Kids to cops: Mom used attic as lockup when angry

Kids to cops: Mom used attic as lockup when angry

This booking photo released Friday July 31, 2009, by the Lowell, Mass., police shows Kristin Paquette. She faces multiple charges after being accused of locking her 5-year-old son inside a sweltering attic where police said temperatures reached 120 degrees.

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) -- Police responding to a report of a 3-year-old being locked in a sweltering, filthy attic were told by other children, "Mommy does this when she gets angry," a prosecutor said Friday.

Kristen Paquette, 27, was charged with reckless endangerment to a child and assault and battery on a child and was being held on $10,000 bail after arraignment Friday in Lowell District Court. Her family and attorney portrayed her as an overwhelmed mother dealing with an especially unruly child.

Police said the boy was naked, covered in urine and feces, and had several minor bumps on his forehead when officers acting on a tip went to Paquette's Lowell apartment Thursday. They estimated the temperature inside the attic at over 100 degrees. The door to the room was locked, and the only window inside was nailed shut, said prosecutor Dan Harren. Feces-covered child-size fingerprints were on the wall, he said.

Outside the attic was a similarly filthy mattress, surrounded by hundreds of flies, Harren said. Health officials condemned the apartment afterward.

Officers said another boy and a girl at the home told them Paquette took the 3-year-old by his arms "and dragged him upstairs to the attic." The children told officers such things happened "a lot."

Harren said the children told authorities, "Mommy does this when she gets angry." One boy told police his sibling "was bad, so Mommy put him upstairs and changed the door handle," according to the police report.

The prosecutor added in court, "When asked how long the child had been upstairs, the defendant admitted, `About an hour,' in a nonchalant manner." She said she had punished the child because he would "interrupt cleaning."

Court records show Lowell police also arrested Paquette in 2004, on a charge of assault and battery with a knife. The arrest - in the same apartment - came after Paquette allegedly cut a man with a knife; she claimed he had thrown her to the floor.

The woman's father, Alfred Paquette, attended the arraignment and said afterward that police were misrepresenting the situation. He said his daughter is a single mother who is overwhelmed by her four children - a daughter and three sons.

Alfred Paquette said the first floor of the home is clean, and the four children seem happy and never appeared abused.

"I was in the apartment yesterday morning. ... I didn't smell nothing. It just smelled like a home," he said. "My daughter isn't some evil monster that she's being portrayed to be. She's just a regular mom, and she has a child that needs special services. She's been trying to get him help and nobody's helping her."

Paquette said the boy in the attic was born three months premature, has chronic lung problems and exhibited behavioral problems despite reassurances from doctors who have examined him.

"He's like a child with ADHD on steroids. He's very hyperactive," Paquette said.

He said his daughter was raised in Lowell and is unemployed. She has been abandoned by the fathers of her boys, he said, and only has contact with the father of the girl.

He said his ex-wife is attempting to gain custody of the children and that other relatives have offered to take in his daughter.

Richard Paquette, the woman's uncle, told reporters there was nothing wrong with disciplining out-of-control children.

"You've got to try to get some kind of control. There's no abuse, no abuse whatsoever," he said.

Paquette's defense attorney, Kathleen Moore, told Judge Neil Walker, "It is clear this is a woman who needed help and didn't know how to ask for it and didn't ask for it."

Two of the other children, ages 6 and 9, were placed in state custody, as was a third child who wasn't home at the time. Alfred Paquette said he was with the child at Fenway Park, watching the Boston Red Sox defeat the Oakland Athletics.

The police report for the 2004 assault charge said Paquette told officers she cut the man "so as to fend him off." The man, 26-year-old Andrew Jackman, gave the same address as Paquette.

The report added: "At the hospital, Mr. Jackman stated that he would not be pressing charges and was very angry that Ms. Paquette was arrested."

The case was continued without a finding, although Paquette did receive probation and was ordered to attend the anger-management classes.

Sen. Dodd has prostate cancer, will have surgery

Sen. Dodd has prostate cancer, will have surgery

FILE - In this March 19, 2009 file photo, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. listens to witness testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington. Officials tell The Associated Press that Dodd has been diagnosed with prostate cancer

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd said Friday that he has been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer and will have surgery in early August, but the prognosis is good and the illness will not affect his plans to seek a sixth term next year.

Dodd said the cancer was detected in June during his annual physical and the results were confirmed by a biopsy. He said he plans to have surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York shortly after Congress adjourns next week and is "very confident we're going to come out of this well."

"I'm running for re-election," he told reporters at his Hartford office. "I'll be a little leaner, a little meaner, but I'm running."

The 65-year-old Democrat is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and is playing a lead role in Congress' attempt to overhaul the nation's health care system. He took that role while his close friend, Senate health committee Chairman Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts fights his own battle with brain cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men in the United States, affecting about 6.4 out of every 100 men in Dodd's age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I feel fine," Dodd said. "This is very common. If you've got to have cancer, I'm told by some doctors, this is the slowest going, most manageable form to have."

Dodd also used the diagnosis to make a pitch for overhauling the nation's health care system.

"For a person who loses health care coverage, that physical may not be something that you can afford," he said. "I'm fortunate as a member of Congress to have those benefits."

In Washington, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said he didn't know if President Barack Obama had called Dodd upon learning about the cancer, but said he was likely to call later Friday.

Dodd is facing what's expected to be a tough re-election campaign. A poll last week showed him trailing former Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, 48 percent to 39 percent, and 52 percent of respondents disapproved of Dodd's job performance.

The Senate ethics committee is looking into whether Dodd violated standards of conduct when he received mortgage discounts from the VIP program at Countrywide Financial Corp.

Dodd, whose committee oversees the banking and financial industries, insists he did not receive special deals. He produced a report showing other lenders would have offered the same rates and said he thought the VIP program simply meant enhanced customer service and the ability to get a live person on the phone.

Dodd also was caught up in the furor earlier this year over $165 million in bonuses American International Group Inc. paid some of its employees in 2009 while receiving billions of dollars in federal bailout money.

After first denying it, Dodd admitted he agreed to a request by Treasury Department officials to dilute an executive bonus restriction in the big economic stimulus bill that Congress passed in February. The change to Dodd's amendment allowed AIG to hand out the bonuses and sparked a blame game between Dodd and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Dodd is the son of former Democratic Sen. Thomas J. Dodd. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1974 and was re-elected in 1976 and 1978, and was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980.

He ran unsuccessfully for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, dropping out after failing to gain support in the Iowa caucuses.

He is married to the former Jackie Clegg. They have two young daughters.

House votes to restrict Wall Street pay

House votes to restrict Wall Street pay

FILE -- In this July 24, 2009 file photo, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. opens a hearing with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss the country's economic and financial health on Capitol Hill in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted Friday to slap restrictions on how Wall Street executives are paid after nine banks that took government bailout money rewarded thousands of their employees with bonuses topping $1 million each.

Bowing to populist anger and defying President Barack Obama's suggestion that government rely on incentives instead of intervention to curb excessive salaries and bonuses, the House passed the bill on a 237-185 vote.

"This is not the government taking over the corporate sector. . . . It is a statement by the American people that it is time for us to straighten up the ship," said Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C.

Although the bill doesn't give Obama exactly what he wanted, it advances the first piece of his broader proposal to increase oversight of financial institutions. The Senate was expected to take up the package after Congress returns in September from its summer recess.

