Our Empowerment

Paypal Complaints

2009-04-17T19:56:00.001-04:00

If you have any problems with Paypal, these are the numbers to call:

402-953-7733
888-221-1161

American Violet

2009-04-15T08:34:00.002-04:00

Dee Roberts, a 24 year-old African American single mother of four, finds herself charged as a drug dealer and given an ultimatum: Remain in prison or plead guilty and return home as a convicted felon.

Ave Maria/Schubert ~ Yolanda Rhodes sings - Ric Louchard Accompanies

2009-02-15T22:11:00.001-05:00

Ave Maria/Schubert ~ Yolanda Rhodes sings - Ric Louchard Accompanies

Ave Maria/Schubert ~ Yolanda Rhodes sings - Ric Louchard Accompanies

10 Year OId Reporter Damon Weaver Wants To Interview Obama

2009-01-05T14:05:00.003-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

God Bless America --- For Obama

2008-12-16T00:41:00.003-05:00

Three Totally different slideshows with one central focus, enjoy (it's okay to cry [smile]):

I told you so ... Obama Spanked McCain ... 300+!!!

2008-11-05T01:21:00.000-05:00

Obama Addresses The Nation, Obama Informercial, Obama Ad

2008-10-30T01:13:00.001-04:00

Obama Addresses The Nation, Obama Informercial, Obama Ad

2008-10-30T01:13:00.000-04:00

One Of The First To Get Arrested For Plotting To Kill Obama

2008-10-27T17:54:00.000-04:00

The following is a pretty weird story, however my guess is there will be very many of the same sorts over the next 4 years.

WASHINGTON - A plot by two Neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Barack Obama and kill dozens of other African Americans has been foiled, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said Monday.

Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Ark., were charged Friday with making threats against a presidential candidate, illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun and conspiracy to rob a gun store.

Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of the Nashville ATF field office, said the two men sought to go on a national killing spree that included an unnamed African-American school, with Obama as their final target.

The two planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14, he added. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.

“They said that would be their last, final act — that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama,” Cavanaugh said. “They didn’t believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying.” Shooting from the windows Court documents show that Cowart and Schlesselman said they "planned to drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows."

" Both individuals stated they would dress in all white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt," the court complaint states. Cavanaugh said there's no evidence that others were willing to assist Cowart and Schlesselman with the plot. He said authorities took the threats very seriously.

"They seemed determined to do it," Cavanaugh said. "Even if they were just to try it, it would be a trail of tears around the South.

The two men were arrested in Crockett County, Tenn., and have already made a court appearance. The plot unraveled when one of the men was arrested on other charges and in the course of interviews he revealed plans for the plot.

According to court records, the pair discussed robbing a gun shop in order to gather weapons and ammunition to use in a "killing spree."

This story really has to be more thoroughly explained. In the mean time, I think its time for all HBCUs to arm up.

Obama Doctrine (Part IV Taxes)

2008-10-25T11:45:00.003-04:00

BARACK OBAMA’S COMPREHENSIVE TAX PLAN

Barack Obama’s tax plan delivers broad-based tax relief to middle class families and cuts taxes for small businesses and companies that create jobs in America, while restoring fairness to our tax code and returning to fiscal responsibility. Coupled with Obama’s commitment to invest in key areas like health, clean energy, innovation and education, his tax plan will help restore bottom-up economic growth that helps create good jobs in America and empowers all families achieve the American dream. The Obama plan will:

• Cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families with a tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples.

• Provide generous tax cuts for low- and middle-income seniors, homeowners, the uninsured, and families sending a child to college or looking to save and accumulate wealth.

• Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses, cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, and provide tax credits to reduce the cost of healthcare and to reward investments in innovation.

• Dramatically simplify taxes by consolidating existing tax credits, eliminating the need for millions of senior citizens to file tax forms, and enabling as many as 40 million middle-class Americans to do their own taxes in less than five minutes without an accountant.

Under the Obama Plan:

• Middle class families will see their taxes cut – and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase. The typical middle class family will receive well over $1,000 in tax relief under the Obama plan, and will pay tax rates that are 20% lower than they faced under President Reagan. According to the Tax Policy Center, the Obama plan provides three times as much tax relief for middle class families as the McCain plan.ii Indeed, according to the National Review, McCain’s plan “offers very little in the way of direct benefits to Americans in the middle of the income scale.”

• Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates than they paid in the 1990s. Obama will ask the wealthiest 2% of families to give back a portion of the taxes they have received over the past eight years to ensure we are restoring fairness and returning to fiscal responsibility. But no family will pay higher tax rates than they would have paid in the 1990s. In fact, dividend rates would be 39 percent lower than what President Bush proposed in his 2001 tax cut.

• Obama’s plan will cut taxes overall, reducing revenues to below the levels that prevailed under
Ronald Reagan (less than 18.2 percent of GDP).iii The Obama tax plan is a net tax cut – his tax relief for middle class families is larger than the revenue raised by his tax changes for families over $250,000. Coupled with his commitment to cut unnecessary spending, Obama will pay for this tax relief while bringing down the budget deficit.

I. TAX RELIEF FOR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES:

At the core of Senator Obama’s tax plan is broad middle class tax relief. After the first economic recovery on record where ordinary Americans saw their incomes decline by nearly $1000, Obama believes it is critical to focus tax relief on middle class families. Obama’s middle class tax cuts are designed to help relieve the burdens on families today, while empowering them to get ahead in the future. Barack Obama’s middle class tax cuts include:

o A $1,000 “Making Work Pay” Tax Credit. For 95 percent of workers and their families—150 million workers overall—the “Making Work Pay” credit will provide a refundable tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples. This credit will benefit over 15 million self employed workers and for 10 million low-income Americans, will completely eliminate their federal income taxes.

o A Refundable $4,000 American Opportunity Tax Credit. Barack Obama will provide a $4,000 fullyrefundable tax credit to ensure that college is affordable for all American families. This credit will cover 100% of the first $4,000 of qualified tuition expenses, making community college essentially free and covering about 2/3 of the cost of public 4-year college.

o A Universal 10% Mortgage Interest Tax Credit. Barack Obama will provide a 10% refundable credit to offset mortgage interest payments and make homeownership more affordable for lower- and middle-income families. This universal credit will provide an average tax cut of $500 to 10 million homeowners who do not currently itemize.

o Eliminating Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000. Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This will eliminate taxes for 7 million seniors – saving them an average of $1,400 a year-- and will also mean that 27 million seniors will not need to file an income tax return at all.

o Expanding Retirement Savings Incentives. To increase retirement security, Barack Obama will ensure that every American worker has the option of saving in an easy, automatic pension account and will expand the existing Savers Credit to match 50 percent of the first $1,000 of savings for families that earn under $75,000. He will also make the Savers Credit fully refundable.

o Health Care Tax Credits. Obama’s health plan centers around tax credits that, together with his other proposals to expand pooling options and ease enrollment, will ensure that health insurance is available and affordable for all families.

o Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit: Obama will increase the number of working parents eligible for EITC benefits, increase the benefits available to noncustodial parents who fulfill their child support obligations, increase benefits for families with three or more children, and reduce the EITC marriage penalty, which hurts low-income families.

o Increase Tax Benefits for Child Care: Obama recognizes that ensuring affordable child care is critical to helping working parents get ahead. His plan will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit on the first $6,000 of child care expenses. This will benefit 7.5 million working mothers.

Expanded Tax Credits for Clean Vehicles: Obama will help families purchase more energy efficient appliances and products by extending the existing consumer tax credits and offering up to a $7,000 tax credit for the purchase of advanced technology vehicles.

o Simplify Tax System So 40 Million Americans Can Do Their Taxes in Less Than Five Minutes. Obama will reform our tax system to greatly reduce its complexity, consolidating several credits and giving taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Under the Obama tax plan, 40 million Americans who take the standard deduction will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes and will not have to hire an accountant. This will save Americans more than $2 billion in tax preparer fees and more than 200 million hours of work.

II. TAX CUTS TO ENHANCE COMPETITIVENESS AND HELP CREATE JOBS

Barack Obama’s tax plan will help small businesses grow and will encourage job creation in America. He will directly cut taxes for small business and for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, will relieve healthcare costs for all firms and will reward investments in innovation. Barack Obama pro-business tax policies include:

o Eliminating Capital Gains Taxes for Entrepreneurs and Investors in Small Business. Barack Obama understands that small businesses are the engines of our economy, and he will eliminate all capital gains taxes on investments in small and start up firms.

o Cutting Corporate Tax Rates for Firms that Create Jobs in America. Barack Obama will repeal tax breaks and loopholes that reward corporations that retain their earnings overseas, and will use those savings to lower corporate tax rates for companies that expand or start operations in the United States.

o Offering a Small Business Healthcare Tax Credit: To help small businesses compete in the global economy while still providing quality health insurance, Barack Obama will offer a new refundable 50 percent health tax credit on employee premiums paid by employers. His comprehensive healthcare plan will relieve health costs for all firms by bringing down national healthcare costs by $2,500 per family, annually.

o Making the R&D Tax Credit Permanent. Barack Obama will make the Research and Development tax credit permanent so that firms can rely on it when making decisions to invest in domestic R&D over multiyear timeframes.

III. CUTTING TAXES BELOW THE LEVEL UNDER RONALD REAGAN WHILE RESTORING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Barack Obama will keep taxes low for everyone, while working to reform our tax code and make sure that everyone pays their fair share. Obama also believes that after eight years of reckless fiscal policies that squandered historic surpluses and added $4 trillion to the deficit, it is vital for candidates to put forward specific ideas on how they will pay for their proposals without passing on further deficits, debt, and a weaker economy to our children. That is why he has called for closing inefficient tax loopholes, cracking down on offshore tax havens, and repealing a portion of the tax cuts passed in the last eight years for families making over $250,000. In net, even after these tax changes, the Obama plan is a tax cut. His middle class tax cuts are larger than the
loophole closers and rollbacks that he has proposed for families making over $250,000.

According to the Tax Policy Center, the Obama plan would reduce taxes as a share of the economy to less than 18.2 percent - the level of taxes that prevailed under President Ronald Reagan.v The Obama plan pays for these tax cuts by cutting spending overall. Obama’s spending cuts include responsibly ending the war in Iraq, limiting payments to highincome farmers, cutting subsidies for private plans in Medicare, reforming student loans, cutting earmarks to at
least the level they were in 1994, ending no-bid contracting, and phasing out unnecessary and duplicative programs. He will also support pay-as-you-go budget rules and a constitutionally acceptable line-item veto to cut pork-barrel spending. Overall, Barack Obama’s budget will reduce the deficit relative its current level and its realistic future trajectory.

The fiscally responsible tax changes that Obama is calling for include:

o Broaden the corporate tax base and eliminate special preferences: Our tax code is riddled with special interest loopholes that allow some corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. As President, Obama would move aggressively to close inefficient loopholes by taking steps that include:

o Reforming international tax loopholes: including reforming deferral to end the incentive for
companies to ship jobs overseas and closing the offshore pension loophole;

o Closing domestic tax loopholes: including clarifying the economic substance doctrine and increasing reporting of capital gains to close the tax gap;

o Eliminating special tax breaks for oil and gas companies: including repealing special expensing
rules, foreign tax credit benefits, and manufacturing deductions for oil and gas firms; and

o Closing other loopholes: including taxing carried interest as ordinary income, and closing the CEO pay loophole.

o Cracking down on international tax havens: According to a recent Congressional investigation, offshore tax abuse costs this country up to $100 billion each year.vi Barack Obama has been a leader in the Senate on designing efforts to crack down on tax havens by requiring greater disclosure of financial transactions in tax secrecy jurisdictions. As President, Obama would work with Congress to enact meaningful legislation to ensure that the Treasury and IRS have the tools they need to close down the use of international tax havens for improper tax avoidance or tax evasion. This will save the United States tens of billions of dollars each
year.

o Repealing a portion of the Bush tax cuts for families over $250,000 while continuing to leave their tax rates at or below where they were in the 1990s:

o Ordinary Income: The top two income tax brackets would return to their 1990’s levels of 36% and 39.6%. All other tax brackets would remain as they are today. Obama would also restore the 1990’s levels for the personal exemption and itemized deduction phaseouts (known as PEP and Pease). Obama would work with the Treasury Department to adjust the thresholds of these rates slightly to ensure that no married couple making less than $250,000 (or single making less than $200,000) was affected by these changes.

o Capital Gains: Families with incomes below $250,000 will continue to pay the capital gains rates that they pay today. For those in the top two income tax brackets – likewise adjusted to affect only families over $250,000 – Obama will create a new top capital gains rate of 20 percent. Obama’s 20% rate is equal is the lowest rate that existed in the 1990s and the rate that President Bush proposed in 2001. It is almost a third lower than the rate that President Reagan signed into law in 1986.

o Dividends: The top dividends rate for people making over $250,000 would be set at 20 percent. Dividends will not return to being taxed at ordinary income tax rates. Obama’s 20 percent rate on dividends will be 39 percent lower than the rate President Bush proposed in 2001, and would be lower than all but 5 of the last 92 years we have been taxing dividends.

o Estate Tax: The estate tax would be effectively repealed for 99.7 percent of estates. For the
remaining 0.3% of estates over $7 million per couple, Obama will retain a rate of 45%. This policy would cut the number of estates covered by the tax by 84 percent relative to 2000.ix

o Average Tax Rates Below the 1990s: Overall, the top 1 percent of households – people with an
average income of $1.6 million per year – would see their average federal income and payroll tax rate increase from 21 percent today to 24 percent, less than the 25 percent these households would have paid under the tax laws of the late 1990s.

Obama Doctrine (Part III Faith (cont))

2008-10-25T11:35:00.000-04:00

Call to Renewal Keynote Address
June 28, 2006

Washington, DC

Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to speak here at the Call to Renewal's Building a Covenant for a New America conference. I've had the opportunity to take a look at your Covenant for a New America. It is filled with outstanding policies and prescriptions for much of what ails this country. So I'd like to congratulate you all on the thoughtful presentations you've given so far about poverty and justice in America, and for putting fire under the feet of the political leadership here in Washington.

But today I'd like to talk about the connection between religion and politics and perhaps offer some thoughts about how we can sort through some of the often bitter arguments that we've been seeing over the last several years.

I do so because, as you all know, we can affirm the importance of poverty in the Bible; and we can raise up and pass out this Covenant for a New America. We can talk to the press, and we can discuss the religious call to address poverty and environmental stewardship all we want, but it won't have an impact unless we tackle head-on the mutual suspicion that sometimes exists between religious America and secular America.

I want to give you an example that I think illustrates this fact. As some of you know, during the 2004 U.S. Senate General Election I ran against a gentleman named Alan Keyes. Mr. Keyes is well-versed in the Jerry Falwell-Pat Robertson style of rhetoric that often labels progressives as both immoral and godless.

Indeed, Mr. Keyes announced towards the end of the campaign that, "Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama. Christ would not vote for Barack Obama because Barack Obama has behaved in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved."

Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama.

Now, I was urged by some of my liberal supporters not to take this statement seriously, to essentially ignore it. To them, Mr. Keyes was an extremist, and his arguments not worth entertaining. And since at the time, I was up 40 points in the polls, it probably wasn't a bad piece of strategic advice.

But what they didn't understand, however, was that I had to take Mr. Keyes seriously, for he claimed to speak for my religion, and my God. He claimed knowledge of certain truths.

Mr. Obama says he's a Christian, he was saying, and yet he supports a lifestyle that the Bible calls an abomination.

Mr. Obama says he's a Christian, but supports the destruction of innocent and sacred life.

And so what would my supporters have me say? How should I respond? Should I say that a literalist reading of the Bible was folly? Should I say that Mr. Keyes, who is a Roman Catholic, should ignore the teachings of the Pope?

Unwilling to go there, I answered with what has come to be the typically liberal response in such debates - namely, I said that we live in a pluralistic society, that I can't impose my own religious views on another, that I was running to be the U.S. Senator of Illinois and not the Minister of Illinois.

But Mr. Keyes's implicit accusation that I was not a true Christian nagged at me, and I was also aware that my answer did not adequately address the role my faith has in guiding my own values and my own beliefs.

Now, my dilemma was by no means unique. In a way, it reflected the broader debate we've been having in this country for the last thirty years over the role of religion in politics.

For some time now, there has been plenty of talk among pundits and pollsters that the political divide in this country has fallen sharply along religious lines. Indeed, the single biggest "gap" in party affiliation among white Americans today is not between men and women, or those who reside in so-called Red States and those who reside in Blue, but between those who attend church regularly and those who don't.

Conservative leaders have been all too happy to exploit this gap, consistently reminding evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their Church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage; school prayer and intelligent design.

Democrats, for the most part, have taken the bait. At best, we may try to avoid the conversation about religious values altogether, fearful of offending anyone and claiming that - regardless of our personal beliefs - constitutional principles tie our hands. At worst, there are some liberals who dismiss religion in the public square as inherently irrational or intolerant, insisting on a caricature of religious Americans that paints them as fanatical, or thinking that the very word "Christian" describes one's political opponents, not people of faith.

Now, such strategies of avoidance may work for progressives when our opponent is Alan Keyes. But over the long haul, I think we make a mistake when we fail to acknowledge the power of faith in people's lives -- in the lives of the American people -- and I think it's time that we join a serious debate about how to reconcile faith with our modern, pluralistic democracy.

And if we're going to do that then we first need to understand that Americans are a religious people. 90 percent of us believe in God, 70 percent affiliate themselves with an organized religion, 38 percent call themselves committed Christians, and substantially more people in America believe in angels than they do in evolution.

This religious tendency is not simply the result of successful marketing by skilled preachers or the draw of popular mega-churches. In fact, it speaks to a hunger that's deeper than that - a hunger that goes beyond any particular issue or cause.

Each day, it seems, thousands of Americans are going about their daily rounds - dropping off the kids at school, driving to the office, flying to a business meeting, shopping at the mall, trying to stay on their diets - and they're coming to the realization that something is missing. They are deciding that their work, their possessions, their diversions, their sheer busyness, is not enough.

They want a sense of purpose, a narrative arc to their lives. They're looking to relieve a chronic loneliness, a feeling supported by a recent study that shows Americans have fewer close friends and confidants than ever before. And so they need an assurance that somebody out there cares about them, is listening to them - that they are not just destined to travel down that long highway towards nothingness.

And I speak with some experience on this matter. I was not raised in a particularly religious household, as undoubtedly many in the audience were. My father, who returned to Kenya when I was just two, was born Muslim but as an adult became an atheist. My mother, whose parents were non-practicing Baptists and Methodists, was probably one of the most spiritual and kindest people I've ever known, but grew up with a healthy skepticism of organized religion herself. As a consequence, so did I.

It wasn't until after college, when I went to Chicago to work as a community organizer for a group of Christian churches, that I confronted my own spiritual dilemma.

I was working with churches, and the Christians who I worked with recognized themselves in me. They saw that I knew their Book and that I shared their values and sang their songs. But they sensed that a part of me that remained removed, detached, that I was an observer in their midst.

And in time, I came to realize that something was missing as well -- that without a vessel for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart, and alone.

And if it weren't for the particular attributes of the historically black church, I may have accepted this fate. But as the months passed in Chicago, I found myself drawn - not just to work with the church, but to be in the church.

For one thing, I believed and still believe in the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change, a power made real by some of the leaders here today. Because of its past, the black church understands in an intimate way the Biblical call to feed the hungry and cloth the naked and challenge powers and principalities. And in its historical struggles for freedom and the rights of man, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world. As a source of hope.

And perhaps it was out of this intimate knowledge of hardship -- the grounding of faith in struggle -- that the church offered me a second insight, one that I think is important to emphasize today.

Faith doesn't mean that you don't have doubts.

You need to come to church in the first place precisely because you are first of this world, not apart from it. You need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away - because you are human and need an ally in this difficult journey.

It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn't fall out in church. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.

That's a path that has been shared by millions upon millions of Americans - evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike; some since birth, others at certain turning points in their lives. It is not something they set apart from the rest of their beliefs and values. In fact, it is often what drives their beliefs and their values.

And that is why that, if we truly hope to speak to people where they're at - to communicate our hopes and values in a way that's relevant to their own - then as progressives, we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse.

Because when we ignore the debate about what it means to be a good Christian or Muslim or Jew; when we discuss religion only in the negative sense of where or how it should not be practiced, rather than in the positive sense of what it tells us about our obligations towards one another; when we shy away from religious venues and religious broadcasts because we assume that we will be unwelcome - others will fill the vacuum, those with the most insular views of faith, or those who cynically use religion to justify partisan ends.

In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, then the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons and Alan Keyeses will continue to hold sway.

More fundamentally, the discomfort of some progressives with any hint of religion has often prevented us from effectively addressing issues in moral terms. Some of the problem here is rhetorical - if we scrub language of all religious content, we forfeit the imagery and terminology through which millions of Americans understand both their personal morality and social justice.

Imagine Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address without reference to "the judgments of the Lord." Or King's I Have a Dream speech without references to "all of God's children." Their summoning of a higher truth helped inspire what had seemed impossible, and move the nation to embrace a common destiny.

Our failure as progressives to tap into the moral underpinnings of the nation is not just rhetorical, though. Our fear of getting "preachy" may also lead us to discount the role that values and culture play in some of our most urgent social problems.

After all, the problems of poverty and racism, the uninsured and the unemployed, are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect ten point plan. They are rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness - in the imperfections of man.

Solving these problems will require changes in government policy, but it will also require changes in hearts and a change in minds. I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturers' lobby - but I also believe that when a gang-banger shoots indiscriminately into a crowd because he feels somebody disrespected him, we've got a moral problem. There's a hole in that young man's heart - a hole that the government alone cannot fix.

I believe in vigorous enforcement of our non-discrimination laws. But I also believe that a transformation of conscience and a genuine commitment to diversity on the part of the nation's CEOs could bring about quicker results than a battalion of lawyers. They have more lawyers than us anyway.

I think that we should put more of our tax dollars into educating poor girls and boys. I think that the work that Marian Wright Edelman has done all her life is absolutely how we should prioritize our resources in the wealthiest nation on earth. I also think that we should give them the information about contraception that can prevent unwanted pregnancies, lower abortion rates, and help assure that that every child is loved and cherished.

But, you know, my Bible tells me that if we train a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not turn from it. So I think faith and guidance can help fortify a young woman's sense of self, a young man's sense of responsibility, and a sense of reverence that all young people should have for the act of sexual intimacy.

