Urban Pro Weekly

U W rban Pro NEWS • COMMENTARY

ARTS

eekly

The CSRA’s

FREE WEEKLY

Newspaper VOL.2 NO.15

ENTERTAINMENT DECEMBER 20-26, 2012

They still don’t get it

...yet another American dilemma vPersonal and Business Income Tax Preparation vFees start at $55.00 vIRS & State Problem Resolution

The Wise Choice 2664 Tobacco Rd., Ste A, Hephzibah, GA 30815 www.taxwize.net

vIRS & State Audit Representation vLevy/Lien/Garnishment Release vOffers-In-Compromise And More

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

2

Governor Nikki Haley names Tea Party favorite as DeMint replacement . . .

Scott to become South Carolina’s U.S. Senator thrilled with Governor Haley’s historic selection of Rep. Scott,” Chad Connelly, the state’s GOP chairman, said in a statement. “Rep. Scott embodies our American dream. He is a man of faith, a small businessman, and a consistent voice for common sense reforms. We look forward to Rep. Scott carrying Senator Jim DeMint’s torch of conservative leadership.”

Earlier this month, DeMint announced that he would retire from Congress in January in order to take over as president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, DC.

“In this decision and process we went through, there is no replacing Jim DeMint,” Haley said ahead of introducing Scott.

Scott will remain in the seat until a special election is held in 2014.

Strongly backed by Tea Party groups, Scott has made a name for himself in conservative circles through his at times inflammatory rhetoric. In 2011, Scott suggested that President Obama could be impeached if he invoked the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling. He also drew ire for proposing to cut food stamp assistance for families where one member was participating in a labor strike.

5 Facts About Tim Scott U.S. Congressman TimScott will become the first black Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate since Edward Brooke (R-Mass.) left his seat in 1979. He will also be the state’s first African American senator since the 19th century, as well as the only African American in the Senate.

COLUMBIA, SC South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) announced Monday that Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will replace outgoing Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) in Congress.

“This man loves South Carolina,” Haley said during a press conference at the state capitol. “It was with that that I knew that he was the right person. I have no doubt that he will fly through 2014.”

Both Scott and DeMint appeared with Haley at the news conference,

along with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and the rest of the state’s Republican congressional delegation.

Scott, who has represented South Carolina’s 1st congressional district since 2011, will become the first black Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate since Edward Brooke (R-Mass.) left his seat in 1979. He will also be the state’s first African American senator since the 19th century, as well as the only African American in the Senate.

“South Carolina Republicans are

1. Mentored as a teen by Charleston Chick-fil-A restaurant owner John Moniz after Scott was in danger of failing high school. Moniz’s Christianbased business teachings led him to become a Republican, Scott said.

2. Won first elected office held by an African-American Republican in South Carolina since 1900 when he was elected to the Charleston County Council in 1995.

3. Lost in a landslide to

Democrat Robert Ford in a 1996 state Senate race, winning only 35 percent of the vote.

4. Served as honorary cochairman of U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond’s final Senate race in 1996. Defeated Paul Thurmond, one of Strom’s sons, in a GOP runoff for Congress in 2010.

5. With his 2008 election, became the first Republican African-American to serve in the S.C. House since 1877.

Augusta Tutoring Center 1-800-417-0968 We at Augusta Tutoring Center pride ourselves in helping each child reach his or her true potential.

We offer:



Hands on Tutoring in All Subjects Grades K-12



Homework Help

U W rban Pro

eekly

UrbanProWeekly LLC Mailing Address: 3529 Monte Carlo Drive Augusta, Georgia 30906

Test Prep

Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411 Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-836-2018

Sales & Marketing Phone: 706-394-9411 New Media Consultant Director of Photography Vincent Hobbs

email: Ben Hasan benhasan54@yahoo.com Frederick Benjamin Sr. editor@urbanproweekly.com Vincent Hobbs photos@urbanproweekly.com

3 UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

Paine College’s Health Education Activities Learning Complex features a 2,400 seat arena. Photo by Vincent Hobbs.

Paine College HEAL Complex readies for public Consecration and Opening Reception programs set for Jan. 4-5, 2013 AUGUSTA Paine College’s long awaited announcement that the new Health Education Activities Learning (HEAL) Complex is open to the public has come.

The school is planning a Consecration Service for Friday, January 4, 2013. The event is free and open to the public, but if you want to get a peek at what’s inside the impeccable brick fascade, you might have

to part with some cash.

That’s right. The Grand Opening Reception which will be held inside the new facility at 7 p.m. that evening will cost 50.00 a head. That fee, however, will include a tour of the complex and a ticket for the first basketball game to be played at the complex the following day.

