7 24 2013

VOL. 62, No. 29

July 18 - 24, 2013

www.tsdmemphis.com

75 Cents

Zimmerman verdict stirs emotions, protest in Memphis Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

Emotions were high among several dozen young people assembled Sunday afternoon at the FedExForum to make a public statement to protest the “not guilty” verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial.

Zimmerman was acquitted late Saturday of all charges in the Feb. 26, 2012 death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. “This is about a system that has failed us time and time again,” said Eric Nelson, a 20-year-old student at Christian Brothers University.

“The government’s not going to listen to just one person, so we’ve come here to try to do our part in changing the world. A friend of ours went to the NAACP’s protest in Florida and urged us to come out here today and make a statement.”

Majoring in International Business with a double minor in economics and military science, Nelson said he doesn’t feel threatened in his everyday life.

“But I do feel stereotyped everyday. Just walking into a store, you can feel the eyes on you all the time.

But as a black man and a Christian, I brush it off.”

Nelson’s mother, Tameka Humes, hesitated, then shared her thoughts.

“I don’t think it was fair. He (Zimmerman) should have gotten some kind of penalty for what he did, not just walked away scot free,” Humes said. “They told him not to follow that baby and I think there should have been some repercussions behind it. That could have been my baby.”

Nelson’s CBU compatriot, Jonathan Mosley, a bio medical science major with dual minors in psychology and behavioral Sciences, learned of the verdict via Instagram.

“I wasn’t really following it through the first few months, but as the trial came close to the end I followed it more and more. At the end of the day it (the verdict) was wrong,” Mosley said.

“What repercussions happened after he ignored the police’s instructions not to follow this young man?

I’m really at a loss for words. I just wanted to express support for his parents.”

- INSIDE -

• State’s first MBDA Business Center celebrates year one.

See page 3 • Municipal schools vote speaks to the power of ‘Yes.’ See Opinion, page 4.

• Rid your life of po’ mouthers. See Religion, page 7.

• Chef Timothy: Are diseases ‘supposed’ to come with age?

See Health, page 8.

• TSD Health Fair & Family Fun Day makes Orange Mound splash. See Community, page 11.

MEMPHIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

H- 9 5o - L - 7 6o Most ly Sunn y

SATURDAY

H- 9 4o - L - 7 5o I so T-Storms

REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS

Friday H-96 L-76 H-92 L-74 H-92 L-71

SUNDAY

H- 9 2o - L - 7 4o I so T-Sto rms

Saturday H-95 L-74 H-90 L-72 H-90 L-71

Sunday H-94 L-74 H-85 L-71 H-90 L-71

ʻBout to get our march on!!!ʼ Shelby County Schools Commissioner Tomeka Hart (right) with Tunya Bails and Gina Waters Miller at Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of Gina Waters Miller)

Delta at 100: Celebration, reflection Upbeat Centennial mood changes with Zimmerman verdict The Root

by Helena Andrews Disappointment over the verdict in George Zimmermanʼs second-degree murder trial, sparked this gathering in front of the FedExForum on Sunday.

(Photos: Rudy Hall)

INSIDE • National protests of Zimmerman verdict planned for Saturday. See page 6.

• Southern justice prevails again. See Opinion, page 4.

• Right response from Obama on Zimmerman verdict. See Opinion, page 4.

Last weekend the weather in Washington, D.C., was unpredictable. One minute the sun would be shining and the clouds kept at bay, and then suddenly that once-optimistic sky would tip over, pouring out all the rain.

The same can be said of the shifting mood among the more than 50,000 members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. as they marked their organization’s centennial in the nation’s capital. It was a celebration filled with laughter, pride and happiness that midway through changed in tone, coinciding with the news that 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, would walk free. The winds had changed.

On Friday, a day before the verdict was handed down, I hosted a group of my chapter sorors at my home. We SEE DELTAS ON PAGE 2

End-of-life planning & the Mandela factor Iconʼs illness exposes little planning in modern world New America Media

by Viji Sundaram For weeks now, the media has been pouring out news about former South African President Nelson Mandela’s illness and repeated hospital stays. Meanwhile, the South African government has been saying for days that Mandela – who turns 95 on Thursday (July 18) – is in “critical but stable condition,” possibly suggesting he is on life-support machines.

Mandela’s high profile, say South African legal experts, makes it very difficult for someone as visible as this global icon to do advance care planning for the end of his life. Yet planning ahead with written forms is just what more and more people will have to do in an era of high-tech medicine and potentially unnatural life prolongation.

No information is currently available as to whether the human-rights icon ever wrote a so-called “advance directive,” or chose a health care proxy – someone to make medical decisions for him if he became incapacitated.

Few Americans have written wishes

A large majority of Americans have not written an advance directive or even told a loved one what

they do or don’t want done medically at the end of their lives.

That’s mostly because they don’t know they can, say experts in palliative care and related hospice care.

Do they want Nelson a feeding tube?

Mandela Do they want to be hooked up to a ventilator? Do they want more surgery, even if the benefits may be questionable?

At a New America Media training program for ethnic media reporters here at the Stanford University Medical Center July 11 and 12, sponsored by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), journalists heard from doctors, caregivers, health care advocates, social workers and chaplains about the availability of palliative care and the importance for people to let a friend or family member know the answers to these and related issues well ahead of time. They also learned about forms people could fill out and revise at any time, if they changed their minds.

During the educational program, the reporters learned the difference between hospice care and palliative care. Palliative care — which includes hospice— focuses on relieving symptoms related to severe chronic illnesses. Hospice care is SEE MANDELA ON PAGE 6

The birthday celebration of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest took place in the recently renamed Health Sciences Park, formerly known – and still so by Forrest enthusiasts – as Forrest Park. (Photo: Rudy Hall)

Klan Lite? Not! Say Sons of the Confederacy Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Tony Jones

Attendees at a Sunday (July 14) gathering noting the birthday of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest said people shouldn’t see them as a bunch of sick, silly, retro racists.

“We’ve been doing this every year to honor Nathan Bedford Forrest.

It’s a part of all of our history and we think it deserves to be honored,” said Ken Muska, a member of the N. B. Forrest Chapter of the Sons of the American Confederacy.

Muska’s wife, Becky, kicked in.

“What we are trying to dispel is

this image that’s been erroneously propagated for more than 100 years by the Northern newspaper,” she said. “If they did not print what he (President Abraham Lincoln) wanted printed against the South, he shut them down. He would put throw them in jail if they didn’t print what he wanted; anything and everything against the South that was not true. ” The birthday celebration took place in the recently renamed Health Sciences Park, formerly known – and still so by Forrest enthusiasts – as Forrest Park.

SEE PARK ON PAGE 2

Page 2

NEWS

July 18 - 24, 2013

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie (center), granddaughter of one of Deltaʼs 22 founders and the sororityʼs national chaplain, changed the message of her scheduled sermon at the conventionʼs ecumenical services on Sunday to “Stand Your Ground.” (Photo courtesy of Gina Waters Miller)

DELTAS

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

excitedly swapped paraphernalia, dug through my closets for any hint of crimson or cream, put on our letters and headed to the Lincoln Memorial for “Deltas on the National Mall.”

By the time we finally made it to the reflecting pool – after inching our way through traffic packed with other Deltas – the concert was nearly over. But we managed to catch the sorority’s version of “The Wobble.”

