way that Rev. Johnson would deliver a political speech.

Still, he was essentially disinvited from the baccalaureate because of his views.

President Obama is the president of the United States of America, not the president of Black America, we are often reminded. Yet, it seems that African Americans have been kicked to the curb in terms of focus and attention. Other groups – the LGBT community, the Latino com-

munity – have been mentioned explicitly. However, on African-American issues, our president has been silent.

Now, some African-American people are crooning “At Julianne Last.” Charlotte Malveaux Mayor Anthony Foxx has been nominated to serve as Secretary of Transportation. If confirmed, Mayor Foxx, an outstanding and eminently qualified candidate would join Attorney General Eric Holder as the second African American to serve in a regular cabinet post.

Similarly, the nomination of Congressman Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency is a step forward. FHFA regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and allows Congressman Watt the opportunity to implement some of the Obama initiatives on homeowner recovery from the Great Recession.

The raging right has already come after Congressman Watt. The Daily Caller (a political blog) has reported an unsubstantiated claim by former presidential candidate Ralph Nader that the Congressman disrespected him in a letter. Nader has never produced the letter. Thus, the purpose of the claim is to besmirch FHFA nominee Congressman Mel Watt.

If Watt is confirmed, this represents a step forward for both President Obama and for African-American people, and for the entire nation.

The issue is, of course, confirmation. Will the White House be able to garner the votes Watt needs to be confirmed?

What does the White House gain or lose if Watt is not confirmed. The “At Last” segment of the AfricanAmerican community will credit the president for making the nomination, even if not confirmed. The more critical segment of the

African-American community will view the ways the White House embraces this nominee, and question commitment. Ask UN Ambassador Susan Rice knows what it feels like to be dropped, when Senate confirmation seemed unlikely.

During President Obama’s first term, his inattention to the AfricanAmerican community was understandable, though not acceptable.

He was busy straddling lines, seeking compromise, and leaving a legacy of health care reform. African Americans were patient in the hope that “at last” African Americans would get recognition in his second term. After all, as a lame duck president, he has much to gain, and little to lose in rewarding his most loyal constituency. At last some of us have our disappointment confirmed.

Our president’s inaugural speech mentioned every community except the African-American community.

President Obama and his supporters should not be thin-skinned. The Rev. Johnson should not be “disinvited” from the Morehouse baccalaureate. Nor should a panel dilute his message, when the tradition is to have a sole speaker.

Johnson is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, who deserves to be treated with respect. His column pointed out realities – President Clinton appointed seven African Americans to his cabinet, President Bush, four, and President Obama, just one. Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, in a letter to President Obama, wrote, “The people you have chosen to appoint in this new term have hardly been reflective of this country’s diversity.”

Are the Foxx and Watt appointments a response to criticism?

Based on their appointments, should black folks sing “at last” or “not yet”?

(Julianne Malveaux, a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer, is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.)

Sallie Mae gets Woodshed ride

Loan company tries to celebrate its anniversary, but Twitter has another idea.

by Tracy Clayton

Reaching your 40th birthday is a huge milestone. Some may celebrate it with a quiet night with the family. Others may put on their good dancing shoes and hit the town with friends.

Loan company Sallie Mae decided to celebrate quietly with a couple of tweets commemorating its 40th year, and rather than smiley-faced emoticons, it was met with a tidal wave of angry, often hilarious tweets.

It turns out that not many people look favorably on the private loan giant, especially as student debt, tuition and the company’s profits continue to soar. Sallie Mae’s amicable tweet got angry reactions from Twitterers of all races, but a bevy of them seemed to come from black folks. The reason for this is likely that students of color borrow more

money to pay for school than white students.

So for some, Sallie Mae’s birthday wasn’t such a happy occasion after all. Check out some of the angry (and funny) tweets below.

RT @bosnaud: AND ENSLAVE MILLIONS RT @salliemae: When Sallie Mae opened 1973, we had 7 employees. Today we employ 7,000 people nationwide.

– JJ (@streetztalk) May 13, 2013

at what APR? RT @salliemae On behalf of The Sallie Mae Fund, we’re donating $40K to @bgclubsde to support #college education statewide.

– Black Canseco (@BlackCanseco) May 13, 2013 Destroying their financial lives* RT @governormarkell: Congrats to @salliemae on 40 yrs of helping students achieve their dreams.

– Coreh TheBearJewfro (@SpaceTruckin92) May 13, 2013 I’ll be 45 by the time I’m finished paying y’all off !RT @sal-

Tri-State Defender Platform

1. Racial prejudice worldwide must be destroyed.

2. Racially unrestricted membership in all jobs, public and private.

3. Equal employment opportunities on all jobs, public and private.

4. True representation in all U.S. police forces.

5. Complete cessation of all school segregation.

6. Federal intervention to protect civil rights in all instances

(Photo: ThinkStock)

liemae: Today we’re 40 years old!

– Shelina D’asti (@mestizadoll) May 13, 2013

YOU’RE A LIFE RUNIER, YOU RUIN PEOPLES LIVES RT @salliemae Today we’e 40 years old!

– Lassy Mavin (@MariamaStella) May 13, 2013

Screwing students over for four decades. RT @salliemae: Today we’re 40 years old!

– Victoria. (@KidPoetic) May 13, 2013

(Tracy Clayton is a writer, humorist and blogger from Louisville, Ky. Read more at the Huffington Post.)

(Source: The Root)

where civil rights compliance at the state level breaks down

DISTRIBUTION: Tri-State Defender is available at newsstands, store vendors, mail subscription and honor boxes throughout the Greater Memphis area. No person may, without prior written permission of the Tri-State Defender, reprint any part of or duplicate by electronic device any portion. Copyright 2013 by Tri-State Defender Publishing, Inc. Permission to Publisher, Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale Street, Suite 200, Memphis, TN. 38103. Back copies can be obtained by calling the TriState Defender at (901) 523-1818, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

Page 5

May 16 - 22, 2013

Our ‘outrageous dream’: Bringing diversity to science (CNN) – Fifty years ago this month, I chanced to hear the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. I was a mild-mannered kid with a speech impediment and a love of math. That day, I was focused on solving math problems, not issues of justice and equal rights. But King broke through to me when he said this: If the children of Birmingham march, Americans will see that what they are asking for is a better education. They will see that even the very young know the difference between right and wrong.

I chose to march, and found myself among hundreds of children jailed for five terrifying days. Mind you, I was not a brave child. But even at 12 years old, I believed and hoped that my participation could make a difference.

Twenty-five years later, I had made my way to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. My colleagues and I had an outrageous dream: Perhaps a young research university – just 20

years old – could alter the course of minority performance in higher education, particularly in the sciences.

Freeman A. Baltimore philanHrabowski thropists Robert and Jane Meyerhoff shared our vision.

And now people ask: What magic have we hit upon that has enabled us to become a national model for educating students of all races in a wide range of disciplines? How did we – as a predominantly white university with a strong liberal arts curriculum – become one of the top producers of minority scientists in the country?

Rather than magic, there are a number of educational principles at work. And what my colleagues and I have

found is that they all grow out of one key truth: The world does not always have to be as it is today.

To start, we faced up to some particularly tough questions: Why weren’t more students from traditionally underrepresented groups succeeding? In what ways was the university responsible?

What questions weren’t we even thinking to ask? The lessons we learned took shape in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which has grown into a national model for producing minority students who earn advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.

In fact, a number of campuses across the nation have been replicating the program, including most recently the University of North Carolina and Penn State. Along the way, we discovered that the strategies that helped minority students initially could be just as effective in helping students across racial and economic groups and across the

disciplines – throughout the arts, humanities and social sciences: Work from strengths and set high expectations. Too often, we focus on deficits. We see poor preparation or lack of family support, rather than seeing underdeveloped talent and tenacity. At UMBC, we look at a student’s background as context, not as destiny. We set high expectations, and both challenge and support students to ensure their success.

Build a community of scholars. We help students develop strong peer networks and encourage them to see one another as partners, rather than competitors. It is effective – and powerful – when students support and hold one another accountable.

Engage students in meaningful research. When asked

who contributed most to their academic success, students will almost always mention a faculty member. Faculty-student connections are critical, and it’s especially important that faculty engage students in meaningful research. We like to say: It takes researchers to produce researchers.

Hold yourself to quantifiable progress. We constantly evaluate the outcomes of our work, and that evaluation is data-driven, not anecdotal.

For example, we know that the various features of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program – peer support groups, intensive advising, early research experiences – work in combination.

UMBC’s students graduate, and they go on in large numbers to earn Ph.D.s in science and engineering. But which elements of our approach are

most critical and cost-effective? We’re currently working on a project funded by the National Science Foundation to tease that out. If we don’t look critically at what works – and what does not – we can’t recalibrate and continue to improve.

Keep at it. A graduate recently wrote me to share a quote from Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

To fuel that kind of persistence, hold fast to this one key truth: The world does not always have to be as it is today.

(Freeman Hrabowski has been president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for 20 years. He was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2012 by TIME.)

BUSINESS

Page 6

Tri-State Defender

May 16 - 22, 2013

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Divorce and business – the ins and outs David Ortiz selling f—-ing charity bat CNNMoney

by Chris Isidore NEW YORK – Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is using his colorful language again, this time to raise funds for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Ortiz famously told Boston fans “This is our f—-ing city!” during a ceremony at Fenway Park on April 20, which was being broadcast on live television.

Rather than spark controversy, his choice of language was widely praised, bringing cheers from the crowd and statements of support even from FCC Chairman Julius

Genachowski and baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who called his choice of words “outstanding.”

