POWERFEST 2K13 April 27, 2013 RCSO’s Capt. Wendy George has the Citizens Police Academy in full swing
U W Sevyn Streeter • Powerfest performer
rban Pro NEWS • COMMENTARY
Business Profile:
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Remembering Richie Havens Building Community FREE
The CSRA’s FREE WEEKLY WEEKLY
Newspaper Newspaper VOL.2 NO.32 VOL.2 NO.18 The CSRA’s
ENTERTAINMENT APR. 25 - MAY 1, 2013
Augusta Tutoring Center
Augusta Tutoring Center
Learning Center has winning formula for classroom success and it starts THIS SUMMER
UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 -MAY 1, 2013
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When it comes to spines, the world comes to us. People from all over the world come to Augusta for the most advanced spine care. For specialized neuroimaging. For minimally invasive procedures and highly sophisticated surgeries. For internationally recognized neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons. For more about what makes Georgia Regents Spine Center a worldwide destination for the care and treatment of the human spine, go to gru.edu/spine. And, like the rest of the world, come to us.
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3 UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
The Augusta Tutoring Center Way to better grades in the shortest amount of time 3090 Deans Bridge Road Augusta, GA 30906 (near Kroger and Wal-Mart)
1-800-417-0968 “We can provide a controlled fun and relaxing environment that’s conducive to learning based upon the student in a one to one or a small group setting based on our schedule and parents flexibility.”
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The Augusta Tutoring Center is open all year around and works with students from grades K - 12 and those seeking a GED.
— Greg Collier of the Augusta Tutoring Center
Business Profile: UrbanProWeekly: What Augusta Tutoring Center?
is
the
GREG COLLIER: Augusta Tutoring Center is a traditional hands-on tutoring company providing tutoring in all subjects kindergarten through 12th grade as well as homework help and test prep. We offer tutoring within the framework of the classroom – meaning students bring their books, their worksheets or assignment to us for additional support. We use the stepby-step approach within a math problem to help students get a better understanding of concepts. UrbanProWeekly: How long has it been operating in the Augusta area? COLLIER: Since 2007 at that time we operated as a supplemental Educational Services provider approved by the state of Georgia to offer free tutoring to disadvantaged students attending Title 1 schools. Under the program name Achieve High points of the CSRA, we provided each student with a lap-top computer as an instructional tool in math. We simply required each student to complete 30 hours of tutoring using our online anywhere tutoring model. For each student that completed the program, we donated or allowed them to keep the lap-top computers. It was our way of getting technology into households. However, due to the state waiver that program ended in June 2012. Staff members provide one-on-one instruction. All photos by Vincent Hobbs
Augusta Tutoring Center UrbanProWeekly: So much of our educational system is geared around standard tests. Does the Augusta Tutoring Center help students prepare for those types of tests? COLLIER: Absolutely. We live in a standardized world, therefore an essential part of what we do is prepare students for standardized tests such as the CRCT, SAT, and ACT as well as graduation and end-of-course tests. We don’t just offer content support through guided practice, we also share test taking strategies.
UrbanProWeekly: Why is tutoring during the summer months so important and which group of students are at greatest risk during the summer? COLLIER: Tutoring during the summer is critical, especially to a marginal student it’s their time to catch up or get left behind. A student can focus on one subject without the competition for time from other subjects. During the summer is the best time for remediation and interventions which means taking Continued on next page
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Augusta Tutoring Center from page 3 students back to previous concepts or grade levels to reinforce or enhance those skills they missed the first time around. All it takes is 2-3 hours a week. For those high achieving students we use a concept called the flipped classroom we teach them their upcoming grade level material during the summer so when school starts in the fall they already know it and rise to the top of the class. It’s always better to start out on top of the hill as oppose to being on the bottom. The challenge sometimes is overwhelming for a student who develops academic fatigue during the school year. It’s a total up- hill battle. Without tutoring an achievement gap (SUMMER LEARNING LOSS) is created between the haves and the have not’s. Research shows that in general low income students lose around 3 months of grade level equivalency and middle income loses around 1 thus creating a shocking achievement gap over time. If I lose 3 and you lose 1 over a 12 year period you would have a 24 month advantage which is the reason we are offering this affordable summer learning program. UrbanProWeekly: What can you and your staff do that the classroom teacher may not be able to do? COLLIER: Provide a controlled fun and relaxing environment that’s conducive to learning based upon the student in a one to one or a small group setting based on our schedule and parents flexibility. We can take all the time we need to spend on an individual concept in other words we can dictate pace and meet the students individual needs versus trying to manage large groups of students and chase administrative requirements.
MORE THAN JUST TUTORING: “We design web based educational software used as an Adaptive Learning Management system called Flexible Learning Solutions for Schools.” — Greg Collier All Photos by Vincent Hobbs COLLIER: VIP and CRITICAL are the words that come to mind. Today’s youth are the most technologically advanced children that have ever graced the wonderful earth. They were born with gadgets, talking animals, and technology in their hands. They prefer to learn from avatars and interactivity. Take a look at all the technology at their disposal it brings education to your audience not forcing your audience to come to you. No need to force a circle into a square.
UrbanProWeekly: In every student population there are those who wind up at the bottom for various reasons. Can your program help those kits to succeed? COLLIER: Yes. Sometimes the difference between the top and the bottom is time, patience, and understanding. All of the usual classroom distractions and bureaucracy is eliminated in a tutoring environment. Our tutors are empowered simply to do what they see that fits a specific child. Unfortunately most teachers don’t have that luxury. UrbanProWeekly: Explain the importance of online resources and interactive lessons in your teaching methods.
