weekly press week of april 11, 2013
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The longest running minority newspaper in Baton Rouge, LATRANSCRIPT
Torrance, CA – After two days of intense competition among 250 students represent-ing 48 competing teams, Mor-gan State University claimed its second National Championship title in a row at the 24th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Chal-lenge (HCASC), an annual aca-demic event featuring the best
and brightest students from the nation’s Historically Black Col-leges and Universities (HBCUs). Enduring a year-long program of study and preparation, the Morgan State University team emerged victorious at the National Cham-pionship Tournament held on the Los Angeles-area campus of American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc., and took home $50,000 in grants for their school.
Surviving 10 games against tough competition, Morgan State University clinched the National Championship over second-place finisher Florida A&M University after answering the following question correctly:
Morgan State University Wins Backto Back Academic Championships
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 a people’s publication Vol. 37 • No. 40 • FRee
b a t o n r o u g e , l o u i s i a n a
INDEXLocal & State ...........................2Commentary ............................4Business ...................................5Religion ...................................6Health ......................................7Sports ......................................8
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ClASSified Buying or selling a service, looking for for a good job? Check out the classifeds .
PoSt offiCe RetReAtSThe U.S. Postal Service backed down from its cost-saving plan to eliminate Saturday mail deliv-ery, acknowledging that Congress barred a move that supporters....See Page 2
StANd foR CHildReN lA.Stand for Children Louisiana recog-nized Diedre Pierre and Cheryl Lott as Stand Education Superheroes at their one-year anniversary event in Baton Rouge...See Page 2
SMAlleR diSHeS CUt oBeSitySmaller plates, fewer calories? The latest study shows one way to fight childhood obesity may be to shrink the size of the dinner plate.....See Page 7
The arrival of the Bayou State Trail Riders will mark the beginning of the 44th Annual Southern University Horse Show to be held at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Show Arena April 12-14, 2013 in Baker. Riding groups and partici-pants from across Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas are expected to attend. ....See Page 3
MoNRoe tRAil RideRS HoRSe SHoW ReligioN NeWSCouncilwoman Chauna Banks-Daniel and Daughters of Naomi will host a Child Abuse Prevention Breakfast. The event will be held on Saturday, April 20 at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church..See Page 6
THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 37 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002
BATON ROUGE, La. – Today AARP Louisiana released new survey results that show 66 percent of older Louisiana voters would be considerably less favor-able to their member of Congress or Senator if the member voted for a chained or superlative CPI proposal, expected to be in the President’s budget proposal this week. The survey shows that 87 percent of Louisiana voters age 50+ also oppose the highly unpopular idea of reducing So-cial Security benefits to reduce the deficit. AARP also released a national survey that could indi-cate how a vote for benefit cuts could impact House and Senate races across the nation.
“This cut to Social Security would break the promise to Loui-siana seniors and hurt veterans who’ve sacrificed so much for this great country,” said AARP State President Brenda Hatfield. “The chained CPI reduction snowballs over time and would increase taxes for most Louisi-ana taxpayers - at the same time that it cuts benefits for children, veterans, widows, retirees, and people with disabilities. As this survey shows, older Louisian-ans oppose the chained CPI and they’ve historically made their opinions known to their elected officials.”
Results in the survey on the impact of chained CPI include:
• 66%ofLouisianavoters50+ would be less favorable to-wards their Member of Congress if they voted for a chained or su-perlativeCPI(70%Democrats,70%Republicans,61%Indepen-dents).
• 75% of Louisianavoters 50+ oppose reducing the annual benefit increase retired
and disabled veterans receive by changing the way the cost of living increase is calculated for veterans’benefits(77%Demo-crats,77%Republicans,70%Independents).
• 92%ofLouisianavoters50+ believe it’s very important that benefits are not reduced for today’s seniors.
• 60%ofLouisianavoters50+ oppose increasing taxes for most taxpayers by changing the way the tax code is adjusted for inflation through chained CPI (62%Democrats,59%Republi-cans,60%Independents).How-ever,14%saidtheydonotknowif they support or oppose this, indicating there is little public understanding of how the chained CPI would affect a person’s taxes.
• 87%ofLouisianavot-ers 50+ oppose reducing Social Security benefits to reduce the deficit(91%Democrats,87%Republicans,81%Independents).
• 85%ofLouisianavot-ers 50+ believe that the future of Social Security should be considered separately from the budgetdeficitdiscussions(89%Democrats,84%Republicans,80%Independents).
The results of the full sur-vey can be found here. Woel-fel Research, an independent research firm, conducted 808 interviews of registered voters age 50+ from March 25 through March 27, 2013. This survey has a margin of sampling error of+/-3.5%.
For more AARP Louisiana resources and information on the impact of the chained CPI, please visit earnedasay.org and by con-tactingDeniseBottcherat
225-376-1145 or by e-mail at [email protected]
louisiana Members of Congress and Senators Could lose older Voters by Backing Proposed Cut to Social Security, Vets Benefits
BATON ROUGE, LA - Metropolitan Councilwoman C. DeniseMarcellewillbehostingthe 2013 Fairy Godmother Prom Extravaganza on Saturday, April 20,attheDr.MartinLutherKingJr. Community Center, 4000 Gus Young Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The 2013 Fairy Godmother Prom Extravaganza is in its fourth year of servicing over 500 young ladies in Baton Rouge. The Fairy Godmother Prom Extravaganza originally started as a prom dress giveaway but has evolved into offering free prom dresses and tuxedos, as well as free make-up and free haircuts.
Councilwoman Marcelle andTheDr.MartinLutherKingJr. Community Center are spon-soring the 2013 Fairy Godmother
Extravaganza. For more information, con-
tact Councilwoman Marcelle’s officeat389-3182orbye-mailat [email protected].
2013 fairy godmother Prom extravaganza give-Away
Metropolitan Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle
Morgan State University students, winners of the 24th Annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, pose with repre-sentatives from their school and with Honda executives at the American Honda headquarters in Torrance, Calif. In addition to the National Championship title, the Morgan State University team takes back $50,000 in grant money for their school.
Dr.BillCassidyrepresentsLouisiana’s 6th Congressional Districtwherehehaslivedmostof his life. He grew up in Baton Rouge and attended LSU and LSU Medical School.
Dr.CassidyisanAssociateProfessor of Medicine for the LSU Health Sciences Center. He spe-cializes in the treatment of liver diseases and continues to teach andseepatientsatEarlK.LongHospital.
Bill vaccinated 36,000 school children over 6 years for Hepatitis B at no cost to the fami-lies or schools after developing a public private partnership with nu-merous hospitals and organizations. He is the author of many papers regarding hepatitis and vaccina-tions and has spoken on numerous occasions in various parts of the U.S on these topics as well.
He also co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a coalition of dentists, phy-sicians and hospitals that provides free dental and medical care to the working uninsured.
In2005,afterKatrinadevas-tated New Orleans, Bill led a team in Baton Rouge, which converted anabandonedK-Martintoasurgehospital that received and treated hurricane evacuees.
Bill was elected to the Loui-siana State Senate in 2006 where he served until he was elected to Congress in 2008. In the State Senate he was on the Health and Welfare, Education and Retirement Committees. While there he fought for equitable distribution of state health care dollars for the unin-sured.
In Congress, he is a member of the House Energy and Com-merce Committee. He focuses on coastal restoration, energy and health care. Bill is actively involved in Medicaid and private insurance reform and is a strong proponent of market driven solutions for health care, which preserve the patient physician relationship and control costs. He has introduced legislation to promote the use of natural gas
Bill Cassidy Running for US Senate in 2014
Dr. Bill Cassidy
See cassidy, on page 2
Mayor-PresidentMelvinL.“Kip”Holdenandotherofficialsofficiallyopeneda$3.9-millionfacelift of Repentance Park in downtown Baton Rouge on Tuesday, April 2
As part of the Riverfront Master Plan, the 2.5-acre Repentance Park was reconfigured into public open space connecting City Hall, River Road, the River Center, North Boulevard Town Square, and the Old State Capitol.
The new park features a gradually sloped
lawn that creates an amphitheater space for concerts and other performances. A lighted pathway runs along the southern edge of the site, complete with benches that face the Old State Capitol grounds. The park also features an interactive water fountain with 750 water jets where kids of all ages can cool off on hot days.
The interactive fountain replaces an old water fountain and will save the city-parish about $300,000 a year in maintenance costs, Holden said.
Ribbon-Cutting that Was Held to officially open Repentance Park
See championship, on page 3
Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, April 11, 2013
BATON ROUGE, LA -The list of applicants vying to be the next police chief of Baton Rouge is complete. It contains 18 names. The deadline to apply expired Tues-day afternoon.
Many of the applicants already work within the Baton Rouge Po-liceDepartment,includingCarlDabadie,Jr.,thecurrentinterimchief.
•CarlR.DabadieJr.,48,(In-terimChief)hasbeenwithBRPD26 years, 11 months.