I am not suggesting that every progressive suddenly latch on to religious terminology - that can be dangerous. Nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith. As Jim has mentioned, some politicians come and clap -- off rhythm -- to the choir. We don't need that.

In fact, because I do not believe that religious people have a monopoly on morality, I would rather have someone who is grounded in morality and ethics, and who is also secular, affirm their morality and ethics and values without pretending that they're something they're not. They don't need to do that. None of us need to do that.

But what I am suggesting is this - secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryant, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King - indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history - were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their "personal morality" into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Moreover, if we progressives shed some of these biases, we might recognize some overlapping values that both religious and secular people share when it comes to the moral and material direction of our country. We might recognize that the call to sacrifice on behalf of the next generation, the need to think in terms of "thou" and not just "I," resonates in religious congregations all across the country. And we might realize that we have the ability to reach out to the evangelical community and engage millions of religious Americans in the larger project of American renewal.

Some of this is already beginning to happen. Pastors, friends of mine like Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes are wielding their enormous influences to confront AIDS, Third World debt relief, and the genocide in Darfur. Religious thinkers and activists like our good friend Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo are lifting up the Biblical injunction to help the poor as a means of mobilizing Christians against budget cuts to social programs and growing inequality.

And by the way, we need Christians on Capitol Hill, Jews on Capitol Hill and Muslims on Capitol Hill talking about the estate tax. When you've got an estate tax debate that proposes a trillion dollars being taken out of social programs to go to a handful of folks who don't need and weren't even asking for it, you know that we need an injection of morality in our political debate.

Across the country, individual churches like my own and your own are sponsoring day care programs, building senior centers, helping ex-offenders reclaim their lives, and rebuilding our gulf coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

So the question is, how do we build on these still-tentative partnerships between religious and secular people of good will? It's going to take more work, a lot more work than we've done so far. The tensions and the suspicions on each side of the religious divide will have to be squarely addressed. And each side will need to accept some ground rules for collaboration.

While I've already laid out some of the work that progressive leaders need to do, I want to talk a little bit about what conservative leaders need to do -- some truths they need to acknowledge.

For one, they need to understand the critical role that the separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice. Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn't the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland who didn't want the established churches to impose their views on folks who were getting happy out in the fields and teaching the scripture to slaves. It was the forbearers of the evangelicals who were the most adamant about not mingling government with religious, because they did not want state-sponsored religion hindering their ability to practice their faith as they understood it.

Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their bibles.

This brings me to my second point. Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.

Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do. But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice. Politics depends on our ability to persuade each other of common aims based on a common reality. It involves the compromise, the art of what's possible. At some fundamental level, religion does not allow for compromise. It's the art of the impossible. If God has spoken, then followers are expected to live up to God's edicts, regardless of the consequences. To base one's life on such uncompromising commitments may be sublime, but to base our policy making on such commitments would be a dangerous thing. And if you doubt that, let me give you an example.

We all know the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is ordered by God to offer up his only son, and without argument, he takes Isaac to the mountaintop, binds him to an altar, and raises his knife, prepared to act as God has commanded.

Of course, in the end God sends down an angel to intercede at the very last minute, and Abraham passes God's test of devotion.

But it's fair to say that if any of us leaving this church saw Abraham on a roof of a building raising his knife, we would, at the very least, call the police and expect the Department of Children and Family Services to take Isaac away from Abraham. We would do so because we do not hear what Abraham hears, do not see what Abraham sees, true as those experiences may be. So the best we can do is act in accordance with those things that we all see, and that we all hear, be it common laws or basic reason.

Finally, any reconciliation between faith and democratic pluralism requires some sense of proportion.

This goes for both sides.

Even those who claim the Bible's inerrancy make distinctions between Scriptural edicts, sensing that some passages - the Ten Commandments, say, or a belief in Christ's divinity - are central to Christian faith, while others are more culturally specific and may be modified to accommodate modern life.

The American people intuitively understand this, which is why the majority of Catholics practice birth control and some of those opposed to gay marriage nevertheless are opposed to a Constitutional amendment to ban it. Religious leadership need not accept such wisdom in counseling their flocks, but they should recognize this wisdom in their politics.

But a sense of proportion should also guide those who police the boundaries between church and state. Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation - context matters. It is doubtful that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance feel oppressed or brainwashed as a consequence of muttering the phrase "under God." I didn't. Having voluntary student prayer groups use school property to meet should not be a threat, any more than its use by the High School Republicans should threaten Democrats. And one can envision certain faith-based programs - targeting ex-offenders or substance abusers - that offer a uniquely powerful way of solving problems.

So we all have some work to do here. But I am hopeful that we can bridge the gaps that exist and overcome the prejudices each of us bring to this debate. And I have faith that millions of believing Americans want that to happen. No matter how religious they may or may not be, people are tired of seeing faith used as a tool of attack. They don't want faith used to belittle or to divide. They're tired of hearing folks deliver more screed than sermon. Because in the end, that's not how they think about faith in their own lives.

So let me end with just one other interaction I had during my campaign. A few days after I won the Democratic nomination in my U.S. Senate race, I received an email from a doctor at the University of Chicago Medical School that said the following:

"Congratulations on your overwhelming and inspiring primary win. I was happy to vote for you, and I will tell you that I am seriously considering voting for you in the general election. I write to express my concerns that may, in the end, prevent me from supporting you."

The doctor described himself as a Christian who understood his commitments to be "totalizing." His faith led him to a strong opposition to abortion and gay marriage, although he said that his faith also led him to question the idolatry of the free market and quick resort to militarism that seemed to characterize much of the Republican agenda.

But the reason the doctor was considering not voting for me was not simply my position on abortion. Rather, he had read an entry that my campaign had posted on my website, which suggested that I would fight "right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose." The doctor went on to write:

"I sense that you have a strong sense of justice...and I also sense that you are a fair minded person with a high regard for reason...Whatever your convictions, if you truly believe that those who oppose abortion are all ideologues driven by perverse desires to inflict suffering on women, then you, in my judgment, are not fair-minded....You know that we enter times that are fraught with possibilities for good and for harm, times when we are struggling to make sense of a common polity in the context of plurality, when we are unsure of what grounds we have for making any claims that involve others...I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words."

Fair-minded words.

So I looked at my website and found the offending words. In fairness to them, my staff had written them using standard Democratic boilerplate language to summarize my pro-choice position during the Democratic primary, at a time when some of my opponents were questioning my commitment to protect Roe v. Wade.

Re-reading the doctor's letter, though, I felt a pang of shame. It is people like him who are looking for a deeper, fuller conversation about religion in this country. They may not change their positions, but they are willing to listen and learn from those who are willing to speak in fair-minded words. Those who know of the central and awesome place that God holds in the lives of so many, and who refuse to treat faith as simply another political issue with which to score points.

So I wrote back to the doctor, and I thanked him for his advice. The next day, I circulated the email to my staff and changed the language on my website to state in clear but simple terms my pro-choice position. And that night, before I went to bed, I said a prayer of my own - a prayer that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me.

And that night, before I went to bed I said a prayer of my own. It's a prayer I think I share with a lot of Americans. A hope that we can live with one another in a way that reconciles the beliefs of each with the good of all. It's a prayer worth praying, and a conversation worth having in this country in the months and years to come.

Thank you.

Obama Doctrine (Part III BARACK OBAMA ON FAITH)

2008-10-25T11:15:00.001-04:00

BARACK OBAMA ON FAITH

Key values in Barack Obama’s public statements on faith and politics

• God is constantly present in our lives, and this presence is a source of hope.

“Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope: In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation, a belief in things not seen, a belief that there are better days ahead.” – Democratic National Convention Keynote Address.

• Progressives should boldly approach matters of faith and values.

“[I]f we truly hope to speak to people where they're at - to communicate our hopes and values in a way that's relevant to their own - then as progressives, we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse…Because when we ignore the debate about what it means to be a good Christian or Muslim or Jew; when we discuss religion only in the negative sense of where or how it should not be practiced, rather than in the positive sense of what it tells us about our obligations towards one another…others will fill the vacuum, those with the most insular views of faith, or those who cynically use religion to justify partisan ends.” – Call to Renewal Keynote Address

“Our failure as progressives to tap into the moral underpinnings of the nation is not just rhetorical, though. Our fear of getting “preachy” may also lead us to discount the role that values and culture play in addressing some of our most urgent social problems.” - The Audacity of Hope.

• As Joshua built on the work of Moses, leaders of today – the ‘Joshua Generation’ – must build of the foundation of previous generations to move our nation forward.

“The final thing that I think the Moses generation teaches us is to remind ourselves that we do what we do because God is with us. You know, when Moses was first called to lead people out to the Promised Land…the Lord said I will be with you. Throw down that rod. Pick it back up. I'll show you what to do.

The same thing happened with the Joshua generation. Joshua said, you know, I'm scared. I'm not sure that I am up to the challenge. The Lord said to him, every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you. Be strong and have courage, for I am with you wherever you go. Be strong and have courage. It's a prayer for a journey. A prayer that kept a woman in her seat when the bus driver told her to get up, a prayer that led nine children through the
doors of that Little Rock school, a prayer that carried our brothers and sisters over a bridge right here in Selma, Alabama. Be strong and have courage.” -Address to Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, Selma, Alabama, on the Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

• Faith should not be used as a wedge to divide.

“We think of faith as a source of comfort and understanding but find our expressions of faith sowing division; we believe ourselves to be a tolerant people even as racial, religious, and cultural tensions roil the landscape. And instead of resolving these tensions or mediating these conflicts, our politics fans them, exploits them, and drives us further apart.” – The Audacity of Hope.
“Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America – there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America – there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red

States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.” – Democratic National Convention Keynote Address.

• The separation of church and state is critical and has caused our democracy and religious practices to thrive.

“[Conservative leaders] need to understand the critical role that the separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice. Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn't the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland…It was the forbearers of the evangelicals who were the most adamant about not mingling government with religion, because they did not want state-sponsored religion hindering their ability to practice their faith…” – Call to Renewal Keynote Address

• We are a nation of many faiths and of those with no faith at all. The religious practices of all must be respected.

“Given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.” - Call to Renewal Keynote Address

• Faith is a source of action for justice.

“Imagine Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address without reference to "the judgments of the Lord." Or King's I Have a Dream speech without references to "all of God's children." Their summoning of a higher truth helped inspire what had seemed impossible, and move the nation to embrace a common destiny.” – Call to Renewal Keynote Address

“We should never forget that God granted us the power to reason so that we would do His work here on Earth - so that we would use science to cure disease, and heal the sick, and save lives.” – World AIDS Day Speech: Race Against Time

“Pastors, friends of mine like Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes, are wielding their enormous influences to confront AIDS, Third World debt relief, and the genocide in Darfur. Religious thinkers and activists like our good friend Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo are lifting up the Biblical injunction to help the poor as a means of mobilizing Christians against budget cuts to social programs and growing inequality…Across the country, individual churches like my own and your own are sponsoring day care programs, building senior centers, helping ex-offenders reclaim their lives, and rebuilding our gulf coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.” – Call to Renewal Keynote Address

• Government alone cannot solve all of our problems – we have an individual responsibility to be our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper.
“And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes we need, more money and programs alone will not get us where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility - for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.” - Presidential Announcement Speech

Obama Wins Election, 300+ Electoral Votes

2008-10-24T04:45:00.003-04:00

Obama wins 2008 presidential election in a true landslide.

The above map indicates a prediction, however I'm actually calling it now for Obama! I'm also throwing in IN for a grand total of 348.

Although I don't expect it to be a record breaker (Franklin D. Roosevelt over Alfred Landon, 523 to 8, in 1936), I do expect it to spell M-A-N-D-A-T-E for "Change".

Love for Obama in Israel

2008-10-24T04:42:00.000-04:00

A Little Bit Of Comedy,

2008-10-19T22:43:00.001-04:00

Chocolate News
Preview - First Black President?

To White folk [regarding Obama]: " ... just vote for the White half!"

Obama Doctrine (Part II The Family)

2008-10-19T12:48:00.000-04:00

At a Glance
Support Working Families
Strengthen Our Schools
Help American Families Stay Healthy
Protect Homeownership
Strengthen Families at Home
Strengthen Retirement Security

Speak your mind and help set the policies that will guide this campaign and change the country.

Present your ideas
Watch VideosThe Problem
Over the last few decades, too many American families have worked hard their whole lives only to find that sometimes the game is rigged against them. Too many rungs have been removed from the ladder to middle-class security, and the safety net that's supposed to break any falls has grown badly frayed. Many families face increased anxiety when it comes to paying medical bills or balancing their home and work life or finding ways to send their children to college. At the same time, others have tumbled into poverty, watching jobs disappear, and the chances for their children's success slip further and further away.

Providing these families with the same chances that previous generations have had is a daunting challenge, but it is certainly one we can meet. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will bring the much needed leadership and vision to Washington to finally restore the promise of the American Dream to all American families.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan
Support Working Families
Provide a "Making Work Pay" Tax Cut for America's Working Families: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama and Biden will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.

Raise the Minimum Wage to $9.50 an Hour by 2011: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that people who work full time should not live in poverty. Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. As president, Obama will further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation.

Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit: In both the Illinois State Senate and the U.S. Senate, Obama has championed efforts to expand the EITC, which is one of the most successful anti-poverty programs to date. As president, Obama will reward work by increasing the number of working parents eligible for EITC benefits, increasing the benefit available to parents who support their children through child support payments, and reducing the EITC marriage penalty which hurts low-income families. Under the Obama-Biden plan, full-time workers making minimum wage would get an EITC benefit up to $555, more than three times greater than the $175 benefit they get today. If the workers are responsibly supporting their children on child support, the Obama-Biden plan would give those workers a benefit of $1,110.

Expand Paid Sick Days: Half of all private sector workers have no paid sick days and the problem is worse for employees in low-paying jobs, where less than a quarter receive any paid sick days. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year.

Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand the FMLA to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand the FMLA to cover more purposes as well, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities at school; allowing leave to be taken for purposes of caring for individuals who reside in their home for 6 months or more; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence and sexual assault.

Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave: As president, Barack Obama will initiate a 50 state strategy to encourage all of the states to adopt paid-leave systems. Obama and Biden will provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs and to help states offset the costs for employees and employers.

Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children. Obama will include measures to maximize performance and effectiveness across grantees nationwide.

Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provides too little relief to families that struggle to afford child care expenses. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses.

Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination: Workers with family obligations often are discriminated against in the workplace. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will commit the government to enforcing recently-enacted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines on caregiver discrimination.

Expand Flexible Work Arrangements: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address this concern by creating a program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work schedules for productivity and establishing positive workplaces; helping businesses create flexible work opportunities; and increasing federal incentives for telecommuting. Obama and Biden will also make the federal government a model employer in terms of adopting flexible work schedules and permitting employees to petition to request flexible arrangements.

For more information about Barack Obama and Joe Biden's plan to help more Americans succeed in the workforce, please visit the Economic Policy page.

Strengthen Our Schools
Expand Early Childhood Education: Obama has been a champion of early childhood education since his years in the Illinois legislature, where he led the effort to create the Illinois Early Learning Council. Obama has introduced a comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan to provide critical supports to young children and their parents by investing $10 billion per year to create: Early Learning Challenge Grants to stimulate and help fund state "zero to five" efforts; quadruple the number of eligible children for Early Head Start and increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both; work to ensure all children have access to pre-school; provide affordable and high-quality child care that will promote child development and ease the burden on working families; and create a Presidential Early Learning Council to increase collaboration and program coordination across federal, state, and local levels.

Improve Public Schools: From the moment our children step into a classroom, the single most important factor in determining their achievement is their teacher. Barack Obama and Joe Biden value teachers and the central role that they play in education. They will work to ensure competent, effective teachers in schools that are organized for success. The Obama-Biden K-12 plan will expand service scholarships to recruit and prepare teachers who commit to working in underserved districts. To support teachers, Obama and Biden will foster ongoing improvements in teacher education, provide mentoring for beginning teachers, create incentives for shared planning and learning time for teachers. To retain teachers, Obama and Biden will support career pathways that provide ongoing professional development and reward accomplished teachers for their expertise. This Career Ladder initiative will help eliminate teacher shortages in hard-to-staff areas and subjects, improve teacher retention rates, strengthen teacher preparation programs, improve professional development, and better utilize and reward accomplished teachers.

Reform and Fund No Child Left Behind: The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is the right one - ensuring that all children can meet high standards - but the law has significant flaws that need to be addressed. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe it was wrong to force teachers, principals and schools to accomplish the goals of No Child Left Behind without the necessary resources. We have failed to provide high-quality teachers in every classroom and failed to support and pay for those teachers. Obama and Biden understand that NCLB has demoralized our educators, broken its promise to our children and must be changed in a fundamental way. Obama and Biden will work with mayors and state leaders to ensure that NCLB reform addresses the need for a broader and better range of assessments and an accountability system that focuses on improving schools, rather than punishing them.

Make College More Affordable: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. Recipients of this credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of public service a year.

For more information on Barack Obama and Joe Biden's education plan, please visit the Education Policy page

Help American Families Stay Healthy
Provide Universal Health Care and Lower Health Costs: Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of their first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care coverage. Their plan will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on medical expenditures by providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American; modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and promoting prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters.

For more information on Barack Obama and Joe Biden's health care plan, please visit the Health Care Policy page

Protect Homeownership
Create a Universal Mortgage Credit: The current mortgage interest deduction excludes nearly two-thirds of Americans who do not itemize their taxes. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure that anyone with a mortgage, not just the well-off, can take advantage of this tax incentive for homeownership by creating a universal mortgage credit. This 10 percent credit will benefit an additional 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year. Non-itemizers will be eligible for this refundable credit, which will provide the average recipient with approximately $500 per year in tax savings.

Combat Mortgage Fraud and Subprime Loans: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must establish stiff penalties to deter fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act, which would increase funding for federal law enforcement programs, create new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and require industry insiders to report suspicious activity. In March 2007, Obama urged Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to bring together lenders, consumer advocates, federal regulators and housing agencies for a summit meeting on preserving home ownership. The bill also provides counseling to homeowners and tenants to avoid foreclosures. As president, Obama will continue to fight to ensure more Americans can achieve and protect the dream of home ownership.

Mandate Accurate Loan Disclosure: Today's subprime mortgage problem stems in large part from the lack of easy-to-understand information that borrowers receive from mortgage brokers. As president, Barack Obama will enact laws to ensure that all prospective homebuyers have access to accurate and complete information about their mortgage options. Obama and Biden will create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages. The HOME score will allow individuals to easily compare various mortgage products and understand the full cost of the loan. The HOME score would also help borrowers understand their long-term obligations and would be required to include mandatory taxes and insurance.

Close Bankruptcy Loophole for Mortgage Companies: As president, Obama will work to eliminate the federal bankruptcy law's Chapter 13 provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments. This forces individuals who seek bankruptcy protection to continue paying the full amount of their existing mortgage plans. This provision, which provides unique protection to the mortgage industry, places the interests of big lenders over than of low and middle-income Americans. Obama and Biden believe that the subprime mortgage industry, which has engaged in dangerous and sometimes unscrupulous business practices, should not be shielded by outdated federal law.

Strengthen Families at Home
Strengthen Fatherhood and Families: Barack Obama has re-introduced the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, ensure that support payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies, fund support services for fathers and their families, and support domestic violence prevention efforts. As president, Obama will sign this bill into law and continue to implement innovative measures to strengthen families.

Support Parents with Young Children: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will expand programs like the successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers. The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families. Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis concluded that these programs produced an average of five dollars in savings for every dollar invested and produced more than $28,000 in net savings for every high-risk family enrolled in the program. The Obama-Biden plan would assist approximately 570,000 first-time mothers each year.

Strengthen Retirement Security
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less Than $50,000: Obama and Biden will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This will provide an immediate tax cut averaging $1,400 to 7 million seniors and relieve millions from the burden of filing tax returns.

Create Automatic Workplace Pensions: The Obama-Biden retirement security plan will automatically enroll workers in a workplace pension plan. Under their plan, employers who do not currently offer a retirement plan, will be required to enroll their employees in a direct-deposit IRA account that is compatible to existing direct-deposit payroll systems. Employees may opt-out if they choose. Experts estimate that this program will increase the savings participation rate for low and middle-income workers from its current 15 percent level to around 80 percent.

Expand Retirement Savings Incentives for Working Families: Obama and Biden will ensure savings incentives are fair to all workers by creating a generous savings match for low and middle-income Americans. Their plan will match 50 percent of the first $1,000 of savings for families that earn less than $75,000. The savings match will be automatically deposited into designated personal accounts. Over 80 percent of these savings incentives will go to new savers.

Obama Doctrine (Part I - The Economy)

2008-10-19T12:41:00.000-04:00

At a Glance

Jumpstart the Economy
Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief
Trade
Job Creation
Support Small Business
Labor
Protect Homeownership and Crack Down on Mortgage Fraud
Address Predatory Credit Card Practices
Reform Bankruptcy Laws
Work/Family Balance

Wages are Stagnant as Prices Rise: While wages remain flat, the costs of basic necessities are increasing. The cost of in-state college tuition has grown 35 percent over the past five years. Health care costs have risen four times faster than wages over the past six years. And the personal savings rate is now the lowest it's been since the Great Depression.

Tax Cuts for Wealthy Instead of Middle Class: The Bush tax cuts give those who earn over $1 million dollars a tax cut nearly 160 times greater than that received by middle-income Americans. At the same time, this administration has refused to tackle health care, education and housing in a manner that benefits the middle class.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan
Jumpstart the Economy
Enact a Windfall Profits Tax to Provide a $1,000 Emergency Energy Rebate to American Families:Barack Obama and Joe Biden will enact a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to give American families an immediate $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay rising bills. This relief would be a down payment on the Obama-Biden long-term plan to provide middle-class families with at least $1,000 per year in permanent tax relief.
Provide $50 billion to Jumpstart the Economy and Prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs: This relief would include a $25 billion State Growth Fund to prevent state and local cuts in health, education, housing, and heating assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees. The Obama-Biden relief plan will also include $25 billion in a Jobs and Growth Fund to prevent cutbacks in road and bridge maintenance and fund school repair - all to save more than 1 million jobs in danger of being cut.
Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief
Obama and Biden will cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay.

Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Obama and Biden will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they need. Obama and Biden will create a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The "Making Work Pay" tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Eliminate Income Taxes for Seniors Making Less than $50,000: Barack Obama will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This proposal will eliminate income taxes for 7 million seniors and provide these seniors with an average savings of $1,400 each year. Under the Obama-Biden plan, 27 million American seniors will also not need to file an income tax return.
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama and Biden will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama and Biden will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama-Biden proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.
Trade
Obama and Biden believe that trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. He will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic security.

Fight for Fair Trade: Obama and Biden will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. They will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks. Obama and Biden will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports.
Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama and Biden believe that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. They will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
Improve Transition Assistance: To help all workers adapt to a rapidly changing economy, Obama and Biden will update the existing system of Trade Adjustment Assistance by extending it to service industries, creating flexible education accounts to help workers retrain, and providing retraining assistance for workers in sectors of the economy vulnerable to dislocation before they lose their jobs.
End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that companies should not get billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama and Biden will also fight to ensure that public contracts are awarded to companies that are committed to American workers.
Reward Companies that Support American Workers: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America if it has ever been in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.
Invest in the Manufacturing Sector and Create 5 Million New Green Jobs
Invest in our Next Generation Innovators and Job Creators: Obama and Biden will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to identify and invest in the most compelling advanced manufacturing strategies. The Fund will have a peer-review selection and award process based on the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund, a state-level initiative that has awarded over $125 million to Michigan businesses with the most innovative proposals to create new products and new jobs in the state.
Double Funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership: The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) works with manufacturers across the country to improve efficiency, implement new technology and strengthen company growth. This highly-successful program has engaged in more than 350,000 projects across the country and in 2006 alone, helped create and protect over 50,000 jobs. But despite this success, funding for MEP has been slashed by the Bush administration. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the MEP so its training centers can continue to bolster the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.
Invest In A Clean Energy Economy And Create 5 Million New Green Jobs: Obama and Biden will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. The plan will also invest in America's highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world.
Create New Job Training Programs for Clean Technologies: The Obama-Biden plan will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to help Americans find and retain stable, high-paying jobs. Obama and Biden will also create an energy-focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
Boost the Renewable Energy Sector and Create New Jobs: The Obama-Biden plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama and Biden will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025, which has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs on its own. Obama and Biden will also extend the Production Tax Credit, a credit used successfully by American farmers and investors to increase renewable energy production and create new local jobs.
New Jobs Through National Infrastructure Investment
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that it is critically important for the United States to rebuild its national transportation infrastructure – its highways, bridges, roads, ports, air, and train systems – to strengthen user safety, bolster our long-term competitiveness and ensure our economy continues to grow.

Create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation’s most challenging transportation infrastructure needs. The Bank will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. These projects will create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity.
Technology, Innovation and Creating Jobs
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will increase federal support for research, technology and innovation for companies and universities so that American families can lead the world in creating new advanced jobs and products.

Invest in the Sciences: Barack Obama and Joe Biden support doubling federal funding for basic research and changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology. This will foster home-grown innovation, help ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based businesses, and ensure that 21st century jobs can and will grow in America.
Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent: Barack Obama and Joe Biden want investments in a skilled research and development workforce and technology infrastructure to be supported here in America so that American workers and communities will benefit. Obama and Biden want to make the Research and Development tax credit permanent so that firms can rely on it when making decisions to invest in domestic R&D over multi-year timeframes.
Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.
Support Small Business
Provide Tax Relief for Small Businesses and Start Up Companies: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will eliminate all capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses to encourage innovation and job creation. Obama and Biden will also support small business owners by providing a $500 “Making Work Pay” tax credit to almost every worker in America. Self-employed small business owners pay both the employee and the employer side of the payroll tax, and this measure will reduce the burdens of this double taxation.
Create a National Network of Public-Private Business Incubators: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will support entrepreneurship and spur job growth by creating a national network of public-private business incubators. Business incubators facilitate the critical work of entrepreneurs in creating start-up companies. Obama and Biden will invest $250 million per year to increase the number and size of incubators in disadvantaged communities throughout the country.
Labor
Obama and Biden will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama and Biden will ensure that his labor appointees support workers' rights and will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers. Obama and Biden will also increase the minimum wage and index it to inflation to ensure it rises every year.

Ensure Freedom to Unionize: Obama and Biden believe that workers should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He will continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.
Fight Attacks on Workers' Right to Organize: Obama has fought the Bush National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) efforts to strip workers of their right to organize. He is a cosponsor of legislation to overturn the NLRB's "Kentucky River" decisions classifying hundreds of thousands of nurses, construction, and professional workers as "supervisors" who are not protected by federal labor laws.
Protect Striking Workers: Obama and Biden support the right of workers to bargain collectively and strike if necessary. They will work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods.
Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs.
Protect Homeownership and Crack Down on Mortgage Fraud
Obama and Biden will crack down on fraudulent brokers and lenders. They will also make sure homebuyers have honest and complete information about their mortgage options, and they will give a tax credit to all middle-class homeowners.

Create a Universal Mortgage Credit: Obama and Biden will create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief. This credit will provide an average of $500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year.
Ensure More Accountability in the Subprime Mortgage Industry: Obama has been closely monitoring the subprime mortgage situation for years, and introduced comprehensive legislation over a year ago to fight mortgage fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama's STOP FRAUD Act provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity.
Mandate Accurate Loan Disclosure: Obama and Biden will create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages. The HOME score will allow individuals to easily compare various mortgage products and understand the full cost of the loan.
Close Bankruptcy Loophole for Mortgage Companies: Obama and Biden will work to eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments. They believe that the subprime mortgage industry, which has engaged in dangerous and sometimes unscrupulous business practices, should not be shielded by outdated federal law.
Address Predatory Credit Card Practices
Obama and Biden will establish a five-star rating system so that every consumer knows the risk involved in every credit card. They also will establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights to stop credit card companies from exploiting consumers with unfair practices.

Create a Credit Card Rating System to Improve Disclosure: Obama and Biden will create a credit card rating system, modeled on five-star systems used for other consumer products, to provide consumers an easily identifiable ranking of credit cards, based on the card's features. Credit card companies will be required to display the rating on all application and contract materials, enabling consumers to quickly understand all of the major provisions of a credit card without having to rely exclusively on fine print in lengthy documents.
Establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights to Protect Consumers: Obama and Biden will create a Credit Card Bill of Rights to protect consumers. The Obama-Biden plan will:
Ban Unilateral Changes
Apply Interest Rate Increases Only to Future Debt
Prohibit Interest on Fees
Prohibit "Universal Defaults"
Require Prompt and Fair Crediting of Cardholder Payments
Reform Bankruptcy Laws
Obama and Biden will reform our bankruptcy laws to protect working people, ban executive bonuses for bankrupt companies, and require disclosure of all pension investments.

Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: Obama and Biden will extend a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans. They will require lenders to provide clear and simplified information about loan fees, payments and penalties, which is why they'll require lenders to provide this information during the application process.
Encourage Responsible Lending Institutions to Make Small Consumer Loans: Obama and Biden will encourage banks, credit unions and Community Development Financial Institutions to provide affordable short-term and small-dollar loans and to drive unscrupulous lenders out of business.
Reform Bankruptcy Laws to Protect Families Facing a Medical Crisis: Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will create a process that forgives the debt and lets the individuals get back on their feet.
Work/Family Balance
Obama and Biden will double funding for after-school programs, expand the Family Medical Leave Act, provide low-income families with a refundable tax credit to help with their child-care expenses, and encourage flexible work schedules.

Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act: The FMLA covers only certain employees of employers with 50 or more employees. Obama and Biden will expand it to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. They will expand the FMLA to cover more purposes as well, including allowing workers to take leave for elder care needs; allowing parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children's academic activities; and expanding FMLA to cover leave for employees to address domestic violence.
Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave: As president, Obama will initiate a strategy to encourage all 50 states to adopt paid-leave systems. Obama and Biden will provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs and to help states offset the costs for employees and employers.
Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve a million more children. Obama and Biden will include measures to maximize performance and effectiveness across grantees nationwide.
Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provides too little relief to families that struggle to afford child care expenses. Obama and Biden will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses.
Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination: Workers with family obligations often are discriminated against in the workplace. Obama and Biden will enforce the recently-enacted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines on caregiver discrimination.
Expand Flexible Work Arrangements: Obama and Biden will create a program to inform businesses about the benefits of flexible work schedules; help businesses create flexible work opportunities; and increase federal incentives for telecommuting. Obama and Biden will also make the federal government a model employer in terms of adopting flexible work schedules and permitting employees to request flexible arrangements.
Barack Obama's Record
Housing: In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.
Predatory Lending: In the Illinois State Senate, Obama called attention to predatory lending issues. Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbying the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.
American Jobs: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

Vital Message From Colin Powell About Obama

2008-10-19T12:33:00.000-04:00

Colin Powell is the person that should have been running for President, and you can see and hear that when you examine this video.

Barack Obama Burned In Effigy At Christian College

2008-10-13T15:05:00.001-04:00

www.bet.com Posted Sept. 25, 2008 – George Fox University in Oregon may be a Christian school, but you’d never know it by the way some of its students behave.

On campus Tuesday, somebody lynched a life-sized cardboard dummy of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. George Fox University President Robin Baker said that a custodian found the six-foot cutout of Obama swinging from a tree on campus and removed it – sending a chilling historic flashback through the minds of its African-American students.

Between the late-19th century and mid-20th century, Blacks were routinely lynched throughout the South and Midwest, often for nothing other than having darker skin. Sometimes successful African Americans were lynched by Whites who were merely jealous of their accomplishments.

Obama, a Harvard graduate, Grammy winner, best-selling author and millionaire is the first Black person to land a major-party presidential nomination.

The image of Obama was accompanied by a note: “Act Six reject.” A minority scholarship program at the university is called “Act Six.” Baker told The Associated Press that he met with the students in Act Six who are on full scholarship, noting that he had another meeting scheduled for the entire student body this week.

Elder Statesman John Lewis Did The Right Thing.

2008-10-12T23:38:00.000-04:00

By RHYS SAUNDERS
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Oct 12, 2008 @ 01:52 AM

As he spoke in Springfield on Saturday of his own involvement in some of the most historic episodes in the civil rights movement, U.S. Rep. John Lewis was making headlines nationally for remarks that the McCain-Palin presidential campaign is “sowing the seeds of hatred and division” with its negative attacks on Barack Obama.

The Georgia congressman and civil rights activist, in Springfield as the keynote speaker for the Illinois NAACP’s state convention at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel & Conference Center, had issued a statement earlier Saturday that was sharply critical of John McCain and Sarah Palin for adopting a tone that stirred “hostility” and was reminiscent of the tactics of Alabama Gov. George Wallace in the 1960s. The statement drew an angry response from McCain.

After his speech Saturday, Lewis retreated somewhat from the Wallace comparison but stood by the rest of his statement.

“I wasn’t trying to compare them to Governor Wallace, I was only saying the language that they’re using could be partisan and it could provoke violence,” Lewis said Saturday night. He said he was “sorry the senator (McCain) feels that way.”

For a veteran of the civil rights movement like Lewis, however, Saturday’s back-and-forth with McCain amounts to minor encounter.

Lewis spoke about his involvement with nonviolent protests and civil disobedience during the 1960s as well as the sacrifices many made to end segregation and ensured blacks the right to vote.

“When it came time for us to sit in, we’d be sitting in an orderly and peaceful fashion, waiting to be served at a lunch counter,” Lewis said. “And someone would come up and put a lit cigarette out in our hair, down our backs, spit on us, pull us off the lunch counter stools, beat us and then we would be arrested and taken to jail. We didn’t fight back, we didn’t strike back, we didn’t become bitter or hostile.”

Lewis participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides that challenged segregated bus seating in the South and chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a group that organized student activism. By 1963, he had become a nationally recognized leader and was deemed one of the Big Six — along with Martin Luther King Jr. — of the civil rights movement.

During an interview with The State Journal-Register on Saturday, Lewis also made no secret about endorsing Obama as the next president.

“I think Barack Obama has emerged on the American scene as one of the few individuals of our time that have inspired an entire generation,” he said. “I see people who a few years ago wouldn’t have had anything to do with social action or being involved in American politics … who are now committed and dedicated.

“Barack Obama will have America at the table, dealing with the global issues of peace and war, issues of the environment, and making this planet a little safer, a little more peaceful and a little more greener for generations to come.”

Rhys Saunders can be reached at 788-1521.

Will Allen: urban farmer, 'genius'

2008-10-11T13:26:00.001-04:00

Milwaukee's Growing Power founder snags a much-deserved MacArthur
Posted by Tom Philpott at 9:31 AM on 23 Sep 2008
Read more about: agriculture food loal food brilliance
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Fifteen years ago, a former professional basketball player named Will Allen made a most unlikely career move: he decided to launch a farm in a low-income neighborhood in Milwaukee. His farmhands would be un- or ill-employed neighborhood teens.

Will Allen.
At the time, brutal economic conditions were pushing the nation's few remaining African-American farmers into bankruptcy; and the concept of "urban farming" seemed more like an oxymoron than an answer to the inner city's economic and public-health problems.
Since that time, Allen's organization Growing Power has established itself as a model for how urban resources can be used to grow delicious, healthy food and revitalize neighborhoods at the same time. Growing Power's model was so successful in Milwaukee that Allen's daughter Erika has established an equally innovative offshoot in Chicago (which I wrote about recently here.)
Today, the MacArthur Foundation announced it has awarded Allen one of its prestigious "genius" fellowships. I hope this award helps Allen spread his vital message: food need not be a vehicle for spreading poor health and sucking resources out of low-wealth communities. It can also simultaneously build health and wealth. Congratulations to the Allen family on this much-deserved honor.

Obama's Mother and Sister

2008-02-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

Obama, Is More Than A Lucky Barackstar, He's Truly Blessed.

2008-02-22T03:33:00.001-05:00

In 2004 Senate race, Obama went from underdog to front-runner
Senate race in Illinois exploded much as his current campaign has

10:26 PM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By RUDOLPH BUSH / The Dallas Morning News
rbush@dallasnews.com

Barack Obama spent his last days as an anonymous man driving around Illinois courting voters.

It was early 2004, and through the South Side of Chicago and towns like Springfield and Peoria, he saw nothing like the crowds that now greet him wherever he goes, including Reunion Arena on Wednesday.

Though he could not have known it then, Mr. Obama was embarking on one of the most astounding ascents in American politics.

Today, he is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Then, he was just another long-shot candidate for the Senate in a year that was shaping up nicely for Illinois Democrats.

But to survive the primary, he would have to beat the son of an entrenched political dynasty and a millionaire businessman. His chances against the Chicago political machine and a stocked war chest looked bleak.

David Mendell, a Chicago Tribune reporter who covered the race and went on to write about it in Obama: From Promise to Power, recalled Mr. Obama's early struggles to get people to hear him.

"There were times where he would give speeches, and people wouldn't be listening. And it bothered him when he wouldn't get a reaction," Mr. Mendell said.

But suddenly, everything changed.

First, Mr. Obama's chief Democratic rival folded amid a personal scandal. A few months later, his Republican opponent would implode the same way.

Mr. Obama was headed in the other direction, and after his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, he was transformed overnight from a promising new face in his party to an American political force.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., recalled how powerful the change was.

"I remember going to Freeport, Ill., a Republican stronghold in our state, and we were supposed to speak at a community building. There was an overflow crowd, and the police showed up. I thought, 'I have never seen anything like this in my life in Illinois politics.' It never stopped from then to today," he said.

On that trip around the state, Mr. Obama tried to answer every question in the crowd, to hang around until every supporter had had a chance to shake his hand.

But it became impossible. The crowds grew alongside his celebrity. By the time he got to Washington, he was as recognizable as anybody in politics.

On his first day in the capital as a senator, he fielded dozens of questions about whether he planned to run for president.

At his first news conference, a reporter asked him to describe his place in history.

Mr. Obama tried to take it in stride, telling reporters that he didn't want to play savior to his party, that he just wanted to focus on being a good senator.

At some point that changed. At Reunion Arena, Mr. Obama called out to the crowd that his candidacy came "at a defining moment in our history," that he is "confident in my ability to lead this nation."

Obama Honestly Embraced By White Folk

2008-02-21T04:43:00.001-05:00

Here is part of a story that I thought was interesting, it spoke, in part, about how times have actually changed with respect to race relations.

The story was titled "Road to redemption for Clintons: Embrace Obama" by DAVID BERG
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

"... I wish the two of them could have overheard, as I did, the young African-American prosecutor behind me at the Obama rally in Houston Tuesday night, who told his friend how shocked he was by those comments, and how — I was surprised by this — it had made him cry when President Clinton said that voting for Obama was like "rolling the dice."

I wish the two of them could have seen the ocean of black faces, brown faces and white faces, and felt the good will that permeated that arena. I wish that they could have heard the excited 10-year-old next to me, jumping up and down on her seat, waiving her Obama sign and chanting, "Si, se puede" with the crowd. (In the interest of full disclosure, that child is my daughter, Caitlin, and in truth, as excited as she was over Obama, when he suggested that we have to do a better job as parents and turn off the TV, her mood darkened, and she asked anxiously, "What about new episodes"?)

I guarantee you, as the oldest living man in America who has actually attended a Hannah Montana concert, my daughter is completely colorblind. From what I have seen of her generation, and that of my grown sons', that is the norm, not the exception. Racial politics simply won't work; not this time — and if all that good will seeps into the wider world — perhaps never again.

I wish, frankly, that the Clintons, who in many ways helped make Obama's candidacy possible, could hear firsthand how they let down so many people who cared about them and supported them through many tough years — how by their divisive tactics they have become the people and politics they deplore.

In short, I wish they could have been there Tuesday night to understand clearly how times and mores have changed and, perhaps, to understand how important it is that a new generation be given a chance.

Despite all this, there is a road to redemption for the Clintons. Hillary should simply admit the obvious: It's all over. If she has any lingering doubts, just look to Wisconsin, where she lost overwhelmingly in the state that practically invented white people. If she needs more proof, take it on faith from one who has loved her forever: She's going to lose the Texas primary, too. Against all odds, Barack Obama will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. Hillary should concede the race now and, along with her husband, throw her wholehearted support to Obama.

By doing that, by taking the high road that seems to elude them presently, Sen. Clinton will reclaim her place as a central figure in the Democratic Party, and President Clinton, his iconic role on the world stage.

Even in defeat, Bill and Hillary probably can do more than any other Americans to unite the Democratic Party behind Obama and help him become the next president..."

I think the article was well written, funny at times, eye opening all of the time, but most importantly true.

Obama Inspires Massive Voter Participation

2008-02-21T03:43:00.001-05:00

Hawaiians Flood Polls for Obama
By Anna Mulrine
Posted February 20, 2008

HONOLULU — Across the city last night, most Hawaiians said they had never seen anything like it. Supporters of Sen. Barack Obama crowded into school auditoriums with lines that snaked around the buildings. Precincts couldn't keep registration forms in stock. "We ran out of democratic registration forms four times," said Manny Quinones, 30, one precinct leader. State caucus leaders were expecting 10,000 to 12,000 voters—and got as many as 20,000. Late into the night, voters were still standing in line.

"The last time I experienced anything close to this was the first state election, when voter turnout was 85 percent," Hawaii Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Hillary Clinton supporter, told U.S. News. That was the year Hawaii gained its statehood, in 1959. Last night, Inouye stood in line for one hour and 45 minutes. It was the first time in 40 years that he returned from Washington for the caucuses.

At the state's Democratic Party headquarters, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie borrowed a lei from his wife, Nancie Caraway, a political theorist, before taking the podium to celebrate Obama's large win. He said turnout was so great that at a certain point "we went to the honor system. There was just no other way."

Caraway said that there were upwards of 5,000 people in her polling station. "And it was hot," she added. "I was worried." But she described the turnout as inspirational. "I'm a postmodernist cynic," she said. "This is a new page in American political culture."

Quinones said that he was an independent and then a Hillary Clinton supporter. He likes Ron Paul as well. "He has awesome ideas, but he could never get them through. They would be wasted years." He has settled on Obama who, many here say, best represents the aloha spirit, what Hawaiians describe as a diversity that defines rather than divides the state. He said Obama has inspired others as well. "At the caucus, over 40 people over the age of 40 came up to me to say that they had never voted and asking how to register."

Abercrombie, who attended college in Hawaii with Obama's father, invoked an analogy familiar to the residents of this island state. "We know about waves here in Hawaii," he told U.S. News. "Those great waves come, and they're there to be ridden."

Obama Takes Texas, According To American Research Group

2008-02-18T21:32:00.004-05:00

The following information was gathered from the American Research Group:

February 15, 2008 - Texas Primary Preferences

Democrats TX

Obama 48%
Clinton 42%
Someone else 3%
Undecided 7%

Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama among self-described Democrats 47% to 42%. Obama leads Clinton among self-described independents and Republicans 71% to 24%. Obama leads among men 55% to 29% (47% of likely Democratic primary voters) and Clinton leads among women 54% to 42%. Clinton leads Obama among white voters 51% to 40% (53% of likely Democratic primary voters), Obama leads Clinton among African American voters 76% to 17% (22% of likely Democratic primary voters), and Clinton leads Obama among Latino voters 44% to 42%.

22% of likely Democratic primary voters say they would never vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and 20% of likely Democratic primary voters say they would never vote for Barack Obama in the primary.

[here is some deeper info from the same source]

February 14, 2008 - National Presidential Preferences

The following results are based on nationwide telephone samples of 600 likely Democratic primary voters and 600 likely Republican primary voters (those saying they have or will definitely vote in a primary or participate in a caucus in 2008) conducted February 9-13, 2008. The theoretical margin of error for each sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points, 95% of the time.

Support for Barack Obama has increased 20 percentage points in the past month and Obama now leads Hillary Clinton 47% to 45%.

Obama leads Clinton among men 50% to 41%. In January, Clinton was leading Obama 43% to 28% among men. Clinton leads Obama among women 49% to 44%. In January, Clinton was leading Obama 50% to 27% among women. Among Democrats (82% of likely national Democratic primary voters), Clinton leads Obama 48% to 45%. Among independents, Obama leads Clinton 57% to 33%.

Obama Receives Largest Texas and Largest Milwaukee Newspaper Endorsements

2008-02-17T01:28:00.001-05:00

Barack Obama picked up key newspaper endorsements in Wisconsin and Texas yesterday: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin's largest daily newspaper and
The Houston Chronicle, the biggest daily publication in Texas.