Ortiz has teamed up with bat maker Marucci, which makes his bats, to sell souvenir bats to raise funds for the OneFund, which is raising money for bombing victims.

The bat features the quote “This is our f—-ing city’ as well as “Never forget. Boston Strong. 4-15-13.”

A copy of the bat autographed by Ortiz will go for $500, while a nonautographed version will cost $125. The bats are being sold on Ortiz’s Web site, which says that 100 percent of the net proceeds from sales will go to the One Fund.

MONEY MATTERS

Moving on and rolling over

by Charles Sims Jr., CFP

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Despite the uncertainties of the job market, today’s workers stay in a job for an average of only 4.4 years. Job-hopping is even more prevalent among younger workers: about nine out of 10 millennials (born between 1977 and 1997) expect to stay in a job for less than three years.

The impact of moving from job to job on a worker’s career depends on individual circumstances. However, any time you leave a job – whether you’ve been there for three years or 30 years – you could be faced with a decision about what to do with the savings in your employer-sponsored retirement plan. There are typically four options.

Leave the savings in the account. If your employer allows you to retain the account, this strategy might make sense as long as fees are low and you are satisfied with the investment options. Keep in mind that you will no longer be able to contribute to the account, and it could be bothersome to receive multiple retirement account statements.

Transfer assets in a former employer’s plan to a new employer-sponsored retirement plan (if allowed).

This might be a better option than leaving assets in your former employer’s plan.

Again, your decision may depend on the available investment options and expenses.

Roll the funds to an individual IRA. Moving your savings to your own IRA enables you to control the money, regardless of how many times you change jobs. It could also expand investment opportunities because IRAs typically have more investment options.

If you choose an IRA rollover, be sure it is executed properly if you want to preserve the tax-deferred status of the funds. You can generally do this through a direct rollover, also called a trusteeto-trustee transfer. You can arrange this by contacting the administrators of your old employer-sponsored account and your traditional IRA. There is no withholding, and the money never passes through your hands.

If you receive a check, you must roll the entire distribution (including 20 percent federal income tax withholding) to your IRA within 60 days or it will be considered a taxable distribution.

Withdraw the money. This is generally unwise because you would also lose out on potential tax-deferred growth that you might need for retirement. In one study, 55 percent

of people who took distribut i o n s w h e n changing jobs said they regretted the decision.

Distributions from Charles Sims Jr., CFP employersponsored retirement plans and traditional IRAs are taxed as ordinary income and may be subject to a 10 percent federal income tax penalty if taken before age 59½ (with some exceptions).

Choosing what to do with the savings you have accumulated in your employersponsored plan can be complicated, and you may benefit from professional guidance.

Although there is no assurance that working with a financial advisor will improve investment results, a professional who focuses on your overall objectives can help you consider options that could have a substantial effect on your long-term financial situation.

(Charles Sims Jr. is president/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit w w w. S i m s F i n a n c i a l Group.com.)

I, John Doe, take you Jane Marie, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

For those in business, divorce can be devastating, especially when we have to be at the top of our game daily. It can affect job performance and the delivery of goods and services.

When we are in love, birds seem to sing louder and even when it is raining it seems like the sun is shining bright.

Our mates can do no wrong and we are their biggest cheerleaders. We overlook their flaws and make excuses for their shortcomings.

Sometimes, however, the sunlight dims and those shortcomings don’t appear short at all. By the end of the relationship, those vows that were taken have been so forgotten that one or both parties have trampled all over them.

While marriage is considered a civil contract under the law, divorce is the organized breaking of that civil contract. In Tennessee, divorce historically has been higher than the national average.

This statistic may be associated with the poor financial conditions of residents, resulting in financial problems in the relationship.

This week we will be discussing various items related to divorce.

Top reasons for divorce

Although people seek a di-

Carlee McCullough

vorce for a multitude of reasons, overall the top five reasons include: 1 ) Communication p r o b lems; 2) Infi-

able differences is 60 days after filing, if there are no unmarried minor children. If the couple has unmarried minor children, the wait is 90 days after filing. However, contested divorces generally take from 6 months to 2 years to complete because of motions, discovery, and trial.

The Tennessee tab

Many times the party receiving divorce papers will say, “I had no idea.” Yet, there were signs. Indications of an impending divorce may include: 1) Dreaming of life without the spouse; 2) The bad in the marriage outweighs the good; 3) Lack of communication; 4) Defense mechanisms have begun, such as becoming overly defensive and dismissive; 5) A spouse feels like he or she is the only one trying to solve problems; 6) The couple rarely has sex, if at all.

Divorce costs vary because each case is unique. However, every divorce will have two primary expenses: court costs and legal fees. The court cost for a divorce with minor children is $378.50.

The court cost for a divorce with no minor children is $303.50. These fees do not include service of process on the other party, publication or any other court costs outside of filing.

The fee attributable to the attorney varies widely based on the lawyer and the complexity of the case. Some cases are straight forward, with few assets to divide and no children. Other cases involve a more complex set of issues such as custody, child support, distribution of assets and alimony.

For uncontested matters, some attorneys will charge a flat rate. But for contested cases, most attorneys will charge an hourly rate, with a retainer paid up front.

Tennessee timeframe

Legal grounds

delity or betrayal; 3) Financial problems; 4) Psychological, emotional, and physical abuse; and 5) Loss of interest.

Beware: divorce ahead

In Tennessee, the minimum statutory waiting period for a divorce based on irreconcil-

Based on Tennessee CodeTitle 36, Sections 36-4-101, the following are causes of divorce that are recognized

Wells Fargo bolsters diversion and inclusion strategy with new hire Wells Fargo recently named Michelle Thornhill, senior vice president, as strategy and integration manager reporting directly to the head of Enterprise Diversity and Inclusion.

For the last five years, Thornhill served as the African-American segment manager, leading the development and execution of the enterprise marketing and engagement strategy for African-American consumers and communities.

Thornhill is now responsible for providing strategic leadership consultation in support of Wells Fargo’s diversity and inclusion business goals and objectives.

She will focus on developing the enterprise-wide diversity and inclusion implementation

strategy.

As the central facilitator of strategic planning and coordination for this area, Thornhill’s role involves partnering with Wells Fargo leaders and key stakeholder groups to support efforts to strengthen and sustain an inclusive culture for Wells Fargo.

“Michelle’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has proven to be a great asset for Wells Fargo,” said Jimmie Paschall, head of Enterprise Diversity and Inclusion, Wells Fargo.

“Diversity and inclusion is not only about acquiring diverse talent, but also developing and promoting diverse talent from within. We look forward to the work Michelle will do in supporting what we consider a business impera-

tive.”

Wells Fargo ultimately aims to become known as one of the world’s greatest companies, a goal of which Thornhill feels requires a solid foundation around a common diversity and inclusion strategy.

She brings more than 15 years of experience developing consumer initiatives for diverse audiences in the financial services and nonprofit sectors, and has traveled both domestically and internationally in support of those goals. Her educational credentials blend finance and public policy with a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a Masters of Science in Orga-

by the courts: 1) Irreconcilable differences between the parties; 2) A two-year period of separation, without cohabitation, if there are no minor children involved; 3) Impotence; 4) Bigamy; 5) Adultery; 6) Willful desertion for one whole year; 7) Conviction of an infamous crime, or sentenced to confinement in a penitentiary for a felony; 8) Cruel or inhuman treatment that makes cohabitation unsafe.

9) Attempting to take the life of the other; 10) Refusal to move to this state, and being willfully absent from the spouse residing in Tennessee for two years; 11) The woman was pregnant at the time of the marriage, by another person, without the knowledge of the husband; 12) Habitual drunkenness or drug abuse after the marriage; 13) Indignities that render the spouse’s position intolerable, and force the spouse to withdraw; or 14) Abandonment and refusal to provide for the spouse while having the ability to do so.

NEXT WEEK: Child support and custody issues in divorce.

(Contact Carlee McCullough, Esq., at 5308 Cottonwood Road, Suite 1A, Memphis, TN 38118, or email her at jstce4all@aol.com.)

nizational Behavior and Culture f r o m Central Michelle Michigan Thornhill University and a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

A mother of two young boys, Thornhill is passionate about education and serves as a co-chair of the advisory board for New Leaders of Charlotte. She believes that all children should have access to a quality education and considers it a personal priority to play her part.

(Source: Black PR Wire)

RELIGION

Tri-State Defender

Page 7

May 16 - 22, 2013

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING…

Triumph over sin through Christ’s example NNPA

by James Washington

James Washington

“…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first born from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood…”

– Revelation 1:5

There have been countless volumes of space and dialogue devoted to Jesus’ blood contract with us that many suggest freed us from the bondage of original sin. My question to you then is how do you master sin?

How do you control your sin as opposed to having your sin

control you? Is this even possible? Is sin for you not sin for me?

Some would have you believe sin is a behavior that politicians and governments laid down as moral laws to keep humanity in check, preserve order and maintain control over the masses. They point to different cultures and customs that are acceptable to one nation and gut wrenchingly wrong to another. My point is there are sins of all kinds and as Christians they take on one of two dimensions, i.e. sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit.

But isn’t there a universal acceptance of what is moral and what is immoral? But for the Christian, isn’t morality a barometer for sin? Aren’t there rules about sin that are etched in

stone and never change?

It really shouldn’t be complicated at all. It seems that living morally, righteously, living in between the lines rather than outside of them, is a struggle matched only by trying to understand the true meaning of life. Now I know this is not easy. But the question is this: Is it worth it to try and master your sins or, more poignantly, your sinful nature?