On Saturday, January 5, there will be a Ribbon Cutting

Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. and at 1 p.m., the Paine College Lions will host the first sporting event to be held at the brand new facility. The complex will host the college’s intercollegiate competitions for the Paine volleyball and basketball teams in the new 2,400 seat arena.

“The HEAL Complex has the capacity to transform campus life, improve student and fac-

Commission veers left in 2012 finale

By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Staff Writer AUGUSTA In its final regular meeting for the year the Augusta-Richmond Commission didn’t vote to fire the city administrator, the city procurement director or the city neighborhood development chief. Rumors had been circulating in the past couple of weeks that just such a purge was in the cards.

The only people to lose their jobs were those CADI workers, some of whom watched from the gallery as the commissioners decided not to continue funding the BID/CADI program. The program’s aim over the past five years was to improve security and promote beautification of a very specifically defined Business Improvement District. The program, administered by the Downtown Development Authority had it supporters and its detractors (about 50-50). In the end, the commission didn’t think a very narrow favorable margin was worth $350,000.

While the purge that never happened was not really a surprise, the commissioners did make some uncharacteristic, and somewhat

surprising moves.

In a mild shift to the left, the commission voted not to approve spending almost a million dollars to construct a skyway spanning Reynolds Street and connecting TEE Center to the Parking Deck. The move was surprising because during the past 36 months there were always enough votes to support just about anything that had to do with the TEE Center.

Next year’s commission may prove to be far less malleable to the downtown money interests.

In another surprise move, the city rejected turning the municipal golf course, The Patch, over to a new out-of-town management group. The management firm which was operating the golf course for most of the year could not finish the job and an interim group lasted only a couple of days.

The mood on the commission appears to be leaning toward maintaining operating control of the golf course until needed capital improvements could be made and then looking for the best deal.

In other business, the city decided to name the new downtown law enforcement headquarters after Sheriff Ronnie Strength.

ulty retention, increase enrollment and serve as a hub for collaboration that will address many of the contemporary health and wellness-related issues that are facing the community,” said Brandon Brown, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “We are excited to share this edifice and its programming with the Richmond County Community.”

The complex will also house

classrooms, laboratories, meeting and conference rooms, and a health and wellness facility.

“The series of events that will commemorate the opening of the new HEAL Complex will be a fantastic opportunity for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) Community to experience the state-of-the-art facility and will mark a momentous and historic occasion,” Athletic Director, Tim Duncan said.

Meeting planned to discuss Laney-Walker enhancement project AUGUSTA Georgia Health Sciences Universit y and the Georgia Department of Transportation will hold a Public Information Open House concerning the Laney Walker transportation enhancement project, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, 1116 Phillips Street. Attendees can view design concepts and offer feedback on the project.

GHSU announced earlier this year plans to begin construction for a project that will enhance the section of Laney Walker Boulevard that runs through the university’s campus. The current design concept is intended to make the roadway safer for the estimated 8,500 students,

staff and faculty who cross it daily and beautify the streetscape.

Primarily funded through a GDOT Transportation Enhancement Grant with additional funds from the university, the project will create two lanes of traffic, rather than the current four; eliminate curbside parking between 15th Street and R.A. Dent Boulevard; add bicycle lanes on either side of the road; incorporate slightly elevated crosswalks that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards; and add more trees, grassy areas and plant beds.

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2013 and conclude by the fall.

For more information, contact the GHSU Office of Community Affairs at 706721-4413.

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

4

PEOPLE & organizations making a difference Health competition is first student initiative at consolidated university AUGUSTA Students at Georgia Health Sciences and Augusta State Universities can get in shape and compete for prizes through New Year, New You: A Healthy Approach to Living and Learning.

This is the first student initiative of the soon-to-be consolidated universities, said Kaelan Woodall, a GHSU College of Nursing student and coordinator of the event. The schools will become Georgia Regents University in January.

Students will participate in teams of three to five people and must register from Jan. 7 through 14. The competition will begin on Jan. 14 with a kick-off event from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in the GHSU Wellness Center.

Teams will gather to learn the rules of the program, how to accumulate points and what prizes can be won.

Information booths with healthrelated materials will be available.

A $5 registration fee will go toward prizes for the competition, including the grand prize, which will be awarded to the team that earns the most points per team member.

Additional prizes will be given to individuals, rather than teams, that reach 25, 50 and 75 points.

“As students, we often times sacrifice countless hours in the library in exchange for the time we would be taking for ourselves to live a healthy, balanced life,” Woodall said. “It is important for us to look after one another and remind each other that our health is a high priority, just like our education. That’s why we, the students of the soon-to-be Georgia Regents University, have begun a health initiative to get students up and active.”

