bba news jan '10

In This Issue…Help on the Road To RecoveryJob CreationAid for the People of HaitiRealistic or Symbolic: Small Business Inclusion

January 2010

Black Business NewsSPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE LIMITED EDITION

Now On Sale!A commemorative limited-edition magazine, unlike any other special tribute

issued to recognize the election of Barack H. Obama as the 44th President of the

United States of America, has been published by the Black Business Association.

Hurry! Buy Your Copy Today - Quantities are limited!

To order your copy, call the BBA office at

(323) 291-9334 or email to: [email protected]

Pres. Obama Has His... You Get Yours!

President’s MessageEarl “Skip” Cooper, IIPresident/Chief Executive Offi cer

Realistic or Symbolic Small Business Inclusion

The Black Business Association (BBA) is one of the oldest minor-ity business advocacy groups

in the country, having come into exis-tence forty years ago in Los Angeles, California. Establishment of the BBA fostered the birth of other, similar Los Angeles- based organizations includ-ing the Asian Business Association and the Latin Business Association. Each of these vital associations operate with a common mission to assist business owners in fair gaining access to con-tracting opportunities and operating capital, overcoming the challenge of minority disenfranchisement.

Even with the many success stories of longstanding BBA members who have obtained access to very lucrative contracts and large capital, such growth is still overshadowed by the widening economic parity gap between non-mi-nority fi rms and black-owned and oper-ated fi rms. There are real reasons for the widening gap of disparity, and the one that is most telling lies within the American corporations themselves. An appalling management practice of sup-plier programs operating from a pos-ture of symbolism still exists, instead of including minority fi rms in a realistic extension of supply opportunities.

Currently, the nation’s 4 million minor-ity-owned and operated fi rms generate $660 billion in annual revenues and em-ploy roughly 5 million people. From the 2002 Census data, the Minority Busi-ness Development Agency (MBDA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Com-merce, cites that if the country were to ever reach economic parity for small minority business, those businesses would potentially generate more than $2.5 trillion in annual revenues, cre-

ate 16 million new jobs, and contribute more than $100 billion in annual taxes.

In a capitalistic economy, using en-trepreneurial parity is a logical eco-nomic benchmark to reveal how enter-prise ownership contributes to the U.S. economy at a rate comparable to the number of owners’ percentage of the U.S population. For example, although African Americans are just over 12% of the adult population in the United States, comparisons to all U.S. fi rms show black-owned business are slight-ly above 5%. Also, the black-owned businesses have gross revenues of 1% and an employment rate just under 1% compared to all U.S. enterprises.

The U.S.A.’s economic downturn revealed the disturbing trend of nu-merous major corporations abandon-ing black-owned business as viable suppliers. Part of this seeming “black business phobia” can be seen on the waning outreach landscape as it is con-ducted by corporate America. From advertising promotion to procurement fairs, corporate representatives have delivered a more symbolic approach versus a reality-based advancement toward parity for small business utiliza-tion in supply chain management. Very often the limitations on outreach efforts have become the excuse for why major corporations are unable to invite great-er minority participation, or why few to virtually no buying opportunities exist for black-owned and operated busi-ness enterprises. Program symbolism is clearly seen where mid-level manag-ers sing their own praises about their personal diversity/inclusion position, but in reality perform with a diminished spirit in making consistent buyer-seller connections with black businesses.

This kind of activity is characteristic of corporate gatekeepers who view mi-nority business development as more of a rhetorical statement and a gesture of goodwill than a genuine commitment. I am hard pressed, as my observation of the rhetoric continues to widen, to easily identify examples of open ac-cess to contracts in the private sector. Our membership feedback indicates that some mysterious, predetermined level of inclusion is apparently too high for black companies to be afforded the chance to deliver on commodities and/or service needs. Perhaps there is some truth to the rumor that a well working corporate supplier develop-ment program is rare to non-existent with most of America’s private corpora-tions…?

For that reason and more, the 36th Annual BBA Awards Dinner is dedi-cated to showcasing two legislative wizards who have championed the growth of small business. The winning formula for small business has proven to be the steadfast support provided by legislative initiatives that push the pub-lic and private sectors together, to bet-ter engage minority fi rms. Therefore, please accept our invitation to formally recognize the HONORABLE MAXINE WATERS, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as we present her with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, a Special Recognition will be paid to the HONORABLE JEROME HORTON, Member-Representative of the 4th District, California Board of Equalization.

The Annual BBA Awards Dinner will take place during Black History Month on February 25, 2010. Visit our web-site for details, www.bbala.org.

3 January 2010 Black Business News www.bbala.org

Black Business AssociationP.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043

323-291-9334 Fax: [email protected] www.bbala.orgPUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Earl “Skip” Cooper, IIPRODUCTION MANAGER

Narishima OseiCONTRIBUTING WRITERS

W. Gladney ▪ C. Collins PHOTOGRAPHY

Ian Foxx ▪ Sabir • N. OseiLAYOUT/TYPESETTING

Lion Communications

Copyright © 2010 by Black Business Association.All Rights Reserved.

BBA BOARD OF DIRECTORSTed Davis, Chairman

IsComp Systems, Inc.Nathan Freeman, Vice Chairman

Figueroa Media Group, Inc.Eugene Jones, Secretary NVA Financial Group, Inc.Kevin M. Caliup, Treasurer

AIA/E-World StrategyNarishimah Osei, Parliamentarian

Osei & AssociatesGwen Moore, Director GEM Communications

Candida Mobely-Wright, Director Voices, Inc.

Angela Walton, Director Melador Technologies, Inc.

Angela Reddock, Esq., Legal CounselSTAFF

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEOKesha Vontreese, Administrative Consultant

Brett Byers, Special Projects ConsultantSteven Turner, Economic Development Editor

CORPORATE PARTNERSAEG

American Honda Motor CompanyAT&T

Bank of AmericaThe Boeing Company

California LotteryCitibank

Coca-Cola EnterprisesComerica Bank

Department of Water & PowerDonald Sterling CorporationFannie Mae HSBC IBM

Kaiser Permanente LAEDCLos Angeles World Airports

Northrop Grumman CorporationRaytheon Company

S.C.R.P.C.Sempra Energy

Southern California EdisonSwinerton Builders

Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.Turner Construction Company

Union Bank of CaliforniaUSBank Verizon

Walt Disney CompanyWellPoint

Wells Fargo BankLyceum Management Services, Ex Offi cio

Hollis Smith, Ex Offi cioPaulette Williams, Ex Offi cio

AFFILIATESAfrican American Unity Caucus

Association of Black Women EntrepreneursBlack Women’s Network

California Black Chamber of CommerceCalifornia Council of Black Chambers

The Greenlining InstituteMinority Business Enterprise Legal Defense &

Education FundNational Black Business Council

The National Association of African American Chambers of Commerce

The National Black Chamber of CommercePan African Film & Arts Festival

Recycling Black Dollars

Over 40 years of serviceFounded 1970 In This Issue…

3 President’s Message Realistic or Symbolic Small Business Inclusion5 Accessing Stimulus Funds6 President & Mayors Discuss Job Creation7 Help For Haiti10 No More “Too Big to Fail”19 Decade of Learning20 Obama’s First Year in Pictures31 Estate Tax Update35 Search Engine Optimization38 Africa Focus

Bank of Zambia Congresswoman Waters Aids Haiti Dual Citizenship for Tanzanians

45 SBA NewsTraining Programs for Disabled Vets and Women Entrepreneurs

45 ATM Cards at Risk63 Calendar Columns

29 - Take A Look!47 - Books to Consider...

BBA Action Alert16 - Health Care Reform-Contact Your Senator Now

Cover image - www.recovery.ca.gov


Accessing Stimulus Funding Opportunities: New Tools for Small Businesses

Offi ce of SmallBusiness Advocate

The Offi ce of Small Business Advo-cate is pleased to provide new tools for small businesses to look for opportu-nities for contracting as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act (aka the federal stimulus pro-gram). The brochure and PowerPoint documents referenced below may be found at www.recovery.ca.gov in the “Road To Recovery - Resources” sec-tion of the website.

First is a PDF of a new brochure that details how small businesses can fi nd, prepare, and compete for ARRA-

funded projects. We are providing the PDF so business organizations and service agencies may make copies to distribute to small busi-ness owners widely throughout the state. This, we hope, will ensure that every small business will have the information they need to help them take advantage of this singular opportunity.

Secondly we have developed a Pow-erPoint presentation of the information in the brochure.

Third is the latest copy of OSBA’s Stimulus News Digest.

In addition, we are pleased to an-nounce that the Governor’s stimulus page, www.recovery.ca.gov, now has

a front-page link to a separate small business page.

The materials may also be accessed from the BBA website at www.bbala.org.

Marty Keller, DirectorOffi ce of Small Business AdvocateGovernor’s Offi ce of Planning & Research1400 10th StreetSacramento CA 95814916-445-9874


Excerpts from

Remarks by the President to the U.S. Conference of MayorsFocus on Job Creation

Two years ago, I addressed your gathering and I outlined a new strategy for urban America that

changed the way Washington does business with our cities and our met-ropolitan areas. And since taking of-fi ce, my administration has taken a hard look at that relationship -- from matters of infrastructure to transpor-tation, education to energy, housing to sustainable development. My staff has traveled around the country to see the fresh ideas and successful solu-tions that you’ve devised. And we’ve learned a great deal about what we can do -- and shouldn’t do -- to help rebuild and revitalize our cities and metropoli-tan areas for the future.

So the budget that I’ll present next month will begin to back up this urban vision by putting an end to throwing

money after what doesn’t work -- and by investing responsibly in what does.

Our strategy to build economically competitive, environmentally sustain-able, opportunity-rich communities that serve as the backbone for our long-term growth and prosperity -- three items: First, we’ll build strong regional backbones for our economy by coordi-nating federal investments in economic and workforce development -- because today’s metropolitan areas don’t stop at downtown. What’s good for Denver, for example, is usually good for places like Aurora and Boulder, too. Strong cities are the building blocks of strong regions, and strong regions are essen-tial for a strong America.

Second, we’ll focus on creating more livable and environmentally sustainable communities. Because when it comes

to development, it’s time to throw out old policies that encouraged sprawl and congestion, pollution, and end-

ed up i s o l a t -ing our commu-nities in the pro-

cess. We need strategies that encour-age smart development linked to qual-ity public transportation, that bring our communities together. (Applause.)

That’s why we’ll improve our Partner-ship for Sustainable Communities by working with HUD, EPA, and the De-partment of Transportation in making sure that when it comes to develop-ment, housing, energy, and transporta-tion policy go hand in hand. And we will build on the successful TIGER discre-tionary grants program to put people to work and help our cities rebuild their roads and their bridges, train stations and water systems. (Applause.)

Third, we’ll focus on creating neigh-borhoods of opportunity. Many of our neighborhoods have been economical-ly distressed long before this crisis hit -- for as long as many of us can remem-ber. And while the underlying causes may be deeply-rooted and complicated, there are some needs that are simple: access to good jobs; affordable hous-ing; convenient transportation that con-nects both; quality schools and health services; safe streets and parks and access to a fresh, healthy food supply.

So we’ll invest in innovative and prov-en strategies that change the odds for our communities -- strategies like Prom-ise Neighborhoods, neighborhood-lev-el interventions that saturate our kids with the services that offer them a bet-ter start in life. Strategies like Choice Neighborhoods, which focuses on new ideas for housing by recognizing that different communities need different solutions. And, by the way, we’re also

Photo Legend:Cockwise: First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to the Mayors on health issues; Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama; Oakland’s Mayor Ron Dellums talks with Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama

see Mayors on page 9


Help For Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic

damage inside and around the capi-tal city of Port-au-Prince. President Obama has promised the people of Haiti that “you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten.” The United States Government has mobilized resources and manpower to aid in the relief effort. Here are some ways that you can get involved.

DonateContribute online through Clinton-• BushHaitiFund.org. Text “QUAKE” to 20222 to charge • a $10 donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (the donation will be added to your cell phone bill). Find more ways to help through • the Center for International Disas-ter Information.