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Online resources can offer diagnostic tests as well as deliver a targeted lesson plan to fit each child at their level of understanding. 25 students 25 different lesson plans. Students today have never seen an 8 track tape or an album but they have heard of IPod and ITunes you have a better chance of getting their attention in their world of technology. That 8 track just won’t cut it. Today’s student don’t say take me to the store to purchase my favorite song; they say, download it. So our philosophy is to allow them to download better grades by studying online and learning with interactivity if that’s what fits the student.
in 22 states under the SES format. The program is designed to supplement teachers in the classroom. In our blended learning environment which means online with a physical teacher as well as control over pace and time of learning the role of teacher is adjusted toward being a facilitator of learning as opposed to being the only instructor. From right here in Augusta we are on the cutting edge of educational technology pioneering education reform by creating interactive lessons with interactivity designed to make a difference as we embrace the future of education. We hope to see our programs used in every school in the CSR A. Especially here in our beloved hometown of Richmond County.
UrbanProWeekly: Is tutoring the only service that your center provides?
UrbanProWeekly: What is the cost of your service and are there any special rates for families with more than on child that needs help?
COLLIER: No. We design web based educational software used as an Adaptive Learning Management system called Flexible Learning Solutions for Schools. A version of it was used
COLLIER: We don’t charge artificial fees such as application fees, enrollment fees or diagnostic tests. We want your funds to be used wisely on tutoring sessions because it’s the number of sessions that’s going to make a difference in the student. Our cost is very affordable as low as $40.00 a week. Yes, there are sibling discounts.
During the Summer Months Augusta Tutoriing Center recommends 2-3 hours of tutoring each week.
Sales &
UrbanProWeekly LLC
Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411
Marketing Phone: 706-394-9411
Mailing Address: 3529 Monte Carlo Drive Augusta, Georgia 30906
Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-836-2018
New Media Consultant Director of Photography
Vincent Hobbs email: Ben Hasan bzhasan54@yahoo.com Frederick Benjamin Sr. editor@urbanproweekly.com Vincent Hobbs
5 Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
Wendy George is the Captain over the Community Services Division of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Interview was conducted by Ben Hasan on April 16, 2013. UrbanProWeekly: You’ve been the head of the Community Services Division since January 1. How are things going? Capt. George: I love it. It is a very exciting division. There’s a lot of variety. There are a lot of things the sheriff has asked us to get done. There are a lot of different programs that we’re getting ready to implement and some we have already implemented. It’s a busy time for us. UPW: Is being over the Community Services Division something you sought? Capt. George: No, it was chosen for me. I wanted to do whatever the sheriff asked me to do to help in terms of making this community grow and be better and making the people feel more comfortable with the sheriff’s depart- Wendy George is the first women in the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to be promoted to the rank of capment. tain. Here she conducts a session of the Citizens Police Academy. Photo by Vincent Hobbs UPW: What has been the response for other females. Now they can feel that if they just work harder and get from the community so far? their degrees, they, too, can advance. Seeing women in different roles also CAPT. GEORGE: I think there is a much better rapport with the Sheriff’s has an impact on the community. When these young girls see that other females Office on the part of the community. I believe the department has gone are actually police officers, it can give in a very positive direction. Different them hope. I recently had a parent come up to me individuals in the community have called the sheriff to tell him how much with her daughters to meet the female improvement they have seen in the officers. She wanted to prove to them that there were actually female officers. department. For instance, we recently visited Her brother had told them that there Harrisburg community as an agency to were no women cops. That made me proud. do a neighborhood clean-up.
The Augusta Police Department hired me. Once I got into road patrol and the different aspects of law enforcement, I wanted to stay in that area, so I never pursued the FBI career. UPW: You’re currently conducting a Citizens Police Academy session. Who is attending those first sessions? CAPT. GEORGE: The member’s of the Sheriff’s Citizens Advisory Board are taking the very first classes. There are 13 of them. We wanted the Citizens
Advisory Board to take the First Citizen’s Police Academy so they would have a better understanding of how the department operates. If they are to eventually advise the sheriff, it would help them to understand why we do things the way that we do. It’s a very comprehensive 12-week course and exposes them to nearly every aspect of police work from K-9 operations to crime scene investigations. Once they graduate they’ll be in a much better position to advise the sheriff.
UPW: How long have you been in UPW: What about within the department itself. Have you noticed law enforcement and what made you want to take that step? a difference? CAPT. GEORGE: The morale within the department has improved tremendously because the officers feel as if they have a voice. They feel that their opinions matter. All of their views have been noted and changes have been made based on their opinions. Just look at the number of women who have been given greater responsibility. In addition to my promotion, the sheriff has promoted other females in the department as well. In the past, a lot of us women felt that we didn’t have a voice. We feel that we have a chance now. Putting females, regardless of our race, in key positions will pave the way
CAPT. GEORGE: I’ve worked in law enforcement for 27 years. In college, I was initially an English major, but I met with some friends who were criminal justice majors and since I wanted to be in classes with them, I changed my major. From there, I tried to find a job, but no one would hire me so I moved to Columbia, SC. and became a corrections officer in women’s prison. Initially, I wanted to be an FBI agent, but when I interviewed with the FBI agent, they wanted someone with police experience, so I felt I needed to get road patrol and police experience and then I could move on to the FBI field.