•ChristopherP.Hagan,43,(GonzalesPoliceDepartment)waswith Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office 16 years, 5 months. He hasbeenwithGonzalesPDsinceNov. 2012.
•Capt.JamesG.Drickamer,63,(Capt.withBRPD)hasbeenwithBRPD29years,8months.
•BillD.Press,60,(PolicechiefwithFairhopePoliceDept.in Miami, FL) – held that position for 3 yrs, 4 months) He has 34 yrs, 4 months experience in law enforcement.
•Capt.NoelJ.Salamoni,53,
(Capt.withBRPDofCommanderSpecial Operations) has been with BRPD31yrs,4months.
•Sgt.JonathanS.Dunnam,44, (Sgt. with Internal Affairs since March2000)hasbeenwithBRPD22 yrs.
•Cpl.MyronK.Daniels,38(SWAT Operator) has been with BRPD14yrs.
•Lt.ToddLee,45,(Com-mander of Administrative Services) hasbeenwithBRPD26yrs.
•Maj.PatriciaA.TauzinhasbeenwithBRPD37yrs.
• Sgt. Bryan Taylor, 39,(trainer at the firearms pistol unit) hasbeenwithBRPD17yrs,6months.
•LeoJ.Lamotte,63,(DeputyConstablewiththeBRPDCon-stable…been there since ‘06). He retiredfromBRPDinJanuary2004as a lieutenant.
•Lt.CarlDunn,50,hasbeenwithBRPD29years.
•Sgt.DarrylHonre,41,hasbeenwithBRPD17years.
•Lt.DonaldKelly,49,(Pro-fessional standards and media relations)hasbeenwithBRPD27 years.
•Sgt.ChristopherJohnson,51,(Detectivemajorassaults)hasbeenwithBRPD25years.
•EdwardRoberts,71,retiredfromBRPDin2000.Spent5yearswithEBRSOand19yearswithBRPDasanarcoticsdetective.
•IsabelleGilmore,62,retiredfromBRPDin1977.Currentlyateacher with Baker City Schools.
•Sgt.ChadKing,42,hasbeenwithBRPDfor18yrs(worksintraffic division).
The names will go before the civil service board on April 18 for their consideration.
Finalists will take a chief’s test on May 22.
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BATON ROUGE –Stand for Children Louisiana recognized DiedrePierreandCherylLottasStand Education Superheroes at their one-year anniversary event in Baton Rouge.
These two individuals were selected based on their dedication and action in the past year to im-prove education for all children in Louisiana. From passing legislation that resulted in a teacher evaluation system that evaluates performance based on student growth to mak-ing sure that great teachers are recognized, rewarded and kept in theclassroom–bothDiedreandCheryl have been working to put a highly effective teacher in every classroom for every child.
DiedreservesasaStandBaton Rouge Parent Leader who attends parent meetings where action plans are developed to improve out comes for children in Baton Rouge, speaks at Baton Rouge events about how and why she got involved with Stand, and, works tirelessly to en-gage other parents in taking actions for kids.
“Diedrehasanunwaveringbelief that every child can learn and that every child deserves nothing less than a high quality teacher and school,” said Raymond Allmon, Stand for Children Baton Rouge City Director.“WenamedDiedreour
‘Human Torch’ because she keeps people laughing and filled with hope, even in hard times. She brings us flares of joy in every situation.”
Cheryl Lott was a regular at the State Capitol last year show her support of recognizing and re-warding great teachers. She also attends parent strategy team meet-ings, speaks at press conferences, conducts interviews with the media when asked, and testifies at school board meetings in support of every child having a high quality school and teacher.
“Cheryl sacrifices so much
to make sure that our children get the high quality education that puts them on a bright path that leads to their biggest dreams and beyond,” said Allmon. “We named Cheryl our ‘Miss Marvel’, not only for her exceptional heroism but because she herself is marvelous.”
“Both of these Education Superheroes have been strong ad-vocates for children in their unique ways, all of which have led us one step closer to giving every child a highly effective teacher and school,” said Rayne Martin, Stand for Chil-drenLouisianaExecutiveDirector.
“DiedreandCherylgoaboveandbeyond to make sure every child in Baton Rouge and throughout Loui-siana graduates from high school prepared for, and with access to, college and career.”
Stand for Children is an in-novative education advocacy orga-nization. Our mission is to use the power of grassroots action to help all children get the excellent public education and strong support they need to thrive. To learn more go to www.stand.org/louisiana or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StandLouisiana.
Stand for Children louisiana Names Baton Rouge Stand education Superheroes At Anniversary event
Diedre Pierre and Cheryl Lott, Baton Rouge Parents, Recognized for their Action for Kids in 2012
18 People Apply to be BRPd Chief
as a transportation fuel to create American jobs and to decrease America’s dependence upon OPEC oil.
Bill has also worked towards providing an effective and trans-parent response for the victims of the Stanford Ponzi scheme. He introduced the Improving Secu-rity for Investors and Providing Closure Act, which allows SIPC to settle claims with victims on an individual basis should SIPC and the SEC, decide that settlement is warranted.
Bill received a perfect “100”
Cassidy from page 1
WASHINGTON - The be-leaguered U.S. Postal Service backed down from its cost-saving plan to eliminate Saturday mail delivery, acknowledging that Congress barred a move that supporters said was essential to addressing the agency’s dire financial condition.
Despitetheretreat,thegov-erning board said Wednesday that it’s not possible for the Postal Service to meet its goals for re-duced spending without altering thedeliveryschedule.Delaying“responsible changes,” the board said, only makes it more likely that the Postal Service “may become a burden” to taxpayers.
The Postal Service said in February that it planned to switch to 5-day-a-week deliveries begin-ning in August for everything except packages as a way to hold down losses.
But that announcement was a gamble. The agency es-sentially was asking Congress to drop from spending legislation the longtime ban on 5-day-only delivery. Congress did not do that when it passed a spending mea-sure last month.
“By including restrictive language ... Congress has pro-hibited implementation of a new national delivery schedule for mail and package,” the postal Board of Governors said in a statement Wednesday.
The board said it was dis-appointed by the congressional action, but would not disregard the law. It directed the Postal Service to delay putting in place the new delivery schedule until Congress passes legislation that gives the agency “the authority to implement a financially appro-priate and responsible delivery schedule.”
The board made the decision in a closed meeting Tuesday.
Officials said that to restore the service to long-term financial stability, the agency must have the flexibility to reduce costs and come up with new revenues.
“It is not possible for the Postal Service to meet signifi-cant cost reduction goals without changing its delivery schedule - any rational analysis of our current financial condition and business options leads to this conclusion,” the board state-ment said.
An independent agency, the service gets no tax dollars for
its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control. It lost nearly $16 billion last year - $11.1 billion of that due to a 2006 law Congress passed forc-ing it to pay into future retiree health benefits, something no other agency does.
“Given these extreme cir-cumstances and the worsening financial condition of the Postal Service, the board has directed management to seek a reopen-ing of negotiations with the postal unions and consultations with management associations to lower total workforce costs, and to take administrative ac-tions necessary to reduce costs,” according to the statement. It of-fered no giving further details.
It said the board also asked management to look at further options to raise revenues, includ-ing a rate increase.
The Postal Service already is executing a major restructuring throughout its retail, delivery and mail processing operations. Since 2006, it has reduced annual costs by approximately $15 billion, cutitsworkforceby193,000or28%,andconsolidatedmorethan200 mail processing locations.
GOPRep.DarrellIssaofCalifornia, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Re-form Committee, said he was disappointed in the change of plans announced Wednesday and noted that polls show a majority of people support the reduced delivery schedule.
“This reversal significantly undercuts the credibility of Postal officials who have told Congress that they were prepared defy po-litical pressure and make difficult but necessary cuts,” Issa said in a statement.
“Despitesomeassertions,it’s quite clear that special in-terest lobbying and intense po-litical pressure played a much greater role in the Postal Service’s change of heart than any real or perceived barrier to implement-ing what had been announced.”
Sen. Tom Carper, a leader on postal issues, said he hoped Congress would pass new leg-islation to address the agency’s problems.
“Even though today’s de-cision by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors delays its controversial proposal, the urgent
Post office Retreats on eliminating Saturday Mail
NAtioNAl
See cassidy, on page 3
See mail, on page 3
WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands of immigrants and activists rallied nationwide Wednesday in a coordinated set of protests aimed at pressing Congress to approve immigra-tion measures that would grant 11 million immigrants living here il-legally a path toward citizenship.
Organizers said demonstra-tions were taking place in at least 18 states and in Washington, D.C.,wherealarge,festivecrowdgathered on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday after-noon. Many carried hand-lettered signs and chanted “Si, se puede,” Spanish for “Yes, we can.”
“We won’t win immigration reform just coming to Washing-ton. We need to walk the streets all over the country,” said Ben Monterroso, national director of civic participation of the Service Employees International Union, which represents nurses and lower-wage employees including janitors and child care workers.
