daily challenge 8-10-11

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OBAMA SAYS HE INHERITED ECONOMIC PROBLEMS - PG. 2

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Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assault-ed housekeeper Nafissatou Diallo (above) in a “violent andsadistic attack” in his hotel suite in Manhattan in May, acivil lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit, which follows criminal

charges against the Frenchman, repeats the version ofevents that Diallo has told since she revealed her identity inmedia interviews last month. Photo: Lem Peterkin

SEE PAGE 3.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 20112 � � � � �

SANITATION DEPARTMENT SEEKS CONTRACTORS FOR

HELP DURING SNOWSTORMSThe Sanitation Department is

now accepting bids from contrac-tors to help the city during snow-storms.It’s part of City Hall’s action plan

following the botched response tolast December’s blizzard.The two-year private contracts

will be designated for side streets inThe Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens andStaten Island.They’ll be used on an “as needed”

basis during storms where morethan half-an-inch of snow is fore-cast.Officials are also seeking bids

from tow truck companies toremove abandoned cars from citystreets during snowstorms.Anyone interested in informa-

tion on the bidding process shouldvisit NYC.gov/sanitation under the“Doing Business with DSNY” ban-ner.

WOMAN CHARGED WITH2010 HIT-AND-RUN RECEIVES

MAXIMUM SENTENCEThe woman charged in the hit

and run of a City Hall staffer lastyear received the maximum sen-tence Monday.Frances Jasmin was sentenced to

one-and-a-third to four yearsbehind bars after being foundguilty of leaving the scene of anaccident.She will also have to pay a

$1,000 fine.Police say Jasmin hit two women

as they crossed Flatbush Avenue inFebruary 2010 and then fled thescene.She later turned herself in to

police.One of the victims, Alma Guer-

rero, suffered a broken collar bone.The other victim, Erinn Phelan,

was declared brain dead. She was amember of the New York CityCivics Corps, Mayor MichaelBloomberg’s volunteer agency.

NEW MUNI-METER RATESTAKE EFFECT IN BROOKLYNDrivers in Brooklyn will have to

dig a little deeper into their pock-ets.The city is raising muni-meter

parking rates around the borough.Short-term parking will now

cost drivers 25 cents for every 15minutes.Long-term parking spaces will

cost $8 a day.Brooklyn is the last borough to

see the Muni-Meter price hikes.The increases will be gradually

phased in through the end of theyear.The city Department of Trans-

portation reminds drivers to doublecheck the rate on meters while itupdates them with the new price.

NNEEWWSS BBRRIIEEFFSS

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CHALLENGECHALLENGE!!CALL (718) 636-9500CALL (718) 636-9500

By JEFF MASON

WASHINGTON — PresidentBarack Obama said on Monday heinherited many of the country’sproblems with high debt and deficitswhen he entered the White House,sounding a theme likely to dominatehis 2012 re-election campaign.Speaking at a Democratic

fundraiser, where families paid$15,000 to get a picture with him,Obama defended his economic recordand noted that problems in Europewere affecting the United States.“We do have a serious problem in

terms of debt and deficit, and muchof it I inherited,” Obama said. Thefinancial crisis, he said, made theproblem worse.Democrats and Republicans

agreed to a deal to raise the debt ceil-ing and cut government spendinglast week, but credit rating agencyStandard & Poor’s downgraded theUnited States, contributing to a steepfall in stock markets on Monday.Obama noted that the United

States had seen 17 months of consec-utive private-sector job growth, ris-

ing corporate profits and stabilizedcredit markets under his watch.“What’s absolutely true, even

before these last couple days in thestock market, is that recovery wasn’thappening fast enough,” he said.“When you have problems in Europeand in Spain and in Italy and inGreece, those problems wash overinto our shores,” he said.Some 140 people attended the

fundraiser, which was held at a pri-vate home.Obama, who is ramping up his

fundraising after taking a hiatuswhile the debt-ceiling debate ragedin Washington, said the deficit issuewould provide a clear contrast forvoters in the 2012 race for the WhiteHouse.“What we’re going to have is 16

months in which we debate thisvision for America, and it’s going tobe as fundamental a debate as 2008,”he said.“In some ways it may be even a

more profound debate because thecontrast is going to be clear and it’sgoing to be sharp.”Obama is pressing for Congress to

extend a payroll tax cut and unem-

ployment insurance to help boost theeconomy, but he expressed skepti-cism that lawmakers would get a lotdone.“As president of the United States

my job is to work with Congress totry to get as much done as possible,”he said.“Whether we’re going to see any

progress out of this Congress rightnow — because so far we haven’tseen much when it comes to innova-tive ideas that actually put people towork and grow the economy —remains to be seen.”Under the debt-ceiling agreement,

a “super committee” in Congress willfind further ways to tackle thedeficit in the coming months. Obamasaid on Friday he would outline hisown recommendations for that com-mittee.At a separate event for potential

campaign donors on Monday,Obama previewed what could makeup those recommendations, sayingrevenues needed to be raised, the taxcode would have to be reformed, andmodest adjustments to the Medicarehealthcare program would have to beenacted.

Obama says he inherited economic problems

By KIM PALMER

CLEVELAND — Ohio serial killerAnthony Sowell, convicted of killing11 women, apologized on Mondayfor his crimes before a courtroompacked with family members of hisvictims, saying his actions were “nottypical of me”.“I’m sorry. It might not sound like

much, but it is all I can give,” Sowellsaid during the penalty phase of hiscapital murder trial. “I’m sorry fromthe bottom of my heart. This is nottypical of me. I can’t explain it.”Sowell, 51, was convicted last

month of the murder of 11 womenwhose decomposing bodies werefound in and around his Clevelandhome in 2009. The jury that convict-ed him must now decide whether toimpose the death penalty.Sowell was on the stand for the

first and only time on Monday forunsworn, question-and-answer testi-mony with his attorney, John Park-er. Such testimony is sometimesgiven by a defendant deemed not ableto give a sworn statement due to pos-sible mental deficiencies.Parker asked Sowell about his

reported sexual and physical abuse.“I was whipped and beaten,” he toldParker. But when asked about the

specifics of his sexual abuse by a dis-tant relative, Sowell said: “I don’twant to talk about that.”Sowell began to cry as Parker

asked him if he had ever hugged orshown any affection toward his sis-ter, Tressa Garrison, who he pro-fessed to love. “That didn’t go down,”he said.Sowell regained composure as he

told Parker that he began to hearvoices after a heart attack that lefthim with a pacemaker and unable towork or play chess.“And what name did you give the

voice your head?” Parker asked. “Ididn’t give it a name. It had a name -Arnie.”Earlier in the day a social worker

and mitigation expert, Lori James-Townes, testified to reports of multi-ple incidents of sexual and physicalabuse and neglect throughout thelives of practically every member ofSowell’s family. James-Townes saidthat child abuse is the biggest factorfor adult violence in men.The defense rested their case on

Monday. The jury was expected tobegin deliberations this week.

Serial killer Sowell apologizes to victims’ families

By JONATHAN ALLEN

New York police had a man in cus-tody whom they were questioning inconnection with a string of gropingattacks on women, mostly on Man-hattan’s well-to-do Upper East Side,authorities said yesterday.At least a dozen women have been

attacked since May, often after mid-night, by a man who would typically

sneak up on them from behind asthey walked into their apartmentbuildings, police said.In several cases he grabbed their

breasts or reached under their skirtsto grope their crotch or buttocks,police said.Some of the women fought back,

and the suspect would flee.Police circulated a sketch of the

suspect and released a surveillancecamera image showing a short,

slightly built young man with boyishfeatures and dark hair.Police would not release any

details about the man being ques-tioned because he has not beencharged with any crime.Most of the attacks occurred on

the Upper East Side of Manhattan,although one on Friday took place onthe West Side near Central Park andthe former Tavern on the Greenrestaurant.

Police question man regarding groping attacks

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011 3� � � � �

By NOELEEN WALDERand JOSEPH AX

Former IMF chief DominiqueStrauss-Kahn sexually assaulted ahousekeeper in a “violent and sadis-tic attack” in his hotel suite in Man-hattan in May, a civil lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit, which follows crimi-nal charges against the Frenchman,repeats the version of events thatNafissatou Diallo, the woman whoaccused him, has told since sherevealed her identity in media inter-views last month.

She said a naked Strauss-Kahnemerged from the bathroom in his$3,000-a-night suite at the SofitelHotel on May 14 and forced her toperform oral sex.

“Believing he was immune fromthe laws of this country, defendantStrauss-Kahn intentionally, brutallyand violently sexually assaulted Ms.Diallo and in the process humiliated,degraded, violated and robbed Ms.Diallo of her dignity as a woman,”according to the complaint.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, has denied theallegations and his lawyers said in astatement that the civil case showedDiallo was motivated by money.

Strauss-Kahn resigned as chief ofthe International Monetary Fund afew days after his arrest in May.

The civil lawsuit, which does notseek specific damages, says Diallowill give evidence that the man onceconsidered a leading contender forthe French presidency harassed andassaulted other women in the past. It

was filed in the Bronx where Diallo,an illiterate 32-year-old mother,lives.

The lawsuit, brought by Diallo’sattorney, Kenneth Thompson, saysthe assault “left Ms. Diallo’s life andher young daughter’s life in sham-bles.” It alleges physical, emotionaland psychological injuries and seekscompensatory and punitive dam-ages, along with attorneys’ fees.

“We have maintained from thebeginning that the motivation of Mr.Thompson and his client was tomake money,” Strauss-Kahn’slawyers, William Taylor and Ben-jamin Brafman, said in their state-

ment.“The filing of this lawsuit ends

any doubt on that question. The civilsuit has no merit and Mr. Strauss-Kahn will defend it vigorously.”

The criminal case against Strauss-Kahn has wavered for weeks, sinceprosecutors revealed Diallo liedabout her past and her actions imme-diately after the incident.

With Diallo’s credibility in doubt,prosecutors are still investigatingthe criminal case against Strauss-Kahn as they decide whether to pressahead with charges or drop the case.

Prosecutors declined to commenton the civil case. Strauss-Kahn’snext criminal court date is August23.

Diallo’s lawyers have said forweeks that she would bring a civilcase against Strauss-Kahn.

Accusers in such cases often hidefrom the media glare until the crimi-nal case is over. Many media outlets,including Reuters, protect theiridentities by not revealing theirnames.

But Diallo, the daughter of animam from Guinea, broke her silencein July, revealing her identity ininterviews to Newsweek and ABCNews.

With the criminal case at risk,Diallo, known as “Nafi” to friends,took the unusual step of holding apress conference.

Her lawyer said she come forwardto defend her reputation, particular-ly after the New York Post reportedshe had worked as a prostitute. Shehas filed a lawsuit against the news-paper for libel.

Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers havecalled on Manhattan District Attor-ney Cyrus Vance to dismiss the case,while women’s and immigrant advo-cates have urged him to press for-ward.

Strauss-Kahn was released fromhouse arrest after the revelationsabout Diallo’s credibility but isbarred from leaving the UnitedStates.

A criminal conviction wouldessentially guarantee victory in thecivil case, legal experts say. But herlawsuit may still be viable even if thecriminal charges are dismissed.

In a criminal trial, prosecutorsmust prove the case beyond a rea-sonable doubt. But in a civil suit Dial-lo only has to show her version ofevents is more likely than Strauss-Kahn’s.

Unlike in a criminal case, where ajury may not draw any conclusionsfrom a defendant’s decision not totestify, civil defendants typicallymust tell their story at trial.

Diallo’s decision to file a civilaction in the Bronx, where plaintiffstraditionally fare better than otherboroughs in New York City, alsocould work in her favor.

“The reputation of the Bronx isthat it’s a notoriously plaintiff-favor-able jurisdiction,” said David Ratner,a civil litigator at the law firm Morel-li Ratner.

Even if Diallo wins her civil caseshe may find it hard to extract anymoney from Strauss-Kahn if hereturns to France.

Photo: Lem Peterkin

New York maid hits Strauss-Kahn with civil lawsuit

By RAY SANCHEZ

The father of three children whodrowned with their mother when sheintentionally drove her minivan intothe Hudson River is suing the cityand county where the deaths occurredfor $40 million each.

Jean Pierre has filed a notice ofclaim against the city of Newburgh,which is located about 25 miles northof New York, as well as Orange Coun-ty, his lawyer Stephen Powers saidyesterday.