Stomping our elephants and hitting our fortitude poses, we were a choreographed wave of thousands of women. The light drizzle waited patiently until the very last cha-cha before upgrading to downpour. We huddled under an elm tree with other sisters trying to save their new dos from the elements.

Eventually we all gave in, confronting the rain head-on.

I always forget how long it takes to get a group of black women ready to go out on the town, especially a group having just as much fun with the process as with the outcome. But somehow on Saturday morning we made it to our brunch reservation on time, despite the long lines for my tiny bathroom and the tangled jumble of curling irons blocking the sink. The previous night’s rain had turned the temperature down on the entire city, so when we walked outside to hail a cab, the air was no longer heavy. This, we thought, was a good sign.

By the time we got in that evening, after a full day of

PARK

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

The crowd marking Forrest’s birthday included rebel flag bearing bikers and some costumed “Gone With The Wind” types in Confederate soldier gear and southern belle frocks.

The Muskas laughed when I jokingly asked if they would escort me back to my car. One other African American was spotted in the crowd, but like this columnst, she had stumbled upon the event during a stroll.

For the most part, we were greeted warmly and – hopefully – sincerely. But then I put this question to the Muskas: what about people who owned slaves and put them in sweatboxes, as so horrifically displayed in the recent film

greeting one out of every three women with a “Hey, soror” and playfully arguing over the steps to strolls we made up in our dorm rooms more than a decade ago, our hearts were full. There is an intangible ease to sisterhood that doesn’t require physical connection to be felt, but even still, when you’re surrounded on all sides, it’s impossible not be overwhelmed in a good way by sisterly love.

We were filled to the brim with it by Saturday night.

Dressed for round 2, one of my line sisters got a text alert that the jury’s decision in the Zimmerman trial was going to be announced any minute. We all wanted to stay and hear it.

There was a heavy silence in the living room as we held our breaths.

When the not-guilty verdict was read aloud, it pierced that silence like a sharp needle in a balloon, the air hissing out violently. We were stunned but not shocked or surprised – a conditioned sentiment that many other African-American adults have expressed. But stunned nonetheless and, most of all, heartbroken. One minute the sun was shining and the clouds kept at bay, then suddenly that once-optimistic sky tipped over, pouring out all the rain.

Almost immediately, everyone headed to social media and the Internet. There was going to be a gathering in front of the White House. By now it was well past midnight. Everyone was dressed to party, not protest, but plans changed quickly.

At the White House, TV host Roland Martin stood in front of a “Django?” Forrest fought to preserve such practice and more, what is so honorable about that?

Muska replied, “Unless we know we are of royal birth, no matter what race or creed we are, we’ve been somebody’s slave.”

“And one of our ancestors owned one of our other ancestors,” Becky Muska chimed in, “until we got to the age of enlightenment when we learned that slavery is wrong.”

Forcefully, she added, “But what are we going to do about all the slavery going on today in all of the third world countries?”

Her husband joined her.

“And what about all the prostitution and sex trafficking we have going on right here in Memphis?”

“YES!” his wife took over, “And that’s slavery to me. It’s against a woman’s will.”

small group of Deltas and asked, “When does a moment become a movement?” He asked how organizations like Delta Sigma Theta would use its power, reach and influence to fight for 21stcentury justice. How will we go beyond our ancient letters and legacies to making history?

So much had changed by Sunday morning.

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, granddaughter of one of Delta’s 22 founders and the sorority’s national chaplain, changed the message of her scheduled sermon at the convention’s ecumenical services on Sunday to “Stand Your Ground.”

“Don’t get mad; make it right. Don’t get mad; stand your ground,” McKenzie preached.

“Touch your neighbor and say Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin,” McKenzie told the crowd of sorors dressed all in white.

“We’re not nothing. We’re something. We have value and worth. And you can’t just keep walking over us and expect us to lay down and take it!”

It was a powerful and solemn message. One that didn’t so much overpower the celebratory purpose of the weekend but instead fervently underscored the organization’s original purpose: to serve. And after building a foundation of 100 years, Delta should know just how to stand its ground and help turn this moment it now shares a history with into a movement.

(Helena Andrews is a contributing editor at The Root and author of “Bitch Is the New Black,” a memoir in essays. Follow her on Twitter.)

I probed on. Nathan Bedford Forrest represents the egregious historic record of American slavery and his invention club, the Ku Klux Klan, became the most vicious social club we know of. Why shouldn’t African Americans consider this park offensive and not demand the smelting of this man’s monument?

“He got out of it and he asked other people to get out when it became something bad,” was the retort from Ken Muska. “We oppose the Klan because I don’t think it does him justice. It needs to be preserved because it is part of our history. I don’t know what else I could say.”

Nice people, the Muskas.

They gave me some peacock feathers and a bumper sticker for good luck. The event ended peacefully. This time.

Tri-State Defender

NEWS

Tri-State Defender

Page 3

July 18 - 24, 2013

State’s only MBDA Business Center celebrates first anniversary The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center kicks off the celebration of its first anniversary at 10 a.m. on Friday (July 19) and its operator – the Memphis Minority Business Council (MMBC) Continuum is signaling success.

The MBDA, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, helps create and maintain U.S. jobs. It does so by “promoting the growth and global competitiveness of minority businesses through access to capital, new markets, contracts and strategic business consulting.” The Memphis Business center, located at 158 Madison Ave., Suite 101, was the first in the state.

The MMBC Continuum reports that over the past year (April 2012 to March 31, 2013) the MBDA center had 61 clients that produced $27.7 million dollars in contracts and created and retained 251 jobs.

“The MBDA has allowed The MMBC Continuum to further support the needs of its corporate members, as well as expand the opportunities for MBDA member businesses to bid locally, regionally and nationally,” said Luke Yancy III, president & CEO of The MMBC Continuum.

Winston S. Gipson, president Gipson Mechanical Contractors, has said partnering with the MBDA has been “an invaluable and extraordinary experience. The knowledge and professionalism of the staff as well as their commitment to excellence is an asset to our city and state business communi-

ties.”

Beverly Goines, MBDA Business Center’s executive director, credits the support of The MMBC Continuum, and strategic partners – MLGW, Methodist Hospital, EDGE, Memphis Tomorrow and the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development and other corporate members.

“Together, we have worked to expand the capabilities and business opportunities of our

“Together, we have worked to expand the capabilities and business opportunities of our MBDA clients thereby creating employment opportunities and wealth in the communities we serve.”

Beverly Goines.

MBDA clients thereby creating employment opportunities and wealth in the communities we serve,” said Goines.

The celebration activities begin with the Continuum Talks Symposium, featuring a presentation about using strategic partnerships to improve business opportunities. Dr. Rajiv Grover, dean of Business and Economics at University of Memphis, will be the guest speaker. Mayor AC Wharton Jr. will ceremonially launch the anniversary.

Following the symposium, the MBDA reception will begin (about 11:30 a.m.). It will feature brief presentations from partners that support the efforts of the center.