In Atlanta, more than 1,000 people marched around the Geor-gia Capitol Wednesday mid-day, calling for comprehensive changes to immigration policy and an end to deportation.
thousands Rally Across US for immigration Bill
Thursday, April 11, 2013 • The Weekly Press • Page 3
By: Terrence Marshall, County Agent, EBR ParishSouthern University Ag Center
The arrival of the Bayou State Trail Riders will mark the begin-ning of the 44th Annual Southern University Horse Show to be held at the Maurice A. Edmond Live-stock Show Arena April 12-14, 2013 in Baker. Riding groups and participants from across Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas are expected to attend.
The Bayou State Trail Riders will load buggies and covered wag-ons, hitch up their mules, saddle their horses, and leave the Monroe Civic Center on Monday April 8, 2013 to travel to Baton Rouge. The 70-member group will camp overnight in Archibald, Winns-boro, Clayton, Ferriday, and St. Francisville along the way. This marksthe9thyeartheBSTRhasconvoyed to Southern. The group travel to Southern each year to award scholarships to students who attend Southern University.
The gates to the Horse Show will open at 12 noon Friday April 12th. The Mellow Band will per-form at 5:00pm, with the presen-tation of the Queen and scholar-ships at 6:30pm. Saturday April 13th, the gates open at 7:00am. A youth stick horse rodeo will be held at 10:00am. The annual Trail
Ride from the arena throughout the Baker area will begin at 12 noon and the Gaited Horse Show at 3:00pm. Leon Chavis & the Zydeco Flames will perform at 5:00pm,andKeithFrank&The
Soileau Zydeco Band performs at 9:00pm.At9:00amSundayApril14th, a Cowboy Church Service will be held followed by a farewell breakfast at 10:00am.
Come and enjoy a weekend
with horse enthusiast from across the state.
For more information contact Terrence Marshall at 225.389.3055orChristyMonroeat 225.771.3510.
Monroe trail Riders Kicks off Annual Southern University Horse ShowBATON ROUGE, LA – The
Southern University Center of International Affairs and Univer-sity Outreach will host its annual International Jazz Brunch and Silent Auction on April 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Funds from the event pro-vide scholarships and for students seeking to study abroad.
Items from countries such as Brazil, Turkey, China, Sene-gal, and Belize will be auctioned. Guests can also donate items from countries they’ve visited. All items donated or purchased are tax deductible.
The Herman Jackson Jazz Ensemble will provide entertain-ment at the event. Tickets are available for individuals and table call the number below.
Tickets are available at the
Center for International Affairs and University Outreach (CIE). For tickets and more information, callKristanA.Gordon,AssistanttotheDeanattheCenterofInter-national Affairs, at 225-771-2613 or via email: [email protected].
The CIE was established at Southern to provide students with the opportunity to study abroad and to engage in activities to help them to acquire a second lan-guage and knowledge of foreign cultures.
Through the CIE, Southern has created programs in Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia that involves academic study and service learning activities. The CIE is actively pursuing exter-nal support for its international initiatives.
SU Center for international Affairs to Host international Jazz Brunch
BATON ROUGE, LA - The GFWC Lagniappe Woman’s Club announces its 13th annual fundraiser for the Baton Rouge General Hospital Burn Center Pediatric Patient Program. The afternoon of “Fun, Food and Fashion” is scheduled for Sun-day, May 5, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4728 Constitution Avenue from noon until 4:00 P. M. The afternoon will include a luncheon, fashion show with
local firefighters escorting the models wearing Coldwater Creek apparel, vendors, raffles, and a silent auction. Comedian Har-old Hall is the featured enter-tainment.For tickets, contact Pat Quartararoat275-9993.
For addition publicity information, contact Charlotte Frattini, 225-205-4318. Presi-dentDellaSinclairisavailablefor interviews.
gfWC lagniappe Woman’s Club Held their 13th Annual fundraiser
BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana officials said there is still about $8 million in disaster case management services avail-able for families still recovering from last year’s Hurricane Isaac.
TheLouisianaDepartmentof Children and Family Services on Wednesday said anyone who lived in one of the 26 parishes affected by the storm and can demonstrate they have unmet needs may be eligible for the services.
The program is not de-
signed to provide direct aide, but will help link families to avail-able services and resources, such as long-term sustainable housing, employment, furniture, appli-ances and counseling.
DCFSispartneringwithCatholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans to run the program, which is expected to run through July 2014.
Individuals and families interested in case management servicescancall1-866-891-2210for more information.
dCfS: Case Aid Still Available for isaac Relief
In1975theHimalayanking-dom of Sikkim joined what very large neighbor to its south?
Correct Answer: IndiaWhile Morgan State Univer-
sity secured the top prize of $50,000 in university grants, all 48 schools were awarded grants. Florida A&M University won $25,000, while the remaining “Final 4” teams – Oak-wood University and West Virginia State University – each received $15,000. The other top eight – Alabama State University, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and North Carolina A&T University–wereawarded$9,500in grants. In total, Honda provided
more than $300,000 in grants to participating schools.
Since1989,HCASChasbrought together the nation’s best and brightest academic competitors from America’s top HBCUs. Throughout its history, HCASC has been the only annual academic com-petition between the nation’s HBCUs, touching more than 100,000 students and awarding more than $7 million dollars in grants.
Please contact Melissa Martinez with American Honda at310-783-3549.
Championship from page 1
BATON ROUGE, LA – The Louisiana Community and Tech-nical College System (LCTCS) today announced the 2013 Phi ThetaKappaLouisianaAll-Aca-demic Team, comprising 21 high-achieving community and technical college students from the 14 com-munity and technical colleges that make up the LCTCS.
The All-Academic Team rec-ognizes high academic achievement and civic excellence of students attending Louisiana’s community
and technical colleges, and pro-vides opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service and fellowship program-ming. Honorees will be recognized at an awards luncheon presented by Pearson on Wednesday, April 10, at noon, at the State Museum of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.
“We are proud of our All-Academic Team and what they mean to the communities in which theyliveandstudy,”saidDr.JoeD.May,LCTCSpresident.“Thesestudents represent some of the high-est achievers at their respective institutions and we are pleased to honor them for their commitment,
dedication, and scholastic accom-plishments. We are excited about their futures as they transition suc-cessfully into a four-year institution or rewarding careers.”
The All-Academic Team wasstartedbyPhiThetaKappa,the international honor society for two-year colleges, in cooperation with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and USA Today. Independent judges review student applications and select the team members.
Members of the All-Aca-demic Team now become eligible for the All-USA Community Col-lege Academic Team, also spon-sored by the AACC and USA Today.
lCtCS Announces Phi theta Kappa louisiana All-Academic teamAwards luncheon to recognize 21 students on April 10
At AT&T, we know businesses are a lifeline for communities like Baton Rouge. That’s why we partner with local development groups and chambers of commerce to help keep those businesses connected.
it’s all about connections
© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
These students represent some of the highest achievers at their respective institutions and we are pleased to honor them for their commitment, dedication, and scholastic accomplishments.
score on the National Federa-tion of Independent Businesses and on the National Right to Life scorecards. He is lifetime member of the NRA. Bill co-founded and serves as the co-Chair of the Congressional DyslexiaCaucus.HelivesinBatonRougewithhiswife,Dr.Laura Cassidy and their three children.
Cassidy from page 2
need for the administration and Congress to work together to save the Postal Service by mak-ing hard decisions and tackling controversial issues like Satur-day delivery remains,” Carper, D-Del.,saidinastatement.
Over the past several years, the Postal Service has advocated shifting to a 5-day delivery schedule for mail and packages, and it repeatedly but unsuccessfully has appealed to Congress to approve the move.
The idea to cut mail but keep 6-day package delivery played up the agency’s strong point. It’s package service is growing as more people buy things online, while the vol-ume of letters sent has slumped with increased use of email and other internet services.
The Senate last year passed a bill that would have stopped the postal service from eliminating Saturday service for at least two years and re-quired it to try two years of aggressive cost cutting instead. The House didn’t pass a bill.
mail from page 2
By RaynaRd JacksonNNPA Columnist
Two weeks ago, President Obama met with three African presidents—Koroma (Sierra Leone), Sall (Senegal), Banda (Malawi), and Prime Minis-ter of Cape Verde Jose Maria Pereira Neves. This was the White House’s way of rewarding these leaders for their examples of good governance. Receiving an invitation to the White House is one of the most sought after invitations in the world, espe-cially for foreign leaders.
African leaders constantly complain about how they are negatively portrayed in the U.S. media, about how Blacks don’t invest in Africa, and about how there seems to be a disconnect between Africans and American Blacks.
My response has always been quite simple – It’s your fault!
Let me break it down based on the itinerary for the delegation that met with Obama two weeks ago. In most cases, the State De-partment takes the lead in set-ting up the program for foreign leaders, but they are free to add their own program in addition to State’s program if they so desire.