I don’t know about you but trying to live without sin is a recognized and acknowledged impossibility. The beauty here is we know God is a God of another chance. It appears that the key is attitude, yours not God’s. That attitude will eventually dictate the outcome. If your attitude is

God-centered, if it is founded in humility and vulnerability in relation to God, if remorse is real, then mercy will be forthcoming.

With the right attitude then, sin can be mastered, if not controlled.

Confess. That’s right! Confess them to God. You see confession to God is not like any other confession I can think of. That’s because you can’t lie to God because the truth in this instance can’t hide.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all righteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9.

If we can really get this, the reward then is eternal life and

peace. It requires faith, which requires belief, which requires a daily resolve to choose against sin in favor of the Lord. Now if you believe this life is all there is, then I might understand deliberate sinful pursuits. If you believe in more, then sinful mistakes are just that; mistakes made not ever with God in mind.

“But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the father in our defense-Jesus Christ.” 1 John 2:1.

Given this fact, it’s not so hard to imagine the eternal outcome.

Just remember, some rules are indeed etched in stone.

(Special to the NNPA from The Dallas Weekly)

RELIGION BRIEFS Mayor Wharton asks churches to support dads training camp

In service together...

The Rev. Sherman Helton and his wife, Pamela, enter the Family Life Center at New Hope Baptist Church in Southaven during a celebration of the 35th Pastor and Wife Anniversary last Friday (May 10). (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Message delivered…

The Rev. Dr. Jerry Young, vice president of the National Baptist Convention, was the guest speaker as New Hope Baptist Church in Southaven observed the 35th Pastor and Wife Anniversary of the Rev. Sherman Helton and his wife, Pamela. Dr. Young is the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss.

Congregations throughout Memphis are being asked to spread the word about Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s 3rd Annual Memphis Training Camp for Dads scheduled for Sat., June 15th at the Fogelman Executive Center (University of Memphis).

Survey results from last year’s event show that the majority of the men who attended found out about the Training Camp through their places of worship.

“This reinforces the impactful work being done in our city through the faith-based community and for that we are grateful,” said Nika Jackson, who manages the Office of Community Affairs for the Division of Parks and Neighborhoods.

Nominations also are being encouraged for the Hall of Fame Fatherhood Awards.

Churches with multi-media options are encouraged to devote a segment of their services to showing an online featuring Mayor Wharton, Andrew Douglas (WMC-TV Action News 5) and Michael Adrian Davis (95.7 Hallelujah FM). The video link – http://vimeo.com/65250605 – can be downloaded or played directly from the Internet on a maximized screen.

For more information, contact Nika Jackson at 901-5766506.

BRIEFLY: God’s Positioning Souls Summer Bash will be held at the Agape Church at 5156 Raleigh Lagrange Rd. on Saturday (May 18) from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event is sponsored by the GPS of New Macedonia Baptist Church (Youth Ministry). Special appearances by F1 Diamond, Terrence June Gray, God’s

PRAISE CONNECT

Happy, 100th birthday…

Verta Sophronia Logan Boyd always looks forward to May 16th. Itʼs her birthday and this year is her 100th.

She is the widow of the late Rev. Otis Boyd and the mother of eight children.

One son, James Eddie Moore, is deceased. Daughters, sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives and friends wish “Godʼs continued blessing on this very special day.”

(Courtesy photo)

Son and Advokate. Bishop K.D. Johnson is N.M.B.C. host pastor.

BRIEFLY: Mt. Gilliam Missionary Baptist Church at 1029 J.D. Jamerson Blvd.

(Raymond Street) will host its Annual Missionary Day on May 26 at 3 p.m. The special guest will be the Melrose High School Choir, which took third place in the Heritage Music Festival in Toronto, Canada. Laverne Moore, President; the Rev. David W. Fitzgerald, host pastor.

-A WEEKLY DIRECTORY OF MINISTERS & CHURCHES-

METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH Dr. Reginald L. Porter Sr., Pastor

767 Walker Avenue Memphis, TN 38126

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

901-946-4095 fax 948-8311

Rev. Davena Young Porter Rev. Linda A Paige Rev. Luecretia Matthews SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

SUNDAY Sunday School .....................8:30 am Morning Worship Service ....10:00am

WEDNESDAY Bible Study .........................10:30 am Mid-Day Prayer Meeting .....12 noon Evening Prayer Meeting........7:00pm FRIDAY Cable Channel 17 ............... 8:00pm

Dr. & Rev. Mrs. Reginald Porter

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

— Proverbs 1:7

—Ecclesiastes 9:11

ST. ANDREW A.M.E. CHURCH 867 SOUTH PARKWAY EAST Memphis, TN 38106

(901) 948-3441

Early Morning..........7:45 AM Church School..........9:45 AM Morning Worship......11:00 AM Bible Study For Youth and Adults Tuesday - 7:00 PM “Spirit, Soul, and Body!”

AM 1070 WDIA Sundays, 10:00-10:30 AM

TV Cable Access Broadcast Tuesdays, 7:30 PM, Channel 17 Website:www.saintandrewamec.org Child Care Center (901) 948-6441 Monday-Friday 6 AM- 5:30 PM Emergency Food Pantry & Clothes Closet Wednesday 6 PM-8 PM

Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, Pastor Rev. Marilynn S. Robinson, Pastor

“Ministering to Memphis-Spirit, Soul and Body”

Page 8

HEALTH

May 16 - 22, 2013

CHEF TIMOTHY

Diabetes left untreated could send you to an early grave

by Chef Timothy Moore Ph.D, N.M.D, C.N. Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Going to the doctor for a yearly physical is necessary if your goal is to achieve optimum health. But have you noticed that if there’s an ache or pain that you’re complaining about, it seems to suddenly disappear when you’re trying to explain it to the doctor.

Even if you can’t explain it or point to it, the ache and pain could be symptoms of an underlying problem that will continue to gnaw at you. But what if you’re on the periphery of prediabetes? What if you’ve crossed the threshold into full-blown diabetes and didn’t know it?

If your health were at stake, you’d need to get help immediately. Diabetes left untreated could send you over the edge into an early grave. Some people may actually believe they’re immune to certain diseases, but let me tell you, they’re so wrong. There is no shield to protect you against the onslaught of diabetes – unless that shield is a daily supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.

HealthDay, a Connecticut-based company that produces and licenses daily health news on the Internet, reports that 11 percent of the estimated 79 million Americans at risk for diabetes are aware they have pre-diabetes. The others, however, are unaware of the deadly disease that most likely will ravage their body.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pre-diabetes can occur when an individual’s blood sugar level is higher than normal, which can lead to developing diabetes. A good fasting blood sugar range should be between 88 and 100.

If you fail to eat a balanced, nutritional meal each day, refuse to perform any physical activity, or if you’re much too heavy, or obese, you’re a prime candidate for full-blown diabetes. This is not a test. This is the real thing.

Diabetes can lead to blindness, heart disease, kidney problems and circulation issues.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, and the number is expected to double by the year 2030. The good news is diabetes can be prevented or reversed if you eat healthy and change your lifestyle.

There are a number of ways to eat healthy: Switch to a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, eat meat sparingly, and remove all saturated fats,

sugars and empty carbohydrates from your diet. An over consumption of the aforementioned has been known to cause diabetes.

Also of note: 30 percent of those with pre-diabetes will develop diabetes in the next 10 years. Those individuals who suffer from diabetes also suffer from diabetic nerve pain and other types of complications. This problem is widespread and continues to diminish the quality of life.

Healthcare providers are Dr. Timothy helpful if you’re able to deMoore scribe your problem. Don’t assume they can read your mind. The problem is the majority of us are sometimes too embarrassed to disclose those things that need to be known to the doctor. Once you’re able to describe the pain, the doctor most likely will take it from there.

Know your numbers early and learn the symptoms of diabetes. Watch for them yourself. Take action if you notice any of the following symptoms – blurry vision, thirst, frequent urination, hunger, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, unexplained fatigue or sores that won’t heal. These are symptoms of high blood sugars.

If you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms, see your doctor. In the meantime, change your eating habits as well to rid your body of the early onset of diabetes. Learn the power of proper nutrition and stop believing everything you read about food. Consuming processed foods and other unhealthy foods can cause a spike in blood sugar.

Making a drastic lifestyle change is hard to do sometimes. But remember, though, to be realistic about what you can and cannot accomplish. I know you can’t change the way you eat or exercise overnight, but it would help if you make the first step.

(Dr. Timothy Moore teaches nutrition, heart disease and diabetes reversal through a plant-based lifestyle. He is a professional speaker, international wellness coach and personal plant-based chef.

He is the author of “47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes.” He can be reached by email at cheftimothy @cheftimothymoore.com, visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/cheftimmoore.)

Five ways to maximize your doctor’s visit Special to CNN

by Dr. Gopal K. Chopra

How did your last doctor’s appointment go?

If you’re like most patients, your answer might be “too quickly.”

The good news is you have all the tools you need to get the most out of your doctor’s visit right at your fingertips. Technology can simplify your health care experience and help your doc help you. So get your smartphone on for better health!

1. Do your homework By all means, go to Google your symptoms!

There’s plenty of information you can glean from trustworthy sites and fellow patients.

Don’t be afraid to admit the scary things you’ve read while conducting your “self-diagnosis.”

Your doctor can help rule out all worst-case scenarios and alleviate your worry.

Yes, there are some dubious sources out there, and it is possible to overdo it. But overall, research helps you be more informed as a patient. After talking it out, your research skills will get even sharper.

2. Know your history Carry a record of your medical history in your smartphone. Make sure you have your updated health record (you can ask any of your doctors for this), especially documenting any conditions you have had in the past, along with any medication you have taken.