The House bill includes Obama's suggestions to give shareholders a nonbinding vote on compensation packages and prohibit directors on compensation committees from having financial ties to the company and its executives.

But the bill goes farther than Obama wanted by prohibiting pay incentives that encourage employees to take financial risks that could threaten the economy or viability of the institution.

Obama said giving shareholders a "say on pay" and diminishing management influence on pay packages would go far in curbing the lavish pay seen at some banks.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who sponsored the bill, said the extra regulation is necessary to ensure bankers and traders aren't rewarded only if they take big risks. Under the provision banning risky incentive-based pay, regulators would be given nine months to dictate precise guidelines.

If a bet goes wrong, "the company loses money and the economy may suffer, but the decision makers do not," he said.

The vote came one day after New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reported that the nation's biggest banks awarded nearly 4,800 million-dollar-plus bonuses in 2008 even as their profits dwindled and they accepted billions in government aid.

Citigroup, which is now one-third owned by the government after taking $45 billion in government money, gave 738 of its employees bonuses of at least $1 million, even after it lost $18.7 billion during the year, Cuomo's office said.

Aware of voter outrage on the bonuses, Republicans reluctantly pushed back. They said severe restrictions should apply only to banks that accept government aid.

The legislation's ban on risky compensation would apply to any firm with more than $1 billion in assets, including bank holding companies, broker-dealers, credit unions, investment advisers and mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The effect will be to force "financial institutions who did not contribute to the crisis to pay for the mistakes of others," said Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling said the government would be better off terminating the $700 billion bank bailout program established last year.

"If you quit bailing out risky behavior, Mr. Chairman, you'll receive less risky behavior," said Hensarling, R-Texas.

Republicans also cast the proposal as too liberal even for Obama.

Frank snapped back: "We are not taking orders from the Obama administration."

Also on Friday, a group of 11 bipartisan senators pressed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to name the financial institutions that have received emergency assistance from the Fed and disclose how much help each received.

The Fed has invoked its emergency powers to provide assistance to some banks, but has not disclosed the details out of concern that the information would cause a run on the institutions.

The senators, led by North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, said the information should be released now that banks are reporting profits and paying back bailout money.

House approves $2B more for 'cash for clunkers'

House approves $2B more for 'cash for clunkers'

UPDATES CAPTION INFORMATION -- In this July 27, 2009 photo, a woman shops for a car at Springfield Auto Mart in Springfield, Vt., a dealer for Buick, Pontiac and GMC. Above her is a car that was dumped in a dumpster as a visual promotion for the government cash-for-clunkers program. The government's popular "cash for clunkers" program is running out of money as car shoppers flock to dealerships to take advantage of the rebates. The White House says it is assessing its options amid concerns the program's $1 billion budget may have been depleted.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has voted to rush an additional $2 billion into the popular but financially strapped "cash for clunkers" car purchase program.

The bill was approved on a vote of 316-109. House members acted within hours of learning from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that the program was running out of money.

Called the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS, the program is designed to help the economy and the environment by spurring new car sales. Car owners can receive federal subsidies of up to $4,500 for trading in their old cars for new ones that achieve significantly higher gas mileage.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the new money for the program would come from funds approved earlier in the year as part of an economic stimulus bill.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House rushed Friday to pump $2 billion into a popular cash-for-clunkers program running near empty, with a leading Democrat saying "consumers have spoken with their wallets."

A floor vote was under way at midday on the bill to refuel the car-purchase program. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had said earlier that the additional money would come from funds Congress approved earlier in the year as part of a $787 billion economic stimulus bill.

Hoyer, D-Md., said that at the request of House Republicans - whose approval was required for swift passage - the bill would include provisions for government auditors to make sure the money was being spent as intended.

Republicans argued that Democrats were trying to jam the legislation through.

House Minority Leader John Boehner said it was unclear how many Republicans would support on the plan.

"There are a lot of questions about how the administration administered this program. If they can't handle something as simple as this, how would we handle health care?" the Ohio Republican told The Associated Press.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the cars purchased under the program were much more fuel-efficient than what the bill requires.

But some lawmakers complained that many dealers were left to contend with a chaotic government-run program.

"The federal government can't process a simple rebate. I've got dealers who have submitted the paperwork three times and have gotten three rejections," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich. "What is a dealer supposed to do?"

There had been a $1 billion budget for rebates for new car sales in the program that was officially launched last week and has been heavily publicized by automakers and dealers.

Called the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS, the program offers owners of old cars and trucks $3,500 or $4,500 toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle, in exchange for scrapping their old vehicle. Congress last month approved the plan to boost auto sales and remove some inefficient cars and trucks from the roads.

The Senate was not scheduled to vote on Friday but lawmakers hoped to win approval for additional funding next week.

Senate action is likely next week, making sure the program would not be affected by the sudden shortage of cash.

"Consumers have spoken with their wallets and they've said they like this program," said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.

House members acted within hours of learning from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that the program - designed to help the economy as well as the environment - was out of funds. Under the program, car owners can receive federal subsidies of as much as $4,500 if they trade in their old car for a new one that achieves significantly higher gas mileage.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the administration assured lawmakers that "deals will be honored until otherwise noted by the White House." But he suggested that "people ought to get in and buy their cars."

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs sought to assure consumers that the program is still running and will be alive "this weekend. If you were planning on going to buy a car this weekend, using this program, this program continues to run."

Gibbs would not commit to any timeframe beyond that.

It was unclear how many cars had been sold under the program.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said about 40,000 vehicle sales had been completed through the program but dealers estimated they were trying to complete transactions on another 200,000 vehicles, putting the amount of remaining funding in doubt.

John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said many dealers have been confused about whether the program will be extended and for how long. Many had stopped offering the deals Thursday after word came out that the funds available for the refunds had been exhausted.

The clunkers program was set up to boost U.S. auto sales and help struggling automakers through the worst sales slump in more than a quarter-century. Sales for the first half of the year were down 35 percent from the same period in 2008, and analysts are predicting only a modest recovery during the second half of the year.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the program, North Palm Beach, Fla., dealer Earl Stewart said he planned to continue to sell cars under the program but would delay delivering the new vehicles and scrapping the trade-ins.

"It's been a total panic with my customers and my sales staff. We are running in one direction and then we are running in another direction," he said.

Recession eases; GDP dip smaller than expected

Recession eases; GDP dip smaller than expected

In this June 3, 2009 photo, Baldor Electric Co. employees Dave Johnston, left, and Steve Davis, right, work inside the company's factory in St. Louis. A new government report shows the economy sank at a pace of just 1 percent in the second quarter of the year. It was a better-than-expected showing that provided the strongest signal yet that the longest recession since World War II is finally winding down.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy sank at a pace of just 1 percent in the second quarter of the year, a new government report shows. It was a better-than-expected showing that provided the strongest signal yet that the longest recession since World War II is finally winding down.

The dip in gross domestic product for the April-to-June period, reported by the Commerce Department on Friday, comes after the economy was in a free fall, tumbling at an annual rate of 6.4 percent in the first three months of this year. That was the sharpest downhill slide in nearly three decades.

The economy has now contracted for a record four straight quarters for the first time on records dating to 1947. That underscores the grim toll of the recession on consumers and companies.

Many economists were predicting a slightly bigger 1.5 percent annualized contraction in second-quarter GDP. It's the total value of all goods and services - such as cars and clothes and makeup and machinery - produced within the United States and is the best barometer of the country's economic health.