Students can earn points for exercising by fulfilling established guidelines and participating in extracurricular sporting events. Attending “Lunch and Learn” sessions in the Wellness Center about health-related topics will also earn points. The health competition ends April 5.

“This is an opportunity for students that may not have classes together to join in a shared experience of fitness,” said Andrew Phillips, President of the ASU Student Government Association. “This initiative not only helps students improve their health and quality of life, it also provides another means of uniting students from different segments of the new university.”

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY The Richmond County School System will accept bids and request for proposals until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, 2013, for the following:

1. Commodity Processing (Turkey) RFQ #13-624

Bid speci�ications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Of�ice at 706-826-1298, on our web site at www.rcboe.org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Of�ice, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901.

The Richmond County School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities.

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY By: Dr. Frank G. Roberson, Secretary

Theodore Wilson (L-R), Gloria Dunbar, Artisha Bolding, Nina Borden

HYBRiD Health iT, Inc. wins “Rising Star” Award AUGUSTA HYBRiD Health iT, Inc. was recently named winner of the “Entrepreneur of the Year—Rising Star” award by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Each year, the Chamber recognizes an entrepreneur who has distinguished themselves not only by their success in business, but also by their creativity, innovative spirit and community involvement. This year, the award was expanded to establish the Rising Star category. The award was created to recognize “up and coming” entrepreneurs that have made significant progress in the establishment of their business and are well positioned for future growth.

Gloria Dunbar, CEO of HYBRID Health iT, was named the Rising Star at the Member Economic Luncheon on December 6, 2012 at the Marriott

Convention Center in downtown Augusta, Georgia.

About HYBRiD Health iT Hybrid Health IT, Inc. is a health information technology-consulting firm. Hybrid specializes in technical assistance, program management, HITECH policy compliance and quality health reporting. Visit www.hybridhealthit.com for more information.

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is the largest business membership organization in the Augusta area. The mission of the chamber has three components including serving as the voice for business in matters of public policy and legislative affairs; working to promote the region as a partner in economic development. For details, visit www. augustachamber.net.

BERT THOMAS HEAD START

CLERK TYPIST Duties include tasks necessary to maintain effective office routine. Handles all day-to-day office activities. Performs other duties for the good of the Agency as required. Must be able to communicate effectively, orally and in writing. Must be able to lift at least 50 pounds or more. Business College/ Technical School graduate in business related field required.

Must have at least one-year typing with a minimum of 35 wpm and clerical experience. Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

QUALIFIED persons must send a written notice to the Personnel Office no later than December 28, 2012. Please include an outline of your qualifications for this position, which meet the requirements above. All applicants must have a current physical exam and health card; preemployment drug screen; a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

Detailed job descriptions are available in the Personnel Office, 1261 Greene Street, Augusta, GA 30901. Fax 706 7228565

5 UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012 Lady Jaguars Brittany White (#10) dribbles the ball down the court as Montevallo Lady Falcons Jasmine Thomas (#14) goes on the defensive during a game at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The Augusta State Women’s Basketball program made history Monday night, December 17, when the Lady Jaguars improved to 8-0 for the first time ever with a 72-53 victory over Montevallo in the Peach Belt Conference home opener.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Peach Belt Conference

ASU sports makes way for GRU Sports For the final days of the 2012 season, the entire ASU community is poised to let go of the name “Augusta State” once and for all.

At the sounding of the new year in 2013 the merger between Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly the Medical College of Georgia) and Augusta State University (formerly Augusta College) will become official and the new name will be Georgia Regents University.

The Jaguars, however, will remain the Jaguars.

Go GRU Jags!

The Lady Jags are off to a flying start of the 2012-2013 hoops season. For the first time in history, the women are off to an 8-0 start. They demolished Montevallo on Monday by a score of 72-53 in the Peach Belt Tournament home opener.

Lady Jaguars Tanchelle Hollingsworth gets ready for a lay-up as Montevallo Lady Falcons Alexsis Brown (#24) guards the move during a game at Christenberry Fieldhouse. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

6

g n p b ( l w

u

Providence Place 706-793-2664

2205 Southgate Dr. • Augusta,GA 30906 $150.00 OFF FIRST MONTH’S RENT 1 bedroom/1 bath $415 2 bedroom/1 bath $475 2 bedroom/1 bath $475 energy efficient

12 Broad Street, Augusta, Ga.

706-722-2051 We Accept Competitor Coupons / Call Ahead

DIRECTIONS Take I-520 to Deans Bridge Road North.

Turn right on Richmond Hll Road.

Property is on the left.