Get Information about Friends or Family

The State Department has several resources for inquiring about the wel-fare and whereabouts of friends and family in Haiti:

To Ask For or Provide Information About U.S. Citizens in Haiti:

Email the Task Force at Haiti-Earth-• [email protected] OR From the U.S. or Canada, call 888-• 407-4747 (Other countries, call 202-501-4444)

For U.S. Citizens in Haiti Seeking As-sistance or Reporting Their Status/Whereabouts:

Email the Embassy at ACSPaP@•

Do Business with BBA Member

Businesses & Advertisers

OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY PLAN

OERP

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Haitian President René Préval in the Oval Offi ce, Jan. 15, 2010. (Offi cial White House Photo by Pete Souza)

state.gov OR Call the Embassy’s Consular Task • Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672

When contacting any of the numbers or using the emails above, please include the following information:

The full name, date of birth and • passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact. Their contact information in Haiti; • telephone numbers, email address, hotel name or address (if known) Your name and contact informa-• tion, and your relationship to the person in Haiti (parent, spouse, friend etc.) Any special or emergency circum-• stances.

For All Nationalities and Locations

Use the Per-son Finder tool on the Help For Haiti website, an initiative set up by Google to help concerned families and friends find about and report on their loved ones whereabouts and

well-being.For more information about locating

friends and family members, visit the State Department’s Haiti Earthquake website.

For Federal Response Info

For information on how each federal department and agency is responding to the earthquake in Haiti visit the Help for Haiti website.

www.whitehouse.gov


The Administration recently is-sued the Open Government Directive to hardwire the values

of transparency, participation and col-laboration into the DNA of the Federal government. Around here, we call the general effort “Open Gov.” You can learn more about it at www.White-House.gov/open.

As part of the Directive, federal agencies have answered the Presi-dent’s call by democratizing hundreds of high-value datasets on every aspect of government operations. While this is meaningful for the technology com-munity and transparency advocates who have been working on this issue for years, the data released will have direct impact on the daily lives of the American people. Here are three ex-amples to consider:

Parents can make better decisions when buying a car seat for their new-born because the National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration released data rating child safety seats for ease of use, simplicity of instructions and ve-hicle installation features

Consumers can make intelligent de-cisions when buying a car because the Department of Transportation released details behind automobile safety and crash ratings gathered during crash and rollover tests conducted at their re-search facilities

As Norm Eisen mentioned in his ear-lier post (which has a few other good examples), entrepreneurs, researchers and healthcare professionals can ac-cess Medicare Part B data to analyze the cost, volume and types of services delivered to meet the needs of Medi-care benefi ciaries because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released data that used to cost $100

and was delivered on CD-ROM, for free via Data.gov

The Obama Administration is com-mitted to unlocking public data to drive innovation by tapping into the ingenuity of the American people; increase agen-cy accountability; and change the de-fault setting of Washington to be open, transparent and participatory. For far too long, government data has been locked within the four walls of Wash-ington and confi ned to a selected group of people. President Obama has said, “information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset.” This is why, on his fi rst full day in offi ce, the President charged agencies to harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online.

To institutionalize a culture of open government, on February 6, 2010 we will launch a public dashboard to pro-vide an ongoing assessment of the Ex-ecutive Branch’s progress against the Directive. You’ll be able to fi nd that at www.WhiteHouse.gov/open.

How “Open Gov” Datasets Affect Parents and ConsumersPosted by Vivek Kundra, Chief Information Offi cer

Mayors

expanding the successful Race to the Top competition to improve our schools and raise the bar for all our students to local school districts that are committed to change. (Applause.)

That’s what we’re doing to bring jobs and opportunity to every corner of our cities and our economy -- focusing on what works. And that’s what all of you do each and every day. You’re not wor-ried about ideology. Obviously all of you are elected so you think about politics, but it’s not in terms of scoring cheap po-litical points; you’re going to be judged on whether you deliver the goods, or not. You focus on solving problems for people who trusted us with solving them. And that’s a commitment that all of us who serve should keep in mind.

As long as I’m President, I’m commit-ted to being your partner in that work. We’re going to keep on reaching out to you and listening to you and working with you towards our common goals. And I want to start that right now by taking some of your questions. But fi rst I think all these cameras are going to move out, so you can tell me the truth. (Laughter.) All right? Thank you. (Ap-plause.)

www.usmayors.orgwww.whitehouse.gov

from page 6

Quote of Note...“We have fi nished a diffi cult year. We have come through a diffi cult decade. But a new year has come. A new de-

cade stretches before us. We don’t quit. I don’t quit. Let’s seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.”

PresidentBarack H. Obama


THE WHITE HOUSEOffi ce of the Press Secretary January 21, 2010

President Obama Calls for New Restrictions on Size and Scope of Financial Institutions to Rein in Excesses and Protect Taxpayers

- - - - - - -President Obama joined Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve; Bill Donaldson, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Congressman Barney Frank, House Financial Ser-vices Chairman; Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Banking Committee and the President’s economic team to call for new restrictions on the size and scope of banks and other fi nancial institutions to rein in excessive risk taking and to protect taxpayers.

The President’s proposal would strengthen the comprehensive fi nancial reform package that is already moving through Congress.

“While the fi nancial system is far stronger today than it was a year one year ago, it is still operating under the exact same rules that led to its near collapse,” said President Barack Obama. “My resolve to reform the system is only strengthened when I see a return to old practices at some of the very fi rms fi ghting reform; and when I see record profi ts at some of the very fi rms claiming that they cannot lend more to small busi-ness, cannot keep credit card rates low, and cannot refund taxpayers for the bailout. It is exactly this kind of irresponsibility that makes clear reform is necessary.”

The proposal would:

1. Limit the Scope - The President and his economic team will work with Congress to ensure that no bank or fi nancial institution that contains a bank will own, invest in or sponsor a hedge fund or a private equity fund, or proprietary trading operations unrelated to serving customers for its own profi t.

2. Limit the Size - The President also announced a new proposal to limit the consolidation of our fi nancial sector. The President’s proposal will place broader limits on the excessive growth of the market share of liabilities at the largest fi nancial fi rms, to supplement existing caps on the market share of deposits.

In the coming weeks, the President will continue to work closely with Chairman Dodd and others to craft a strong, comprehensive fi nancial reform bill that puts in place common sense rules of the road and robust safeguards for the benefi t of consumers, closes loopholes, and ends the mentality of “Too Big to Fail.” Chairman Barney Frank’s fi nancial reform legislation, which passed the House in December, laid the groundwork for this policy by authorizing regulators to restrict or prohibit large fi rms from engaging in excessively risky activities.

As part of the previously announced reform program, the proposals announced today will help put an end to the risky practices that contributed signifi cantly to the fi nancial crisis.

The President of the United States proposed what he called “the Volcker Rule,” named after one

of the fi ercest advocates for fi nancial reform over the past year, and who has been particularly focused on address-ing the issue of banks being “too big to fail.” He also proposed addressing one of the clearest issues leading to the fi -nancial crisis of the past years, namely banks that stray wildly from their core

mission: serving their customer. Having met with Paul Volcker this morning, and having last week proposed new fees on Wall Street to ensure the taxpayers get their money back, the President came

with a direct message for banks that might object to these changes:

“I welcome constructive input from folks in the fi nancial sector. But what we’ve seen so far, in recent weeks, is an army of industry lobbyists from Wall Street descending on Capitol Hill to try and block basic and common-sense rules of the road that would protect our economy and the American people.

So if these folks want a fi ght, it’s a

fi ght I’m ready to have. And my resolve is only strengthened when I see a re-turn to old practices at some of the very fi rms fi ghting reform; and when I see soaring profi ts and obscene bonuses

at some of the very fi rms claiming that they can’t lend more to small business, they can’t keep credit card rates low, they can’t pay a fee to refund taxpay-ers for the bailout without passing on the cost to shareholders or customers -- that’s the claims they’re making. It’s exactly this kind of irresponsibility that makes clear reform is necessary”.

The President went on to explain the reforms he was proposing in more de-tail:

“First, we should no longer allow banks to stray too far from their central mission of serving their customers. In recent years, too many fi nancial fi rms have put taxpayer money at risk by op-erating hedge funds and private equity funds and making riskier investments

to reap a quick reward. And these fi rms have taken these risks while benefi ting from special fi nancial privileges that are reserved only for banks.

President Obama: “Never Again Will the American Taxpayer be Held Hostage by a Bank that is ‘Too Big to Fail’”

see Too Big To Fail on page 15

President Barack Obama meets with Economic Recovery Advisory Board Chair Paul Volcker in the Oval Offi ce January 21, 2010. (Offi cial White House Photo by Pete Souza)


Don Thompson, Don Thompson, President & President & Chief Operating Offi cer, Chief Operating Offi cer, McDonald’s USAMcDonald’s USA

As President and Chief Operat-ing Offi cer, Don Thompson, sets the global strategy and directs

operations for the nearly 32,000 Mc-Donald’s restaurants in 117 countries. He leads the worldwide senior man-agement team as they drive business results to create value for McDonald’s and its shareholders.

Previously, Mr. Thompson was Presi-dent of McDonald’s USA, with the responsibility for strategic direction and overall business results of nearly 14,000 restaurants in the U.S.

Mr. Thompson began his career with the McDonald’s Corporation in 1990 as an electrical engineer. He has held a variety of key leadership positions within the company including Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Offi cer and Division President.

Prior to his role as President, Mr. Thompson helped lead the crucial reor-ganization of the US business which is

now in its fourth year of unprecedented positive sales growth.

Mr. Thompson’s career and success is founded in his passion for relation-ship building with McDonald’s Owner/Operators and Staff to grow the busi-ness, enhance brand stewardship and employee pride.

Mr. Thompson is also active through-out the business com-munity. Nationally, he sits on the Board of Di-rectors for Exelon Cor-poration. In Chicago, Mr. Thompson serves on Mayor Richard Da-ley’s Task Force on the Employment of People with Disabilities, and the board of the Good-man Theatre. Thomp-son is also a member of the Executive Lead-ership Council and mentors several indi-viduals on the impor-tance of being a leader in their community.

Mr. Thompson is passionate about pro-viding educational op-portunities for young people. He is on the board of the Johnnetta

B. Cole foundation and served as Chair of the 2007 Chicago Youth Centers Gala. He also served on the Salvation Army Steering Committee for the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Centers and is a former board member of the San Diego Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Mr. Thompson has also been rec-ognized by many organizations for his leadership in business, the community and as a role model. He received the 2008 Corporate Executive award from the Trumpet foundation and Black En-terprise magazine recently recognized

Mr. Thompson as Corporate Executive of the Year for 2007. He was also cele-brated by the Chicago American Diabe-tes Association as Father of the Year.

Mr. Thompson received his bach-elor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and has since accepted the Purdue University Out-standing Electrical and Computer Engi-neering Award along with being named a Purdue University Old Master Fellow in 2006. In July 2008 he received an honorary doctorate degree from Excel-sior College in Albany, New York.

A proud family man, Mr. Thompson and his wife Liz have two children and reside in the Chicago area.

ww.bbala.org•Contracting Information•Employment Opportunities•Links to Sponsor Websites•Event Announcements•Resources:• President’s Message• Financial Management• Meeting Management• International News• BBA Publications• Other Information


Too Big to Fail

Our government provides deposit insurance and other safeguards and guarantees to fi rms that operate banks. We do so because a stable and reliable banking system promotes sustained growth, and because we learned how dangerous the failure of that system can be during the Great Depression.

But these privileges were not created to bestow banks operating hedge funds or private equity funds with an unfair advantage. When banks benefi t from the safety net that taxpayers provide –- which includes lower-cost capital –- it is not appropriate for them to turn around and use that cheap money to trade for profi t. And that is especially true when this kind of trading often puts banks in direct confl ict with their customers’ in-terests.