Standout educators…

Businesses United to Recognize Educators honored 7 distinguished educators and education programs on Tuesday at the Downtown Econo Lodge. Pictured: (standing, l-r) Charles Newborn, Dr. Lowell Winston, Michael Todd Greene, Ruby Payne, Catherine Barr, Jeff Akins, Commodore C. Primous; (seated, l-r) Margaret Bland McKissick, Mazella Triplett Flowers, Melody Ann Woods and Alfunzia Merriwhether. (Photo: Rudy Hall)

Fun with a purpose…

A Memphis Gun Down pop-up event – the second in a series of four throughout the summer – welcomed more than 200 to the Hollywood Community Center last Friday (July 12) for free family fun in an effort to strengthen communities and lessen youth gun violence. A talented youth from the Heal the Hood Foundation rapped about non-violence and positivity. One young resident created his own entertainment by flipping for the crowd. (Photo courtesy of KQ Communications)

Page 4

OPINION

Tri-State Defender

July 18 - 24, 2013

John H. Sengstacke Publisher (1951 - 1997)

The Mid-Southʼs Best Alternative Newspaper

A Real Times Newspaper

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

Southern justice prevails again

By Walter Smith

The rights of young Black men to walk the streets, to live in a safe environment and exercise the privileges of American citizenry has been repealed.

It’s not only a crime to drive while black; it has now become a crime to be black. If there was any hope of ridding the Black community of guns and other weapons, kiss that premise goodbye. Young black men must be prepared to meet and defeat the George Zimmermans of the world.

Rest assured, George Zimmerman will pay for his crime for the rest of his life. He can never be without his gun, he can never be comfortable in public. He will forever have to look over shoulder in defense of his millions of enemies. There is nowhere on this earth where he can go and feel safe. He probably would have been better off in prison. The “Not Guilty” verdict may be a blessing in disguise for the Trayvon Martin family.

America’s creed, “freedom and justice for all” exclude people of color. People of color were not represented on the George Zimmerman jury. The jury should have been made up of Trayvon Martin’s peers. No one on that jury could have or would have identified with Trayvon Martin.

However they all identified with George Zimmerman. The world knows that George Zimmerman initiated the scuffle between himself and Trayvon Martin except the “Seminole Six”.

The entire court was made up of people of Caucasian decent: The Prosecutors, the Defense, the Jurors, and the Judge. Not one shred of color in the entire court. Sure there were blacks on the staff of the attorneys but were obviously absent from the officers of the court. This is southern justice at its best.

In March of 1857, 156 years and 4 months ago, the United States Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, declared that all blacks — slaves as well as free — were not and could never become citizens of the United States. The court also declared the 1820 Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, thus permitting slavery in all of the country’s territories.

The case before the court was that of Dred Scott v. Sanford. Dred Scott, a slave who had lived in the free state of Illinois and the free territory of Wisconsin before moving back to the slave state of Missouri, had appealed to the Supreme Court in hopes of being granted his freedom. Taney — a staunch supporter of slavery and intent on protecting southerners from northern aggression — wrote in the Court’s majority opinion that, because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue. The framers of the Constitution, he wrote, believed that blacks “had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit. He was bought and sold and treated as an ordinary article of merchandise and traffic, whenever profit could be made by it.” Referring to the language in the Declaration of Independence that includes the phrase, “all men are created equal,” Taney reasoned that “it is too clear for dispute, that the enslaved African race were not intended to be included, and formed no part of the people who framed and adopted this declaration”.

In many respects this social attitude still exists today. We are looked upon by the Caucasian world as inferior, uneducated, and undeserving.

Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother is an educated graduate of FAMU and holds a responsible government job. Her older son Jahvaris is attending college at Florida International University, majoring in information technology. She lives in a modest home in a good neighborhood and is a good parent. Yet this is not apparent to the American society because she is black and expected to be ignorant.

Both Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton invested their time and love into their son. He was traveling with his dad the night he was murdered. So despite all the

stereotypes, black people do get married and divorced and have children from marriages.

They can create homes with a nuclear family and with a caring father. They can live regular middle class lives that are Walter directed by study, Smith success, and stability.

George Zimmerman profiled Trayvon Benjamin Martin, a temporary resident of the Retreat at Twin Lakes, as an intruder and possible robber and decided he had to take some action against him. He had told the dispatcher that “these assholes always get away”. Zimmerman was determined this one would not get away. He called the Sanford police department, made sure they were sending help, and chased down Trayvon Martin, confronted and tried to detain him, which initiated a struggle which resulted in Zimmerman pulling a gun and shooting Trayvon through the heart. He proceeded to concoct a story possibly with help from the Sanford Police, to support his evil deed. Because Trayvon was a Black kid, the Sanford police department bought Zimmerman’s story, recorded it, and sent Trayvon to the morgue in a body bag as a John Doe. George Zimmerman went home without the threat of ever being arrested. Demonstrations and protests from media and civil rights activists prompted the State of Florida to make an arrest and charge Zimmerman with second degree murder.

The NRA, with minimal knowledge of the case, sprang into action and raised and contributed thousands of dollars for the George Zimmerman defense fund. It is not clear whether the defense attorneys were Pro bono or was paid from the defense fund.

What was most disappointing in the Television talk show discussions were the voices of several African American commentators who were at odds with each other about the racist aspect of this case. Their support for the defense of George Zimmerman was disgusting. They spoke as if they never heard of the Emmit Till case or of the Scottsboro Boys nor the Wilmington 10, nor police brutality nor Stop & Frisk, nor Martin Luther King nor Medgar Evers, nor Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman, nor the Klu Klux Klan, nor George Wallace. Plaxico Burris got two years for shooting himself, Michael Vick went to prison for killing dogs and Marissa Alexander got 20 years for firing a warning shot.

George Zimmerman murders an innocent child and goes free. The case began with racism and ended the same way. One African American female called upon Al Sharpton not to fan the “flames of racism”.

Southern justice has spoken and hopefully, those liberated African Americans will wake up and face reality. The American Criminal Justice System does not work for people of color, it works to control them and to protect its white citizens from them.

For proof positive, check the prison population: 41%.

African Americans represent 13% of the US population and 41% of the prison population.

We can cure this ill. Our young adults should set their sights on the criminal justice system. Those who can afford college should become lawyers and those who cannot afford college should pursue a career of law enforcement. We should establish a scholarship fund in the name of Trayvon Benjamin Martin to support this effort.

We lose our sons through Black on Black crime, Police and vigilante shooting, and that number will increase with the George Zimmerman verdict that allows one to track, confront, initiate a fight, and shoot to kill an unarmed man in the name of “self defense”. Of course all black men are armed with dangerous weapons, their fists and the ground they walk on.

Our sons are our future. We must take all steps necessary to insure that incidents of Trayvon Benjamin Martin disappear from this society.

Your letters to the editor are welcome. For verification, please include your name, address and telephone number.

Mail to: In The Mail, Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale St., Ste. 200, Memphis, TN 38103 E-mail: inthemail@tri-statedefender.com Maximum length: 300 words (subject to editing for clarity)

IN THE MAIL

Right response from Obama on Zimmerman verdict

(The Root) – Though it’s compellingly argued and passionately felt, I disagree with the assessment of my colleague at The Root, Keli Goff, that President Barack Obama’s statement about (the) George Zimmerman verdict was disappointing or somehow offensive. After all, everyone has a part to play in this tragedy, and Obama’s is unlike anyone else’s.

While he’s the most visible – and powerful – black man in the world, he’s also head of government and head of state. And in those dual capacities, he ought to – and has – spoken out in support of Trayvon Martin’s family. But it’s also his job to represent the American system, with all its attendant flaws.

