BAYOU CLASSIC

INDEXLocal & State ...........................2 Business ...................................4Special .....................................5Religion ...................................6Health ......................................7Other .......................................8

THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 34 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002

STATE & LOCAL NEWS buSiNESS NEWS HEALTH NEWS

CLASSifiEd Buying or selling a service, looking for for a good job or a good used car? Check out the classifeds .

LA PrOmOTES rECyCLES dAyKeep Louisiana Beautiful, the state’s nonprofit organization dedicated to litter reduction, is urging citizens and businesses to participate in America Recycles Day (ARD) November 15. ARD is dedicated to raising aware-ness on recycling...See Page 3

HOmEbuyErS ANd uNEmPLOymENT President Obama has signed into law a $24 billion economic stimu-lus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and extend-ing unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless who have been left behind...See Page 4

NATiONAL diAbETES mONTHThere is an estimate that 80% of black women and 60% of black men are overweight or obese (which con-tributes to diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, among other chronic health condi-tions)..... See Page 7

Members of the Louisiana Army National Guard were greeted by four NFL players in a special visit during pre-deployment training at Camp Beauregard near Pineville , La. , Oct. 23....Page 8

NATiONAL/STATE & COmmuNiTy WATCH rELigiON NEWSThere’s so much going on today. All types of problems rising up, that it seems that a solution won’t be found. Many are searching for a place to hide, trying to dodge the troubles that are rising up. ..See Page 6

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 a people’s publication Vol. 34 • No. 30

b a t o n r o u g e , l o u i s i a n a

S O U t h e r n U n I v e r S I t Y v S G r A m B L I n G S t A t e

Go Jaguars Special Edition • Call For Details

By Pharoh MartinNNPA National Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - When the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi banged the gavel and declared, “The bill is passed”, health care reform that President Obama and Democratic leaders have pushed for so fervently over the past year came one step closer to reality on Saturday. The Senate is next.

Black lawmakers, their Democratic colleagues in the House of Representa-tives and civil rights lead-ers celebrated the passage of H.R. 3962 the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a landmark bill that aims to reform the health care system in America.

The Democratic-con-

trolled House narrowly passed the hotly-debated measure on Saturday night with a 220-215 vote. Only one Republican supported the bill.

President Obama called the passage of health care reform in the House “his-toric”.

“Thanks to the hard work of the House, we are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America,” Obama said in a statement. “Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its ver-sion of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to sign-ing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.”

Special to the NNPA from the Afro

(NNPA) - Keith Bardwell, the Louisiana judge who drew national criticism after refus-ing to marry an interracial couple, resigned Nov. 3.

For weeks, Louisiana officials , including Gov. Bobby Jindal, had called for Bardwell’s ouster after he

refused to marry Beth Hum-phrey, a White woman, and Terence McKay, an African-American man.

“This was the right deci-sion by Mr. Bardwell. What he did was clearly wrong and this resignation was long over-due,” Jindal said in a state-ment.

Bardwell resigned from his position with a terse state-

ment to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne which read, “I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009.”

According to The Associ-ated Press, Bardwell said he has refused to marry other

Washington, D.C. –- A for-mal Army recognition ceremony was conducted recently by the U.S. Army’s Freedom Team Salute program on the campus of Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. to honor the legacy of the Black Seminole In-dian Scouts. William Shields, one of the scouts, was buried in the cemetery on the hospital’s campus in 1910.

Freedom Team Salute helped dedicate a new headstone for Shields and recognized mem-bers of the Buffalo Soldiers with Freedom Team Salute Commen-dations. William “Dub” Warrior, Chief of the John Horse Band of Black Seminoles; Colonel David Griffith, Director of Freedom Team Salute; Buffalo Soldiers; and a historian participated in the ceremony.

“The Black Seminole In-

dian Scouts were considered one of the toughest units in the Army,” explained Colonel Grif-fith. “Amazingly, not a single one of their men was killed or seriously wounded during their tenure with the Army. Four of the Scouts were Congressional

Medal of Honor recipients.”“I never thought this day

would come,” said William “Dub” Warrior. “It’s beyond words. William Shields was just a plain man. He would be ex-

Army recognizes Contributions of black Seminole indian Scouts

Buffalo Soldiers and Others Participate in Ceremony

Black Seminole Indian Chief William “Dub” Warrior (center, standing above headstone), Buffalo Soldiers, U.S. Army Soldiers, and members of the general public attend a special ceremony to dedicate a new headstone for Seminole Indian Scout William Shields at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C (Photo by Michael Dorsey)

William “Dub” Warrior (right), Chief of the John Horse Band of the Black Seminole Indians, receives an Army Freedom Team Salute Commendation from Colonel David Griffith. (Photo by Michael Dorsey)

BATON ROUGE -South-ern University senior computer science major, Jeffrey Morgan, is one of five students from universities throughout the state preparing to compete as a team at the Student Pro-gramming Contest during the Supercomputing Conference 2009 in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 16.

Morgan, a Fort Worth, Texas native, along with team members Lei Jiang, LSU Joshua Hitchins, Louisiana Tech University, Cory Redfern, University of New Orleans, and Nikhil Shetty, Univer-sity of Louisiana at Lafayette meet every Friday on a video conference from their schools to figure out problems from various computational science disciplines.

“Our hardest problems involve parallel program-ming,” said Morgan. “Paral-lel programming operations and equations for a complex problem can be separated and solved simultaneously across multiple computers and brought back together in the end. This allows a problem to be solved in a fraction of the time that it would take a single computer.”

The team will receive eight to 12 computational problems at the contest, so preparation beforehand is important.

“The problems are hard,” added Morgan who said he found out about the collabora-tion from Dr. Ebrahim Khos-ravi, chair of the Department of Computer Science.

“He told me about it and it sounded interesting,” said Morgan. “This collabora-tion has helped me learn a lot. I wouldn’t be able to an-swer those problems on my own.”

Morgan and the student team will continue to meet each

Southern’s Jeffrey morgan Part of Louisiana Student Collaboration

Jeffrey Morgan

black Leaders Applaud House Passage of Health Care bill

Once a year, Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao gives the Wash-ington establishment a little jolt.

In December 2008, the nationally unknown Viet-namese community activist captured a seat for Republi-cans in majority-black New Orleans, becoming an instant — albeit short-lived — celeb-rity for the GOP.

On Saturday night, he handed Democrats their only Republican vote on the centerpiece of their domestic agenda, a massive overhaul of the nation’s health care sys-tem that promises to enhance coverage for tens of millions of Americans and thousands of Cao’s constituents. Now he’s a bit of a cult hero on the left — a profile in courage, Democrats say — and televi-sion bookers were scrambling to find cell phone numbers for his aides Sunday.

Republicans and Dem-ocrats who have worked closely with Cao in Louisi-ana and Washington say they weren’t a bit surprised — even if much of the political world did a double take — when Cao registered a green light on the scoreboard in the House chamber.

“I think he works hard. I think he studies things, and I think he tries to do the right thing,” said an administration

official who has worked with Cao. “People in the adminis-tration reach out to him a lot because he’s willing to talk about things nondogmati-cally.”

Of course, Cao and the Obama administration have a major shared interest in the rebuilding of New Orleans, which puts him in regular contact with the Departments of Housing and Urban Devel-opment, Homeland Security and Education.

On health care, Cao met with the White House point person, Nancy-Ann DeParle, in his office and spoke to her repeatedly by phone during the past couple of months, according to an aide. Presi-

Cao Jolted the House

Louisiana Judge in interracial marriage debacle resigns

See bill, on page 4

See house, on page 4

See Judge, on page 2

Rep. Anh “Joseph” CaoSee sCouTs, on page 2

See Morgan, on page 2

Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 12, 2009

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: We honor the victims of Fort Hood, Tex. Obama

ATTENTION PARENTS AND GUARDIANS! The H1N1 Vaccine is now in the local schools. Students were given permission slips to take home for you to sign and return. Only those slips that are signed by you in the affirmative, will allowed your child to be vac-cinated. Talk this over with your child.