The suit claims the city and countyfailed to create proper barriers thatwould have prevented LaShanda Arm-strong (right) from driving her vaninto the river on April 12.

With no barriers, the city and coun-ty allowed a dangerous waterfrontcondition to exist, the lawsuit said.

Armstrong, 25, drowned alongwith three of her four children, Lan-den, 5, Lance, 2, and Laianna, 11months. Her 10-year-old son LaShaunsurvived by escaping through thevan’s window and swimming to safe-ty.

An official in the Newburgh citymanager’s office said the city wouldhave no comment on the lawsuit,while county officials did not immedi-ately respond to requests for com-

ments.Pierre, 26, Armstrong’s estranged

boyfriend, claims the county Depart-ment of Child Protective Servicesfailed to properly monitor her. Powersdid not immediately comment on thefamily’s history with the child welfareagency.

Police said Armstrong drove intothe river after a heated argument withPierre.

Peace seemed to elude the childreneven in death. Their funeral devolvedinto a shouting match between rela-tives. And, despite arrangementsmade by maternal relatives to intermother and children together, theirsmall caskets were buried in anothercity miles away from their mother’sgrave at the request of their father.

By JEFF MASON

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE,Delaware — President Barack Obamaflew to a Delaware air force base yes-terday to honor the return of theremains of 30 U.S. troops killedwhen Taliban insurgents shot downtheir helicopter in Afghanistan.

Obama, after vowing he would beundeterred in his war strategy, led adelegation of U.S. officials payingtribute to those who lost their lives inthe single deadliest incident for U.S.forces in Afghanistan.

The visit appeared intended toshow war-weary Americans that thepresident recognizes the human costin Afghanistan. He unveiled a troop

drawdown plan in June to startwinding down U.S. involvement inthe unpopular, nearly decade-oldconflict.

Obama’s last visit to Dover AirForce Base, where the bodies of U.S.service members killed overseascome home, was in 2009 when hewitnessed the poignant return of 15soldiers and three federal agentskilled in Afghanistan.

But this time, the Pentagon saidthe news media would not be allowedto cover the arrival ceremony. Thetroops’ remains have yet to be identi-fied — due to the catastrophic natureof the weekend helicopter crash —and therefore families would beunable to give their consent, officialssaid.

Father sues city, county aftermom drives kids to death in river

Obama honors return of fallentroops from Afghanistan

President Barack Obama salutes as he is greeted by Col. Mark Camerer,the 436th Airlift Wing Commander, left, as he steps off of Marine One, atDover Air Force Base, Del.

4 DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011

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By REV. DR.HERBERTDAUGHTRY

Part ThreeMarcus Mosiah Garvey, one

of the greatest organizers theworld had ever seen, asked aquestion, “Where is the Blackman’s government? Where ishis king and kingdom? Whereis his President, his countryand ambassador, his army, hisnavy, and his men of bigaffairs?” There were none, andhe declared, “I will help to makethem.”Today, I ask, “Where are the

Black heroes?” Given thealmost insurmountable obsta-cles placed in their way, therewere few in my youth. I defineheroes by what people say anddo to uplift or advance theirpeople’s morals, hope, aspira-tion, pride, respect, education,

compassion, and commitmentto their people; and, by theirsubstantial contributions ofresources (time, talent, andtreasure), especially to the leastof their people.When we consider the afore-

mentioned qualities as our cri-teria, who among the Blackhigh-profile and (supposed)super-achievers do we feel meetthe standards? I am comfort-able with the conviction that ifwe research the time andresources Black superstars,especially rappers, spend tohelp their people, it would beminiscule. Conversely, if wehonestly calculate the impact oftheir negative influence, itwould be enormous.In this connection, I can’t

overemphasize the importanceof President Obama. The imageof this man of African ancestrysends a message across theworld that substantially helpsdestroy the derogatory,grotesque images that are dis-seminated by Euro-Americansand even by some people ofAfrican ancestry. At the least, itshows another image of peopleof African ancestry.Even so, there are diehards

who will not let go of the oldimage. Their response is:“Obama is part white. It is thewhite part that propelled him tothe presidency.” It goes withoutsaying, if he were a failure or acriminal, he would be all Black.There was a time, and it stillexists in some quarters, thatone drop of Black blood con-signed the possessor to the

Black race.One of the most instructive,

white superheroes of Holly-wood’s fantasy was Tarzan.There were two aspects to thestories of Tarzan which areworth studying. The first is:Tarzan could put to flight thou-sands of Africans. The messagewas clear. One lone white mancould conquer thousands ofBlack men, or Africans. Thus,fear and inferiority wereinstilled in the minds of peopleof African ancestry. I’ve seenthis fear in the eyes of our peo-ple, particularly when we wereconfronting Euro-Americanmovers and shakers, or whitepower structures.During my youth in the

South, Black men were afraid tolook white people in the eye.Sadly, this fear, to some extent,was justified for Black peoplelived at the mercy of whites.Any white person — man,woman, boy, or girl — couldaccuse a Black person of acrime or an insult, and it couldresult in death for the accused.Do you remember EmmettLouis Till? In 1955, he wasalleged to have winked or whis-tled at a white woman. It result-ed in his being brutally beaten,and then put to death.Always, we should be pro-

foundly grateful to those Blackpersons who, in spite of the con-stant threats of death, and/orother kinds of retaliation, actedbravely, asserted their dignity,and fought for justice and

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JOURNAL OF THE PEOPLE’S PASTOR‘WRITING THE HISTORY I’VE LIVED, LIVING THE HISTORY I WRITE!’

Medicare Part D

Harry Potter: The return of Tarzan

Continued on page 5

5DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011

By LINDATARRANT-REID

I know, I know, everyone lovedthe novel The Help by KathrynStockett. It’s been on the NYT’s BestSeller’s List for combined print ande-book fiction for 24 weeks, and is#1. Now the book is a movie. RobinRoberts of Good Morning Americarecently interviewed the four leadcharacters in the film – Viola Davis,Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone andBryce Dallas Howard – about theirroles in this crazy, funny, dramaticmovie about maids in the south dur-ing the Civil Rights Movement.Really? The movie by DreamworksPictures has received massiveamounts of publicity. With the pre-release hoopla including the trailer,interviews and the strategicallyplaced articles stoking the flames ofa box office blockbuster in the mak-ing, folks are going to love themovie as well. They don’t have anychoice because that’s how the mar-keting machine works, priming thefilm for the Academy Awards andfor the across platform tie-ins, likeThe Help Event featuring a productline inspired by the film and sold onthe Home Shopping Network, HSN.

For the record, I’m delighted thatAfrican American actors – Davis,Spencer, Cicely Tyson and the other11 or so Black folks in the film gotsome work in Hollyweird, and gotpaid. That’s a beautiful thing. Myconcern is the trivialization of a peri-od of painful transition in AfricanAmerican history. The Civil RightsMovement was no joke; folks died,bled, and were maimed and jailed inpursuit of equality. A fictional

account about African Americandomestics set in Jackson, Mississip-pi in the 1960s written by a whiteauthor who uses dialect and vernac-ular for the Black maids, while cre-ating inauthentic dialogue devoid ofsouthern ticks for her white charac-ters, does not capture the essence ofthe struggle.

The Help is not the first novelabout African Americans by a whiteauthor adapted to film that hasstirred controversy. Harriet Beech-er Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabinalthough written to promote an anti-slavery message ended up solidify-ing Black stereotypes. Stowe, awhite abolitionist, populated herbestselling 1852 novel with pick-aninnies (the ragamuffin, uneducat-ed, ill-kempt children of slaves),mammies (oversized, dark skinnedfemales, desexualized caretakers ofwhite children) and Uncle Toms(obedient, docile and malleable manservants who put the slave masterand mistress first) whose negativeimpact reverberates today in popu-lar culture.

As a historian, I am very dis-turbed by authors playing fast andloose with the serious business ofhistory. Libraries and archives arefilled with erroneous, lopsided, fic-tionalized accounts of the AfricanAmerican narrative. Some of theseaccounts are written by self-servingauthors who are more interested inpreserving their legacy and perspec-tive than researching and verifyingfacts to produce a complete andaccurate history.

The Help, albeit fiction, is an illus-trative example of one aspect of therace problem in America. Blacks getit, but whites don’t. Because we have

cleaned their houses, raised theirkids and prepared their meals, wehave been privy to their private con-versations and know exactly whatthey think about Black people.They, on the other hand, are largelyignorant of African Americans –who we are, what we are capable ofand how we live our lives.

Beecher Stowe’s stereotypes gaina new 21st century life in Stockett’sThe Help. Aibileen is the large, lov-ing caregiver to the white Leefoltchildren, while Minny is the defiant,rebellious non-conforming trouble-maker who works for the social out-cast Celia Foote and her husband.Skeeter, the white woman who getsa book contract based on the maids’stories, is portrayed as the savior ofsorts of the abused Black maids. Sheis introduced as someone interestedin changing the segregationist prac-tices of her community, butSkeeter’s real ambition is to go toNew York and get a job in publish-ing.

The other side of the story of thepowerful and the powerless is theabuse. Fast forward to New YorkCity, 2011, where the media hasdubbed a recent news story, the DSKAffair, in which a West African maidwho worked at a midtown Manhat-tan hotel accused a Europeanbanker of rape. The maid, Nafis-satou Diallo, and the former head ofthe IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn,are at the center of a battle beingwaged by their lawyers of “he said,she said.” DSK was arrested on hisway out of the country on an inter-national flight after Diallo reportedthat she was accosted as she wentabout her maid’s duties. The cover-age has gone viral. Charges against

the powerful French economist andlawyer were on the brink of dis-missal after a smear campaign waswaged in the press against the maidand her credibility. But the tideseems to be turning since NafissatouDiallo shed the cloak of anonymityand has decided, with her lawyersand supporters, to go public and tellher side of the story.

In an ironic twist, the other storymaking the media rounds involves asix-page essay found among the per-sonal items of Rosa Parks being auc-tioned off by Guernsey’s, a NewYork-based company that handlesthe archives of celebrities and his-torical figures. The essay, whichsome friends and associates of Parksare calling a fictional account writ-ten by her but meant to remain pri-vate, details an encounter that Rosahad with her white, male employer.Working as a housekeeper for aneighbor in 1931, Parks describes anear-rape experience. Again, thisaccount exemplifies the caste andclass struggle of a young Blackwoman who bravely rejects theadvances of her white employer.

The alleged abuse at the center ofthe DSK Affair and the discovery ofRosa Parks’ essay are certainly atthe far end of the power spectrum,but are part of the same continuumexperienced by domestic workerslike the maids in The Help. Encoun-ters between domestic workers andtheir employers or guests in a hotelcan be a dicey proposition. WhatDiallo and Parks experienced is animportant counterpoint to the fic-tional storyline of The Help andthose experiences are a reminderthat real life, not reel life, inspiresmovements.

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Civil rights lite: Or how fiction and fact become one

human rights for all.The second aspect of Tarzan:

Whenever there was a disputeamong Africans, they would send forTarzan. When he arrived, all of theAfricans would obey whatever hesaid. The attempt here was to incul-cate in the minds of people of Africanancestry to always look to whites tosettle their differences. I think all ofus, who have been around for anylength of time, have witnessed thisphenomenon. One of the most tragicand painful exercise of Tarzinism isin the United States of America’scourt rooms. When Black familiescan no longer settle their disputes,they go to “Tarzans” wearing Blackrobes today. They, especially Blackmen who try to evade their responsi-bilities, have to be taken to judgeswho are mostly white.

In the book entitled, “TheAfrican,” (the author’s name escapesme), there is an incident of twoAfricans who left their village inAfrica and registered for school inLondon, England. One day, as they

walked the streets, they saw a sightthat “blew their minds.” They saw awhite man picking up garbage. Theycouldn’t believe their eyes. They hadto get closer to believe that what theysaw was what they saw.

Back home in their village, theyhad never seen a white man in thatrole, in fact, in any menial role. Allthey had ever seen was a white manin charge as a boss, ruler, master,owner, etc. That was the way whiteswanted to appear.

Across the world, and yes, righthere in the U.S.A., people of Africanancestry and others are inundatedwith a flood of images of white dom-inance and Black subservience, andexperience the same in their lives.They have come to believe that whitemen are supposed to be rulers, mas-ters, superior, etc.

…to be continued.