"The recession looks to have largely bottomed in the spring," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors. "Businesses have made most of the adjustments they needed to make, and that will set up the economy to resume growing in the summer," he predicted.

Less drastic spending cuts by businesses, a resumption of spending by federal and local governments and an improved trade picture were key forces behind the better performance. Consumers, though, pulled back. Rising unemployment, shrunken nest eggs and lower home values have weighed down their spending.

A key area where businesses ended up cutting more deeply in the spring was inventories. They slashed spending at a record pace of $141.1 billion. There was a silver lining to that, though: With inventories at rock-bottom, businesses may need to ramp up production to satisfy customer demand. That would give a boost to the economy in the current quarter.

The Commerce Department also reported Friday that the recession inflicted even more damage on the economy last year than the government had previously thought. In revisions that date back to the Great Depression, it now estimates that the economy grew just 0.4 percent in 2008. That's much weaker than the 1.1 percent growth the government had earlier calculated.

Also Friday, the government reported that employment compensation for U.S. workers has grown over the past 12 months by the lowest amount on record, reflecting the severe recession that has gripped the country.

Separately, the International Monetary Fund said in a report that a U.S. economic recovery "is likely to be gradual" and that growth could be sluggish "for a considerable period."

The report, part of an annual IMF review of the U.S. economy, credited the government's "strong and comprehensive policy measures," including the bank rescue efforts and stimulus package, for ending "the sharp fall in economic output."

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said he thinks the recession will end later this year. And many analysts think the economy will start to grow again - perhaps at around a 1.5 percent pace - in the July-to-September quarter. That would be anemic growth by historical measures, but it would signal that the downturn has ended.

Naroff said he now thinks growth in the third quarter could turn out to be much stronger because companies will need to replenish bare-bone stockpiles of goods.

"You could get a huge swing in inventories that could create a much bigger growth rate than anybody expects," he said.

If that were to happen, it's possible the economy's growth could clock in around 4 percent in the current quarter, he said.

Obama's stimulus package of tax cuts and increased government spending provided some support to second-quarter economic activity. But it will have more impact through the second half of this year and will carry a bigger punch in 2010, economists said.

"Our first mission in coming to office was to rescue the economy, to stop the slippage, to prevent it from going over the edge," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said of the new GDP figures.

Even if the recession ends later this year, the job market will remain weak. Companies are expected to keep cutting payroll through the rest of this year, but analysts say monthly job losses likely will continue to narrow.

Still, unemployment - now at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent - will keep rising. The Fed says it will top 10 percent at the end of this year. Businesses will be unlikely to boost hiring until they're certain the recovery has staying power.

In the second quarter, businesses continued to cut all kinds of spending, but not nearly as much as they had been, one of the reasons the economy didn't contract as much.

For instance, they trimmed spending on equipment and software at a 9 percent pace in the second quarter, compared with an annualized drop of 36.4 percent in the first quarter. Similarly, they cut spending on plants, office buildings and other commercial construction at a rate of 8.9 percent, an improvement from the annualized drop of 43.6 percent in the first quarter.

Housing - which led the country into recession - continued to be a drag on the economy. Builders cut spending at a rate of 29.3 percent, also an improvement from the 38.2 percent annualized drop reported in the first quarter.

Consumers, meanwhile, did a slight retreat in the spring.

They sliced spending at a rate of 1.2 percent in the second quarter, after nudging up purchases at a 0.6 percent pace in the first quarter. It turns out consumers didn't have nearly the appetite to spend in the first quarter as the government previously thought, according to the revisions released Friday.

In large part, that's because wages and salaries were revised much lower in the first quarter. They totaled $6.339 trillion annualized, down from the old estimate of $6.495 trillion - a huge drop of $156 billion.

With consumers spending less on everything from cars to clothes, Americans' savings rate rose sharply - to 5.2 percent in the second quarter, the highest since 1998.

One of the wild cards in the shape of the recovery will be how consumers behave in the months ahead. Their spending accounts for the single-largest chunk of economic activity.

A return to spending by governments helped economic activity in the spring. The federal government boosted spending at pace of 10.9 percent, the most since the third quarter of 2008. And state and local governments increased spending at a pace of 2.4 percent, the most since the second quarter of 2007.

Making Graphics Transparent by Mary A. Jones MAJones777@gmail.com

Making Graphics Transparent by Mary A. Jones MAJones777@gmail.com

From the "Pen of a Ready Writer"

MAJones


Mary Jones



Welcome to Point ‘N Click Technology’s Online Tech Lab. It is good to be here and it is a good day. I have such a tip for you today and I am excited about this. This involves working with graphics. Have you ever had a picture or a graphic that when you insert it in your document it may have a white background and stands out from the other part of your document? To me that is tacky. Well I have the solution.

Let’s try it. Open up Microsoft Word 2007 or 2003, same concept. Change the background of the page to any color so that you can see the full effect of your project.

· Click Page Layout in the main menu/ribbon

· Click page color and choose a color

· Now insert your picture or graphic (use graphic that has a white background)

· Click the graphic and set the wrapping to tight (this is so you can move the graphic)

· Now make sure the size handles are showing on the graphic, if not click the picture one time

· You should be in the Picture Tools Format

· Click recolor (found to the left of the header)

· Scroll down to where it shows Set Transparent Color

· Click on that then immediately click in the white area of the picture

· It should now be the same color of the page background

· Actually the white portion of the picture is now transparent

· If you want to change the color of the white background to another color choose More Variations instead of Set Transparent Color.

This tip blessed me because on many projects the white of the graphic makes the flyer or presentation you are working on look infantile. Now it blends well and is not an eyesore.

Definition – Scroll Lock

Scroll lock is a key found on the computer keyboard. It is found near the keyboard pause key (top right). The scroll lock key is to temporarily stop the scrolling of text or halt the operation of a program. There are not a lot of programs that use this feature, but didn’t you want to know why it was there.

Microsoft Excel is a good example of a software program that uses this key. If scroll lock is enabled on the keyboard when you press any of the arrow keys the screen will move in that direction but the selected cell will not change. However, if scroll lock is not enabled you will be able to navigate through each of the cells using the arrow keys.

Reverend Mary A. Jones

www.facebook.com/MAJones.writer

MAJones777@gmail.com

I On Talent: "IBoogie" AKA Tony Moore by Tracey Johnson traceyzipporahonyx@gmail.com

I On Talent: "IBoogie" AKA Tony Moore by Tracey Johnson traceyzipporahonyx@gmail.com


Tracey Johnson



Tony Moore

Tony Moore was born in Philadelphia and raised In Okinawa, Japan. Tony spent his childhood and most of his pre-teen years In Japan as his Father was in the Air Force. He returned to Philadelphia in his teenage years. Tony got into music in Japan listening to Bee Jees then to Action U, a group his Uncle Levan Moore was a participant. Levan was Tony's hero because not only was he In the Air Force but he was also a Sony/Columbia Records artist. After some minor success in the music industry Levan Moore decided to stay in the military versus pursuing a career in music further. A young traveler who was always moving, always adapting to culture, became the growing of innovation for him in Okinawa. Being in the Japanese culture, learning their mindset, passion and detail, trail blazing started to grow within him and that is where he gets his innovation for dancing.