S P E A K I N G O F SCHOOLS, tutoring in now in session for the eighth graders who must take the LEAP tests. Permission must be given for your child to remain at school from 2:45-4:45 p.m. to get the necessary preparation for this high stakes test. Tutoring will only help your child; the more review-the better the confi-dence. Bus transportation is available and snacks are pro-vided.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SOUTHERN UNI-VERSITY (SUNO) HOME-COMING COURT! Here are the names; one you are sure to recognize. They include the fol-lowing: The 2009 SUNO Queen is Nidia Vanessa Hill. Miss Senior is Marquette Martinez; Miss Junior is Maries Alvis; Sophomore queen is Calbriell Williams; Miss Freshman is Kenitra Harding. Congratu-lations!

DR. REGINA BENJAMIN has been confirmed as the United States Surgeon General. This Xavier University gradu-ate was nominated by President Obama in July. Dr. Benjamin said at her confirmation, “I will be America’s doctor, America’s family physician.” She has also promised to communicate di-rectly with the American people to help guide them through whatever changes may come with health care reform. She was the first black woman to head a state medical society, received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and a MacArthur Foun-dation “genius grant, “ and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

MR. BRIAN JACKSON has been nominated by Presi-dent Barack Obama to serve on the federal court for Louisi-ana Middle District. Attorney Jackson is a partner in the law firm Liskow & Lewis, where he specializes in commercial litigation, government inves-tigation and as white collar criminal defense. Mr. Jackson is currently practicing in New

Orleans.IN OUR NEIGH-

BORING STATE, the Governor Haley Barbour has chosen a black lawyer to a judgeship. Of the 20 appointments since he’s been in office, ac-cording to his record, he had not selected any blacks attorneys to serve on the bench. His black appoint-

ment is Attorney Malcolm Har-rison of Jackson, Mississippi. Congratulations to Attorney Harrison.

T H E D E B A T E O F SCHOOL CHOICE is on! Proponents are extolling the Derion Albert fiasco in Chicago as a valid reason to insist that students attend their neighbor-hood schools. Derion was an honor students who was an in-nocent bystander who got in a fight between rival gangs. He was in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Gang mem-bers from another school were attending Derion’s school by choice and conflict ensued.

Real Relationships Require Real Work is a book you might consider for holiday presents. It was written by Joseph and Debra Gould and offers values, concepts and ideas on main-taining genuine relationships at work, with friends and loved ones bring success in multiple ways. Check it out.

SOMETHING GREAT ABOUT OUR STATE: Would you believe that Louisiana is not in the cellar for construction jobs. Yes, that’s right! Loui-siana was the only state in the entire nation to register gains in construction jobs. Of course this is only for the month of September, but it is something positive for our state. Yeah!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our November birthdays including, Kevin Anthony Brown, Ray Saunders, Trena Lawrence, Sharon Y. Dixon-Stokes, Tom B. Spears, Jr., Dereck Taylor, Jr., Thaddeus Lee, Derek L. Jackson and be-latedly to Frank Burden, III., and Breana Augustus.

WITH LOVE & SYMPA-THY to the Tripps Family, whose father, brother and uncle was laid to rest in New Orleans on last week. Jo Jo Honore who was laid to rest in Baton Rouge on Monday, November 9, 2009 at Camphor Memorial Method-ist Church.

Well, go Tigers, Jags and Saints. We congratulate the coaches and staff.

Have a very blessed and super weekend.

Love, Marge

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BATON ROUGE - Third-year student Travis Broussard was chosen Best Advocate and achieved a first-time perfect score in the 7th Annual Peter James Johnson Civil Right Mock Trial Competition hosted by St. John’s University Law School, Queens, New York, October 21-25.

Broussard was among a four-member Southern Univer-sity Law Center (SULC) team, including Daniel Druilhet, Maya Guntz, and Andrea Lowe.

Sixteen teams were chosen from across the country to par-ticipate in this competition. The SULC team, coached by clini-cal law professor Jacqueline A. Nash, placed 5th.

Broussard of Opelousas, Louisiana, is a member of the Southern University Law Re-view and serves as a student-attorney in the Southern Uni-versity Criminal Law Clinic. He is the son of Harold and Shirley Broussard, also of Opelousas.

Broussard Chosen Best Advocate at Mock Trial Competition

Travis Broussard

BATON ROUGE – In honor of America Recycles Day, the Capital Area Corporate Recy-cling Council will host its Third Annual Garage Sale on Saturday, November 14. The event takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the CACRC warehouse at 800 St. Philip Street in downtown Baton Rouge.

The public is invited to pe-

ruse through used computer hardware and accessories, including monitors, towers, printers, speakers, mice, key-boards and cables. The orga-nization will also be selling miscellaneous items, such as used televisions, DVD and CD players, computer software, cell phones and various office supplies.

“Our theme this year is ‘Don’t Think Green. Be Green.’ Recycling your computer is a great way to show your love for the environment and com-munity. The reuse of one com-puter system saves as much CO2 and energy as taking ? of a car off the road or saving 68% of one US household’s allotment of electricity for a year for a net costs savings of $670. So we are inviting the community to get some great deals and to be Green!” Nancy Jo Craig, Executive Director.

There will be a raffle for a flat screen monitor and Izzo’s & Whole Foods gift

cards. Children are invited to have their faces painted.

America Recycles Day partners, The East Baton Rouge Parish Recycling Office, The Recycling Foundation and Keep Louisiana Beautiful, will have materials on hand to ed-ucate the public on curbside recycling. Whole Foods is also a green sponsor.

CACRC is a nonprofit organization that promotes e-waste reduction and the use of recycled goods through leadership and education pro-grams for public and private entities. The CACRC provides computers to schools, non-profits, the disabled and low income families. It is located in downtown Baton Rouge and is open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday – Friday for public drop-off of used elec-tronic equipment.

For more information, call 225-379-3577 or visit HY-PERLINK “http://www.cacrc.com” www.cacrc.com.

Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council Hosts Third Annual Garage Sale

hilarated to know he has become somebody. We never know how things will turn out.”

Black Seminole Indian Scouts served in the Army in the 1870’s during the height of the Indian Wars until 1914 when the unit was disbanded. The majority of their service was

spent in Texas. Saint Elizabeths Hospital

cared for members of the Armed Forces for over nine decades from 1855 to 1946. The cemetery includes approximately 2,050 military service members who died at the Hospital between 1873 and 1983.

ScoutS from page 1

Friday to practice programming exercises until the competition date, where they will compete against other student teams.

The Supercomputing Confer-ence is recognized globally as the premier international conference on high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis. The conference will feature the most interesting and innovative high performance computing scientific and technical applica-tions from around the world.

Morgan from page 1

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interracial couples because he believes their children will “suffer, and I won’t help put them through it.” The embattled judge also said he referred the

couples to other justices of the peace.

Elected in 1975 as justice of the peace in Ponchatoula, La., Bardwell’s term was to run

through 2014. But according to NYDailyNews.com, he hadn’t planned to seek re-election, even before the interracial mar-riage debacle.

Judge from page 1

Thursday, November 12, 2009 • The Weekly Press • Page 3

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BATON ROUGE, LA — Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the state’s nonprofit organization dedicated to litter reduction, is urging citi-zens and businesses to partici-pate in America Recycles Day (ARD) on Sunday, November 15, 2009. ARD is dedicated to rais-ing awareness on the benefits of recycling through education.

Recycling in the workplace is made easy and businesses save money when following these simple steps:

Replace old lighting with new Energy Saving Compact Fluorescent bulbs, which use 66 percent less energy.

Eliminate throw-away pens and replace with refillable ones.

Buy supplies in bulk when-ever possible to reduce cost and individually packaged items.

Encourage the use of e-mail, message boards, and chat programs to reduce the amount of interoffice paperwork.

Provide reusable dishes, silverware and glasses instead of paper, plastic or Styrofoam products.