** Join Reverend Daughtry inJersey City for the weekly ThursdayEvening Educational, Cultural, andEmpowerment Forum from 6pm-8pm for an evening of information,

inspiration, and challenge at 315Forrest Street (Ground Floor), cor-ner of MLK, Jr. Drive. For more info,contact The National CommunityAction Alliance at (201) 716-1585.

** Listen to Reverend Daughtryon the weekly radio program whichairs Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.on New York City’s WWRL-AM, dial1600.

** NEED QUALITY CHILD CARE?

Call the Alonzo A. DaughtryMemorial Daycare Center located at:

460 Atlantic Avenue (corner ofAtlantic and Nevins) 718 596 1993

333 Second Street (between 4th &5th Avenues) in Park Slope (718)499-2066

Immediate openings are availablein a state-of-the-art center.

** Visit The House of the LordChurch’s website at holc.org. Or,contact us at [email protected].

Potter: The return of TarzanContinued from page 4

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6 DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011� � � � ��

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By MARK EGAN

From Times Square to St.Petersburg, Florida, andPortland, Oregon, people aretrying to understand howthe downgrading of Ameri-ca’s AAA credit rating byStandard and Poor’s agencycaused a stock market crashand torpedoed their econom-ic prospects so badly again.Out of work, unable to sell

their homes and with billspiling up, many wonder howthey will make ends meet.“My fridge is on the fritz,

my washing machine is onthe fritz, my oven is on thefritz, my roof is on the fritz,”said Maria Thuy of Jenkin-town a suburb of Philadel-phia, who lost her job as adirector of a non-profit a fewweeks ago and wonders howshe will stop her house fromfalling down around her.Like many, Thuy looked

on in horror as the stockmarket crashed on Mondayand she fears for her retire-ment savings.Barbara Barak, 32, has a

job selling cosmetics in anOrlando, Florida mall. Butworking largely on commis-sion and with business“nonexistent,” she mayresign.“People are afraid to spend

money,” she said.Since her husband lost his

steel industry job at the startof the 2008 recession andtook a job with an ice creammaker, their annual income

has fallen by $50,000. Shecould care less about thestock market because shehas no savings.Her financial plan? “Just

survive.”On Monday, panicked sell-

ing resulted in the S&P 500’sworst day since December2008, down more than 6 per-cent with every stock in thebenchmark index ending innegative territory.Concern that Washington

can’t control rising debts orcreate enough jobs to spurgrowth contributed to thecrash as did the loss ofAmerica’s pristine AAA cred-it rating. Rising fears aboutEurope’s debt woes madematters worse.The S&P 500 is down 17.9

percent from its late Aprilpeak.Consumer spending

makes up about 70 percentof the U.S. economy andeconomists fear steep stockdeclines will have a psycho-logical impact on house-holds, causing them to cutspending, and force busi-nesses to defer hiring andspending.Miami store clerk Antonio

del Valle said he blamed for-mer President George W.Bush for the current woes.“If he hadn’t wasted all thatmoney on the wars in Iraqand Afghanistan, we would-n’t be discussing the debtceiling,” he said.A decade of war in

Afghanistan and eight yearsin Iraq have hurt the nation-

al budget and the 2008financial crisis, with itsresulting bailouts to stop aglobal financial collapse, ledto less aid flowing fromWashington to U.S. states.As a result, working

Americans were squeezed asU.S. states and municipali-ties hiked charges on every-thing from water to propertytaxes. Meanwhile, with infla-tion low and unemploymenthigh, employers cut jobs,kept pay raises to a mini-mum and passed on soaringhealth insurance costs toemployees.Sammy Rubin, a 64-year-

old electrical contractor inBirmingham, Alabama,blames politicians. A self-described conservative, hesaid he was angry at recentpolitical fighting over thedebt ceiling.“If I had the power, I

would freeze every congress-man’s bank account ... andmake them go get a job, tosee what it’s like out here.And I wouldn’t care if thewhole government shutdown, except for the mili-tary,” he said.The debt debate in Con-

gress has strengthened thecase of those who think thetwo-party system is failing.According to a CNN poll lastweek, 77 percent of Ameri-cans say that elected officials

in Washington have behaved“like spoiled children” in thetug-of-war over raising thedebt ceiling.Josh Greenwood, a 24-

year-old, who moved fromCalifornia to New York andis working as a bartender,urged President BarackObama to end partisan fight-ing in Washington.“Obama needs to use his

power and influence to geteveryone on the same page,”he said.Susan Knight-Allen, a 55

year-old medical social work-er, was getting her hair cutat a salon in the Hollywoodneighborhood of Portland,Oregon.“Maybe this time it is not

going to correct,” she said ofthe stock market. She andher partner put their moneyinto cash two years ago andnow she wonders if she canhelp, perhaps by gettingsome backyard work done.“We have the money and

somebody could probablyreally use that job,” she said.Rachelle Markley, 48,

worked at her nearby storeSecond Glance Books. Thesecond-hand book store iscozy but, she says, “I amhanging on by the skin ofmy teeth.”As well as a weak econo-

my, her business is sufferingas sales shift to e-books.

After an employee left inJanuary, she left the jobunfilled, leaving her over-worked and alone.Antoine Sykes, a 37-year-

old security officer and door-man on Chicago’s west sidesaid he fears for his financialsecurity and plans to savewhat he can, but doesn’ttrust the banks. “I’m leavingit under my bed or in mygrandmother’s closet.”Matthew Tavares, 43, and

his wife Julia, 31, want tosell their home in the beachcommunity of Marshfield,south of Boston. On the mar-ket for a year already, theyworry they will have to dropthe price more to sell it andwill have to use their savingsto cover their eventual loss-es.The country’s latest finan-

cial woes have also com-pounded the concerns of 51-year-old Harry Crown, acommercial painter in St.Petersburg, Florida. He sayshe lives paycheck to pay-check and expects to get laidoff soon due to lack of work.“It’s scary,” said Crown,

nursing a pitcher of Millerbeer at a bar. “You can’t getahead. You live to survive.”Another customer, 65-

year-old Roger Dyke agreed.“The country’s in a mess,” hesaid. “I don’t know any wayof fixing it.”

Americans wonder where the misery will end

By DAVE WARNER

PHILADELPHIA —Mayor Michael Nutter (right)announced a youth curfew inPhiladelphia on Monday inresponse to flash mobs thatrioted and beat store owners,saying parents would be heldas responsible as their out-of-control children.The crackdown on teens

who swarm in response tomessages posted on Twitterand MySpace includes a 9p.m. curfew for anyoneunder age 18 on Friday andSaturday nights, Nutter tolda news conference withPolice Commissioner CharlesRamsey.Parents called to pick up a

child who breaks curfew geta warning on the first viola-tion and fines of up to $500for subsequent violations.Failing to pick up a childcould result in a charge ofchild neglect, authoritiessaid.“When we get involved, it’s

too late for the tears. It’s toolate for ‘Oh my baby, Oh mybaby’,” Ramsey said. “If you

love your baby, take care ofhim now.”Gangs of youths as young

as 11 converged on businessowners and their patrons inCenter City on Saturdaynight, the most recent in aseries of flash mobs in thedowntown district.Among those arrested for

beating a man and breakinghis teeth was an 11-year-oldboy who was “stomping onrandom people,” DistrictAttorney Seth Williams said.“There are a relatively

small number of complete

knuckleheads in this citywho are causing this kind ofdisruption, and we will nottolerate it,” Nutter said.In addition to demanding

greater parental involve-ment, the crackdownincludes beefed up policepatrols and the formation ofcitizen patrols that can reachpolice by portable radio incase of emergency.Nutter said many city

recreation centers would alsoexpand their evening hoursso youth will have a place togather for leisure activities.

WASHINGTON — TheU.S. Justice Departmentreached a settlement with thePickens County, Ala., schoolboard to eliminate racial dis-parities in its system, thedepartment said.Under terms of the agree-

ment, the board, workingwith state officials, will devel-op policies and programs toeliminate racial disparities instudent discipline, graderetention, graduation ratesand post-graduate scholar-ships, the Justice Departmentsaid Monday in a release.The settlement also oblig-

ates the board to step up itsefforts to recruit minorityapplicants for faculty andadministrative jobs, and toensure staff assignmentsdon’t perpetuate racially iden-tifiable schools.The agreement also said

the state will establish andoperate an early-learningcenter to provide free educa-tional services to 4-year-oldchildren in Pickens County,the Justice Department said.The state also agreed to pro-vide training and educationalexpertise to help the boardcarry out its requirementsunder the agreement as wellas its overall desegregationobligations.“Equal access to education-

al opportunities is a funda-mental civil right,” ThomasE. Perez, assistant attorneygeneral for the department’sCivil Rights Division, said.“This creative and compre-hensive remedial plan willenhance educational opportu-nities for all students andputs the Pickens CountySchool District on a path tounitary status.”

Feds, Ala. school districthit desegregation deal

Philadelphia mayor cracks down on flash mobs

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011 7

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answer: canswer: c

answer: a answer: b


AFRICAN SCENE8

Judge clears Zambia president’s re-election bid

LUSAKA, Zambia - A Zambian judge hasdismissed a petition from the main opposi-tion party trying to block PresidentRupiah Banda from running for re-elec-tion next month.

The Patriotic Front had argued Banda is ineligi-ble for re-election because both his parents wereallegedly born outside the country. Judge JaneKabuka dismissed the petition on technicalgrounds yesterday.

Banda, the former vice president, narrowly wona 2008 presidential poll forced by the death of pres-ident Levy Mwanawasa. Banda, who is in his 70s,was born before Zambia gained independence in1964.

Presidential, parliamentary and local electionswill be held Sept. 28.

Egyptians torch police station

Dozens of Egyptians angered by theabsence of police protection in their townset fire to a police station yesterday afterlooting its armoury and freeing jailedinmates, security officials said.

The officials said that the crowd stormed thepolice station in the southern town of Garga inprotest at what they said was the police’s failure toprotect them from attacks from a neighbouring vil-lage.

They seized the weapons to defend themselves,the official said.

The trouble between Garga and the neighbour-ing village of Nagaa Uweis began on Sunday aftera fight between two drivers, one from Garga andthe other from Nagaa Uweis, escalated into a gun-fight.

The military, in charge since a revolt oustedpresident Hosni Mubarak in February, has sent sol-diers into the town to reinforce police there, the offi-cials said.

Police, who were widely attacked during theJanuary and February revolt, have graduallybegun returning to the streets as the military triesto hand over policing duties.

Somalia famine: WFP begins800-ton airlift of food

NAIROBI, Kenya - The World Food Program issending 800 metric tons of high energy biscuits toEast Africa to help fight the famine in Somalia.

The U.N. food agency said yesterday that theseries of nine airlifts will be enough to feed 1.6 mil-lion people for a day. The biscuits are being deliv-ered to Kenya for onward delivery throughout theHorn of Africa.

More than 12 million people are suffering fromthe effects of drought in East Africa.

The U.S. on Monday announced an additional$105 million in aid for famine relief efforts. The topU.S. aid official said during a trip to a refugee campin Kenya that models show that hundreds of thou-sands of Somali children could die in the famine ifthere is not a strong aid response.

AFRICAN SCENE

By JON GAMBRELL

LAGOS, Nigeria - Maj.Hamza Al-Mustaphaserved as the right-handman of Nigeria’s fearedand final military dictator,suppressing dissentthrough fear and onceboasting of even having a“license to kill.”

Now, after nearly 14 years inprison, he’s finally facing trialon charges of orchestrating themurder of a political rival’s wife,reopening old wounds from anera of terror in Nigeria.

The man once accused of plot-ting a coup from inside a maxi-mum-security prison is back tohaunt a nation wracked by sec-tarian violence that is still tak-ing stumbling steps on the roadto democracy. He’s even drawingscores of supporters to thecourthouse despite his affilia-tion with the oppressive regime.

As part of his re-emergence,Al-Mustapha also is bringingforth videos and memos that heclaims indict various ethnicleaders. Those accusations couldfuel further unrest in Nigeria,where rioting across the northearlier this year already has lefthundreds dead.

Nigerian authorities still viewAl-Mustapha as a securitythreat, holding him in Lagos’maximum-security Kirikiriprison. In 2004, officials claimedhe planned to have someoneshoot down a helicopter carry-ing then-President OlusegunObasanjo with a Stinger missile.

Some, though, say it’s timethat the former intelligence offi-cer is finally getting his day incourt.