The fact is, these kinds of trading op-erations can create enormous and cost-ly risks, endangering the entire bank if things go wrong. We simply cannot accept a system in which hedge funds or private equity fi rms inside banks can place huge, risky bets that are subsi-dized by taxpayers and that could pose a confl ict of interest. And we cannot accept a system in which shareholders make money on these operations if the bank wins but taxpayers foot the bill if the bank loses”.

Read the White House fact sheet on page 10 for detailed information and visit www.whitehouse.gov.

from page 11


Tuesday, Feb. 9th“For everyone interested in doing business with Metro”

Watch & Support the Africa Channel!Time Warner • Channel 176

Don’t have the Africa Channel in your area? Call Time Warner at: 1-888-892-2253 and ask that the Africa Channel be broadcast to ALL regions of Califor-nia.

For information on the Africa Channel visit www.theafricachannel.com or send an e-mail inquiry to [email protected].

ACTION ALERT!

Let Your U.S. Senators & RepresentativesKnow How You Want Them To VOTE!

Write, call or e-mail your federal representatives today! Give voice to your opinion. The citizens of this nation need a comprehensive health care plan.

Pass legislation that includes a Public Insurance Option and No Insurance

Industry Buyout.

Find congressional contact information at: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

The Africa Channel Launches in the Bay Area

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSK, CMCSA), the nation’s

leading provider of entertainment, information and communications services, has announced that it is launching three new diverse channels in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of its “World of More” programming rollout, and that it has completed its recent Bay Area digital upgrade of customers from analog to digital.

The new networks are The Africa Channel (Channel 297), art and cul-ture network Ovation TV (Channel 270) and English-language Latino network Sí TV (Channel 477). All three chan-nels, representing Comcast’s ongoing commitment to offer more choice and diverse programming to its customers, will be available on the Digital Classic service level across the San Francisco Bay Area to both residential homes and businesses.

“Comcast is excited to offer three unique networks, in The Africa Channel, Ovation TV and Sí TV, that will serve the diverse and sophisticated tastes of Bay Area residents,” said Elaine Barden, Vice President of Marketing for Com-cast in California. “These are just the latest of the more than 80 new channels we’ve delivered to Comcast customers with the completion of our digital migra-tion in the Bay Area and our ‘World of More’ programming initiative.”

“The Africa Channel is delighted to broaden our relationship with Comcast to bring this unique network to San Francisco’s Bay Area,” said Bob Reid EVP and General Manager of The Afri-ca Channel. “Our continued expansion across the country marks an important milestone for the network and we’re

excited to bring the culture, beauty and lifestyle of Africa to a growing audience of U.S. viewers. We think our broad and entertaining mix of programming will be especially popular among resi-dents of the Bay area.”

“The Bay Area is one of the most cul-turally rich regions of this country and Comcast subscribers will fi nd Ovation TV programming is very well-suited to their lifestyles,” said Ron Garfi eld, EVP, Ovation TV. “We are thrilled that Comcast chose to support the arts by adding television’s only arts and culture network to their lineup.”

“Bay Area residents will appreciate The Africa Channel’s rich and diverse slate of programming never before seen in the United States,” said As-sembly Member Sandré Swanson (D-Alameda County). “Comcast is to be commended for extending the reach of this network which provides an en-tertaining and enlightening window into modern-day Africa.”

The channel additions are made pos-sible by a digital migration called “The World of More” that Comcast began in 2009 and has just completed in the Bay Area. Under the initiative, Comcast offered digital upgrades to Standard Cable customers to migrate from ana-log to digital, and converted channels 31 and above to a digitally delivered format. Comcast’s digital upgrade re-claimed analog bandwidth to allow the company to provide more products and services to customers, such as faster Internet speeds, more channels and more ON DEMAND content. Comcast now offers more than 100 HD networks in the Bay Area, as well as dozens of international and multicultural language

channels For more information about Com-

cast’s programming, customers can call 1-800-COMCAST or visit http://www.comcast.com.

About Comcast CorporationComcast Corporation (Nasdaq:

CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and com-munication products and services. With 23.8 million cable customers, 15.7 mil-lion high-speed Internet customers, and 7.4 million Comcast Digital Voice cus-tomers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast’s content networks and in-vestments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Chan-nel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Com-cast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet busi-nesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a ma-jority ownership in Comcast-Specta-cor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose are-nas in Philadelphia.

Comcast’s California Region, based in Livermore, California, serves more than 2.4 million customers in Northern and Central California. Comcast em-


ploys more than 7,000 local residents across the region.

About The Africa ChannelThe Network’s premiere on Sep-

tember 1, 2005, marked a milestone in U.S. television history. For the fi rst time, American audiences were able to experience the daily successes, cel-ebrations and challenges of people liv-ing throughout Africa, all via a general entertainment network. The Network

is broadcasted in the United States through national distribution deals with the four largest cable MSOs in the country, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Charter, as well as other cable systems. It’s distributed in the United Kingdom by BSKYB. The Channel is also available in the Bahamas, Trinidad, Jamaica and Barbados, West Indies, Bermuda. The network was founded by longtime television industry execu-tives James Makawa, Jacob Arback and Richard Hammer. Partners include former United Nations Ambassador An-drew Young and his company, Good-works International; Weller/Grossman Productions; NBA stars Dikembe Mu-tombo and Theo Ratliff; Williams Group Holdings; and former U.S. Senator Donald Stewart. For more information, visit www.theafricachannel.com.

Contacts:Comcast: Bryan Byrd, 916-515-2821, [email protected] Africa Channel: Sunny Helali, 323-965-1990 x.311, [email protected].

The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. has offi cially received the building permit and can begin construction.

The letters to President Obama, Speaker of the House Pelosi and Secretary of the Interior Salazar sent by the King Memorial supporters truly made a difference.

All of this would not have been possible without YOU - our dedicated and committed supporters!

Everyone at the Foundation appreciates you so much for all of your dedication and the tremendous support you’ve displayed. We cannot thank you enough for supporting us.

We are extremely excited about all of the wonderful news. Now it’s “Countdown to Completion.”

Contribute to the completion of the King Memorial at www.mlkmemorial.org.

International Edition

Black Business News

To be added to theInternational Edition

mailing list or advertise in the publication send an e-mail

request to:[email protected]

View theInternational Edition at

www.bbala.org andwww.yudu.com

Search: Black-Business-News-International

2010 EventsMarch

•Salute to Black WomenApril

•Trade Mission to Washington, DC

June•Salute to Black Music

EntrepreneurshipAugust

•40th Year Anniversary DinnerNovember

•Utilities Procurement Exchange Summit & Awards

Luncheon• Call for information •

323-291-9334


2010-2020: A Decade of LearningStart a Program of Life Long Learning TodaySource: //bulletin.aarp.org January-February 2010

Now that you can learn just about anything online, have you struc-tured your Life Long Learning

plan. Whether you are an aspiring student

seeking the right path or some help preparing for a test; an experienced ca-reer person looking to advance on your job or to retain your job; a stressed out job seeker needing a bit more educa-tion to qualify for that desired position;

a home-based business operator ready to expand your skill-base; or simply ea-ger to learn more about any topic you are passionate about - there is a source of knowledge for you somewhere on the Internet and much of it is available at no charge - FREE.

Years ago the Internet started paving the way for learning online by schools and organizations that charged tuition for access to their courses. But E-learning is different. Though it doesn’t earn you credits, it does allow you to learn pretty much anything on your own schedule, without spending any money of class fees.

Tools and TipsYou may need to invest in your com-

puting and communication systems to take full advantage of the e-learning of-ferings.

High-speed Internet connection (ca-ble, DSL, fi ber-optic, etc.) is preferred. Dial-up service is generally too slow to effectively download some to the very large fi les.

Media Play-back software such as Quick-Time, Win-dows Me-dia Player, RealPlay-er or Ap-ple iTunes may be r e q u i r e d for some of the fi le f o r m a t s in which i n f o r m a -tion is packaged. T h e s e so f twa re packages are avail-able for download

at no charge in their basic formats. Most offer advanced features for a fee.

Portable media players will enable you to take your learning with you and free you from the desktop monitor. Review the current offerings of smart-

phones and Personal Digital Assis-tants (PDA) available now. They come equipped to handle audio and video fi les. Some even double as e-readers.

Books to supplement the courses may be found and ordered from many Internet stores including www.Amazon.com, www.AbeBooks.com, www.Academicsuperstore.com, www.All-bris.com or any of the major booksell-ers. Prices vary and used books are often available. Some of these sites also offer software and hardware for purchase at reasonable prices. Digital books are available at //LibriVox.com.

Seeking KnowledgeWell its time to put your search eng-

ing skills to work. Start your ‘seek’ by entering terms that relate to your in-terest area in the ‘Search bar’ of your Internet browser and click on the ‘Go’ button.

There will hopefully be a wealth of sites to search through to fi nd what you are looking for. If your search results in a display of more sites than you can or want to deal with, change your ‘Search Term’ just enough to reduce the number of sites that will be displayed - “palm” to “palm tree”.

Service sites managed by organiza-tions supporting the Life Long Learn-ing concept offer directories to learing sites. Using these directories will help

you locate the learning you are looking for - Open Culture (www.openculture.com) is one such directory. Other infor-mation service sites have their offer-ings available in searchable directories making it easy to fi nd a presentation on your topic of interest. iTunesU (www.apple.com/education/mobile-learning), an online university, offers 100,000+ educational video and audio fi les. You-TubeEDU (www.youtube.com/edu), the education channel for YouTube, offers content from a wide variety of universi-ties and other institutions. //videolec-tures.net offers lectures presented at conferences, seminars and workshops

see Life Long Learning on page 25


Congratulations to the President and First Family on the Completion of their First Full Year of Service to the People of the USAPhoto Legend:1) President Barack Obama receives the Nobel Prize medal and diploma during a ceremony in Raadhuset Main Hall at Oslo City Hall. 2) President and Ms. Obama attend Nobel Prize festivities.3) President Barack Obama signs an autograph dur-ing a working lunch with Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng in Shanghai, China, Nov. 16, 2009.4) President Barack Obama greets State Assembly Leader Karen Bass and other guests in the Grand Foyer of the White House during a holiday reception, Dec. 14, 2009.5) President Barack Obama in the Oval Offi ce on the fi rst day of his term.6) President & Ms. Obama honor fallen service people at Arlington Cemetary.7) President and Mrs. Obama with 2009 Kennedy Center honorees.8) President Barack Obama with the members of the President’s Cabinet. Visit BING to see a brief profi le on each member of the cabinet. www.bing.com/visualsearch?q=U.S.+politicians&g=politicians_in_offi ce&FORM=pgbar1#toc=2&v=2&tc=229) First Family Offi cial Portrait.10) President Obama speaks to the United Nations Assembly.11) Sidney Poitier, Actor, expresses appreciation

1

2

3

see page 23


4

1

5

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with 2009 Kennedy Center Honorees in the Blue Room of the White House. From left; First Lady Michelle Obama, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert DeNiro, Bruce Springsteen, and President Barack Obama. (Offi cial White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

6

7

8

9

11

12

10

13

1514

16upon receiving a Presidential Freedom Medal.12) First Family arrives in Accra, Ghana.13) President Obama welcomes NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, to the White House.14) President Obama delivers his fi rst State of the Union address.15) President Obama tours a pyramid tomb in Egypt.

16) President Jakaya Kikweti of the Repub-lic of Tanzania in discussion with President Obama at the White House.18) President Barack Obama looks at the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit presented to him by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz at the start of their bilateral meeting at the King’s Farm in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The medal is Saudi Arabia’s highest honor..

(Offi cial White House Photos)

17

Slaton Insurance Group Slaton Insurance Group offers solutions for individuals, business owners, entrepreneurs and small to mid-size companies. We work with businesses of all sizes, from trade contractors to general contractors, from project owners to restaurants. Some of our product offers are:

Commercial General Liability Commercial Automobile

Workers’ Compensation Property and Inventory

Health Insurance Employee Benefits

Surety Bonding Board of Directors Coverage our

Providing Low Cost Insurance For all your business and commercial needs, at extremely competitive rates

Slaton Insurance Group Steven D. Turner (818) 585-1374

16161 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 382, Encino, California 91436 • www.teamworksia.comCalif. # 0G012789

Sponsored by the National Black Business Council (NBBC)

Black Business Association (BBA) & California Black Chambers (CBC)

AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGAGEMENT COLLABORATION

Introducing the...