Set printers to print on both

sides and reuse the back of old documents for faxes or scrap paper.

Reuse packing materials and

shipping containers whenever possible.

Donate old furniture and electronic equipment to a char-

ity or school.“Recycling in the workplace

saves energy, resources, and money,” said KLB Executive Di-rector Leigh Harris. “America Recycles Day is a great oppor-tunity for businesses to review their current recycling program or start a new one.”

For a statewide listing of community recycling events visit www.keeplouisianabeauti-ful.org.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful is a volunteer based service or-ganization dedicated to a healthy and litter free Louisiana. Through a network of statewide affili-ates, KLB promotes its mission to educate Louisianians on the ecological and economic effects of littering. For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org/” \o “http://www.keeplouisiana-beautiful.org/”www.keeploui-sianabeautiful.org.

Keep Louisiana BeautifuL promotes america recycLes Day

KLB Workplace Recycling Tips Help Businesses Save Money

Baton Rouge - Scotlandville residents are invited to attend Southern University’s next “vi-sioning and listening” meeting to offer recommendations for improving and changing the Scotlandville community.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Nov. 17, at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church, 8742 Scenic Highway. Public participation is essential to the development of a com-prehensive and representative

community plan. This will be the fourth lis-

tening and visioning event led by the Southern University Center for Social Research and School of Architecture listening team.

The Community Against Drugs and Violence (CADAV) and Scotlandville Commu-nity Development Corpora-tion (SCDC) hosted the Oct. 27 event at the Scotlandville Branch Library. About 50 community residents expressed concerns and

recommended improvements for their neighborhoods.

Residents discussed a num-ber of problems, including ero-sion, drainage, run-off and flood-ing, lack of sidewalks, empty and vacant buildings, falling property values, crime and violence, and the need for business develop-ment. Several participants said community residents need to become more active and work

Southern University Continues “Listening Tours” to Improve Conditions in Scotlandville Area

See tours, on page 7

Page 4 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 12, 2009

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(NNPA) - President Barack Obama has signed into law a $24 billion economic stimulus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and ex-tending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless who have been left behind as the economy veers toward recovery.

The bill-signing at the White House came a day after the House, displaying rare bipartisan agreement over the seriousness of the jobless situation, voted 403-12 for the measure Nov. 6. The Senate had already ap-proved the bill unanimously .

The White House said the

law, which also includes tax cuts for struggling businesses, builds on provisions in the $787 billion stimulus package enacted last February that aim at spurring job creation.

“The need for such a mea-sure was made clear by the jobs report that we received this morning,” Obama said, citing the government report the jobless rate hit 10.2 percent last month, the highest since 1983. The rate was 9.8 percent in September.

Lawmakers stressed that the fourth unemployment benefit extension in the past 18 months was necessary because initial signs of economic recovery have not been reflected in the

job market.The law provides another

14 weeks of benefits to all out-of-work people who have ex-hausted their benefits or will do so by the end of the year, estimated at nearly 2 million. Those in states where the jobless rate is 8.5 percent or above get an additional six weeks.

The Labor Department an-nounced Friday that that em-ployers shed another 190,000 jobs in October. Obama said job creation traditionally lags behind economic growth, but said it is small comfort to those seeking work.

The extra 20 weeks could push the maximum a person in a high unemployment state

could receive to 99 weeks, the most in history. Unemployment checks generally are for about $300 a week.

The tax credits, added by the Senate, center on extending the popular $8,000 credit for first-time homebuyers that was included in the stimulus pack-age. The credit, which was to expire at the end of this month, will be available through next June as long as the buyer signs a binding contract by the end of April.

The program is expanded to include a $6,500 credit for ex-isting homeowners who buy a new place after living in their current residence for at least five years.

The legislation aims to provide stability and secu-rity for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, busi-nesses, and the government while strengthening the finan-cial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit, the president said.

The Congressional Black Caucus held a press confer-ence the day before the his-toric vote to reinforce their support for the public option and tout their push for inclu-sion of specific provisions that are pertinent to African-Americans and other racial minorities.

“In August, we saw the public option appear to be going no where,” said Barbara Lee, (D-Calif.) Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus. “We were able to work with caucuses to make sure that we have in this bill a strong public option. When nobody else was speaking about ra-cial and ethnic disparities the Congressional Black Caucus and our Tri-Caucus put those issues with our Health Equity and Accountability Act on the table.”

After the vote Lee ap-plauded the efforts of her col-leagues and the Democratic leadership for passing a bill with a strong public option but urged that there is still much work to do.

“When o thers were pronouncing health reform dying — and the public option dead and buried —we kept on fighting! And we will keep fighting until a final health

care bill is on the president’s desk that includes not only a strong public option, but provisions to achieve health equity, eliminate health dis-parities and to limit the rate of increase for those with private plans,” Lee said.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) called the bill far from perfect. But, he said that he supported the legislation be-cause the bill, with the public option included, will expand coverage to 96 percent of the population and end discrimi-nation based on pre-existing conditions.

“I voted for this bill be-cause the cost of inaction is too high,” the Michigan congress-man said. “Each year, 44,000 people die because they do not have access to insurance. Without reform, this number would rise. Americans would be at greater risk of losing their coverage, and our business community would continue to fall behind international com-petitors as their future profits are drained by burdensome health care costs.”

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) called the bill’s passage “one of the most important mo-ments in our history.” He said, “It has been a long tough struggle, but we took signifi-cant steps this evening toward making a powerful difference in the lives of every American … This is not a perfect bill, but it is the beginning we must make to transform health care in America and make sure that health care is a right and not a privilege.”

The NAACP, National Urban League and The Black Leadership Forum com-mended Congress for the bill’s passage.

Bill from page 1

dent Barack Obama called him Saturday, giving Cao an opportunity to press the president to help with hospi-tal development and forgive-ness for disaster loans in New Orleans.

All along, Cao was looking for reasons to support the bill, according to spokes-woman Princella Smith. But there was one seemingly in-surmountable obstacle among a series of reservations: The former Jesuit seminarian was dead-set against voting for it if it expanded abortion rights in a new health care exchange.

He met with members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and called Democrats to help secure their votes for the Stupak-Pitts amendment sharply limiting the use of federal dollars for subsidizing abortions, accord-ing to Smith.

“When the Stupak amendment passed, his de-cision to go for it was made,” she said.

There was a bit of visual drama on the House floor Sat-urday night, with Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) cozying up to Cao to try to keep a unified Republican line against the bill. Cao, in a move courteous to GOP

leaders who wanted to force as many Democrats as possible to cast “yes” votes — and preserv-ing his options — waited until the other side had posted the 218 votes necessary for passage be-fore casting his yea.

Perhaps because few be-lieved that a Republican with little money and no national party support could ever win in New Orleans, most of Washing-ton’s political class was surprised when Cao arrived in Washington — and many wrote him off early as a one-term wonder.

But there may be a certain freedom in the possibility that, as a Republican in New Orleans, his political career is living on borrowed time.

“This is ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.’ He’ll tell you, ‘I don’t know whether I’m going to be here in two years, so I’m going to do everything I can for my district.’ That’s all I’ve seen,” said Paul Rainwater, executive director of the Louisiana Recov-ery Authority in Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.

Rainwater, who is a former senior aide to Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, said Cao hit the ground running when he was first elected, asking for briefings on local issues and the matrix of agencies involved in Gulf Coast recovery.

“I’ve been impressed with the way he attacks an issue,” Rainwater said. “You can’t help but like him. You can’t help but like his energy, and you can’t help but like his honesty.”

Cao’s take? “I’ve always been focusing

on making the right decisions for the people of my district, whether or not it will cost me my political future,” he told CNN on Sunday.

Though Cao and his aides insist he will remain a Repub-lican, he at times seems closer to Democrats — friends like California Rep. Mike Honda, ad-ministration officials who work closely with him and a bipartisan staff — than to his colleagues in the GOP.