Here is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's endorsement:

Obama: Change for the good

From the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Feb. 16, 2008

There is only the tiniest sliver of daylight separating Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the issues, with the notable exception of health care reform.

Even on Iraq, they end up in much the same place: Steady U.S. troop withdrawal, leaving themselves enough wiggle room in case the situation on the ground becomes so dire that more flexibility becomes necessary.

The similarity of views is, in truth, why the candidates return so much to the themes of change and experience.

Our recommendation in Wisconsin's primary on Tuesday for the Democratic nomination is Barack Obama. That's our recommendation because change and experience are crucial to moving this country forward after what will be eight years of an administration careening from mistake to catastrophe to disaster and back again.

The Illinois senator is best-equipped to deliver that change, and his relatively shorter time in Washington is more asset than handicap.

The Obama campaign has been derisively and incorrectly described as more rock tour than political campaign and his supporters as more starry-eyed groupies than thoughtful voters.

If detractors in either party want to continue characterizing the Obama campaign this way, they will have seriously underestimated both the electorate's hunger for meaningful change in how the nation is governed and the candidate himself.

In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board on Wednesday, the first-term senator proved himself adept at detail and vision. They are not mutually exclusive.

On poverty, he eschewed the phrase "war on poverty," preferring instead to describe the task as a long-haul effort. No one should launch a program, fight a battle and declare mission accomplished, he seemed to say.

Instead, it will require continuous and unflagging efforts along several fronts - taxation, education, economic development and, yes, personal responsibility - to make progress. He speaks of strengthening the middle class, helping with child care, early childhood education and ensuring access to affordable health care.

In other words, a broad, nuanced approach that recognizes that problems are linked to others.

Similarly nuanced answers came from questions on manufacturing, trade, school choice, the Great Lakes and energy.

He spoke of turning to alternative energy, not just to wean addiction from oil but to spur more technologies that in turn spur more manufacturing possibilities. We can find "competitive advantages at higher value products," he said, adding that rebuilding much needed infrastructure also can create jobs.

He was a realist, recognizing that no one could likely turn the clock back to Milwaukee's manufacturing heyday. "The percentage of manufacturing jobs to service jobs is not going to be the same as it was in the 1950s," he said. "We're not going to get those jobs back."

Yet he insisted that manufacturing still could become more competitive and the service industry better-paying for its employees.

Which is not to say that we are in lockstep. On school choice, Obama does not see as clearly as we do the intrinsic value in and of itself of low-income parents having a choice.

On health care, we prefer Clinton's insurance mandate, though we recognize that more details are needed. Obama would mandate insurance for children only, a worthy goal, but we're skeptical of his claim that it will get to the same number of people insured as Clinton's plan.

But, again, not a lot separates Obama's views from Clinton's. So why Obama?

It is precisely the excitement that we see in the candidate and his supporters in their demands for change. This promises to alter the political landscape and dynamics for the better, energizing youth for service and involvement as we haven't seen in a very long time.

In Clinton, there is the potential for déjà vu all over again. Right or wrong, she is a polarizing figure who excites all the wrong kinds of political passions.

And even if she didn't, her vote on the Iraq war cannot be explained away as not realizing that the president would take that ball (and blank check) and run with it.

Yes, she has been tried. And much of the antagonism she engenders in the right is simply irrational.

But even without this Clinton baggage and on their individual merits, Obama still has the edge. His experience as community organizer, state legislator, U.S. senator and campaigner who took a dream and became a credible contender measures up well against Clinton's experience as poverty lawyer, first lady and U.S. senator.

The party would be well-served with either candidate, and the historical implications are huge with each.

But in Obama, there is a potential for meaningful change that does not exist with any other candidate.
----------------

Here is the endorsement from TX:

Chronicle Recommendations

Feb. 16, 2008, 2:09AM

For Obama
The Chronicle endorses the senator from Illinois for the Democratic presidential nomination. Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

The presidency of the United States is a powerful bully pulpit. The occupant of the White House must not only issue orders, but also inspire and advocate for all Americans.

Of the two finalists for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Chronicle believes Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is best-qualified by life experience, skill and temperament to be the standard bearer for his party. In a conference call, Obama told the Chronicle editorial board that "more than any other candidate, I can bridge some of the partisan as well as racial and religious divides that have developed in this country that prevent us from getting things done."

Those who have viewed the numerous campaign debates know there's not much to separate Obama from his opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. Either could ably represent the Democratic Party. Both candidates favor ending the war in Iraq by withdrawing combat troops and initiating regional negotiations to stabilize the country. Both would press for dramatic strides toward providing all Americans with health insurance.

Both support a cap and trade system to begin reducing America's carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Each promises to initiate multibillion-dollar efforts to promote conversion of the economy to clean energy technologies. They favor securing our borders, initiating comprehensive immigration reform and creating a path to earned legal status for those already here who are working and contributing to their communities.

However, there is a decisive difference. Obama vows to reach out to independents and Republicans with a message of inclusion and cooperation. He offers a historic opportunity to elevate national political dialogue to a higher ground. Those who insist on vitriol and obstructionism would be marginalized.

On several issues vital to Houstonians, Obama's positions need elaboration. He recognizes the need to maintain U.S. pre-eminence in space but said he wanted to study the costs and benefits of human space exploration — an exercise that should convince him of the space program's long history of indispensable contributions.
Obama said he did not expect the leaders of the energy sector to vote for him. He needs to realize that the energy sector must be a large part of a cooperative effort to develop alternative fuels and avoid an energy crunch.

The 46-year-old Obama has expanded his base of support, winning new legions of supporters. The more people see and hear him, the more they like him. As the Hawaiian-born son of a Muslim Kenyan father and an Anglo Midwesterner [mother], the devoutly Christian Obama transcends race and religion. His life has been one of involvement with disadvantaged Chicago residents, excellence at Harvard Law School and eight years as an Illinois state senator. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, only the third African-American to serve there since Reconstruction.

Obama is both the epitome of the American Dream and well-positioned to reach out to an international community alienated by recent U.S. go-it-alone policies.
The passion and excitement that Obama has brought to the race can only stimulate more citizens to participate in the electoral process. The Chronicle urges Texas Democrats to cast what could be decisive ballots for his presidential nomination.

Obama Would Win 'Do Over' Florida And Michigan Primaries

2008-02-15T22:45:00.003-05:00

Yes the primaries in FL and MI should be redone, its a matter of enfranchisement for the registered Democrats in those states.

I'm not affiliated with any party, so I come to this argument from the standpoint of what I feel is pragmatic-fairness.

Party Rules
The Democrat party leaders in Florida and Michigan knew they were breaking national party rules when they decided to hold primaries prior to Feb. 5. They just thought they were too big to get slapped upside their collective heads over it, well – SURPRISEEEE!

Your Right To Vote And Have It Counted
Your right, as American citizens, to vote for people to represent your interests in public government is a constitutional right; however, it has little to do with 'party' elections.

You have the freedom to join a political party and to remain a member at your pleasure. If you don't like how it operates, you are free to leave it.

With that said, each party has rules of governance; focusing on the Democrat situation, everyone knows the acts Florida and Michigan took to move up their respective primaries, to the extent that they did, was against the rules. They gambled on what the punishment would be. The punishment was no delegate representation at the convention, that's tough, perhaps even mean unless the party leaders didn't expect FL and MI to matter. But you know how FL do[es], FL finds ways to matter.

I feel Florida and Michigan did this in order to have their respective state votes count more than they have in the past; I also feel it was an effort to get a piece of the early primary ad revenue that early primary states often enjoy. When you gamble sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some; but this time they both lost everything -- not too bright.

Although constitutional voting rights don't necessarily extend to primaries I'm sure voters in those states felt left-out of the process on primary-election day, and will feel worse at the Democrat convention in Denver simply counting everyone elses' votes.

Court Costs & Probation
The punishment should really fit the crime, in this case it should be a fine equivalent to the cost of redoing the elections in those states. A 'do over', effectively forces FL and MI to obey the rules while allowing party members to voice their choice.

Clinton wants the delegates to be seated as the votes were casted, that is not fair; Obama wants the party leadership to abide by their initial decision to refuse to seat the respective delegation from said states, although that is more reasonable it too is unfair.

Both candidates are approcaching this from a matter of 'rule of law' instead of 'right and wrong'. The initial decision was wrong, the right thing to do is to have a 'do over'.

Obamamania / Obamacans / Obamanomics / Obamaisms / Obamadoctrine

2008-02-14T22:38:00.002-05:00

You've heard of 'Obamacans' right? (Republicans in favor of Obama).

How about Obamanomics? That's Obama's financial plan for America. What about Obamaisms; unlike Bushisms which are misspeaks by Bush, Obamaisms are thoughtful expressions of hope.

These are just a few tags attached to Obamamania. Unlike the Obama campaign that started with him (more likely with Oprah), the Obamamania essentially began with Obama Girl -- I know you know her.

Obamamania is many times larger than Obama's campaign it causes his message to be heard faster than he could speak it; it's the reason major arenas are consistently packed to overflowing, and its the reason why various Obama songs are being song across the nation.

Obamamania is the manifestation of Jane Pittman's vision via Oprah, his mother's hopes, and King's dream; grown out of Bush's pit of despair. Sadly, George Bush's failures probably has more to do with Obamamania than all of the good reasons for it.

I trust the Obamadoctrine will elevate America to her NEW glory.

The Voice of Obama Supporters ... The First Day

2008-02-14T21:43:00.002-05:00

[the following Sun Times story was written in Feb 2007, it is very interesting to see how Obama's campaign has grown and matured (to 2008), quite nicely I might add.]

Invoking Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Barack Obama launched his bid for the White House Saturday with a pledge to lead an “improbable quest” to bring the troops home, end poverty, give everyone healthcare and “transform our nation.”

“I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness — a certain audacity — to this announcement,” the freshman U.S. senator said. “I know I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.”

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a news conference before a rally at Hilton Coliseum on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday ... in Springfield in front of about 17,000 supporters.

BARACK OBAMA: WHO HE IS

PARTY : Democrat.

AGE-BIRTH DATE : 45; Aug. 4, 1961.

RESIDENCE : Chicago.

OCCUPATION : Freshman U.S. senator.

EXPERIENCE : U.S. senator, 2005-present; Illinois State senator, 1997-2004; constitutional law professor, University of Chicago.

EDUCATION : Law degree, Harvard University; bachelor's degree in political science, Columbia University.

FAMILY : Wife, Michelle, and two daughters.

QUOTE : "I am suspicious of hype. The fact that my 15 minutes of fame has extended a little longer than 15 minutes is somewhat surprising to me and completely baffling to my wife." ...

“I know it’s a little chilly,” Obama said as he took to the stage. “But I’m fired up!”

So was the crowd, which came from as far away as Massachusetts, Georgia and North Carolina. Some waved hand-painted signs saying “Barack the Vote.” Others wore buttons proclaiming him “Superbama.”

“Oh! Bama!” they yelled, interrupting his 20-minute speech more than 20 times with applause. ...

Facing Lincoln’s law office, Obama wove the 16th president throughout his speech, telling the crowd “the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.

“He tells us that there is power in words. He tells us that there is power in conviction. That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.

“He tells us that there is power in hope.”

“That is our purpose here today. That’s why I’m in this race. Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.”

Pointing to past generations that explored the moon and embraced the moral challenge of King, Obama called on young people to join him in a sweeping crusade.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton downplayed the significance of his candidacy.

“We certainly welcome him into the race,” said Mo Elleithee, a senior spokesman for the New York senator. ...

“Barack, Abraham Lincoln and a lot of others have proven that in America, anything is possible,” the governor said. “This is a place where dreams come true.”

Carrie Grant, a 31-year-old software company employee, drove her two young sons five hours from Louisville, Ky., to see Obama and to emphasize their heroes should not be the latest act to appear on MTV.

“I think he might be a good president and not bad, like George Bush,” said her 10-year-old son, David.

And Joslyn McBride, a 51-year-old state worker from near Springfield, came because of the potential historic nature of Obama’s candidacy.

“As an African American, it was really important because it will probably never happen again in my lifetime,” she said. “Looking at the sampling of the people who are out here, I think everybody is ready. I think we’re all ready to look past race and go with the candidate, no matter what the ethnic background.”

Obama Overcomes Early Polling Figures ...

2008-02-14T12:29:00.003-05:00

The Story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has double-digit leads over Barack Obama in Ohio and Pennsylvania, both crucial states in upcoming primaries, according to Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday.

Clinton, a New York senator, has lost eight straight nominating contests to Illinois Sen. Obama, but leads him 55 percent to 34 percent among likely Democratic primary voters in Ohio, the poll found. ...

"Ohio is as good a demographic fit for Sen. Clinton as she will find," Peter Brown, an Quinnipiac University Polling Institute official, said in a statement.

Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont hold nominating contests on March 4. Pennsylvania voters will select presidential nominees in a primary election on April 22.

The survey found that among likely Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania, Clinton leads Obama 52 percent to 36 percent. ...

The Quinnipiac University poll was taken February 6 through 12, after the "Super Tuesday" ...

The Ohio poll of 1,748 voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percent, including 564 Democratic likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

The Pennsylvania poll of 1,419 voters has a margin of error plus or minus 2.6 percent, including 577 Democratic likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

(Writing by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Bill Trott)

-------------------

A Measured Response

Posted by fdur6575 February 14, 2008 11:14 AM

The poll that will take place after Obama has actually campaigned in these states will be more informative.

Clinton was up by 20 points across the country a month ago, but (except for Super Tuesday when he didn't have time to get everywhere), those margins collapsed state by state once Obama campaigned.

-----------------------

One Question

Why release poll results for primaries that take place on March 4 and April 22, before two other primaries (WI, HI) have yet to take place?

-----------------------

Final Comment

This has been the best Black History month of my life!

Harry Belafonte

2007-12-13T03:11:00.000-05:00

HARRY BELAFONTE

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Harry Belafonte, one of the greatest civil rights leaders of the world.

Harry Belafonte, one of the most well known entertainers in the world.

.

The Spook Who Sat By The Door

2007-12-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

This video is deep on many levels.

You Are My African Queen

2007-10-17T06:23:00.000-04:00

African Queen

Native Empowerment Through Casino Gambling in Indian Country

2007-10-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

$10,000 Reward For Arrest Of Killer Of Chauncey Bailey

2007-08-03T03:08:00.001-04:00

Chauncey Bailey, 57, was killed around 7:30 a.m., Oakland Police spokesman Roland Holmgren said. Witnesses told police a man wearing a mask shot Bailey multiple times and then fled.

Police had no motive for the killing but said it did not appear to be random. Holmgren said investigators would look into any possible connections with Bailey's work.

"All of those possibilities will have to be definitely explored and explored thoroughly," Holmgren said.

"I've spoken with him several times," he added. "I know him as being a somewhat outspoken type individual, assertive in his journalistic approach when trying to get at matters at hand."

Bailey was shot multiple times in daylight near the county courthouse, Holmgren said. Witnesses are cooperating in the investigation but there are no suspects yet, police said.

Holmgren said the weapon used was not a handgun, but he would not disclose the gun's caliber.

Bailey was a familiar fixture on the local news scene. He was a reporter for The Oakland Tribune for more than a decade before June when he was named editor of the Post, a weekly newspaper geared toward the Bay Area black community.

Bailey grew up in Oakland and worked with several area media outlets, including KDIA radio and Soul Beat TV, a local cable channel. Before that, he worked for 10 years at the Detroit News.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said Bailey will be missed.

"It is a tragedy when any person loses his or her life by an act of violence. The crime and violence on Oakland streets presents me with the most painful and difficult challenge I've ever faced," Dellums said in a statement.

Oakland Tribune managing editor Martin G. Reynolds called Bailey "a friend, a valued colleague and a loving father" whose coverage of Oakland's black community was "a tremendous asset." His death "has left all of us at the Oakland Tribune shocked and deeply saddened," Reynolds said.

At the Oakland Post, Gwendolyn Carter, the paper's advertising manager, said the staff of about 10 was shocked by Bailey's death.

"He was a good man," Carter said. "He always took care of me. He would say I was his little sister and he was my big brother."

$10,000 Reward For Arrest Of Killer Of Chauncey Bailey

2007-08-03T03:08:00.000-04:00

Black Indians, An American Story

2007-08-01T06:45:00.000-04:00

August 9th @ 7:30pm-9:30pm in Washington, DC @ Landmark Theatre (11th & E St, NW, WDC, Metro Center Metro, Across from ESPNZone, Parking Garage on 11th Street Side) Landmark Theatres, Urban Film Series, Insider Entertainment, Rich Heape Films, James Earl Jones, The Neville Brothers, WPFW's Jay Winter Nightwolf and Yohei Suzuki invite you to...A Special Multi-Cultural PresentationBlack Indians: An American Story andOur Pride: The Spirits of Black Japanese in Georgia (See Ticketing Instructions Below)
Click To Read The Press Release
Click for Movie Website - Get The DVD

Ticketing Instructions Click "Add To Cart" For Your Online Purchase or Visit Landmark Theatres TODAY
VIP Admission Instructions - Limited Tickets are Available for Exclusive and Preferred VIP Seating at $15 . VIP Ticketholders will be SEATED FIRST WITH PRESS. If you know you want VIP Screening Preferences, get your tickets ASAP and ARRIVE BY 7:15pm - Click "Add To Cart and Select The Appropriate Number of Tickets.

General Admission Ticketing - General Admission and First-Come, First-Serve Seating AFTER persons with VIP Ticketing and Press are seated. General Admission is $10

Press Ticketing/Seating - Press Must RSVP by Emailing Credentials and Requests to Press @ UrbanFilmSeries.com BY JULY 8th
Contact Us - If you have any problems or concerns, contact us at (202) 409-7240

2007-07-30T02:25:00.000-04:00

CALL FOR ENTRIES

INTELLIGENT USE OF WATER™ FILM FESTIVAL

17th Houston International Jazz Fest l August 4-5, 2007 | Downtown - Jones Plaza

2007-07-30T02:19:00.000-04:00

Empowerment in the Park, Saturday, August 4, 2007 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

2007-07-30T02:02:00.000-04:00

Empowernent in the Park, a collaborative barbeque organized by and for African American professional and social organizations in the Kansas City Metro area. Saturday, August 4, 2007 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Kansas City, MO

This event is being co-facilitated by: National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), 100 Black Men, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), and Urban Financial Services Coalition.

Lunch will include chicken (white & dark meat), ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, bread, soda, punch, and peach cobbler.

***Please note: There will be NO TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR! Tickets must be purchased prior to August 2, 2007. Purchase ticket ($10) here: http://www.empowermentbbq.eventbrite.com/

Children are allowed but only under strong supervision of the parent. No specific activities for young children will be planned.

IMPORTANT: Since your meal ticket is your ticket stub or evite confirmation form, please print either and present it to the caterer at the BBQ.

Gates Foundation Gives $30 Mil To Charter Schools

2007-07-27T00:48:00.000-04:00

(AP) SEATTLE The Gates Foundation is giving $30-million to establish 200 charter schools in low income areas of major cities.The money will go through the NewSchools Venture Fund of San Francisco to non-profit charter management organizations.The schools could serve as many as 100-thousand students.The foundation says it supports high quality school options for low-income and minority students to increase high school graduation rates and readiness for college.

New Schools Ventures (Charter School news)

2007-07-27T00:40:00.000-04:00

Ventures in the News

Charter school group receives $7.9 million Gates grant
LOS ANGELES - In a major challenge to the Los Angeles school system, the private Green Dot charter school operation announced on Monday receiving a $7.9 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create 10 high schools out of the existing Locke High School in Watts. "It's not by chance a miracle is occurring here," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a news conference with Green Dot founder Steve Barr, school officials, parents and teachers. "It is because of the efforts of Green Dot in defying all expectations of the experts and proving their way can work." Plans call for the Los Angeles Unified School District board to reconsider Barr's application to turn Locke into a charter school and allow him to begin to develop plans to create the charter schools by next year, Barr said. School board President Monica Garcia and new board member Richard Vladovic said they will push to have the board approve the application. Locke High faces some of the biggest problems in the district. Each year, the school takes in 1,300 freshmen. By their sophomore year, only 500 have returned, Barr said. Only three in 100 go on to four-year colleges. (Los Angeles Daily News)

Achievement First wins charter, funds
BRIDGEPORT - Achievement First-Bridgeport, a charter school modeled after the Amistad Academy in New Haven, is ready to go. The school won both a state charter and funding this week. The state Board of Education, meeting in a special session Monday, granted the new school a five-year charter that runs from July 2007 through June 2012. Also Monday, the state Legislature completed action on a budget that includes startup funds for the school. Achievement First-Bridgeport will open Aug. 28 with 84 fifth- graders selected by lottery in the former Holy Rosary School, 391 E. Washington Ave. The following year, the school will grow to include a sixth grade. Eventually, it will grow to become a kindergarten through eighth-grade school. Achievement First already runs two schools in New Haven that have won plaudits for their ability to raise academic achievement in low-income areas. (Connecticut Post)

School celebrates hard-won success: Mastery's Shoemaker campus marks a turnaround
PHILADELPHIA – Annette Hayes squeezed into a seat near the stage for the eighth-grade promotion at Mastery Charter School's Shoemaker campus in West Philadelphia because she just knew she was going to holler and cheer for her son, Leroy. Thursday's ceremony was more than a rite of passage for students and families marking the transition to ninth grade at the former Shoemaker Middle School. The event was a rousing finale to a year that saw the successful makeover of one of the Philadelphia School District's most troubled schools into a model charter school. The school's testing showed students had gained one and a half to two years in reading and math. Discipline has improved dramatically at a school that had one of the highest assault rates in the district a year earlier. Students say their attitudes toward school have been transformed, and administrators say the change is visible in students' faces. … It all began in 2001 when Scott Gordon, a former businessman with an M.B.A. from Yale University, founded a charter high school to bring business acumen to education. He recruited prominent business and academic leaders to the board of trustees, including Brook J. Lenfest, president of Brooks Capital Group, and Jeremy Nowack, founder of the Reinvestment Fund. A $2.65 million grant from the NewSchools Venture Fund in 2005 is helping Mastery expand. (Philadelphia Inquirer – registration required)

View Park Prep Has First-Ever Graduating Class
LOS ANGELES – We've recently brought you a two half hour specials on the students of "View Park Prep," a charter school that's making history in South L.A. Thursday, we witnessed history, as its first-ever graduating class of seniors earned diplomas and now each one of them are college bound. (myFoxLA)

De La Hoya gives speech at his high school
LOS ANGELES – The first senior class at Oscar De La Hoya Animo High graduated Thursday. The commencement speaker? The Golden Boy, of course. De La Hoya, who lost a controversial 12-round split decision to Floyd Mayweather last month in one of the richest fights ever, stressed the importance of education to the graduating seniors at Sullivan Field on the Loyola Marymount campus. “Education is your vehicle to control your life,” De La Hoya said. “You have made it through round one. There are 12 more rounds. Life is hard, but you can do it. I believe in you.” The school opened in 2003, and graduated 98 percent of its first senior class. It’s located in downtown Los Angeles, but a permanent De La Hoya Animo High will be built in Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles — near De La Hoya’s gym. It will be the first school built in that area in 76 years. De La Hoya was originally approached about the school by Steve Barr, the founder of Green Dot Public Schools, a leading charter organization in the Los Angeles area. The school is ranked among the top 10 percent of high schools in the state that serve minority communities. (Associated Press via MSNBC)

www.uscharterschools.org How To Start A Charter School

2007-07-27T00:18:00.000-04:00

Steps to Starting a Charter School
Provides an overview of several common stages in the charter school development process, along with numerous helpful resources for starting a charter school.