“I believe the case has been toolong standing,” said SolomonAkinboye, chairman of the polit-ical science department at theUniversity of Lagos. “There’sneed to get it over. If the man isbelieved to committed anoffense, it should be known.”

Al-Mustapha is accused ofordering a security agent to killthe wife of Moshood Abiola, aflamboyant businessman widelybelieved to be the winner of the1993 presidential poll. Al-Mustapha has denied takingpart in her 1996 machine-gunkilling, saying he was torturedinto a false confession.

“It was intense torture, physi-cal and psychological. I willnever forget,” he said, laterpulling up his traditional robesto show a scar he claimed came

from a gunshot wound. “Everyday was too long a day to gothrough.”

Yet security agents under Al-Mustapha’s control routinelyused torture on political prison-ers and journalists, according tomultiple accounts in the yearsafter dictator Sani Abacha’sdeath.

Al-Mustapha worked forAbacha, who seized power in1993 after the vote wasannulled. Abacha went on to setup a kleptocratic and brutalregime that imprisoned critics,ran intellectuals out of the coun-try, stole hundreds of millions ofdollars in government fundsand benefited from the unsolvedkillings of political opponents.

Now a slender man in his 50s,he speaks in a soft, yet insistentvoice, acting almost as a histori-cal revisionist of Nigeria’sbloody past. The way Al-Mustapha now tells it, Abacha’spower grab wasn’t a coup butmerely a “change of course ofhistory of Nigeria’s politicallife.”

Prosecutors also have soughtto link him to the crime by show-ing his control of the Abacha’ssecurity forces, including body-guards and a paramilitary“strike force” that traveled toLibya and North Korea for train-ing and routinely used violence.

But Al-Mustapha, a Hausafrom the country’s north, stillreceives support from theMuslim populace there, high-lighting Nigeria’s religious divi-sions. His recent claims in courtalso have been driving a furtherwedge, as he has offered a gov-

ernment memorandum thatsays hundreds of millions of dol-lars were spent on visitors toAbacha’s palace.

Al-Mustapha also provided avideotape that shows leaders ofNigeria’s southwestern Yorubatribe arriving and leaving thevilla. He says the visit includedYoruba elders taking massivebribes in exchange for droppingtheir demands for democracyand support for Moshood Abiola,who belonged to the Yorubatribe.

The claims, denied by the sur-viving Yoruba elders, comes asAl-Mustapha and his familyclaim the government and pow-erful politicians want him dead.But they also highlight the longunease between Nigeria’s northand south, where divisionslargely fall along religious lines.Tens of thousands have died inreligious and ethnic riotingsince the nation embraceddemocracy in 1999.

After Monday’s testimony,Muslim supporters of Al-Mustapha milled outside thecourtroom, wearing postage-stamp-sized photographs of thesoldier safety-pinned to theirclothes.

As a convoy of security trucksroared away, the crowd rushedforward, pressing their handsand faces against the barredwindows of the van holding Al-Mustapha, crying “God is Great”in Arabic.

The chanting crowd gatheredaround a local imam, shoutingprayers for his release, theirhands raised to the sky.

Trial of Nigeria dictatorassistant haunts nation

Nigeria's former Chief security officer, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, center, waves after his trial at the federal high courtin Lagos.


CARIBBEAN NEWS1

By KENTON X.CHANCE

KINGSTOWN, St.Vincent — Actual con-struction of the newArgyle InternationalAirport terminal build-ing in St. Vincent willbegin within one week,Dr Rudy Matthias,chairman and CEO ofthe ArgyleInternational AirportDevelopment Companyannounced on Sunday.

Matthias, speakingat the ground-breakingceremony for the termi-nal building, said heexpects Taiwanese firmOverseas Engineeringand ConstructionCompany Ltd will com-plete the facilities with-in 28 months, as con-tracted.

He said that, whilepreparing for thedesign of the terminalbuilding, IADC officialsvisited airports in Cuba,The Bahamas, Trinidad,Mexico, Portugal, andAtlanta.

Taiwanese firm,CECI EngineeringConsultants Inc. wasawarded the US$3.9million contract for thedesign and supervisionof landside facilities.

Matthias outlined thefacilities to be con-structed over the nexttwo years.

The contract for theterminal building,which is being financedby Taiwan, is worthUS$26.5 million.

The 100,071 square-foot terminal buildingcompares to the 30,000square feet at the E.T.Joshua Airport and is

designed to comfortablyaccommodate 800 pas-sengers at any onetime, Matthias said.

Matthias said allearthworks at the air-port would be complet-ed by early 2013. Theairstrip will be 9,000feet long and wouldaccommodate any air-craft, except the AirbusA380 — the largest pas-senger airliner in theworld.

The 22-acre apron atArgyle will be 11 timeslarger than at the E.T.Joshua Airport.

Matthias said 8.8acres would be for com-mercial planes while11.5 acres will be forgeneral aviation.

General aviationincludes aircraft flyingto the Grenadines andprivate aircraft, whichMatthias said the IADCexpects would increasesignificantly when theairport is completed.

The apron will alsohave space to accommo-date two 727 aircrafts,the type Amerijet land-

ed at the E.T. JoshuaAirport.

The ArgyleInternational Airport,the largest capital proj-ect in the history of St.Vincent and theGrenadines, was con-ceptualised in 2005 andconstruction com-menced in 2008.

It was initially esti-mated to cost EC$480million. The cost hassince been revised toEC$652 million.

Prime Minister DrRalph Gonsalves’ “coali-tion of the willing” hasjoined in financing theairport. The coalitionincludes Cuba,Venezuela, Trinidadand Tobago, Iran,Libya, Mexico, Austria,and the CaribbeanC o m m u n i t yDevelopment Fund.

Gonsalves said onSunday that it is hightime that “opposition-ists” support the ArgyleInternational Airportproject.

In his first publicaddress since going on

vacation four weeksago, Gonsalves cited thebiblical account ofSolomon’s constructionof the temple, notingthat David had leftdetailed plans andimmense resources forits construction.

He said that, unlikeSolomon, his adminis-tration, which came tooffice in 2001, was notleft any plan or moniesfor building the airport.

Gonsalves, speakingon the eve of his 65thbirthday, noted opposi-tion to the project,which was being con-structed in the face ofthe limited resources ofSt. Vincent and theGrenadines and theglobal economic situa-tion.

He said that 154Vincentians and 47Cubans are currentlyemployed at the project.

About 80 moreVincentians will beemployed when actualconstruction of the ter-minal building beginsnext week, with 800

persons expected to beemployed when con-struction peaks.

Gonsalves said stud-ies indicate that a cross-wind runway would benecessary only toaccommodate aircraftflying to and from theGrenadines.

He said a crosswindrunway would cost lessthan 1 percent of thecost of the airport.

Gonsalves said thevalue of the works com-pleted is EC$180 mil-lion but noted that theIADC has spent onlyEC$28 million.

Vincentians canexpect the new airportto be complete by theend of 2013 Gonsalvessaid on Sunday.

Current chairman ofthe CaribbeanCommunity (CARI-COM) Dr DenzilDouglas, and Taiwanambassador toKingstown, WeberShih, congratulated thegovernment of St.Vincent and theGrenadines (SVG) forundertaking the con-struction of the ArgyleInternational Airport.

Douglas — who isalso prime minister ofSt. Kitts and Nevis —and Weber spoke at theground-breaking cere-mony on Sunday.

Douglas noted thatthe terminal buildingwas being commencedduring a week whenthe global economic cri-sis especially impactedthe United States,which saw its credit rat-ings downgraded froma perfect AAA to AA+for the first time.

Douglas added that

the effects would be feltwithin CARICOM,including its sub-regional grouping, theOrganisation ofEastern CaribbeanStates (OECS), whereSt. Kitts and Nevis andSVG are part of an eco-nomic and politicalunion.

In the meantime, theopposition NewDemocratic Party(NDP) on Monday saidthat there continues tobe “no clarity” on howthe EC$652 millioninternational airportbeing constructed atArgyle is to be financed.

“Gonsalves, contin-ues to ignore economicreality,” the NDP saidin a press statementMonday morning.

The NDP said theprime minister’s speechon Sunday was “anempty address to a fewparty supporters inArgyle”.

The NDP saidGonsalves “has resortedto cheap political rheto-ric in an effort to securehis political supportbase which has beenwavering under thepressure of the ULP’s[Unity Labour Party’s]poor economic manage-ment of our country”.

It said the “confusionwithin the ULP” can beseen in the differentdates Gonsalves gaveon Sunday and CEO ofthe Tourism AuthorityGlen Beache gave inter-national tourism stake-holders last year.

“2013 now joins2012 and 2014 as possi-ble dates for completionof the project,” the NDPsaid in its statement.

Construction of new airport terminal to begin in St Vincent

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves (R) and Taiwan Ambassador to SVG,Weber Shih.

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia — SaintLucia may soon benefit from a newair service link with South andCentral America on low cost intra-regional carrier REDjet.

Back home from a fact-findingmission to Panama City, SenatorAllen Chastanet, Saint Lucia’sMinister of Tourism and CivilAviation, reported on productive dis-cussions between REDjet’s seniorleadership, Copa Airlines, and thegovernments of Panama, Saint Luciaand Barbados.

“We are exploring the options of anew service between Panama City,Barbados and Saint Lucia,” disclosedChastanet, who said the new flightwill further open up the Latin

American market to the EasternCaribbean.

Talks with Copa Airlines, thetourism minister added, includedconsideration of interline and codeshare agreements, allowing SouthAmerican travelers to seamlesslyconnect at Panama City and visit theCaribbean.

In addition to bringing travelersfrom the continent, Chastanet spokeof other direct benefit for islanders:“Conversely, Saint Lucians who areinterested in shopping in Panamawould be able hop aboard REDjet andwithin a few short hours sampleLatin American culture and its bar-gain shopping as an alternative totraveling to the United States.”

HAVANA, Cuba - VenezuelanPresident Hugo Chavez arrived atHavana’s international airportshortly before midnight onSaturday, where he was welcomedby President Raul Castro and For-eign minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Chavez stepped down from theplane smiling and very talkative,accompanied by foreign ministerNicolas Maduro. The Venezuelanhead of state returned to Cuba toresume chemotherapy treatment,which began last month with theinitial session.

The stay by Chavez in Cuba waspreviously and unanimouslyapproved by the Venezuelan parlia-ment.

Chavez said he will be undergo-ing check-ups by the same medical

team and then he will resumechemo treatment on Monday. Hesaid this second chemotherapycould take more than five days.Although the time of the treatmenthas not been defined, the legal termapproved by the parliament is 90days, according to Venezuelan law.

On Friday, the Venezuelan presi-dent made it clear that his trip toCuba does not have to do with anyhealth complication at all, since “wehave to do what must be done,” first“due to my love for my people andsecond for a medical-scientific rea-son that is directly linked to the factthat I am forced to win the 2012presidential elections, since it willgive continuity to the Bolivarianprocess.”

Saint Lucia in talks with REDjet Chavez returns to Cuba for second chemo session

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 201112

New AmericanThe

One Thought - One Humanity

FFoorr tthhee ccoonncclluussiioonnss ooff tthheessee ssttoorriieess cchheecckk oouutt tthhee AAuugguusstt 44tthh -- AAuugguusstt 1100tthh,, 22001111 iissssuuee ooff

TThhee NNeeww AAmmeerriiccaann,, wwhhiicchh hhiittss nneewwssssttaannddss eevveerryy TThhuurrssddaayyCongra tu la t i ons

may be in order forJanet Jackson whoreportedly has let bil-lionaire boyfriend Wis-sam Al-Mana put a 15-carat ring on it!!!According to reports:The singer’s boyfriend,bil lionaire Qatari busi-nessman Wissam AlMana, recently poppedthe question, and nowthe happy couple isplanning an end-of-the-year marriage ceremo-ny. “Janet is head overheels in love with Wis-sam,” said a closesource. “He’s showeredher with love, expen-sive presents and boost-ed her self-esteem byhelping her lose weightand shape up.” Wis-sam, 36, first broughtup a walk down theaisle last fall, when hereportedly presentedthe Jackson clan beau-ty with a magnificent15-carat diamond ring.But Janet, 45, wasn’tready because shewanted to focus onpreparations for hercurrent concert tour,which runs into Sep-tember. “Now Janet’stelling friends that anofficial engage mentannouncement willcome by summer’s end,and that she and Wis-sam will marry in late2011 – and they’reshopping for an evenbigger diamond ring tocelebrate their officialengagement.” The twoare anxious to start afamily as soon as possi-ble. Janet would love tohave a baby the naturalway, but at 45, she’salso looking into adop-tion possibilities,according to thesource.