Tony recalls watching Japanese cartoons such as Ultra Man, Johnny Sokko, and Speed Racer. Tony was stimulated by the animation, soundtrack, visual, imagination in a retrospective type of way causing him to see things differently. As Tony puts it, he always sees the world backwards. One day he was flying to Japan and got on a 747 the seats were facing the opposite so he arrived in Japan backwards and arrived in the United States backwards thereby creating a new perspective for him of always saw the world backwards.


Tony Moore

After his Father experienced a dishonorable discharge, this changed his life drastically from living in the greatest houses that America could facilitate in Japan to the projects. The family went from 10 to zero in lifestyle very quickly. He was the black white boy in Japan and the white black boy in America. Tony had been introduced to music through the traditional black church. What captivated him was the way the organist was playing but he wound up playing drums and later bass guitar. He started out being frustrated because no one would show him how to play so he learned on his own. He learned the wrong way to play bass causing him to develop calluses on his fingers. He later learned the correct way by watching guest bass players that came to the church. Tony stepped away from the Church house to experience other venues of music. In his teenage years, he was a part of a boy band called Chosen in Willingboro, NJ. Members of this band consisted of Felton Rowe, Timmy Witherspoon, Ron Walker, Spoony, and Eddie.

The singers were from Willingboro and the musicians were from Philly. The members of the band consisted of Maurice Welcher, Brian Moore, Frazier aka Briz, John Roberts, and Daryl Marshall. They sung all over the region being requested at many events. Chosen broke up "because that’s what boy bands do when there are a lot of egos combined with great musicians". The Philly side of the band went on to pursue professional music careers. For example, Brian is Madonna’s drummer and John is Janet’s/Michaels former drummer, and Maurice worked with Teddy Riley and many others.

In his twenties Tony introduced to the community of music, where he started choir called Shikinah Glory which turned into a female group called Anointing Fall and then Jehovah’s chosen aka JC or TMJC, which now has evolved to the Illafunkies. The concept behind JC started as a recording choir only they were not giggin anywhere.

Their first gig was a recording with James Poyser, James Hall and Tye Tribbett. Tye Tribbett produced the first CD. That CD launched a career of trendsetting; the first shed was birthed at his session rehearsals. Rehearsals are called “shed”. Sheds are all over the country, the very first one was when Lil John was touring with Janet, and Brian was touring with usher and usher was opening for Janet, they were on the same tour. The terminology comes from the root word woodshed, which means when a student would go into the music room and practice. The band decided to work on their chops in preparation for the recording. All Tony's old homies/bandmates came and played for him so the recording was also a reunion, setting precedence for all of his recordings to come.

Tony's thirst for new always got him in trouble, he was consistently changing which brought him a lot of criticism. Jehovah's Chosen's evolution from a larger choir to a smaller choir was Intriguing to him because when everyone in the industry loved the large choir he was changing to a smaller group. The first album entitled “Love Lifted Me” was produced by Jazzy Jeff’s musical camp that was only heard underground. The second album was entitled "Action Figures". The concept of this album came from a Jimmy Hendrix song. The message of that project was because Jehovah's Chosen was a gospel group doing secular work. They were the first gospel group to open for Common and Jill Scott, and all Philly soul artists. They developed a message for the Preacher's Kids also known as "PKs".

Some of the lyrics from the song Action Figures are “son of a preacher man run fast as you can got to catch the sun, you’re the chosen one. The resolution of inspiration is the constitution of salvation". These lyrics mean that God is going to use them to win souls. Either He is going to use you or he is going to use you. Concepts like these led to Tony working with bigger name artists like Bow-Wow, Mariah Carey and now Usher.

Tony Moore keeps unbelievably long hours working on new projects while continuing to give back to the community and his local church. Currently he is working with Alicia keys on a new movie soundtrack called Sisters, featuring Nia Long and Viviva Fox. In addition to working movie soundtracks, he is also writing songs for artists who search for inspirationally driven songs. Followed up by innovative never heard of undiscovered talent from around the world.

"My one desire is to evolve back to Japan and retire as a learner of culture." ~ Tony Moore.

One desire is to evolve back to Japan and retire as a learner of culture.

HoopGurlz at Phila. Front Page News

HoopGurlz at Phila. Front Page News

Bayou Ballers

The sweltering sun had nothing on the heated competition taking place inside the gym at the Basketball on the Bayou event. Guard Jeanne Kenney leads our standouts.

WESTWEGO, La. -- Situated in the middle of the South, albeit on the sultry Gulf Coast, the Basketball on the Bayou tends to attract much of the top talent in the basketball-rich region -- across sneaker lines, no less. This makes the tournament, in its sixth year, a good place to see players one might not ordinarily see, playing against other players with which they might not ordinarily match up against.

Peyton Davis will be heading to Auburn.

Auburn-commit Peyton Davis, of Mortimer, Ala., and the Alabama RoadRunners, is 6 feet 5 with a more-or-less finesse game that can be effective in the SEC because of her fundamentals. She can move up and down the court, is not physical but blocks out and pursues the ball. Davis also has nice form and accuracy on mid-range and short-corner jumpers, plus she can pass out of the high post. She finishes under duress, but could use a more forceful drop-step move and needs more upper- and lower-body strength to shoot through contact. Upping the degree of difficulty on short-range attempts, she opens up on both layups and her jump hook, allowing shorter players to defend. On the move, she tends to shoot righty on the left side, though she can finish left on straight layups. She has the length and mobility to be an effective defensive deterrent, if more aware when defending the weak side.

When viewing more heralded players, there sometimes is another, unintended target who catches your eye with her panache. Jessica Escorza, of South Riding, Va., and the Carolina Rise, is such a player. At 5-11, she is communicative, positive and unflappable -- a glue type of player. More than that, Escorza makes a difference on defense with her length, can handle the ball effectively in transition and shoots a jumper, though a little flat, off the bounce. She is the kind of player every team can use.

You almost don't have to have your eyes open to know that Jeanne Kenney, of Baton Rouge, La., and the Domino's club team, is on the floor. She is one of the game's great communicators, at both ends of the court. The 5-8 lefty can deliver from the point or score. She plays as hard and smart as anyone in her class. Sometimes, watching her is like watching a backcourt clinic. She covers the ball with both hands on defensive closeouts. She automatically rips down court in transition situations, always making herself available for the basketball. She is an often-spectacular passer who never telegraphs her intentions. She can drill catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, using great setup footwork and preparation. She can score on postups, finishing with nice, high bank shots over surprised defenders. Offensively, Kenney can heat up in no time. One game, she scored nine points, including a pair of threes, during the first 2 minutes, 15 seconds. As a guard, she has the complete package, lacking only a little length to defend athletic 2 guards on the next level.

A smallish, but broad-shouldered 5-7, Taryn Gregory, of the Houston Insiders, is a quick combo guard with a nice, easy 3-point stroke. When she engages on defense, Gregory can be extremely disruptive. We'd like to see her penetrate the lane more to draw defenders off teammates. Also, she can go left, but should strengthen the hand to avoid having defenders sit on it at the next level.

Combo guards who are 5-8 are almost commodities at this level, so they have to show a little something extra. Clara McLee, of Converse, Texas, and Team Xpress Blue, is one who does. She is long and athletic, aggressive to the rim off the bounce and excellent in transition, with either the finish or dish. She also has nice form on her shot, which is a bit flat from distance, making her more accurate from the top of the key than from the wings or corners.