That’s the difference between being a black politician and a president who’s also black.

Keli’s completely right that after Trayvon’s death, America needs to have an “honest conversation about why his death happened.” But while the president can start that conversation, he can’t tell people what to think.

Obama’s toed a fine – even cautious – line up to now when it comes to this tragedy. Unlike talk-show hosts and late-night Twitter denizens, the weight of his words always has lasting impact. He’s walked that line because that’s what’s been called for.

But no matter how demoralizing the trial’s result was, President Obama – the nation’s dad, if you will – doesn’t have the option of disrespecting the jury’s verdict, duly rendered, even if the trial that we all

David Swerdlick

just saw couldn’t provide justice after the needless killing of a teenage boy.

And any statement that the president makes now could later be seen to prejudice, and thus weaken, any case that the Justice Department might pur-

sue.

Attorney General Eric Holder (has) signaled that he will bring a civil rights case against Zimmerman, and the more Obama wades in, the cloudier those legal waters become.

The situation was different last spring. Back then Obama was right to remind Americans that if he’d had his own son, that son would, indeed, “look like Trayvon.” It was both a timely show of solidarity, and a subtle acknowledgement that as a black man and father, Obama could have easily found himself standing in the Martin family’s shoes.

And at a time when the Florida criminal justice system had failed to do its job – and when Obama had a lot more on the line, politically, in the midst of a heated campaign – he let people know where his sympathies were without leaning too hard on the scales of justice.

But now, whether any of us wanted to hear Obama express more indignation or more sorrow than he offered in his admittedly dispassion-

ate post-verdict response, it’s important to remember that it’s not a response being offered by a practicing lawyer, columnist or civil rights leader; it’s a response to tragedy being offered by a president.

He can try to heal, or put the story into perspective, but Obama – and all of us – would see diminishing returns if the president came along and made this tragedy about himself.

It’s a sad irony, perhaps, that our only black president can’t do more in the time of a crisis of national conscience that seems like it’s taking us backward in terms of interracial understanding. But that irony doesn’t leave the president any less constrained.

Yes, there are times when Obama has to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves and use the power of his office to paint the picture of a young Trayvon Martin as the would-be son of the president of the United States.

That was entirely in keeping with then-Sen. Obama’s admonition, in his famous 2008 “A More Perfect Union” speech, that every American has a right to “insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life.”

There are other times, though, when the president has to see his way toward accepting the verdict of a jury that was duly rendered, even if he believes that it was, ultimately, unjust.

(David Swerdlick is a contributing editor to The Root. Follow him on Twitter.)

The power of ‘YES’

Last August, the six surrounding suburbs of Memphis voted “yes” to raise their taxes to pay for municipal schools. Just about a year later, they marched right back to the polls to vote “yes” yet again, but this time to have their own school districts.

On Tuesday, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland and Millington moved another step closer to reaching their goals. In a series of strategic moves comparable to the great chess player Bobby Fischer, it won’t be long until they’re yelling checkmate.

Let’s be clear, this wasn’t a brilliant idea proposed due to the growth of these individual suburbs.

This was in response to the surrendering of the Memphis City Schools charter and the subsquent merger with Shelby County Schools.

The abrupt surrendering of the Memphis City Schools charter raised many questions and con-

cerns.

MCS board member Martavious Jones who spearheaded the surrender has received mixed reviews for his actions. Some people loved the idea and some sincerely disKelvin liked it.

Cowans Now, the majority absolutely hate it. They want to know just what did this move accomplish. So many people have lost their jobs due to the merging of the two systems. And with the surrounding suburbs rounding third base to independence, the once brilliant idea of force-feeding Shelby County Schools the city’s children resembles the current status of Liberty Land.

Seems to me that what we have here is a failure to communicate. If

you will recall or research, you will find that Bobby Fischer retired from competitive chess and refused to defend his title when FIDE (World Chess Federation) proposed that he defend his title under uncertain rules. He didn’t and it doesn’t appear that our suburbs are going to defend themselves either.

Maybe the chess analogy was a bit left field. And maybe this isn’t a good time to point fingers. Still, I’m sure you know what “Yes” means.

By definition: A municipality is usually an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government or jurisdiction. The term municipality is also used to mean the governing body of a municipality.

(1) A municipality is a generalpurpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district.

(Kelvin Cowans can be reached at (kelvincowans@hotmail.com)

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Tri-State Defender

Entrepreneurship:

BUSINESS

July 18 - 24, 2013

ON OUR WAY TO WEALTHY

Life after layoffs, downsizing and retirement Part 2

After six years as a FedEx marketing specialist advisor, Summer Owens is guiding her own creation – the S.O. What!

Foundation – as she pursues life after layoffs, downsizing and retirement. The foundation’s goal is to help people achieve success regardless of their circumstances.

Carlee McCullough: Tell us about the non-profit you established.

Summer Owens: The S.O. What! Foundation … provides support, information and resources to various groups who are determined to overcome their obstacles. The S.O. What! Foundation will hold comprehensive and interactive conferences, retreats and workshops for different groups, including teen moms, single moms, boys without fathers, college students teen girls and more. On July 26-27, we will hold the first S.O. What! overnight retreat. This one will be for teen moms. We will focus on the issues they need to deal with to become better young women so that they can be better mothers.

The S.O. What! Foundation will also offer scholarships and mentoring programs.

CM: Who is your target market?

SO: I wrote my book (“Life After Birth: A Memoir of Survival and Success as a Teenage Mother”) to encourage other teen moms to finish high school, pursue success and realize their lives are not over just because they have a baby. I also wanted to discourage teen pregnancy by sharing how easily I got pregnant and how it changed my life forever. However, I got an overwhelming response from people reading my book that did not fit into either of those cat-

egories.

Countless people contacted me saying that my book was actually for everyone. It was for anyone who ever Carlee made an McCullough excuse for not being the best that they could be.

That’s when I started S . O .

What! to support my book and speakSummer ing as well Owens as other efforts.

S.O. What! is for anyone who is imperfect, maybe feeling sorry for themselves, does not like something about themselves or maybe even made fun of. Through workshops, trainings, conferences, speeches and merchandise, S.O. What! teaches on various topics building on the simple foundation of the Serenity Prayer to accept what you can’t change by saying, “So what!” and change what you can, “So now what?”

CM: Who or what has inspired your success?

SO: I credit my grandmother and my mother for supporting me after I became a mother at 15. They were what I call quiet cheerleaders who never looked down on me and babysat my son the first two years of his life while I finished high school and worked two jobs. They helped make it possible for me to go away to college as a teen mom. They,

Cybercrime update:

MONEY MATTERS

Federal prosecutors recently indicted members of an alleged gang of cyber thieves for stealing $45 million from banks in coordinated global attacks, each of which lasted only several hours. Sophisticated hacking techniques were used to remove spending limits on prepaid debit-card accounts at two banks in the Middle East. Organized crime cells then programmed corresponding debit cards to withdraw money from bank ATMs around the world, including $2.8 million from nearly 3,000 ATMs in New York City in two separate attacks that took place in December 2012 and February 2013.

The heist is believed to be the second-largest global bank robbery on record. In New York City, the bank theft was second only to the 1978 Lufthansa robbery depicted in the movie “Goodfellas.”