The-Dream willmake his dedicatedfans very happy thismonth. The producer-singer-songwriter willrelease a free 10-trackLP, entitled ‘TeriusNash Est. 1977,’ priorto dropping his fourthstudio album ‘The Love,IV: Diary of a Madman’later this year. Accord-ing to The-Dream,‘Terius Nash Est. 1977’

will be released to thepublic free on August31. “LP4 is Underway ITHE-DREAM havedecided to go forwardwith Diary Of A Mad-man LP it almost didn’thappen. So ill be in myDef Jam uniform for atleast one More Season!”he tweeted. “Also a free10 song Internet albumwill be released by Aug31st. LP 4 because ofthe Contract negotia-tions does not have adate but it will bereleased 4th quarterbut I will give a 10song Internet LP whileyou guys wait!!!! LOVEYOU.”

Chante Moore madean announcement thatshe and her hubby ofnine years Kenny Latti-more are officially awrap. The singer post-ed the following “pri-vate announcement” onher Facebook page. Inthe meantime Chante’has her hands full asthe host of an upcom-ing Sporty Girl Fitness90 Day Transformationreality show. MichaelJai White, Vivica Foxand Tamyra Gray arealso involved with theproject.

“Can’t Be Friends”producer MarioWinans is finalizinghis new album withplans to release theproject by the end ofthe year. Winans’ thirdalbum, entitled ‘MyPurpose,’ is a follow-upto his 2004 platinumeffort ‘Hurt No More.’During his hiatus fromreleasing solo material,Winans told YKIGS “Iproduced some stufffor the Diddy and DirtyMoney [album] andwith different artistslike Rick Ross and allthe Bad Boy artists.”With urge to continuehis solo career, he wasinspired to record newmaterial: “I had beenliving a little different-ly than what my pur-pose is, and that is real-ly just to humbly serveothers to pray for oth-ers and to really be agood person and live

the way I believe. Fromthat, I was inspired totitle my album thatbecause those changeswere going on in mylife while I was work-ing on the album.” Inaddition to his forth-coming album, Winansis grooming Hip Hopartist Superstar Piper,who is credited for pro-ducing Carl Thomas’new single “It Ain’tFair.”

Beyonce’s publicisttold Today.com thatBeyonce has no plansfor a cookbook. “This isuntrue,” she said.Rumors started thatBeyonce Knowlesplanned to publish asoul food cookbook, a“source” told the DailyMirror. The singer wasallegedly inspired byher mother, who pre-pares a spread of col-lard greens, cornbread,macaroni and cheeseand fried chicken nomatter where in theworld they were. Theonly problem is thatBeyonce has previouslyadmitted that she isn’tsuch a great cook, andthat she doesn’t reallyenjoy it. In fact, Bey-once says she’s a disas-ter in the kitchen.

Will.i.am has signedup to perform a specialconcert in China toencourage Americanstudents to studyabroad and expandtheir cultural bound-aries. The Black EyedPeas star met with offi-cials at the U.S. StateDepartment in Wash-ington, D.C. andagreed to headline agig for the 100,000Strong Initiative, amotion made by Presi-dent Barack Obama tomatch the rising num-ber of Chinese studentswho travel to Americato learn. The singer’sshow will benefit Amer-icans Promoting StudyAbroad, a non-profitorganization whichprovides financial sup-port to low-income stu-dents partaking inexchange programs inthe Asian country.

Subscribe Today!Make Checks andMoney Orders Payable to:

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By CHRIS WITHERSPOON

The twin sisters best known fortheir hit ‘90s sitcom Sister, Sisterare back again. Tia Mowry Hardrictand Tamera Mowry-Housley haveteamed up with the Style Networkfor a behind the scenes look intotheir major life transformations.Their new docu-series Tia & Tamera,premieres Monday, August 8 at9:00pm ET/PT.

Last summer Tia and Tameraaired a successful preview to theirseries on The Style Network, andthis summer they are giving a morein-depth look into their lives as sis-ters and friends. Throughout theseries they learn how to balancetheir successful acting careers along

with the pressures of their personalrelationships and responsibilities.During the series, viewers get to seeTia preparing for the birth of herfirst child and Tamera planning thewedding of her dreams.

In an interview, Tia and Tameraopened up about their new show,obstacles of parenting, balancingtheir relationships and careers, andhow they were able to break the teenstar curse.

What made you want to do thisshow?

Tia: This is the time... the timingis right. Tamera and I have suchloyal fans that have stuck with usthroughout the years and wethought it would be nice to openthem to our world and let themknow who we really are.

- Full Story In This Week’s New American Newspaper -

Tia and Tamera get realwith new TV series

13DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011� � � � �

14 DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011� � � � �

��

By FREDERIKJOELVING

U.S. hospitals vary widelyin how they decide who’s eli-gible for an invasive type ofheart scan, according to anew study.The findings fuel recent

concerns about overuse ofthe procedure, called coro-nary angiography, whichcarries a price tag of severalthousand dollars and a riskof side effects.Researchers found that at

some U.S. hospitals, fewerthan a quarter of the scannedpatients turned out to haveheart disease. At others, allof them did.That suggests some hospi-

tals use the procedure liberal-ly, while others reserve it forhigh-risk patients, said Dr.Pamela S. Douglas of DukeUniversity Medical Center inNorth Carolina, who led thestudy.“Clearly we have no stan-

dards,” she told ReutersHealth. “There is differentialuse, which tells you theremay be a quality issue.”During coronary angiog-

raphy, doctors guide a thin

tube, called a catheter,through a blood vessel intothe heart, where a special dyeis injected. Using high-dosex-rays, they then look forcholesterol blockages thatrestrict blood flow to theheart and in some casesmight eventually lead to aheart attack.If there is a big blockage,

doctors may choose to openup the artery and put in astent — a fine metal tube thatprops the artery open.While the procedure is the

gold standard for diagnosingcoronary artery disease,there is no agreement onwho will benefit from it out-side of patients with ongoingheart attacks or previousheart disease.Using a large national

registry, Douglas’ teamfound more than 565,000patients who’d undergonenon-emergency coronaryangiography and had neverhad heart disease before.Most, but not all, had first

completed a non-invasivestress test to give the doctor apreview of their heart health.The hospitals — 691 in

total - had very differentoverall test results, ranging

from 23 percent of patientswith confirmed heart diseaseto 100 percent. Hospitalswith a lower rate of positivetests tended to performangiography on youngerpatients at a lower risk ofheart disease and often with-out symptoms.That suggests hospitals

would make different deci-sions about heart scans facedwith the same patients, saidDouglas, although she addedthat the ones that foundheart disease in all patientsmay not have reported theirresults correctly.Some patients can get kid-

ney damage from the dyesused in coronary angiogra-phy, and the high-dose x-rays may lead to a smallincrease in cancer risk.There is also a small risk

of bleeding and blood clotsdue to the procedure,although less than one in10,000 healthy patientsexperiences serious compli-cations, according to Dou-glas.She pointed out that not

all negative tests are wastedefforts, because they couldprovide reassurance topatients, families and doc-

tors.“Negative doesn’t mean

unnecessary,” said Douglas,whose findings appear in theJournal of the American Col-lege of Cardiology.She added that there was

also no way of knowingwhich approach would leadto better outcomes forpatients.Dr. William Boden, a car-

diologist at the State Univer-sity of New York at Buffalowho wasn’t involved in thestudy, said the results sug-gested that some doctors andhospitals may use the proce-dure too liberally.Coronary angiography

makes sense if stress tests

indicate a serious problem,he told Reuters Health.But for people at lower

risk, Boden has found thatlifestyle changes and medica-tions are as good as stents atstaving off heart attacks.“Performing angiography

in that setting is likely not tolead to much benefit. Youwill basically confirm theobvious,” he said. “We need todo a better job in terms ofgetting all physicians toadhere to a more evidence-based approach.”So far, there aren’t any

clear criteria for when to usediagnostic coronary angiog-raphy. But Douglas said theAmerican College of Cardiol-ogy expects to publish suchcriteria this winter.“Based on these results we

need some standards,” shesaid.

Heart test standards all over the map

People who regularly eatlegumes, brown rice, cookedgreen vegetables and driedfruit have a reduced risk ofcolon polyps, a precursor tocolon cancer.That’s the finding of Cali-

fornia researchers who ana-lyzed data from 2,818 peoplewho were followed for 26years. During that time, 441cases of rectal/colon polypswere detected among theparticipants.The risk of polyps was 40

percent lower among thosewho ate brown rice at leastonce a week and 33 percentlower among those who eatlegumes (a class of vegeta-bles that includes beans,peas and lentils) at leastthree times a week, the LomaLinda University teamfound.Eating dried fruit three

times or more a week, com-pared to less than once aweek, was associated with a26 percent reduced risk. Eat-ing cooked green vegetablesonce a day or more, vs. lessthan five times a week, wasassociated with a 24 percentreduced risk, according tothe report published onlinein the journal Nutrition andCancer.“Eating these foods is like-

ly to decrease your risk forcolon polyps, which would inturn decrease your risk forcolorectal cancer,” studyauthor Dr. Yessenia Tanta-mango, a postdoctoralresearch fellow, said in auniversity news release.“While a majority of past

research has focused onbroad food groups, such asfruits and vegetables, in rela-tion to colon cancer, ourstudy focused on specificfoods, as well as more nar-rowed food groups, in rela-tion to colon polyps, a pre-

cursor to colon cancer. Ourstudy confirms the results ofpast studies that have beendone in different populationsanalyzing risks for coloncancer,” Tantamango said.“Legumes, dried fruits

and brown rice all have ahigh content of fiber, knownto dilute potential carcino-gens,” Tantamango noted.“Additionally, cruciferousvegetables, such as broccoli,contain detoxifying com-pounds, which wouldimprove their protectivefunction.”

Students attending highschools dominated by bulliesare more likely to have lowerstandardized test scores, anew study shows.In fact, researchers in

Virginia found that school-wide passing rates on threedifferent standardizedexams (Algebra I, Earth Sci-ence and World History)were 3 percent to 6 percentlower in schools where stu-dents reported a more severebullying climate. The find-ings, they added, highlightthe fact that bullying is apervasive problem inschools.“Our study suggests that

a bullying climate may playan important role in studenttest performance,” DeweyCornell, a clinical psycholo-gist and a professor of edu-cation at the University ofVirginia, said in a newsrelease. “This researchunderscores the importanceof treating bullying as aschoolwide problem ratherthan just an individual prob-lem.”In conducting the study,

researchers compiled sur-veys about bullying frommore than 7,300 ninthgraders and about 3,000teachers at 284 Virginiahigh schools. Theresearchers pointed out thateven a 3 percent to 6 percentdrop in test scores associatedwith bullying is significant.Under the federal No

Child Left Behind Act, stu-dents must receive a passinggrade on these standardizedtests to graduate. Moreover,in the state of Virginia at

least 70 percent of a school’sstudents must pass the testsfor the school to keep itsstate accreditation.“This difference is sub-

stantial because it affects theschool’s ability to meet feder-al requirements and the edu-cational success of manystudents who don’t pass theexams,” said Cornell. “Thisstudy supports the case forschool-wide bullying preven-tion programs as a step toimprove school climate andfacilitate academic achieve-ment.”The researchers argued

the poor academic perfor-mance was due to the factthat students are lessengaged in learning whenthey are afraid about bully-ing. They also suggestedbullying leads to a greaterlevel of school disorder,which may have negativelyaffected test scores.The study authors noted

bullying programs shouldnot only provide help for vic-tims, but also counselingand discipline for bullies.Bystanders, they added,should also be discouragedfrom supporting bullying.“We have always had bul-

lying in our schools. Whathas changed is we havebecome more aware of bully-ing due to a series of high-profile tragic cases involv-ing school shootings andsuicides,” concluded Cornell.“Our society does not permitharassment and abuse ofadults in the workplace, andthe same protections shouldbe afforded to children inschool.”

Bullying takes toll onhigh school test scores

High-fiber diet might lower risk for colon polyps


NEW JERSEYD

HAMILTON - One ofHeather Cooke’s favoritemeals is a fresh gardensalad. But finding theingredients for the dishin her Hamilton neigh-borhood isn’t easy.