For more information call:

310.568.5000

The New Townhouse6835 La Tijera Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045

EVERY 2nd Thursday of Each Month

Join us for

TheArtofBidding.comBlackSuppliers.com

Presented by the National Black Business Council (NBBC)

Hosts of the new business resource websites:


Life Long Learning

held around the world. The Research Channel (www.researchchannel.com) is the outlet for video presenta-tions from a consortium of reseach and academic institutions.

Search for online learning options at your favorite (or desired) university website. Most universities have offered online education services for many years and have proven course offer-ings available for free and for a fee (you may earn college credits by taking the fee-based courses).

The Massachusetts Institue of Technology (MITOPENCOURSE-WARE - //ocw.mit.edu) has nearly 2,000 academic courses available on-line. Harvard University offers a site, //athome.harvard.edu/, with multime-dia-rich programs from science to the

arts. The University of California-Berkeley offers //webcast.berkeley.edu. This site offers access to courses, lectures, debates, symposiums and special events.

Some of the so-called “How To” sites offering instructional learning options for technology insights, business man-agement and lifestyle issues include: Hewlett-Packard’s Learning Center (//h30187.www3.hp.com), Wonder-HowTo (www.wonderhowto.com) and Howcast (www.howcast.com).

A few of the little known general in-formation sites are TEDTalks (www.ted.com), Nobel Prize Winners (//no-belprize.org) and Forum National Net-work (//forum-network.org).

Other general interest and lifestyle information may be found by search-ing sites like the Food Network (www.foodnetwork.com), Epicurious.com

(www.epicurious.com), National Pub-lic Radio (www.npr.org), Brigham Young University (www.byu.edu -

from page 19

for genealogy studies and research), www.History.com, and the BBC.

The study of languages, cultures and history is not limited to well-known uni-vesities and colleges. Many culture-spe-cifi c sites offer information and courses to their special interest groups. The As-sociation for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (www.ascac.org) provides links to sites offering informa-tion and courses exploring the 6,000+ year history of the African people. Seek this special interest knowledge by en-tering a topic of interest - Yoruba - in the Search bar.

Personal HealthHere are three noteworthy websites

offering information on personal and family health: WebMD’s (www.webmd.com) Videos A-Z library, which has thousands of videos, catalogued by topic; www.HealthCentral.com also offers a Video Library; and the Uni-

versity of Mary-land Medical Center’s Health Library (www.umm.edu) in-

cludes reference materials, a Health Calculator and an Audio/Video Library which offers interviews with UMMC ex-perts, patient success stories and sur-gical webcasts.

One Money Making Opportunity

The plethora of smartphones and PDAs now on the market has resulted in a bustling industry for the develop-ment of applications (Apps) to expand the usefulness of the handheld units. Stanford University (www.stanford.edu) offers a course in application de-velopment for the iPhone - Computer Science 193P. Online viewers see the same lectures as the classroom stu-dents taking the 10-week course. Op-portunities for Apps programmers with technology companies are increasing. However, an independent App devel-oper may earn income by creating and then marketing Apps directly to hand-held mobile unit users. If there is a fea-ture you want on your handheld device, take the course, write and test your App, then offer it to the public through the App catalog market of the target de-

vice. Good fortune may follow for those willing to take the challenge.

Uncle Sam Wants You - To Learn

Many of the agencies of the federal government offer online learning and information resources. Of interest to the busi-ness community will be the websites of the Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov), the Minority Business Devel-opment Administration (www.mbda.gov) and the U.S. Department of Ag-riculture (www.usda.gov). Visit these

sites (and other agency sites) to ac-cess business focused training from preparing a business plan to operating an import/export business.

Life Long Learning is also a theme of President Obama’s thrust to raise the achievement level of American citizens and reclaim the nation’s leadership po-sition in science and technology.

In support of his American Gradu-ation Initiative (www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Investing-in-Education-The-Amer-ican-Graduation-Initiative), the presi-dent presented a $50 million package to Congress that includes funds to develop new “open online courses” at community colleges around the nation. The proposal has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives but is stalled in the U.S. Senate.

This education package represents our stimulus dollars at work establish-ing a foundation for long-term achieve-ment of any American citizen seeking personal growth and expanded capa-bilities.

The Active Learning CultureTake an active part in all aspects of

the Life Long Learning Culture.Educate Yourself: Identify your ar-

see Life Long Learning on page 29


Caltrans Construction

MoneyCan

MEAN

Youfor

El Camino College offers the training and advising you need to enhance your ability to bid for and WIN state highway construction contracts.

Now is the time to get bid ready with assistance in the areas of procurement, personnel, cash flow, marketing and more!

Appointments with a business advisor are available at the SBDC at no charge to you. For more information, call the SBDC at 310.973.3177.

Be sure to attend the free Economic Stimulus event on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in the City of Compton to learn more about stimulus opportunities available from Caltrans and other state and federal agencies. Visit californiasbdc.org for details.

Small Business Development CenterHosted by El Camino College

13430 Hawthorne Blvd.Hawthorne, CA 90250

310.973.3177southbaysbdc.org

Sable Images, Inc. at 4343 Cren-shaw Blvd. has closed its doors, after twelve years as a pillar in

the Los Angeles community.However, Sable Images will continue

to be dedicated to collecting, preserv-ing, and exhibiting artifacts that provide African-American images during vari-ous periods of American history. Sable Images will continue to sell memora-bilia through community events and on the Sable Images Internet Store.

Visit www.sableimages.com for ad-ditional Sable Images services, a cal-endar of exhibits, and great discounts.

Upcoming Sable Images Exhibitions: •Black College Expo, Saturday 1/23/10, L.A. Convention Center, 9 am - 6 pm•San Diego Black Film Festival, Thurs-day - Sunday 1/28 - 31, Horton Plaza, 11am - 9pm •Pan African Film Festival, Friday - Monday, 2/12 - 15, Fox Hills Mall, 11am - 9pm•L.A. Association of Black Personnel, Tuesday and Wednesday, 2/23 - 24, Temple & Main Street, 10am - 2pm

Sable Images, Inc.African-American Memorabilia, Antiques & Collectibles

•Pending Confi rmation: Artists Show, Thursday - Monday, 2/18 - 22, Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Mall, 11am - 9pm

For information on Sable Images “ArtiFacts” Presentions and Traveling Museum Exhibits, contact:

Gail Deculus-Johnson323-296-8665

e-mail [email protected].

“Knowing Our PastShapes Our Future”“Reminiscence of the

Past can Inspire a Family’s Present and

Future”


eas of interest or need and seek out the sources offering the information you desire.

Support the Education of Others: Share the information provided here and the information you will garner as you search the Internet for learning sources. The young and the ‘seasoned’ among us need to know about Life Long Learning opportunities and how their lives may benefi t from taking ad-vantage of this world of knowledge.

If you posses knowledge and expe-rience that you could share, then use the e-learning information provided to fi nd out how to package and offer your insights to the world.

Support proposals like the American Graduation Initiative by letting your local and national government elected representatives know that you want af-fordable, high quality learning opportu-nities available to all Americans.

Many of the links to sites referred to in this article may be found in the AARP Bulletin at //bulletin.arrp.org in “How to Learn Just About Anything Online...For Free”.

Life Long Learningfrom page 25

Technology:

Take a Look!by LaSandra Stratton

Submitted by LaSandra Stratton BBA member, Chair of the BBA International Trade Committee.

Check out what these fi rms and organi-zations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.

www.amazon.comAmazon’s new e-reader, the Kindle DX, features a 9.7” screen, an e-ink screen that reads like real paper; displays in 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images, holds up to 3,500 books,

periodicals, and documents, and of-fers the ability to download books in over 100 countries via international 3G wireless tools. NEWS: Download software to access Kindle books on your PC.

www.boxbe.comBoxbe fi lters and prioritizes your e-mail to reduce e-mail overload. With an organized inbox, Boxbe makes it faster and easier to view, answer and send e-mail. Boxbe is free and integrates directly with Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Google Apps and AOL Mail. If you don’t use these, Boxbe offers a public forwarding address.

www.smallstep.govThis website offers tips, informa-tion videos, pamphets and games to help Americans improve their over-all health. Visit SmallStep Kids and/or SmallStep Adults for the info that is right for you and your family mem-bers. This website is operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Hu-man Services (www.hhs.gov).

The Health Care Reform Bill is

now in conference between the

U.S. House of Representatives

and the U.S. Senate.

Make Your Opinions

Known to Your Congressional

Representatives.


FactsBoth the federal estate tax and the

federal generation-skipping transfer tax (a separate tax on property given to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.) are repealed for 2010 (unless Congress enacts legislation to reinstate them, retroactive to January 1, 2010 or otherwise).

Both taxes are scheduled to return in 2011 at levels that applied prior to 2001; that means a $1 million exemp-tion and a top tax rate of 55% (in 2009, the exemption was $3.5 million and the top rate was 45%).

The federal gift tax remains in effect with a $1 million lifetime exemption, and the top tax rate is 35%.

The step-up in basis rule that allowed heirs to inherit property with a fair mar-ket value as of the date of death of the decedent has been modifi ed. For 2010, the basis for inherited property is the lesser of the decedent’s basis (carry-over basis) or its fair market value on the date of death. But, $1.3 million of estate property is afforded a step-up in basis, and up to $3 million of property passing to a surviving spouse receives a step-up as well.

What’s Next?It’s anyone’s guess what Congress

will do next. Some believe quick action will reinstate the taxes at 2009 levels (see above). Others believe Congress will proceed cautiously in an attempt to enact serious reform. In either case, any reinstated tax may or may not be made retroactive to January 1, 2010. Needless to say, planning under these circumstances is challenging, at best.

The FalloutIf your estate plan assumed that an

estate tax would be imposed in 2010,

Estate Tax Update: The Federal Estate Tax is Dead…at Least for Now.Presented by Percy E. Bolton, CFP®

it may no longer carry out your inten-tions; it may not provide adequately for your spouse, and it may not meet your overall tax objectives. Here are some steps you may want to take.

See your estate planning attorney about the possible need to revise your will, trust, and other estate planning doc-uments, especially if they include formu-la clauses. A formula clause expresses certain bequests in terms of fractions or percentages in order to eliminate or re-duce estate taxes. You may also need to see your estate planning attorney about these documents if you live in a state that imposes its own estate and/or inheritance tax, or if your documents

i n c l u d e multi-gen-erational planning.

O r g a -nize your r e c o r d s and get your par-e n t s /grandpar-ents to organize t h e i r s . The modi-fi ed carryover basis rules impose strict reporting requirements, including sup-porting documentation and penalties for noncompliance.

Percy E. Bolton Associates, Inc.Percy E. Bolton, CFP®1127 East Green Street

Pasadena CA 91106866-610-5559

[email protected]

You made it happen!Before the Voters FIRST Act, California lawmakers were charged with drawing their own legislative and Board of Equal-ization districts. But California voters changed all that when they authorized the creation of the Citizens Redistrict-ing Commission (Commission) in the November 2008 General Election.

Now YOU can apply to serve on an in-dependent Commission that will draw district boundaries for the state Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization.Please check out General Information and the Application and Selection Process at http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov for details on this historic and exciting opportunity for YOU to help draw the lines.

Check back frequently as new, updated information will continually be added. If you need a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the Commission selection process, please contact us, toll free, at 1-866-356-5217 or send a letter or e-mail specifying the accommodation you are requesting to votersfi [email protected] information is available in six other languages: Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.


Youdeserve every opportunity to succeed.

You are proud. You are committed. You are a leader. You are an ethnically diverse business owner, and you deserve a bankthat can help you fulfill your dreams. Union Bank of California’s Business Diversity Lending program recognizes this andoffers a variety of smart financing options and flexible, less restrictive lending requirements.Whether you need short-termfinancing to help run your day-to-day operations, or long-term financing for new equipment or building improvements,your dream of running a successful business is well within your reach.