While in Washington, each leader participated in numer-
ous meetings and events to strengthen bilateral cooperation on a range of shared priorities. Joint events included a dinner hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) to discuss trade and investment opportunities with representatives from U.S. businesses; a public discussion on democratization in Africa at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP); an economic and development roundtable with U.S. government officials; and a meeting with Secretary of De-fense Hagel to discuss coopera-tion on shared regional security and peacekeeping objectives in Africa.
Notice anything interesting here? Let me help you. Dinner hosted by CCA—mostly Fortune 500 companies (White-run com-panies). Many Africans accuse “corporate America” of only using Africa for their natural resources—well duh, you in-vited them to your country; a discussion on democracy at USIP. I have tried, to no avail, to get Howard University interested in engaging with African heads of state, but they have shown abso-lutely no interest. I think I can get a meeting with Obama easier than I can get a meeting with the president of Howard University.
By Julianne MalveauxNNPA Columnist
Unemployment rates were “little changed” in March 2013 – they were either holding steady or dropping by a tenth of a per-centage point or so. The unem-ployment rate dropped from 7.7 to 7.6 percent representing a steady, if painstakingly slow, decrease. This declining un-employment rate was reported with some circumspection be-cause even as the rate dropped, nearly half a million people left the labor market, presumably because they could not find work. Further, in March, the economy generated a scant 88,000 jobs, fewer than in any of the prior nine months. An economy that many enjoy, de-scribing as “recovering,” has not yet recovered enough to generate enough jobs to keep up with population increases.
Of course, there are varia-tions in the unemployment rate, which is 6.7 percent for Whites, but 13.3 percent for African Americans. Hidden unemploy-ment pushes the actual White rate up to 13.8 percent and the Black rate to 24.2 percent. More than 4.6 million Americans have been out of work for more than
27 weeks.I parse these numbers on
the first Friday of each month and note the vacillations in these rates. In the past four years, we have seen a downward drift in rates, but it neither been as rapid or as inclusive as we might like. We know that, in spite of talk of economic recovery, job creation is stagnant, not keeping up with increases in the population. In no month have we created the 300,000 jobs we need to “catch up” and push unemployment rates down.
We should pay attention to unemployment vacillations, but we might also consider the human cost of unemployment. Those who are unemployed ex-perience malaise, displacement, and often depression. This mal-aise, or worse, affects dynam-ics in families, workplaces, and communities.
Some workers exhale when they dodge the bullet of a lay-off. Next, they inhale when they realize that, thanks to layoffs, their workload will increase. In families and communities, the unemployment of just one per-son has a series of unintended costs for those close to them.
Speaking to the National Association of Black Social
Workers conference last week, I reminded them that social workers are among those who bear the burden of unemploy-ment. These committed public servants work with the threat of layoffs in their worksites, given sequestration and state budget cuts. Yet they are also challenged to advise those who have experienced the fate they may have to grapple with them-selves. As employment is cut among social workers, others are forced to take on larger case-loads. Unless some of these social workers are superhuman, there will be clients who will slip between the cracks.
Heretofore, we have mostly looked at unemployment data as a reflection of the number of jobs our economy generates. We’ve also looked at those who hold them, those who lose them, and what this means in terms of poverty, education, and commu-nity health. We could expand our understanding of the em-ployment situation if we looked at those who bear its burden.
There are politicians who rail that people are unemployed because they are lazy. The fact is people are unemployed because the economy is not generating enough jobs. The French phi-
losopher, Albert Camus, mused, “Without work all life is rotten.” Everybody wants to be useful; and until “use” is defined as something other than paid employment, many will feel marginalized because of their vocation situation.
When unemployed, people hear about our “recovering” economy. They wonder what is wrong with them. We all need to wonder what is wrong with an economy that generates such unemployment. We need to wonder about an economy that has soaring stock prices and robust corporate profits, while so many individuals are strug-gling financially. We need to do more to include those at the margins into the vitality of our “recovering” economy. And we need to understand that if one in four African Americans and one is six of the overall population, experiences unemployment, this is not a personal problem, but a societal one. Will our so-ciety fix it, or let it roll? And who pays?
Julianne Malveaux is a Wash-ington, D.C.-based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.
By James clingmanNNPA Columnist
Surely you’ve heard the say-ing, “Money Talks.” But, have you ever wondered what is said about Black money? Obviously, under-standing its power and the role it plays in this economy, money speaks loudly and clearly, and Black money speaks even louder. But what does it say?
We know from past experi-ence, when we have grievances, if we resort to economic retaliation we can get things done. Why? Because Black money speaks loud-est when it is under duress. One trillion dollars can get pretty loud and boisterous, and those who are getting the lion’s share of it right now pay close attention to what it is saying. They sit up and take notice when we resort to withhold-ing our money from their coffers. Just look back in history and you can see what I mean.
The only language that gets things done in this country is the money language. Why do you think those folks on that balcony at the New York Stock Exchange always clap at the end of the trading day – regardless of a loss or a gain? In 2001, immediately following the World Trade Center tragedy, the call went out to the American public to spend more money; and then President George W. Bush called for a spending campaign with the $600 “advance tax refund” checks.
Consumption comprises two-thirdsofourGrossDomesticProd-uct(GDP);themorewespendthehigher it goes. Black dollars play a significant role in that scenario since we consume much more than we produce. But, since we already know what our dollars are saying to everyone else, let’s see what Black dollars are saying to Black people.
There is a great deal of it in the hands of brothers and sisters who seem to have plugs in their ears, unable to hear what their money is saying. I see some in the Hip-Hop crowd doing vot-ing summits but not economic summits, despite their collective worth of billions of dollars. I see many of our Black athletes and entertainers spending rather than investing in their own brothers’ and sisters’ businesses. And I see millions of everyday brothers and sisters spending their share of our $1 trillion haphazardly, aimlessly, and unashamedly on the baubles, bangles, and beads made by every-one else except Black folks. It is obvious they are not listening to their money, and even more ob-vious that they are certainly not listening to folks like me.
My hope is that they and other Black consumers will lis-ten to Brother Norm Bond, Chair-
man of the National Alliance of MarketDevelopers,andSisterSara Lomax-Reese, President andGeneralManagerof900AM(WURD),astheyhavekickedofftheMillionDollarBlackSpendingPower Campaign in Philadelphia. In conjunction with the Philly movement, Claud Anderson, author of Powernomics, and Bob Law, venerable radio talk show host and community activist, are conducting forums titled, “Where is the money going?” which deal with turning Black spending into real power. The commitment being asked of individual Black consumers is to spend at minimum of $20 per week at a Black-owned business.
Doyouthinkyoucandothat?I think it’s the least we can do,
and we must spread this movement across the country. Our dollars speak volumes of positive words but mostly to businesses other than those owned by Blacks. Our dol-lars also speak loudly – we just need to listen more closely and understand what they are saying. And then we must act upon their messages of power, leverage, and reciprocity.
You know, if Philadelphia sustainstheMillionDollarBlackSpending campaign, the impetus and catalytic effects from that city alone would demonstrate the strength and benefits of recy-cling Black dollars like no other movement has done. Philadelphia alone, with its tremendous number of Black businesses, associations, consumers, its history with Richard Allen, the Philadelphia Plan, Leon Sullivan,EdRobinson,andKen-neth Bridges’ MATAH Network, Kennygamble,WalterLomax,anchoredbyWURDRadio,couldserve as the model of how to get Black dollars to make some sense. I trust and pray you will support this movement.
Yes, money talks, and Black money talks even more and much louder. Black money is talking and saying positive things to White-owned businesses, Asian-owned businesses, Indian-owned busi-nesses, and the many others that Black consumers support. But, most of the time Black money is only saying “Good-bye!” to Black people. Let’s use the new “Philadelphia Plan” to start a new relationship with our dollars by reintroducing ourselves to our own money. Contact Norm Bond at [email protected].
Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics.com.
By GeorGe e. curryNNPA Columnist
Even before President Obama released his budget proposal this week for the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, preliminary details about his plan to effectively cut Social Se-curity cost of living increases has caused a firestorm among supporters who now feel be-trayed.
Under the plan, Obama would shift the way federal benefits are indexed from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to the “chained” CPI, gradually reducing benefit payments. Without getting overly tech-nical, the chained CPI – a way of indexing living costs – has grown on average by about 0.3 percentage points per year more slowly than the official CPI. Social Security actuaries assume the gap between the two CPIs will continue to average 0.3 percentage points per year in the future;
Former Clinton Labor Sec-retary Robert Reich said in a MoveOn.org press release that
“Social Security is not driving the deficit, therefore it should not be part of reforms aimed at cutting the deficit.” He added, “The chained CPI, de-ceptively portrayed as a reason-able cost-of-living adjustment,
is a cut to Social Security that would hurt seniors.”
White House officials point out that the chained CPI would not affect initial Social Security benefits because they are based on wages. It is the subsequent cost of living increases that would be affected.
According to an analysis by the Associated Press, Social Security benefits for a typical middle-income 65-year-old would be about $136 less a year under the new indexing. At age 75, annual benefits would be $560 less. At 85, the cut would be $984 a year. While that might not seem huge to some, it rep-resents a significant loss of in-come from the elderly living on a fixed income.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shares Robert Reich’s outrage.