Many apps will allow you to securely store health data. Make sure you get copies of any medical images and past lab data. Bringing in these resources helps your doctors add context to your conditions.

3. Keep tabs on yourself To be as accurate as possible when discussing your current symptoms, you need to keep a timeline.

Got a fever? You need to know when it was

at its highest. Rash? What did it look like two days ago? This information is invaluable to your doctor, who gets to see you and evaluate your symptoms only in that five-to-seven minute window. Download an electronic diary app that can store secure picture and video.

Keep the description simple: think bullets, not essays. It’s very important to note how you are feeling or how your symptoms have has affected your normal function.

4. Stay focused Make a list of the most important issues you need to talk about and try not to digress. Doctors are like detectives. When you bring up a symptom, they are keenly listening for clues that might give them some idea about your diagnosis, and they have a series of questions they need to ask you.

By staying focused and answering questions attentively, you make your doctor’s job easier – and you’ll get your answers more quickly.

5. Double-check Your visit may be short, but there’s a whole lot of information exchanged in that seven minutes. Ask for a printed or electronic copy of your doctor’s instructions. If you’re not 100 percent clear, ask your doctor to sit and explain with you a second time.

Don’t be afraid to question the treatment you may think is appropriate. This will help you learn and help your doctor understand your comfort level.

Now that you’ve got a treatment plan, get back to the research. Repeat steps one through five to prepare for your next visit.

(Dr. Gopal Chopra is a neurosurgeon who teaches at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He is the co-founder, president and CEO of pingmd, a health care company designed to advance communication between patients and doctors.)

Tri-State Defender

ENTERTAINMENT Tri-State Defender, Thursday, May 16 - 22, 2013, Page 9

WHAT’S HAPPENING MYRON?

Where are the people for Tyler Perry’s ‘Peeples’

Over the weekend, I went to see “Tyler Perry Presents Peeples” – a film that Perry neither wrote nor directed.

He is credited among the producers and Myron apparently Mays bankrolled the project. The movie was actually written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism, who wrote the screenplay for “Drumline.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, however, it didn’t create much of a buzz at the box office. It didn’t help to be up against the second week of “Iron Man 3” and the opening weekend of “The Great Gatsby.” Those two heavyweights dominated the top two positions bringing in $72 million and $51 million respectively.

“Peeples” came in at a distant fourth, with less than $5 million dollars for its opening weekend.

“Pain and Gain” with Mark Walberg and Dwayne Johnson came in at No., with right at $5 million.

Seriously, I really think “Peeples” is a pretty good film. I was very entertained and I laughed throughout the entire film. It sort of reminded me of a black version of such films as “Meet the Fockers.”

Actually, I think “Peeples” could have been filmed with an all-white cast and that may have helped it at the box office. White audiences tend to relate more to films of that particular style…and black movie-goers tend to gravitate to movies of that nature when they feature an all-white cast.

In other words, very few back people know anyone that’s like the characters in the film. Therefore I don’t think they could relate.

Still, I will say this, if you’re looking for a good movie, you should give “Peeples” a chance.

Perhaps the trailers did it no justice, but you’ll be glad you got out and watched it.

What’s Happening!

Gladys Knight makes her way to the Mid-South this weekend.

She’ll be performing down at Gold Strike Casino Tunica Saturday at 8 p.m. Sit back and enjoy “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Heard it through the Grapevine” and her later hits “Landlord” and “Love Overboard.”

I’ve seen her in concert before and she still looks and sounds good. Of course, you can get your tickets through all Ticketmaster outlets and online at Ticketmaster.com. You can also get tickets at the Gold Strike Box Office.

This Thursday (May 16) we will all get to find out who the “mole” is. That’s for all of you “Scandal” fans…or “Gladiators” as they are called.

The “Scandal” Season Finale party is this week at Memories Banquet Hall located at Winchester and Ross Road. It starts at 7:30 and goes through 10:30 p.m. There will be “Olivia Trivia,” prizes, games and more.

There’s also gonna be some pretty good food provided by Felicia Bean Catering.

This is gonna be an epic event.

Make sure you make plans to come out and hang out with us.

I’ll be the host and we will also have an “Ambassador of Silence” who will make sure that everyone remains silent until the commercials come on.

And once you get “Scandal” out of your system for the season, stop by the What’s Happening Myron Book Club meeting this Saturday (May 18) at Fresh Slices, 1585 Overton Park. It kicks off at 4 p.m. We’re discussing Kimberla Lawson Roby’s “Sin No More.” There will be free gifts courtesy of the fine people at Ampro, Ultra Glow and J. Strickland. I hope to see you there!

Until then, that’s what’s happening!

(If you have an event you’d like for me to cover or attend, email me at Myron@whats happeningmyron.com.)

‘Mel Brooks: Make a Noise’ Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

Mel Brooks, director, producer, writer and actor, is in an elite group as one of the few entertainers to earn all four major entertainment prizes – the Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar. His career began in television writing for “Your Show of Shows” and together with Buck Henry creating the long-running TV series “Get Smart.”

Many hit comedies followed, including “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” “High Anxiety,” “History of the World Part I,” “Spaceballs,” “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” and “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” Here, he talks about “Mel Brooks: Make a Noise,” an American Masters profile chronicling his illustrious career. The PBS special is set to premiere nationwide on Monday, May 20, at 9 p.m. (CDT). And in June, Brooks will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute (AFI) at a gala tribute airing on TNT. Kam Williams: Hello, Mr. Brooks. I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.

Mel Brooks: Thank you, Kam. Hey, what the hell is Kam short for?

Mel Brooks directing Cleavon Little in “Blazing Saddles”

KW: It’s short for Kamau, an African name.

MB: I’m so sorry to hear that. I thought it might be short for my last name, Kaminsky. I was hoping you just took my last name and shortened it to become part of the family.

KW: (Chuckles) No, I took the name back in the Seventies during my brief career as a jazz musician. You started out as a jazz musician, too, right?

MB: I did, I did. We were both jazz musicians, so it’s like we already know each other.

In the early Forties, before I went off to World War II, I was in a little five-piece group that played at those Borscht Belt resorts in the Catskill Mountains. One night, the comic at the Butler Lodge got sick, and his boss, Pincus Cohen, begged me to perform in his place. I told him, “That name is redundant. Pincus and Cohen, you don’t need ‘em both. We know you’re a Jew.” (Laughs) He said, “I’ve watched you doing rehearsals. I can tell you’re a funny guy.” I knew all those dopey jokes, so I went up on stage, and that’s how I got into comedy. I was only about 15 at the time. …

KW: I have a million questions for you from fans. ...

MB: Sure, sure.

KW: Film student Jamaal Green says: “Hi Mel! I am a huge fan of your work from “Blazing Saddles” to “Young Frankenstein” to “Space Balls.” But I would like to know, if you have any plans to do some new “2,000 Year-Old Man” skits?”

MB: Thank you for that question, Jamaal.

However, I’ve become the “2,000 Year-Old Man” now, and I have a “2,000 Year-Old Man” brain. When I originally wrote it, I was in my thirties. I was young, and hip, and smart, and could think fast. I’m no longer there. Things have slowed-up incredibly.

Synaptic connections are taking me to strange places in my brain. I think I probably could eke out one more. Carl (Reiner), who recently turned 91, is hot to trot, but I’m not sure.

KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: “What was the hardest film to shoot because of laughing breaking out on the set?”

MB: “Blazing Saddles” was pretty damn funny. The crew was constantly cracking-up and ruining takes. So, finally, I sent my assistant to Woolworths to buy a thousand white handkerchiefs. I gave one to everybody on the set. I told them, “If you feel like laughing at something, you stick one of these in your mouth, bite on it, and laugh through it.” Anytime I wasn’t sure whether a scene was working or not, I’d look over my shoulder, and if I saw a lot of white handkerchiefs, I’d know it was funny. That became my litmus test. The crew’s laughing could’ve ruined the picture, Bernadette, but we saved it with the white handkerchiefs. It also turned out to be a great way to test to see if something was funny. …

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: “Thank you, and Anne (Bancroft, his late wife), for that incredible performance of ‘Sweet Georgian Brown’ in Polish to open your re-do of ‘To Be or Not to Be.’ On the NBC ‘Today Show,’ you said ‘Annie is funnier than I am,’ and I remember that side-splitting, incredible thing with her eyes. How did she speak to and influence your projects?”

MB: Harriet, she was incredible right from the first time I met her. I was writing “The Producers.” She immediately became my sounding board. I didn’t trust anybody else.

I’d write something and show it to her. Then she’d mark it up with “This is brilliant!” or “Never let this go!” and once in awhile she’d say “This stinks!” (Chuckles) She was really responsible for getting the best out of me, like the trainer of a racehorse.

KW: Hollywood Hills realtor Jimmy Bayan says: “Mel, you once said you and Anne were glued together from the day you met until the day she died. She obviously really ‘got you.’ Can you tell me, what made

“ʻBlazing Saddlesʼ was pretty damn funny. The crew was constantly cracking up and ruining takes.” – Mel Brooks

your marriage sizzle for so many years?”

MB: I can’t, Jimmy. What is it, magic?

Magnetism? Meant to be? Who the hell knows! We were very lucky. Fate may have had a hand in it.

KW: Roger Klein says: “You are a great filmmaker. You are to movies what the Rolling Stones are to Rock & Roll.”

MB: I was never recognized as a movie director, Roger. Never! They always talk about my being a great writer and comic, and an important producer, But I’ve never been saluted as a filmmaker, except by a few colleagues like Alfred Hitchcock.

KW: Did it bother you?