This is not a commitment to lend. Financing subject to credit and any applicable collateral approval.Other restrictions may apply. Eligible borrowers must meet all criteria for the BusinessDiversity Lending program. Financing available to businesses located in California, Oregon orWashington.Terms and conditions subject to change.

welcome to youbankingSM

Invest in you®

©2008 Union Bank of California, N.A. Member FDIC

To see if you qualify, stop by your local branch,call 1-888-818-6060, or visit unionbank.com/diversebizloans

Crenshaw Branch: Karen Smith, Branch Manager, 3501W. Jefferson Boulevard, (323) 737-3483Ladera Heights Branch: Renee Givhan, Branch Manager, 6719 LaTijera Boulevard, (310) 342-1779

The Health Care Reform Bill is now in conference between the U.S. House of Representatives and the

U.S. Senate.Make Your Opinions

Known to Your Congressional

Representatives.

andComedy NightJoin the Fun!Share the Laughs!


What’s In It For Me?•Local, National &

International News

•Government & Corporate Contracting and Supplier Opportunity Information

•Links to Corporate Partner, Organization Affiliates

& Annual Event Sponsor Websites

•BBA Annual & Special Event Announcements

•Business Operation Education and Information

Where Do I Find It?•BBA website

www.bbala.org•Black Business News -

monthly publication

•Black Business News/International - quarterly

publication

•Black Business News - Internet Edition

How Do I Participate & Benefit?•Join the BBA at

www.bbala.org•Advertise in the BBA

publications

•Attend BBA Events Hosted to Benefit the African

American Community of Businesses

Rainbow PUSH LA Trade Bureau

We are excited to inform you about the reestablishment of the Rain-bow PUSH LA Trade Bureau with Mr. Mishael Israel as Executive Director of Rainbow Push/Citizenship Education Fund Los Angeles. Mr. Israel’s responsibilities at Rainbow Push LA relate directly to the implementation of economic, social, and education initiatives, as well as growing the offi ce to become a strong voice for our constituents and Trade Bureau Members. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Israel remains steadfast in spearheading supplier diversity, business education, and building solid relationships with trading partners.

Rainbow Push LA is implementing two important projects for our Trade Bureau Members and we need your updated contact information.

•An inaugural Trade Bureau meeting in mid-September•Connecting our Trade Bureau members with our Trading Partners for the purpose of doing business

Rainbow Push LA is committed to connecting our members to new opportunities that will not only bring us through the recession, but be-yond it. Our innovative ideas are expressed through powerful pro-grammatic pieces that are designed with everyone in mind.

Please use the information below to contact the Los Angeles offi ce to request a contact information form that may be completed then faxed or e-mailed to us. The information will reconnect us with you and will aid Mr. Israel in his upcoming meetings with corporate trading part-ners.

Regina Black, Offi ce ManagerRainbow PUSH/CEF Los Angeles

New Address: 1313 W. 8th Street, Suite 232Los Angeles, CA 90017

Offi ce Number: 213.483.3500 Fax Number: 213.483.3577Email: [email protected] Website: www.rainbowpushla.org




OERP


What business owner doesn’t want to see his or her web-site at the top of Google? We

know that if we make it to the top, we can exponentially increase traffi c and inquiries from prospective clients. In fact, many businesses that are lucky or skilled enough to be at the top of Google can barely handle all the business that Google is sending them.

So, the question is, how do you get there? How do you climb all the way to the top?

There is so much informa-tion about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) out there that it’s hard to focus and not feel overwhelmed. The goal of this article is to demystify SEO for you. I want to make the core of SEO crystal clear for you in easy-to-understand terms, so you’re no longer confused about SEO and you have a roadmap forward. Part 1: Keyword Research

The fi rst part of SEO involves choos-ing the right keywords for your cam-paign. If you choose the right keywords, the ones that your target audience is using when they search on Google, you are creating a strong, solid and sustainable foundation for your SEO campaign.

If you choose the wrong keywords, you’ll spend the next months wasting your time and money. So make sure you get this step right. Characteristics of good keywords include:

•Relevant to your offer •High search volume •Action-oriented (as opposed to research-oriented). A keyword like “computers” is most likely to get a lot of visits from people doing research. A keyword like “Dell X105 prices” is a lot more likely to bring you people

ready to buy. Part 2: On-Site Optimization

The second part of SEO involves optimizing your own site with the inclu-sion of the keywords you have decided to target. The following are some of the places on your website where you

should put your keywords:•Page titles •Meta tags (not very important any-more, but it doesn’t take a long time and you will get a small gain) •H tags (H1, H2, etc.) •Your URLs •The body copy You also need to make sure your site

is built right. Among other things, this means:

•Avoid frames •Use DIVs instead of tables for layout •Avoid 100% Flash sites •Don’t put your text in images •Make sure you structure your pages and folders right •Make sure search engines can fol-low your links (avoid Flash links and JavaScript links if possible) •Use keyword-rich anchor text for your links

Part 3: Content CreationOnce you’ve optimized all the content

on your site, it’s time to create new, ro-bust, compelling content. Create amaz-ing content so people tell their friends about it and their friends correspond-ingly link to your articles. The search

engines feed on content and reward high quality links, so create as much relevant content as you can and make sure it’s of great quality.

And, don’t forget to include your keywords here and there whenever it makes sense.Part 4: Link Building

The most important factor that deter-mines which websites rank at the top of Google is inbound links (from outside of your own website). Make sure that:

•You get a lot of links from external sites (Easy, low-hanging fruit would be to get links from your business partners.) •Those links contain your keywords in the anchor text •You get as many links as possible from high-authority sites (you can check the PageRank of a site or its Compete.com ranking to make sure they are high-authority sites) •You get as many links as possible from sites related to yours •You get as many links as possible from blogs covering topics in which your target audience is interested •(You link to your own pages from within your website using your key-words, too)

ConclusionI hope you now have a much better

idea of what SEO is and what it involves. I also hope you realize this is just SEO 101, and that there’s a lot more to SEO than this. I actually collaborated with StartupNation in creating the Google Rocketship eBook Series (3 eBooks in total), and encourage you to read the entire series to learn much, much fur-ther about how to get top rankings on the search engines.

Have fun optimizing your site, and I’ll see you at the top of Google!

Source: www.startupnation.com

The ABC’s of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)by Zeke Camusio for startupnation


Announcing the Sti mulus Opportuniti esfor Small Business Program

Including new opportuniti es for minority, women, veteran and disabled veteran owned small businesses

Ever wonder: How can I access sti mulus dollars? or How can my small business work with the state and federal government to parti cipate in “shovel ready” projects? You are invited to the Sti mulus Opportuniti es for Small Business events that will help you get answers to these questi ons and assist you in fi nding out how sti mulus projects can help you be bett er positi oned to survive and grow through the current economic downturn.

When: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Thursday, February 4, 2010 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. sign in begins at 8:15 a.m. sign in begins at 8:15 a.m.

Where: Crystal Hotel Riverside Conventi on Center 123 East Artesia Boulevard 3443 Orange Strett Compton, CA Riverside, CA

What: Hosted and presented by the California SBDC’s and L.A.-based nonprofi t Business Matchmaking, the Sti mulus Opportuniti es for Small Business program is a free half-day session designed to give small businesses a leg up in procuring government and corporate contracts. The program will feature panelists who can off er parti cipants an up-to-date, insider’s perspecti ve on what the buyers are looking for, if their business fi ts the government and corporate contracti ng standards, and how businesses can positi on themselves to have greater accessibility to sti mulus dol-lars. Cost: FREE event including conti nental breakfast, pre-registrati on is requiredWho should att end: Start-up entrepreneurs and growing small enterprises that either do not have or would like to grow relati onships with government and corporate buyersHow to sign up: Register online at htt p://californiasbdc.org/sti mulus or call (707) 826-3919 for more informati on.

Sti mulus Opportuniti es for Small Business has been made possible by underwriti ng from sponsors HP, American Express OPEN and American Airlines. Business Matchmaking specializes in small business procurement with a track record of facilitati ng more than 70,000 face to face buyer-seller meeti ngs throughout the country. California Small Business Development Centers provide free business consulti ng and low-cost training for thousands of California small businesses annually. Go to www.businessmatch-making.com or www.californiasbdc.org for more informati on.


International:

We Smooth Out Volatility: An Interview with the Honorable Caleb Fundanga, Governor, Bank of Zambiaby Stephen Williams for African Banker

The Bank of Zambia is responsi-ble for executing monetary policy and also has a regulatory and su-

pervisory role overseeing the country’s commercial banking sector. Zambia’s banking sector has expanded rapidly of late with the entry of a number of new players including Ecobank, Access Bank and UBA from West Africa as well as South Africa’s First National Bank, bringing the total number of institutions

operating in the country to 17. Another new addition is the UK’s AIM-listed In-vestrust Bank scheduled to open half a dozen branches in the country.

According to governor Caleb Fundan-

ga, this renewed interest in Zambia’s fi -nancial sector is due to the favourable economic environment that has been created in the last few years. Since the 2004 launch of the country’s Financial Sector Development Plan, specifi cally tasked to address weaknesses in the Zambian fi nancial sector and, in par-ticular, to improve access to fi nancial services and products in a country where probably two out of three adult

citizens are unbanked, the banking sector has fl ourished.

For its part, the Bank of Zambia has adhered to a tight monetary pol-icy in order to control infl ation and facilitate a broadening of private sector credit. That has

allowed foreign direct investment and the economy to post strong growth. Arguably, this did more than anything to help Zambia weather the worldwide economic downturn reasonably well,

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Acts to Spur Aid, Relief for Haiti

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) has announced that she is introducing legislation

to cancel Haiti’s debt to multilat-eral fi nancial institutions such as the World Bank and the In-ternat ional M o n e t a r y Fund (IMF), which now stands at

$664 million. During a press conference with the

Congressional Black Caucus, Con-gresswoman Waters said, “I am intro-ducing legislation to require the United

see Haiti Relief on page 55

even though its impact was profound.According to the Bank of Zambia,

capital fl ows suddenly dried up fol-lowing the global collapse in October 2008, with FDI falling from $1.32bn in 2007 to $939m in 2008, and portfolio investment recording a $6m outfl ow in 2008 compared to an infl ow of $42m in 2007.

While both these trends appeared to reverse during the course of 2009, Fun-danga is under no illusion that, despite a more positive global outlook towards the end of last year, the effects of the crisis may not have completely worked themselves through the economy.

Yet the IMF has, in general, approved of the strategies Zambia employed in response to the economic downturn. It stated: “Zambia’s fi scal policy has struck the right balance between high-priority infrastructure spending to pro-mote medium-term economic growth

see Bank of Zambia on page 59


“A FEW NOTES ON AFRICA”

Senegal Offers Land to Haitians

President Abdoulaye Wade said Haitians were sons and daughters of Africa since Haiti was founded by slaves, including some thought to be from Senegal. “The president is offering voluntary repatriation to any Haitian that wants to return to their origin,” said Mr Wade’s spokesman, Mamadou Bemba Ndiaye.

The recent earthquake killed tens of thousands and left many more homeless. Buildings have been reduced to rubble, the distribution of aid is slow, and people have been fl ooding out of the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince.

“Senegal is ready to offer them parcels of land - even an entire region. It all depends on how many Haitians come,” Mr Bemba Ndiaye said. “If it’s just a few individuals, then we will likely offer them housing or small pieces of land. If they come en masse we are ready to give them a region.” The spokesman emphasised that if a region was given, it would be in a fertile part of the country rather than in its parched deserts, the Associated Press news agency reported.

African American Owned Firm Markets South Africa Trade

ShowsGathers Strategies, Inc. (www.

gathersstrategies.com) is the US representative for EMS, a trade show management company based in South Africa. Gathers Strategies will handle all of the arrangements for US-based fi rms ready to exhibit in or attend the upcoming SAITEX and Africa’s Big Seven trade shows. These truly international marketing events provide the exhibitor and the attendee access to trade-ready businesses from all

over the world and across the continent of Africa.