“If Obama is serious about dealing with our deficit, he would not cut Social Security – which has not added one penny to the deficit,” Sanders said in a statement posted on his website. “Instead, he would support legislation that ends the absurdity of one out of four profitable corporations paying nothing in federal income taxes. He would also help us close the offshore tax haven loopholes that enable large corporations and the wealthy to avoid paying
$100 billion a year in federal taxes.”
Social Security payments and COLAs are not limited to the elderly. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, approximately 6 million children under age 18 (8 percent of all U.S. children) lived in families that received income from Social Security in 2011. That includes children who received their benefits as dependents of retired, disabled, or deceased workers as well as those who live with parents or relatives who received Social Security benefits.
Democrats are irked that Obama is breaking a pledge he made in 2008 not to cut Social Security. And regardless of how he couches it, that’s the net ef-fect of his action.
“You can’t call yourself a Democrat and support Social Security benefit cuts,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “… The president has no mandate to cut these benefits, and progressives will do everything possible to stop him.”
Critics note that any “sav-ings” from the chained CPI would go into the government’s general fund, not the Social Se-curity Trust Fund. Therefore, it does nothing to “strengthen”
Social Security.“It’s not the president’s
ideal approach to our budget challenges, but it is a serious compromise proposition that demonstrates that he wants to get things done,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday.
As I have noted in this space before, Obama is an Ap-prentice Negotiator. We saw that in 2012 when Republicans goaded him into extending the Bush tax cuts. In a failing effort to garner Republican support, Obama keeps offering up pro-grams cherished by progres-sives, sometimes before the negotiating begins.
President Obama’s new proposal also calls for placing a 28 percent cap on tax deduc-tions and other exclusions. Be-cause the change would raise taxes of the wealthy, GOP lead-ers are expected to reject the plan.
Social Security provides monthly benefits to more than 50 million retired workers and workers with disabilities, their dependents, and their survi-vors. Obama faces considerable opposition from his own party, largely because of the impor-tance of the popular retirement program.
commentaryThursday, April 11, 2013 • The Weekly Press •Page4
obama Budget Breaks Social Security Pledge
The views expressed in the editiorial columns are not necessarily the veiws of The Weekly Press or its staff. Address all opinions and comments to: Letters to the Editior, P.O. Box 74485 Baton Rouge, La. 70874 or E-mail them to: [email protected]
the Burden of Unemployment
Money talk falls on deaf ears
See pledge, on page 5
African leaders Avoid U.S. Blacks
See blacks, on page 5
Thursday, April 11, 2013 • The Weekly Press • Page 5
business
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“Social Security benefits play a vital role in reducing poverty,” observed the Center for Budget and Policy Priori-ties. “Without Social Security, 21.4 million more Americans would be poor, according to the latest available Census data (for 2011). Although most of those whom Social Security keeps out of poverty are elderly, nearly a third are under age 65, including 1.1
million children.”
George E. Curry, former ed-itor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Associa-tion News Service (NNPA.) He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge.
pledge from page 4
Meetings with government officials (i.e. White officials, other than former Ambassador Johnny Carson). Meeting with Secretary of Defense Hagel.
So, I guess these African leaders couldn’t find any Black NGOs to meet with or maybe their White lobbyists would not give them permission to meet with successful minority busi-nessmen like David Steward, CEO of World Wide Technol-ogy in St. Louis–a $ 5 billion privately held firm.
Maybe their White lobby-ist wouldn’t give them permis-sion to meet with the National Newspaper Publishers Associa-tion (NNPA), a federation of 200 Black-owned newspapers in the U.S., or give a speech at a Black university.
So, to my African heads of state, if you are looking for positive media coverage from the U.S., then sit with our Black media and tell them your story. If you are looking for invest-
ment in your country, then invest some time by meeting with Black businessmen when you come to our country. Ifif you want Americans, especially Blacks to tour your countries, then take a tour of our com-munities when you are in the U.S. So, stop complaining and be what you are looking for.
Africa has a lot to offer as far as investment opportunities, tourism, and even education; but Africa has not made its case to the American people. Until they do, they will continue to be like the tinkling cymbal or the sounding brass, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Raynard Jackson is presi-dent & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washing-ton, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached through his Web site, www.raynardjackson.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at raynard1223
BlaCks from page 4
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By Hazel TRice edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) - It
is a story that has unfolded all too often. The owner of a small business finds it simply impos-sible to pull through the tortur-ous economy. The doors shut or the website shuts down and another business venture comes to a close.
Without incubation and support, the nation’s small busi-nesses - including Black-owned businesses, which are doubly vulnerable due to a history of racism and discrimination - would go under at alarming rates. In short, they need an advocate.
This is the reason that when the leaders of the Na-tional Bankers Association, an organization of 37 mostly Black-owned banks, began pon-dering prospective recipients of their annual “Beyond the Call
ofDutyAward”,itspresidentsays they did not have to look very far. “No question, it was Marie Johns, deputy administra-tor of the U. S. Small Business Administration,” he said.
“I think Marie Johns has an extraordinary record of serving the small business community in our country. She has shown a genuine in-terest in working with all small businesses. She’s been fair and inclusive, she believes in di-versity, she’s shown a great sensitivity to the struggle of small businesses,” says Mi-chael Grant, president of the National Bankers Association after bestowing Johns with the award during the NBA’s Annual Legislative/Regulatory Confer-ence last week.
In prepared remarks, he said, “Ms. Johns has developed a reputation for being a good listener. She not only listened to
community bankers and small business owners, she acted,” he said. In fact, Grant says Johns has served so well in the posi-tion that he believes she should be promoted to the top of the agency. “I think she would be an excellent candidate to be SBA administrator,” he said in an in-terview, noting that the agency has even greater potential.
An article by Claudio E. Cabrera, originally posted last fall on business website The Street.com and re-published this month on BlackEnterprise.com, is headlined, “Minority BusinessesaBigDriverintheU.S. Small Business Economy.”
The article reports “the number of black-owned busi-nessesroseanoteworthy60.5%to1.9million from2002 to2007,morethantriplethe18%rate for businesses established nationally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey
of Business Owners.”Itcontinues,“Duringthe
most recent period for which there is Census data, black-owned businesses generated $137.5 bil-lioninreceipts,up55.1%.”
But the down side is this: Most of the highly prosperous Black-owned businesses are con-centrated in certain states. New York, Georgia and Florida and cities like New York, Chicago, HoustonandDetroithavethelargest concentration of the na-tion’s black-owned businesses, the article reports, based on Cen-suscalculations.Also,“ofthe1.9million black-owned businesses, little more than 100,000 had paid employees” and only “14,000 of those businesses had receipts of $1 million or more.”
Johns agrees that as Black and other minority businesses grow, the economy grows.
SBA deputy Said to go “Beyond the Call of duty” for Black Businesses
BATON ROUGE — The Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council invites the community to view “(un)familiar,” a thesis exhibition by local artist, Raina Wirta.
Wirta will present “(un)fa-miliar”onFriday,April19from7p.m. to 10 p.m. in the loft space at the CACRC warehouse, located at 1400 Main Street in Baton Rouge. The event is free and open to all ages.
According to a press release by the artist, the presentation re-volves around “ambiguities of
representation and perception by addressing complexities of identity and desire.” In addition to featuring a variety of non-tra-ditional elements such as rubber, plastic, and wallpaper, Wirta’s pieces will combine sculpture, sketches, paintings and collage work.
Gallery hours after the opening will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Fri-day, from April 22 to April 26. All visitors are required to sign in at the front desk of the CACRC be-fore viewing the displayed pieces.
The event will be hosted at the nonprofit as part of the orga-nization’s community outreach effort, according to Nancy Jo Craig, executive director for the CACRC.
“CACRC regularly partners with LSU and the local art com-munity to provide a viewing space for their events. We are thrilled to be a part of this, and are looking forward to viewing the completed exhibit,” Craig said.
Currently a master of fine arts candidate in studio art at LSU, Wirta received her BFA from St.
Cloud State University in Saint Cloud, MN. Wirta is co-founder and artistic director of Elevator Projects, an artist collective in Baton Rouge that develops events in the city’s unoccupied spaces, and which also collaborates with local arts organizations.
For more information about the event, contact Raina Wirta at (763)568-1159.ContactLluviaL.Peveto the Outreach Coordinator with the Capital Area Corporate RecyclingCouncilat(225)379-3577 or by e-mail [email protected] for more information.
the Capital Area Corporation Recycling Council, local Artist to Host “(un)familiar” thesis exhibit
Page 6 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, April 11, 2013
reLigion
ChurCh DireCtoryNot forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25
Email your cHurcH NEws articlEs to
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rev. leo Cyrus Sr., Pastor
BATON ROUGE, LA - Councilwoman Chauna Banks-DanielandDaughtersofNaomiwill host a Child Abuse Preven-tion Breakfast. The event will be held on Saturday, April 20 at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church, 8742 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge and will beginat9:00a.m.