MB: I never really got that upset about it because I was doing what I wanted to do. If you can do what you want to do in this life, the rest is gravy. Instead of going to work, you’re going to joy every day. …

KW: Why do you think “Blazing Saddles” remains as fresh as ever?

MB: What makes it last so long is that there’s a black sheriff that everyone in that world of 1874 wants to see dead right away.

But he endures and gains the respect of the townsfolk, especially the Waco Kid (played

by Gene Wilder). That’s the engine that drives it, and that’s why it’s still around. It’s around because there’s a tremendous amount of focused emotion in that movie.

KW: When I interviewed Quentin Tarantino about “Django Unchained” he attributed the demise of the Western to “Blazing Saddles”. He said that you had parodied the genre so effectively that no one could take them seriously anymore.

“Mel Brooks: Make a Noise,” is an American Masters profile chronicling Brooksʼ illustrious career.

The PBS special is set to premiere nationwide on Monday, May 20, at 9 p.m. (CDT).

MB: (Laughs) I don’t know. Maybe he’s right. But I wouldn’t take credit for that. …

KW: What is the best advice you can give to young people who would like to follow in your footsteps as a filmmaker?

MB: I have no advice for anybody. Something impels you, and you have to keep going.

Something mysterious drives you, and you’ll have to take a thousand nos before you get your first yes, and they let you do your stuff. …

KW: Wesley Derbyshire asks: “For better or worse, how do you see comedy changing on the screen over the past half-century?”

MB: That’s a good question, Wesley. I wish could answer it. Comedy is too vast a subject. I don’t know what it is. It’s reaching a place in us that is unrestrained. That place where we can no longer be a proper part of society, and just have to laugh. If you have the ability to reach it in yourself, you’ll reach it in others. But how it’s changed, I don’t know. All the sitcoms have gotten very sexual, but not necessarily funnier.

KW: I agree wholeheartedly, Mel. Thanks for being so generous with your time, and for sharing so many anecdotes, insights and remembrances.

MB: It was my pleasure, Kam. Nice talking to you.

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 10

Tri-State Defender

May 16 - 22, 2013

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening May 17, 2013

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“Star Trek: Into Darkness” (PG-13 for intense violence) Twelfth installment in the futuristic, sci-fi franchise finds Captain Kirk (Chris Pinne) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise summoned back to Earth to confront a seemingly-unstoppable evil force which has left the planet on the brink of extinction. Ensemble cast includes Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urban as Bones.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“Augustine” (Unrated) Doctor-patient drama, set in the 19th Century, examining the bedside manner of a leading neurologist (Vincent Lindon) treating a malingering teenager (Soko) left partially paralyzed after suffering a seizure. With Chiara Mastroianni, Olivier Rabourdin and Roxane Duran. (In French with subtitles) “Bidder 70” (Unrated) Eco-documentary about a nature-loving college student sentenced to a couple of years in prison for successfully acquiring the drilling rights to 22,000 acres of federal land at auction in order to prevent a pristine national park from being spoiled by gas industry fracking.

Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” (Photo: Skydance Productions)

“Black Rock” (R for sexual references, graphic nudity, grisly violence and pervasive profanity) Survival saga about the harrowing ordeal of three childhood friends (Kate Bosworth, Katie Aselton and Lake Bell) whose vacation on a remote island off the coast of Maine is rudely interrupted by the arrival of recently-discharged army vets hunting for humans. With Jay Paulson, Will Bouvier, Anslem Richardson and Carl Aselton.

“The English Teacher” (Unrated) Julianne Moore handles the titular role as a spinster with a pair of Siamese cats whose life is disrupted by the return to town of a former student (Michael Angarano) after failing as a playwright in the Big Apple.

With Greg Kinnear, Nathan Lane and Lily Collins.

“Erased” (R for violence) Cat-andmouse thriller about a former CIA agent (Aaron Eckhart) who ends up on the run with his estranged daughter (Liana Liberato) after they are both marked for termination as part of a wide-ranging international conspiracy. With Olga Kurylenko, Kate Linder and Neil Napier.

“Frances Ha” (R for profanity and sexual references) Greta Gerwig stars as the title character in this New York City dramedy about a homeless, aspiring dancer dealing with diminished dreams and an estranged BFF (Mickey Sumner) who won’t speak to her anymore. Supporting cast includes Adam Driver, Michael Zegen and Patrick Heusinger.

“Pieta” (Unrated) Korean tale of redemption about a loan shark (Jeong-jin Lee) forced

to reconsider his line of work by a mysterious woman who claims to be his long-lost mother (Min-soo Jo). With Ki-Hong Woo, Eunjin Kang and Jae-ryong Cho. (In Korean with subtitles) “Stories We Tell” (PG-13 for mature themes, smoking and brief profanity) Out of the closet documentary dissecting a dysfunctional family’s skeletons by interrogating each member of the clan in order to get to the truth.

HOROSCOPES

May 16-22, 2013

ARIES The link that you’ve established with your spiritual self will be strengthened by the people who come into your life. This week is a week for seriousness about a relationship. Discuss your deepest thoughts with others. They’ll understand and thank you for sharing.

TAURUS You’ve done some of your own love homework. Hopefully you’ve had an opportunity to learn a new way of seeing the world and in that way you’ve found a way of loving that is more natural for you.

GEMINI Share in the glory of your friend who has been recognized for outstanding work. Plan a small get-together to celebrate the occasion. Your time will come. Your intimacy radar is sensitive. Watch out for a new romance that might come along. Expect the unexpected!

CANCER You’ve done a lot of things in life that no one has agreed with at the beginning. Finding agreement this week will be difficult, but it should not deter you from moving forward. Feeling sorry for your loneliness will discolor what you are doing. Be happy that you are alone.

LEO Eternal optimist, eternity is now. Get in touch with your hopefulness and be a beacon to others.

Try not to be taken in by promises made by others or promises you’ve made to yourself. Concerning your own affairs, avoid contemplating lofty subjects and seeking long ranged solutions.

VIRGO Some say optimism is fantasy. Suppose the good thing you’re optimistic about never comes.

This week you’ll know that the joy of anticipating it is joy enough. Just the certainty of coming goodness is present goodness. The joy of tomorrow is available this week.

LIBRA You might be looking into the buying or selling of a piece of property, and this week seems to be a favorable week for this type of negotiation. Be careful with the intricacies of the matter. Pay attention to details or it could cost you a great deal later.

SCORPIO What a blessed week this will be. Spend it meditating on all that God has given you. Curtis Mayfield wrote a song called “Who Do You Love?”

Someone should write one called “How Do You Love?” For your love lesson, the second song would be the one you should sing.

SAGITTARIUS Your self-discipline helps you to do more this week. People will be watching as you zip around with style and grace! Broaden your cultural horizons by trying new foods and meeting new people. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

CAPRICORN The urge to chase off on a tangent may be strong this week. Take a few minutes to study the big picture and make sure any whims serve the bigger purpose.

AQUARIUS You’ll be full of good ideas this week, so make sure you write down the ones you don’t have time to put into action. You’ll want to share your thoughts on a grand scale. Try to be patient with those who are staggered by your brilliance.

PISCES This week let your gentle spirit shine through.

Your rough and tumble side is not appropriate for the relationships that you’ll encounter. Someone will need your understanding and sympathy. Give it with sensitivity.

(Source: NNPA)

Page 11

ENTERTAINMENT

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May 16 - 22, 2013

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Soulful crooning sensation, Kem, and trumpeter, Rayse Biggs, blowing them away at the Motherʼs Day Celebration at the Landers Center in Southaven last Saturday (May 11). (Photos: Warren Roseborough) R & B Legends Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill perform before a packed house.

Kem checks out the phone of a fan, who was filming as Kem performed ballad after ballad.

NOTICE TO PUBLIC The following person(s) has asked the city of Memphis Alcohol Commission for permission to sell beer for ON premise consumption.

Applicant: Red Velvet, LLC Neil Armstrong DBA: The Corked Carrot Location: 314 S. Main Anyone desiring to circulate a petition FOR or AGAINST said establishment selling BEER at this location must secure the petition blanks for the undersigned Commission at 2714 Union Avenue Extended 1st Floor.Must be filed no later than Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Eugene Bryan, Member; Sherman Greer, Member; Erma Hayslett, Member; Jared Johnson, Member; Martavius Jones, Member; Billy Post, Member; Johnsie Wallace, Member; Wayne West, Member; Chase, Barry, Member; Aubrey J. Howard, Executive Secretary City of Memphis Alcohol Commission LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS DeWitt Spain Hangars Siding Replacement – Construction Memphis International Airport MSCAA Project Number 11-1334-07 Sealed bids for the DeWitt Spain Hangars Siding Replacement – Construction, MSCAA Project No. 11-1334-07, will be received by the Staff Services Division of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38118, until 2:00 PM Local Time on Thursday, June 20, 2013, and immediately thereafter will be opened and publicly read. BIDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED AT ANY OTHER LOCATION. The scope of work generally consists of metal building repairs at the General DeWitt Spain Airport. Work efforts include, but are not necessarily limited to, replacement of perimeter siding and trim, replacement of roof panels and skylights, repainting of metal roof panels, replacement of insulation, replacement of deteriorated steel door tracks, replacement of steel sliding door supports, repair and/or rehabilitation of deteriorated concrete, replacement of pedestrian doors, and other efforts as required.

Bid Documents may be obtained and found on our website (www.mscaa.com) on or after Monday, May 20, 2013. Bid documents may be examined at the following locations in Memphis, TN: Builderʼs Exchange Plans Room, McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge Plans Room, Memphis Area Minority Contractorʼs Association, Mid-South Minority Business Council, National Association of Minority Contractors, and Renaissance Business Center Bid Room. Information regarding obtaining bid documents, addenda to these documents and any other additional information may be found on our website (www.mscaa.com).