Augusta Regional Airport Embarks on Operation World AUGUSTA For the second time Augusta Regional Airport and Delta Airlines partnered with The Links Incorporated* to provide 100 local, inner city fifth graders the opportunity to experience various aspects of air travel on April 27th! Starting at 7:30 a.m. students from Lamar Milledge Elementary School and Hornsby Elementary will experi-
ence airline check-in, security screening, aircraft boarding as well as the opportunity to speak with a pilot and flight attendant! Once the students have deplaned they will be greeted by the Polynesian dancers of the Magical Fires of Polynesia dance group! The dancers will perform authentic dances from the islands as well as teach the students about the culture.
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UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
urban professional: Capt.Wendy George
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(Above) Paine College pitcher Jerek Wright (#20) winds up for the pitch during the second game of a double-header against Albany State University. The Lions won the first game 4-1 but lost to the Rams in the second game 10-6 on Saturday afternoon (April 20) at the Lion’s home field. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
SPORTS by HOBBS
Paine vs. Albany St. 4.20.13 (Above) Paine College’s Jonathan Richey (#1, right) slides into base during the second game of a double-header against Albany State University. The Lions won the first game 4-1 but lost to the Rams in the second game 10-6 on Saturday afternoon at the Lion’s home field. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
Paine College’s Zachary Drummond gets tagged out as he slides into home plate during the second game of a double-header against Albany State University. The Lions won the first game 4-1 but lost to the Rams in the second game 10-6 on Saturday afternoon at the Lion’s home field. Photo by Vincent Hobbs
7 UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
Kid Ink
Sevyn Streeter
Power 107 presents Powerfest 2K13
P
ower 107, Blazing’ Hip-Hop and R&B, will host the 12th annual Powerfest, an urban music festival and largest outdoor concert event in the South East, this Saturday, April 27th, 2013. Powerfest 2K13 will feature live performances by Cash Out, B Smith, Shawty Lo, Jarvis, Mykko Montana, TK & Cash, Raheem Devaughn, Seven Streeter, Ravaughn, Lye Jennings and more than 30 national and local artist. Powerfest 2K13 will feature the “Power 107 Talent Takeover” winner, an online contest where local artists submit music samples and listeners vote for their favorite performer. The artist with the most votes will perform at the event. Powerfest 2K13 will also include the Empire Auto Car and Bike Show, featuring cars and bikes from enthusiasts throughout the South and new this year a Fun Zone and a mobile game trailer. In addition, concertgoers will enjoy more than 40 vendors including food, clothing, jewelry and arts and crafts.
Lil Nuke
“Every year we look forward to Powerfest to celebrate urban music and community, it’s an amazing event that appeals to all of our listeners,” said Tim ‘Minnesota Fattz’ Snell, Program Director, WPRW Power 107. “We are also really excited to showcase new emerging talent through our ‘Power 107 Talent Takeover’ contest.” Powerfest 2K13 will be held at Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now for $15 and will be available at the door for $20. Online advance tickets can be purchased ten or more for $10 each. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Augusta Partnership for Children, a non-profit collaborative that partners with agencies, organizations and individuals to improve the lives of children and families in Augusta-Richmond County. For more information on Powerfest 2K13 and to purchase tickets, visit Power107.net.
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UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 -MAY 1, 2013
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PEOPLE & organizations making a difference Volunteers needed for disaster drill
The Augusta Fire Department/ Emergency Management Agency is seeking volunteers for a drill being held in May. The annual National Disaster Medical Systems Drill tests the local hospitals’ capabilities when patients are flown in from a disaster area where the hospitals are overrun with patients. This year’s drill scenario is an earthquake in Charleston, SC. The drill will be held Wednesday, May 1, 2013 from 6:30 am - 1:30 pm. Participants will park at the Fire Training Center, be transported to Augusta Regional Airport then transported to hospitals and back to the Fire Training Center. The location of the Training Center is 3125 Deans Bridge Road. Participants will have the opportunity to receive simulated injuries and receive medical attention. Breakfast will be provided in the morning and lunch will be provided at the hospitals. If you are interested in participating in this drill please contact Pamela Dugar at 706-821-1155 or e-mail me atpdugar@augustaga.gov to be signed up. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC SCHOOL IS CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION “The Legacy Continues”
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Join us for the Centennial Celebration Weekend (May 24th – May 26th 2013) Alumni Meet, Greet, and Eat/ “Old School Style” with D.J. May 24, 2013 (7:00 – 11:00) IC School located at 811 Telfair St. (BYOB) Tour of Immaculate Conception School – May 25th (10:00 am – 12:00 noon) Cruising on the Savannah River – May 25, 2013 at 1:00 pm $7.00 per person. Limited seating. Centennial Banquet – May 25, 2013 at 7:00 pm (Entertainment Provided) Augusta Marriott Hotel located at 2 10th Street Keynote Speaker: Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Tickets: $50.00 each (Tickets must be paid for in advance by May 17th) Centennial Celebration Mass - May 26, 2013 at 8:00 am Church of the Most Holy Trinity located at 720 Telfair Street Reception Immediately Following Mass in St. Patrick Hall (Light refreshments will be served)
2658 C Barton Chapel Rd. Augusta, GA 706.814.7188 computerguyaugusta@live.com
Banquet Tickets are available at Immaculate Conception School. For additional details and ticket information, call (706) 722-9964, (706) 589-6112 or (706) 399-0360. The Alumni Association is challenging all IC alumns and the local community to contribute $1.00 for each year that the school has been in existence. Contributions are tax deductible and will benefit scholarships. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Immaculate Conception School Centennial Giving Campaign. Payments may be made at the school or mailed to the school at 811 Telfair Street, Augusta, Ga. 30901. Our paypal account is available on the home page at www.mostholytrinity.org. Thanks for your support.