The nearest ShopRiteis a 15-minute drive.When Cooke’s agingFord is in the shop, as itwas in June, she cantake two NJ Transitbuses to the supermar-ket and haul her bagshome.

There are plenty offast food joints and asmall grocery storewithin walking dis-tance. But the produceprices are “outrageouslyexpensive,” said Cooke,44.

Welcome to thedesert.

Cooke’s neighbor-hood on the Hamilton-Trenton border is one of134 “food deserts” inNew Jersey, accordingto the federal govern-ment. They are mostlylow-income pockets ofbig cities, sprawlingsuburbs and smalltowns that lack easyaccess to a supermarketbut are usually brim-ming with expensiveconvenience stores andfast food restaurants.

Experts say fooddeserts are the equiva-lent of nutritionalwastelands, where fami-lies who can’t afford tohunt down fresh foodare often left to subsideon Slurpees, Big Macsand calorie-laden pack-aged foods. Studiesshow food desert resi-dents are more likely to

be obese and spend agreater percentage oftheir time and incomeshopping for meals.

“There’s food in thesecommunities,” said AlanBerube, a senior fellowand research director ofthe BrookingsMetropolitan PolicyProgram. “It’s justexpensive food, or notparticularly healthyfood.”

More than 340,000New Jerseyans - orabout 4 percent of thestate’s population - livein food deserts and havelimited access to super-markets, according to arecent study by the U.S.Department ofAgriculture.

The areas, which dotthe map from SussexCounty to Cape May,include some obviousfood wastelands, includ-ing an industrial sectionof Newark near the NewJersey Turnpike and asparsely populatedstretch near theBayonne port that is farfrom any shopping cen-ters.

But other GardenState food deserts aremore surprising: Nearlya third of Carteret inMiddlesex County. Alarge portion ofManville in SomersetCounty. A swath ofPiscataway nearRutgers University.Relatively upscale sec-tions of Parsippany inMorris County andMargate on the JerseyShore.

South Jersey faredthe worst in the federal

study released thisspring. Researchersfound 83 food deserts inAtlantic, Burlington,Camden, Cape May,Cumberland and Oceancounties, accounting formore than 60 percent ofthe state’s total. Expertssay less populated areas,like portions of SouthJersey, are difficult forshoppers because theylack both large super-markets and the masstransportation needed toget to far-away stores.

Another reportissued last year by anonprofit group saysNew Jersey’s food desertproblem is even worsethat the federal govern-ment estimates. TheReinvestment Fund, aPhiladelphia-based non-profit group thatresearches urban issues,concluded more than924,000 Garden Stateresidents - or more than10 percent of the popu-lation - lack adequateaccess to supermarketsoffering fresh fruit, veg-etables, meat and dairyproducts.

Though they mayhave never heard of theterm food desert, manyresidents in affectedareas know their accessto food is limited.

With no car and noaffordable grocery storewithin walking distanceof his Hamilton apart-ment, John Korrowrelies on his two sistersto give him a ride to asupermarket in a neigh-boring town every fewweeks.

“I get the odds and

ends then - milk andsugar,” said Korrow,48. “I’d get a taxi if I hadto.”

Shanique Coleman,21, lives in a food desertin Somerville. She has torely on a social workerto shuttle her twice amonth to neighboringRaritan to get groceriesat a Stop & Shop for hertwo young children.Without the ride, shewould have to rely onher grandmother inNew Brunswick, nearlya half-hour away, togive her a lift. AlthoughColeman has beenunemployed for twoyears, she says shespends extra at thesupermarket to buyfresh meat and vegeta-bles in an effort to eathealthy.

“I like to eat goodfood,” Coleman said. “Idon’t like to spend mymoney on just any-thing.”

Urban lawmakersand anti-obesity groupssay the solution to fooddeserts is simple: Buildmore high-qualitysupermarkets in low-income areas.

But that is easier saidthan done. Large super-market chains have lowprofit margins and areoften reluctant to buildin sparsely-populatedrural areas or denselypopulated urban neigh-borhoods with expen-sive building costs andhigh crime.

First Lady MichelleObama highlighted theplight of families in fooddeserts as part of her

“Let’s Move” campaignto lower childhood obe-sity rates. Last year,President Obama pro-posed $400 million infederal money toencourage supermarketconstruction in citiesand to convince existingretailers to offer healthi-er food to eradicate fooddeserts by 2017. But theproposed funding hasnot been approved byCongress.

Some have criticizedObama and the federalDepartment ofAgriculture for exag-gerating the food desertproblem and encourag-ing the construction ofsuburban-style grocerystores in urban neigh-borhoods that do not

want or need chainsuperstores.

No one who studiesthe problem says peoplein food deserts are starv-ing. Critics say the fed-eral food desert study -which concluded 10 per-cent of U.S. Censustracts lack adequategrocery store access -failed to give enoughcredit to the small mom-and-pop stores that feedmany cities. Others saythe federal governmentis unfairly labelingsome areas as fooddeserts even thoughthey have large super-markets in a neighbor-ing town or slightly out-side the one-mile radiusdictated in the federalstudy.

Stranded in ‘food deserts,’ hundreds of thousands ofN.J. residents lack access to healthy, fresh food

Shanique Coleman, 21, of Somerville, is a sin-gle mom who relies on help to drive her to agrocery store. A recent U.S. department of agri-culture study found more than 340,000 NewJerseyans live in “food deserts,” areas thatlack access to large grocery stores and healthy,fresh food. Somerville contains one of thesedeserts, and a young family must rely on asocial worker to transport them to a supermar-ket twice a month.

By MARYANNSPOTO

A T L A N T I CHIGHLANDS - Thestate Supreme Courtyesterday said anAtlantic Highlandswoman should nothave been placed ona state registry forchild abuse for inad-vertently leavingher 4-year-old sonhome alone while

she dined with afriend.

The ruling is at leastthe second time thisyear the court has over-ruled the state’s childprotection agency. InJanuary, it said slap-ping a teenager or tak-ing money from herpaycheck to pay familybills does not constitutechild abuse or neglect.

Yesterday’s decisionwas lauded by a repre-sentative for parentswho said this isn’t the

same as when kids arechronically abused orneglected. Child advo-cates worried it maysend the wrong signalto parents.

In this case, the moth-er, who lived with hermother and stepfather,had spent the March2007 day with her son,who had fallen asleep inthe car. She put thechild in his bed, and,assuming her motherwas upstairs, went outto dinner, according to

the decision. Her par-ents, however, had lefton an impromtu trip toNew York and were notin the house.

The boy woke up,and, failing to find any-one home, walkedacross a busy road to aneighbor’s house. Theneighbor alerted police,who later interviewedthe mother, referred toin the decision as “T.B.”and “Susan.” Thewoman told authoritiesshe assumed her moth-

er, who was ill all weekwith the flu, was asleepin her bed when she leftthe boy. She said she didnot know her motherand stepfather had leftfor New York.

Police did not filecriminal charges butreported the incident toDYFS, which found thewoman, a teacher, neg-lected her son.

The court, in a 6-0decision, notes the vary-ing degrees of child neg-lect and says a finding

of abuse or neglectdepends, in part, onwhether the child suf-fered actual harm.

“To be sure, Susan’sfailure to perform thecautionary acting ofcalling upstairs toassure her mother’spresence was clearlynegligent,” JusticeVirginia Long wrote.“Under all of the circum-stances known to herhowever, it did not riseto the level of gross neg-ligence or recklessness.”

Woman who inadvertently left 4-year-old child home alone should not be on child-abuse registry, court rules


��

By SABRINAFORD

No need for Kanye Westand Jay-Z to simply watch athrone. Judging by Mon-day’s reviews and Webresponse to their new album,“Watch the Throne,” theyshould just sit atop it toreign over the realm of hiphop.

The highly anticipatedalbum from the pair of musicmasters was met with highpraise across the Web onlyhours after being releasedexclusively on iTunes at mid-night, Monday.

The album received glow-ing early reviews. All-hiphop.com gave it 9 out of10 stars, calling it “a creativevictory at worse and at itsvery best, a paradigm shiftfor Hip-Hop.”

Musician and producerQuestlove of Grammy-win-ning band The Roots took toTwitter in the wee hours ofthe morning, enthralled byJay-Z’s performances on anemerging fan favorite. Hetweeted: “Hov’s verse on‘Who Gone Stop Me’ is gettina 4th listen at 2am.”

Hip-hop historian and dee-jay Davey D was soimpressed he tweeted that“Watch the Throne” “is betterthan “illmatic”, “36 cham-bers”, “Aquemini”, “Sgt Pep-per” and “Joshua Tree” com-

bined,” referring to albumsfrom Nas, Wu-Tang Clan,Outkast, the Beatles, and U2.

Davey D was accused ofgetting carried away by jour-nalist and author Toure, whotweeted, “friends don’t letfriends overhype.” But evenToure was impressed, callingthe album “great,” and laud-ing the “substantive” lyricson tracks like “New Day” onwhich Kanye and Jay-Zaddress their future sons.

Only a few commentssteered toward negative. TheChicago Tribune’s Greg Kotgave the album two out of

four stars and called Kanye“desperate, transparent,awkward, vulnerable.” Healso said Jay-Z lost his steam,

“He no longer needs tosurprise us, he simply needsto file annual updatesreminding us that, after all,he’s Jay-Z and you’re not,”Kot said.

Hip-hop fans have beenwaiting impatiently for“Watch the Throne” sinceKanye West first mentionedit on Twitter almost a yearago. The two have a storiedhistory, dating back to morethan a decade ago when

Kanye West got his big breakproducing for artists signedto Roc-a-Fella records, thelabel co-founded by Jay-Z.

But a lot of the buzz sur-rounding the album hasnothing to Jay-Z or West,Singer-songwriter FrankOcean’s two guest appear-ances on the tracks “NoChurch” and “New America,”made him a popular topiconline Monday. The albumalso features guest appear-ances by Beyonce and Mr.Hudson, as well as vocalwork from late soul singersOtis Redding and Curtis

Mayfield.Mixtape DJ Mick Boogie

tweeted, “I feel like FrankOcean is channeling hisinner Mos Def on “nochurch” - not a bad thing.”

West might want to takenote of all the positive buzz.Over the weekend, he wenton a rant during a show inEngland in which he saidpeople look at him like he’sAdolf Hitler.

The 34-year-old who hasearned a reputation for out-landish behavior, broke intothe middle of his set duringthe Big Chill music festivalon Saturday night to talkabout how much he was mis-understood and underappre-ciated.

“I walk through the hoteland I walk down the street,and people look at me likeI’m...insane, like I’m Hitler,”he said to boos from thecrowd. “One day the lightwill shine through and oneday people will understandeverything I ever did.”

West is known for publicoutbursts. He grabbed themicrophone away from Tay-lor Swift while she was beinghonored for best female videoat the 2009 MTV VideoMusic Awards and said Bey-once should have won theaward.

In 2005, West said“George Bush doesn’t careabout Black people” during aHurricane Katrina telethon.

Jay-Z, Kanye West earn high praise for ‘Throne’

Producers of CBS’ new falldrama “Person of Interest”can’t say enough about theirAcademy Award-nominatedcast member Taraji P. Hen-son.

Based on a screenplay byJ.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Alias”)and show creator JonathanNolan, the series followsmysterious billionaire Mr.Finch (“Lost’s” MichaelEmerson) who develops acomputer program that canpredict future crime victims.Finch hires Reese (JimCaviezel), a former CIA agentpresumed to be dead, to helpstop those crimes, usingFinch’s agency resourcesand tech savvy.

Henson, who plays apolice officer, says of hercharacter: “She served twotours in Iraq. She is theheart. There are police offi-cers that can be quite cynicalbecause you see enough deadbodies in a day, you gotta

laugh to keep from crying.She’s more of a caring policeofficer. Not that all policeofficers don’t care. But shewon’t crack the joke, or, youknow, she gets a little moreemotionally involved withsome of the people that she’s

she interacts with. And she’schasing this guy in a suit,which she’s already identi-fied him as an ex-army per-son of some sort. So she iden-tifies with that, and that’swhat drives her to find outwho this guy is.”

By JOSHUA L.WEINSTEIN

LOS ANGELES — Lions-gate is still shooting “TheHunger Games,” but alreadyhas set a date for the secondfilm in the series.

“Catching Fire” has beenset for a November 22, 2013release, the studioannounced Monday.