News of such brazen and costly attacks demonstrates how difficult it can be for individuals, businesses and governments to detect the latest cyber threats and protect their interests. Unfortunately, millions of American consumers could become victims of cybercrimes such as debit- or credit-card fraud and identity theft each year.

Here’s a closer look at common cybercrimes that could affect you, as well as steps to help safeguard your personal information and financial accounts.

used to make purchases or steal cash until the account is frozen by the bank.

In many cases, victims may not realize Charles Sims Jr., CFP t h a t “skimming” has occurred until fraudulent transactions appear on their accounts or they are contacted by the bank.

Before swiping your card at an ATM or a gas station, inspect the machine and look closely at the card slot to detect a skimmer. When you enter your PIN, cover your hand to prevent a camera from recording your number.

To help limit the hassles and potential losses of a cybercrime, monitor your accounts regularly and notify your bank immediately if you notice any suspicious activity. Stolen funds are typically returned to customers when claims of fraud are filed promptly. The U.S. Secret Service estimates that ATM skimming is responsible for more than $1 billion in losses on an annual basis.

and others, helped me because I helped myself.

CM: Do you have any advice to those interested in leaving their jobs to pursue business opportunities full time?

SO: The thing I find interesting about my situation is that I was never interested in owning my own business. I was very happy working the incredible jobs I had been blessed with in Corporate America. But after writing my book, I found my calling. The purpose for all the pain I had endured in my life. Pursuing my calling and helping other people began taking up most of my time and was more fulfilling than my job, so I found a way to make a business so that I could support myself and my son while still helping others.

I’d say my advice would be to pray and prepare. First, pray for clarity that leaving your job is the right thing to do and that it is the right time and for the right reason or opportunity. Then, prepare.

Save, research and start doing the business while you are still working. Then pray some more and keep praying.

CM: Parting words of wisdom?

SO: I spent the first 30 years of my life focused on myself and creating what I hoped to be a great life for my son. I was a nice person, but I had (or made) little time to be a mentor or volunteer or give back in other ways. I was too busy being a mom, going to school and working. Two things happened that changed my outlook on life. My son became a teenager, and I realized the power of outside influences and my need for help much greater than just a babysitter as I had needed in the past. And I wrote my book.

Through the book and later speaking engagements, I was

Tips to protect your money, privacy and identity

Compromised accounts

It has become increasingly common for criminals to install “skimmers” that collect the data embedded in the magnetic strip on the back of credit and debit cards. The electronic devices are placed on ATMs, inside gas pumps, or at other retail establishments where cards are swiped, and they may be used in conjunction with small cameras that capture the cardholders’ PIN numbers.

Cloned cards can then be

Identity theft persists

Criminals continue to devise sinister schemes to steal personal information and cash in after they have it. About 12.6 million people had their identities stolen in 2012.

Cyber thieves are not only after your existing financial accounts. A person who gains access to your Social Security number might apply for credit, file a fraudulent tax return or receive government benefits in your name.

Phishing schemes are spam emails that try to trick you into giving your personal information or log-in credentials to computer hackers. At first glance, a sophisticated at-

tempt may look as though it was sent from your own bank or a company you do business with. However, legitimate businesses generally won’t ask you to provide sensitive data via email.

Don’t leave a paper trail

Keep important records (including your Social Security card) in a locked drawer at home. If you have a Medicare card, carry only a copy of it with all but the last four digits blacked out. Shred documents or cards instead of throwing them in the trash.

Send outgoing mail from an official or locked mailbox.

When you are out of town, have the postal service hold your mail or ask a friend to pick it up.

Be cautious online

To help thwart hackers, create strong passwords with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Use a separate password for every account, and don’t use an automatic log-in feature that saves your username and password. Never enter personal data on a public computer unless you can log in and out of a secure account.

Enter sensitive data only on encrypted sites that display a “lock” icon on the status bar of your Internet browser. Mobile devices may also be vulnerable, so it’s important to enable the encryption and password features on your smartphone.

For more information about online security issues and consumer scams (compiled by a coalition of government and consumer protection agencies), visit OnGuardOnline .gov.

(Charles Sims Jr. is president/ CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup .com.)

able to be a positive outside influence for someone else. I was able to help people in the way that I needed people to help me and my son. My life was no longer about me. It was about how I could use the beautifully crazy life that God had given me to help other people beat depression, overcome obstacles and realize success against all odds.

So still as a single mom, I made the time to volunteer regularly, join three boards of directors, and donate to charities and individuals. However, most importantly to me, I became a mentor. I encourage everyone to find a mentoring program that works for them and change the life of a child who needs you and watch how they can change your life too.

(For additional information, visit www.Summer Owens.com.)

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

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MANDELA

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

provided in the last six months of terminal illness, when an illness has gone beyond curative medical treatment and is no longer beneficial.

“Hospice care and palliative care may be terms many people are not familiar with,” noted Emma Dugas of CHCF, which has developed and funded extensive studies on palliative care. With funding from the CHCF, 17 public hospitals in the state have begun palliative care programs, Dugas said.

Dugas presented findings of a survey that CHCF commissioned last year on the attitudes of Californians on end-of-life issues. “They are very widely misunderstood terms, especially in communities of color.”

No culture wants futile medical measures

The CHCF survey also shows that a majority of people in all ethnic groups prefers that doctors not take futile, heroic measures to keep them alive.

But there was a significant gap between the 75 percent of white non-Latinos who said they do not want such invasive procedures and smaller majorities in other groups (58 percent of African Americans, 60 percent of Latinos and 67 percent of Asian and Pacific Islanders).

Three in four African Americans surveyed led the other ethnic groups in saying the being “at peace spiritually” in their final days is “extremely important” at life’s end. Latinos were close behind (71 percent).

“We rely heavily on our faith, we rely on the power of prayer,” said Virginia Jackson, chief of chaplaincy in the palliative care clinic at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration hospital.

While African Americans tend to have a “trust issue” with the medical profession, they are more likely to trust a health care professional who is there with them during prayers, she said.

Victoria Layton of the Office

NATION / WORLD

Tri-State Defender

July 18 - 24, 2013

of Decedent Affairs at the Palo Alto VA hospital echoed Jackson’s views. If patients don’t see a “spiritual base” in their caregivers, “they shut down,” she said.

There is no one-size-fits-all in the way physicians should approach patients about endof-life issues, said V.J. Periyakoil, MD, director of Stanford’s palliative care fellowship program, which educates and trains doctors.

Periyakoil has produced extensive health-education media on palliative care for multi-cultural older adults. She showed a video she developed dramatizing an actual case at the clinic in which the daughter of an elderly Chinese patient was reluctant to have her father’s cancer physician discuss his “bad news” directly with him.

Often in Chinese and other cultures, patients prefer to learn of distressing health news about them from a family member.

In this case, the doctor, a white woman, carefully discussed her father’s advanced cancer with his daughter in another room. But also the oncologist got the daughter to agree to include her dad’s voice in expressing how he wanted to get the news. It turned out that while the daughter feared her father’s reaction, her dad said he went along with his family’s wishes so they would experience less distress in accepting his terminal condition.

That sort of attitude is not uncommon among other Asian communities, Periyakoil said, but others are more open. She noted, “You cannot assume a family is a certain way.”

Start palliative care earlier

At the briefing, three elderly patients and family caregivers talked about how palliative care has eased their pain, enabling them to cope better and enjoy improved quality of life.