OFFICE HOURS Mon-Fri 9-5:30; 1st Sat of month 10-3

2 bedroom/ 1 1/2 bath Townhome $550 *Certain restrictions may apply Call office for details

•Fully equipped kitchens •Mini-blinds •Pool •Laundry facilities •Total electric central heat and air •Washer and dryer connections in some •On-site courtesy officer •Near Ft. Gordon •Gas heat/hot water heaters •Playground •Picnic area/grills •Prices are subject to change

f a V 1 t N c

1 r M r a “ f

a f d p R o g

“ b R H B G b s s t B r K m

JANUARY

L c h B

6 2013

H C R U H C BAPTIST

E L C A D. V N L R B E R B E K L TA LANEY WA 1223

M A 0 3 : 1 1 & 0 3 : 9 | 7:3O

Join us via Streaming Faith by visiting www.tbcaugusta.org

Mickey Baker, whose prickly, piercing guitar riffs were featured on dozens if not hundreds of recordings and helped propel the evolution of rhythm and blues into rock ’n’ roll, died on recently (11/27/12) at his home in Montastrucla-Conseillère, near Toulouse in southwestern France. He was 87.

The cause was heart and kidney failure, his wife, Marie, said.

Mr. Baker is probably best known for a single song, “Love Is Strange,” a sexy pop tune that he and Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson recorded in 1956 as Mickey & Sylvia. It sold more than a million copies and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s rhythm-and-blues chart and No. 11 on the pop chart.

The recording was featured in the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing,” and the rapper Pitbull sampled it — including Mr. Baker’s signature keening guitar riff, which is said to have influenced a young Jimi Hendrix — in the song “Back in Time,” featured in the 2012 film “Men in Black 3.”

He also had an important career away from the spotlight. In the 1950s, few studio musicians were more in demand than Mr. Baker, who took part in sessions for Atlantic, King, RCA, Savoy, Decca and other labels, often as many as four a day. And few guitarists were more influential.

His well-known recordings included “Money Honey” and “Such a Night” by the Drifters, Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” Ruth Brown’s “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” and Big Maybelle’s “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Known for his aggressively bluesy chords and attention-grabbing solos, he is often cited by connoisseurs as a signature force, along with the likes of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, in the development of rock ’n’ roll and an antecedent of Hendrix, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend and many others.

McHouston Baker was born in Louisville, Ky., on Oct. 15, 1925. Little can be confirmed about his childhood other than that it was difficult.

Both Ms. Baker and one of his former

sons from the guitarist Rector Bailey.

“He said, ‘I stole everything I could from him and made my honey from it,’ ” his wife said. In his early 20s he was playing in a jazz band called the Incomparables. By 1950, however, he had realized he couldn’t make a living playing jazz, and he turned to rhythm and blues and began getting studio work.

“Sometimes Mickey would lead the band or the combo that played on the date; other times he would merely be a sideman,” Bob Rolontz, who produced R&B records for RCA, wrote in the liner notes for Mr. Baker’s 1959

album, “The Wildest Guitar.”

Mr. Baker supplemented his studio work with teaching, and he wrote a series of instruction books for jazz guitar, recapitulating his own idiosyncratic method, that are available today. In the early 1960s, he moved to France, first to Paris and later to Toulouse, and he rarely returned to the United States.

Mr. Baker was married six times. His survivors include his wife, the former Marie France-Drai, a singer he met in the early 1980s with whom he toured Europe in a variety of bands; a son, McHouston Jr.; and a daughter, Bonita Lee.

Guitarist Mickey Baker with Sylvia Robinson made it big as Mickey & Sylvia with their 1956 hit “Love Is Strange.” wives, Barbara Castellano, to whom he was married from the mid-1950s until the mid-1970s, said in interviews that he believed his father, whom he never met, was a white piano player who was passing through Louisville and that his mother, Lillian, who was black, was just 12 years old when he was born.

His mother was unable to care for him and was subsequently in and out of jail. Young Mickey spent several years in an orphanage, where, his wife said, he ate regularly for the first time and played musical instruments — “the tuba, whatever was available” — but where, after having lived on the street, he felt constrained. He ran away often, riding the rails to St. Louis, to Chicago and several times to New York City, where he finally landed permanently when he was 15.

New York was where he had always wanted to be, Ms. Castellano said.

He worked odd jobs there, not all of them legal, before deciding to pursue music.

His first wish was to play the trumpet, but when he visited a the pawnshop to buy one, he didn’t have enough money; a beat-up guitar was all he could afford. A quick study who was largely self-taught, he did take les-

TBA Trowell Builders & Associates Designers • Builders • Planners

Sanctuary Multi-Purpose Buildings Renovations P.O. Box 211886 Augusta, Ga 30917 1.800.546.2685 • Fax 706.738.6328 email: tbamakedreams@aol.com

Reserve Space Now For The MLK Special Edition JAN. 17 2013

Spice up your Holiday with the Spice of New York Salon and Spa Gift Card!