There’s no guarantee that his vote for the health care bill will make him popular enough with Democrats in New Orleans to win next November and give a third jolt to the political estab-lishment, but it’s made him a few Democratic friends in Washing-ton for the moment.

“This was, as you observed, a bipartisan vote,” House Major-ity Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said at a postvote news confer-ence.

House from page 1

homebuyers and Unemployment assistance bill signed

bUsiNess DirecTory

Despite the recent economic downturn, Louisiana’s businesses are still finding it difficult to at-tract, recruit, and hire qualified, skilled employees. Louisiana cur-rently has a shortage of about 4,000 workers a year for jobs that require career or technical educa-tion according to Curt Eysink, Ex-ecutive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Meanwhile, LWC contin-ues to make great strides towards implementing effective strategies and innovative programs to ad-dress the state’s workforce needs. “We are continuing to empower Business and Career Solutions Centers across the state by pro-viding the tools and resources necessary to support job seek-ers and local businesses,” said Johnny Riley, Louisiana Work-force Commission Deputy Di-rector for Emerging Workforce. One of those is a two-day training session to be held on the cam-pus of Southern University this

Thursday and Friday, November 5th and 6th. Business and Career Solution Centers employees from 11 area parishes will take part in a comprehensive training aimed at addressing unique challenges faced by dislocated workers and solving the “real-time” needs of businesses in this though eco-nomic climate. The training will be held at Mayberry Dining Hall from 8 am to 3:30 pm on Thurs-day and on Friday from 8 am to 1 pm.

The BCSC employees taking in the training are from East and West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Tangipahoa, Washington, Iberville, Point Cou-pee`, St. Helena, Ascension, and Livingston Parishes.

LWC has partnered with WorkSOURCE7, a Louisiana-based consortium led by CBL and The X-Perience to facilitate this initiative. Other members of the consortium include Southern University’s College of Business

and Learning Sciences Corpora-tion, an electronic learning ex-pert. “This training is designed to equip participants with strategies to become even more customer focused and business driven,” said Terry Simmons, Executive Director of CBL, “It is a top pri-ority of LWC to reinforce the importance of sensitivity and change management due to the client mix of LWC and evolving demographics.”

While diversity, customer service, and stress management are covered during the training, an emphasis on listening to the

needs of the employees is just as important. “This is more than just your status quo training,” Riley emphasized, “Open dialogue with members of the front-line staff at the BCSC helps us to gain a deeper understanding of chal-lenges at the local level.”

These forums will continue throughout the state in the up-coming months followed by spe-cial initiatives aimed at further engaging both jobseekers and prospective employers. For addi-tional information, please contact Gregg Smith at (318) 337-3222 or gsmith@thex-perience.com.

New strategies for business and career solutions centers

“Congratulations! You’ve just won an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii!”

“You’re the big winner of our grand prize---$20,000!”

Chances are you’ve received a letter or phone call with a mes-sage similar to these. Scam artists use these types of tactics to per-suade consumers to send money, buy products or contribute to phony charities. Consumers who fall for these false promises often end up with no prize at all.

To protect yourself from falling victim to a phony sweep-stakes scam, the Federal Trade Commission recommends the following:

Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require you to pay or buy something to enter the sweep-stakes or improve your chances of winning, or to pay “taxes” or “shipping and handling” to get your prize. Remember, if you’ve truly won a prize you don’t have to pay to receive it.

Sponsors of legitimate con-tests identify themselves. They provide you with an address or toll-free phone number so you can ask questions or have your name removed from their mail-ing lists.

A phony promoter is less likely to provide you with contact information.

Legitimate offers clearly dis-close the terms and conditions of the promotion, including rules, entry procedures, and usually, the odds of winning.

If you have truly won a big prize it is unlikely your win-ning notification will be sent bulk mail. Check the postmark on the envelope.

Phony contest promoters often encourage consumers to send a “processing fee” to claim their prize.

Watch out for copycats. Phony promoters will often use a variation of an official or nation-ally recognized name to give you confidence in their offers.

Carefully read any solicita-tion you receive and pay attention to the fine print.

If you agree to attend a sales meeting just to win an “expen-sive” prize, you will likely be subjected to high-pressure sales tactics.

Never disclose your per-sonal information—bank account or credit card account numbers—in response to a sweepstakes promotion.

If you receive the promo-tion through the mail you should contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 888-877-7644 or HY-PERLINK “http://www.uspsoig.gov” www.uspsoig.gov.

AM I REALLY A WINNER?

how to Detect sweepstakes fraud

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Thursday, November12, 2009 • The Weekly Press • Page 5

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Page 6 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 12, 2009

Religion

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:45 AMLord’s Supper -3rd Sundays

Sunday School - 9:30 AMPrayer Service - Wed. @ 6:00 PM

Bible Study - Wed- @ 7:00 PM

Mission Statement: New Hope Baptist Church is a family of baptized believers who worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth, teach the saved to reach the lost and minister to the needs of others, while encouraging one another through acts of love and living in obedience to Gods Word

New Birth Full Gospel MiNistries

1283 Rosenwald Road • Baton Rouge, La. 70807Phone: (225) 775-6713 •

Fax: (225) 775-4216ivory J. payNe, pastor

order oF serviceSunday Worsh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 A.M.Holy Communion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3rd Sunday1:00 P.M.Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 A.M.Bible Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday 7:00 P.M.

“THe NeW LiFe”Therefore if any man be in christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold

all thing are become new. —I Corinthians 5:17

NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH5856 Greenwell Springs Road • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806

Telephone: (225) 926-0246 • Facsimile: (225) 927-8500 • Toll Free # 1-888-700-6174

E- Mail Address # nhbc@nhbc.brcoxmail.com

Pastor Leo D. Cyrus Sr., Pastor

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:45 AMLord’s Supper -3rd Sundays

Sunday School - 9:30 AMPrayer Service - Wed. @ 6:00 PM

Bible Study - Wed- @ 7:00 PM

CHurCH SCHeduLe

Mission Statement: New Hope Baptist Church is a family of baptized believers who worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth, teach the saved to reach the lost and minister to the needs of others, while encouraging one another through acts of love and living in obedience to Gods Word

Good Shepherd Full Gospel B.C.The People’s Church

2865 Mission Drive • Baton Rouge, 70805 • Telephone (225)356-5873Bishop H. Hayes, Pastor

Hour of Power 12 NooN eacH wedNesdaySunday School 8:00 AMChurch Service 9:00 AMLord’s Supper 2nd Sunday 6:00 PMBible Study Wednesday 7:00 PMSister/ Brotherhood 6:00 PM

you will Be Blessed uNder THe aNoiNTed MaN of God

St. Mary Baptist Church“The Church that Love Built”

1252 N. Acadian Thruway East • Baton Rouge, LA. 70802

Telephone (225) 387-2926Rev. Conway L Knighton, Pastor

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.

Lord’s Supper - 1st Sunday 11:00 a.m.Prayer Meeting - Wednesday 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.Thursday 10:00 a.m.

Heritage Search Ministry Pentecostal Church4313 Airline Highway (located in the Metro-Aire Shopping Ctr)

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807 • Phone: (225) 355-1045Mackie C. Allen, Pastor

Paul Hammock, Apostle and OverseerOrder of Service

Sunday School...................9:00 a.m.Sunday Worship................11:00 a.m.Monday-Prayer...................7:00 p.m.

Wednesday-Praise and Worship.............7:30 p.m.Friday-Bible Study......7:30 p.m.

“Where your inheritance is amongst the Saints”

Jesus Name apostolic temple, iNc.2548 Weller Avenue

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70805Telephone: (225) 356-1160

Communion 1st Sunday ........................ 1:00 p.m.Sunday School ................. 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.Bible Class Tuesday ...............................7:30 p.m.Mission Night Thursday .........................7:30 p.m.Deliverance Night Friday .......................7:30 p.m.