Julie Manning, of Spring, Texas, and the HBA Blazers, has post size at 6-4, but more of a forward's mentality and frame. It may bother some that, offensively, she seldom ventures into the painted area, but others will like her at the high post --where she has nice form, a high release and accuracy on 14-to-16-foot jump shots. Manning does put her length to good use at the defensive end as a shot-blocker and will rebound there as well.

A 5-9 guard, Siarra Soliz, of League City, Texas, and the CyFair Premier, is a bouncy threat off the dribble and, when on a roll, threes seem for her to be an easy toss into a large ocean. She communicates, sees and makes enough plays to entice coaches into trying her at the point, though she does not frequently use her left, begging the question of how effective it is.

Don't be surprised to see Meghan Keough playing the point at the next level.

When we last saw Meghan Keough of Land O'Lakes, Fla., she was a feisty freshman point guard playing with her older sister, Kayli, who now is at Florida State. The younger Keough now is a rising junior, but feisty as ever. She plays more of a shooting guard with her club team, the Florida Wildcats, but brings a point guard's sensibility to the position. She is smooth and heady with a nice, easy three-point stroke. She knows how to attack the rim, either from the wings or along the baseline and goes hard, especially with her left. Keough can be an effective scorer, but at 5 feet 8 may have more options at point guard at the next level.

Fast and compact, ChaKecia Miller, of Marietta, Ga., and the Georgia Hoopstars, gets low on her dribble moves and is adept at snaking through a defense to attack the cup. She also has a nice hesitation move to freeze the on-ball defender and set up opportunities into the lane, where her strong upper body helps make her an effective finisher. Her jumper is a little one-armed, but effective. Her accuracy would also be improved by better shot selection.

Though a bit on the small side at 5-7, Reagan Miller of Sanger, Texas, exhibits the kind of command on the floor that you want from your point guard. She also is dependable with the ball, shoots the three and anticipates the passing lanes on defense.

Ka'Diedre Simmons, of East Orange, N.J., and Ring City Elite, plays bigger than her listed height of 5-6 because of her strength and explosiveness. This makes her more effective than most point guards her size. Simmons has a lot to offer at the point because she doesn't over-dribble and has nice touch on her passes. She also gets nice and low for her quick, unexaggerated dribble moves and attacks her defender's hips to get into the lane with frequency.

Emani White is a ball of energy that any coach would want.

Because Emani White of the Kenner Angels is just 5-2, she will require a college coach who can commit to using a small point guard. In White's case, the payoffs can be large. She is a fearless penetrator who can go on a dead sprint with her left hand. White really can turn the corner on a defender and, once in a crowd, can finish in spite of her size by adjusting her shot in the air or use a jump stop, ball fake to freeze the defense and step around it for baskets. At either end, she is just a whirlwind on the court, instilling energy into her team and, presumably on the next level, into any crowd.

The Florida Wildcats obviously are trying to groom a point guard with size in Camille Crooks and one can see her fitting the bill in time, if properly coached. At 5-11, the Maitland, Fla., sophomore makes a different level of passing lanes available for her team. As of now, she is a competent ballhandler but not yet exceedingly smooth with the ball. She also doesn't penetrate in a conventional manner, with dribble moves and by attacking a defender's hips, but by bullying or backing her way in. Such methodology is more conducive to a scorer than a point guard who needs to maintain vision of her teammates. There's no question Crooks belongs on the basketball court, but we just hope she doesn't miss her calling because of a forced fit. We see plenty of guards who run the point, forwards who play wing and wings who play posts, and all of them suffer some level of blunted development.

This is the second event in which we've seen Moriah Jefferson since she gamely limped through the USA Basketball U16 trials with a left calf injury and we have to say a healthy Jefferson is a sight to behold. First of all, calling her fast is a complete understatement. Moreover, she is a spectacular ballhandler, who does things like inside-out moves on the dead sprint, with an expanded imagination. In one game here, she zipped into a corner for a loose ball, performed a wraparound dribble and tossed a three-quarter court pass on the money. Physically, the Glen Heights, Texas, guard is explosive with uncanny balance and cutting abilities. She does not save her energy for the offensive end, using feints and other tricks to set up ballhandlers for rips. One usually wants to approach evaluations of younger players with more restraint, but in the case of Jefferson, it's difficult not to gush and envision an extremely rosy future.

If not for the brace on her right knee, you wouldn't know that Allison Ulfers, of Melairie, La., and the Kenner Angels, recently injured her medial-collateral ligament (MCL). She continues to show good speed and quickness, is light on her feet and shifty with the basketball. She plays all out, even showing a willingness to split trapping defenders. The 5-7 point guard doesn't panic and is a good passer with very good court vision. She exhibits evidence of a good shot from range, though doesn't use her legs enough to develop power from beyond the arc.

DFW Elite has three tremendous 2012 guard prospects and, of the three, Courtney Walker is the worker bee. At 5-8, she has good size and flies around the court. She also likes to roam on defense and create havoc. Walker, of Edmond, Okla., is a master at maneuvering through defenses for inside finishes, often acrobatic. She can score the ball with both hands, though her left is a little inconsistent. But, hey, she and her teammates are so good, you forget they're young and have plenty of time to shore up any deficiencies, however few, in their games.

The idea of giant point guards is appealing and, apparently, the Houston Elite has such plans for Courtney Williams, a 6-footer who acquitted herself well at the USA Basketball U16 trials. Williams plays a little erect with the ball and makes the kind of plays that taller point guards can make, but it comes at the price of traditional, penetrate-and-pitch setups and rim attacks. With her size, athleticism and skill set, Williams seems to be a player a team would want to get the ball in areas from which she can do damage on her own. Her shot is good enough, and she likely would be more effective attacking defenders her size, whom she could out-quick, rather than smaller, quicker defenders who can impede her path.

Franklin Institute Holds Its Annual Race Car Celebration

Franklin Institute Holds Its Annual Race Car Celebration

by KYW's Hadas Kuznits

The Franklin Institute on Wednesday celebrated one of the country's fastest growing sports, with its fifth annual Race Car Day.

Steve Snyder, VP of exhibit and program development at the Franklin Institute, says auto racing is not only one of the fastest growing sports in America, it's also one of the most technical:

"There's so much science and engineering. This is a really high-tech sport, so it's a great opportunity to show how the things we love, the kind of exciting sports, are really developed and allowed to happen because of the great science and engineering involved in them."

For full story go to:

http://www.kyw1060.com/

Rendell May OK Stopgap Paychecks for Hamstrung State Workers

Rendell May OK Stopgap Paychecks for Hamstrung State Workers

by KYW's Tony Romeo

As Pennsylvania’s budget blues continue, Governor Rendell has announced his plan to get paychecks to state workers and some vendors.

Rendell says he will monitor the progress of a House-Senate budget conference committee, but he says if there’s no significant progress by Monday he’ll ask the House -– controlled by members of his party -– to send him Senate budget bill #850, a budget measure he despises:

“I will take 850 and I will line out everything that is not essential to the operation of the government itself. I will sign it, and sign it into law. Let me be clear that this is not a final budget.”

Instead, the governor calls it a “bridge” that will allow state workers and some vendors to be paid.

For full story go to:

http://www.kyw1060.com/

Lawyer: Announcement pending on Jackson custody

Lawyer: Announcement pending on Jackson custody

FILE-This July 6, 2009 file photo shows Jackson family attorneys L. Londell McMillan, left, and Burt Levitch speaking to the media during a news conference outside the Superior court in Los Angeles. McMillan says in an interview with The Associated Press that word of an agreement between Katherine Jackson and Deborah Rowe, the biological mother of Prince Michael and Paris-Michael would come sometime Thursday July 30, 2009.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The attorney for Michael Jackson's mother says an announcement is imminent on a custody deal regarding the pop icon's two oldest children, but stopped short of saying an agreement had been reached.