Herbal Detox Body Wrap Extraordinary Body Massage Services Fabulous Creative Hair Care and Styling Services And Professional Hair Care Products Gift a Spicy Christmas with Spice of New York Gift Cards!

Available now at any dollar value!

Stop By and Purchase one TODAY!

712 Bohler Avenue Augusta, Georgia 30904 Directly Behind Ga. Power On Walton Way For Information Call - 706-364-6413

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

Mickey Baker, guitarist, is dead at 87

7

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

8

Creative Impressions present “Behold The Star” production AUGUSTA Barefoot Productions, Inc./Creative Impressions will present its annual “Behold The Star” production on Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The performance will take place at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theater at Augusta State University. General admission for the matinee performance is $15 and $20 for the evening performance.

“Behold The Star” is a spectacular four set musical and dance production that mixes classical and contemporary selections from Peter J. Wihousky to Kirk Franklin. Each performance celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and embod-

ies the spirit of Christmas.

“The talent displayed in this performance is unparalleled.” said Timothy Jenkins, Alumni Director of Creative Impressions. “Our youth prepare all year long for this performance that will without a doubt blow you away and leave you in the Christmas spirit.”

Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre Box Office at 2500 Walton Way, Augusta, GA. You purchase tickets online by visiting http://maxwelltheatre. aug.edu/ For more information, please contact Shanita Tolbert at (706) 664-9022 or GayleMcLaughlin at (706) 589-8214.

PRODUCTS

Auto Home Business Bonds

Tabernacle Baptist expands worship service AUGUSTA Tabernacle Baptist Church recently announced the addition of a third Sunday morning worship service. The thirdworship service will begin Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. Every Sunday, Tabernacle Baptist will offer a 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. service. In 2001, the Church added a second worship service and due to overwhelming growth, the Church has decided to add a third service.

This decision comes on the heels of a recent congregational survey conducted by the Church.

The survey revealed that the 8 a.m. service reaches an average 70 percent capacity and the 11:00 a.m. service reached 100 percent capacity.

According to LifeWay Research, 65 percent

Pick up the latest edition of UrbanProWeekly at a

location near your home or workplace.

of churches still have a single worship service on Sunday morning. For years churches have added a second Sunday morning worship service as they have run out of seats at the original single service. In fact, 22 percent of all churches offer more than one Sunday morning worship service.

Tabernacle Baptist Church now joins the ranks of churches throughout the United States offering multiple services to worshippers. In addition, the Church will continue to provide LIVE streaming of all services via the Internet using Streaming Faith.com. Worshippers can also enroll their children in the “Children’s Church” and nursery during the 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services.

S

Rt tJ Trinity I pay cash for unwanted cars, batteries, aluminum and more

706.832.6422 Reginald Sweatman Sr.

The Computer Guy Computers Done Right, Free Diagnostic Check Clarence PC TECH

2658 C Barton Chapel Rd. Augusta, GA 706.814.7188 computerguyaugusta@live.com

If you’re looking for insurance, we will find the best Georgia and South Carolina insurance solutions for your needs.

Ben Crawford 144 DAVIS ROAD

Augusta Georgia 30907 706-305-1698 office bcrawford25@gmail.com

www.gacoverage.com Got Skills?

UrbanProWeekly is looking for writers and photographers that know the community contact: editor@urbanproweekly.com

Tender Care Training School

Jennifer Norman-Dixon

State Approved

Certified Nurse Asst. Training Phlebotomy Training Pharmacy Tech. Training 1140 Druid Park Ave. Augusta, GA 30904 OFFICE HOURS TUES-FRI. 8:30 AM - 7:30 PM Phone: (706)736-9225 Fax: (706)736-0995

Independent Cruise & Vacation Specialist

Hephzibah, GA 30815 Phone 706-925-2929 Toll Free (877-790-6082 Fax 404-601-4492

Email:jdixon@cruisesinc.com www.cruisesinc.com/jdixon

You don’t have to live with BACK PAIN

or any other kind of discomfort, including headaches, neck stiffness, shoulder pain, muscle tension, sleep ������������������������������������ 706-736-5551

2 Locations: 1125Available!

Druid Park Ave.•�� Road ACCEPTED M2583 OSTTobacco INSURANCE Drug Testing Now Augusta, GA 30904 Hephzibah, GA 30815 1132 Druid Park Ave, Augusta, GA

rban Pro

eekly

Forum

Sensible laws vs maniacal attacks 8,000 miles away from Connecticut, a vicious attack on school children has only one grace: all survived.