BiSHOP JiMMiE & ROSE LEE WADE

Church Directory

If you would like your church to be included on the Church Directory. Please Call The Baton Rouge Weekly Press for details at 225-775-2002 or, e-mail us with your billing address to thewpres@bellsouth.net

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

email your church event or religious organization news to the Weekly press @

thewpres@bellsouth.net

let the community Know Whats Happing at Your place of Worship

By DonalD lee The Lord called me to the

nations to preach the gospel of His kingdom — the Good News of salvation and abun-dant life.

Disclaimer: He didn’t call me to preach to every single person. So, I know that not everybody’s going to receive this Word.

Now that I got that little disclaimer out of the way, here’s some Good News for the rest of you (those who’ll hearken unto the voice of the Lord as He speaks through this column): Everybody He’s predestinated me to minister to — including through the use of this column as a platform to reach souls — He will reveal to them the mysteries of the kingdom and they will (if they adhere to this Word, His Word) begin to ac-cess, or take advantage of, the fringe benefits He’s laid up for them.

The kingdom of God is made up of God’s people, those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Savior.

As Dr. Myles Munroe, televangelist and best-selling author, so eloquently shares in his book “Kingdom Principles: Preparing for Kingdom Experi-ence and Expansion,” the King-dom of God means God’s will executed, God’s jurisdiction, heaven’s influence, God’s ad-ministration, and God’s impact and influence.

So those of us who are the adopted children of God via the sacrifice of the Lamb Christ Jesus are under the ju-risdiction or dominion of the King of kings — the Almighty God. And as our Savior Jesus Christ says in Luke 17:21, “the

Kingdom of God is within you” (if you’ve crowned Him as your Lord).

We, as Chris-tians, must understand that the kingdom is not a religion. The king-dom is our culture, our way of living. And it comes with countless benefits.

Even now, with so many ill-informed Christians speaking against tongues — our heavenly prayer language given by God Himself through the baptism of the Holy Spirit — I’m (right now) writing in a heavenly language or a “tongue” in the sense that anybody who can read Eng-lish can read this column. But for those who are without true understanding of the kingdom and how it functions here in the earth, I may as well be writing in a non-English language (or a language that the reader of this column does not under-stand).

I highly recommend that you read: 1st Corinthians (chap-ter) 2: (verses) 4-7, 9-14 (with a heavy emphasis on verses 12-14). If you have an Ampli-fied Bible, definitely read the Amplified version, which may break down the Word a tad bet-ter than the King James Ver-sion. But any version, though, will work (it’s all the Word of God).

What the above scriptures do is explain, right off the top, that it is impossible for a great many of people to understand what I’m about to say next be-cause comprehension comes by way of the Holy Ghost oper-ating within the believer (see verses 10 and 14). If someone does not have the Holy Ghost,

then it is impossible to understand what I’m about to say. But don’t take my word for it, read the scrip-tures yourself.

The recent trag-edies that occurred at Virginia Tech were so very unfortunate. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost loved ones

in the massacres. At the same time, mature saints have got to get back to winning souls for Christ and teaching other saints about the kingdom of God here in the earth and how a complete awareness, or thor-ough knowledge acted upon, of the kingdom will prevent something like that from hap-pening to you or your family members or your school or place of employment.

Exodus 12 tells us that God instructs His people how to cover themselves and their families in lamb’s blood (the lambs referred to in Exodus 12 is symbolic of the protective, hedge-forming blood of Jesus), which will spare them (even today) when everyone else around them are being killed (also see Psalm 91 [verses 5-11], which also talks about God’s protection over His people).

What happened at Vir-ginia Tech? Principalities, or the powers of darkness, strongly influenced one human being to go on a killing spree. In other words, demon spirits (in the un-seen realm, the spiritual realm) operated through one human being and led him to kill others (Ephesians 6:12 ).

What could’ve happened to prevent that tragic chain of events? (Ephesians 6:13, Ampli-fied) “Therefore put on God’s

complete armor, that you may be able to resist AND stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”

The “armor” spoken of in this scripture is referring to the Word of God. When acted upon by the believer (or Kingdom citizen), the Word provides pro-tection, a covering, a hedge, di-vine intervention on the behalf of those who love God AND are knowledgeable of His Word and how the Word works.

Ephesians 6:16 tells us that faith (acted upon) quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked. In other words, “faith” in God’s Word, when applied, disarms the enemy (Satan) in his at-tacks.

How can something like this be prevented from happen-ing again (especially to King-dom citizens)?

To sum up what Jesus says in Matthew 16:13-19: “Rev-elation” knowledge (also called the “rock”) stops “the gates of hell” (represented by other people being used as Satan’s instruments in the earth) from being successful.

The flip side of that is someone who either can’t hear from heaven or disregards heaven’s warnings is left de-fenseless. So, church leadership has got to stop pussyfooting around the issues and start teaching truth as revealed by God, Himself. That’s the peo-ple’s hedge.

(The Rev. Donald Lee can be

reached for prayer or comment at pastordonjlee@yahoo.com or [225] 773-2248. To order a copy of his teaching on “Knowing Your King-dom Benefits” on DVD, please call [225] 773-2248.)

Saints, it’s Important to Know Your Kingdom Benefits

DonaldLee

By IDa lonDon

There’s so much going on today. All types of problems ris-ing up, that it seems that a solution won’t be found. Many are searching for a place to hide, trying to dodge the troubles that are rising up. The alcoholic tries to hide in a bottle, trying to forget his/her problems. One may see a person that is intoxicated and begin to make judgment upon them, but one never knows what was done to drive that person to drink. The drug addict tries to make he/her sorrows disappear by shooting drugs into his/her veins or smoke marijuana, try-ing to numb his/her mind from the problems that they may be facing. One has no ideal what people have to face after they return home from work. A wife could be going home to a quar-reling, abusive husband. She may drink, shoot drugs or pop a few pills to numb the pain, whether it be physical or verbal abuse.

The husband maybe going home to a nagging wife that nags him about everything there is to nag about. It may ap-pear that she is never satisfied with whatever he attempts to do. So, maybe he gets disgusted and takes a few drinks before he goes home to drown the nag-ging out of his ears.

It is better to live in a corner of an attic than in a beautiful home with a cranky, quarrelsome woman. (Proverbs 25:24 TLB). May I note that all women do not nag. But when I read some of the things that the Bible speaks of us. We have a lot of improvement to do and live accordingly to the

WORD as close as we can. Now back to the subject. Many single mothers may use drugs or drink alco-hol because life gets so complex and frus-trating. She may feel that no one cares and she may feel alone. If she’s not totally de-pending of God to be her provider and have

that faith and believer beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will provide for her and her children, she may crawl into an alcohol bottle trying to find refuge. Our only place of refuge is in the arms of God. It is in Him that we can find refuge in the midst of the storms, hurricanes and tornadoes of our lives. It is only Him that can take away the troubles and problems that alcohol and drugs won’t take away. It is in Him that the single mother can depend on to provide for her and her children. And when she feels alone and lonely, He can find ways to fill that void. Whenever life gets confusing and perplexed and we need a place to hide, in God is our only place of refuge.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust. (Psalm 91:1-2 KJV). (There’s one just over there to the right. No one gives me a passing thought. No one will help me; on one cares a bit what happens to me. Then I prayed to Jehovah, “Lord, I pleaded, “you are my only place of refuge. Only you can keep me safe. (Psalm 142:4-5 TLB). It is only in the arms and Pres-ence of God that refuge can be found.

Finding a Place of Refuge

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Thursday, November12, 2009 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

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Leroy Turnercollectively to address neighbor-hood problems.

When the listening tour is completed, the Southern team will incorporate resident recom-mendations into a community design, identify programs to address community concerns and assist residents in identify-ing resources for future programs and community changes.

The Southern team is led by Dr. Alma Thornton, director, Center for Social Research, and Dr. Lonnie Wilkinson, dean, School of Architecture.

For more information on the listening and vision tours or the planning process, con-tact Jason Lockhart (School of Architecture) at 225.71.3105 or William Hawn (Center for Social Research) 225.771.4710.