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Boot Camp starts on May 20!
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UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 -MAY 1, 2013
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F.Y.I. Can We Talk? Success Is The Only Option!
Youth Conference Jackie L. Brewton Motivational Speaker
May 25, 2013 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Augusta Technical College Sponsored by East Central Public Health District Adolescent Health & Youth Development & Department of Juvenile Justice For more information, call 706-725-2054
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UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 -MAY 1, 2013
12 Fennoy calls District 1
Town Hall Meeting
District One Commissioner Bill Fennoy will host a meeting at the KROC Center on Thursday, May 2, 2013. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. and go until 8 p.m. City administrator Fred Russell is scheduled to attend.
Southern Cooking May’s Brown Bag History Series Lecture
As part of its continuing Brown Bag History Series, the Augusta Museum of History presents, Southern Cooking a talk given by Barbara Howard Ross, on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. Her talk will include information about the development of Southern cuisine, the iconic foods and beverages, and identify local dishes. The lectures are free to Museum members and $3 for non-members. Participants should bring a lunch and the Museum will only be providing beverages. Lunch can begin as early as 11:30 a.m.; the lecture runs from 12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
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Commentary Drones, sanctions and the prison industrial complex The United States government does not run its foreign policy on any more enlightened or humane premise than it does its prisons. by Brian Terrell (The author is nearing the end of a six month sentence at Yankton Federal Prison Camp for protesting drone warfare at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. He is scheduled for release on May 24, 2013.) In the final weeks of a six month prison sentence for protesting remote control murder by drones, specifically from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, I can only reflect on my time of captivity in light of the crimes that brought me here. In these ominous times, it is America’s officials and judges and not the anarchists who exhibit the most flagrant contempt for the rule of law and it is due to the malfeasance of these that I owe the distinction of this sabbatical. As I share in the perspectives gained from residing in the federal prison camp in Yankton, South Dakota, it is important to disclose that as a political prisoner sent up on trumped misdemeanor charges for a few months, my situation is not the same as my fellow inmates. All nonviolent “offenders”, most by far are prisoners of the war on drugs and most are serving sentences of many years. I also try to avoid the temptation to exaggerate the hardships and privations I’ve suffered here. Certainly, doing time in a minimum security camp is easier time than in most other kinds of jails. If basic necessities are barely met, they are met. I am in good company and time is passing with little drama and without fear. For me, these months have been more a test of patience than of courage. Still, this is a hard place to be in many ways and it would be wrong to minimize what people suffer here. Among these are the basic humiliation of being numbered and then counted at intervals through the day, frequent shakedowns, random frisks (stranger’s fingers fumbling with a lacerated heart, Solzhenitsyn remembered) and strip searches, separation from family and friends, severely limited visits, intercepted mail and interrupted phone calls, incessant noise and overcrowding, petty rules arbitrarily enforced. The regime here is one of omnipresent and unrelieved bureaucracy. What I am experiencing over a few months as inconvenience and minor irritation, cumulative over years can amount to a crushing and ruinous burden. “A concentration camp is the complete obliteration of privacy,” wrote
Czech novelist Milan Kundera. It is “a world in which people live crammed together constantly, night and day. Brutality and violence are secondary, and not the least indispensible characteristics.” At Yankton and in camps and prisons like it, the federal government has achieved the complete obliteration of privacy as the drug war has increased America’s already bloated prison population sevenfold over the last twenty years. No country locks up more of its citizens for so long sentences as the United States and it can be said, too, that the government is taking strides to extend the obliteration of privacy to the general population. What the government has not been able to accomplish by locking up suspected drug users and dealers by the thousands is any reduction in addiction or in the sale and use of illegal drugs. There is little doubt that jailing drug related “criminals” causes more and not less drug use and crime and yet the so-called criminal justice system is expending an increasingly greater fortune in human and material resources on prisons, contrary to the ends of public safety or rehabilitation. Before he retired, President Eisenhower warned of the emergence of a self-perpetuating “military industrial complex” producing weapons and provoking conflict for the sake of ensuring a market for more weapons. Likewise, America is increasingly in the grip of what some call a “prison industrial complex,” building and filling prisons for the purpose of ensuring fodder for more prisons.