With both shows scheduled for the same dates and the same venue, opportunities for business creation increase exponentially. Learn more about these trade shows and others at www.exhibitionsafrica.com then contact Gathers Strategies to book your exhibit stand and make your travel arrangements.

SAITEX 2010The 17th Southern African International Trade Exhibition

July 25-27Africa’s Big Seven 2010Presenting the A–Z of Africa’sFood Industry25 – 27 July 2010

SEE YOU ON THE CONTINENT.

Dual Citizenship For Tanzanians and Othersby Mkinga Mkinga

The law to allow Tanzanians to hold dual citizenship should fi nal-ly be enacted by the end of the

year, Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Minister Bernard Membe has announced.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam at an In-ternational Organisation for Migration (IOM) meeting, Mr. Membe said re-search conducted on the proposal had established that the new law would not harm the country.

“The government is regretting locking out Tanzanians overseas during the 49 years of our Independence, while some African countries have been granting dual citizenship to their people,” Mr. Membe said.

Tanzanians living abroad will receive the news with jubilation, as they have for many years campaigned for the in-troduction of such a law to enable them to belong to both their host countries and their motherland.

Many have complained that lack of such a law disadvantages them, as it denies them opportunities they could access if they were citizens of the countries where they work.

Mr. Membe explained that the issue had taken many years to conclude be-cause the ministry did not wish to “rush such a sensitive issue”. He added: “We decided to conduct a thorough research

before introducing this law, which deals with the basic rights of a person.”

The research had enabled the gov-ernment to establish that dual citizen-ship “is not bad, as some people were trying to depict it”.

The minister went on: “On the con-trary, there will more benefi ts for the

country and the individuals, if we are to adopt the law to enable our fellow Tanzanians living abroad to market our country as well.”

During the research, it had been found that Tanzanian experts work-ing abroad had been contributing im-

see Dual Citizenship 41

“Tanzanians will no longer have to renounce their citi-zenship, and the same will apply to foreigners wishing to take up Tanzanian citi-

zenship, if their countries of origin allow that.”


SupportBlack

BusinessesHire and/or

Contract WithBlack

BusinessesPractice

Recycling Black Dollars

L.A. Business PrintingProviding Solutions

Printing needs for all your

Services we offer

L.A. Business Printing is a full service printing facility that will meet your every need. We have prompt courteous, dependable service and will work to make your project the way you want it. We will provide the quality and Guarantee the Lowest Prices

fax 310.649.5855

www.labusprint@ aol.com

L.A. Business PrintingSince 1987

• WINNER •

Service Firm Of The Year

Los Angeles

What is“Pass It On!”

???

In a few weeks Africare will launch an exciting new campaign to con-nect you to people overcoming ma-

jor challenges impacting the African continent-- issues like unsafe drinking water, food insecurity, and the growing

number of children orphaned by AIDS.Our new “Pass It On!” campaign

will carry these messages around the world through a series of powerful testi-monies and unique stories told directly by the individuals who see, work with, or benefi t from Africare’s assistance on the ground. The stories come from more than 20 African nations, covering a variety of key issues. They all carry positive messages of growth and em-powerment on the African continent!

Beginning September 1st, Africare will introduce you to a new story— once

a month for 16 months— from a child, grandmother or Africare staff member who will “have something to tell you” about the important work Africare is implementing on the ground. Each will be packaged in a format that is ready to “pass on” to a friend or someone you know through video, social network, and even your phone! And if you live in Washington, DC, you’ll see our stories on buses and in Metro stations across the city.

Sign-up to receive the messages and support the “Pass It On!” campaign us-ing this special link - www.africare.org/news/enews_signup.php.

Learn more about Africare’s current projects, long history and esteemed leaders at their website - www.africare.org.


Dual Citizenship

mensely to their host countries. There-fore, he said, the enacting of the law would enable them to also assist their motherland without any hitch.

Mr. Membe said the ministry had al-ready started to move to tap the great economic potential of the Tanzanians overseas.

After receiving the report, the min-istry established a special department to deal with the affairs of those in the Diaspora.

“Everything regarding how to deal with the Tanzanians living abroad is almost ready. We need to fully utilise their skills and wealth to push forward our development agenda,” he said.

The Dual Citizenship Act, the minis-ter added, would give those abroad the right to adopt the citizenship of their host countries while maintaining their Tanzanian nationality.

Under the current law, a Tanzanian who adopts the citizenship of another country is automatically stripped of his nationality.

Minister Membe said they had direct-ed all the country’s embassies and high commissions overseas to register all Tanzanians to enable the government to have full information and data on the nationals living abroad.

Speaking to reporters at the meet-ing, which brought together experts from various ministries, embassies and some Tanzanian experts working in the UK, Mr. Daniel Mwasandube, a quantity surveyor based in Britain, said many Tanzanians had opted to leave the country in search of better lives.

He said most of them “are very patri-otic but lack of supportive laws”, such as the one granting dual citizenship, has blocked them from serving their country better.

“Many Tanzanians cannot land high paying jobs abroad, though they have the qualifi cations, simply because em-ployers look for people who hold the passports of those countries,” he said.

I n p r e p a -r a t i o n for the i n t r o -duction of dual citizen-s h i p , the Law Reform C o m -mission w a s t a s k e d to con-duct a national s t u d y a n d g a t h e r t h e public’s views.

In 2006, the commission recom-mended amendments to the rel-evant laws so that Tanzanians can also enjoy dual citizenship.

According to the ‘Final Report on the Introduction of Dual Citizen-ship in Tanzania’, the commission chaired by Judge Anthony Bahati, said the issue deserved “a positive and forwarding-looking consider-ation”.

The commissioners said it was high time Tanzania adopted dual citizen-ship because in a globalised world, the country could not develop without inter-action with other nations.

Dual citizenship, according to the commission, was desirable as it con-ferred benefi ts both to the country and nationals desiring to hold the citizen-ships of other countries.

“A person with dual citizenship has greater fl exibility in his choice of where

from page 39

to live and/or work,” reads part of the report.

But the members of the commission also recommended that national iden-tity cards be issued fi rst before adopt-ing the system.

Once it becomes law, Tanzanians will no longer have to renounce their citi-zenship, and the same will apply to for-eigners wishing to take up Tanzanian citizenship, if their countries of origin allow that.




OERP


President Kikwete

SPECIALTY CAKES AND CATERING820 N. La Brea Ave., #D • Inglewood, CA 90302

(310) 677-9979gwensspecialtycakes.com

“You’ll Love That Homemade Taste”• Cakes & Catering for All Occasions •

Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m - 6 p.mSunday and Monday by Appointment

Listen toKDEE 97.7FMTh e California Black

Chamber Foundation’s Radio Station

LIVEon Your Computer

www.kdeefm.org




OERP

Skimming Scams: How to Prevent Crooks from Stealing your Money at the ATMRon Dicker for www.walletpop.com What’s In It For Me?

•Local, National & International News








monthly publication


publication




publications



Thieves don’t need sticky fi ngers anymore to take your hard-earned cash. They’re getting your ATM to spit it out for them. And they’re doing it a rate that might make hiding your loot under the mattress is the smartest move you can make.

ATM skimming, in which crooks gain access to the PIN encoded on the mag-netic stripe of your debit or credit card and withdraw at will, is going to be one of the top forms of fraud this year, ac-cording to a BankInfoSecurity report published in Consumer Reports.

It was last year, too. Remember that RBS WorldPay debacle in which hack-ers made off with $9 million by with-drawing from ATMs worldwide at the same time? And, according to BankIn-foSecurity’s report, offi cials in Maryland, Illinois and Georgia are investigating skimming schemes that have netted at least $120,000 from consumer’s ac-counts.

Robert Siciliano, the security con-sultant to Intelius.com and a frequent TV guest expert, offers up some tips on keeping your money yours when you withdraw it from a machine. The number one rule, he says, is don’t feel safe.

“Recognize that this is a major prob-lem that will keep getting worse before it gets better,” says Siciliano.

The following should be practiced at all times when you approach an ATM. Your savings depend on it.

Scan the machine to look for any • devices on the face of it where you slide your card through. If anything looks out of place, says Siciliano, “grab it, pull on it, see if you can pull the face of the card slot off. If it’s protruding, chances are it’s an ATM skimmer.” Look for small wireless cameras that • are hidden. “If there’s a brochure holder protruding from the face

of the ATM m a c h i n e , see if there’s a camera in there. It could be re-cording your keystrokes.” Watch out • for a side view mirror that looks out of place. Mirrors are required by law so you can spot if s o m e o n e is peeking over your shoulder, but an extra mirror can re-refl ect your key strokes into the eyes of a thief. Be mindful of disguised gizmos, • such as an apparent stereo speak-er that actually serves as a camera or mirror for the crooks. Like a poker player protecting his • hand, cover your PIN and type with your free hand to prevent spying. “Ninety-fi ve percent of the time you’re going to be in good shape,” says Siciliano.

He also recommends checking your statements online at least once every few weeks (more often is better) to en-sure that you’re not stuck with the debt. Many credit card companies put you on the hook if fraud is not reported after 60 days. Some banks charge you debit card withdrawals after just a week of being undisputed, he said.

Withdrawing from ATMs at conve-nience stores and other unregulated places also poses more risk, he said, because the owners and others have access to pin codes and can sell them or take out the cash themselves.


Books to Consider...As our nation and our communitites begin to rise up out of the economic recession, it may be an opportune time to look back at some of the basics for achieving lasting business success. Here are some books to consider. The Baron Son: Vade Mecum 7 by William R. Patterson, Vicky Therese Davis, & D. Marques Patton.

The Baron Son was written as the ethical road map to wealth, power, and success. It is the story of a young boy who loses everything and through struggle fi nds the secret to become the richest, most powerful person

the world has ever known. The reader learns alongside three scholars as the Baron recounts his story of detriment and triumph while conveying “Supreme Principles” that will guide one and all in their journey to success. Each chap-ter of the book details how some of the most prominent individuals are able to ethically establish and maintain

their positions. It is an important work because it puts the main character in the position of many readers who are forced to fi nd a way to change the condition of their lives when they have absolutely nothing – no money, no re-sources, and no idea of where to start. It answers the fundamental question of how money and human nature really work.

Give the Gifts of Knowledge, Inspiration, Entertainment.

Shop theBlack Book Stores!

Malik’s Books OnlineMalik’s Books has closed operations in the Baldwin Hills Mall.

Malik’s is now operating as an online bookstore. Malik’s is now available to serve our customer’s needs 24/7 via the world wide web with bigger deals and a larger selection. We will remain as active in the South Los Angeles community as we have always been.

Please visit us at www.Malikbooks.com and/or www.autographbooks.com. For other information give us a call at 818-564-5694.

If you want to coorespond with us, send letters to Malik’s Books, 3939 Cren-shaw Boulevard, #324, Los Angeles, CA 90008.

Thank You again for all your support and patronage over the years and visit us on the Web.

Malik’s Bookswww.Malikbooks.com • www.autogrpahbooks.com

[email protected] • 818-564-5694

Eso Won Books African American Books

4331 Degnan Ave., Leimert Park, Los Angeles

“Give Books as Gifts to Friends & Family”Check out our unsurpassed collection of

books, music, video, children’s books, and games!

Black History MonthGive Gifts of History, Knowledge,

Pride, Heritage, Culture, Economics

323-294-0324 • www.esowonbooks.com//esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events

William R. Patterson


The Second Shoe Is About to Drop on the BanksBy Jeff Clark

“I live in luxury and I haven’t made a mortgage payment in almost two years,” Don bragged. He sipped his char-donnay, leaned against the country club’s bar, and shared with me the story of his real estate prowess...

“I paid $3.4 million for the house in 2006, and it was worth every penny at the time. It’s 6,700 square feet with a pool and a one- acre lot. I’m on the hill overlooking the fourth fairway, and I can see all the way to [the next city] from my bedroom window,” Don continued.