Beth Brogan and Jon Queally CSM staff writers On the other side of the world and just hours before 20 children were gunned down in a massacre in Connecticut on Friday, 22 children were the victims of a vicious, similarminded attack at a Chinese elementary school by a man wielding an 8-inch knife.

Just as brutal and as nonsensical as the murders at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, the incident in Henan Province, China had an outcome that victim’s families now mourning in Connecticut are only wishing they could share.

The sliver but potent aspect of good news? As of Saturday morning, none of those 22 children attacked in China had died from their injuries.

Unlike the US—where mass killing after mass killing reveal how the prevalence and accessibility of automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips make killing easy for the deranged or enraged—

Unlike the US — where mass killing after mass killing reveal how the prevalence and accessibility of automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips make killing easy for the deranged or enraged — China’s strict guns laws make such incidents nearly impossible.

China’s strict guns laws make such incidents nearly impossible.

“The huge difference between this case and the U.S. is not the suspect, nor the situation, but the simple fact he did not have an effective weapon,” Dr. Ding Xueliang, a Harvard-educated sociologist at the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong, told CNN. “In terms of the U.S., there’s much easier availability of killing instruments—rifles, machine guns, explosives—than in nearly every other developed country.”

The guns used in Friday’s massacre in Connecticut, according to reports, were a Sig Sauer and a Glock, both handguns. A Bushmaster .223 M4 carbine, which is a semi-automatic

military-style assault rifle, was also found at the scene.

US Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), told CNN that “other developed nations such as Germany and Canada see hundreds of fatalities from guns each year, instead of 9,000 or 10,000.” And added, “There’s a reason for that.”

Barbara Demick in the Los Angeles Times wrote Friday that bloggers in China were praising their country’s strict gun laws in the wake of both incidents. Demick wrote: Zhang Xin, a prominent real estate developer and one of the wealthiest women in China, deplored the lack of political will in the United States.

“Really, why can’t these politicians put aside their difference and pro-

hibit the sale of firearms?” wrote Zhang Xin, in her widely followed microblog on Sina Weibo.

As Shanghaiist notes, China has seen its own trend of violence targeting young children since 2010.

Other knife attacks have been used by the National Rifle Association, rightwingers and other pro-gun lobbyist groups to argue that strict gun laws don’t stop violent acts. But, as the publication adds, “societies which allow their citizens easy access to firearms, of any type, are placing their citizens at a far higher risk of death and injury than those that do not.”

Citing statistics by the Center for Disease Control, Prof. Peter Dreier points out that in 2011 (the most recent year available) “there were 15,953 murders in the United States and 11,101 (30 a day) were caused by firearms. Suicides and unintentional shootings account for another 20,000 deaths by guns each year.”

Continued on next page

The 24-hour American massacre: From Newtown to Chicago

by Russell Simmons Founder, GlobalGrind.com My deepest prayers go out to the victims and their families and all the people whose hearts were broken in Newtown. As a father of two beautiful girls, I cannot begin to understand the loss that so many feel in that small Connecticut town. It is beyond rational comprehension. I will continue to pray for those who have been touched by this tragedy and use any power I might have to help them heal.

This nation needs healing not just in Connecticut, but in every small town, big city and all 50 states that have been affected by senseless gun violence that has afflicted our country for decades. There is no time to wait until the next tragedy happens,

because it already did. In the 24 hour period since the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, 10 people were shot in the city of Chicago. Another weekend. Another massacre on the streets of the Windy City.

Unfortunately, nearly every day in America we have “mass shootings,” it’s just that most of them are not reported in the news. This is not a contest to measure the horror of any of these tragedies, but rather should be a wake-up call to address them once and for all. Not tomorrow. Not the day after tomorrow. TODAY. There is an obvious breaking point in a society, and we passed that a long time ago. Every other civilized country has created sensible laws that do not allow weapons of war to be in the hands of citizens. When

we view a nightmare like the one in Newtown, let’s not see it in a vacuum, as the killing is this country has continued. Don’t let the 50 victims (kids) that may get shot in Chicago in any given weekend (without national debate) die or be injured in vain either. Include them in your prayers and discussions, as they are human beings as well.

This is about guns of course.

However, mental health, lack of opportunity and other factors weigh in when we talk about the other half of the reason for these catastrophes.

We can all agree that the rise in gun violence is a problem that we can work on together today.

I’m hopeful that we can begin a serious dialogue that will lead to action in gun reform beginning with the re-instatement of the 1993 Assault

Weapons Ban passed by President Clinton. It was allowed to expire in 2004 by President Bush and it is time to bring it back. I implore President Obama to push for this piece of legislation as quickly as he possible can. I have long admired the work of New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and he has been a champion for gun reform. I join him in demanding that all of our politicians have a plan to save our babies. His work should lead the way, and President Obama should follow.