Case Study of a Charter School
Captures the key strategies and day-to-day challenges in starting and running a charter school.

Developing a Mission Statement
Provides tips and examples to assist charter school developers in conceptualizing, writing, and revising their mission statement, one of the most important documents in the school.

Accountability: Standards, Assessment, & Using Data
Provides an overview of the basic components of an accountability plan, as well as an extensive list of resources for more detailed guidance on specific topics.

Budget, Finance, and Fundraising
Provides information and resources related to charter school budgets, financial management, and fundraising.

Educational Program Design
Provides links to numerous resources relating to elements of the educational program-- from curriculum and instruction, to accountability, professional development, equity, and technology.

Facilities
Offers an outline of steps to follow to secure school facilities, along with examples of creative facility solutions and links to resources on finding and financing facilities.

Family-Friendly Charter Schools
Provides information and resources for charter developers, boards of directors, and staff on creating charter schools that are deeply connected to their communities.

Governing Boards
Provides charter developers information and resources on how to build and maintain an effective board of directors.

Human Resources: Staffing for Success
Helps charter leaders think creatively about their use of organizational structure, recruitment, selection, goal-setting, coaching and development, evaluation, and rewards to achieve their missions.

Legal Issues
Provides an outline of federal, state, and local legal issues for charter operators to consider.

Information for Charter Authorizers
Provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities of charter authorizers, lists resources for charter-granting agents, and supports the National Association of Charter Authorizers by providing a place to share documents.

An Entrepreneurs's Guide To Starting A Charter School

2007-07-27T00:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.uscharterschools.org/facilities/fac_dev.htm

Introduction

Facility
Development

Needs
Assessment

Site
Selection

Construction/
Renovation

Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E

In many ways, charter school operators are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs starting a new business venture prepare a written plan to communicate their vision and to create a roadmap for realizing that vision. A business plan helps evaluate opportunities, set goals and standards, and implement ideas.

Charter school operators have a vision for the organization they wish to start and for the results they wish to obtain. They need to mesh this vision with the everyday mechanics of running a school - i.e., getting funding, operating a facility, supervising staff, and, of course, educating students.

A business plan is a key tool in which every operator should invest. The business plan communicates the school's objectives to the board, staff, funders, outside consultants and anyone else who may need to understand what the school is about. The business plan enables school operators to work out problems on paper that could be costly to fix in real life. It describes the school's strategy and how the school intends to achieve its goals. It sets standards for quality and performance and provides a useful benchmark for measuring the school's progress against its stated goals and objectives. When a school's operating environment changes, the business plan will also enable charter school operators to revisit and possibly redefine their objectives.

The business plan should be prepared by those who will be charged with its execution. The principal or board president should be heavily involved. Input should be gathered from as many stakeholders as possible, including parents, staff, chartering authorities, and potential investors.

Unless your chartering authority specifically requires a business plan as part of your charter school application, your application is not the equivalent of a business plan. While parts of the charter application can be used in the business plan, the business plan itself should be a separate document. This is particularly important since some elements of your school may have changed since you first received your charter. The business plan should focus on all aspects of your program outside of curriculum. The business plan is a tool for you to plan out the nuts and bolts of operating your school. Use your plan to go beyond your charter application and work out the nitty-gritty details of running a school.

Great! You're one step ahead. If you are pleased with your business plan, go on to Section III: Needs Assessment, on page 11 of this guide. If you are uncertain about some aspects of your business plan, or if a great deal of time has passed since your business plan was prepared, you might want to review this section anyway. Remember, business plans should be living documents that are updated on a regular basis as conditions change.

Facilities planning is an integral part of the business plan. All the aspects of the school - the number of students, number of staff, level of funding available, expected growth, etc. - will determine the type of facility needed. In return, the physical space of the school will affect the education and services provided - depending on the comfort level, space, accessibility and costs involved. The business plan can help guide the selection of the best available facility, and help the school anticipate the ramifications its physical space will have on its operation.

A business plan need not be overly complex or long. As mentioned, parts of the charter application may be adapted for the business plan.

The following is a suggested outline for a charter school business plan. Operators will want to modify it for their specific needs. Each section will be discussed below.

a. Mission Statement
b. Instructional Focus and Goals
c. Governance

a. Logistics
b. Administration
c. Physical Plant
d. Security

a. Needs Assessment
b. Short-Term Facility Plan
c. Long-Term Facility Plan
d. Site Description(s)
e. Contingency Plan

a. Operating Budget
b. Balance Sheet
c. Capital Budget
d. Cash Flow Proforma

A one to two page summary of the business plan should be included to give readers a quick overview of the school's business plan. It may be helpful to prepare this section after completing the rest of the plan.

This section should briefly describe the school, educational program and legal status.

a. Mission Statement
This describes the school and what makes it distinct from other schools (i.e., its competitive advantage).

b. Instructional Focus and Goals
If the school is using a special curriculum or theme for its educational program, it should be explained here. For instance, some schools emphasize a "back-to-basics" curriculum, or extended school days or school year. This section should include the goals of the school and how it intends to achieve them.

c. Governance
Summarize how the school will be overseen: by the founding Board, Board of Directors (if different from the founding Board), and any other advisory boards. Who has the authority to make decisions for the school and to commit the organization to different courses of action? Who can authorize the school to enter into contracts, to take on debt, to hire and fire staff? This section will refer to the school's Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, which should be attached to the business plan.

If the school will be administered by a school management company, detail the roles and responsibilities of the various parties in this section.

Example of Mission Statement:
...to provide an engaging educational environment, which surrounds the child in a community of learners, who acknowledge and believe in the unique, yet dynamic nature of the human spirit and strive to foster and nurture the individual through meaningful and challenging opportunities in art, research, communication and science while collectively experiencing a Renaissance of the Mind.

The primary reason for the formation of a charter school is to better serve the needs of public school students and their families. In order to receive a charter, operators have to analyze the market for students and develop an educational program that is unique in some way. This is precisely what entrepreneurs do when starting a business.

Charter school operators should include in their business plan an explanation of why their program will attract students from other schools. How many students are currently in the area? Will the school target a specific part of this population? What percentage of the students does the charter school need to attract to make the school feasible? Why does the charter school think those students will come to its school? What needs will the school meet?

This section should include any marketing plans for reaching out to potential students and parents. These might include community meetings, radio/TV appearances or commercials, or flyers distributed in a neighborhood. If there is already a waiting list for the school, then this section should discuss how students will be selected (e.g., lottery).

The market analysis should also review the competition. What are the other public, charter and private schools in its jurisdiction? Understanding these issues will help the school plan its recruitment and retention strategy for students.

A market analysis might include:

Description of target students
Census of target students in target area
Description of marketing methods to be used, such as
- community meetings
- brochures
- posters
- ads on radio/TV and in print
- mailings
- press coverage
Description of competition (e.g., traditional public schools, private schools, and other charter schools)
If possible include the number of inquiries and letters of intent received as well as the number of applications sent

This section should lay out the reporting structure of the school, the process used in the selection of staff and the standards to be used in reviewing performance. An organizational chart should be included showing the lines of authority for the staff and board.

A management plan will summarize how the school will be managed day-to-day. What are the responsibilities of the principal, the key administrators and staff? If there is a business manager, what are his/her responsibilities? If parents are to play an important role in the management of the school, describe how they will be involved.

If the principal and other key staff are already on board, describe their qualifications. It is helpful to keep copies of resumes as attachments to the back of the business plan.

If the principal or other key staff have not yet been hired, the business plan should include the plan for recruiting these administrators, job descriptions and an estimated timeline for interviewing and negotiation periods. If a search firm will be used, those arrangements should be summarized.

If the school has contracted or plans to contract out major components of school management, this section should explain those contracts and the qualifications of the contractors (also in the Governance section).

This section should also include a discussion of financial management issues. Who will oversee this area? What policies will be followed? Who will record entries in a general ledger? How will invoices be tracked and bills paid? Who will oversee petty cash? What checks and balances will be in place to prevent fraud and other forms of mismanagement that can lead to charter revocation?

The business plan should also outline policies around staff performance standards and reviews. There should be a system for evaluating individuals, giving feedback and justifying salary increases or terminations. Staff training opportunities should be described especially as they pertain to improving accountability goals and standards.

If your state requires the school to have a certain percentage of certified teachers, you need to outline your plan for attracting these individuals. Since retention of qualified teachers is critical to a charter school's success, you need to describe the benefits and other incentives you will set in place to mitigate the effects of rapid turnover.

Management Plan should include:

Organizational chart
Job descriptions
Resumes
Recruiting plan
Details on subcontractors or educational management organizations
Financial management policies
Staff evaluation policies

Day-to-day operations of the school should be detailed in this section. Depending on the school, this could include many different items. At a minimum, the business plan should cover:

a. Logistics
What is the basic school schedule? When will students arrive? What will be the flow of traffic during the transition between classes (i.e., will students rotate or will teachers)? How, where and when will lunch, gym and library activities be held? When will classes be dismissed? Will there be after-school activities? What holidays will be observed? How will students travel to and from school? Is your school responsible for transporting students? What are alternative options if the most desirable plan does not work?

b. Administration
Who will be responsible for answering phone inquiries, receiving visitors, tracking attendance and filing necessary reports to regulating authorities?

c. Physical Plant
What is the plan for managing the facility? (If a facility has not been selected, then plan for this in a general way until your facility has been secured.) Who will perform repairs and maintenance? Who will install furniture and equipment? Who will provide janitorial services?

Section V will discuss how to manage construction and/or renovation to your facility. However, you should include in your business plan a summary of who will oversee this work.

d. Security
How will safety and security issues be addressed? Who will be responsible for these issues?

e. Technology
Will the administration and management of computers, phones, fax machines, Internet connections etc. be managed by a single individual? Will they be contracted out to a company? Include how these issues will be handled and where the responsibility lies for resolution of problems.

This is a "chicken-and-egg" dilemma for some operators. If no facility is identified when the business plan is being prepared, it can be difficult to complete this section. On the other hand, the business plan can be used to help the operator think through the facility needs of the school. Nonetheless, it is important to include as much information as possible about your "envisioned" or "actual" facility plan. At a later date, the business plan can be updated to include facility plans once a site has been selected.

a. Needs Assessment
Operators should include the results of a needs assessment in their business plan, even if a site has not been selected. Section III lays out the components to analyze, including square footage, classroom and other space, outdoor/parking areas, geographic focus, proximity to other institutions, etc.

Whether or not a site has been selected, the school should detail short- and long-term facility needs in the business plan. This will serve as an important reference when reviewing facility needs at a later date.

b. Short-Term Facility Plan
Although schools will ideally open in a permanent location, it is important to anticipate short term solutions to facility needs. This can provide a contingency plan if a permanent space is delayed, or buy the school some time before making a commitment to a permanent space. Short-term needs may be addressed for the first few weeks or months of school, or for as long as the first few years.

c. Long-Term Facility Plan
Operators should work out their long-term vision for the school and what types of facilities will be needed to meet them. Long-term facility plans should incorporate projected expansions in enrollment or programs. They should also include the financial impact of a facility, a plan for disposing of the facility if it becomes obsolete or if the school loses its charter, and ongoing maintenance or property management issues.

d. Site(s) Description
Once a site, or sites (if the short-term site differs from the long-term site), has been chosen, the business plan should be revised to reflect the specifics of the facility.

The site description section should detail the size, location and condition of the facility. A budget enumerating the costs involved in acquiring the facility and renovating it should be included. If additional funds are needed to secure the site, lenders or charitable funders will want to see a business plan and this section in particular. A timeline should also be included, estimating how long it will take to gain control of the facility and prepare it for classes.

e. Contingency Plans
The business plan must contain alternatives in case a proposed site becomes unavailable. Unfortunately, the most common facility problem for charter schools is the unpredictability of the real estate market. Too many charter schools have been plagued by facilities becoming unavailable at the last minute. If you prepare a business plan for only one reason, it should be to have a contingency plan in place for this dilemma.

The Importance of Planning
The importance of short- and long-term facility planning cannot be overemphasized. Many operators rush to open facilities, often creating significant financial and management burdens in the process. You don't have to open your school in a state-of-the-art facility on Day 1! Consider the full range of options available. Many schools have found that occupying a less-than-optimal (i.e., cheaper) facility for the first year allows the school's operations to stabilize and the school's financial assets to accrue - allowing the school to develop a better facility at a later time.

This section should include information on the financial health of the organization and projections about future performance. (See Section VI for further discussion.) The following should be prepared by the business manager or accountant:

a. Operating Budget
This spreadsheet should show the annual revenues and expenses of the school, and any resulting surplus or deficit. It must be approved by the Board. If estimates are used for any items, the assumptions used should be clearly noted. Projections of the budget for future years may be included, as well as a month-by-month breakdown of the current year budget. A model Operating Budget is included in Appendix A.

Once a school is operational, the finance staff should prepare a regular statement of activities or income statement, that shows the revenues received and expenses incurred in a particular period. Schools may be required to produce these statements monthly or quarterly. They provide one of the most important sources of information on the financial condition of the organization. If your school is operational, you should include the most recent copies of this statement in your business plan.

b. Balance Sheet
Once a school is operational, the finance staff should also prepare a statement of financial position, or balance sheet. This is a snapshot of the organization's assets and liabilities at a specific point in time. This is also a very useful tool for understanding the financial condition of a school and should be included in the business plan if available. A model balance sheet is provided in Appendix B.

c. Capital Budget
This budget is for the one-time costs of acquiring and/or renovating the facility to be used. This budget should be separate from the operating budget. See Section VI for more detail on preparing a capital budget. A model capital budget is included in Appendix C.

d. Cash Flow Proforma
This spreadsheet should show the receipts and disbursements of cash for the organization. It usually covers the organization's fiscal year and is broken down by months. This report is important because the timing of funds received may or may not coincide with the time the funds are needed. Therefore, a charter school may have an operating surplus (revenues exceed expenses) but a cash flow deficit (cash inflows may be smaller than cash outflows, perhaps due to the timing of the receipt of the per student allotment). This is an important management tool for operators, as well as something your auditor, lender or funder will need to understand. A model Cash Flow Proforma is included in Appendix D.

The business plan should include an appendix with relevant documents.

They might include:

Copy of the charter contract or application
Articles of Incorporation
Corporate By-Laws
Curriculum summary
Class schedule
Board of Directors list (include professional affiliations; indicate members who are parents of students)
Resumes of key staff
Other financial information

Business Planning in Four Steps and a Leap, Northern Initiatives Corporation, Marquette, Michigan (906-228-5571). ISBN 0-9646706-0-7
U.S. Small Business Administration's online resources at http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/starting/busplan.txt
The Charter Friends National Network's website at http://www.charterfriends.org/ and its section on business planning http://www.csus.edu/ier/charter/bizpl.html.

Firestorm Spark Plugs

2007-07-25T04:50:00.000-04:00

THE REVOLUTIONARY FIRESTORM SPARK PLUG

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 12, Number 2 (February - March 2005)
PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia. editor@nexusmagazine.com
Telephone: +61 (0)7 5442 9280; Fax: +61 (0)7 5442 9381
From our web page at: www.nexusmagazine.com

by Robert Stanley © October 2004
Email: rstanley@socal.rr.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE REVOLUTIONARY FIRESTORM SPARK PLUG
During the past nine years while I was working as a market researcher for a major Japanese auto company, I learned that the price of oil worldwide would continue to climb higher due to a steadily growing demand for a limited supply. It was clear from the reports I read that this presented a very real problem to the auto companies of the world. There was a general agreement in the auto industry that the answers to the problem would come in the future via new technologies.
For years now, I have wondered where and when the next Edison with a bright idea will appear and invent a "lean, green, driving machine". I have finally found such a man. He lives in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and his name is Robert Krupa.
We have all heard the saying, "If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is". The amazing new spark plug designed by Mr Krupa, which he named "FireStorm", is the exception to this rule.
I know that when it comes to buying spark plugs, they are all basically the same except for the price. So, why make a big deal about another new spark plug?

FireStorm's Capabilities
First, let's look at what Krupa's FireStorm spark plugs give an internal combustion engine:
• More horsepower;
• 44–50% increase in mpg;
• Dramatic decrease in emissions.
Second, let's see what FireStorm plugs eliminate:
• Smog pump;
• Catalytic converter;
• Radio frequency interference (RFI) and the use of resistors in the centre electrode;
• Gap growth;
• Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems;
• Misfire/hesitation/detonation/stutter and stumble.

How, you may ask, is all this achieved? In a word, plasma. The revolutionary design of FireStorm spark plugs creates an electric plasma that fills the entire combustion chamber like a firestorm. It allows you to take an internal combustion engine from the standard 14.7:1 air-to-fuel ratio to an incredibly lean 24:1. At this ratio, all the air/fuel mixture is burned much more efficiently without increasing heat, thus giving an engine more power and fuel economy while creating much less pollution. That's the good news
The bad news is that you can't buy a set of FireStorm spark plugs anywhere right now. No spark plug company wants to make them.
Robert Krupa is no stranger to the way the automotive industry and spark plug industry operate. He has worked as a technician, then as an engineer for GM and Ford.
Krupa explained: "Before I entered college and earned a BS [Bachelor of Science] in engineering, I was taking electrolytic capacitors and mounting them to the plus side of a distributor, which would smooth out the electrical pulses going to the distributor and the spark plugs. With that little improvement, I was able to make cars run smoother. So, that was the start of this engineering journey I am now on.
"I have an electrical background that's very heavily into automotive applications. I have an extreme sensitivity to mechanical noise. I can listen to an engine running and tell exactly what's wrong with it. My hearing is so keen that when I worked at General Motors they sent me to Mexico and to Germany and New York to fix engine assembly plants. When I went to New York, they were having problems with engines going in the repair loop. So I looked at what they were doing, thought a while, then made changes to 22 machines and got the engine plant running faster than design intent. The plant manager offered me a job right on the spot."
Krupa knows spark plugs and has worked very hard to bring improved designs to the automotive market. Although it was not his design, he is solely responsible for bringing the "SplitFire" spark plug to the market over a decade ago. It was a simple variation on standard plugs which featured a split electrode, designed like a snake's tongue, that increased the sparking area of the plug somewhat. It cost more than an average spark plug and generated annual sales of US$60 million in 1993.
As fate would have it, Robert Krupa became friends with the legendary Henry "Smokey" Yunick, of Daytona Beach, Florida. Smokey was a Hall of Fame NASCAR stock car and IndyCar builder, entrepreneur and inventor extraordinaire. They met while working on a project for GM. At that time, Smokey was having a little bit of trouble hearing. So Krupa set up a knock module and sensor and hooked it up to an oscilloscope for Smokey to use. The next morning, Smokey asked Krupa to come and work for him. Krupa politely turned Smokey down, but the end result was they became good friends.
Because of this, Krupa decided to take his first prototype of the FireStorm to Smokey. While witnessing the new spark plug firing on a portable test stand, Smokey declared: "After 30 years consulting for Champion, I have never seen a spark plug fire like yours. You are going to turn the automotive industry on its ear!"
With that endorsement, Krupa knew he had a winner. That afternoon, he signed Smokey up as a consultant to Krupa's newly formed company, Century Development International Limited.

(Close-ups of the FireStorm spark plug.)

Genesis of the FireStorm
It was Krupa's unwavering determination to discover a better plug that led to the technical breakthrough of the first FireStorm prototype back in November 1996. When asked about that life-changing event, Krupa recalled:
"I was brought up by the NOS [nitrous oxide systems] Racing guys in California. Their theory was a spark plug either works or it doesn't and there is no in-between. After a lot of investigation, I essentially found out that there was something special about spark plugs.
"During this time, I went through a 55-gallon drum full of grimy used spark plugs. I inspected them all very carefully and found that the older the model of spark plug was, the more the centre electrode of the plug was worn all around the side. It took the shape of a small ball. It was a half a ball—a dome shape, to be exact.
"That's when I thought, 'If that's what the spark plug wants to be, then why not start off with that shape and see what it does?' So, I took a brand new plug and filed it down into the shape of a dome and fired it and noticed it worked a little bit better. But I still had a problem with the grounding side. Next, I whacked the ground off and started putting different configurations of grounding electrodes on it, and I held everything together with toothpicks to make it easier to change.
"When I put a half a loop on the grounding side, it seemed to fire a little better. Then I took the head of a screw and bashed it with a hammer until it took a dome shape. Then I took the other side and dimpled it, creating a concave—an inverted dome, really. I carefully balanced that battered dome on top of the electrode of the new plug that I had filed to accommodate it, and then I put a half a ring over it for the negative electrode, again holding all that together with toothpicks. And when it started firing, the amount of energy coming off the plug was just crazy, and I said to myself, 'I've really got something here!'
"But I was inspired to do this because I just knew there had to be a better way. That's why spark plug companies hate me. They've got millions and millions of dollars tied up in research departments and I was able to come up with the FireStorm prototype in my basement in just under two hours."

(The FireStorm being fired next to a standard plug during a working test.)