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The MSCAA hereby notifies that it will review and award contracts in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted

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MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

By Larry D. Cox, President & CEO

LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS Demolition of the former City of Memphis Humane Shelter Memphis International Airport MSCAA Project Number 13-1361-00 Sealed bids for the demolition of the former City of Memphis Humane Shelter, MSCAA Project No. 13-1361-00, will be received by the Staff Services Division of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38118, until 2:00 M Local Time on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, and immediately thereafter will be opened and publicly read. BIDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED AT ANY OTHER LOCATION. The scope of work consists generally of the demolition of the former City of Memphis Humane Shelter, located at 3456

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Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, TN 38116.

The demolition will include the removal of the 17,200 square feet single-story building and surrounding amenities, including the small block building and animal holding stalls along the southeast property boundary, wash bay area with underground sediment basin, all paved areas throughout the property, landscaping, and utility service lines. Prior to demolition, the Contractor will be responsible for the removal of all hazardous/non-hazardous/universal wastes (paint, light bulbs, electronics, etc.) in accordance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Management of any salvageable items will be left to the discretion of the Contractor. In addition, the scope of work includes leveling of the site through backfill, compact-to-grade work, and sodding.

Bid Documents may be obtained and found on our website (www.mscaa.com) on or after Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Bid documents may be examined at the following locations in Memphis, TN: Builderʼs Exchange Plans Room, McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge Plans Room, Memphis Area Minority Contractorʼs Association, Mid-South Minority Business Council, National Association of Minority Contractors, and Renaissance Business Center Bid Room. Information regarding obtaining bid documents, addenda to these documents and any other additional information may be found on our website (www.mscaa.com).

All Respondents are hereby notified that all updates, addenda and additional information, if any, shall be posted to the MSCAA website and Respondents are responsible for checking the MSCAA website up to the time of the Bid opening.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held Friday, May 17, 2013, at 9:00 AM at the Project Center, 4225 Airways Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee 38116. The project site will be available for inspection immediately following the meeting.

The MSCAA hereby notifies that it will review and award contracts in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. MSCAA further notifies all Bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged, Minority and Women Business Enterprises (D/M/WBE) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, creed, religion, sexual orientation or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services and activities. The DBE participation goal for this contract is 29% in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents.

Therefore, the only participation that will be counted toward meeting this goal will be participation by certified DBEs, the owners of which have been certified as having a personal net worth less than $1.32 million.

MBE and WBE participation is encouraged but may NOT be counted toward the goal.

Each bid must be by a contractor licensed in Tennessee and accompanied by a 5% Bid Guarantee. In accordance with TCA §62-6-119, the Bidder, and where applicable, one contractor/subcontractor performing electrical, plumbing or heating ventilation work must have its license number, expiration date of the license, and that part of the classification applying to the bid shown on the outside of the envelope containing the bid. Failure to supply all information on the outside of the envelope will result in the return of the unopened envelope to the Bidder. The successful Bidder will be required to execute a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Price. Liquidated damages for delay in contract completion shall be as stated in the Contract Documents.

No Bidder may withdraw an opened bid within the defined period following actual bid opening without MSCAAʼs consent.

Award will be made to the lowest and best responsible qualified Bidder, if any contract is awarded.

MSCAA reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informalities, technicalities or omissions therein. MSCAA also reserves the right to reject bids from bidders that have pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, or if such bid includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, if MSCAA determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this contract, or for any other reason as determined by MSCAA. Any such bid will be returned to the bidder. See Instructions to Bidders in the project specifications for a further description of this and other reservations of rights.

MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

By Larry D. Cox, President & CEO

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May 16 - 22, 2013

LEGAL NOTICE TO BIDDERS Demolition of the Regency Hotel & Suites Memphis International Airport MSCAA Project Number 12-1348-00 Sealed bids for the demolition of the Regency Hotel & Suites, MSCAA Project No. 12-1348-00, will be received by the Staff Services Division of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), 3505 Tchulahoma Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38118, until 2:00 M Local Time on Wednesday, May 29, 2013, and immediately thereafter will be opened and publicly read.

BIDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED AT ANY OTHER LOCATION. The scope of work consists generally of the demolition of the Regency Hotel and Suites, located at 2411 Winchester Road, Memphis, TN 38116. The demolition will include the removal of the 3-story building and surrounding amenities, including the canopy, swimming pool and deck, tennis court, landscaping, utility service lines, and west parking lot. The east parking areas will be left in place. Prior to demolition, the Contractor will be responsible for the removal of all hazardous/non-hazardous/universal wastes (paint, light bulbs, electronics, chemicals) in accordance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Management of any salvageable items will be left to the discretion of the Contractor. In addition, the scope of work includes leveling of the site through backfill and compact-to-grade work, sodding, and adding irrigation to the entire area.

Bid Documents may be obtained and found on our website (www.mscaa.com) on or after Thursday, May 2, 2013. Bid documents may be examined at the following locations in Memphis, TN: Builderʼs Exchange Plans Room, McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge Plans Room, Memphis Area Minority Contractorʼs Association, Mid-South Minority Business Council, National Association of Minority Contractors, and Renaissance Business Center Bid Room. Information regarding obtaining bid documents, addenda to these documents and any other additional information may be found on our website (www.mscaa.com).

All Respondents are hereby notified that all updates, addenda and additional information, if any, shall be posted to the MSCAA website and Respondents are responsible for checking the MSCAA website up to the time of the Bid opening.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at 9:00 AM at the Project Center, 4225 Airways Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee 38116.

The project site will be available for inspection immediately following the meeting.

The MSCAA hereby notifies that it will review and award contracts in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4a and Title 49, Part 26, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act. MSCAA further notifies all Bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged, Minority and Women Business Enterprises (D/M/WBE) will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, color, national origin, creed, religion, sexual orientation or disability in its hiring and employment practices, or in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs, services and activities. The DBE participation goal for this contract is 29% in accordance with the requirements of the Contract Documents.

Therefore, the only participation that will be counted toward meeting this goal will be participation by certified DBEs, the owners of which have been certified as having a personal net worth less than $1.32 million.

MBE and WBE participation is encouraged but may NOT be counted toward the goal.

Each bid must be by a contractor licensed in Tennessee and accompanied by a 5% Bid Guarantee. In accordance with TCA §62-6-119, the Bidder, and where applicable, one contractor/subcontractor performing electrical, plumbing or heating ventilation work must have its license number, expiration date of the license, and that part of the classification applying to the bid shown on the outside of the envelope containing the bid. Failure to supply all information on the outside of the envelope will result in the return of the unopened envelope to the Bidder. The successful Bidder will be required to execute a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Price. Liquidated damages for delay in contract completion shall be as stated in the Contract Documents.

No Bidder may withdraw an opened bid within the defined period following actual bid opening without MSCAAʼs consent.

Award will be made to the lowest and best responsible qualified Bidder, if any contract is awarded.

MSCAA reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informalities, technicalities or omissions therein. MSCAA also reserves the right to reject bids from bidders that have pending litigation or

claims with MSCAA, or if such bid includes a proposed subcontractor or supplier that has pending litigation or claims with MSCAA, if MSCAA determines, in its sole discretion, such litigation or claims may adversely affect the ability of the parties to work efficiently and effectively under this contract, or for any other reason as determined by MSCAA. Any such bid will be returned to the bidder. See Instructions to Bidders in the project specifications for a further description of this and other reservations of rights.

MEMPHIS-SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

By Larry D. Cox, President & CEO NOTICE TO CONSULTANT ENGINEERS REGARDING A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF THE STP BIKE ROUTE PROJECT May 16, 2013 The City Of Memphis, Division of Engineering, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, seeks to retain the services of professional engineering consulting firms to provide various engineering services related to the design of sign & marking plans, signal plans, and full construction plans for various streets in the City of Memphis. This project (STP Bike Routes) is being funded by the Surface Transportation Program (STP) as a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Locally Managed Program. This project shall adhere to all applicable Federal and State, procedures and regulations. The professional consulting engineering firms and all sub-consultants must be on TDOTʼs preapproved list and must have unlimited status. The scope of work includes 1. Design services to complete the sign & marking plans for streets listed below and signal plans or full construction plans, as needed, for enhanced facilities on selected streets (indicated with an ʻ*ʼ below) 2. Environmental services to secure State and Federal permits 3. Assemble bid package. The method of payment shall be lump sum and the scope includes the following streets: 1. Alicia – Poplar to Union 2. Brooks – Horn Lake to US-61 3. Craigmont – Bluefield to Covington Pike* 4. Dellwood – Steele to Watkins 5. Dr. MLK Jr – US-51 to Manassas* 6. East Pkwy South – Cooper to Lamar 7. Evergreen – Galloway to Poplar* 8. Florida – Carolina to South Pkwy* 9. Goodlett – Graham to Walnut Grove 10. Graham – Shelby Farms Greenline to Goodlett* 11.

Hollywood – Chelsea to Devoy 12. Hollywood – Central to Southern 13. Horn Lake – Fairway to US-61 14. Kirby – Massey to Neshoba 15. Kirby – Neshoba to Poplar* 16. Levi – Marsonne to Horn Lake* 17. Millington – US-51 to Frayser 18. North Parkway Overpass at Watkins* 19. New Horn Lake – Mitchell to Fairway* 20. North Pkwy – Watkins to Overton Park Entrance 21. Shady Grove – White Station to Yates 22. Shelby Oaks – Summer to Summer Trees* 23.

Somerville – Linden to Peabody 24.

South Pkwy East – US-51 to Lamar 25.