“It would have been much better if we had been in palliative care sooner,” said Carla Reeves, caregiver for Warren Atkins, age 94. “We could have controlled his symptoms better.”

Periyakoil dispelled the fear

surrounding the term “palliative care,” and disassociated it from the idea of approaching death. She noted that palliative care’s well-managed combination of comfort care and medical intervention when needed has relieved both patients and family members so much that both on average actually live longer than those not benefiting from palliative treatment.

San Jose Mercury News science and health reporter Lisa Krieger explained how she had failed to talk with her father “about stuff that really mattered.” That led to his experiencing enormous pain and suffering as doctors fought to keep him alive in the hospital before he died at age 88. At the time, she said, “I didn’t know to ask for palliative care.”

“I was totally blindsided when this happened to me,” said Krieger, who drew material from her experience for her award-winning 2012 series, “The Cost of Dying.”

Because the “silver-brown tsunami” of aging which, increasingly ethnic—baby boomers are fast approaching, health professionals should engage in “good end-of-life conversations” with diverse populations, said Susan Enguidanos, who teaches at the Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California. Many ethnic elders have limited health literacy, she noted. Ethnic communities are also generally uncomfortable about openly discussing death and dying, she said.

“I personally think that hospice is a wonderful philosophy, but how you would convey it to someone who doesn’t know what it is,” observed Tino Plank, a nurse at Sutter Care at Home-Hospice.

People increasingly have the option of putting their wishes down in writing through advanced directives, as well as POLST (Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) forms signed by both a doctor and patient. But people need to know that they can and should revisit these from time to time “because patients change their mind all the time,” said Dr. Rebecca Sudore, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

National protests of Zimmerman verdict planned for Saturday WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Demonstrations are planned for 100 cities this Saturday, July 20, to protest George Zimmerman’s acquittal for murder and manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. and to urge the Justice Department to investigate whether Martin’s civil rights were violated.

Last Saturday night, an allfemale jury acquitted Zimmerman of all charges, freeing him from further criminal prosecution in Florida.

At a rally in front of the

Justice Department Tuesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network (NAN), announced that “Justice For Trayvon” prayer vigils will take place in front of federal buildings in 100 cities on Saturday to add pressure on the Justice Department to bring a civil case against Zimmerman.

NAN is planning a statewide drive in Florida against its “Stand Your Ground” law. Similar laws are on the books in 28 other states.

Attorney General Eric Holder addressed the annual convention of the NAACP

Tuesday in Orlando, not far from where Martin was killed

by Zimmerman as he returned from a nearby convenience store to purchase a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona ice tea.

Holder raised questions about “stand-your-ground” laws that allow Florida and other states to permit a person who feels threatened to use deadly force.

“Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation’s attention, it’s time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods,” he said.

RELIGION

Tri-State Defender

RELIGION BRIEFS

First Baptist Church, Lauderdale set for annual Youth Day

The youth of First Baptist Church, Lauderdale, located at 682 S. Lauderdale Street, will hold their annual Youth Day, on July 28.

The service begins at 11 a.m. and will feature the Rev. Timothy Jackson Jr., assistant pastor of Olivet Fellowship Baptist Church, as the guest speaker.

Keldrick Grant is the General Youth chairman. The host pastor is the Rev. Dr. Noel G. L. Hutchinson Jr. BRIEFLY: The play “Gospel According To Soul,” makes a highly-anticipated return to the Abundant Grace stage on July 19-21. Abundant Grace is located at 1574 E. Shelby Dr. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.Stage88.com, at Abundant Grace, or by calling 901789-GRACE (4722). Discount tickets are available for groups of 20 or more.

BRIEFLY: The Church Health Center is now offering a bible study class every Thursday at 11 a.m. at Church Health Center Wellness, 1115 Union Ave. For more information, call 901-259-4673.

Dear Lucy: I just celebrated my 60th birthday. I think I am doing great for a 60-year-old woman. But when I act happy about it, I have friends who start talking about how old we are getting, how we can soon get our Social Security checks and stop working. They talk about all their aches and pains. I just don’t think 60 is all that old anymore. What do you think? – SIXTY AND LOVING IT

For all you’ve done…

Dr. Frank E. Ray Sr. presents the Living Legend Award to Dr. A. Lewis Patterson Jr. at the Black Tie Affair hosted

by God is Good Ministries on July 11th in the Victory Banquet Hall of New Salem Baptist Church. Stan Bell and Bev Johnson served as hosts. Music was provided by famed gospel recording artist Dottie Peoples. Recognized as “One of Americaʼs Greatest Black Preachers” by Ebony Magazine (1993), Dr. Patterson is also a prolific author and educator. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Prayers stressed by Zimmerman juror CNN

The Zimmerman trial juror known as B37 said her “prayers are with all those who have the influence and power to modify the laws that left me with no verdict option other than ‘not guilty’ in order to remain within the instructions.”

In a statement issued Wednesday, the woman, interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, said “no other family should be forced to endure what” Trayvon Martin’s “family has endured” and stressed her prayers are with Martin’s parents for their loss.

LIVING THE LIFE I LOVE

‘Glad mouth’ po’ mouth-ers out of your life

New Marjorie and Gaisman team up for health fair

The New Marjorie Fellowship Baptist Church, along with the Gaisman Community, will host its annual health fair on Saturday (July 20th), at the community center located at 4221 Macon Rd. The community event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fun-filled family day will feature various vendors, health screenings, free giveaways and door prizes. School supplies will be distributed to the children (parent or guardian MUST be present).

For more information, contact Cornelia Tate, health fair coordinator, at 338-6081.

Page 7

July 18 - 24, 2013

You got to move…

The Men of Ministry in Motion performed a soul-stirring liturgical dance during the Karamu Siku, 8th Annual “Day of Celebration.” The evening of “Men, Music and Motion” was held last Sunday (July 14) at St. Andrew A.M.E. Church, where the Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D., and the Rev. Marilyn S. Robinson serve as host pastors. (Photos: Tyrone P. Easley)

Dear Sixty: Well for starters, any day above ground is a good day. Above ground means I still have an opportunity to make a difference, if only in my way of thinking. Sounds like you are a person who loves life no matter how old you may be. I am definitely with you on that.

In the United States, the average lifespan today is calculated at 78 years. For women, it is 80, for men 75.

Now, I choose not to be a statistic and have declared that I shall live until I die.

For me, dying means when I stop finding reasons to be joyful, grateful and useful.

That means I don’t listen to other folks’ opinions about age unless they resonate with my own.

I have chosen not to opt in to SSI until age sixty-six to avoid the penalty of continuing to make money. I paid into the benefit and I intend to collect it. But I also know that it was never intended to provide a living wage upon retirement. It is just a supplement. I want to collect it and still be productive and rewarded for what I do as a worker.

It takes 60 years to be 60 and along with that comes a great deal of wisdom, knowledge and experience. I am very proud of all of this and so should anyone else who gets here. As a female, according to statistics, I could live another twenty years.

My hindsight is twenty/twenty and I intend to use it to create the next 20 years or more doing what I finally know how to do. I finally know how to live with

certainty and respect for my own wonderful self.

And so do you!

Don’t let anybody take that away.