Performance and Testing
When I asked Krupa if there were any other advantages to using FireStorm spark plugs, he explained: "If there is a vehicle that requires premium fuel and they install FireStorm plugs and perform the modifications I suggest...they could run regular fuel in the engine and it won't detonate, hesitate, ping or misfire. The only reason you need higher octane fuel is for higher compression engines. And if an engine is pulling a heavy load, it has a tendency to go into detonation with a regular spark plug."
This all seemed too good to be true, but there was more good news.
According to Krupa: "I know it sounds like smoke and mirrors. But this has all been documented. When I was doing some of the early testing on this, I hooked up an emissions analyser to the car and I had equipment in the car while changing air/fuel ratios and idle speeds. I was doing this at an automotive aftermarket speed shop. The guys were coming over to see what I was doing. I had the test vehicle running at 250 rpm! Engines do not like to idle at 250 rpm. You can't do that with a regular spark plug. But you can do it with the FireStorm plug."
I had never heard of anyone doing this before, and wondered what the engine would run like at that ultra-low idle—another major fuel-saving measure.
Krupa told me: "It just loped along really smooth, but it was constant. No hesitation; no misfires. And when I did that test on a T-bird and got a 44% increase in fuel economy, I was using the air conditioner at the time! And nobody uses the air conditioner when they test for fuel mileage. But, I was doing real-world testing. In fact, the EPA is thinking about revising their air/fuel testing so that it reflects real-world driving conditions. And even with the increased fuel mileage, I got 33 more horsepower out of a big-block Chevy just by adding FireStorm spark plugs and adjusting the tuning of the engine.
"The other amazing thing I discovered while testing the FireStorm plug was that an engine can run further out in the rpm range. In other words, when they reach extremely high speeds the power curve starts falling off. Just by using FireStorm plugs, I can operate from 600 to 800 rpm faster past red-line with the power curve still heading up rather than down.
"Bottom line, I can pull more rpm and power out of an engine and still deliver better fuel economy because even at extremely high speeds of operation the FireStorm plugs still produce plasma that burns all the fuel in the combustion chamber. A regular plug, with its itty-bitty little spark, can never fire well in a combustion chamber that's running at high speed. That size spark can't keep up with the increased speed flow of air/fuel mixture."
Krupa showed me an amazing video of the FireStorm spark plugs running in real time on a test rig. I noticed that the powerful plasma field coming from his spark plug filled the combustion chamber, but there was something else. It appeared that the plasma was swirling around like a small whirling tornado.
When asked about this, Krupa explained: "I have coined the term residual ionisation to describe the effect of the firing of the FireStorm spark plug. When a generic spark plug fires in a pressure chamber or your vehicle, it will fire six to eight times and then misfire once. The misfire is caused by the residual ionisation left around the plug proper. When the charge comes down the centre electrode, it sees a high impedance and cannot jump the gap, hence a misfire.
"There is also residual ionisation left over in a FireStorm spark plug. However, because of the huge surface area in the configuration of the domed centre electrode and the triaxial ground system, when the residual ionisation rears its ugly head the charge coming down the centre electrode sees it and moves to the next area under the triaxial ground system that is residual ionisation free. That's why the plasma appears to move around the dome in a circular motion."

Acclaim and Potential
Krupa's new FireStorm spark plug is in a league all of its own. It has received rave reviews from a major spark plug company. Krupa explained: "Bosch conducted an eight-week-long durability test of my FireStorm plugs against their best, and they said that the FireStorm plugs produced zero per cent gap growth. And they predicted that [the plugs] will never wear out."
That might be one reason spark plug companies are not interested in manufacturing the FireStorm. Another big reason is that the currently used standard design of spark plugs would rapidly become obsolete. However, the main reason no spark plug manufacturer is willing to make the FireStorm is that there is no way anyone can create a knock-off that gets around Krupa's worldwide patents on his designs.
According to Krupa: "What we did was sit down and decide what the best configuration was for firing. Then we set that aside and for the next seven months we designed knock-offs and incorporated every one of them into the patent."
A final important factor to consider is financial. Most spark plug manufacturing plants are over 100 years old. They would need to invest vast amounts of money to retool before producing the FireStorm design because standard centre electrodes in generic plugs are manufactured in three parts. The FireStorm spark plug's centre electrode is only made of one part. Because of this, Krupa's company, CDI Limited, has decided it will have to manufacture the FireStorm plugs on its own. This is a massive undertaking that Krupa and his team did not initially plan for, but it has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for venture capitalists and investors to get on board early.
Consider this: annually, there are over six billion spark plugs made and sold worldwide. Krupa's team at CDI Limited estimates that the FireStorm spark plug will cost US$1.50 per unit initially to manufacture. The team also estimates that once FireStorm spark plugs become available, they will quickly capture 80% of the market share—even if they cost $10.00 or more per plug. That equals a lot of money.

Moreover, an enormous amount of money will be saved by consumers when they fill up their gas tanks—even as fuel prices continue to rise. This will have a positive impact on the world's economy. And it couldn't come at a better time. In a recent report, Bill Powers, the editor of an investment newsletter called Canadian Energy Viewpoint, predicts that the price of crude oil will reach US$80 per barrel in the next 24 months! (See web page http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/ powers/2004/1104.html.)
When asked if there were any conditions he required of future business partners, Krupa stated: "Well, we would have to sit down and talk about the details and see what they want and work out a deal that everyone agrees on. And no matter who's going to be involved, I would like to be in charge of the quality control end of the manufacturing. Because if you don't make it right, then it's like shooting yourself in the foot before a race."
Much like Edison, who refused to rest until he'd invented a better light bulb, Robert Krupa was inspired and determined to invent a better spark plug. In so doing, he has given the internal combustion engine and our environment a brighter future.
When asked about the legacy of his life's work, he proudly said: "I tell people I took the lowly spark plug from the Stone Age to the Space Age." ∞

About the Inventor
Inventor Robert Krupa is an accomplished engineer and scientist who specialises in electrical and mechanical media. He's travelled around the world four times and has been featured on TV, radio and in magazines. He has also written many articles for the "hot-rod" world. Robert Krupa can be emailed at flamefromwater@yahoo.com. Visit the FireStorm web page at http://www.robertstanley.biz/firestorm.htm.

About the Author
Robert M. Stanley is a writer and researcher specialising in technology trends. His last article for NEXUS was an interview with space technology consultant David Adair (see 9/05). His article on Robert Krupa is copyright © 29 October 2004, UNICUS, 1147 Manhattan Avenue #43, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, USA. Robert Stanley can be emailed at rstanley@socal.rr.com.

David Banner Takes 80 Children To Six Flags In Georgia

2007-07-22T00:22:00.000-04:00

David Banner Sends 80 Kids On Six Flags Field Trip
Published: Friday - July 20, 2007
Words by Miles Bennett

David Banner
Photo: BallerStatus.com / Ed Rios

Rapper David Banner, who has also been recognized as a humanitarian, made it possible for 80 teens from his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to go on an all-expense paid field trip to Six Flags in Georgia on Friday (July 20).

This isn't the first time he's given youth in his hometown cool field trips. For the past three summers, the rapper has sponsored a free trip for his hometown youth by providing a bus, food, t-shirts and admission fees, for teens in the Stewpot Neighborhood Children's program.

Stewpot provides an atmosphere of love and second chances for all the children who pass through their doors. They offer both an after-school program and a summer camp for elementary, junior high and high school students. It focuses on providing a safe place for these children to go after school, as well as homework help, encouragement, structure and recreation in a loving environment.

Since 2005, Banner has sent more than 200 youth on a free trip outside of Jackson with hope to expose them to places they otherwise wouldn't have been able to experience. Many of the teens have never been out of the state of Mississippi and on Friday night many of them will witness their first live-concert, which will feature Omarion and Monica.

"The children that we serve at Stewpot would not normally be able to go on an 'out of town' trip," said Stewpot Community Services Counselor, Sherry Adams. "Most of the kids in the community have not been out of Mississippi. Because of Banner's love for our community, he makes it possible for our kids to travel outside of Mississippi, on a fun and exciting summer trip every year. David made it all possible because these kids don't have to pay a dime."

Banner is not only known for his hit single, but he's also recognized for his exuberant willingness to give to those who are in need.

In November 2006, David Banner was awarded a Visionary Award by the National Black Caucus of the State Legislature in recognition of his work after Hurricane Katrina (see "David Banner Honored For Humanitarian Efforts In Mississippi"). This move was criticized by conservatives within the state, as well as some civil rights leaders, who Banner has accused of failing to adequately aid Mississippi.

When receiving the award from the Black Caucus, he said it was one of the greatest honors in his life.

Diabetic Recipe Index

2007-07-20T03:39:00.000-04:00

http://www.bigmamasrecipes.com/diabetic/kidsrecipes.html

Diabetic Recipe Index

Pizza Rollers

Quick and Easy Sugar Free Lemon Frosty

Sloppy Foe Buggy

Strawberry Orange Pops

Sugar Free Strawberry Smoothie

Super Nachos

Taco Popcorn

This Little Piggy Pie

Tortellini Teasers

Turkey Calzone

Turkey Sub

Wrong Sided Turkey Sandwich

How To Cut the Cost of Food Through Menu Planning

2007-07-20T03:34:00.000-04:00

Start by analyzing how much money you have to spend on various food items. Do this by keeping an accurate spending record for the next two weeeks. With this information you can decide what and how many changes you need to make in your buying habits.

Then decide what to buy, create a delicious nutritious daily menu plan for several days or a week at a time. This may take a half hour or so but the finacial savings (hundreds of dollars a year) will more than pay for the added time you spend on planning.

Start planning your menus with the main dishes, since the largest part of the food dollar will be spent on meats. For diversity and a budget bonus add substitute less expensive meat alternatives such as dry beans or peas for meat.

Besides meats plan to spend monies and use other bargins that your local stores advertise. Fit these into the remainig parts of the menu you created, with side dishes, salads and desserts, being sure to fulfill the requirements of the Basic Four. Remember that the food pyramid has been recently upgraded.

Now that your menu plans are complete, covert these plans into a shopping list. From the recipes, list the ingredients plus the form and amount that you need to purchase at the store. Also check your cupboard to see what staples you are low on. Make it a habit to replace staples when they are on sale. Finally, to save time later, reorganize the list into the order that you will see the foods in your store.

Oprah Winfrey opens school in S. Africa

2007-01-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

Oprah Winfrey opens school in S. Africa
1/2/2007 2:41 PM
By: Associated Press


	Oprah Winfrey, center, and students cut the ribbon during the opening of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the small town of Henley-on-Klip, South Africa, Jan. 2, 2007. (AP)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Oprah Winfrey opened a school Tuesday for disadvantaged girls, fulfilling a promise she made to former President Nelson Mandela six years ago and giving more than 150 students a chance for a better future.

"I wanted to give this opportunity to girls who had a light so bright that not even poverty could dim that light," Winfrey said at a news conference.

Mandela, 88, attended the opening ceremony of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the small town of Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg. He looked frail as he was helped on to the stage by his wife, Graca Machel, and Winfrey. But he beamed with joy and his speech resonated with pride.

"It is my hope that this school will become the dream of every South African girl and they will study hard and qualify for the school one day," he said in a firm voice.

Mandela thanked Winfrey for the "personal time and effort" she devoted to the school.

"This is not a distant donation but a project that clearly lies close to your heart," said the anti-apartheid leader who became multiracial South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.

Singers Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, actors Sidney Poitier and Chris Tucker, and director Spike Lee also were in attendance. Each guest was asked to bring a personally inscribed book for the library.

Winfrey has said that she decided to build her own school because she wanted to feel closer to the people she was trying to help.

The $40 million academy aims to give 152 girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.

By educating girls, Winfrey said she hoped she could help "change the face of a nation."

"Girls who are educated are less likely to get HIV/ AIDS, and in this country which has such a pandemic, we have to begin to change the pandemic," she said.

Many of the girls come from families affected by the disease, which has infected 5.4 million of the 48 million population and hit women disproportionately hard.

Winfrey referred repeatedly to her own impoverished childhood and said she was grateful that she at least had a good education, declaring this to be "the most vital aspect of my life."

"I was a poor girl who grew up with my grandmother, like so many of these girls, with no water and electricity," said the talk show host, dressed in a pink ball gown and jacket.

She vowed to make the academy the "best school in the world" and promised that she would continue to support the girls so they could attend any university in the world.

The idea for the school was born in 2000 at a meeting between Winfrey and Mandela. She said she decided to build the academy in South Africa rather than the United States out of love and respect for Mandela and because of her own African roots.

She said she planned a second school for boys and girls in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Many state-funded schools, especially in the sprawling townships that sprang up under white racist rule, are hopelessly overcrowded and lack even basic necessities such as books. They also are plagued by gang violence, drugs and a high rate of pregnancy among school girls.

Top-class study and sports facilities are available but are largely confined to private schools that are still dominated by the white minority, since they are too expensive for many black and mixed race South Africans.

Winfrey's academy received 3,500 applications from across the country. A total of 152 girls ages 11 and 12 were accepted.

To qualify, they had to show both academic and leadership potential and have a household income of no more than $787 a month. Eventually, the academy will accommodate 450 girls.

The 28-building campus boasts computer and science laboratories, a library and theater along with a wellness center.

Winfrey rejected suggestions the school was elitist and unnecessarily luxurious.

"If you are surrounded by beautiful things and wonderful teachers who inspire you, that beauty brings out the beauty in you," she said.

Lesego Tlhabanyane, 13, proudly wore her new green and white uniform at the ceremony to raise the South African flag.

"I would have had a completely different life is this hadn't happened to me. Now I get a life where I get to be treated like a movie star," she said.

Winfrey, who does not have children, said she was building a home for herself on the campus to spend time with the girls and be involved in their education.

"I love these girls with every part of my being. I didn't know you could feel this way about other people's children," she said.

Tickle Me Elmo TMX

2006-09-30T11:42:00.000-04:00

Kevin Clash

Kevin Clash provides the distinctive voice for Elmo, the immensely popular Muppet character introduced on "Sesame Street" in the 1980s. Told to provide a voice for Elmo soon after joining Sesame Street as a puppeteer, Clash came up with Elmo's distinctive voice and laugh, turning the puppet into one of the show's most popular characters. It also netted Clash an Emmy Award.

BORN
September 17, 1960 in Baltimore, Maryland.

CAREER
Clash began making puppets when he was 10, having been a "Sesame Street" fan from early childhood. He began performing with his puppets at age 12 in his neighborhood, later taking his act to Baltimore's Harborplace. Local Baltimore television personality Stu Kerr spotted Clash and hired him for his show, "Caboose." In 1979, he began working for national television shows like "The Great Space Coaster" and "Captain Kangaroo." His work came to the attention of Muppet designer Kermit Love, and he joined the cast of "Sesame Street" full-time in 1985. At that time, the Elmo character existed, but his character did not emerge until Clash was given the task to develop it. Clash gave Elmo a falsetto voice and a sweet, curious outlook on the world, and soon Elmo was one of the most popular characters on "Sesame Street." Clash also contributed his voice to the "Tickle Me Elmo" doll, a marketing sensation during the 1996 Christmas season. The toys disappeared from store shelves as soon as they appeared, and tales of parents going to great lengths to acquire a doll became a footnote to the season. Clash also was executive producer for the film "Elmopalooza," (1998) co-producer for "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" (1999) and co-executive producer for "CinderElmo" (1999) and "Elmo's World." Clash's other Muppet characters include Hoots, Natasha and many others from "Sesame Street," Leon from "The Jim Henson Hour" and Clifford from "The Jim Henson Hour" and "Muppets Tonight." He also works as a talent scout for Jim Henson Productions.

AWARDS
Nominated several times for an Emmy, Clash took home the award in 1990 for outstanding performer in a children's series. He won again in 2001 for his work as co-executive producer of "Sesame Street."

PERSONAL
Clash has a 9-year-old daughter, Shannon Elyse Clash.

Elmo gets more outrageous when you "tickle" him a second time, and the fun really starts with the third "tickle" session

Ten years later, T.M.X. Elmo (the X stands for 10) was unveiled to the world on Good Morning America on September 19. The most secretly guarded toy of the pre-holiday season, if not all time, T.M.X. Elmo was shown only to a few toy-industry insiders prior to his release. This secrecy didn't stop thousands of pre-orders from piling up. Though now that all is known, the obvious question is: Does T.M.X. Elmo deserve the hype?

When you first take him out of his box, T.M.X. Elmo doesn't seem all that grand. He looks after all, well, like Elmo. Covered in the soft red fur that one would expect from everyone's favorite Sesame Street character, T.M.X. Elmo stands an unimposing 14 inches tall. Even worse, he feels all hard and plasticy under his fur. But this Elmo is not meant for cuddles or hand holding or swaddling.

This Elmo is all about tickles.

Sit T.M.X. Elmo down and hit one of his three "tickle" spots. There's one under his chin, one on his belly, and one on top of his foot. Yes, this Elmo wiggles just like he did 10 years ago, but that's just the start. Elmo slaps his belly, falls forward with his butt sticking out, stands back up again only to topple backwards, kicks his legs over his belly, and then stands right back up, all while laughing hysterically.

"Again! Again!"

Elmo gets more outrageous when you "tickle" him a second time, and the fun really starts with the third "tickle" session. Elmo's fancy moves include falling over on his side, shimmying on his back, and what seems to be everyone's favorite: lying flat on his belly slapping the floor next to him as if he can’t stop laughing. This Elmo has a serious case of the giggles. His trademark voice builds into a fit of histrionics, endless snickers that drown out everything but an unintelligible cackle until even Elmo admits he has had too much.

T.M.X Elmo requires 6 AA batteries, which are included, although these wore down quickly in our review copy. Elmo also has an on/off switch, so the tickles can be brought to an end when more than just Elmo has had too much. He moves a lot and needs a little open space for the full performance, although he does use his arm to determine his orientation periodically and stand back up if nothing is in the way. He gets a little stuck on uneven surfaces but for the most part performs amazingly well on carpet. On hardwood floors, Elmo works, but he occasionally slams his eyes on the floor in a way that seems it should halt the show.

In the end, T.M.X. Elmo is undeniably a trooper. Early reviews show that this turbocharged version of Tickle Me Elmo will follow the stellar path enjoyed by his much simpler predecessor. --David Morel

The African American Pulpit

2006-09-21T19:47:00.000-04:00

Announcing our new issue: Fall 2006:
"Seminarians' Issue III"

Saluting Seminarians.

Featuring the winners of our 3rd Seminarian contest ,

plus 11 other powerful Seminarian sermons;

and encouraging words from esteemed elders

Caesar Clark, Sandy Ray, and Charles Albert Tindley.

The African American Pulpit Fall 2006 Contents

Click on the highlighted area below to preview a sampling of the articles and sermons in this must-have issue.

Saluting Seminarians
Katara A. Washington and Eugene L. Gibson Jr.

To be or Not to be in Seminary-is that still the question?

This question raises others: In a world of TV ministry and "mega" and now "giga" churches, are people grappling with going to institutions of higher learning where they might spend time in preparation with God? In a culture where the gospel has seemingly been laced with Americanized capitalism that has traded the Cross for cash, cameras, and crowds, are there any men and women standing like Jacob at the Jabbok wrestling against God, man, and self? The African American Pulpit is excited to answer such questions with a resounding YES! Not only are there many outstanding seminary students who are striving and struggling, but we have the pleasure of sharing some of their ministry with you in this Fall 2006 Seminarians' Issue.

In addition to our powerful seminarian sermons in this issue, we've also included esteemed elders Caesar Clark, Sandy Ray, and Charles Albert Tindley. You're certain to be challenged and encouraged by their words. And we have several informative articles as usual, such as an article on forming dance ministry and an inspiring reminder on preaching to heal listeners.

Editorially Speaking

Saluting Seminarians

Katara A. Washington and Eugene L. Gibson Jr.

Tributes

In Honor of Medgar Evers

Gene Cornelius Young

Articles

Teaching Black Preaching: Encounter and Re-encounter

Dale P. Andrews

A Dance Ministry in Your Church

Denita Hedgeman

An Invisible Calling: The Role of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement

Karen Jackson-Weaver

Preaching Faith to Heal Them: W. W. Austin and the Origins of the North Sixth Street Church of God in Christ

Elton H. Weaver III

Seminarians' Sermons

FIRST PLACE:
Why Seek Ye the Living among the Dead?

Jacqueline Blue

SECOND PLACE:
By Whose Authority Do You Preach?

Christopher M. Jones

THIRD PLACE:
The Hope in His Holler

Malene S. Minor

Priceless

Reginald Bell Jr.

The Ministry of Liberation: A Call and Response

D. Darius Butler

Ending the Identity Crisis: Do You Know Him?

Lisa M. Goods

A Grave Danger Disciples Face

Taft Quincey Heatley

A Message from the Original Promise Keepers

Benita Lewis

The World Is a Ghetto

Sylvia Moseley

A Glimpse of Glory

Dexter U. Nutall

Don't Settle!

Kimberly C. Rogers

God Says So.So Why Don't We?

Heidi M. Stevens

Considerations on the Cross

Jason Lawrence Turner

Who Is My Neighbor? The Stranger in Our Midst

Monica L. Wedlock

Sermons of the Elders

Elijah Is Us

Caesar A. W. Clark

Journeying through a Jungle

Sandy F. Ray

Caleb

Charles Albert Tindley

If you're a current subscriber you'll receive this issue

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	And Jesus said, "Where is he?" And the Master said in one sentence all of the Christian ethics you need to know, all you need about the theories of human goodness; he said, "Bring him to me."
	Samuel DeWitt Proctor Best of Hampton Spring 2002

Black Business Expo - Relationship Discussion

2006-09-20T02:23:00.000-04:00

Black Business Expo - Relationship Discussion

Moderated by Author Pearl Jr.

Author

Greetings!

What A Man Wants In A Relationship From A Man’s Perspective

Hosted by Dr. Rosie Milligan (Publisher & Author)

FEATURING

~ Ken Mask, M.D.—Author of “Luke Jacobs, PI"
~ Geno Jones—Radio Personality, Author Of “Game Recognize Game”
~ J. Duval, Author Of “A Good Man’s Survival Guide"
~ And Others

TOPICS

~How to have a healthy relationship in times like these.

~What women need to know about men.

~What men need to know about women.

~How to choose a healthy mate.

Sincerely,

Pearl Jr

Author Moderator

SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES

PURCHASE SIGNED COPIES OF BOOKS

BLACK BUSINESS EXPO

LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER

DOWNTOWN LA

Los Angeles, California

Saturday, September 23, & Sunday, September 24, 2006

4 - 6 pm

I realize that some of my articles have justifiably judged Black men rather harshly.