Southern – McLemore to Cooper 26.

Trinity – Raleigh-LaGrange to Germantown 27. Waring – Summer to Walnut Grove* 28. Watkins – I-240 to Levee* and 29. Whitney – Millington to Baskin.

Firms (or teams) may request consideration by submitting a letter of interest, along with an abbreviated “Statement of Qualifications” for the firm (or team) to: Mr. Jack Stevenson, Engineering Programs Manager, Division of Engineering, 125 N. Main, Suite 554, Memphis, TN, 38103.

All letters of interest and abbreviated SOQs must be received on or before 3:00 p.m. Central Time, June 7, 2013.

The abbreviated SOQ will be used to make a short list of applicants. The firms that are short listed will then be invited to submit a more detailed SOQ which will be graded by a committee established by the Engineering Division. The abbreviated SOQ must include a letter expressing an interest to be considered for the project, must be no more than 15 pages and only needs to contain the following information: 1. General background about the firm(s) – history, office locations, number of staff, etc.

2. A list of projects with a similar size and scope as the proposed work.

3. The current amount of work the firm has under contract with TDOT and the City of Memphis.

4. The City encourages the use of firms that are listed on TDOTʼs certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) list.

The firm that is submitting the SOQ should either list that they are certified DBE firm or state whether they anticipate using DBE firms as a sub-consultant or not.

Information pertaining to TDOT prequalification procedures, list of pre-qualified firms and certified DBEs, TDOTʼs standard procurement policy, and additional information can be found at this internet address www.tdot.state.tn.us/consultantinfo .htm. Interested firms without internet access may obtain this information by calling Ms. Paula Johnson at (615)741-4460 or by email at Paula.Johnson@tn.gov.

For additional details regarding the proposed services to be provided or questions about the submittal process contact Kyle Wagenschutz, (901) 636-6918, kyle.wagenschutz@memphistn.gov. All submitters will be advised when the short

list has been developed.

Evaluation proceedings will be conducted within the established guidelines regarding equal employment opportunity and nondiscriminatory action based upon the grounds of race, color, sex, creed or national origin. Interested certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms as well as other minority/women-owned firms are encouraged to respond to all advertisements by City of Memphis. For information on DBE certification with TDOT, please contact Ms Deborah Luter at (615)741-3681 or Deborah.Luter @state.tn.us. Details and instructions for DBE certification can be found at the following website: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us /civil-rights/smallbusiness/.

Payment for services shall be made based on work complete in each section of the scope of service. The City of Memphis reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, accept proposals in part or whole, waive defects, informalities or minor irregularities in proposals or proposal process and to make proposals awards, as deemed, to be in its best interest. The City of Memphis is not responsible for delays occasioned by the U.S. Postal Services or any other means of delivery utilized by the proposer. Similarly, the City of Memphis is not responsible for, and will not open, any proposal responses that are received later than the date and time stated above.

John Cameron, P.E. City Engineer NOTICE TO CONSULTANT ENGINEERS REGARDING A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PEDESTRIAN ROUTE PLAN May 16, 2013 The City Of Memphis, Division of Engineering, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, seeks to retain the services of professional engineering consulting firms to provide various engineering services related to the development of a pedestrian safety and route prioritization plan for local public schools within the boundaries of the City of Memphis. This project (STP Sidewalk Program) is being funded by the Surface Transportation Program (STP) as a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Locally Managed Program. This project shall adhere to all applicable Federal and State, procedures and regulations. The professional consulting engineering firms and all sub-consultants must be on TDOTʼs pre-approved list and must have unlimited status. The scope of work includes: 1. Analysis of existing conditions including, but not limited to; a. Collection and analysis of non-motorized travel volumes, b. Identification of non-motorized Origin and Destination pairs to determine pedestrian routes, c. Automobile speed and volume studies, d. Analysis of crash rates, e. Evaluation of existing infrastructure conditions, f. Identification of barriers for pedestrian travel, g. Identification of missing links within the pedestrian network, h. Evaluation of pedestrian network for safety issues, 2. Propose projects to mitigate issues identified in existing conditions analysis, 3. Analyze cost of proposed projects, 4. Prioritize projects based on; a. Pedestrian exposure, b. Cost effectiveness, c. Route utilization and accessibility, 5. Develop implementation plan including; a. Evaluation of long and short-term funding mechanisms, b. dentification of pilot projects, c. Full implementation strategy.

To facilitate the development of the STP Pedestrian Routes Plan the City of

Memphis, Division of Engineering, will provide access to applicable City of Memphis GIS Layers and the 2004 School Sidewalk Safety Study.

Firms (or teams) may request consideration by submitting a letter of interest, along with an abbreviated “Statement of Qualifications” for the firm (or team) to: Mr. Jack Stevenson, Engineering Programs Manager, Division of Engineering, 125 N. Main, Suite 554, Memphis, TN, 38103.

All letters of interest and abbreviated SOQs must be received on or before 3:00 p.m. Central Time, June 14, 2013.

The abbreviated SOQ will be used to make a short list of applicants. The firms that are short listed will then be invited to submit a more detailed SOQ which will be graded by a committee established by the Engineering Division. The abbreviated SOQ must include a letter expressing an interest to be considered for the project, must be no more than 15 pages and only needs to contain the following information: 1. General background about the firm(s) – history, office locations, number of staff, etc.

2. A list of projects with a similar size and scope as the proposed work.

3. The current amount of work the firm has under contract with TDOT and the City of Memphis.

4. The City encourages the use of firms that are listed on TDOTʼs certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) list.

The firm that is submitting the SOQ should either list that they are certified DBE firm or state whether they anticipate using DBE firms as a sub-consultant or not.

Information pertaining to TDOT prequalification procedures, list of pre-qualified firms and certified DBEs, TDOTʼs standard procurement policy, and additional information can be found at this internet address www.tdot.state.tn.us/consultantinfo .htm. Interested firms without internet access may obtain this information by calling Ms. Paula Johnson at (615)741-4460 or by email at Paula.Johnson@tn.gov .

For additional details regarding the proposed services to be provided or questions about the submittal process contact Kyle Wagenschutz, (901) 636-6918, kyle.wagenschutz@memphistn.gov. All submitters will be advised when the short list has been developed.

Evaluation proceedings will be conducted within the established guidelines regarding equal employment opportunity and nondiscriminatory action based upon the grounds of race, color, sex, creed or national origin. Interested certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms as well as other minority/women-owned firms are encouraged to respond to all advertisements by City of Memphis. For information on DBE certification with TDOT, please contact Ms Deborah Luter at (615)741-3681 or Deborah.Luter @state.tn.us. Details and instructions for DBE certification can be found at the following website: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/ civil-rights/smallbusiness/.

Payment for services shall be made based on work complete in each section of the scope of service. The City of Memphis reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, accept proposals in part or whole, waive defects, informalities or minor irregularities in proposals or proposal process and to make proposals awards, as deemed, to be in its best interest. The City of Memphis is not responsible for delays occasioned by the U.S. Postal Services or any other means of delivery utilized by the proposer. Similarly, the City of Memphis is not responsible for, and will not open, any proposal responses that are received later than the date and time stated above.

John Cameron, P.E. City Engineer

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BRIEFS & THINGS MCS to Host Mental Health & Awareness Fair

In recognition of National Children’s mental Health Awareness Month, MCS Division of Exceptional Children & Health Services has partnered with Just Care Family network to host a Mental Health and Awareness Fair on Saturday, May 18, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Colonial Middle School, 1370 Colonial Rd. This health fair represents a collaborative effort to spread the message of mental wellness and resources in the Memphis community. Parents and community members will also have an opportunity to learn about mental health programs offered by the district.

For more information, contact Dr. Anitra Shelton-Quinn, MCS Supervising Psychologist, at (901) 416-1331.

Deadline extended for Rural/Metro Scholarship

The Rural/Metro Scholarship Program for minority high school seniors who are interested in becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and paramedic has been extended to May 24, 2013.

For the past six years, Rural/Metro has offered scholarships to minority high school seniors in the state of Tennessee. After successfully completing the two-year program, they will be ready to take the national test to receive their EMT license.

“This is a great opportunity for minority high school seniors who are interested in a field where they have an opportunity to help others and make a difference in someone’s life. I would encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Nikki Gast, Rural/Metro’s market general manager.

To apply for the scholarship, students must submit an essay of 500 words or less in response to the statement: Why I want to enter the field of Emergency Medical Services.

The essay must include the student’s name, phone number, address, school, and reference letter and mailed to: Rural/Metro Ambulance, ATTN: Scholarship Panel, 100 Crescent Drive, Collierville, Tenn. 38107, or emailed to nikki.gast@rmetro.com. Students will be judged on dedication, communication and a desire to become an EMT or paramedic.

COMMUNITY

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May 16 - 22, 2013

‘Fat City’ distinction aids Obesity Summit birth

The city of Memphis is comprised of 650,000 residents, one third of which are obese, which puts them at risk for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, according to the Gallop Well-Being Index.

These statistics helped birth the Healthy Church Challenge 100-day weight loss competition, which will culminate in an Obesity Summit on Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Breath of Life Christian Center, 3795 Frayser Raleigh Rd. The summit is free and open to the public.

The Obesity Summit is designed to educate participants, disseminate health information and encourage participants to eat better, exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.

“In light of Memphis’ dubious distinction as a fat city, we hope those who are grappling with weight issues (will) take advantage of the Obesity Summit and the presentations from some of our leading health experts,” said Calvin Anderson, senior vice president and chief of staff

at BlueCross Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBST).