Tours from page 3

(BLACK PR WIRE) (WAR-SAW, IN) – The statistics are alarming:

• Almost four million African-Americans have dia-betes.

• One in four African-American women over 55 years of age are diabetic.

There is an estimate that 80% of black women and 60% of black men are overweight or obese (which contributes to diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, among other chronic health conditions).

Keeping weight under con-trol plays a critical role in man-aging these health issues. How-ever, many African-Americans face a major hurdle: they are living with chronic joint pain.

“Every warning from governmental and non-profit health organizations implores our community to “get mov-ing” because of the positive im-pact it has on combating these conditions, “explains Verona Brewton, Director of Minority

Initiatives, Zimmer. “But we have failed to make the direct link between painful movement and poor health.”

A November 2006 Cen-ters For Disease Control (CDC) report revealed that the knee is the joint that causes the most pain. Additionally, the CDC re-ported that African-Americans cite arthritis as

the leading condition that limits their daily activities. Ar-thritis is the third most common problem among African-Amer-icans , and arthritis-attributable work limitation disproportion-ately affects minority groups. In a May 2007 report, the CDC projected a nationwide surge in arthritis prevalence, which caused the Arthritis Founda-tion to warn Americans to take action now to limit future dis-ability.

According to Jean Pompey, Zimmer’s Back in the Groove™ program representative, “cop-ing with diabetes and arthritis seemed to be an uphill battle.” Before Pompey’s double knee

replacements, she was not able to exercise.

“I needed to exercise to lose weight, but I was in so much pain, I couldn’t exercise. Zimmer’s Back In The Groove program gave me important information about the link between painful movement and poor health, and the wide range of options to eliminate joint pain,” explains Pompey. Early intervention is key as there many options to alleviate joint pain. Knee or hip discom-fort should not be dismissed as one of the natural signs of aging without discussing it with a primary care physician. To-day’s treatment options offer non-surgical solutions, which provide temporary pain relief and more permanent solutions such as joint replacement. Total knee replacement (TKR) is an ef-fective method of reducing pain and improving physical func-tion among those with disabling knee osteoarthritis. However, a February 2009 report from the Centers For Disease Control

(CDC) revealed health dispari-ties for African-Americans in getting joint replacement have worsened, from 37% to 39% be-tween 2000 and 2006. Although doctors performed 58% more TKR procedures between 2000 and 2006, blacks were 39% less likely than Caucasians to get joint replacement.

Regaining mobility and being active is critical in helping to manage and defeat chronic health conditions. Healthcare disparities for African-Ameri-cans in getting joint replacement represent a serious healthcare barrier to overcoming chronic health conditions through in-creased exercise. Zimmer’s Back In The Groove‰ program is an education-based commu-nity partnership that addresses healthcare disparities impacting African-Americans in the area of joint replacement.

For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.zimmer.backinthegroove.com” www.zimmer.backinthegroove.com or call 1-866-923-2345.

November is NatioNal Diabetes moNth

Health Disparities Among Minority Populations Getting Worse

With an increasing number of Americans affected by dia-betes, 24 million have diabetes and an additional 57 million are at risk, it is important for everyone to understand dia-betes fact from fiction.

In an effort to promote understanding during National Diabetes Awareness Month, Marc Wolf, registered phar-macist and founder and CEO of Diabetic Care Services, ad-dresses some of the most com-mon diabetes myths.

1. You can have a minor case of diabetes or borderline diabetes.

Many people believe they only have a “borderline” case of diabetes, but there is abso-lutely no such thing as bor-derline diabetes; you either have diabetes or you do not. In fact, people who refuse to admit they have diabetes can be in serious danger of expe-riencing a number of diabetic complications.

It is possible to have a condition known as pre-diabetes, in which a person frequently experiences blood glucose levels that are above average but not high enough to be considered an indicator of diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a serious condition that must be monitored and managed con-stantly to avoid development of diabetes and other associated complications.

2. People with diabetes are all overweight.

While type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with one’s weight, obesity can be a trigger for type 2 diabetes. Body fat can interfere with the body’s ability to use insulin, causing type 2 diabetes. However, this is not the only cause of type 2 diabetes, and not all people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Family his-tory and genetics also play a large role.

3. Sugar, chocolate and other sweets are off-limits to people with diabetes.

People with diabetes are able to eat sweets, chocolate, or other foods with sugar as part of a healthy and balanced meal plan. As long as diabetics can identify the carbohydrate values in the treats they are eating, they can adjust daily meal plans accordingly.

4. People with diabetes have to eat special food.

People with diabetes do not need to eat “special” food. The same nutrition guidelines that apply to the general popu-lation also apply to diabetes; maintain the proper balance between carbohydrates, fat and protein, avoid saturated and trans fats, as well as foods high in sodium and sugar.

5. You can catch diabetes from someone else.

Diabetes is not conta-gious. While scientists are not sure what causes diabetes, you cannot get the disease by com-ing in contact with someone who is diabetic. However, family history and genetics can play a roll.

6. Diabetes hinders a per-son’s ability to perform well at work or school.

Absolutely not. Although diabetes is a long-term disease without a cure, it can be man-aged if treated properly, allow-ing someone living with diabe-tes to lead a full and active life. However, people living with diabetes must plan ahead and take extra precautions when necessary. For example, taking food and medication with them on a long shopping trip or car ride, business meet-ing or to class and after school activities.

7. People with diabetes are more likely to catch a cold or other illness.

People with diabetes are not more likely to get a cold or flu than the general population. However, if you have diabetes, catching a cold or flu can make your condition worse because the added stress of being ill causes blood sugars to rise.

8. Stress can cause type 2 diabetes.

This is not true. Although stress is a leading factor in many illnesses, high levels of stress have not been clinically proven to directly cause diabe-tes. But large amounts of stress are not good for anyone, and stress can worsen the disease by triggering other medical conditions or complications.

Eight Diabetes Myths Busted

Thursday, March 6, 2008 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

health

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cally pointed out that changes which occur in a human being is redirected to pull from the core of his own humanity to reaffirm self worth and purpose. he will then by nature acquire the will to do for himself and others.

Space is not available to cover concerns of so many people

concerned with the conditions at Jetson. it is happening there. What i do know is that most of these youth can be changed, from contrition in a prepatory school for Angola to rehabilitation for a positive life that may lead to a life of meritorious glory. That is the Way I See It!

SyStem from page 4

all funny or remotely appropri-ate about the use of a lynching reference about Michelle obama,’’ he said. ‘’it’s - i’m speechless.’’

As President Bush pointed out so eloquently during the Black history Month event, the noose represents ‘’more than a tool of murder but a tool of intimidation’’ to generations of African-Ameri-cans. Nooses not only robbed some of their lives but many of their peace of mind.

‘’As a civil society, we must understand that noose displays and lynching jokes are deeply offensive. they are wrong. And they have no place in America today,’’ he said.

Neither o’reilly nor ingraham has been reprimanded by their re-spective employers even though the Fox News personality did offer a half-hearted apology.

At least ingraham didn’t drop the l-word but her suggestion that Sharpton, a former presidential candidate and respected member of the African-American community and beyond, is a petty thief reeks of race-baiting and negative ste-reotyping of African-Americans and black men in particular.

But it’s hardly the first time ei-ther has ventured into questionable and offensive territory. how can

we forget o’reilly’s less-than-informed comments regarding a dinner he shared last year with Sharpton at Sylvia’s in harlem? o’reilly expressed surprise over how similarSylvia’s was to other restaurants in New York restau-rants.

‘’there wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, i want more iced tea,’’’ he said.