Come, listen, and join in the discussion about relationships from a man's point of view!

To read my controversial blogs, please log onto:

www.myspace.com/PearlJr

Learn More


Elbow Grease Productions 5632 Van Nuys Blvd #195 Van Nuys, California 91401 818 716 7838 pearljr@trutalk.us http://www.BlackWomenNeedLoveToo.com	Elbow Grease Productions is dedicated to activism via the media.

Roy Eaton, Classical Pianist

2006-09-14T05:32:00.000-04:00

My Mission

"There are occasions when this world gives us magic moments of inspiration; when our reason and our soul live a special life, which is unfettered by mundane earthly laws. It was exactly this kind of moment, which an American pianist, ROY EATON, gave to Moscovites who managed to get to his concerts"

Classical Pianist with Spiritual Dimension
So begins the commentary on his recent Russian tour. Pianist, composer, producer, TM Sidha,Shiatsu therapist, Roy Eaton's return to the concert stage has been marked by an increasing focus on the spiritual dimension of music by composers as diverse as Chopin and Joplin. Writing on his first "Meditative Chopin" Alice Tully recital, Tim Page said in the NY Times:
"The cumulative effect was deeply satisfying. One came much closer to the heart of Chopin-and by extension, to music itself"
Contact Roy Now

Who am I?
Roy Eaton, winner of the first Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Award in June 1950, made his American debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Chopin's F minor Concerto under George Schick in 1951. He was re-engaged to perform Beethoven's 4th concerto the following season, and also made his New York Town Hall debut in 1952. His career was "temporarily" interrupted by 2 years of service in the U.S.Army during the Korean conflict,then approximately 30 years in advertising at Young & Rubicam, then as V.P. Music Director of Benton& Bowles,then running his own production company. He is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to Chopin, his performances of the music of Scott Joplin have been particularly noteworhy. "My mission has been to restore Joplin's works to the domain that it was his intention that they live--as classical works in the tradition of the great European masters that constituted an important inspirational resource for him." More Bio Info

Roy plays at Carnegie Hall June,17 1937 with Lily Pons and 2 unidentified youngsters.

Current recordings include "The Meditative Chopin" on Seventh Wave, and "Joplin Rags" on Sony Classical. CDs-$15 CASSETTES-$10 plus $3 Shipping. Send checks to Roy Eaton Music 531 Main Street #1819 New York, N.Y. 10044

APPEARANCES

MONDAY,DECEMBER 9,2002 Returns to Carnegie Hall,New York. Soloist with NY Pops playing Ravel G Major, 2nd Movement and "The Entertainer" by Joplin.Benefit Laurie Strauss Leukemia Foundation.

... SATURDAY APRIL10,2004 Performs program of Joplin at 92nd Street YMHA.

TUESDAY APRIL 13,2004 Performs "Meditative Chopin"-"Joyful Joplin" recital in Community Concert series Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 16,2005 Works of Joplin Gershwin and Still. Caldwell College Alumni Theatre Caldwell, NJ 8PM

THURSDAY, MARCH 3,2005 Preludes of Chopin, Gershwin and Still. Harvard Business School Chapel, Cambridge, Mass. 12 noon. .

.SUNDAY, APRIL 10.2005"The Peaceful Piano" A Musical Meditation for World Peace" Unity Center,213 West 58th Street 2:30 PM .A Music for Peace Project event.

SUNDAY,JUNE 19,2005 Classical composers of African descent 1700-to present. New Rochellle Library 3 PM

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 12,2005'The Peaceful Piano" The Peace Alliance Conference to create Department of Peace.7 PM Ronald Reagan Building Ampitheater.1300 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. www.ThePeaceAlliance.org

THURSDAY,DECEMBER 1,2005 "The Meditative Chopin" and "The Joyful Joplin" Bargemusic, 7:30PM Fulton Street Landing, Brooklyn N.Y. www.bargemusic.org.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 27,2006 Recital feauturing Joplin, Gershwin, Still and Chopin,Kravis Center , West Palm Beach FL. 7:30PM www.kravis.org

SATURDAY, APRIL 29,2006 Soloist with Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, Salisbury NC performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. www.Salisburysymphony.org

THURSDAY, JULY 20,2006 8PM BRAVE NEW WORLD REPERTORY THEATRE;

THE GREAT WHITE HOPE live music from noted ragtime piano virtuoso Roy Eaton and historic photographic images courtesy of Culver Pictures, Inc.http://www.brooklynx.org/celebrate/schedule.asp

SUNDAY, August 27,2006 2-5PM Solo performance Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island. FREE ww.crossgenerationchess.com

SATURDAY,November 4,2006 7:30PM Hickory, NC Soloist wtih Western Piedmont Symphony, Ravel G Major Concerto www.wpsymphony.org

SUNDAY,November 12,2006,3-6PM Musicale benefit for Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. Home of Bert Levine, on Green Farms Road, Westport Ct $125 www.NorwalkSymphony.org..

NOW AVAILABLE !!!!!
"24/7 + 7" The complete Preludes of Chopin, Gershwin, and William Grant Still on SUMMIT label.The only recording of all 26 Chopin, 7 Gershwin and 5 Still Preludes. Purchase now

To order CD send check or money order for $15 plus $3 shipping to Roy Eaton Music 531 Main Street #1819 Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

You Are Invited To The Screening For HAVEN, From Houston Style Magazine

2006-09-13T22:20:00.000-04:00

YOU AND A GUEST ARE INVITED TO
ATTEND A SPECIAL SCREENING:

7:30 pm
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Edwards Grand Palace
3839 Weslayan St
Houston, Texas

Please present this pass at the door for admission.

Please RSVP to LWilczewski@moroch.com no later than 12 noon on Monday, September 18 2006.

You will be subject to search and inspection. Individuals entering the theater will be subject to physical search and inspection of their person and personal effects for recording devices and may be required to pass through a metal detector and/or subject to scanning via a handheld metal detection device. No one possessing any camera, recorder or any other device capable of recording sound or images, including without limitation camera-equipped PDA’s and cellular phones, will be permitted to attend this screening. This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. Anyone who uses a recording device or attempts to use a recording device during this screening will be subject to immediate removal, detention and civil and criminal prosecution. Any recording device (including its contents) discovered in the theater shall be subject to immediate forfeiture and/or destruction. Unauthorized recording will be reported to law enforcement, and nothing contained in this notice shall be construed to limit our available remedies and/or legal recourse, including without limitation a legal action for copyright infringement statutory damages of up to $15,000.00 per violation.

ADMIT TWO RATED R

NOBLE Sponsor's High School Field Trip To Congress

2006-09-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

ROOT (Reaching Out to Others Together), Inc.

2905 11^th Street, NW, Suite 207 Washington, DC 20001

Office (202) 332-ROOT/Toll Free (866) 570-ROOT/Fax (202) 332-8250

www.ROOTInc.org

ROOTInc@ROOTInc.org

â€œToo many lives are being lost; too many victims injured, and too many communities are being held hostage to this systemic and endemic tide of violence. As a government, and as a community, we must begin to offer proactive, rather than reactive, alternatives.â€?

-Kenneth E. Barnes, Sr., MS

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Priscilla Clarke (202) 723-2200

September 7, 2006

MEDIA ADVISORY

ROOT INC AND WASHINGTON, DC CHAPTER OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF BLACK LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES (NOBLE) , SPONSOR ANACOSTIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GOVERNMENT CLASS FIELD TRIP TO CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS ACTIVITIES

Who: ROOT, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and Anacostia High School.

What: Annual Congressional Black Caucus

Where: Washington Convention Center

Why: Washington, DC, has been declared a state of emergency due to increased incidents of violence and homicide. ROOT, with the support of the office of the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families, and Elders, is doing a series of activities designed to be proactive in reducing incidents of violence by and among our youth. Anacostia High School is a school in Southeast Washington that has been in the center of violent episodes in preceding years, including the highly publicized murder of Devin Fowlkes in 2004. Two separate classes will be picked up by bus and taken to the convention center where they will see firsthand workshops and seminars sponsored by CBC and be taken by CBC staffers to various events.

When: Thursday, September 7 and Friday, September 8.

Press Info: Priscilla Clarke (pclarkepr@aol.com) Clarke & Associates @ Tel. 202-723-2200 or visit www.clarkepr.com

ROOT Info: Ava Harrison (avaharrison@rootinc.org) ROOT Inc. @ Tel. 202-332-7668 or visit www.rootinc.org

Win A Mercedes-Benz ML350

2006-09-05T13:41:00.000-04:00

You could be the winner of an

all new Mercedes-Benz ML350,

a whole new take on the luxury SUV,

donated by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC,

a sponsor of the 28th Annual Conference & Exposition

Don't miss out on your chance to win a Mercedes-Benz ML350!!!!

Get your ticket NOW!!!

The 2006 NBMBAA Raffle will assist in

supporting scholarships

and the

Leaders of Tomorrow Program.

For details and to reserve your ticket, please contact:

Ann Jenkins - psjenkins@midsouth.rr.com - Phone: 901-679-3094

Elizabeth Fields - eliz_fields@yahoo.com - Phone: 901-482-4816

LaShawn Hampton, President
NBMBAA-Memphis Chapter
P.O. Box 181262
Memphis, TN 38181
901.725.4166
"Chapter of the Year for 2005"

National Association Of Black MBAs Association (South Florida Chapter)

2006-09-05T12:54:00.000-04:00

The NBMBAA South Florida Chapter

Cordially invites you to attend

Our Networking Reception

·                         Friday September 8, 2006

City Furniture

6701 N. Hiatus Rd.

Tamarac, FL

6:30 - 8 pm

You must RSVP to

TCAdderly@aol.com

Please bring your business cards

=======================================

Please Mark your Calendar

September

·                            Thursday - Sunday, 28 - Oct 1 - National Conference Atlanta

October

·                            Friday, 13 -- Leadership Seminar - JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

November

·                            Friday, 10 – Networking Reception – Florida Memorial University:  Smith Conference Center

·                            Saturday, 11 - African American Success Foundation's Jazz Benefit

Featuring Lou Donaldson

December

·                            Friday, 08 - Networking Reception - TBA

Via the Networking Committee
South Florida Chapter
MBA Chapter Events
NBMBAA

Carol's Daughter, Beauty By Nature

2006-09-05T12:42:00.000-04:00

Beat the Back to School Blues!

Enter to win Shopping Sprees of $250, $150, $100 from Carol's Daughter, the trusted beauty brand for all ethnicities.

The finest ingredients nature has to offer and products made with love are at the heart of Carol's Daughter. Founded in a kitchen in Brooklyn, New York, creator Lisa Price's homemade concoctions have become staples on the shelves of celebrity bathrooms.

From head to toe, Carol's Daughter strives to enhance your life and well being by providing the sweetest and most luxurious products, all made from the heart - naturally.

Get spoiled with the wholesome, down home beauty of Carol's Daughter.

New Half-hour News Magazine Cable Access Show

2006-09-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to build their reel
and contacts!

We are producing a half-hour news magazine cable access show. Our
goal is to give exposure to local artists, organizations, and
community leaders. We are seeking online-editors and Camera
Operators. Segments will cover a broad range including everything from
community activities, red carpet events, local bands, indie film
reviews, theater reviews, trendy LA spots, and hot political topics.
Segments will run 1-5minutes in length.

Editors will be assigned only one segment to work on, so no huge time
committiment is necessary.

Please contact us at 323.203.0675 or
blackbutterflyproduction@yahoo.com with your interest.

LOS ANGELES AREA ONLY. THIS IS COMMUNITY ACCESS BABY!!THERE IS NO PAY,
BUT GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE AROUND TOWN AND MEET PEOPLE IN THE
PROCESS OF BUILDING AN INCREDIBLE REEL!!!

The Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF)

2006-09-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

The Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) of New York Women in Film &
Television is again seeking proposals for the funding of restoration
and/or preservation of American films in which women have had
significant creative positions. Individuals and not-for-profit
organizations are eligible to apply for grants of up to $10,000.

The Women's Film Preservation Fund aims to contribute to an
understanding of the importance of women in film history, and to
increase awareness of the necessity for film preservation. The Fund is
committed to working with organizations and individuals with similar
goals, and to sharing resources and information with them. In that
spirit, we are asking you to inform your colleagues about the Fund, and
to make them aware of our grants.

The next deadline for applications is November 30, 2006. A panel of
professional filmmakers, film historians, preservationists, curators
and educators will review all applications and award the grants, which
will be announced in April 2007.

Applications guidelines can be downloaded at
http://www.nywift.org/article.aspx?id=22

Additional information may be obtained from New York Women in Film &
Television, 6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10016

We thank you for spreading the word about our efforts to preserve and
restore worthy films, which are in danger of disappearing.

The Ultimate Wine & Dine Weekend

2006-08-31T19:36:00.000-04:00

2400 Third Avenue
Napa, CA 94558
Phone (707) 252 - 2292 * Fax (707) 259 - 5395
info@blackcoyotewines.com
www.blackcoyotewines.com

To see this email completely, please make sure you have enabled images in your email program.

Ten Tips For A Winning Email Campaigne

2006-08-26T08:02:00.000-04:00

The average consumer receives over 300 emails a week. How will you make sure that yours not only stands out, but sells?

Successful small businesses use email as a cost effective, flexible tool to build their brand, drive sales and strengthen customer relationships. But as inboxes get more cluttered and spam continues to test people's patience, getting customers to click on your email and buy what you're offering means doing a few key things:

1. So, where are you from?
In today's spam filled world, it's critical that consumers recognize your email as coming from a legitimate source. According to DoubleClick's 2004 Consumer Email Study, the "from" line of an email continues to be the most compelling reason to open it. Be clear—not clever—in your "from" line, so people immediately know the source of the email. Consumers respond best to companies and brands that they know—and trust.

2. Make your subject line a stand-out.
As soon as a customer knows who the email is from, they need to know, "why should I bother opening it?" Use the subject line to tell the reader what you're offering in a compelling way, in seven words or less. For example, "Get 10% off our new summer products" is better than "This month's update."

3. Give a call to action.
So they've opened your email, now what? Your emails should include a clear, compelling call to action. Some examples include, "Register now for a chance to win," "View our exclusive online products," "Buy now and get free shipping." You can better engage your customers by telling them how to interact with you.

4. Get to the point.
The bullet point, that is. Shorter is better. Replace long paragraphs with short copy blocks, catchy headlines, and bullet points that provide an at-a-glance summary of what you're offering. If they have to search for it, chances are they won't take the time to find it.

5. Encourage them to pass it on.
Give your customers a reason to pass your email on to friends and colleagues. Offer relevant content, free downloads, or even coupons that they can forward. This type of viral marketing will help build your brand and business quickly.

6. Sell, survey, satisfy.
Emails can do more than sell. In fact, emails that show customers that you care about what they think create more profitable, revenue-generating relationships for the long run. Use your email newsletters to occasionally survey your customers and get their feedback. How satisfied are they with your products and services? Where could you improve? What other products do they wish you offered?

7. Make it easy to subscribe/unsubscribe.
When people sign up for your emails, only ask for the information you really need. Long registration forms are a turn-off and make your emails more about you than them. Importantly, include a prominent, clear opt-out function and keep your email lists up to date. If a person unsubscribes, promptly take them off your list.

8. Timing is everything.
When you send your email can be as important as what it says. Send your email at the beginning of the week or beginning of the day, when people are fresh and less overwhelmed. Emails sent during the day take a backseat to work demands and distractions, while emails sent on Fridays get buried in the weekend inbox and are more likely to get deleted.

9. Test it.
Before you send out your email, do you know that it works? Do the links take you where they should? Can you complete a test transaction? You only have one time to make a first impression with your customers, and with email, every impression counts.

10. Use your own customer list first.
Should you buy a 3rd-party email list, or not? While you may want to make yourself better known quickly, it's better to start with the people who already know you. While permission based emails get an average response rate of 3.2%, eMarketer, a New York City research firm, notes that using your own internal customer lists can result in 10-20% response rates—or higher. If you haven't started to gather your own customers' email addresses, start doing it now.

Using these tips to improve your email campaign can make the difference between an email that just sells or truly excels. Pass it on.

Great Ideas For Building Your Business ...

2006-08-26T07:57:00.000-04:00

For many small business owners, getting the most out of their money isn't just a good idea, it's a necessity. But when budgets are tight, what's an entrepreneur to do in order to bring in new business? Here are five strategies to try:

Offer incentives for referrals. Your top customers can be your best source of new business; don't be afraid to ask them for contacts. They'll most likely know other people who might be interested in your business, and can connect you with these new contacts more effectively than a cold call or mailing effort. Consider giving your customers an incentive to help—discounts, free samples, or even cash back. A little goes a long way.
Use an email distribution list. Emailing your latest news and product updates to customers or prospects is a simple way to get your business name out there. Gather up the business cards you've collected and pull up the electronic contact list on your computer to create a master email contact list. Once a month, email people with a little bit about your business. Consider including some of the following:
- Your contact information and link to your website
- An update on your latest products and services
- Items of interest: company milestones, new hires, announcing new projects or community involvement
- Quick tips or resources of interest
- Discounts and Offers: Offer printable coupons for your business or let subscribers know about unadvertised sales or discounts
- The ability to refer a friend
Another idea: consider turning this email communication into a simply designed eNewsletter. Creating a format that you can reuse (e.g., including a simple graphic at the beginning/top of your email with your logo or 'name' of your newsletter) takes just a little time and money, but makes you stand out in the recipient's inbox and adds a level of professionalism to your efforts.
Offer a free seminar. It's an easy way to get potential customers in the door and a great way to begin building a rapport with them. Seminars turn your expertise into an educational event in a low-risk setting. It's also free publicity, and gives you plenty of one-on-one time with customers to help get your sales moving. Be sure to make your topic timely and interesting to get greater attendance. For example, hosting a "Better Tax Planning Seminar" isn't quite as enticing as a seminar titled: "Ready for a Refund? Get critical tax prep tips that can save you money."
Establish partnerships. Networking and partnering with relevant businesses or suppliers can give you exposure to a whole new pool of potential business. If your company builds patios and you know someone with a landscaping business, a strong relationship built on referrals could potentially double business for both of you. If you own a construction company, partner with the largest realtor in town to get first referrals for home improvement projects. If you're a florist, network at event planner association meetings. Scour trade publications for possible partners, contact people at vendors you do business with, and set up a partnership that creates success for everyone involved.

Getting new business should be more about using your brain than your bank account. Clever strategies like these can open new doors to new revenue in no time. Happy selling!

We Are 100% Afrikan-Owned And We Show Our Pride ...

2006-08-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

Khepri Enterprises, LLC is committed to providing affordable Afrocentric educational materials. We recognize the public school system's inability to provide the kind of education that our young people need in order to be successful. Our children's products guide your child step by step through a vast range of topics. Subjects include basic reading and writing, zoology, weather science, botany, geography, algebra, physics, chemistry, grammar, and much more. Each packet is tailored to your child's age group and includes foreign language lessons. Khepri Enterprises, LLC respects your religious choices. Our books do not make references to any particular faith, holiday, or practice. We leave the teaching of religion to your family .

Khepri Enterprises is dedicated to helping you realize your weight loss goals using healthy Afrocentric methods. We offer a 6 month diet and exercise program that takes you step by step through the weight loss process- from understanding the reasons why you struggle with your weight to exercise, grocery shopping and portion control. We do not promote the Eurocentric methods of starvation, magic “diet” pills, or binge workouts. Weight loss is an ongoing process that evolves into a new lifestyle as well as a new look.

We at Khepri Enterprises, LLC promote the study and practice of Afrikan spirituality. Our Spirituality Series, entitled Nuba Neter is a 5-part study of the history, culture, and spiritual practices of Ancient Egypt. Harness the wisdom of Afrika to overcome issues that have been holding you back for years and enjoy success in professional, social, and romantic endeavors.

African American Homeschooling Info.

2006-08-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

I spent the whole day compiling this list of websites for African American parents who have chosen to home school their children. These lists also include great sites for Black Parents and Children in general. Enjoy and be sure to share these links with friends.

Originally posted on: The Black Parenting Blog

lhenry (www.msoyonline.com)

Wi-Fi TV Launches Black Internet TV and Chat as Digital Divide Closes

2006-08-25T17:35:00.000-04:00

Wi-Fi TV Leads the Way in Bringing Black Themes to the Changing Face of
Television and Millions of Black Internet Users

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) Wi-Fi TV Inc. (PINKSHEETS: WTVN) today became the first Internet TV provider in the world to create channel categories for Black and African American TV channels and live chat.

"As live interactive TV comes to Internet enabled PCs, laptops,
cellular phones and mobile devices, and the nature of TV itself is
re-invented, Wi-Fi TV will work to make the growing economic power,
compelling history and great cultural richness of African-Americans a
vital part of the mix," said Alex Kanakaris, Chairman of Wi-Fi TV Inc.

Wi-Fi TV (www.Wi-FiTV.com) will provide extensive links to the Wi-Fi TV
Black and African-American channel pages from throughout its live
interactive TV web site, and will place channels and content pertaining
to Black themes in many different Wi-Fi TV categories, including
Education, Entertainment, Politics, News, Music and History.

"Wi-Fi TV is taking the lead in bringing African American live TV
content to the Internet, in connecting Internet TV with African
Americans and in providing education, culture and entertainment for an
African American audience," said Mr. Kanakaris. "We are actively
selling Wi-Fi TV Channels to the African American community and are
truly excited about the kind of content we will be able to provide that
old fashioned analog TV never will," he added.

According to the New York Times (March 31, 2006, article by Michael
Marriott) the "Digital Divide" is closing as Blacks turn to the
Internet. "African-Americans are steadily gaining access to and ease
with the Internet, signaling a remarkable closing of the 'digital
divide' that many experts had worried would be a crippling disadvantage
in achieving success," the newspaper reported.

According to the New York Times:

-- African-Americans, even those at the lower end of the economic
scale,
are making significant gains in online adoption.
-- Organizations that serve African-Americans are turning to the
Internet
to reach out to them.
-- The sharpest growth is among young people but African-Americans of
various ages are increasing usage as well.

According to a Pew national survey of people 18 and older, completed in
February 2006, 74 percent of whites go online, 61 percent of
African-Americans do and 80 percent of English-speaking
Hispanic-Americans report using the Internet.

In a similar Pew survey in 1998, just 42 percent of white American
adults said they used the Internet while only 23 percent of
African-American adults did so. Forty percent of English-speaking
Hispanic-Americans said they used the Internet at that time.