Now is the time for public outrage.

Our president and every politician need to hear our voices. When a sevenyear-old is shot and killed in Newtown, Conn. and a seven-year-old is shot and killed in Chicago, the disease of violence that has plagued the United States of America must be cured.

A culture that condones the killing of children and teaches children to kill

by Lucinda Marshall The Sandy Hook massacre isn’t just about the need for gun control laws, it is about a culture that condones the killing of children and teaches children that killing is okay.

It is about a country addicted to violence on television and movie screens.

It is about cuts in education spending.

It is about giving the military free access to our schools where they regale our children with roman-

ticized delusions of military righteousness.

It is about environmental and health policies that expose our children to all manner of toxins in the air, land and water.

It is about thinking we have the right to kill children with drones or by dropping toxic munitions on their countries that cause birth defects and miscarriages.

It is about saddling our children with crippling education debt and no prospect for jobs.

It is about telling boys (and men)

they have to be tough and to fight and kill for what they want or think is right.

It is about a national policy that denies children basic rights and systemically teaches them that violence is okay.

And it is about a media so insensitive that it thinks it is okay to shove a microphone in the face of young victims in the name of sensationalized 24/7 cable “news” while underreporting the root causes of this tragedy.

Sandy Hook did not happen

because of a lone, disturbed young man and it is not an isolated incident. It is an epidemic and we are all to blame. And today (and tomorrow and every day after that) is the time to confront this self-inflicted tragedy.

Lucinda Marshall is the Founder and Director of the Feminist Peace Network, http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org. She is the author of the FPN blog as well as Reclaiming Medusa, http://www. lucindamarshall.com.

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

U W

9

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

10

GUEST COMMENTARY

H

ave you ever considered just how important your word is? To some of us, our word is just a gap-filler. You know, when you don’t have anything else to say or you don’t know what to say next, you end up making promises that you know you don’t intend to keep. How often have you been to a function and have seen someone you haven’t seen in a while and at the end of the conversation, you say ‘We ought to get together more often’ with no intention of doing so at all?

Or how often have we told someone that we loved them when we knew we didn’t? Borrowed money we promised to pay back with no intention of doing so? Said ‘I do’ – and didn’t? How many of us have sworn to be faithful and haven’t? Made resolutions and didn’t keep them?

Take one moment, examine yourself and see whether you are one of us flawed individuals who lives on planet

YOUR WORD Earth or whether you are from Mars or Venus, where men see the world in terms of war and women see it in terms of love. Wait, wait, and don’t tell me. I already have the answer. Our very nature makes us imperfect. Therefore, our treaties, our promises, our intentions – everything we say or do is flawed. YOU SAY WHAT? Yes, we all are flawed. Period.

Now, I know this is nothing anyone wants to hear. We all want to think highly of ourselves, even when we know, in reality, we aren’t. We know our imperfections. We know that we lie. We know that we cheat. We know that we are hypocrites. If we know these things, then, I guess the next question is why we do them? Can you get blood out of turnips? Can you squeeze a penny so tight that Abe Lincoln hollers? I say ‘No’ to these questions because a flawed man will make flawed decisions and do flawed things. Since we all are flawed,

By Grady Abrams

we make flawed decisions.

You see, laws are artificial parameters we set up to control our behavior. But our nature doesn’t always comply with boundaries. Often there are conflicts. When they are severe, nature tends to win out. For instance, you have to go to the rest room. Nature is calling. Nothing around you is convenient to stay within the boundaries of social graces or the law, so what do you do? Yes, you answer the call – right where you are. Nature is going to prevail.

What is my point? While our word is important, we have to recognize that it is coming from flawed individuals who may be struggling against their very nature, which, I might say, is a life-long struggle for us all.

What then, you might ask? Shall we continue in not keeping our word, knowing that our nature is controlling our flaws? What if the flaws are

strong enough to bring harm to others? I don’t have answers to these questions. I wish did. However, the Bible attempts to answer them in Paul’s letter to the Romans while he was in jail there in Rome. When Paul told them that they were saved by grace, not the law, he felt that they would take that to mean they no longer had to obey the law. “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” they asked.

Paul seems to suggest that our nature can be changed – really die to its old ways and a new life started, with a new nature, and even if we want to go back on our word, that new nature will trouble us to the point where we cannot rest in peace until we have answered its call – just as we answered the call of the old nature.

Are we keeping our word? Paul says we can, if we have been born again, with a new nature.

The United States hasn’t passed any gun safety legislation since 1994 and lawmakers allowed the “assault weapons ban” to expire in 2004.