L. Londell McMillan said in an interview with The Associated Press that word of an agreement between Katherine Jackson and Deborah Rowe, the biological mother of Prince Michael, 12, and Paris-Michael, 10, would come sometime Thursday.

McMillan has previously said any agreement will be in the best interest of Jackson's children. He declined to go into specifics and would not address reports about what kind of visitation Rowe would get, if any.

E-mail messages sent to Rowe's attorney seeking comment Thursday were not immediately returned.

Michael Jackson, who died June 25 at 50, was the sole parent to his three children. He was married to Rowe, but both had described the relationship as borne out of a friendship and said that Rowe had given birth to his two oldest children as a "gift" to Jackson. They divorced after Paris-Michael was born and Rowe was largely absent in her children's lives. His third child, 7-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket, was born to a surrogate and the mother's identity has never been revealed.

In Jackson's will, he expressed his desire to have his mother take care of his children. But after he died, Rowe expressed interest in raising not only her two children, but Blanket as well. In a phone interview with television station KNBC, she also said she would seek a restraining order against Joe Jackson, Michael's father; Michael Jackson had a complicated relationship with him and often spoke of beatings at the hands of his father.

After Mrs. Jackson, 79, was named by a court as the children's temporary guardian, Rowe won a delay in a guardianship hearing while she decided whether to seek custody. Other hearings were delayed at the request of both parties, and McMillan had described the negotiations between both sides as very cordial.

While McMillan would not discuss details of any agreement, he did say no money exchanged hands. Rowe has taken legal action and demanded retractions as other reports have claimed that she was seeking money from the Jacksons in exchange for dropping any attempt at custody of the children.

Michael Jackson gave Rowe a financial settlement after they divorced in 2000 and she relinquished her parental rights. But they were reinstated by a judge in 2005 after Rowe went to court over the children. The custody dispute was settled in 2006. Terms were not disclosed. Jackson retained primary custody of the children.

All three children have been living with Katherine Jackson since their father's death, where they have been surrounded by their aunts, uncles and cousins.

'Beer diplomacy' shows race still a flashpoint

'Beer diplomacy' shows race still a flashpoint


President Barack Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The need for President Barack Obama to conduct "beer diplomacy" between a respected black scholar and the white policeman who arrested him demonstrates that race relations have yet to fade into the background of U.S. society.

The American struggle with race flashed back into the national debate when Obama - the country's first black president - inserted himself into the angry give-and-take between the policeman and the professor.

That was in stark contrast to Obama's history-making run for the presidency, when he was at pains to play down race, prompting some to call him a post-racial candidate.

The incident two weeks ago also became a huge distraction for a president who is embroiled in trying to negotiate with Congress and cajole doubters into backing his centerpiece domestic initiative, the overhaul of the American health care system.

At issue: The arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black professor at Harvard University, by Sgt. James Crowley, a white sergeant with the Cambridge, Mass., police department who was sent to investigate a possible burglary at Gates' home. Although Crowley determined Gates was in his own home, he arrested Gates anyway after their encounter grew heated.

The charges were quickly dropped, but Obama's remarks at a news conference - he said the police had "acted stupidly" in arresting Gates - inflamed the debate. The president later said he should have expressed his concerns with different language.

That's when he invited Crowley, who steadfastly denied race was a factor in the arrest, and Gates, a friend of Obama's, to the White House to thrash things out - face-to-face - over a beer. The session is set for Thursday evening, weather permitting, at a picnic table just outside

Obama's Oval office.

Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, an attorney for Gates, said the meeting was "an important opportunity for the moment to settle their dispute, but also create a springboard for a larger discussion about how law enforcement interacts with minority communities and how we can figure out a way to both enforce the law but also protect civil liberties and civil rights of our citizens."

"No apologies will be expected or conveyed," Ogletree said. "The idea is to extend an opportunity for people to meet others that they didn't know and they only met in the most tense of circumstances."

The incident began when Crowley was dispatched to the Gates' home after a witness reported to police that she had seen two men trying to force open the front door. Gates had just returned from a trip abroad, found his front door jammed but had managed to enter, with the help of his driver, by the time Crowley arrived. The police officer asked Gates for identification to prove he was the resident.

An argument apparently erupted and heated language was used as Gates stepped onto his porch behind Crowley, who then handcuffed the professor and took him to a police station on a charge of disorderly conduct.

The event pointed to a continuing problem in the United States - so-called racial profiling by law enforcement. Records across the country show that blacks and Hispanics face a disproportionate likelihood of a confrontation or arrest when stopped by police.

Students of race relations say that is a result of prejudice that causes police intentionally or subconsciously to assume blacks or Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes.

Obama cited racial profiling in his comments on the case, as did Gates.
"What I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately," Obama said. "That's just a fact."

That disparity is a reminder that "race remains a factor in the society," Obama said.
Crowley said he arrested the professor - according to his report of the incident - after he "continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him."

Gates claimed Crowley refused repeated demands for the officer to give his name and identifying police badge number. Crowley said Gates "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior," causing him to handcuff and arrest the professor.

Compounding the complexities surrounding the case was a misrepresentation by the Cambridge police of the call that alerted them to the possible burglary. Police said the woman caller reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."

When the recording of the call was later made public, it showed the caller made no reference to race. After being pressed by the police officer who took the call to identify the race of the men she saw, the woman said one of them may have been Hispanic.

Nutter Plans Budget Rally to Warn of Drastic Cuts

Nutter Plans Budget Rally to Warn of Drastic Cuts



by KYW’s Tony Romeo and Mike Dunn

A Thursday afternoon rally at City Hall will be Mayor Nutter’s latest attempt to warn of drastic cuts in city services if Harrisburg does not approve key measures he needs to keep his government afloat.

The mayor is organizing the rally at City Hall to sound another warning cry about the need for Harrisburg’s help in avoiding a catastrophic cash shortfall. Nutter needs state approval for changes in the city worker’s pension plan, and permission to raise the city sales tax a penny on the dollar.

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Diamondbacks shut out Phillies, 4-0

Diamondbacks shut out Phillies, 4-0



PHOENIX (AP) -- A jolt went through the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse when the club announced it had traded for Cliff Lee, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.

Lee couldn't help the Phils in a 4-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.
Yusmeiro Petit (1-5) matched a career high with eight strikeouts and won for the first time since Aug. 23, 2008, a span of 11 starts.

"Bottom line was, we just didn't hit him," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said.

Still, the NL East leaders were smiling as they left for San Francisco after winning two of three in the desert. Lee's acquisition bolsters the Phillies as they try to defend their world championship.

"My first thought? Happy we got another pitcher," Manuel said. "He's a good pitcher. He'll help us."

Justin Upton homered and drove in three runs and Chris Snyder added a solo shot for Arizona.
Lee's arrival may cost Philadelphia rookie J.A. Happ (7-2) his spot in the starting rotation. But Happ was relieved to remain with the Phillies after being rumored to be trade bait in recent weeks.

"I'm glad I'm here, that's for sure," Happ said.
With the acquisition of Lee from the Cleveland Indians, Manuel said he would ponder changes to his rotation. Happ made his case to stay, allowing two runs and three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out five.