The United States government does not run its foreign policy on any more enlightened or humane premise than it does its prisons. The refrain “we are creating enemies faster than we are killing (or capturing) them” is a bit of truth that gets leaked to the media occasionally in recent years. Sometimes the sentiment is voiced by even the most senior military commanders and applied variously to any of several strategies, including night raids in Afghanistan, check points in Iraq, the prison at Guantánamo, and drone attacks in Yemen and Pakistan. As with prisons, United States military and diplomatic policies run contrary to their stated objectives of peace and public safety and yet they persist with little question. Prisons and the military, America’s dominant institutions, exist not to bring healing to domestic ills or relief for foreign threats but to exacerbate and manipulate them for the profit of the wealthiest few, at great cost and peril for the rest of us. One of many discouraging moments of the presidential campaign that ended just before I surrendered to authorities here in November, was in a debate where Mr. Obama stated that Americans need to “decide for themselves” whose sanctions against Iran would be “more crippling,” his or Mr. Romney’s. This was an obscene and unacceptable choice. Sanctions are portrayed as a diplomatic alternative to war but in their application can be as lethal, warfare by another name. Sanctions that extend beyond trade in armaments to include
embargoes on food, medicine, educational materials, and other necessities of life can constitute weapons of mass destruction in themselves. It is often said that such comprehensive and indiscriminant sanctions make prisons of the countries targeted with them. While the regime of sanctions against inmates here at Yankton is less severe than the brutal conditions I witnessed in Iraq in 1998 or that the United States imposes on the people of Iran or Gaza (by proxy), the comparison is apt. Sanctions and prisons are both about imposing economic and social isolation and both can raise levels of tension and fear when applied without conscience. Meaningful employment, decent housing, support of loved ones, education and self-respect would be helpful responses to the scourge of addiction and the crimes that ensue from it. Providing these for people at risk would be a priority for a responsible society but all these are robbed from inmates in federal prisons. Threats of war and terrorism are provoked by sanctions and invasions and can be countered only by addressing root causes. “What father,” Jesus asked, “would give a stone to a child who asks for bread?” We know the answer and it is to our shame. “The choice is no longer between violence and non-violence,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As resources dwindle, the climate warms and nuclear arms proliferate, even more clearly now than in King’s time, “the choice is between non-violence and non-existence.” The quality of life and the very existence of all of us depends on the security and well being of each person, especially of those we label criminal or enemy. The admonition from the Hebrew book of Proverbs to give food to our enemies when they are hungry and drink to them when they are thirsty, echoed in the Sermon on the Mount and the universal Golden Rule to treat others as we would be treated is no romantic, unobtainable dream. “Love is the only solution” to the human predicament, said Dorothy Day. Love in our time has become a hard, pragmatic, gritty requisite for survival.
Brian Terrell (terrellcpm@yahoo. com) lives and works at the Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker Farm in Maloy, IA.
by Robert Reich The xenophobia has already begun. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today urged him to reconsider immigration legislation because of the bombings in Boston. “The facts emerging in the Boston Marathon bombing have exposed a weakness in our current system,” Paul writes. “If we don’t use this debate as an opportunity to fix flaws in our current system, flaws made even more evident last week, then we will not be doing our jobs.” Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), senior Republican senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for an immigration reform bill, is using much the same language – suggesting that the investigation of two alleged Boston attackers will “help shed light on the weaknesses of our system.” Can we just get a grip? Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is a naturalized American citizen. He came to the United States when he was nine years old. He attended the public schools of Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from where I lived. Immigration reform is not about national security, in any event. It’s about doing what’s right, and giving
the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in America — many of them here for years, working at jobs and paying withholding taxes, and many of them children — a path to citizenship. It’s about making sure they aren’t exploited by employers and others who know they won’t complain to authorities. And giving their families the security of knowing that they can live peacefully and securely without fearing deportation. That path shouldn’t be so easy as to invite others from abroad to abuse the system, and the nation has every right to demand that undocumented immigrants pay a penalty and move to the back of the queue when it comes to attaining citizenship. But the path should be reasonable, straightforward, and fair. Other Republicans want President Obama to declare the surviving Boston bombing suspect an “enemy combatant,” in order to question him without any of the protections of the criminal justice system. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says treating him as an enemy combatant is appropriate “with his radical Islamist ties and the fact that Chechens are all over the world fighting with Al Qaeda.” Hold it. Tsarnaev was arrested on
American soil for acts occurring in the United States. No known evidence links him to Al Qaeda. He is Muslim — so is Graham really saying Muslims are presumed guilty until proven otherwise? During the Bush administration, the Supreme Court upheld the indefinite military detention of Yaser Esam Hamdi, an American citizen. But he was captured carrying a weapon on an Afghanistan battlefield, and the Court said the purpose of wartime detention was to keep captured enemies from returning to fight, and that “indefinite detention for the purpose of interrogation is not authorized.” Memo to the Xenophobe Party: The so-called “war on terror” is a war without end. If we arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without trials, without lawyers, and without the protection of our system of justice, because we suspect they have ties with terrorists, where will that end? Our civil rights and liberties lie at the core of what it means to be an American, and we have fought for over two centuries to protect and defend them. The horror of the Boston Marathon is real. But the xenophobic fears it has aroused are not. I would have hoped United States senators felt an
obligation to calm public passions than pander to them. We need immigration reform, and we must protect our civil liberties. These goals are not incompatible with protecting America. Indeed, they are essential to it. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License Robert Reich, one of the nation’s leading experts on work and the economy, is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. Time Magazine has named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including his latest best-seller,Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future; The Work of Nations; Locked in the Cabinet; Supercapitalism; and his newest, Beyond Outrage. His syndicated columns, television appearances, and public radio commentaries reach millions of people each week. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, and Chairman of the citizen’s group Common Cause. His widely-read blog can be found at www.robertreich.org.