“Wachovia Bank loaned me $3 million, and the developer took a second for $400,000. I don’t have any skin in the game – so to speak. I made my mortgage payments for a while, but when prices started to fall, it just didn’t make sense anymore. I mean, why should I pay anything when I’m the only one with nothing to lose?”

“But,” I asked, “hasn’t the bank tried to foreclose or force a sale of the house out from under you?” “Ha!” He crowed, and his tone emphasized the naiveté of my question. “Why would they do that? The house is

worth less than $2 million right now. So if the bank forecloses, it’ll have to recognize a $1 million loss. And if it writes my loan down by that much, how many other loans do you suppose it’ll have to write down? It can’t force a short sale [where the bank sells the house for less than the loan amount] on me either because it’ll have to take care of the second note holder by off ering him something just to get out of the way. So Wachovia is screwed. It’s cheaper for them to let me keep living there for free. And the best thing is, I can more than aff ord to pay off the entire loan right now.” Don let out a sinister kind of chuckle, like a man who just squashed a bug and got some warped sense of delight from doing it.

“Wow,” I responded. “There used to be a time when being a deadbeat was frowned upon. But you seem to wear it as a badge of honor.”

“Listen,” Don turned aggressively and pointed his index finger at me. “You think I’m the only one doing this? You think I’m the only one taking advantage of the situation? I’ll bet half the people in this room are doing the exact same thing.” He waved his arm across the bar. “And the other half are thinking about doing it.”

“Besides,” Don continued, “banks have been screwing people like us for so long it’s about time they got a taste of their own medicine.”

His words hit me like a Louisville Slugger across the forehead. We no longer live in a time where men are bound by honor to repay their debts. As sad as it is, people feel justi-

fied welching on their agreements. And the banks have played a big role in this transition. They charged 29% interest on credit cards while pay-

ing 0% interest on savings. They knowingly lent money to people who could not aff ord to pay it back. They used taxpayer-funded bailouts to pay million-dollar bonuses to their corporate elite. And they shipped all of their service-center jobs overseas.

Let’s face it: The banks most of us do business with today aren’t like the Building and Loan George Bailey oper-ated in It’s a Wonderful Life. Our banks are faceless, nameless, brown bag institutions whose only concern for the customer is to make sure he pays the $10 monthly account service fee.

It is that business practice that has fostered the resentment of people like Don and made him feel justified breaking his agreement. Like it or not, agree with it or not, Don’s opinion is gaining popularity.

And as that sentiment grows, it is likely to provide the weight that pulls the second shoe down onto the indus-try.

Best regards, Jeff Clark

Provided by: Jamaal Wilkes, Jamaal Wilkes Financial Advisors

www.paff.org 51 January 2010 Black Business News www.bbala.org

REGISTER TODAY!

Economic Development Credit AnalysisMarch 3rd-5th 2010Downtown Los AngelesThis hands-on course presents an overview of business fi nancing tools and available private fi nancing op-tions, as well as how the public sec-tor can complement bank fi nancing. Learn how to read fi nancial reports, fi nancial statements, balance sheets and profi t and loss statements. Course participants will perform cred-it analysis by determining how well a company buys and sells to make a profi t. Also, they will learn how to de-termine if the company pays its sup-pliers on time, collects its receivables, and controls costs to make a profi t. Enroll now to understand the basics of structuring deals for small businesses that often combine public and private sector fi nancing programs.

Course Highlights: Business credit analysis; Balancing the sheet; Profi t & loss statement; Small business lending programs; Structuring loans; Overview of real estate fi nancing Training Locations/Accommodations:The Westin Bonaventure, 404 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071 • Phone: (213) 624-1000

IEDC room rate: $99 single/double - Cut-off date: Sunday, January 31, 2010 Please reference the International Economic Development Council to obtain the discounted group rate. The group rate is available until Sunday, January 31, 2010 or until the room block is full. After the cutoff date, registration rates will be subject to availability and prevail-ing rates.

Registration: Early bird registration (by Jan 20th); IEDC Member Rate: $525; Non-IEDC Member Rate: $625This course is being held in partnership with the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), International Eco-nomic Development Council (IEDC), and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC)

Do You Need Tools to Help Your Business Survive in this Down Economy?Rebounding from this really bad economy is essential.

Please join us to get some business survival skills to make bouncingback easier. This workshop will provide im-mediately implementable tips that can improve how you do business as well as a frame work for a more strategic approach to stabilizing and growing your business.

What: Business Survival Skills in a Bad Economy WorkshopWhen: Wednesday, January 20th, 6-8pmWhere: Los Angeles Public Library 630 W. 5th Meeting Room ARSVP: Contact Peggy at (213) 488-3599 or email at [email protected]: FREE!Parking available at 524 South Flower Street garage for $1 on Saturdays. WITH library card & library validation.

Open Supplier Certi fi cati on

ProcessThe Verizon Communications Corporation is seeking to identify a greater share of African American-owned and operated businesses to match to potential operating contracts. The data base that Verizon procurement management personnel are instructed to review is the California Public Utilities Commission Clearinghouse.

BBA members wanting to expand market opportunities with a telecommunication company should consider completing a supplier certifi cation application. To obtain an application go to the Internet web address www.cpuc.gov and visit the supplier diversity page for an online application.

The BBA encourages all members to participate in this process that works to create greater opportunities for all African-American owned and operated fi rms. Last year the California Verizon Company reported an annual spend with African American owned suppliers in excess of $40 million.

VVERACITY REALTY, INC.

“Dedicated to Truthfulness”

Let us see what we can do for you in both Commercial & Residential fi nance!

Jonathan Thompson, Commercial Broker Phone: 800-455-2142 Cell: 323-309-2885

Rhonda Thompson, Residential Loan Offi cer Phone 800-455-2142 Cell: 323-387-9439

CA Dept. of Real Estate, Real Estate Broker: 01781216*APR: Includes appraisal, title insurance, escrow, points & other loan cost is 6.487%

Four Season’s ProductionMulti-Cultural Multi-Purpose

Multi-Functional Multi-FacetedManufacturing, Productivity, Growth & Expansion

Economical Globalization Empowerment

“We’re Fired Up and Ready to Go”

Entrepreneurial Business DevelopmentDiversifi ed Subdivision Product-Mix

&Creating Jobs Across AmericaCity by City State by State

National and International Trade Exchange

“Yes We Can”“Something New and Excitingly Different on the Horizon”

Commercial Residential

Genell Brown, Artist DesignerOur Community Source Contact: Keasha L. Charles

888-988-8551 Phone & Fax


States Secretary of the Treasury to use the voice, vote, and infl uence of the United States within the multilat-eral fi nancial institutions to cancel all of Haiti’s remaining debts, and I hope all of my colleagues will support it. Canceling Haiti’s debts will free up the country’s meager resources, allowing it to begin meeting its immediate and long-term needs.” The Congresswom-an is also circulating a letter among her colleagues seeking support for further debt relief for Haiti.

Congresswoman Waters has been a longtime advocate for the fair treatment

of the Haitian people. Just last year, she secured $1.2 billion in debt relief for Haiti from these very multilateral institutions. Congresswoman Waters said, “We were able to accomplish debt relief for Haiti last year, believing it to be an important step forward so the coun-try could focus on investing in health care, education, and infrastructure vi-tally important to the Haitian people. However, we now know that not only will all of Haiti’s resources be needed to deal with this disaster; the international community will also need to continue to make urgent and sustained donations to the country.”

Congresswoman Waters recently

Haiti Relieffrom page 38

partnered with The Coalition in Solidar-ity with Haiti in Los Angeles to rally the local Haitian community and share in-formation about the U.S. government’s response to the disaster and how to help.

She also voted yesterday to help earthquake victims in Haiti by offering an immediate tax benefi t to Americans who make charitable contributions to aid the region. This bipartisan legisla-tion, passed unanimously by the House of Representatives, will allow individu-als to claim any donations to the relief effort as an itemized deduction on their 2009 tax return, instead of waiting to claim it on their 2010 return.

“I have been moved and inspired by the outpouring of support from America

for the Haitian people,” said Congress-woman Waters. “This bill acknowl-edges the many Americans who have donated millions of dollars to charitable organizations, including through wildly successful texting campaigns. I believe that this important change to the 2009 fi ling laws will inspire more Americans to donate to Haiti during its critical time of need, and I encourage them to do so.”

The House is also expected to pass H. Res. 1021, a resolution expressing condolences to, and solidarity with, the people of Haiti. Congresswoman Waters is an original co-sponsor of the resolution.

What’s In It For Me?•Local, National &

International News








monthly publication


publication




publications




Shop, Eat, Relax in Little Ethiopia Experience Africa in America

Culture, Retail,Entertainment

Fairfax Boulevardbetween Pico & Olympic

Los Angeles

Leimert ParkVillage

An African American Cultural, Retail,

Foods & Entertainment Cen-ter.

Degnan Boulevardbetween

Crenshaw & Leimert Blvds.43rd Street-43rd Place, Los Angeles

Lucy FlorenceCulture Center

3351 W. 43rd St. Leimert Park Village

Los Angeles, CA 90008

Shop our boutiquesEnjoy our CuisineExquisite Venue for your Special

Event……

Tinashe @ the Boardroominside Lucy Florence

We are open daily! 1-6pmTote & Satchel HANDBAGS,

beautifully restored, one-of-a-kind vintage HANDBAGS,

the hottest DESIGNER SHOES,Cuff links, sterling silver jewelry,

and Italian handmade Murano glass JEWELRY.




OERP


Equal Housing Lender. © 2008 Countrywide Bank, FSB. Member FDIC. Trade/service marks are the property of Countrywide Financial Corporation, Countrywide Bank, FSB, or their respective affiliates and/or subsidiaries.

If you’re a Countrywide mortgage customer having a difficult time making your house payments, call one of our specially trained Home Retention Specialists. Countrywide wants to help you to keep your home. The sooner we can talk, the sooner we can try to help.

Call Countrywide Mortgage Help: 1-888-200-5872 Reference number: 222

If you’re having trouble making your house payment, you’re not alone.

Call us. We may be able to help.

5 AM – 9 PM PT, Monday – Thursday5 AM – 7 PM PT, Friday

FAME ASSISTANCE CORPORATION

FREE CREDIT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPSHELD EACH MONTH AT

1968 W. ADAMS BLVD., LOS ANGELES

CALL FOR INFORMATION OR RSVP 323-730-7720

SPONSORED BYDo Business with BBA Member



OERP


Bank of Zambia critical work of consolidating fi scal posi-tions and improving the governance ar-rangements and fi nancial management of public resources is sustained.”

When asked whether this consoli-dation of the fi scal position meant a continuation of infl ation targeting, Fun-danga quickly corrected the supposi-tion that his policies involved infl ation targeting, in the classical sense, in the fi rst place.

“Our monetary policies have, in fact, been to target aggregates such as the growth in the money supply, using our reserves,” he explained. “At the begin-ning of each year, the Minister of Fi-nance indicates what he thinks is the desired level of annual infl ation. During the course of the year we work out a programme, which ensures that the

growth of the money supply is con-sistent with that desired rate of infl a-tion. This, of course, is also based on the projected rate of growth of various sectors of the economy and the like. Now, obviously, that is another way of targeting the growth of infl ation but it is not ‘infl ation targeting’ in the classical sense. It’s a bit different.”

Tweaking the policyHowever, the governor was able to

confi rm to African Banker that there would be a shift in the Bank of Zam-bia’s policy, moving away from target-ing infl ation by using monetary ag-

and diversifi cation, and safeguarding macroeconomic stability. The authori-ties have scaled back investment and recurrent spending while protecting pri-ority social spending.”

This has served to reassure inves-tors, and along with improvements to the country’s investment climate and ease of doing business – it is now rat-ed second only to South Africa in the SADC region – the country appears to be making steady progress towards its Vision 2030 aspiration of becoming a prosperous middle-income country.