About Wi-Fi TV, Inc.

Wi-Fi TV can be seen over the Internet in the United States, Latin
America and globally. 300 channels of live TV programming, Country and
Category specific breaking news and free voice over IP phone calls are
available at www.Wi-FiTV.com.

Wi-Fi TV viewers from 130 countries around the world are tracked on the
home page (www.Wi-FiTV.com) by the independent NeoTracker. Wi-Fi TV,
Inc. has opened a new content and technology demo room for the press in
Newport Beach, California. For further information contact Colby
Marceau, (949) 716-9397, info@wi-fitv.com.

African Voices and the Brooklyn Academy of Music LDC Host

2006-08-24T06:42:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, August 26, 2006 from 2 pm to 7 pm, African Voices magazine and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Local Development Corp. will present Rhymes, Rhythms & Rituals, a free poetry and music concert at Fort Greene Park. Internationally celebrated songtress Carol Riddick and saxophonist Bill Saxton and his trio will headline the popular concert series. Rhymes will feature an eclectic mix of poetry by Tish Benson, Sandra Esteves, D. Cross and Gary Johnston. The free event will kick-off with a children's storytelling and face painting hour at 2:00 pm. Poet Tanya Tyler will host the event and master storyteller Tammy Hall will host the children's storytelling corner, which is being presented by The Griot Reading Series. Rain or shine“ bring a blanket! Fort Greene Park is located on DeKalb Ave. and Washington Park.

For information call 212.865.2982 or visit www.africanvoices.com. Rhymes is sponsored by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, JP Morgan Chase, Independence Community Foundation and Rush Arts Philanthropic Foundation.

Tanya C. Tyler-Barber (www.silverpoetproductions.com), author of the chapbooks Portraits and Vicissitudes, will serve as the mistress of ceremonies for an exciting afternoon of poetry, music and storytelling. A native New Yorker, Tanya began writing well over 47 years ago. She has presented her work in schools, museums, churches, prisons, colleges and cable TV. She has often presented her material with music. A gifted writer, Tanya's works include poetry, prose, lyrics, plays and short stories. An excerpt from her play "Wide River Crossing,"? was staged at the Newark Symphony Hall in Newark. Tanya served as board member and associate editor at Blind Beggar Press in New York City where she was published in two anthologies. Along with her husband Leon Barber, president of Silverpoet Productions, Inc., and as vice-president of Silverpoet Productions, Inc., Tanya's most recent productions, Vicissitudes and Vicissitudes II (2005), both of which were a one-woman portrait of her life were a huge success in New York City and on college campuses.

Rising talent Carol Riddick (www.carolriddick.com) released her debut CD "Moments Like This"? in May to a sold-out audience. The vocalist is renowned internationally as Philadelphia's best kept secret. Carol has blessed the tracks of such notable artists as Anthony Hamilton, Jill Scott, Norman Brown, and Kindred. Recently her distinct vocal delivery can be heard on Musiq's "Soulstar."?

Highly regarded in the music community for her vocal dexterity, mesmerizing performances, and genuinely warm personality, Carol Riddick's time is now. Born and raised in South Philadelphia, music has been a part of her life since she was a teenager. It was in her early adulthood that the industry took notice of her vocal talent when she got her start touring with Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff.

Rhymes music lovers will get a taste of Carol's brilliantly produced first CD "Moments Like This."? A stellar artist, she collaborated with several Grammy award-winning producers and songwriters including James Poyser (Erykah Badu, The Roots), Anthony Bell (Jill Scott, Jewel), and Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias (Musiq, Faith Evans). Carol's fondness for the Philly International and Motown recordings she grew up on is reflected in "Moments Like This,"? which carries on the tradition of music that moves people. The album is laced with live instrumentation and purely soulful vocals; it is simply music for the grown and sexy. Highlights include a song dedicated to her daughter entitled "All I Wanna Be (Krystal)"?, the women's anthem "Brown Eyed Girl"?, and the hit single "You Better Not Hurt Me."?

Rhymes, Rhythms & Rituals will offer a diverse mix of poetry and music. The poetry concert will feature local Harlem jazz legend Bill Saxton. Bill Saxton is firmly rooted in blues and hardbop traditions but includes influences from classical music and has an
individual tough and bluesy sound, which sets him apart from the many mainstream-neo-traditionalists today. Even before studying classical clarinet at the famous "New England Conservatory" in Boston, Saxton played reed locally with musicians like Jackie McLean, Pharao Sanders and Bennie Maupin. Since the early 90s he has begun a solo career ” mainly touring in Europe. ATYMONY is his first album for Jazzline. He recently opened Bill's Place in Harlem to continue the tradition of sharing his love and passion for jazz with the world.

Founded in 1997 by African Voices magazine, Rhymes, Rhythms & Rituals is a showcase for New York's hottest poets and bands in parks throughout the five boroughs. African Voices is a literary magazine founded in 1992 to highlight the literature, art and history of people of color.

The BAM Local Development Corporation (BAM LDC) is working to create a vibrant, mixed-use multicultural arts district in downtown Brooklyn that will be a resource for the arts, the local community, the borough of Brooklyn and the City as a whole.

Meet Billy Dee Williams at Philly Expo

2006-08-23T14:41:00.000-04:00

WE NEED YOU AS A VOLUNTEER!

Join the volunteer working team at the 2006 Philadelphia
International Art Expo.

Dates are November 9, 10, 11, 12, 2006
Working Hours available--10am to 10pm Thur, Fri, Sat
10am to 7pm Sunday

The Volunteer Coordinator is accepting applications for a limited number of hard-working, enthusiastic people who are interested in serving as members of the support team.

Various Capacities Needed:
Information,
Hospitality,
Registrations, eduction and presentations,
Book sales,
Sponsor fullfilment,
Auction sales,
Souvenir Sales
Set up and Breakdown,
etc.

If you are interested in serving in any of these areas contact
Bonnie MacAllister, Volunteer Coordinator at at 215 629-3939 ext 12
or email her bonnie@octobergallery.com and/or monica@octobergallery.com

Mark Your Calendar!!!
October Gallery's 21st Anual Piladelphia International ART EXPO. Tha Nations's Largest African American Art Expo, over 200 Artists from 45 States and 6 Countries.
November 1-,11 and 12, 2006
Friday and Saturday 10AM - 10PM
Sunday 10AM - 7PM
Liacouras Center, Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
215 629-3939 ext 17
ADMISSION FREE

Looking for Jacob Lawrence piece "Supermarket Flora" , 1996

Dear October Gallery family:

October Gallery is looking for a 1996 silkscreen, "Supermarket Flora," by Jacob Lawrence. We have a customer who wants to BUY.

If you want to SELL, contact us at (email address) or (phone number)

Thank you so much.
--
October Gallery
68 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.629.3939 ext.12
Fax: 215.923.4737
monica@octobergallery.com
www.octobergallery.com

NOMINEES for 2nd ANNUAL BLACK PRESS ALL STAR AWARDS

2006-08-23T07:48:00.000-04:00

Best Black Newspaper
Amsterdam News
Arizona Informant
Baltimore Afro American
Call and Post
Los Angeles Sentinel
Philadelphia Tribune
Prince George’s Post
Pure News USA

Best Black Magazine
African American on Wheels
Atlanta Tribune
Ebony
Heart and Soul
Message
Ovation International
Upscale

Black Publisher of the Year
Linda Johnson Rice, EBONY
Denise Rolark Barnes, Washington Informer
Lenora “Doll” Carter, Houston Forward Times
Edwin Avent, Heart & Soul
Don Suggs, St. Louis American

Best Black Designed Publication Web Site
Black Beat Magazine
Sister 2 Sister Magazine
Smooth Magazine
Washington Informer Newspaper

Best Black Niche Publication
Gospel Today Magazine
Smooth Magazine
Pathfinders Magazine
Sophisticate’s Black Hair
Turning Point Magazine
XII Magazine XXL Magazine

Most Improved Publication
Heart and Soul Magazine
Washington Informer

Black Writer of the Year
Relentless Aaron, PUSH
Tavis Smiley, the Covenant
Zane, After Burn

Black Columnist of the Year
Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Jawn Murray
Joseph C. Phillips
Mark Morial

Black Photographer of the Year
Gordon Parks

Best Black Book Publisher
Black Classic Books
Kensington Press
Strebor Books
Third World Books
Triple Crown

Best Black Publicist
Denise Pines, Tavis Smiley
Marilyn Jennings, Tyler Perry
Pat Tobin, BET Awards
Priscilla Clarke, CBCF

Best Black Radio Station
WGCI FM – Chicago, IL
WBLS FM–New York, NY
WUSL FM – Philadelphia, PA
WKYS FM – Washington, DC

Best Black Radio Show
Russ Parr Show – Lanham, MD
The Big Phat Morning Show – Baltimore, MD
The Olivia Fox Show – Tampa, FL
The Steve Harvey Show – New York, NY
The Wendy Williams Show – New York, NY
Tom Joyner Morning Show – Dallas, TX

Best Black Radio Network
Access One
American Urban Radio Network
Inner City Broadcasting
Radio One

Best Black Radio Satellite Host
Lisa Lisa – The City, XM 67
Dr. Barbara Reynolds, – The Power, XM 169
Joe Madison – The Power, XM 169

Best Black College Radio Station
KFXZ - Grambling State University
WFSK – Fisk University
WMMB – Howard University

Best Black College Newspaper
A & T Register – North Carolina A&T
Hampton Script – Hampton University
Howard Hilltop – Howard University
The Famuian – Florida A&M University

Black Student Journalists to Watch
Stacy Anderson, Howard University
Michael Byrd, University of Central Florida Natalie
Gilmore, Austin Pey University Dashira Harris, Temple University

Best Black Cable Network
Black Entertainment Television
Black Family Channel
TV One

Reader’s Choice
Nominate your favorite publication then vote online, on website and
text message.
See BlackPress.org for details.

Join us Sept 15– 17, 2006 for the 2nd Annual Black Press All Star
Awards in Baltimore, MD’s Marriott Inner Harbor hotel.

Registration fee is $149.00 during early bird. Register NOW at
BlackPress.org

For advertising call 646-322-3047 or use the forms attached.

Black Press is now on MySpace.com! myspace.com/blackpress

Get listed in the Who's Who in Black Media directory and watch your
image g r O W!

Black Press Magazine - "The publication for media diversity."
As seen in Editor & Publisher Magazine (March 2004)
Historical Black Press Foundation | 1000 Connecticut Avenue NW |
Washington, D.C. 20036 | 646.322.3047 | www.BlackPressMagazine.com |
Copyright 2000-2006 All Rights Reserved.

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A Tribute To Dionne Warwick ...

2006-08-22T18:12:00.000-04:00

The affection flows both ways in Warwick tribute

By Chris Jones
Tribune theater critic
Published July 31, 2006

In Jackie Taylor's Dionne Warwick revue, "Don't Make Me Over" at the Black Ensemble Theater, there's a scene set in a recording studio early in Warwick's career. "They're calling you a pop singer," says one of the wry supporting characters to the legendary African-American vocalist at the center of this musical biography, "which means white people like you too."

At Black Ensemble -- where black and white audience members come together and enjoy a collective sense of humor about a racial divide that somehow seems to stop at this theater's doors -- those kinds of lines always get a big laugh.

On Friday night, the biggest laugh came from Warwick herself.

Black Ensemble performs in a shabby basement theater in an old Hull House on a quiet residential street in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. And yet there, sitting quietly in a seat and holding off the heat, was the woman who charted nearly 60 hit songs over a 40-year period. Warwick had flown in from her home in New Jersey just for this show.

To say that Warwick's appearance caused excitement is a bit like saying Burt Bacharach knows his way around a melody. Celebrities occasionally have shown up here -- Eartha Kitt came to see the story of Katherine Dunham, and Martha Reeves appeared once for the Marvin Gaye and Tami Terrell story -- but Warwick was something else entirely.

"This is the most awesome night at Black Ensemble. Ever. Ever. Ever," said Taylor, bouncing around on her heels like an overexcited 5-year-old.

For the first 20 minutes, the clearly nervous actors could barely get their lines out (Warwick is played by three different "Dionnes," representing different aspects of herself, which must have been a peculiar thing for her to watch). But folks eventually settled down.

The show is an affectionate look at its subject, to put it mildly. But it is performed with integrity and heart by people not only a long way from San Jose but also far removed from those self-serving, televised tributes.

At the end of the night, a clearly moved Warwick took the stage.

"It's very seldom that I am lost for words," she began, as tears rolled down the faces of a young cast mouthing "we love you" and reaching out their arms in Warwick's direction.

"My babies," said Warwick, who is 65, "you were magnificent."

Afterward, Warwick said that she was impressed by how well the show protected the integrity of the songs." Musical director Jimmy Tillman has re-created the original arrangements of her many hits, and Warwick clearly was not expecting them all to be so well sung. "Other than that," Warwick said, "the only thing that surprised me is that they seemed to get all the facts about me right."

----------

Cjones5@tribune.com

Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune

Who Is Judge Anna Diggs Taylor Who Found That Pres. Bush's Wiretapping Plan Violated The Law!

2006-08-22T02:28:00.000-04:00

ANNA DIGGS TAYLOR

Biography:

An attorney and judge, Anna Diggs Taylor was the first African-American woman appointed to a federal judgeship in Michigan and later became the first African-American woman to be named chief federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan. Taylor has used her positions to advance civil rights throughout the United States.

Born Anna Katherine Johnston in 1932 in Washington, D.C., Taylor grew up in a household in which politics and civil rights were highly valued. Her parents sent her to private school in Massachusetts because they felt she needed a greater challenge than the local schools provided. She graduated in 1950 from Northfield School for Girls in Massachusetts and then enrolled at Barnard College where she earned a B.A. in Economics. She entered Yale University Law School and earned her law degree in 1957. After graduation she could not find a job in a private law firm due to the prejudices against African Americans and women. She found work as a solicitor for the Department of Labor, working under J. Ernest Wilkins, the first African American to hold a sub-cabinet post in the United States government. In 1960 Taylor married United States Representative Charles Diggs, Jr., and she moved to Detroit.

After moving to Detroit, Taylor worked for a year as an assistant county prosecutor in Wayne County. In 1964 she spent the summer in Mississippi as part of the National Lawyers Guild civil rights program to provide legal services for civil rights activists, arriving on the day that three civil rights workers disappeared in Philadelphia, Mississippi. When Taylor and other attorneys went to the sheriff's office to ask about the disappearance they were surrounded by a crowd of angry whites, who hurled racial epithets at Taylor and her companions. In 1966 Taylor became assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

After the birth of her daughter, she worked managing her husband's Detroit office until their divorce in 1971. From 1970 to 1975 she was a partner in the law firm Zwerdling, Mauer, Diggs, and Papp. In 1976 she married S. Martin Taylor. Taylor became active in politics, helping Coleman Young in his 1973 campaign and Jimmy Carter in his 1976 victory. After Young's election, Taylor was named special counsel to the City of Detroit and then in 1975 accepted the full time position as assistant corporation counsel for the city. She successfully defended new city policies that established affirmative action hiring practices and outlawed discrimination in two private yacht clubs located on city-owned Belle Isle. Taylor became the first African-American women named to a Michigan federal court on November 15, 1979, when she was sworn in as a federal judge to the U.S. District Court for the Eastren District of Michigan. In 1997 she became the first African-American woman to be named chief judge of Eastern District of the United States District Court. In 1998 Taylor stepped down as chief judge in order to reduce her workload. She continued to serve as a senior federal judge.

Private Practice
Zwerdling, Murer, Diggs & Papp, Detroit, Michigan, 1970-1975

Judicial Experience
Judge, U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1979-1999
Chief Judge, U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1996-1998
Senior Judge, U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1999-present

Judicial Committees & Activities
Federal Judicial Center Committee on District Judge Education
Sixth Circuit Committee on Judicial Conferences

Government Service
Attorney, Office of the Solicitor, Department of Labor, 1957-1960
Assistant Prosecutor, Wayne County, Michigan, 1961-1962
Assistant U. S. Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, 1966
Legislative Assistant/Detroit Office Manager to U. S. Rep. Charles C. Diggs, Jr., 1967-1970
Supervisory Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Detroit, Law Department, 1975-1979

Academic Positions
Adjunct professor, Wayne State University School of Labor and Industrial Relations, 1972-1975
Adjunct professor, Wayne State University Law School, 1976-1977

Professional Associations
Michigan Association of Black Judges
Women Judges Association
Federal Judges Association
State Bar of Michigan
Federal Bar Association
Wolverine Bar Association
National Lawyer's Guild
Women Lawyers Association of Michigan

Civic & Other Activities
Trustee, Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan
Trustee, Metropolitan Detroit Health Council
Trustee, Founders Society of Detroit Institute of Arts
Trustee, Arts Poetica Chamber Orchestra
Trustee, Henry Ford Health System Eastern Region
Vice President, Yale Law Alumni Association
Co-chair, Volunteer Leadership Coalition
Co-chair, United Way Community Services
Trustee, Herlong Episcopal Cathedral School

Honors and Awards
Women Lawyers' Division Award, National Bar Association, 1981
Michigan S.C.L.S. Millender Award, 1984
Bridge Builders' Award of Calvary Church, 1984
Alpha Phi Alpha Award, Epsilon Chapter, 1984
Sojourner Truth Award of National Negro Business and Professional Women, 1986
Absalom Jones Award of Michigan Black Episcopalians, 1986
Bench-Bar Award, Detroit and Wolverine Bar Associations, 1990
Michigan Bell "Living the Dream" Award, 1991
Menorah Award of Histadrut , 1991
"Detroit's Dynamic Women," Women's Economic Club, 1992
Trailblazers Award, Straker Bar Association, 1995
Honorary Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa)
Marygrove College, 2000
Women Lawyers of Michigan Award, 2003

Citywide Wi-Fi Effort - A Critical Issue For Blacks In

2006-08-22T02:22:00.000-04:00

To Our Partners In The Citywide Movement For Digital Access And
Inclusion:

If you've heard about the City of Chicago's Request For Proposal to set
up a citywide wireless network providing 24/7 Internet access, you may
be imagining what a tremendous impact a citywide wi-fi network can have
on business development, community development, job creation and
Chicago's reputation and status as a world-class city.

If you haven't heard about the wi-fi network, you should understand
that the City of Chicago is proposing to establish a wireless access
network throughout Chicago. More than 400 cities in America and around
the world have established or are currently accepting bids for setting
up wireless networks.

Estimated costs that will be spent by the winning bidder in setting up
the citywide wi-fi range between $18,000,000 and $25,000,000.00; at a
city-mandated MBE/WBE percentage of 22%, between $3,500,000 and
$5,500,000 in contracting opportunities for MBE/WBE businesses will
emerge from the project.

The potential community benefits and revenues generated from the
project are estimated to be as much as $100,000,000 a year (more than
$1,000,000 a year for each of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods) for
neighborhoods utilizing the wi-fi network.

What can the establishment of a citywide wireless network mean for your
community?

A.) 24 hour connectivity to the Internet at greatly reduced cost or
free for low-income residents

B.) Opportunities for local businesses to establish Internet-driven
business operations

C.) Access to educational and training resources for residents to
improve their technology literacy and marketable job skills

D.) Tremendous opportunities for residents to connect to new kinds of
media, low-cost banking, bill-payment and city services, and many other
resources

E.) An opportunity for your community to attract business and job
creation entities that can significantly enrich your job and income
creation prospects

F.) Access to cash resources to bring computers, training resources,
and small business contracting opportunities to your neighborhood (as
much as $5 million a year from the wi-fi services revenues invested in
neighborhood access activities, according to Philadelphia's wireless
plan).

Usually, local communities hear about these opportunities after they
are issued and settled and everything is decided.

We have an opportunity to have an impact on the process as it develops
and moves forward. According to Layton Olson of the Illinois Community
Technology Coalition, the final draft of the RFP will be issued
sometime in August 2006. Potential bidders on the wi-fi project want to
speak with community representatives about how they want to work with
the winning bidders and use the wi-fi network

As representatives of eighteen (18) Chicago neighborhoods, you are
coming together to lead the participation of your communities - and
hopefully more of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods - in collaborating with
the City of Chicago's wi-fi network implementation effort. The eighteen
communities are:

COMMUNITIIES:

Austin, Lawndale, South Shore, Englewood, Bronzeville, Roseland,
Woodlawn, East Garfield, Pilsen, Kenwood-Oakland, Chinatown, Uptown,
West Pullman, Auburn–Gresham, Edgewater, New City, Burnside, Logan
Square, North Lawndale, Chatham-Chesterfield

The first step - launching an educational process for interested
residents.

FIND OUT WHY THE CITY'S WIRELESS NETWORK PROJECT IS A MULTI-MILLION
DOLLAR DEAL THAT WILL AFFECT YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY FOR YEARS TO COME.

To find out where the meetings are being held, check out the following
web address:

http://digitalaccesschicago.pacnetsites.com

For all the information on the citywide wireless access effort, who's
involved, job opportunities that are being created by the wi-fi effort
and where community meetings are being held.

You'll be hearing much more about the citywide organizing effort around
digital access and inclusion over the next 45 days so watch your
e-mail. This is an important movement; you are all a part of it and
have a significant stake in its outcome.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO ANYONE ELSE YOU KNOW WHO IS INTERESTED
IN DIGITAL ACCESS AND INCLUSION FOR ALL CHICAGO COMMUNITIES.

Pierre Clark

Digital Access And Inclusion For Chicago

pclark@englewoodlink.org

digitalaccess@englewoodlink.org

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This Online Journal was brought to you by
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We Practice Responsible E-Commerce Marketing and
Privacy Policies. We do not indulge in or encourage
Spamming. We never send unsolicited emails. You are
receiving this message as part of our opt-in
subscriber mailing list or you are a member of an
affiliated newsgroup.

For comments or suggestions please contact us at the
following;

Jim Neusom
Executive Director/Publisher
InterServe Networks/City Lights Software, Inc.
www.citylightssoftware.com
www.myspace.com/jimneusom
(702) 348-2041 Las Vegas
(323) 294-1755 Los Angeles

"Artists for Katrina"

2006-08-22T02:21:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Please commemorate the first anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy by supporting the survivors who are working to rebuild New Orleans and their lives.

There is a benefit at LIU's Kumble Theater on August 29 called "Artists for Katrina" -- I'm forwarding the information. Please pass this information forward and share with your friends.

Hope to see you there!

peace,
carolyn