Every year in April, the President of the United States is-sues a proclamation to announce National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect,” said Banks-Daniel.Everyyear3.3millionreports of child abuse are made in the United States involving nearly 6 million children. The United States has the worst re-cord in the industrialized nation - losing five children every day
due to abuse-related deaths. The general public is in-
vited to attend and learn how to identify and report possible child abuse or negligent behav-iors. “The proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is rather fitting to the prevention of child abuse”saidBanks-Daniel.
“The prevention of child abuse is a community effort and takes coordination from all”, stated Annette Yancy, founder ofDaughtersofNaomi.Panel-ists from various organizations will participate to help encourage public awareness of child abuse and neglect, and to promote com-munity involvement.
PleasecontactKimberlyR.Brown, the Legislative Assistant to Councilwoman Chauna Banks-Danielat(225)389-8331orbye-mail at [email protected] for any additional information.
Child Abuse Prevention Breakfast at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church
BATON ROUGE, LA - Minister Nina Gray, the Min-ister of Music at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church will be sponsoring a free Gospel Concert on April 13, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. This is the Second Annual Gospel Concert.
The Home and School Association of St. Francis
Xavier Catholic School or-ganized the concert.
Come and join Carolyn West and Pamela Warren and Family.
For additional information, please contact Eariett Buck at 225-270-3322 © or the office at225-387-6639.
free gospel Concert at St. francis Xavier Catholic Church
BATON ROUGE, LOUI-SIANA – Sunday, April 2013 at 2:00 p.m., at the Open Faith Ministry will be hosting their AnnualFriendsandFamilyDay.
Minister Libby Chenier is the pastor of Open Faith Min-istry and the church is located at3873ChoctawDrive(which
is located in the shopping cen-ter where Piggly Wiggly is lo-cated).
For additional informa-tion, please contact the follow-ing person: Minister Libby Chenierat(225)978-5097orDeaconessCarlaWarner at(225)328-6943.
open faith Ministry Will Host their Annual friends and family day
By aaron arMsTronG
Don’tworry.There’snoth-ing wrong.
Your vision might be clear.You’ve got a good sense of
what the community needs and aren’t overwhelming everyone with programs.
You and the entire congre-gation are praying fervently.
You’re passionate about reaching people and equally passionate about the gospel.
As far as you can tell, you’re faithfully proclaiming the Word and living in light of it … and yet your church isn’t growing.
What’s going on?Reading some pastors’
thoughts about church growth, you’d think that if your church isn’t growing it’s because (de-spite your protestations) you must have some secret sin caus-ing God to withhold His bless-ing. It’s the same game Job’s friends played, where instead of comforting him, they accused him of disobedience to God.
And yet.What’s the deal? Is a
church’s lack of growth a result of some unspoken sin on the leadership’s part? Is numerical growth always a sign of God’s blessing upon a local church?
I’m not so sure.There seems to be a lot of
pressure for pastors to have “successful” ministries — and by successful, what’s really meant is to have big numbers.
While numbers are not wrong (they can be very good, in fact), we’ve got to be care-ful about how we think about church growth, and what it means to be successful as a church. And while I don’t en-tirely disagree with the points raised in the link above, they’re incomplete.
There are at least three other crucial factors that need to be considered when asking why some churches don’t grow:
1. “Soil” conditions.You might be doing all the
“right” things and have the right attitude, but nothing’s happening (at least not the way the experts tell you it should). We would be wise to remember Jesus’ words in Luke 8:4-15:
And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was tram-pled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundred-fold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” ...
The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in times of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience (emphasis added).
Jesus is quite clear here: The Word is going to have a different effect upon the hearts of different hearers.
Some will have the Word more or less bounce off their hardened hearts. Others will receive it with joy, but this joy will be fleeting. Others will be ultimately indifferent, focusing only on the cares of this world.
And some will receive it and bear good fruit “with pa-tience.”
Here’s the point: You have no control over the soil condi-tions.
You are to sow the seed of the Word and trust that as many as have been appointed to eternal life will believe (Acts 13:48). And that’s the limit of what you can do.
2. It could be God being
very merciful to you.Our church has experienced
rather explosive growth over the last several years — and it’s put us in a bit of an awkward situation.
We’re currently renting the largest high school in the city, and once we max it out (again), we’re stuck until we can get into a permanent facil-ity. Our church’s leadership has done a wonderful job modeling restraint and prayerful decision making in the midst of a great deal of pressure (both internal and external) to build a perma-nent facility.
A permanent facility is in the works, but timing and re-sources are huge factors to al-ways have front-of-mind, which is why I’m so thankful for their leadership on this.
But depending on your cir-cumstances, a lack of numeri-cal growth may be evidence of God’s mercy upon your church.
If you experience a major upswing in attendance, but not in giving, you’re probably not going to be able to add an ad-dition, build a new building or rent a new facility.
If you’re short on able-bod-ied volunteers, adding a second (or third) service may not be the best thing for the people.
There are huge organiza-tional implications that come with different attendance lev-els, and not everyone is built to handle leading a church of that size and complexity.
And it may be God’s mercy upon you if you’re not seeing wild, unheard of growth.
3. The Lord doesn’t want it to.
Ultimately, all growth is the direct result of God’s sovereign decree. He determines the times and places in which we live, and calls us to fulfill our ministries there.
That means He’s also sov-ereign over the size of your church. If the Lord wants your church to grow to 1500, so be it. But it may be that Jesus will be more glorified if your church maintains at 50.
The fact is, if your church’s attendance is around 150 people,
3 Surprising Reasons Churches doN’t grow
See grow, on page 7
DeloresDixonwasborninOakland,CaliforniaonJuly3,1955totheunionofCharlesDixonSr.andRosaLeeAndersonDixon.She confessed Christ at an early age uniting with the Macedonia Baptist Church of Oakland, Cali-fornia. Later in life she rededicated her life back to Christ,
Deloresreceivedheredu-cation through the public school system in Oakland, California. HerFatherCharlesDixonSr.,TwoBrothersCharlesDixonJr.,andFrankDixonprecededherindeath.OnMarch28,2013,Deloresdeparted this life in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to go with the Lord. She leaves to continue her legacy, Two Sons,GearyMurphyandDemarioDixon,ofBatonRougeLouisiana.ThreeDaughter’s,CourtneyDixon,JoyDixonandReginaDixon,allof Baker, Louisiana, Mother Rosa DixonHaney,ofBaker,Louisiana.TwoBrothers,AlfredDixonandLionelDixonofOakland,Califor-nia.Deloresleavesbehindsevensisters and three brother in-laws. Sherley Brown of Stockbridge, Georgia. Barbara Rivera of Oak-land, California. Mary Nash (Peter) of Stockbridge, Georgia. Audrey Sledge (Fred) of Baker, Louisiana. KathyGreenofBatonRouge,Loui-siana. LaRunda Fullwood (George) of Oakland, California. One Step-sister Shirley Monroe of San Le-andro. California. She cherished her devoted friendship with Jerome DorseyofOaklandCalifornia.TwoGranddaughters Erica Murphy of Oakland, California, and Tanaya Murphy of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Special Nephew Antoine Nash of Sacramento, Calif. One Aunt Verda Scott of Baton, Rouge, La, a host of nephews and nieces, cousins, family and friends.
in Remembrance of delores dixon
Delores Dixon
Thursday, April 11, 2013 • The Weekly Press • Page 7
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cally pointed out that changes which occur in a human being is redirected to pull from the core of his own humanity to reaffirm self worth and purpose. he will then by nature acquire the will to do for himself and others.
Space is not available to cover concerns of so many people
concerned with the conditions at Jetson. it is happening there. What i do know is that most of these youth can be changed, from contrition in a prepatory school for Angola to rehabilitation for a positive life that may lead to a life of meritorious glory. That is the Way I See It!
SyStem from page 4
all funny or remotely appropri-ate about the use of a lynching reference about Michelle obama,’’ he said. ‘’it’s - i’m speechless.’’
As President Bush pointed out so eloquently during the Black history Month event, the noose represents ‘’more than a tool of murder but a tool of intimidation’’ to generations of African-Ameri-cans. Nooses not only robbed some of their lives but many of their peace of mind.
‘’As a civil society, we must understand that noose displays and lynching jokes are deeply offensive. they are wrong. And they have no place in America today,’’ he said.
Neither o’reilly nor ingraham has been reprimanded by their re-spective employers even though the Fox News personality did offer a half-hearted apology.
At least ingraham didn’t drop the l-word but her suggestion that Sharpton, a former presidential candidate and respected member of the African-American community and beyond, is a petty thief reeks of race-baiting and negative ste-reotyping of African-Americans and black men in particular.
But it’s hardly the first time ei-ther has ventured into questionable and offensive territory. how can
we forget o’reilly’s less-than-informed comments regarding a dinner he shared last year with Sharpton at Sylvia’s in harlem? o’reilly expressed surprise over how similarSylvia’s was to other restaurants in New York restau-rants.