Lionsgate is releasing noother details about “Catch-ing Fire,” so it’s unclear whowill direct and whether starsJennifer Lawrence, JoshHutcherson and LiamHemsworth will return.

“The Hunger Games” willbe released on March 23,2012.

The movies are based onSuzanne Collins’ bestsellingtrio of young adult novels.Lionsgate has rights to turnthe three books into fourmovies.

The books are giant sell-ers — “Hunger Games” hassold more than 3 millioncopies in the United Statesalone — and the movies havegenerated enormous enthu-siasm.

Clearly, Lionsgate sees inthe “Hunger Games” movieswhat Summit saw in “TheTwilight Saga.”

CBS takes ‘Interest’ in Taraji P. Henson‘Hunger Games’sequel film alreadyhas release date

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011 17� � � � �


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By ROBMARKMAN

The once-flamboyant Roc-A-Fella Records co-founderDamon Dash is now in debt.In July, The Detroit Newsreported that the musicmogul and Jay-Z’s formerbusiness partner owesalmost $3 million in backtaxes, according to a tax lienfiled June 30.On Friday, Dash visited

the “Sway in the Morning”radio show on Shade 45 andspoke to host and MTV Newscorrespondent Sway Cal-loway about his recent trou-bles with the IRS. Afterbeing asked about owing “$2million,” Dash quickly setthe record straight: “I oweway more than $2 million in

taxes. That must’ve just beenthe IRS,” Dash said, laugh-ing, before admitting that hewas in a bad space financial-ly. “Nah, nah, I’m f—-ed up.”Dame made his mark

alongside Jay-Z and Kareem“Biggs” Burke in the mid-1990s. After the trio foundedRoc-A-Fella Records andreleased a few street singles,they dropped Jay-Z’s debutalbum, Reasonable Doubt, in1996 and embarked on a sto-ried run. In the followingyears, Roc-A-Fella wouldcontinue to put out recordsfrom Hov and also introducenew artists such as MemphisBleek, Beanie Sigel and, ofcourse, Kanye West. By2005, however, it all camecrashing down, and Jay-Zparted ways with Dash andBurke, leaving them on the

outside looking in.Dash has since started

new business ventures, andon Friday, the DD172 CEOtold Sway that when it comesto his tax troubles, he justdoesn’t have the money. Itisn’t because he is broke,Dame insisted, but ratherbecause he redistributes hismoney back into his manycompanies, choosing to rein-vest instead of making aprofit off the top. “It’s theprice of business; it is what itis,” he explained. “I owetaxes: I got to pay.“They’re auditing me.

When you’re a business man,you have a lot of businesses,a lot of times they thinkyou’re laundering money oryou’re pretending you’rewriting things off that youdon’t,” he continued. “I’m a

true businessman. As youknow, I believe in my inde-pendence, I have no part-ners, so every dollar I makegoes right back into everybusiness I have.”Dash charges that the

audit is a result of hisaccountant’s failure to item-ize his expenses. “If I have anaccountant that just reportsI just invested $10 million inmy business and he doesn’texactly itemize where everycost goes, it gives a flag tothe government,” he said.“They want to make surethat the reason I’m not pay-ing taxes is because I’m rein-vesting in these businessesand not trying to hide stuff.”Now, DD has to wait until

the government goesthrough his books. H said hethinks it might take a while

before things are sorted out.“They gotta look at every sin-gle transaction, and the gov-ernment is slow,” he said.“They really don’t believethat I’m so real about puttingall of my money into mybusiness, but that’s what Ido.”

Damon Dash talks $3 million tax debt

Grammy nominatedsinger Kelly Price hasbecome an official advocatefor breast cancer through theSusan G. Komen foundation.The issue touches home forPrice because her mother andmother-in-law were diag-nosed with the disease.“My husband and I have

known each other and beenfriends since we were 13years old, so when both mymom and mother in law werediagnosed with breast can-cer, it felt like an all-outattack on my family,” statesPrice. “The news came at thebeginning of my career whenI was about to launch myvery first album. At a timewhen my family and I wouldhave otherwise been celebrat-ing, we were gripped withfear and uncertainty. After a

long hard fight, my momsurvived breast cancer andmy beloved mother in lawsuccumbed to the disease.This was a turning point inmy life. For eight years now,I have been an advocate forbreast cancer awareness andearly detection and now I amproud to join forces with theLA County Affiliate of SusanG. Komen for the Cure® inits mission to pursue a worldwithout breast cancer.”The “Not My Daddy”

singer will support Komen asthe official ambassador forthe Circle of Promise initia-tive which focuses on endingbreast cancer within theAfrican American communi-ty. As a spokesperson, Pricewill appear in public serviceannouncements and grass-roots awareness campaigns.

Kelly Price’s fightagainst breast cancer

Shaunie O’Neal is notashamed to share her opin-ions about reality television.Time and time again, she’s

expressed her disapproval ofthe negative portrayal ofBlack women on “BasketballWives.”Most recently she shared

with Fox 411 about herburning desire to changereality TV:“When I started the show I

really just wanted to followthis group of ladies around.We all have a common bond;we understand each otherslives. It started as that. Sincethen, it’s taken on a life of itsown. I never imagined itwould be a group of ladiesfighting and arguing thatway that they do. That wasnever part of the plan.”

“I hate that it has to be afight or an argument thatgives us 4.2 million viewers.I hate that, but it’s some-thing where I’m working ashard as I can to show sometype of balance, because it isthere. We do know how toact, we do charity work. Iwould love a little more bal-ance and we’re going to tryto do more of that in season4,” she said. “I know thatpeople love the fighting andthe arguing, but I do want tohave some positive in theresomewhere.”Although very adamant

about the content and quali-ty of the show, she has verylittle control of the creativeelements, even as a producer.The new show “BasketballWives: LA” is one of those

things she isn’t quite happywith.“I feel like that show, from

what I hear in certain pro-duction calls and stuff likethat, is turning into ‘I haveslept with a basketball playerat some point of time in mylife, so now I’m on ‘Basket-ball Wives.’ That’s definitelynot what I brought to thetable and not what I would beproud of having my nameon. I think that’s a whole dif-ferent show that I wouldn’tproduce.”

Shaunie O’Neal’s burningdesire to change reality TV

Pop star Beyonce is to per-form four shows featuringsongs from her new album“4” at New York’s RoselandBallroom this month, Colum-bia Records said.The standing-room-only

concerts are to take placeAug. 14, 16, 18 and 19.“The set on each night will

be the entire collection of hercritically acclaimed album,‘4,’” her record label said in anews release Monday.General ticket sales are to

begin today at Ticketmaster.

Beyonce announces string of ‘4’ concerts


By RACHELLEYOUNGLAI and

RICHARDCOWAN

WASHINGTON —The Senate Bankingcommittee has begunlooking into last week’sdecision by Standardand Poor’s to down-grade the U.S. creditrating, a committeeaide told Reuters onMonday.

The aide said thepanel was gatheringinformation about theS&P move but no deci-sion had been made onwhether it will holdhearings into the down-grade.

While an officialinvestigation has notbeen launched, the aidesaid that all optionswere being weighed.

Late on Friday, S&P

said the world’s largesteconomy no longerdeserved the top AAAcredit rating, cutting itone notch to AA-plus.

The move was drivenby concerns over Wash-ington’s inability toachieve at least $4 tril-lion in long-term sav-ings amid a nationaldebt that has climbedabove $14.3 trillion.

Instead, after a ran-corous fight betweenDemocrats and Republi-cans, Congress andPresident BarackObama recently negoti-ated a 10-year deficit-reduction plan thatcould end up saving alittle over $2 trillion.

Senate BankingCommittee ChairmanTim Johnson, in a state-ment, called S&P’sdowngrade an “irre-sponsible move” thatcould have a far-reach-ing impact.

The Democrat saidthe downgrade may“have spillover effectsthat tax the Americanpeople by increasinginterest rates on homeloans, credit cards, andcar loans, and byincreasing the cost offinance for some stateand local govern-ments.”

S&P also came underattack from House ofRepresentatives Majori-ty Leader Eric Cantor, aconservative Republi-can who has been out-spoken in his opposi-tion to tax increases.

In a memo to his fel-low Republicans thatwas made public by hisoffice, Cantor notedthat S&P’s analysis ofthe U.S. fiscal situation“is overly focused onresolving the debt crisisin a manner that wouldgreatly worsen the jobscrisis.”

He was referring toS&P’s contention that“the majority of Repub-licans in Congress con-tinue to resist any mea-sure that would raiserevenues” to help easethe country’s fiscalproblems.

During the debt limitnegotiations, Cantorand fellow Republicanssuccessfully opposedraising taxes on Ameri-cans despite Democrats’insistence for more rev-enue.

Meanwhile, WhiteHouse Spokesman JayCarney told reportersthat he was not awareof any administrationconversations aboutclamping down on S&Pand other ratings agen-cies through tougherregulations.

Since S&P’sannouncement lastweek, Republicans andDemocrats in Congressmostly have beenengaged in blamingeach other for the gov-ernment rating down-grade.

And with Congresshaving just started amonth-long recess, leg-islative activity has

mostly ground to a haltas senators and Housemembers are scatteredacross the country.

One senior HouseRepublican aide toldReuters that he had notheard of any new leg-islative efforts brewingon rating agencyreform.

The House FinancialServices oversight sub-committee, which helda hearing on the creditagencies last month,has no plans for anoth-er hearing, a congres-sional aide said late onMonday.

Columbia Universitylaw professor John Cof-fee said the fate offuture reform effortsfor the ratings agencieswas uncertain.

Credit rating agen-cies were widely criti-cized for fueling the2007-2009 financialcrisis by assigning top

ratings to securitiesthat were backed bysubprime mortgages,which then plummetedin value as the housingmarket collapsed.

The new Dodd-Frankregulatory reform lawdoes not include atough reform amend-ment offered by Democ-ratic Senator AlFranken of Minnesota,but it did require a two-year study of the creditratings industry, per-ceptions that it suffersfrom an inherent con-flict of interest, andwhat to do about it.

Of particular con-cern is the fact thatcompanies issuingfinancial instrumentspay the ratings agen-cies to do the analysisthat results in their rat-ings, Coffee said.

Governments do notsolicit or pay creditagencies for ratings.

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Senate panel reviewingS&P downgrade

By AMANDACOOPER

LONDON — Gold hita record high yesterdayin its biggest three-dayrally since the depths ofthe financial crisis in2008, as investor fearsover the threat to theglobal economy from theEuropean and U.S. debtcrises hit assets seen ashigher risk.

“The short runuptrend is intact,” saidVTB Capital analystAndrey Kryuchenkov.“Panic dominates fornow and even thoughwe have rebounded a biton the broader market,people will still fear liq-uidating substantialgold longs.”

Gold has risen byabout 7 percent thismonth, driven by flowsof cash out of equities,bonds and currencies,after the United Stateslost its top-notch creditrating.

Investors have lostconfidence in the abilityof European leaders tostem the spread of thedebt crisis that has nowengulfed the euro zone’s

third- and fourth-largesteconomies, Italy andSpain.

European stocks lostover 5 percent in earlytrade, higher-yieldingcurrencies slid, Germangovernment bonds andthe Swiss franc ralliedas investors ditched any-thing perceived to berisky.

“The market couldcome off from here, butit’s headed in a norther-ly direction,” said ANZhead of metal sales PeterHillyard earlier. “Fromwhere we are now, youmight think we couldsee some sort of pull-back. But I’m talkingabout a momentarything, a pull-back likethe loading of a gun,which then fires away.”

Reflecting the rushinto gold, holdings ofmetal in exchange-trad-ed funds rose for atwelfth day to an all-time high near 70 mil-lion ounces, equivalentabout half of total sup-ply in 2010, based onWorld Gold Councildata.

The European CentralBank bought Italian andSpanish bonds on Mon-

day to try to stem thespread of the region’sdebt crisis, but in doingso found itself locked infull-blown conflict withthe German centralbank.

The euro took heartfrom the ECB’s efforts,rallying 0.6 percentagainst the dollar, butheld near record lowsagainst the safe-havenSwiss franc.

Gold priced in euroshit an all-time peakabove 1,250 euros anounce and was set for itsbiggest two-day rallysince May 2010, whenthe euro zone debt crisisfirst flared. Gold in ster-ling and yen also hitrecords.

Global equities recov-ered early losses to tradeup 0.5 percent inmidafternoon trade, asU.S. equity marketsopened higher. Howev-er, they have still fallenby 13.3 percent so far inAugust and are set fortheir worst monthly per-formance since late2008.