LETTERS
Reader seeks change in local NAACP branch The NAACP is an organization that was started as a partnership between both whites and blacks to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of the rights of all persons. I have been a proud Golden Life member of the NAACP for over 45 years. As a senior citizen, I still volunteer to participate in NAACP initiatives because I’m concerned about bettering our community. Increasingly, there is substantial member concern about the role of the Augusta NAACP in bettering our community. Many Augusta NA ACP chapter members no longer pay their annual membership fee. Others are fully paid members in support of this important and historic organization,
but are not willing to subjugate themselves to the present local leadership. The mission and purpose of the NAACP remains important and relevant. Unfortunately, the leadership of the Augusta Chapter cannot remove self long enough to identify, prioritize and unite the membership around important community issues. Things of great importance that I have witnessed over time, as well as recently, involve a total disrespect of members whose opinions differ from leadership. Members have difficulty getting items of importance and concern to them on the meeting agenda. Members have no voice to discuss issues. Members are threatened with arrest by law enforcement unless total agreement is accepted with any
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directive from the top. Recently, an eighty something year old member had 911 called on her with a request for law officers to respond. During the call it was reported that the member was being disruptive. This was not factually correct. There was a disagreement on an issue but nothing that warranted the inappropriate use of law enforcement resources. Members have rights that are frequently ignored. Many members are frequently subjected to disrespect. The Executive Board is viewed as a “rubber stamp” body rather than the governing body for the organization. Effective leaders understand and utilize proven leadership principles to influence compromise when points of view differ. The tenants
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15 UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
The Xenophobe Party
The horror of the Boston Marathon is real. But the xenophobic fears it has aroused are not.
UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 -MAY 1, 2013
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Community Forum Repairing Georgia’s Juvenile Justice System By Sen. Hardie Davis (D-Augusta) After many years of hard work, the Georgia General Assembly has passed a bill that will reform outdated code provisions that prevent moving children out of the juvenile justice system permanently. Thanks to the efforts of child advocates, juvenile court judges, counselors and Department of Juvenile Justice employees, Georgia will be able to move forward and create a more efficient system that emphasizes rehabilitation over locking youthful offenders away for life. Restructuring the state’s juvenile court system has long been a priority of the Georgia General Assembly. Bills similar to HB 242 have been introduced and widely supported by legislators and stakeholders over the past several years, but have always fallen just short of final legislative approval. However, the commitment has never wavered. Every unapproved version of the bill simply paved the way for stronger and more comprehensive reforms and ultimately, the passage of HB 242. Under existing state code, provisions dealing with abuse and neglect are combined with those relating to delinquency. This is problematic for many reasons. Criminal offenders and victims of abuse or neglect need access to very different and specialized services in order to achieve full rehabilitation. Opportunities to break from the juvenile court system have been greatly reduced because specific needs of youth have not been properly addressed. However, there is no reason why these children cannot become successful, responsible adults with proper rehabilitation and assistance. New reforms to Georgia’s juvenile justice court proceedings will give children who previously felt caught in a world without hope the promise of a bright future and provide the tools to learn and grow from their experiences. HB 242 breaks down juvenile court
provisions into eleven well-defined articles regarding a child’s rights to procedural due process, family preservation, proper representation and available services; all dependent on the reason for juvenile court intervention. Under the new reforms, there is a strong focus on allowing children to receive services in the least restrictive environment possible, preferably at home with their own parents or under the care of the Division of Family and Children’s Services. HB 242 seeks to place children in secure detention centers only when the child has run away from home or is uncontrollable, and also states that juveniles cannot be held in a jail or other detention facility intended for adults.
The juvenile court will be the only court for initiating most judicial actions concerning children, with exceptions given to the most egregious crimes such as murder, voluntary manslaughter or armed robbery with a firearm. HB 242 will allow judges to still have the option to transfer cases concerning children 15 and older to Superior Court if the charged crime would be considered a felony for adults. In addition, cases involving 13 and 14 year olds who are charged with acts that would carry a life sentence as adults or that resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim would also be able to be transferred to Superior Court. To assist decisions regarding this matter, HB 242 also adds criteria to consider in these specific cases. Although it is stated in HB 242 that youth must be held in a detention center for juveniles and not adults, there is one exception. The Department of Juvenile Justice will be allowed to transfer children 16 and older to the Department of Corrections if the child was detained for a class A or B felony and if the child’s behavior is a noted and grave threat to employees or fellow detainees in the Department of Juvenile Justice facility. Provisions regarding abuse and neglect are also clarified in HB 242, and an emphasis is placed on keeping fami-
lies together and moving through proceedings in a timely manner. Formerly called “deprivation” cases, these will now be known as dependency cases. The changes for abuse and neglect will standardize Georgia’s procedures with national standards and strengthen the child’s relationship with the court. Although these kinds of cases are certainly tough, it is comforting to know that every effort will be made to keep siblings together throughout the process, and that timelines for placement in foster care or other facilities will be shortened. It is imperative that abused and neglected children are placed in a stable, caring environment as soon as possible in order to begin the healing process. HB 242 will become effective on January 1, 2014. While the bill has not been signed into law by the Governor yet—he has 40 days after the last day of the legislative session to do so—he has shown overwhelming support for the bill. It is highly likely HB 242 will be signed without hesitation. We can only help our state’s troubled youth if we are willing to make much needed improvements to existing procedures. While many children in the juvenile court system still have a long road ahead of them, I am confident that our Georgia’s shifted focus towards rehabilitation and education will move children out of the system permanently and reduce the number of repeat juvenile offenders. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” -- Nelson Mandela#
Sen. Hardie Davis serves as Chairman of the Interstate Cooperation Committee. He represents the 22nd district which includes portions of Richmond County. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0340 or by email at hardie.davis@senate.ga.gov.