‘’there wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, i want more iced tea,’’’ he said.
As the Washington Post’s rob-inson sadly observed on MSNBC in February, ‘’All you can go by is his words and his actions. And he keeps saying these things that sound pretty darn racist to me.’’
has talk radio learned anything from imus’ decline and fall? of course not, because it didn’t take imus too terribly long to get a new gig.
our nation’s media outlets should not provide a platform for racialhostility and hateful speech now or in the future. What kind of messageare we sending to our chil-dren, our nation and our world?
in such an historic election year, we cannot stand aside and allow individuals to use the airwaves as an outlet for insensitive and misguidedcommentary. if you hear something that offends you, speak up.
talk Radio from page 4
ering all children.the CDF Action Council, build-
ing on the best practices in states and lessons learned about children falling through the bureaucratic cracks of Medicaid and SChiP, strongly urged Congress to enact the All healthy Children Act, S. 1564/h.r. 1688, introduced by representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) in the house and Senator Bernie Sanders (i-Vt) in the Sen-ate. the measure would provide comprehensive benefits including dental and mental health, simpli-fied bureaucracy, and a national eligibility plan for families up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. We thank the 62 house co-sponsors for their support. how-ever, we regret that neither a single house republican nor any other Senator joined them to push for coverage for all children.
the CDF Action Council strongly supports long overdue health cov-erage for everyone in America as soon as possible—because children cannot wait. As SChiP comes up again for reauthorization in early 2009, we hope every Member of Congress will insist on covering every child and pregnant mother now by enacting and adequately funding the provisions of the All healthy Children Act.
Specious claims that we could not find the money—$70 billion over five years—to cover all children is belied by that amount spent in eleven months for tax cuts for the top one percent of richest Americans and in seven months for the iraq War. We do not have a money problem in America: We have a priorities and political will deficit. it is time for all adults to protect the health of our children.
the citizens of the nation must demand that our leaders free our children from the false ideological and political tugs of war among those who put excess profits ahead of children’s lives.
how well did Congress protect children in 2007? Not well enough: 276 Members of Congress had good CDF Action Council Con-gressional Scorecard scores of 80 percent or higher, and 198 of those had stellar scores of 100 percent. But 231 members scored 60 percent or lower—a failing grade from our school days.
Whether Members of Congress are liberal, conservative or mod-erate; Democrat, republican or independent, children need all of them to vote, lobby, speak for and protect them. Adults need to listen carefully to what candidates say they will do for children and fami-lies and, once they are in office, we need to hold them accountable. Please thank your Members of Con-gress with scores of 80 percent or above and let those with scores of 60 percent or below know you are dissatisfied with their performance. And please convey that same mes-sage to each presidential candidate. We must demand that our leaders commit to children as a condition of our vote.
Marian Wright Edelman is Presi-dent of the Children’s Defense Fund and its Action Council whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
ChildRen from page 4
(NAPSM)-A survey commissioned by two leading health organizations found that although two out of three African Americans (61 percent) ex-pressed concern about developing heart disease and two out of five (40 percent) expressed concern about developing Alzheimer’s, only about one in 20 are aware that heart health is linked to brain health.
the Alzheimer’s Association is joining forces with the American heart Association to educate African Americans that by managing their cardiovascular risk, they may also strengthen their cognitive health.
“What’s good for your heart is good for your brain,” says Jennifer Manly, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Associa-tion spokesperson. “every healthy heartbeat pumps about one-fifth of your blood to your brain to carry on the daily processes of thinking, prob-lem solving and remembering.”
“By the year 2030, the number of African Americans age 65 or older is expected to more than double to 6.9 million,” said emil Matarese, M.D., American heart Association spokes-person. “Although Alzheimer’s is not part of normal aging, age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. So it is important that Af-rican Americans take steps now to decrease their risk of heart disease, which research has shown could also decrease the risk of cognitive decline.”
Did You Know?• Compared to the general public,
African Americans have a higher risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and vascular dementia.
• More than 40 percent of African Americans have high blood pres-sure (hBP) and are at risk for stroke, which can lead to greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s or other vascular cognitive dementias.
• every year, more than 100,000 African Americans have a stroke.
• having high cholesterol increases the risk for stroke and may increase the risk for Alzheimer’s.
Manage Your Risks• Watch the numbers. remember
that desirable blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmhg. Keep your body weight in the recommended range and make sure that the total choles-terol is less than 200mg/dL.
• healthy lifestyle choices include staying mentally and physically ac-tive, staying socially involved, reduc-ing your intake of fat and cholesterol and not smoking.
Visit www.alz.org/heartbrain or call the American Stroke Associa-tion, a division of the American heart Association, at (888) 478-7653 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 272-3900 and you’ll receive a bro-chure with heart and brain health information and a free pedometer, while supplies last.
What’s Good For Your Heart Is Good For Your Brain
Research shows a link between heart and brain health, which means impaired heart function could lead to impaired brain function.
apart. You must continue to hold on to your faith and stay before the Lord. But, it may be that the time has come when you may need to take some quality time for yourself and spend some of that time with God.
Get on your knees before God and tell him of how you are feel-ing inside. And maybe the words wont come out exactly as you wish but you can have a good weeping, wailing crying falling, out tantrum and give all those problems to him.
While you are praying, you might forget some of the things that vexed you but God knows what you are going through. he can read the pain, which flows through your tears. even though he knows what’s troubling you, he still wants to tell him about it and bring your problems and burdens to him.
therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hands of God, that he may exalt you in due time, “casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you,”(1st Peter 5:6-7).
After you finished having your tantrum. You may have a stopped up nose and swollen eyes and mucus running down your lip and dried tears on your face, but you’ll feel better after emptying yourself of those things which had been heavy on your heart.
Sometimes we go for weeks or months trying to take matters into our hands and try to solve our own problems. We are not super humans; we can’t handle every-thing alone. We need God’s help. We have to let go of those situ-ations and let God handle them. there are some things we can’t humanly do anything about.
tantRum from page 6
(NAPSi)-here’s an alert worth paying attention to: According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), learning your risk for type 2 diabetes could save your life.
Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 21 million children and adults in the U.S. it is named the “silent killer” because one-third of those with the disease--more than 6 million--do not know they have it.
For many, diagnosis may come seven to 10 years after the onset of type 2 diabetes. early diagnosis is critical for successful treatment and can delay or prevent some of the complications such as heart diseases, blindness, kidney disease, stroke and amputation.
that’s one reason the ADA holds the American Diabetes Alert® Day, a one-day wake-up call to inform the American public about the serious-
ness of diabetes, particularly when it is left undiagnosed and untreated. the day is held on the fourth tuesday of every March.
on that day, people are encour-aged to take the Diabetes risk test, either with paper and pencil or online. the risk test requires users to answer seven simple questions about age, weight, lifestyle and family history--all potential risk factors for diabetes. People scoring 10 points or more are at a high risk for type 2 diabetes and are encouraged to talk with a health care professional.
An estimated 54 million Ameri-cans have pre-diabetes. those with pre-diabetes have blood glucose lev-els higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
early intervention via lifestyle changes such as weight loss and
increased physical activity can help delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being over-weight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and Pacific islanders are at an increased risk, as are women who have babies weighing more than 9 pounds at birth.
the Diabetes risk test is avail-
able in english and Spanish by call-ing the ADA at 1-800-DiABeteS (1-800-342-2383) or online at www.diabetes.org/alert.
though the Alert is a one-day call to action, awareness about type 2 diabetes is important anytime of the year, so free Diabetes risk tests are available online and by calling ADA all year long.
A free Diabetes risk test is avail-able all year long to determine the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
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If you do not have a doctor and have not been screened in the last 12 months, these cancer screenings are available to you for free.
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Breast Cancer ScreeningTuesday, March 185pm – 7pm (Appt required)
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Brusly Town Hall601 S. Vaughan StreetBrusly
Have You Been Screened?
you’re in very good company.Mega churches aren’t the
norm; they make up less than two percent of all churches in America.
So don’t freak out. It’s okay to be unmega.
You’re probably not doing anything that’s preventing God from driving massive numbers of attendees through your doors. You’re likely just “ordinary” in all the best possible ways.
grow from page 6
BATON ROUGE, La. - The LSU A Cappella Choir of the LSUCollegeofMusic&Dra-matic Arts’ School of Music treated its patients, visitors and staff at Baton Rouge General’s Bluebonnet hospital to a perfor-mance recently. Baton Rouge General hosted the choir as part of its Arts in Medicine program’s new affiliation with the Manship Theatre. Together, through the af-
filiation with Manship Theatre, Baton Rouge General continues to enhance its Arts in Medicine program for the community – of-fering patients, visitors and staff throughout the hospital a diverse range of musical, dramatic and visual arts performances featuring artists, musicians and performers from all over the country.