The calls for new gun laws were loud and clear on Friday and into Saturday.

“If we’ve reached a point where our children cannot attend school without fear of being gunned down by a homicidal maniac who has obtained easy access to firearms,” said the Coalition to End Gun

Violence, “then the freedom we cherish as citizens of the world’s greatest democracy is at risk of extinction.”

“If elected officials cannot find their voices now and call for change—if NR A campaign contributions and threats continue to dictate their decision-making, taking priority over the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—what will it say about them?”

SENSIBLE LAWS from page 9 Dreier notes that many more people are injured—some seriously and permanently—by gun violence each and every day.

“It is no accident that the United States ranks first in the world— by a wide margin—in gun-related civilian deaths and injuries,” Dreier said. “Compared with every other democracy, we have the most guns per capita and the weakest gun laws.”

In addition, he notes, the danger

isn’t simply the number of guns, but the types of guns that make the US such a dangerous nation.

“Other countries permit hunting rifles,” Dreier said, “but many Americans believe it is their right to own an assault weapon.” Such weapons, which can fire rapidly and need minimal reloading, have been consistently used in shooting massacres—like the one Newtown on Friday—that result in the highest casualty rates.

COLON HYDROTHERAPY {First Colon Cleansing Center In Augusta} CONDITIONS RESPONDING TO COLON HYDROTHERAPY Cited by Rheumatologist, Arthur E. Brawer, M.D.

Shanta Johnson

Special 15% Holiday Discount Enhances Weight Loss • Allergies • Acne • Constipation • Irritable Bowel • Gas/Bloating • Asthma • Chronic Fatigue • Spastic Colon • Potbelly • Body Odor • Headaches • Improves Sexual Health

ESSENTIAL CLEANSING CENTER 2045 Central Avenue, Augusta

706-733-5000

coloncleansingaugusta.com • essentialcleansingcenter.com

MEDICAL VILLA PHARMACY WE TAKE: •Georgia medicaid •Insurance plans •Charge cards •WIC vouchers Marshall Curtis, Pharmacist/Owner Baron Curtis, Pharmacist

FREE DELIVERY SERVICE

706-722-7355

Harold V. Jones II ATTORNEY AT LAW

Criminal Law • Divorce • Personal Injury • Employment Law

SHEPARD, PLUNKETT, HAMILTON & BOUDREAUX, LLP 429 Walker Street Upper Level Augusta, GA 30901

Phone 706-722-6200 Fax 706 722-4817 hjones@shepardplunkett.com

Sometimes life becomes unmanageable and professional intervention is needed.

1850 Gordon Hwy. Suite A Augusta, GA 30904

706-733-7115 Fax: 706-733-7143

Ms. Adrian Wright

PAINT & BODY SHOP Deductible Assistance Available 1850 Gordon Hwy., Suite A Augusta, GA 30904

706-733-7115

Caffee Wright is the owner of The Counseling Group. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified School Counselor in the state of Georgia, a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and a Master Addiction Counselor.

Individual Therapy Family Therapy Staff Development Workshops Consultation Foster Parent Training Multiple Offender Treatment Group Counseling Clinical Evaluations Family Violence Intervention

(706) 772-7500

Fax: 706-733-7143

3026 Deans Bridge Road • Augusta, GA 30906

Ms. Adrian Wright

Insurance, WellCare, and Amerigroup provider

LARRY L McCORD LLC

DESIGN - BUILD LLC

“One-Stop Construction” Our Office Provides: Architectural Drafting & Construction House Plans • Church Plans Renovation Projects • Metal Buildings Larry L. McCord Can Provide All Your Design and Construction Needs All Under One Roof 2016 Highland Avenue Augusta, Georgia 30904-5352 Office: (706) 733-2931 Cell (706) 267-7998 Email: llmccord@comcast.net

Dollars $ Sense Bookkeeping LLC

Debra H. McCord Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor ®

706/564-4898 CALL NOW . . . TAX TIME IS NEAR! Small Business / Individual 23 Years Experience Email: d.mccord25@comcast.net

Website: www.dollarsandsense-augusta.com 2016 Highland Avenue; Suite C Augusta, GA 30904-5352

UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

PAINT T &HE COUNSELING GROUP Outpatient Therapy Program BODY SHOP

11

12 UrbanProWeekly • DECEMBER 20 - 26, 2012

THE LAW OFFICE OF

Frails & Wilson ATTORNEYS AT LAW

Experienced Representation

Real Estate Transactions Personal Injury Bankruptcy Social Security Disability Probate • Domestic Randolph Frails

Edwin Wilson

Aimee Sanders

706-855-6715

Criminal Defenses

211 Pleasant Home Road • Suite A1 • Augusta, GA