So what’s in a degree? The process of learning how to learn Everyone has heard the phrase “knowledge is power” or some equivalent thereof. While this is true, I feel that those who recite this phrase oftentimes do not go as in-depth with the meaning of the phrase as they could. It’s no fault of theirs…the vast majority of us simply equate a college degree with the chance to get a good job. Time Magazine highlighted this in a May 19, 2011 article entitled “Actually, College is Very Much Worth It,” where the author explains that in 2010, college graduates earned nearly $17,000 more per year than those who had attended some college but obtained no degree, and that the unemployment rate in 2010 was 9.2% for those with only some college, more than 10% for those with just a high school diploma, but only 5.4% for college graduates. We generally don’t ask why college graduates tend to get better jobs with better pay, and we generally don’t give
the matter any further thought. To make matters even more confusing, it’s become common-place for high school grads who defer college or decide not to go at all to cite successful entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and any number of professional athletes as examples of how one can attain success without ever stepping foot on a college campus. What I’d like to do here is add some foundation to the true yet somewhat vague “knowledge is power” mantra by fortifying it with a bit of personal insight. Hopefully, this insight will shed some more light on just what kind of power a person, young or old, man or woman, truly wields upon obtention of a higher education. The key to fully appreciating and taking full advantage of a college education—and, more importantly, gaining the incentive to put your heart and
best efforts into it—is understanding that the power of education lies not in the degree itself, but in the process culminating into the procurement of that degree. I can personally attest to this. One of the first things my classmates and I were told during campus orientation was that once we completed our courses of study, our ways of viewing the world around us were going to drastically change. Actually, that statement was only half correct. For me, I began to notice a difference after the first month or so. For starters, I began to look at political and economic events with a lot more clarity. But then something else happened. My worldview changed in such a way that my already well-ordered personal life became even more orderly and structured. I don’t think I was alone in this experience, either. You gain a deeper insight into the people and things around you and how you inter-
act with those people and things…a certain “sight beyond sight,” if you will (all of my fellow ‘80s babies will get that reference). What nobody tells people about the Bill Gateses and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world is that even if they don’t have a college degree, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ve surrounded themselves with people who do. King Charlemagne of 9th Century France, although unable to read or write, surrounded himself with scholars from around the world who helped him usher in an educational and economic renaissance in Europe that few movements since have rivaled. Wars aren’t fought without scouts, captains don’t sail without navigators, and successful entrepreneurs don’t go into business without educated people around them…people who possess that deepContinued on next page
er vision. Few pro athletes have college degrees, and probably not a single one of them has a college-educated person in his entourage, which means they have no one to guide them through the oftentimes treacherous world of business, which is probably why nearly 60% of NBA players reportedly end up broke within five years of retiring. That’s also why more and more players, like Shaquille O’Neal—who has earned both a Bachelors Degree and an MBA—have caught on to the fact that a college degree is the best postNBA security they can get. Although they may not realize it, they’ve also gotten a hold of something that will help ensure that they manage their money wisely. Remember that “sight beyond sight”
I was talking about earlier? If you don’t have that in business yourself or have someone around you who does, you’re in for a world of hurt. Just ask Sharon Tirabassi, a Canada native who won over $10 million in a lottery, only to end up nearly penniless nine years later. If, instead of purchasing customized cars and trips around the world, she had put some of her winnings towards a Harvard or Stanford education—or at least towards a financial advisor from Harvard or Stanford—she probably would still be a millionaire. Without that deeper vision to guide you in your personal and financial affairs, you’re basically a captain without a navigator, ambling around blindly, about to run aground. So what is the true value of a college education? It’s the special insight that
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING AUGUSTA, GEORGIA FIVE-YEAR SHORT TERM WORK PROGRAM UPDATE The City of Augusta, Georgia will hold a public meeting at the Augusta Public Library, 823 Telfair Street, Augusta, Georgia at 5:30 PM on Monday, April 29, 2013 to receive input on the Comprehensive Plan Short Term Work Program update for Augusta. This program sets forth the proposed activities over the next five years to achieve the goals and objectives in the Augusta-Richmond County Comprehensive Plan. Anyone wishing to comment or make suggestions should attend. The purpose of the meeting will be to obtain citizen input into the development of the Short Term Work Program update. A summary of accomplishments on the projects included in the previous Short Term Work Program will also be available for review. The draft Short Term Work Program and the Report of Accomplishments can also be viewed at the Augusta website - http://www.augustaga.gov/ Persons with special needs relating to handicapped accessibility or foreign language should contact Ms. Lynn Russell at the Augusta Planning and Development Department at (706) 821-1796 during normal business hours Monday through Friday, except holidays. Deke Copenhaver, Mayor Augusta, Georgia
you gain from being surrounded by people from different walks of life, from spending hours on end studying different ideas and philosophies that were previously unknown to you, and being challenged by your professors to think outside the box. Companies great and small are willing to pay top dollar for people who possess this insight, and a person bearing a college degree is basically the equivalent of a steak bearing a “USDA Prime” mark on it. In both cases, the person seeking the service knows
he’s getting the best. So regardless of 17 where you are in life, and especially if you wish to run a business or wish to handle vast amounts of wealth, it would behoove you to educate yourself as much as you can on the subject, or, at the very least, seek the counsel of someone who has. Audit some classes locally, take an online course or two, or open up a Barnes and Noble or Amazon account and get some quality reading in during your spare time. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