Lucy M y Shaw mother used to describe what she called “po’ mouthing.” She would say stay away from folk who poor mouth. What does po’ mouthing look like? It is speaking from a position of poverty. It’s talking about what you don’t have instead of what you do have. When we moan and groan all the time about aches and pains, no money, no friends, nobody taking care of us and all the poverty of spirit issues in our lives, we just bring in more of the same.

My mother also used to say people called her a “glad mouth.” She would say that the best way to get the po’ mouthers off the phone or out of your face was to be a glad mouther. She would make a habit of talking about the things that she was happy and grateful about. This way, she always had more to be happy and grateful for.

So, rock on my senior sisters and brothers. There is so much left for us to do in and for all of the lives we are blessed to touch…now until the day we die.

Lovingly, Lucy

(Check out Lucy Shaw’s website at http://www.heartworks4u.com. You may send your questions to her by U.S. mail to: Heartworks4U, LLC; 4646 Poplar Ave. Ste 201, Memphis, TN 38117 or by e-mail to lucy@heartworks4u.com.)

(For help with the feelings that get in the way of prayer and peace of mind, get Lucy’s new book, “BE NOT ANXIOUS.” Order it directly from her at 901-907-0260 or go to her web site www.heartworks4u.com.)

DEADLINE

Deadline for all religion articles is Monday, 5 p.m. Send items to Tri-State Defender, 203 Beale St., Suite 200; Memphis, TN 38103, Email items to editorial@tri-statedefender.com. Call (901) 523-1818 for details.

PRAISE CONNECT -A WEEKLY DIRECTORY OF MINISTERS & CHURCHES-

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

767 Walker Avenue Memphis, TN 38126

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

901-946-4095 fax 948-8311

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

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

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

Dr. & Rev. Mrs. Reginald Porter

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

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

— Proverbs 1:7

—Ecclesiastes 9:11

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

(901) 948-3441

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

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

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

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

“Ministering to Memphis-Spirit, Soul and Body”

Page 8

HEALTH

July 18 - 24, 2013

CHEF TIMOTHY

Digging into the need to make health changes

Change can be difficult when it comes to health. Why is this so?

Well, let’s start with some observations.

There seems to be a preoccupation with living our lives wishing for time to accomplish more of the tasks we have undertaken. This has caused many of us to lose focus and – in some cases – not pay attention to our health.

We’re placing more and more trust in gadgets, medical shots, pills, liquid shakes, body wraps and fads thinking they can help us stay healthy.

In search of quick-and-simple fixes we run the risk of incurring severe healthcare problems.

We have accepted and now believe that diseases such as obesity, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are supposed to happen to us as we get older. We view them as merit badges of life.

These badges, however, are causes for major concern. There are costs associated with them.

Then there are those who try to abuse the healthcare system. Meanwhile, we all pay the cost for those who try to “beat the system” and for those truly suffering individuals who elect not to pay adequate attention to their health.

This scenario is being played out as the world becomes technologically advanced. And yet, as we do, we have moved to eliminate physical activity from our school systems and supported a mindset that exercise is of no importance and has no benefit.

Sadly, some have been misled into believing that in choosing a healthier life you lose those delicious comfort foods you see in television commercials and ads. The truth is that those media-promoted foods have greatly contributed to our major health-related issues. As for taste, it’s just the opposite of what you’d expect.

Once your taste buds begin to change you’re able to taste the freshness of your fruits and vegetables as never before. That’s when you realize how wonderful and delicious eating healthy can be.

What happens when we don’t do the things that are known to prevent and reverse health-

care issues?

Look around. Obesity has taken over our society.

It appears that one out of every three individuals has some type of weight problem. Weight issues lead to dramatic changes that in today’s time are generally accepted and now are viewed as an unpreventable way of life.

Let’s examine how being obese can affect your life and – in most cases – enDr. Timothy danger it.

Among the newest franMoore chises popping up in certain neighborhoods are kidney dialysis centers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 20 million Americans age 20 years and older have chronic kidney disease, with kidney disease being cited as more prevalent in women than in men.

More facts: Twenty-six million Americans have diabetes; Eighty percent of African-American women are obese; and, chillingly, one in four African-American women die from heart disease.

It is time to realize that we need to make big changes and not small ones. We have tried to do better with just the little ones and failed. We have tried to remain comfortable eating and enjoying our comfort foods. And now have a major healthcare crisis on our hands.

(Dr. Timothy Moore teaches nutrition, heart disease and diabetes reversal through a plantbased lifestyle. He is a professional speaker, international wellness coach and personal plantbased chef. He is the author of “47 Tips To Reverse Your Diabetes.” He can be reached by email at cheftimothy@cheftimothymoore.com, visit him at www.cheftimothymoore.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/cheftimmoore.)

Tri-State Defender

ENTERTAINMENT

Tri-State Defender

Page 9

July 18 - 24, 2013

OPENING THIS WEEK

Kam’s Kapsules:

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun

Special to The New Tri-State Defender

by Kam Williams

For movies opening July 17, 2013

BIG BUDGET FILMS

“The Conjuring” (R for disturbing violence and scenes of terror) Fact-based horror flick about a couple of paranormal investigators (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) hired to help a family terrorized by an evil force inside their secluded farmhouse. Cast includes Lily Taylor, Joey King and Ron Livingston.

“Red 2” (PG-13 for profanity, drug use and pervasive violence) Espionage thriller finds former, CIA Agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) coaxed back out of retirement and reunited with his elite team of spies to track down a portable nuclear bomb that’s landed in the hands of terrorists. With Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Mary- Louise Parker and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

“R.I.P.D.” (PG-13 for violence, profanity, sensuality and sexual references) Fantasy comedy about a recently deceased cop (Ryan Reynolds) who tries to solve his own murder with the help of a new partner (Jeff Bridges) after joining a police department for the undead.

Support cast includes Kevin Bacon, James Hong and Mary-Louise Parker.

“Turbo” (PG for mild action and mature themes) Family-oriented animated adventure about a garden variety snail (Ryan Reynolds) who gets a shot at winning the Indianapolis 500 after a freak accident alters his DNA. Voice cast includes Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Hader, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman and Dr. Ken Jeong.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

“The Act of Killing” (Unrated) Macabre musical documentary in which Indonesian death squad leaders reenact real-life mass executions in a manner mimicking the classic Hollywood films they so admire. (In English and Indonesian with subtitles) “Big Words” (Unrated) Dream deferred drama, set on the eve of Obama’s history-making election, revolving around a once-promising rap trio’s (Dorian Missick, Gbenga Akinnagbe and Darien Sills-Evans) reminiscing while speculating about what led to their break-up 15 years earlier. With Yaya Alafia, Zachary Booth, Jean Grae and Amir Arison.

“Blackfish” (PG-13 for disturbing images and mature themes) Free Willy documentary detailing the devastating consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity. Featuring testimonials by Samantha Berg, Kim Ashdown and Dave Duffus.

“Broken” (Unrated) Loss of innocence drama, set in North London, about an 11-year-old girl (Eloise Laurence) whose life is irreversibly altered after she witnesses a violent attack.

With Cillian Murphy, Tim Roth and Rory Kinnear.