As the Washington Post’s rob-inson sadly observed on MSNBC in February, ‘’All you can go by is his words and his actions. And he keeps saying these things that sound pretty darn racist to me.’’

has talk radio learned anything from imus’ decline and fall? of course not, because it didn’t take imus too terribly long to get a new gig.

our nation’s media outlets should not provide a platform for racialhostility and hateful speech now or in the future. What kind of messageare we sending to our chil-dren, our nation and our world?

in such an historic election year, we cannot stand aside and allow individuals to use the airwaves as an outlet for insensitive and misguidedcommentary. if you hear something that offends you, speak up.

talk Radio from page 4

ering all children.the CDF Action Council, build-

ing on the best practices in states and lessons learned about children falling through the bureaucratic cracks of Medicaid and SChiP, strongly urged Congress to enact the All healthy Children Act, S. 1564/h.r. 1688, introduced by representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) in the house and Senator Bernie Sanders (i-Vt) in the Sen-ate. the measure would provide comprehensive benefits including dental and mental health, simpli-fied bureaucracy, and a national eligibility plan for families up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. We thank the 62 house co-sponsors for their support. how-ever, we regret that neither a single house republican nor any other Senator joined them to push for coverage for all children.

the CDF Action Council strongly supports long overdue health cov-erage for everyone in America as soon as possible—because children cannot wait. As SChiP comes up again for reauthorization in early 2009, we hope every Member of Congress will insist on covering every child and pregnant mother now by enacting and adequately funding the provisions of the All healthy Children Act.

Specious claims that we could not find the money—$70 billion over five years—to cover all children is belied by that amount spent in eleven months for tax cuts for the top one percent of richest Americans and in seven months for the iraq War. We do not have a money problem in America: We have a priorities and political will deficit. it is time for all adults to protect the health of our children.

the citizens of the nation must demand that our leaders free our children from the false ideological and political tugs of war among those who put excess profits ahead of children’s lives.

how well did Congress protect children in 2007? Not well enough: 276 Members of Congress had good CDF Action Council Con-gressional Scorecard scores of 80 percent or higher, and 198 of those had stellar scores of 100 percent. But 231 members scored 60 percent or lower—a failing grade from our school days.

Whether Members of Congress are liberal, conservative or mod-erate; Democrat, republican or independent, children need all of them to vote, lobby, speak for and protect them. Adults need to listen carefully to what candidates say they will do for children and fami-lies and, once they are in office, we need to hold them accountable. Please thank your Members of Con-gress with scores of 80 percent or above and let those with scores of 60 percent or below know you are dissatisfied with their performance. And please convey that same mes-sage to each presidential candidate. We must demand that our leaders commit to children as a condition of our vote.

Marian Wright Edelman is Presi-dent of the Children’s Defense Fund and its Action Council whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

ChildRen from page 4

(NAPSM)-A survey commissioned by two leading health organizations found that although two out of three African Americans (61 percent) ex-pressed concern about developing heart disease and two out of five (40 percent) expressed concern about developing Alzheimer’s, only about one in 20 are aware that heart health is linked to brain health.

the Alzheimer’s Association is joining forces with the American heart Association to educate African Americans that by managing their cardiovascular risk, they may also strengthen their cognitive health.

“What’s good for your heart is good for your brain,” says Jennifer Manly, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Associa-tion spokesperson. “every healthy heartbeat pumps about one-fifth of your blood to your brain to carry on the daily processes of thinking, prob-lem solving and remembering.”

“By the year 2030, the number of African Americans age 65 or older is expected to more than double to 6.9 million,” said emil Matarese, M.D., American heart Association spokes-person. “Although Alzheimer’s is not part of normal aging, age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. So it is important that Af-rican Americans take steps now to decrease their risk of heart disease, which research has shown could also decrease the risk of cognitive decline.”

Did You Know?• Compared to the general public,

African Americans have a higher risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and vascular dementia.

• More than 40 percent of African Americans have high blood pres-sure (hBP) and are at risk for stroke, which can lead to greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s or other vascular cognitive dementias.

• every year, more than 100,000 African Americans have a stroke.

• having high cholesterol increases the risk for stroke and may increase the risk for Alzheimer’s.

Manage Your Risks• Watch the numbers. remember

that desirable blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmhg. Keep your body weight in the recommended range and make sure that the total choles-terol is less than 200mg/dL.

• healthy lifestyle choices include staying mentally and physically ac-tive, staying socially involved, reduc-ing your intake of fat and cholesterol and not smoking.

Visit www.alz.org/heartbrain or call the American Stroke Associa-tion, a division of the American heart Association, at (888) 478-7653 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 272-3900 and you’ll receive a bro-chure with heart and brain health information and a free pedometer, while supplies last.

What’s Good For Your Heart Is Good For Your Brain

Research shows a link between heart and brain health, which means impaired heart function could lead to impaired brain function.

apart. You must continue to hold on to your faith and stay before the Lord. But, it may be that the time has come when you may need to take some quality time for yourself and spend some of that time with God.

Get on your knees before God and tell him of how you are feel-ing inside. And maybe the words wont come out exactly as you wish but you can have a good weeping, wailing crying falling, out tantrum and give all those problems to him.

While you are praying, you might forget some of the things that vexed you but God knows what you are going through. he can read the pain, which flows through your tears. even though he knows what’s troubling you, he still wants to tell him about it and bring your problems and burdens to him.

therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hands of God, that he may exalt you in due time, “casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you,”(1st Peter 5:6-7).

After you finished having your tantrum. You may have a stopped up nose and swollen eyes and mucus running down your lip and dried tears on your face, but you’ll feel better after emptying yourself of those things which had been heavy on your heart.

Sometimes we go for weeks or months trying to take matters into our hands and try to solve our own problems. We are not super humans; we can’t handle every-thing alone. We need God’s help. We have to let go of those situ-ations and let God handle them. there are some things we can’t humanly do anything about.

tantRum from page 6

(NAPSi)-here’s an alert worth paying attention to: According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), learning your risk for type 2 diabetes could save your life.

Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 21 million children and adults in the U.S. it is named the “silent killer” because one-third of those with the disease--more than 6 million--do not know they have it.

For many, diagnosis may come seven to 10 years after the onset of type 2 diabetes. early diagnosis is critical for successful treatment and can delay or prevent some of the complications such as heart diseases, blindness, kidney disease, stroke and amputation.

that’s one reason the ADA holds the American Diabetes Alert® Day, a one-day wake-up call to inform the American public about the serious-

ness of diabetes, particularly when it is left undiagnosed and untreated. the day is held on the fourth tuesday of every March.

on that day, people are encour-aged to take the Diabetes risk test, either with paper and pencil or online. the risk test requires users to answer seven simple questions about age, weight, lifestyle and family history--all potential risk factors for diabetes. People scoring 10 points or more are at a high risk for type 2 diabetes and are encouraged to talk with a health care professional.

An estimated 54 million Ameri-cans have pre-diabetes. those with pre-diabetes have blood glucose lev-els higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

early intervention via lifestyle changes such as weight loss and

increased physical activity can help delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being over-weight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and Pacific islanders are at an increased risk, as are women who have babies weighing more than 9 pounds at birth.

the Diabetes risk test is avail-

able in english and Spanish by call-ing the ADA at 1-800-DiABeteS (1-800-342-2383) or online at www.diabetes.org/alert.

though the Alert is a one-day call to action, awareness about type 2 diabetes is important anytime of the year, so free Diabetes risk tests are available online and by calling ADA all year long.

A free Diabetes risk test is avail-able all year long to determine the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Could You Be At Risk?

Free Cancer ScreeningsNo appointment required for most screenings.

If you do not have a doctor and have not been screened in the last 12 months, these cancer screenings are available to you for free.

Presented as part of the comprehensive Cancer Program

of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins. Screenings

made possible by donor gifts.