"Things happen for a reason," Happ said. "I've been hearing that from a lot of people when all this stuff's been going down. You know, I'm here and trying to do what I can do, so hopefully that means something."

The Phillies lost for only the sixth time in 25 games this month and their NL East lead dropped to six games over Florida.

The Phillies beat All-Star Dan Haren on Tuesday night, but they seemed baffled by Petit, who appeared on his way of the rotation - and possibly the big leagues - as recently as a week ago.
In three of Petit's July starts, the Diamondbacks' opponents had put up football-like scores of seven, 14 and 10 runs. He entered with a 7.68 ERA.

Facing the potent Phillies lineup, Petit gave up a leadoff single to Jimmy Rollins, then cruised. He allowed a single to Raul Ibanez leading off the second before retiring 15 of the next 16 batters, including 13 straight at one point.

Petit allowed four hits in six innings, walking one and striking out eight.
"It feels good, especially against that team," Petit said through an interpreter. "It's a strong and pretty good-hitting club. It makes you feel good about yourself."

Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2, 15 innings

At St. Louis, Albert Pujols lined an RBI single over the head of center fielder Matt Kemp with two outs in the 15th inning, and St. Louis handed Los Angeles its first four-game losing streak of the season.

Blake Hawksworth (1-0) allowed two hits and struck out three in three innings for his first career victory.

Jeff Weaver (5-4) worked two perfect innings before running into trouble in the 15th.

Padres 7, Reds 1

At Cincinnati, Rookie Mat Latos and two relievers combined on a one-hitter and San Diego won consecutive games for the first time in a month.

Latos (2-1) earned his second straight victory by allowing only Jerry Hairston Jr.'s homer in the fourth inning. Greg Burke and Mike Ekstrom both pitched one inning to complete the Padres' second one-hitter of the season.

Adrian Gonzalez and Kyle Blanks homered off struggling Aaron Harang (5-12). Harang hasn't won since May 25, going 0-8 in 12 starts.

Marlins 6, Braves 3

At Miami, Josh Johnson (10-2) hit a three-run homer in another solid start to lift Florida.
Johnson's shot with two outs in the fourth off Kenshin Kawakami (5-8) was the second home run of his career.

Casey Kotchman's home run leading off the fifth, and Garret Anderson's two-run homer in the sixth.

Giants 1, Pirates 0, 10 innings

At San Francisco, Randy Winn lined an RBI single down the first-base line with two outs in the 10th inning to give San Francisco a three-game sweep.

Matt Cain allowed three hits over nine innings for the Giants and Brian Wilson (3-4) worked the 10th for the victory.

Eugenio Velez led off the 10th against Matt Capps (2-6) with a single. He was sacrificed to second and scored on Winn's lone hit in five at-bats.

Cubs 12, Astros 0

At Chicago, Randy Wells (7-4) pitched eight innings and Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer during Chicago's six-run first inning.

Aramis Ramirez homered and drove in two runs for the Cubs, who battered Mike Hampton and improved to 10-3 since the All-Star break.

Hampton (6-8) allowed nine runs in four innings for Houston, which has lost four of five.

Brewers 7, Nationals 5

At Milwaukee, Casey McGehee hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit homer in the sixth inning.

McGehee's homer - the Brewers' first from a pinch-hitter this season - came with two outs off reliever Tyler Clippard (1-1) and gave Milwaukee a 6-5 lead.

Trevor Hoffman allowed one hit in the ninth to earn his 23rd save.

What to learn in Obama's 'teachable' race moment?

What to learn in Obama's 'teachable' race moment?


Henry Louis Gates Jr.

You can't solve a problem if you don't discuss it.

That's why some say that despite all the accusations and emotions hindering the resolution of the Henry Louis Gates Jr. imbroglio, there is opportunity for racial progress in President Barack Obama's "teachable moment" sitdown with Gates and Sgt. James Crowley.

"If nothing else, it's an important national symbol of a discussion that needs to be held," said Clarence B. Jones, once a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. and author of "What Would Martin Say?"

"If it's just regarded as the president bringing two guys together to clear the air, then it's meaningless," said Jones. "But if it's really intended to say in effect to the country, 'Look, the difficulties that occurred here are really emblematic of deeper issues,' it can work."

Beyond the symbolic, the meeting is an opportunity for the white cop, the black Harvard scholar and the biracial president "to say that they're wrong when they are wrong, to learn from one another's perspective as opposed to defending their own perspective," said Tali Hairston, director of the John Perkins Center for Reconciliation, Leadership Training and Community Development at Seattle Pacific University.

Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, an attorney for Gates, said they hoped to settle the dispute and "create a springboard for a larger discussion about how law enforcement interacts with minority communities and how we can figure out a way to both enforce the law but also protect civil liberties and civil rights."

Obama stabbed a raw nerve when he said police acted "stupidly" in arresting Gates at his own home. Gates was charged with disorderly conduct for protesting Crowley's actions during a burglary investigation; the charge was dropped.

Obama quickly realized his mistake and sought to calm a national outburst of anger and avoid political repercussions. He praised Crowley, said both men had overreacted and invited them to share a beer at the White House.

Now, after mostly avoiding race issues, Obama may have stumbled into a role he was destined to play.

"Inadvertently, he may be the teacher," said Dorothy Miller, chair of the Race and Reconciliation Dialogue Group at the Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh.

"He may end up the teacher even though he precipitated that remark" and has avoided race, Miller said. "Because of his evenness, Obama may be the teacher, and get both sides together. He has evolved to become the teacher."

Said Jones: "Obama may be uncomfortable with it, he may not have wanted it, but it goes with his portfolio. Now that he's elected, that's the leadership that is required if he wants to move beyond this issue in America."

Others say that for the Gates affair to create real change, the leadership has to come from the ground up.

"If we want this true racial reconciliation, and it's good that President Obama is making the first step to show others, now you start within your own community," said Stacey LaCompte, executive director of the Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Place in South Dakota, which works to improve race relations for the Sioux Nation.

"It's within ourselves if we really want to see and accomplish these things," she said.
We also should look to young people, Hairston said.

"When we listen to them about this situation, they're dumbfounded," he said. "They're befuddled. They have no idea why this is all over television. And that should tell us a lot.

"As much as I love President Obama, I think he is one of the students here. I think he's learning a lot about what does it mean to sit down and have a beer with two guys around this issue. I think he's learning a lot about saying the police acted stupidly."

For many people, the Gates arrest only hardened their convictions that black people are too quick to cry racism, or that white police routinely mistreat black citizens. If Gates and Crowley emerge from the meeting and continue to insist that the other man was at fault, the teachable moment could be lost.

"No apologies will be expected or conveyed tomorrow," Gates' lawyer, Ogletree, said late Wednesday. "The idea is to extend an opportunity for people to meet others that they didn't know and they only met in the most tense of circumstances."

Others say the biggest lessons have already been delivered - that racism still haunts America even after Obama's election, or that racism has declined so much a black man can insult a white cop and live to make a documentary about it.

And maybe all this still has to sink into a nation that, less than two years ago, could barely grasp the idea of a president who wasn't white.

"Because of the past history of black people in the United States, they carry a whole burden of the past, it is so easy for them to believe things are racist," said Miller, of the Pittsburgh reconciliation group.

"In most cases, in many cases, they are. But in this case it turned out that it could be just a confrontation between two men who both lost their temper. So I think we can learn that we still have much to learn about racism."