“Colossus” (Unrated) Mark Hendrickson wrote, directed, produced and stars in this musical mockumentary as a con artist who sets out to tour Russia as the front man for a faux, heavy-metal band. Featuring Polina Belenkaya, Elena Dudina and Valery Novikov. (In English and Russian with subtitles) “Computer Chess” (Unrated) Artificial Intelligence comedy, set in the Eighties, about a tournament showdown between humans and

game-playing machines equipped with stateof-the-art software. Starring Kriss Schludermann, Tom Fletcher and Wiley Wiggins.

“D-Day” (Unrated) Haunted house thriller revolving around four roommates at a female boarding school who find themselves beset by fresh visions of a fire that had swept across campus years earlier. Cast includes Ri-na Kim, Joohee Yoo, Eun-kyeong Kim and Jin-yong Heo. “Girl Most Likely” (PG-13 for sexuality and profanity) Dysfunctional family comedy about a suicidal, struggling playwright (Kristen Wiig) who moves back to Jersey from Manhattan to live with her gambling-addicted, ex go-go dancer mother (Annette Bening). With Matt Dillon, Christopher Fitzgerald and Darren Criss.

“Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp” (R for profanity, sexuality and violence) Pink Caddy documentary examining the life of the legendary Chicago pimp-turned-best selling author (1918-1992). Featuring commentary by Snoop Dogg, Ice-T and Quincy Jones.

“La Playa D.C.” (Unrated) Colombian coming-of-age saga, set in Bogota, about an aspiring barber (Luis Carlos Guevara) who puts his future on hold to search for his missing younger brother (Andres Murillo). Support cast includes James Solis and Veronica Castellanos.

(In Spanish with subtitles)

“Only God Forgives” (R for profanity, sexuality, gruesome images and graphic violence) Ryan Gosling stars in this grisly crime thriller, set in Bangkok, about a drug dealer pressured by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) to avenge the death of his brother (Tom Burke) while in the custody of a crooked police officer (Vithaya Pansringarm). With Byron Gibson, Danai Thiengdham and Gordon Brown.

HOROSCOPES

July 18, 2013

ARIES Possibilities of hearing good news about home are greatly expanded. Savor the news rather than thinking about other annoyances. Travel is on the horizon. Plan the trip this week.

TAURUS Feather the nest. Stock up on stuff for the long haul. Cement relationships. A friend needs your support. Enjoy giving it. You will receive good news about a pal.

GEMINI Your mate has a sweet surprise. Open up to receive it. Choose your words carefully around a sensitive pal. Listen for good news about a loan or financial matter.

CANCER Enjoy the great insights you have in the area of career objectives. Take a look at what’s out there! An unanticipated financial matter may arise, find the good in it.

LEO Be cautious and conservative with money. You are extremely witty this week. Allow others to enjoy your good humor. Your leadership skills are very high, and others will follow.

VIRGO This is a good time for you to seek agreement on a plan that involves a relative. Take the time to remind your lover how much you care. Get a little sentimental if you have to. Don’t be too critical of that softer side of your personality.

LIBRA Push. Now is a good time to push. Your energy is higher than ever. Someone might get offended, but you can’t please everyone. Hire a pro for something that you planned to do yourself, especially if expertise is involved.

SCORPIO Review your “to do” list again. You may need to slow down to discover something that you didn’t realize while you were in the flow of events. Your lover is going to be a little difficult to understand. Back off if an argument arises. You’re probably the one who is too busy. Forgiving yourself is often harder than getting someone else to forgive you.

SAGITTARIUS Make a special effort to spend all week with your lover, husband or wife. Your sense of the importance of relationships is keen and this is a good time to strengthen your passionate partnership. Take your lover to a party. Devote attention.

CAPRICORN The flock will come to you for direction.

Give it gracefully. Know that your insights will help a lot if you deliver them in the right way. If you are a mother, guidance will be the best gift you can give others this week.

AQUARIUS Most people don’t know how often dreams and reality blend into that practical consciousness of yours. Knowledge comes from a dream you’ve had lately. This week is a good week to get started making that dream a reality.

PISCES Cooperation is key this week in your relationship with your partner. Even if you know you’re right, let your partner have his or her way in the early going. Your staying power will give you influence or control in the late rounds.

Source: NNPA News Service

Page 10

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Celebrating Black Love’ Denzel and Pauletta NNPA News Service

In an industry where love and marriage is as inconstant as the latest box office or Billboard ratings, Denzel and Pauletta Washington have defied the odds.

The power couple graces the cover of Ebony magazine’s August issue.

And, in a cover story celebrating black love, the couple discusses the ingredients for their successful marriage: The Washingtons celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on June 25.

“There’s no magical mystery to (staying together). … We go through up and downs like any couple,” Denzel told Ebony writer Shirley Henderson, as quoted by the Huffington Post.

But persistence is important, Denzel said, the kind of dogged determination he exhibited when he proposed to Pauletta three times.

“We live in a time – and it’s not for me to judge anyone – when people

give up too easy,” the revered actor said.

Pauletta, an actress and producer, said the bond has to go beyond lust and passion. What has proven invaluable for them, she added, is maintaining stability amid the often schizophrenic Hollywood scene.

“I live with this man. I see the down part. I see the sad part. I see every part. He has and knows he has that stability in me as his wife. That gives him strength, regardless of if he misuses it. I can’t dwell on that.

But I do know that gives him a great platform to go and fly,” she said.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey published in the January 2008 issue of O magazine, Denzel praised Pauletta for providing that constancy both for him and their four children.

“When it comes to the kids, I give complete credit to my wife, Pauletta.

Early on, we decided that we wouldn’t drag them around to all the places I go. Pauletta was the consistent one who made breakfast every day and took them to school. She taught them

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Denzel and Pauletta Washington (Courtesy Photo)

their prayers,” he told Oprah.

The couple first met at a hotel restaurant during the filming of “Wilma,” the 1977 television film biography of track legend Wilma Rudolph. It wasn’t love at first sight, however.

“People who say they knew right away are lying,” he said, laughing.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

The chronicle of the Washington marriage comes amid persistent rumors of a breakup, which both marriage partners deny.

(Special to the NNPA from The Afro-American Newspaper)

Stevie Wonder takes on ‘stand your ground’ CNN

by Alan Duke

Musician Stevie Wonder has vowed to stay out of Florida until the state repeals its “stand your ground” law.

The law allows people to meet “force with force” if they believe they or someone else is in danger of being seriously harmed by an assailant.

“I decided today that until the ‘stand your ground’ law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again,” Wonder told the audience at a concert in Quebec on Sunday night.

“As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world.”

The 2012 shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer

George Zimmerman raised awareness and outrage about the law, although Zimmerman’s lawyers ultimately waived their client’s right to seek pretrial immunity because of the “stand your ground” law. Instead, they mounted a self-defense case that resulted in his acquittal on a seconddegree murder charge on Saturday.

“The truth is that for those of you who’ve lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world, we can’t bring them back,” Wonder said. “What we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That’s what I know we can do.”

Florida is one of 22 states that have a version of the law, which permits the use of deadly force anywhere as long as a person is not

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engaged in an unlawful activity, is being attacked in a place he has a right to be and reasonably believes that his life and safety are in danger as a result of an overt act or perceived threat Stevie committed by Wonder someone else.

Wonder is familiar with performance boycotts.

He joined many other artists in the 1980s in avoiding South Africa’s Sun City resort in protest of the country’s apartheid policies, which kept the minority white population in control of the majority black nation.

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