(225) 215-1234 (888) 616-4687

Breast Cancer ScreeningTuesday, March 1110am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm

LSUHSC Mid City Clinic1401 N. Foster DriveBaton Rouge

Colorectal Cancer ScreeningThursday, March 1310am –2pm

Wal-Mart2171 O’Neal LaneBaton Rouge

Breast Cancer ScreeningTuesday, March 185pm – 7pm (Appt required)

Woman’s Hospital9050 Airline HighwayBaton Rouge

Prostate and ColorectalCancer ScreeningsWednesday, March 2610am –2pm

Ed Price Building Materials7835 Airline HighwayBaton Rouge

In Partnership With:

Our Lady of the LakeWoman’s HospitalYWCA Encore Plus

LSU Hospitals Health Care Services Division

Breast Cancer ScreeningFriday, March 1410am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm

Leo S. Butler Community Center950 E. Washington StreetBaton Rouge

Colorectal Cancer ScreeningMonday, March 1710am –2pm

Brusly Town Hall601 S. Vaughan StreetBrusly

Have You Been Screened?

By P., Piero D.D.S. Respiratory infections flour-

ish at this time of the year. The standard advice for the pre-vention of these sicknesses is to wash your hands and keep your immune system healthy by eating properly and exercising regularly. Washing your hands is one way of keeping the hun-dreds of different bacteria and viruses from getting into your system. Individuals with lower immune systems are more sus-ceptible to infections, since your immune system helps to defend the body, if and when a virus or

bacteria slip in. In addition to the stan-

dard advice, a less publicized approach to healthy living and avoiding a respiratory infec-tion is to keep your teeth clean. Here’s why:

1. There are 400-500 spe-cies of bacteria that live in your mouth. Viruses can use bacteria as “factories” to grow and multi-ply. If a virus makes its way into your mouth (usually from touch-ing your hands to your mouth or biting your nails), the fewer bacteria in your mouth, the less likely the virus will grow.

2. Periodontal disease is

caused by plaque producing bacteria. The body in defense of the periodontal disease releases cytokines. These cytokines trig-ger your blood-making organs to constantly fight or defend themselves, thus weakening the body’s immune system to fight other infections.

3. Periodontal disease is a potential contributing factor for respiratory diseases, accord-ing to the American Academy of Periodontology.

The bacteria that cause periodontal disease and are taxing your immune system are breeding right now in the

perfect environment of your mouth. They love the cozy, moist, dark, warm and acidic ecosystem, which is constantly being fed by carbohydrates. The areas between the teeth are par-ticularly good breeding grounds because the damaging bacteria thrive in the absence of oxygen. The bacteria grow rapidly - actu-ally doubling their count every hour. There are more bacteria in your mouth than people on the planet Earth. The excrement or bi-product of the bacteria is what forms the sticky film that is a constant challenge to remove and what is called plaque.

Clean Teeth Provide A Healthier Immune System Leading To Fewer Colds

Page 8 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 12, 2009

Make the holiday meal your crowning achievement.Th e holiday meal is not a time to leave anything to chance,

especially when serving a traditional favorite like Chitterlings.

So go with the brand that has been a holiday favorite for over

40 years: Queenella. Our chitterlings are triple cleaned.

And sure to satisfy all your party guests.

SPFR-3049 Queenella-WeeklyPress.indd 1 10/12/09 3:31 PM

other news

By Sgt. Michael l. OwenSLouisiana National Guard State Unit Public Affairs Representative

PINEVILLE, LA. – Members

of the Louisiana Army National Guard were greeted by four NFL players in a special visit dur-ing pre-deployment training at Camp Beauregard near Pineville , La. , Oct. 23.

New Orleans Saints play-

ers Mark Brunell, Jonathan Goodwin, Zachary Strief and Jonathan Stinchcomb surprised members of the LANG’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team when they showed up on the M-16 rifle qualification range to meet the Soldiers who will deploy in January.

The players flew in Black-hawk helicopters provided by LANG’s State Aviation Com-mand from Armstrong Interna-

tional Airport to a landing zone near the range where the 256th Soldiers were training.

“I was kind of nervous because it was my first helicop-ter ride, but it is a great way to travel,” said Stinchcomb.

“We are excited that you took the time out of your busy schedules to come here and spend some time with us,” said Col. Jonathan T. Ball, commander of the 256th. “Most of us are big

fans of the Saints, and we are honored to have you here.”

After being introduced, the players were given a safety briefing, safety equipment and allowed on the range to fire a few shots at the pop-up targets.

“I feel like a big kid out here,” said Goodwin.

Once the players fin-ished firing, they talked to the Guardsmen and thanked them for their service, before signing

autographs and giving out NFL memorabilia.

“We play a game for fun, but you guys have the real job,” said Brunell. “You are the true heroes, and we are very appre-ciative of the service you give your country to keep us safe.”

Before being flown back to New Orleans , the players were given a few tokens of ap-preciation by Ball, including an Army National Guard back

pack, 256th coin and a framed certificate symbolizing that they are honorary members of the 256th.

“I had a great time out here,” said Stinchcomb. “I will be talking about this for a very long time.”

Please contact Staff Sgt. Denis Ricou with the Louisi-ana National Guard of thPublic Affairs Office, Media Relations Office at 225.255.8281.

Louisiana Guardsmen Get Surprise Visit from NFL Players

Louisiana Army National Guardsmen Col. Jonathan T. Ball, commander of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, gives a coin to New Orleans Saints player Mark Brunell during a surprise visit at Camp Beauregard near Pineville , La. , Oct. 23. ( U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Toby M. Valadie, Louisiana National Guard State Public Affairs Office)

New Orleans Saints player Jonathan Goodwin signs an autograph for a Soldier in the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during a surprise visit at Camp Beauregard near Pineville , La. , Oct. 23. ( U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Toby M. Valadie, Louisiana National Guard State Public Affairs Office)

By citizenS Of UniverSity Place SUBdiviSiOn

Many citizens, pastors, elected officials etc. agree that the residents living in proximity of the North Baton Rouge Sewage Treatment Plant has and will con-tinue to have a negative impact on the citizens and community as a whole; however, no solution for a fair buyout has been presented and the tax paying citizens are still carrying the burdens of the sewage plant.

A 13 year legal battle be-tween East Baton Rouge Parish and neighbors of The North Baton Rouge Sewage Treatment Plant is now in the hands of ap-pellate judges McDonald, Kuhn and Perro. Neighbors say they deserve money because of how

the plant has and will continue to have a negative impact on their lives and community, but according to parish attorney’s they may have waited too long to file suit.

Irma Miller has lived on Ave “ L” near the horrible North Baton Rouge Sewage Treatment Facility for 38 years. In 1996 the plant expanded and the nega-tive impact to the whole com-munity continues to expand. The Plant expanded to process 15 times more human waste sewage water. Miller and her neighbors say along with that expansion came bigger problems to the community, like more foul smells and sewer flies. The qual-ity of our life’s has been greatly diminished, Miller said, we can-not enjoy the things that other

communities enjoy because of the treatment plant.

Last November a local district court judge Kay Bates

agreed and awarded 130 neigh-bors about $2.2 million dollars, but monday Oct. 26,2009 attor-neys for the parish appealed that

ruling. We think it was an error for the trial court to give them damages based on claims that were barred by state law. said, Tommy Gildersleeve.

In other words, Gilder-sleeve, who represents East Baton Rouge Parish, say the neighbors waited too long to file suit. He says the treatment facility was built in 1960. The North Baton Rouge residents did not file suit until 1996. Attorney Patrick Pendley represents those neigh-bors. He says his clients filed in response to the problems from the 1996 expansion. He says the longer the parish puts off paying his clients, the more expensive the problem.

The city should have gone in there in the mid 90’s and fairly bought out the houses, moved

these people away and developed a green zone around the facility “said” Pendley. Why would you subject individuals to this kind of thing for so long and you know that this is going on. We are dis-appointed said Mrs. Irma Miller. Other residents even mentioned that the city wants our vote on Nov. 14, to develop downtown Baton Rouge and our community is living in the city created toilet bowl for years.

Miller says she and her neighbors feel abandoned by the city, but they are hopeful their 13 year battle is close to an end. The court of appeals is expected to rule on this case in the next six to eight weeks. Their verdict is final, unless either side can con-vince the Supreme Court to hear their case.

The City of Baton Rouge Should Fairly Buyout Residents