Nevertheless, while remaining opti-mistic about the continent’s prospects,

Fundanga believes that in order for Af-rica to continue reducing poverty on a sustainable basis, it has to continue to retain open economies, expand region-al markets and integration, and expand the reach and benefi ts of the market economy.

As he told a forum organised by the World Bank in Taormina, Sicily, in Octo-ber 2009, “One of the greatest dangers now facing African economies is the risk that the economic crisis might trig-ger signifi cant policy reversals that un-dermine important institutions such as the government, as well as the central bank. It is important that in Africa, the

from page 38

gregates to using short-term interest rates. Zambia’s Minister of Finance, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, in the 2009 budget, had signalled this shift, and Fundanga pledged that it would be fol-lowed through.

“That is similar to classical infl a-tion targeting, anyway,” Fundanga ex-plained. “The advantage of short-term interest rates is that the central bank can indicate which direction we want the economy to move. If you want to tighten credit, you increase the cost of borrowing and ultimately infl uence the rates obtainable in the credit market; if you want to ease up, you reduce the rate applicable and it will fi lter through the system.”

Fundanga added an interesting ex-planation as to why the decision had

been made to use short-term interest rates to control the rate of infl ation – they helped the markets to understand the intentions of the government’s monetary policies. “Under the current framework, the monetary policies we are using are so-called indirect instru-ments. When the commercial banks don’t have enough liquidity, they hike up their interest rates and liquidity will eventually turn up, but when people don’t see what is happening, it’s like an invisible hand – but we want a visible hand. We want the commercial banks to know what the central bank intends.

see Bank of Zambia page 61


Bank of Zambia

In saying this, I should add that I don’t believe the current framework hasn’t worked. We have reduced infl ation to single digits and speaking personally, I have a lot of respect for the present re-gime, but at the same time I am always looking for something that is more ef-fective than what I am practising at any

given time.”However, the volatility of the world’s

copper price presents one of the coun-try’s biggest challenges and directly im-pacts the prospects for containing infl a-

tion, with the exchange rate shadowing the commodity’s price on international markets. From reaching a record price of $9,000/t in July 2008, copper fell to

$2,900/t by the end of that year only to more than double, to over $7,000/t, by December 2009.

Relying on the market

With copper accounting for some 70% of Zam-bia ’s e x -p o r t earn-i n g s a n d more t h a n a th i rd o f

the country’s GDP, the wild-ly fl uctuating price is clearly a concern to Fundanga. Was copper, in effect, hold-ing the country’s economy hostage? Fundanga responded to this question saying: “Copper is very im-

portant to our economy but our strategy, certainly as far as the ex-change rate is concerned, has always been to rely on the mar-ket.

“This was amply dem-o n s t r a t e d when the cop-per price went

down, our foreign exchange earnings fell and the kwacha’s [Zambia’s cur-rency] exchange rate depreciated. We might have been expected to intervene to support the kwacha at a certain lev-

from page 59

el, but we have always viewed our role in the Bank of Zambia as just to help the market to move smoothly from one equilibrium to another.

“We have to meet the huge demand for foreign exchange which might affect the economy in a very volatile way, and we provide just a little bit of liquidity so that the daily movements are small, but we don’t try to affect the trend, only the short-term movement. Similarly, the banks are free to determine their base rates but they are guided by the issu-ance of government securities that can serve to withdraw excess liquidity in open market conditions.

“I can tell you that recently there has

been a very high demand for govern-ment securities and that has served to lower the yield rates [on government is-sued bonds]. The rates fell from around 13% to 7%, and that has infl uenced the banks to also lower their lending rates.

“But to return to the question of the copper price determining our fi scal poli-cies, before the economic crisis and sharp fall in the copper price, we were intervening in the foreign exchange market, to buy excess dollars and in-crease our reserves of foreign curren-cies. During the two quarters of the cri-sis, we were able to sell more foreign currency to provide liquidity, so you can clearly see that our role has been to smooth out the volatility. And that ex-perience indicates the importance of building up reserves. If we had not built up our reserves, perhaps the value of the kwacha would be very different to-day.”

Dr. Caleb Fundanga, Governor, Bank of Zambia



A Royal Blend of all naturalWest African herbs

and fi ery spices

www.kingspepper.com 323.291.4267

Before you grill,before you bake,

Buy King’s Pepperand Shake, Shake, Shake!

Bernahu Asfaw or Getahun Asfaw1041 S. Fairfax AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90019

323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806Fax: 323-932-6047

[email protected] • www.messob.com

Open 7 days a week11am - 11pm

Locations:Downtown Culver City:

9537 Culver Blvd.310-202-5453

City of Compton:2600 E. Alondra Blvd.

310-638-7871www.honeyskettle.com

Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pmFriday-Saturday 11am-11pm

Order Via the InternetWines of the Black-Ownedwineries of South Africa.

Register at TheArtfulGrape.com.The Artful Grape will do the rest.

The wines will be delivered to your door.

RooibosTea HouseAfrican RedTea Imports

323-658-7832533 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeleswww.africanredtea.com

Nira Levy Maslin, CEO




OERP

Thursday Blues at

Uncle Darrow‛sHigh Noon-2pmEvery ThursdayCome by for lunch and relax to blues and jazzfrom our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd.

Marina del ReyNorth East corner of Washington & Lincoln

“LA Times Magazinefavorite cajun food”

310-306-4862www.uncledarrows.com

February…3rd-4thStimulus Opportunitiesfor Small Business ProgramGet help in fi nding out how stimulus projects can help you be better positioned to survive and grow through the current economic down-turn. Time is 9am to 1pm. 3rd: Crystal Hotel, Compton. 4th Riverside Convention Center, Riverside. Register online at http://californiasb-dc.org/stimulus or call (707) 826-3919 for more information..4thCalTrans District 7 Procurement FairThis purchasing event starts at 10am and goes to 2pm. Meet business representatives, learn about contract opportunities and more. 100 E Main Street, Los Angesles. For information call 323-897-0597 or send e-mail to [email protected] African Film Festival - Opening GalaInformation on the Oopening Gala and the en-tire schedule of the annual fi lm festival is avail-able at www.paff.org.25th36th Annual BBA Awards DinnerSpecial honorees are the Hon. Maxine Waters and the Hon. Jerome Horten. Held at the Mil-lennium Biltmore Hotel in recognition of “Black History Month” to honor African American businesses along with our corporate partners and other majority corporations, government agencies and individuals most supportive of the growth and development of the BBA and Afri-can American businesses. For information call 323-291-9334.March…3rd-4th2nd Annual Americas Business Forum - Creating Jobs Through ExportsThe forum aids small businesses ready to con-duct internatinal trade in the Western Hemi-sphere, Highlights will include country briefi ngs, best practices workshops, one-on-one meet-

ings with U.S. Commercial Services offi cers stationed in 14 nations. UCLA Covel Commons. RSVP to Carlos Valderrama at [email protected] or call 213-580-7570.3rd-5thEconomic Development Credit AnalysisThis hands-on course presents an overview of business fi nancing tools and available private fi nancing options, as well as how the public sector can complement bank fi nancing. To at-tend this exceptional course contact one of the following organizations: California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).27thBBA Salute to Black Women: Women’s History Month Conference & LuncheonTo honor Black Women who are making history through their struggles for equality, contribu-tions to arts, sciences, education and human-istic causes, success in business.Omni Hotel, downtown Los Angeles, 8:30 am to 3 pm. For information call 323-291-9334.April…BBA Procurement Trade Mission to Washington, DCThis trade mission offers face-to-face contact by business owners and manag-ers to learn from and market to federal government agency pro-curement offi cers. For informa-tion call 323-291-9334.May…World Trade Week Symposium and ExpositionTo educate our business com-munity regarding opportunities in international trade through discussion, exhibits and network-ing sessions. For information call 323-291-9334.June…Business of Black Music Conference & Awards DinnerA celebration of culture of music and an examination of the busi-ness of culture. Includes recogni-tion of pioneers and leaders in

the world of music. For information call 323-291-9334.August…40th Anniversary Awards DinnerCelebration of the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Business Association 1970-2010.September…BBA Black Business DayRecognition of the advancements made by the African American business community over the last 40 years. For information call 323-291-9334.November…BBA 7th Annual Procument Exchange SummitThe annual business development event in-cludes One-on-One matchmaking sessions with utilities and corporate buyers, business development workshops and the Awards Lun-cheon. For information call 323-291-9334.

For a complete listings of events around Southern California visit

SAVETHEDATECENTRAL.com

Send your event notice to:

Calendarat [email protected].

Calendar


Name: Title: Company: Address:

City: State: Zip Code: Telephone: Fax: E-mail: URL: Type of Business: Year Established: W/MBE Certified by:

NAICS Codes: Briefly describe your products and/or services

New membership Renewal Membership

Select Type of Membership Regular Member-$200 annual dues

51% African-American owned, Voting membership Corporate Member-$2,500 annual dues

Major corporation, Non-voting membership Associate Member-$100 annual dues

Non-business owner, Non-voting membership Student Member-$25 annual dues

Full-time registered student, Non-voting membership

Amount enclosed $

Payment type: credit card Visa MasterCard

Card #:

Signature Exp. Date / Fax Payment to: 323-291-9234

Payment type: check/money order—make payable to: Black Business Association Mail to: P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA

For information Call: 323-291-9334 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.bbala.org

MEMBERSHIPAPPLICATION

Please complete then submit this form with your payment. Please type or print.

Reach Thousands of African American EntrepreneursYOUR LINK TO AFRICAN AMERICANBUSINESS OWNERS

The Black Business Association, SBA 2007 Journalist of the Year, is pleased to invite you to be an integral part of our publication, Black Business News - Your Link to African American Business Owners. The Black Business News is the of cial voice through which public and private entities advertise contract and business opportunities available to African American entrepreneurs. Gain access to a highly af uent target market via outreach and advertising opportunities.

• Outreach to Black Businesses • Advertorial/Feature Story Advertising • Profi les and Business Listings • Classifi ed Ads and Bid Opportunities

Our readers are BBA members, Black business owners, corporate buyers, prime contractors, community organizations and elected of cials, who all turn to the Black Business News for business development news and information to take their business and project efforts to the next level of pro tability and success!

Don’t be left out. Advertise in this door-opening publication.

Reserve Your Ad Space Today! Call (323) 291-9334

Deadline: Every third Friday of the Month!

Special Offer: 50% Discount for Regular Financial BBA Members

For detail advertising rate information contact: Advertising Services at 323-291-9334 E-mail: [email protected]

Black BusinessNews

Ad Type MeasurementsFull Page 10.25”x12.75”Half Page 10.25”x 6.75”Half Page 5.00”x12.75”Quarter Page 5.00”x 6.75”Eighth Page 5.00”x 3.00”

U.S. Small Business Administration2007 AWARD WINNER!“Journalist of the Year”

The Honorable Barack H. Obama,

President-Elect of the United States of America

November 2008In This Issue…5 Cover Story: Where do

we go from here? Barack Obama, 44th President of the

USA.6 Black Business Success Profi le Dickerson Employee Benefi ts

9 Foreclosure Relief $8.68 Billion Settlement.31 Small Business Administration

Online Training for Exporters

Advertising Opportunities (1x, 3x, 6x, 12x)Full Page Color w/Feature StoryFull Page ColorHalf Page Color w/Feature StoryHalf Page ColorQuarter Page ColorEighth Page Color

Website Advertising Opportunity (1x, 3x, 6x, 12x)Webpage, Link & Marketing MessageE-Blast Advertising OpportunityIssue Dedicated Marketing Message

At Comerica Bank, we choose to care about the dreams and visions

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We choose to celebrate equality and

diversity among all people, and we’re dedicated to ringing the bells

of freedom. Choose to celebrate the dream with us.

Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.

www.comerica.com

Choose to care.Choose to celebrate.

Choose to dream.

Crenshaw3825 Crenshaw Boulevard

Los Angeles

El Segundo2321 Rosecrans Avenue

El Segundo

800-888-3595

Wilshire-Crescent Heights6301 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles

bba news jan '10

Documents