Gold’s upwardprogress has attractedsome profit-taking frominvestors who have

scrambled to plug holesin their portfolio fromthe rout across the stockmarkets.

Top asset managerBlackRock will use prof-its it is making in goldand bond markets toseek out bargains infalling global equitymarkets, James Holt,investment strategist atthe world’s largestmoney manager, saidyesterday.

However, analystssaid that the currentpush into gold appearedto be fairly solid.

“The ingredients areall in place for a

stronger gold price, asthe metal is not subjectto the risk of interven-tion or quantitative eas-ing,” said UBS in a note.

“This doesn’t meanthat pullbacks won’toccur, and though someof these may be severe,we believe dips will bebought. Comex netlongs may be at recordlevels, but current goldbuying is very broad-based, with a strongphysical bias which pro-vides much support,” itadded.

Elsewhere silver fell2.8 percent on the day to$37.87 an ounce, push-

ing the gold/silver ratioto 46.0, a six-monthhigh in the outperfor-mance of gold versus sil-ver.

Platinum rose 1.5percent to $1,738 anounce, while palladiumrose 2.3 percent to$731.47.

Of vital importance tomarkets later in the daywill be the outcome ofthe meeting of the U.S.Federal Reserve’s policy-setting committee,which many hope willsignal its intention tosupport the economyand restore some stabili-ty to markets.

Gold hits $1,778 in biggest 3-day rally since 2008

One kilogram gold bars are seen at the Korea Gold Exchange in Seoul.

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SSSSPPPPOOOORRRRTTTTSSSSDAILY

CHALLENGE

Panthers WR Steve Smith injures finger

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Carolina widereceiver Steve Smith has injured his fin-ger during practice.

Smith’s finger was cut, but x-rays revealed nobroken bones.

Smith, a four-time Pro Bowl selection and theteam’s No. 1 receiver, left yesterday’s practiceearly on a golf cart to have his finger checked outby the medical staff.

After practice, coach Ron Rivera feared Smithmight have dislocated the finger.

Smith is the team’s all-time leader in touch-downs and figures to play a pivotal role inCarolina’s offense this season.

In other injury news, starting right guardGeoff Schwartz is having his hip examined bydoctors after sustaining an injury duringSaturday’s Fan Fest practice at Bank of AmericaStadium.

Charges dropped in alleged kidnapping over Shaq

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Countyprosecutors have dropped the caseagainst seven gang members accused ofkidnapping a music producer whoclaimed to have a sex tape of ShaquilleO’Neal.

At the prosecution’s request, a judge yesterdaydismissed kidnapping, assault and robberycharges.

District attorney’s spokeswoman Jane Robisonsays prosecutors believed Robert Ross wasattacked but his credibility as a witness wasundermined by some of his own testimony andbehavior outside court. No details were provided.

Mark Overland, Ross’s attorney in a lawsuitagainst O’Neal, says he has confidence in Ross’scredibility.

Ross testified that in 2008, following a busi-ness dispute, he falsely told O’Neal he had a sextape. Ross claims that two weeks later he wasattacked by gang members who mentionedO’Neal.

O’Neal denied involvement and wasn’t charged.

Travis Lewis breaks bone in left footNORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma defensive cap-

tain and leading tackler Travis Lewis will miss upto eight weeks with a broken bone in his left foot,leaving the Sooners without one of their bestdefensive players for a few crucial early seasongames.

Athletic trainer Scott Anderson said yesterdaythat Lewis’ injury will not require surgery, andwill be treated with rest and immobilization.Lewis, chosen as the Big 12’s preseason defensiveplayer of the year by the media, was injuredMonday during Oklahoma’s first practice in padsof training camp.

“We’re disappointed for Travis,” coach BobStoops said in a statement. “He has worked veryhard and I know he’ll want to get back as quicklyas possible.

“We’ll adapt in the meantime. We’ve recruitedvery well and have some excellent athletes inthose positions. I’m confident that those playerswill perform well.”

SSSSPPPPOOOORRRRTTTTSSSS BBBBRRRRIIIIEEEEFFFFSSSSYesterday was

the deadline forplayers under con-tract to report totheir clubs in orderto earn an accruedseason toward freeagency. That appar-ently isn’t enoughto motivateTennessee Titansrunning back ChrisJohnson to end hisholdout.

Johnson did notreport yesterday, con-tinuing his trainingcamp absence, whichhas reached 12 days.

Johnson, who hastwo years left on hiscontract, appears deter-mined to secure a lucra-tive long-term deal,rather than an accruedseason toward freeagency.

By contrast,Philadelphia Eaglesreceiver DeSeanJackson, who has oneyear left on his con-

tract, reported to train-ing camp Monday andis eligible to become afree agent after thisseason.

Johnson said in 2010

he wanted a new dealwith $30 million guar-anteed. The Titansrevised his contract byboosting his 2010salary by $1.5 millionto $2.05 million to con-vince the running backto report.

Johnson is headinginto his fourth seasonand due to make just$800,000 in basesalary. The final twoyears of his deal canmax out at roughly$2.7 million.

The Titans have saidthey are willing to talkwith Johnson about hiscontract, but want himto report before thosediscussions can takeplace.

Johnson can be fined$30,000 for each day ofcamp missed, but hewants to be rewardedfor his production fromhis first three seasons.He became only thesixth man in NFL his-tory to run for at least2,000 yards, when heran for 2,006 yards in2009, and the first torack up 2,500 yardswith 500 yards receiv-ing.

He followed that byrunning for 1,364yards in 2010, despitefinishing the seasonwith a bruised thigh.He has started 46 of the47 games he has playedsince being drafted24th overall in 2008 out

Chris Johnson continues holdout

By SCOTT POWERS

Former Illinois basketball playerJereme Richmond has been charged withunlawful use of a weapon, possession of afirearm, battery, assault and disorderlyconduct, according to Waukegan policecommander Gabe Guzman.

According to Guzman, Richmond, 19, wasinvolved in a confrontation with a resident on the3000 block of Golfmoor in Waukegan on Monday.When a Waukegan police car arrived on thescene, Richmond was in the resident’s yard.

According to the police report, Richmond madea statement to the resident, “You looking for me?I’m here now. I’ll shoot your [expletive].”

Three of Richmond’s friends were found in acar outside the resident’s home. A loaded .40 cal-iber Smith and Wesson handgun was discoveredin the car, and all three passengers were takeninto custody. Two of the men were arrested fordisorderly conduct, and a third was charged withunlawful use of a weapon and possession of afirearm.

Richmond and the 17-year-old woman had adating relationship, the Daily Herald (ArlingtonHeights, Ill.) reported citing Lake CountyAssistant State’s Attorney Stephen Scheller.

Richmond’s bond was set at $100,000.Speaking for the family, William Richmond,

Jereme’s older brother, declined comment.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011 23

SSSSPPPPOOOORRRRTTTTSSSSDAILY

CHALLENGE

By TOMWITHERS

AKRON, Ohio -LeBron James sat ina gym inside a com-munity center heand his friendswere afraid to visitas kids, reflectingon his past andlooking to thefuture.

With his hands fold-ed tightly, James lis-tened as a boy sang “HisEye Is On TheSparrow,” the child’sbeautiful voice filling aplace James has trans-formed with a generousgift.

“I remember comingthrough the front doorshere,” James said after-ward In a sit-downinterview. “It was anintimidating place, realdark.”

James has brought itnew light.

Yesterday, the NBAsuperstar cut the ribbonto officially open TheLeBron JamesClubhouse at an AkronBoys & Girls Club, asafe haven for area chil-dren that he paid to ren-ovate with $240,000donated through hisfamily foundation. Backhome in Ohio and sur-rounded by family andfriends, the Miami Heatforward felt humbledwhile giving back to hiscommunity.

“It’s unbelievable,” he

said. “As a kid, this isone of the places we did-n’t want to go. But tosee the transformationfrom what this placeused to be to what it isnow is amazing, and theonly reason we’re doingit is for these kids. Theyare our future.”

James pointedtoward several rows ofyoungsters, who hungon his every word.

One of them, 11-year-old Jaire Bell, opened

the ceremony with hisgospel song, a touchingperformance thatmoved James, who laterpromised to keep help-ing Akron’s youth.

“There should neverbe a door closed to theirdreams,” said James,who on Mondaylaunched a program toprovide hundreds ofthird graders academictools they need. Theprogram will followthose kids through

their high school grad-uations.

“We have presidentsin here, doctors,lawyers, possibly pro-fessional athletes,” hesaid. “All the dreamsthey have, there shouldbe a way for them toaccomplish it. I dreameda lot as a kid and thereason I could is that Ihad people around mewho never shut thedoor. I had coaches,mentors, my mother

and friends. We allbelieved in the samething and I was able toaccomplish it - with a lotof help.

“I never did it on myown, and to this day,I’m not doing it on myown.”

The clubhouse dedi-cation was the first partof what promised to bean emotional day forJames, who was to beinducted into the athlet-ic Hall of Fame of his

alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.James is being honoredalong with teammatesSian Cotton, Dru JoyceIII, Willie McGee andRomeo Travis.

That group wonthree state titles and amythical nationalchampionship as sen-iors.

“I wear our school onmy sleeve all the time,man,” James said. “Inever forget what thatschool did for us. It’sgoing to mean a lot.”

Following a tumul-tuous first season inMiami that began withhis infamous announce-ment last summer toleave the ClevelandCavaliers, James hasrelished his summerback in Akron. This iswhere he can find peace,block out all the criti-cism and mostly, just behimself.

In concluding hisremarks to an audiencecomprised of schoolkids, parents and civicleaders, James remind-ed everyone he’ll neverstray too far.

“I will always behere,” he said. “I grewup in this city. I lovethis city, and I’minstilled in this city. Nomatter where my lifemay take me, I willalways be in Akron,Ohio. I will always giveback to Akron, Ohio.Because these kidsdeserve it.”

James opens clubhouse for kids in Ohio hometown

BEREA, Ohio -Sheldon Brownmade defensiveplays at ClevelandBrowns camp yes-terday like he knewwhat was coming.

The veteran corner-back stepped in front ofreceivers to knockaway passes - when hewasn’t making inter-ceptions.

“Sheldon is doing anice job,” new coachPat Shurmur said. “Hispreparation is very,very good. He’s gettinga lot out of camp, play-

ing very well.”Brown looked com-

pletely comfortable innew coordinator DickJauron’s defense. Heshould. Having fourdown linemen andthree linebackers infront of him is thesame basic concept helearned in eight sea-sons with thePhiladelphia Eaglesbefore being traded toCleveland a year ago.

Brown is eager toplay in it again.

“This is my system,”Brown said. “I love thequicker tempo.

Everything is sharper,faster.”

Brown said that’sone big difference fromthe old regime thatincluded a 3-4 defenseunder Eric Mangini,fired after last year’s 5-11 finish.

“Both ways can besuccessful,” Brownsaid. “I’m just morecomfortable in this one,not to say that I didn’tlike the other way. Thisis a little crisper, frommy standpoint. Everyday, we finish on timeor ahead of schedule.We’re fresh. We’re

organized. We’re get-ting ready.”

Brown came to campready after having off-season shoulder sur-gery, and the 32-year-old believes he hasn’tlost a step.

Two years ago, hereturned five intercep-tions and one fumblerecovery for a career-high 212 yards. He hadzero return yards ontwo picks in 2010when he was ham-pered. He tweaked hisshoulder in mid-November, but twoweeks later had a sea-

son-high 10 tackles ina win over Carolina. Hetore the rotator cuff inthe shoulder in mid-December againstBuffalo, but didn’t missa start, extending hisc o n s e c u t i v e - g a m estring to 144, secondamong active defensivebacks to Tampa Bay’sRonde Barber (208).

“I made adjustmentsto compensate and gotby,” Brown said.“Everything is finenow. It’s not an issue atall.”

That’s good news forthe Browns. They are

relying on Brown toplay and help defensivebacks such as youngJoe Haden and new-comer Usama Young,brought in from NewOrleans, adjust to thenew defense.

“He leads leadershipto that group,” Shumursaid.

Brown says the unitwill get chances toreact quicker and makeplays, though it maynot necessarily resultin more interceptions.That’s fine with him, aslong as Cleveland givesup fewer points overall.

Defensive back Brown likes Cleveland’s new defense

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011

daily challenge 8-10-11

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