Notice to Lower Income Families Augusta Housing Authority This notice is to advise that effective Tuesday, April 9, 2013 the Augusta Housing Authority will open the waiting list for the Project Based Voucher Programs for The Legacy at Walton Oaks and Maxwell House Apartments. The waiting list for the Public Housing Program is open. The waiting list for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and Moderate Rehabilitation Program is currently closed. The Augusta Housing Authority will accept updated information from persons who have previously applied for the Section 8, Moderate Rehabilitation, Project Based and Public Housing Programs. Walton Communities provides a quality living environment in a “Breathe Easy, Smoke Free Community” for low income adults ages 55 and up. Special rental assistance will be provided with respect to 26 of the 75 apartment homes through the project based vouchers provided by the Augusta Housing Authority. Applications for the Section 8 Project Based Voucher Program for The Legacy at Walton Oaks will be accepted by applying in person at the Augusta Housing Authority located at 1435 Walton Way, Augusta, Georgia between the hours of 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. and completing an on-line application at www.augustapha.org. The Legacy at Walton Oaks will access a $14 application fee to process your application. Eligible applicants will be placed on the site-based waiting list and will be ranked by date and time. Maxwell House, LLC provides 44 1-bedroom units of permanent supportive housing at Maxwell House Apartments. The Project Based Vouchers are used to provide rental assistance for 44 extremely low to lower income families. Maxwell House, LLC offers quality affordable housing while providing essential supportive services to assist special needs families to move successfully from dependency to self-sufficiency. Applications for the Section 8 Project Based Voucher Program for Maxwell House Apartments will be accepted by contacting Maxwell House Apartments at (706) 724-1927 and completing an on-line application at www.augustapha. org. Walk-in customers wanting to apply will not be seen during the open application period. This notice is also to advise that effective May 8, 2013 at 6:00p.m., the Augusta Housing Authority will close the waiting lists for the Project Based Voucher Programs for The Legacy at Walton Oaks and Maxwell House Apartments. The Augusta Housing Authority does not discriminate in admission or access to its federally assisted programs. Any potentially eligible individual who has a visual or hearing impairment will be provided with information necessary to understand and participate in the Augusta Housing Authority’s programs. Richard Arfman has been designated as the responsible employee to coordinate the Augusta Housing Authority’s efforts to comply with the nondiscrimination based on handicap regulations.
Equal Housing Opportunity The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, Georgia By: Jacob Oglesby, Executive Director Mission Statement: To promote adequate and affordable housing, economic opportunity and a suitable living environment free from discrimination.
UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2013
The value of a college degree from page 16
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In remembrance: Riche Havens
Folk singer Richie Havens, who died Monday at 72, was the opening act in 1969 at Woodstock, the historic counterculture music festival, catapulting him to fame and securing his status as an icon of the babyboomer generation. Havens would tour widely for the next 40 years and release more than 20 albums. On the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock festival, Havens wrote this reflection for CNN.com in 2009. Forty years ago this summer I wound up opening the Woodstock festival when the four acts scheduled before me were stuck in massive traffic jams and delayed in getting to the concert site in Bethel, New York. My band had made it up from Manhattan in the early morning hours, and we had the least amount of gear to set up, so after some strong convincing from the promoters I agreed to go on. The show was late in starting, and they were feeling pressure to start the music. We played for nearly three hours as they were still building the
stage around me. I sang every song I knew, and when they asked me to go back on one more time, I improvised “Freedom.” When you see me in the movie tuning my guitar and strumming, I was actually trying to figure out what else I could possibly play! I looked out at all of those faces in front of me and the word “freedom” came to mind. One of my strongest memories of that day is flying in the helicopter over that vast, spectacular crowd that had already stretched back over the hills and well out of view of the stage. Looking down, my only thought was, “This is incredible. ... We’re really here and they can’t hide us anymore.” I’ve been asked all summer long if I believe Woodstock is still significant and if I think another Woodstock is ever likely to happen. Well, certainly large three-day festivals are still happening all over: Coachella and Bonnaroo in the United States, the Isle of Wight and Glastonbury abroad, but the reality of what made Woodstock become such a historic event has definitely changed.
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Richie Havens, who came to wide fame as the opening act at Woodstock, died Monday. Below is his recollection of the festival for CNN.com on its 40th anniversary in 2009 Anti-war troubadour Richie Havens, one of the country’s most powerful performers
Woodstock happened in August 1969, long before the Internet and mobile phones made it possible to communicate instantly with anyone, anywhere. It was a time when we weren’t able to witness world events or the horrors of war live on 24-hour news channels. News coverage was filtered and selective, and we felt manipulated and silenced by the lack of information. So much was happening around us, and we didn’t feel like we were being told the truth. With everything that was going on in the late 1960s -- the war in Vietnam, civil and human rights issues, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination -- we rallied and relied on strength in
“Woodstock was both a peaceful protest and a global celebration.” — Richie Havens numbers. We came together communally to be heard and to be acknowledged. Though it’s frequently portrayed as this crazy, unbridled festival of rainsoaked, stoned hippies dancing in the mud, Woodstock was obviously much more than that -- or we wouldn’t still be talking about it in 2009. People of all ages and colors came together in the fields of Max Yasgur’s farm. Some traveled for days or weeks to get there. The world was quickly changing, and none of us was willing to sit and just watch it go by. We needed to feel like part of the change and that spontaneous coming together felt like the world’s biggest family reunion!
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Removal of Toxins and Impurities for Optimal Health Shanta Johnson
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706-733-5000 NACCURATE
Conditions Responding To Colon Hydrotherapy Cited by Rheumatologist, Arthur E. Brawer, M.D.
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2045 Central Avenue, Augusta, Ga 30904 EssentialCleansingCenter.com
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