(This version CORRECTS that Obama said police acted stupidly.)

Nigeria: Rights worker says civilians being killed

Nigeria: Rights worker says civilians being killed


Police stand alongside bodies of dead Islamic militants, in the street in front of police headquarters in Maidugiri, Nigeria, Wednesday, July 29, 2009. Army troops traded fire with Islamic militants Tuesday and deployed armored vehicles to surround the suspected hideout of a radical Muslim leader accused of orchestrating three days of violence in Africa's most populous nation.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) -- Nigeria's League for Human Rights says overzealous security forces are killing innocent civilians as the military tries to crush an Islamist militant sect.

League director Shamaki Gad Peter tells The Associated Press that rights workers saw the bodies of up to 20 people after troops began an offensive on the sect's headquarters in Maiduguri on Wednesday.

He says they were unarmed and some were shot from behind and assumed to be trying to escape the mayhem. The rights worker says many other innocent people have been arrested.

The government has blamed the Boko Haram sect for days of violence in Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria and was hunting down sect members on Thursday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) - Nigerian security forces shelled then stormed the mosque and compound of an Islamist sect blamed for days of violence across northern Nigeria, killing more than 100 militants in a raging gunbattle.

The bodies of barefoot young men littered the streets of Maiduguri on Thursday morning as the army conducted a house-to-house manhunt on the outskirts of the city for sect members. Police said most of the dead were Islamist fighters.

Sect leader Mohammed Yusuf escaped along with about 300 followers but his deputy was killed in Wednesday night's bombardment, according to Army commander Maj. Gen. Saleh Maina.
An AP reporter watched soldiers, under fire, shoot their way into the mosque in Maiduguri on Wednesday and then rake those holed up inside with gunfire. The reporter later counted about 50 bodies inside the building and another 50 in the courtyard outside.

The militants, armed with homemade hunting rifles, bows and arrows and scimitars, were no match for the government forces.

Another five corpses were just inside a large house near the mosque. Maina pointed to the body of a plump, bearded man and said it the Boko Haram sect's vice chairman, Bukar Shekau.
"The mission has been accomplished," said Maina, the army commander.

Militants seeking to impose Islamic Shariah law throughout this multi-religious country attacked police stations, churches, prisons and government buildings in a wave of violence that began Sunday in Borno state and quickly spread to three other states in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria.

It is not known how many scores of people have been killed, wounded and arrested. Relief official Apollus Jediel said Wednesday that at least 4,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.
The epicenter of the violence has been the Boko Haram sect's headquarters in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, which was bombarded Wednesday. Maina said his troops would fire mortar shells later Thursday to destroy what is left of the sprawling compound, which stretches over 2.5 miles (4 kilometers).

The radical sect is known by several different names, including Al-Sunna wal Jamma, or "Followers of Mohammed's Teachings" and "Boko Haram," which means "Western education is sin." Some Nigerian officials have referred to the militants as Taliban, although the group has no
known affiliation with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, President Umaru Yar'Adua said the sect were preparing to unleash "the holy war." Security agents have been watching the sect for months and were ordered to attack when the movement began gathering fighters from nearby states at its Maiduguri headquarters, he said.

In recent months, police have been raiding militant hideouts and finding explosives and arms. The house at the compound in Maiduguri included a laboratory the military said was used to make chemical and fire bombs.

Borno Gov. Ali Modu Sheriff told journalists Yusuf had been seen Wednesday night in a village about 28 miles (45 kilometers) northeast of Maiduguri.

Men in Bauchi state and in Maiduguri, meanwhile, started trimming and even shaving off their beards Thursday, fearful the facial hair could make them targets for security forces.
In other violence, Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper reported that militants attacked security forces in Yobe state on Wednesday, and quoted police as saying that 43 sect members were killed in a shootout near the city of Potiskum.

Police in Bauchi state have reported 42 people killed, including two soldiers and a police officer, 67 hospitalized with serious injuries and 157 men arrested.

In the city of Kano, the local government on Wednesday bulldozed a mosque and the house of a sect leader, who officials said had fled with his family. Officials said the mosque was an illegal structure.

The bulldozing came two days after sect militants attacked a Kano police station. Kano police spokesman Baba Mohammed said more than 50 militants have been arrested, with five shot and killed during the arrests.

Nigeria's 140 million people are roughly divided between Christians in the south and northern-based Muslims. Shariah was implemented in 12 northern states after Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 following years of oppressive military regimes. More than 10,000 Nigerians have died in sectarian violence since then.

Yet at the heart of the violence is dire poverty and maneuvering by political and religious leaders who manipulate ill-educated youths to further their aims.
Yar'Adua, the president, has been criticized for leaving the country Tuesday on a state visit to Brazil. He insisted before he left that the situation was under control. The military itself keep referring to "mopping up" exercises even as a full-scale battle was taking place.

Boko Haram is reported to include many members of the elite, including university lecturers and others who have abandoned their posts and sold their homes to join. Vanguard and the Nigerian Guardian newspaper reported that police in northwest Sokoto state on Tuesday arrested former university lecturer Kadiru Atiku, believed to the sect's local leader.

Analysts say the latest violence reflects decades-old grievances of Nigerians whose governments are so corrupt and ineffective they do not deliver even basic services like running water and electricity.

Nnamdi K. Obasi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the militants don't have the weapons or the numbers to have much impact beyond northern Nigeria but predicts violence will return unless deeper issues are addressed.

"You're talking about improving governance as a whole," Obasi said. "Reducing corruption. Year after year, you don't see progress on these issues, and this is one of the biggest problems of Nigeria."

Philadelphia Front Page News Media Newspaper Begins Charity For Lupus Awareness by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810

Philadelphia Front Page News Media Newspaper Begins Charity For Lupus Awareness by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810



Typical "butterfly"-like rash over the cheeks in lupus.
Artistic rendition of a butterfly rash.

The website of the Phila. Front Page News, a nonprofit established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has begun providing support for lupus patients and their families, together with educational awareness of the disease and its treatment. Many victims of the disease end up in a situation where they are prevented from working a regular 9 to 5 job. Donations of $1 or more will be asked as a means to go toward benefitting lupus victims who need more awareness and understanding about the disease.

The Phila. Front Page News (FPN) will provide information from the Boardmembers; Manager's reports; News snippets; Fundraising Activities. This FPN activity raises support for lupus victims and an interest base, and increases awareness. FPN's Van Stone, Editor and Publisher will be increasing awareness and raising incalculable funds for worthy causes. Stone will be joined by James Sullivan, FPN associate and boardmember, for the increase of public awareness and media interest in Lupus funding, research and support for individuals struggling with the disease.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage.

SLE most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remissions. The disease occurs nine times more often in women than in men, especially between the ages of 15 and 50, and is more common in those of non-European descent.

SLE is treatable through addressing its symptoms though, mainly with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants; there is currently no cure.

SLE can be fatal, although with recent medical advances, fatalities are becoming increasingly rare. Survival for people with SLE in the United States, Canada, and Europe is approximately 95% at five years, 90% at 10 years, and 78% at 20 years.

Anyone interested in supporting the FPN lupus awareness charity can visit FPN at www.frontpagenew.us and locate the donate button above the main story column. FPN will also accept checks mailed to VSP Foundation P.O. Box 395, E. Lansdowne, PA 19050 payable to VSP Foundation Lupus Charity to support lupus awareness.