Donna Richardson, internationally renowned fitness expert, will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. For more than 25 years, she has encouraged people to live healthier lifestyles, and she has starred in over 25 award-winning fitness videos.

Other speakers and workshop presenters include the Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D., pastor of St. Andrew AME Church and the public health policy advisor for Shelby County, Mayor Mark Luttrell, certified trainer Yusuf Boyd of BIOMechaniks, and Chef Timothy Moore, personal plant-based chef and wellness coach.

With his wide array of knowledge and experience, Dr. Robinson will serve to educate the Obesity Summit participants. They can get in a good workout to help improve muscle tone with trainer Boyd. Chef Moore, who writes a weekly health column in The New Tri-State Defender, will demonstrate simple ways to cook

quick, tasty, healthy and affordable meals minus fattening oils and dairy products.

The winners of the 100-day weight loss challenge will be announced during the summit.

Monetary gift certificates will be awarded to first, second and third place churches whose teams have lost the greatest percentage of weight. There will also be three individual awards, including a $500 gift certificate to the person who has lost the most weight.

The summit will feature presentations by the staff of The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, healthcare screenings, vendors, door prizes and giveaways.

The Challenge is sponsored by BCBST, The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, 95.7 Hallelujah FM, The New Tri-State Defender, Biomechaniks, News Channel 3 and the City of Memphis.

(For more information on the Obesity Summit, call 901-278-0881 or visit Facebook.com/The Healthy Church Challenge.)

Playhouse presents “The Color Purple”

On Sunday, June 23 at 3:00 p.m. there will be a benefit performance of the musical “The Color Purple” by Playhouse on the Square. Proceeds will benefit SRVS, a rehabilitation program for over 800 people with disabilities.

Preview party starts at 1:30 p.m. and includes dancing, a wine tasting, appetizers and dessert and the unveiling of the Spirit of SRVS commemorative artwork by artist David Lynch.

Tickets are $33 in person and $35 by phone at 901-726-4656 or online at www.playhouseonthesquare.org. Please purchase tickets by May 25 for SRVS to receive 100% of the proceeds.

For more information, visit www.srvs.org.

Jr. Ranger Day Camp at Fuller State Park

The T. O. Fuller State Park’s Junior Ranger day camp curriculum is designed for children ages 6 to 14. Programs help children build a better relationship with the great outdoors and have fun while learning.

Camp will be held at T. O. Fuller State Park, 1500 W. Mitchell Rd., from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, June 3rd - 6th. Some topics that may be covered are: Safety, Birds of Prey, Reptiles, and Amphibians, Park History, Geology, Wetlands, and Plants. Programs will include various hikes, games, and crafts.

For additional information, contact Daniel Burgess or Michael Champagne at 901-5437581. Registration forms can be picked up at the park’s Visitor Center Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and should be returned via email to Daniel.Burgess@tn.gov or Michael.Champagne@tn.gov, or fax to 901785-8485 by Friday, May 31st. LIMITED TO THE FIRST 30 CAMPERS.

Central senior awarded ExxonMobil Scholarship

Central High School senior Malik Hollingsworth has been awarded the 2013 ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarship by the Council of Great City Schools. Selected from several hundred applicants, Hollingsworth is one of four students nationwide to be awarded this scholarship which is based academic performance, leadership qualities and community involvement.

This program was created by former NASA astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., the first African American to walk in space, and the ExxonMobil Foundation to help underrepresented students pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies and increase diversity in the STEM workforce.

“These scholarships are one way of empowering promising youth for math and science achievement both inside and outside the classroom,” said Dr. Harris. “I am proud to support the development of innovative young minds and honor these students as they create a brighter future for themselves and our nation.”

Malik Hollingsworth will attend Vanderbilt University in the fall, where he will major in Design Engineering.

Graduation present…

Downtown Tuesday (May 14) after graduating from the fifth grade, Kierra Wooten of Hickory Ridge Elementary School spotted a police motorcycle and asked the nearby officers – Lt. Tina Halfacre and Eric Richmond – if she could have her picture taken. She shared the experience with her brothers, Kylan (left) and Terrance, and her cousin, Dillian Johnson (right). Keeping watch (and not pictured) was her mom, Latisha Wooten, and her aunt and uncle – Monica and Timothy Johnson. (Photo: George Tillman Jr.)

‘Embrace Life’ at Sisterhood Outreach Summit & Showcase

The Memphis Cook Convention Center will come alive with vendors, exciting entertainment and more during the 18th Annual Sisterhood Outreach Summit & Showcase on June 1-2.

Sisterhood Showcase Founder and Grace Magazine Publisher, Tina Birchett, said Showcase attendees should expect a quality event that has something for the entire family.

“This year’s theme Embrace Life is a powerful message which inspires us to take time out to enjoy our remarkable life,” said Birchett.

“Each year, the Sisterhood Showcase is designed to do more than entertain – we inspire, educate and promote growth. Once again, I invite Memphis and the surrounding areas to join us.”

The event will run Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from the 9 a.m. worship service to 6 p.m.

After the doors open Saturday, an Early Bird Special will run until 11 a.m. The line-up fea-

tures Grammy-nominated, R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter Eric Benet, Grammy and Stellar Award winning gospel group The Williams Brothers, and R&B favorites Calvin Richardson and Trio Plus.

Two new additions will be the Natural Hair Showcase, featuring five hair care companies presenting their concepts of natural hair care and signature styles. Also new this year is the WMC-TV “5 Listens,” with members of the Action News 5 and WMC-TV management teams on hand to listen to input on community issues.

Sunday morning worship service will be hosted by First Baptist Church-Broad and Pastor Keith Norman, music by Grammy Awardwinning R&B and soul singer-songwriter Chrisette Michele, and Gospel artists 21:03 and J Moss. Comedian Jonathan Slocumb will bring the laughs.

The Showcase will feature 300-plus vendor booths, with a variety of lifestyle enhancing products that focus on fashion, beauty, health, home and more. Attendees can also expect to annual favorites such as the Grace Magazine Fashion Show and the popular Men Who Define Fine Fashions, the Health Pavilion, Women’s Forum and the Celebrity Chefs Cooking Stage.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of show. Advance tickets are available at any Walgreens in the Memphis and Tri-State area, and online. Day of show tickets will be available at Walgreens and the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Admission is free on Sunday until 11 a.m. Children 6 and under are admitted free.

(For a complete schedule of events and more information, visit www.Sisterhood Showcase.com.)

Youth at work…

Members of the Memphis Youth Manifesto (MYM) turned out in force for the Shelby County School Board session Tuesday night. Two of them spoke, including the young man kneeling. MYM is associated with The New Olivet Baptist Church, where the pastor is the Rev. Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. According to Whalum, the young manʼs comments included this: “Weʼre tired of Mayor Wharton and the City Council trying to kill our community. If you close Carver High School and send the students to Booker Washington, you will see an even higher homicide rate. For more information, www.memphisyouthmanife sto.com. (Courtesy photo)

SPORTS Tri-State Defender, Thursday, May 16 - 22, 2013, Page 14

For Tony Allen, defense is all about business. This time, Kevin Martin learns the bank is closed. (Photos: Warren Roseborough)

GRIZZ

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Several clutch jumpers in the last two minutes by the big man in the middle, Marc Gasol.

Memphis rode its “grit and grind” theme straight to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history! In the words of TNT analyst Charles Barkley, “the old man game of Zach Randolph dominated the game.”

The Grizz now advance to play the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Golden State Warriors series for the right to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.

Wow! The NBA Finals! Can you believe such talk Memphis?

Gone are the days of the old Vancouver Grizzlies, who had a record number of losing seasons.

Gone is the losing mentality and questionable draft picks year after year.

This team has been remade, reinvented and reborn!

Memphis is a basketball town and Y-O-U-R Memphis Grizzlies are the crown jewels that would even make “The King” proud!

Zach Randolph and teammates celebrate as the clock strikes midnight on OKC.

A key basket late in the game triggered this move by Marc Gasol.

Zach Randolph wore out Kendrick Perkins and the Thunder in Game 5.

Memphis Grizzlies & Brooks Museum partner for Father’s Day screening of “Doin’ In The Park”

The Memphis Grizzlies present two special Father’s Day screenings of “Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC” (www.doinitinthepark.com) at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art as part of the Healthy Home Court initiative.

Attendees are invited to put your sneakers on, put your basketball in the trunk and bring the entire family.

After that, organizers say be prepared to hit one of Memphis’ city parks, in-

cluding the Grizzlies’ renovated courts at Southside Park (612 South Parkway East, near Orleans Elementary School).

“Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC” is an independent documentary directed by Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau. The film, which explores the history, culture, and social impact of playground basketball, fits within the goals of the Memphis Grizzlies Healthy Home Court initia-

tive by presenting a number of different basketball related games and emphasizing the inclusiveness of playground basketball as a positive activity for individuals and groups.

Screenings will take place in the Brooks’ Dorothy K. Hohenberg Auditorium at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 16.

Filmmakers Garcia and Couliau visited 180 courts in all five NYC boroughs, traveling to a majority of

locations by bicycle, bringing camera equipment and a ball in their backpacks. The result is an unprecedented perspective on urban America’s most popular, and accessible, free recreation.

“I urge everyone to watch this film.

If you can, bring a ball with you. As your date,” said Rick Telander of Sports Illustrated Michaela Angela Davis of the BET Network called the documentary “. . .

a triumph capturing a culture of champions without medallions.

NOTE: Tickets for the Father’s Day event are $8, or $6 for Brooks members and students of all ages. Advance tickets, purchased via www.Brooksmuseum.org, are recommended. The Brooks’ Brushmark Restaurant will also serve brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (For brunch reservations, call 901-544-6225.