Launched in the fall of 2012, Baton Rouge General’s
Arts in Medicine program brings the healing power of arts to our patients and community. The pro-gram features local artists from our community who offer a cre-ative outlet to patients with visual arts, such as painting, as well as a variety of musical arts. As part of the Arts in Medicine program’s weekly live concert series, both the Mid City and Bluebonnet cam-puses host live concerts featuring
artists from the Baton Rouge area as well as visiting artists from all over the country every Friday at noon.
Baton Rouge General’s Arts in Medicine program is sup-ported in part by a grant through LIVESTRONG® Community Im-pact Project. Visit BRGeneral.org for more information on the Arts in Medicine program.
Baton Rouge general’s Arts in Medicine Program Hosts lSU A Cappella Choir through New Affiliation with Manship theatre
The LSU A Cappella Choir of the LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts’ School of Music performs at Baton Rouge General.
BATON ROUGE — Two groups championing the state of Louisiana’s participation in the Medicaid expansion component of the Affordable Care Act will hold a joint press conference on Wednesday, April 10, at 11 a.m. outside the offices of the Louisiana Hospital Association (LHA). The LHA offices are lo-catedat9521BrooklineAve,BatonRouge,LA70809.
Representatives from For-ward Louisiana, an initiative of Louisiana Progress Action, and the Louisiana Consumer Health-care Coalition will deliver state-ments at the press conference calling on the LHA to explain why they have not endorsed the state’s participation in Medic-aid expansion, unlike hospital associations in virtually every other state.
Information regarding the financial impact to hospitals of the state’s refusal to participate in Medicaid expansion will be discussed in the statements and copies of materials will be made available to members of the media who attend.
Forward Louisiana com-bines digital tools, social media and direct action politics to put human faces on policy choices. Since its founding in January it
has:•Conductedthefirstcom-prehensiveinterviewwithDr.Fred Cerise about the Jindal ad-ministration’s attacks on the state publichospitalsystem;•Con-ducted the first statewide media swing in support of Medicaid expansion, going to 10 cities in four days; getting mainstream media coverage but creating our owncontentalongtheway;•Coordinated the joint letter from formerDHHSecretariesDavidHoodandDr.Ceriseinsupportof Medicaid expansion which ran as a half-page ad in The AdvocateonMarch15;•Orga-nizedthevigilforEarlK.LongMedicalCenteronMarch16;•Worked with Enough Is Enough on rallies in Marksville, Jones-ville and other communities in support of Medicaid Expansion; •Sentteamsofvolunteersinto21 local legislative offices across the state today, armed with data, symbolic checks from the Fed-eralgovernmenttoDHH,tourgeDemocraticandRepublicanlegislators to support Medicaid expansion as the official public policy of Louisiana.
For additional information contact: Mike Stagg, Forward LouisianaPhone:337-962-1680,Email: [email protected].
groups to Hold Press Conference outside louisiana Hospital Association offices
By Gina KolaTa
African-Americans have a slightly higher risk of Alzheim-er’s disease than people of largely European ancestry, but there is no major genetic difference that could account for the slight ex-cess risk, new research shows.
The results are from one of the only large studies ever done on Alzheimer’s in African-Americans. Researchers identi-fied the same gene variants in older African-Americans that they had found in older people of European ancestry. But they found that African-Americans with Alzheimer’s disease were slightly more likely to have one gene, ABCA7, that is thought to confer risk for the disease.
Another gene, APoE4, long known to increase Alzheimer’s risk in older white people, was present in about the same propor-tion of African-Americans with Alzheimer’s as it is in people of European ancestry.
The researchers’ paper was published online on Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In an ac-companyingeditorial,Dr.RobertL. Nussbaum of the University of California, San Francisco, noted that finding ABCA7 and APoE4 in African-Americans as well as those of European ancestry “strengthens the case” that the genes are important in confer-ring susceptibility to the disease.
John Hardy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at University College London and a discoverer of the first gene mutation found to cause Alzheimer’s, applauded the effort to study minorities. But, he said, because the data confirmed what was already known among those of European descent, “I don’t think they tell us much new.”
The data for the analysis came from nearly 6,000 African-Americans who were over age 60 and had participated in studies at 18 medical centers. About 2,000 had Alzheimer’s disease, and the
rest,forcomparison,didnot.Dr.Richard Mayeux of Columbia University was the lead author of the study.
The researchers calculated that ABCA7 increased Alzheim-er’s risk by about 80 percent in African-Americans, compared with about 10 percent to 20 per-cent in people of European ances-try. Those are considered modest increases; a gene that carries a significant risk would increase the chances of getting a disease by well over 200 percent. And ABCA7 was not very common, still leaving most Alzheimer’s riskunexplained.About9ofevery 100 African-Americans with Alzheimer’s had the gene, compared with 6 out of 100 who did not have the disease.
Dr.Hardycautionedthatthe difference in risk between African-Americans and those of European ancestry who had ABCA7 was unlikely to be mean-ingful. It is to be expected that genetic links that are tenuous, like that with ABCA7, would be more significant in some studies and less in others, simply because populations, purely by chance, would vary slightly, he explained.
Even before this study, re-searchers had been working on the assumption that ABCA7 has something to do with Alzheimer’s disease. The gene is involved in facilitating the movement of cho-lesterol in and out of cells and is thought to play a role in the development of heart disease, too.Thatsuggests,Dr.Mayeuxsaid, that it might not be coinci-dence that many people get both Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease.
ABCA7 also moves proteins through the membranes that en-case cells. One of the proteins it transports is a precursor of beta amyloid, the major component in the brain plaques found in Al-zheimer’s disease. In studies with mice,Dr.Mayeuxsaid,disabling
in Blacks, Alzheimer’s Study finds Same Variant genes as in Whites
Smaller plates, fewer calo-ries? The latest study shows one way to fight childhood obesity may be to shrink the size of the dinner plate.
According research published in the journal Pediatrics, first-graders served themselves more and downed more calories when they used a large plate instead of a smaller one.
Simply advising parents — and kids — to eat less and exercise more hasn’t turned the childhood obesity epidemic around. And it’s obvious why: high-calorie foods are plentiful, not to mention sug-ary beverages that can also pack on the pounds. Portion sizes have ballooned over the past several decades. And at least one study reported that plate sizes have in-creased too. With one in three U.S. kids now defined as overweight or obese, researchers at Temple University decided to study how effective shrinking plate sizes could be in keeping appetites in check.
The theory made sense; pre-vious research found that adults pile on more food and eat more calories when their bowls are big-ger. Would the same hold true for children, wondered Jennifer Orlet
Fisher, an associate professor of public health at Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Edu-cation.
She and her colleagues zeroed in on two classes of first-graders at a private school in north Phila-delphia. Over eight days, the 42 students helped themselves to a buffet set up by the researchers. It was self-serve, a plus for the 7-year-olds, and the menu stayed essentially the same to eliminate the possibility that kids might load up on mac and cheese but go easy on sautéed kale. Their choices: penne or chicken nuggets, apple-
sauce and mixed veggies.On half the days, the kids
used plates that were 7 ¼ inches in diameter — about the size of a salad plate — and on the other days they were provided with dishes the size of a dinner plate at 10 ¼-inches in diameter. Their plates were weighed before and after they ate.
The kids served themselves 90caloriesmoreondayswhenthey used bigger dishes; they ended up consuming about half those calories and leaving the rest uneaten, which was still more than what they ate on days they used the
smaller plates. “Studies show that when kids serve themselves more, they are going to eat more,” says Fisher, the study’s lead author.
Fisher doesn’t think that sim-ply swapping a large plate for a small plate is the answer to con-trolling eating. But the good news is that it’s much easier to change kids’ eating habits than those of adults. Children are more likely to eat only when they feel hungry, while adults are more influenced by other factors including the cost of food and the emotions that can promptmindlessnoshing.“Kidsare much less complicated eaters than adults are,” says Fisher.
As a mom of twin 8-year-old boys, she empathizes with the struggle many parents face when confronted with scraping up a healthy meal for the family. Moms and dads don’t have time to study, interpret and implement dietary recommendations or fol-low nutritional guidelines, but switching to smaller plates might be something they can easily do.
“Most parents are just happy to get the food on the table,” says Fisher. “An appealing part of the findings is that they’re relatively straightforward: serve on salad plates.”
Smaller dishes Could Cut Childhood obesity
See genes, on page 8
Page 8 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, April 11, 2013
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ABCA7 results in an accumulation of amyloid in the brain.
But, he said, the gene’s func-tion is not well understood. “We
don’t know the mechanism for am-yloidaccumulation,”Dr.Mayeuxsaid. The current understanding of ABCA7 “is just not there yet.”
genes from page 7
By PaT Forde
ATLANTA – The net was aroundKevinWare’sneckinthewee hours of Tuesday morning. His fingers kept feeling the nylon as he talked.
“I can’t stop touching it, you know?” the Louisville guard said. “I don’t want to take it off my neck for nobody.”
About an hour earlier, Ware had watched his teammates slice off small segments of net for them-selves. They are the traditional spoils of basketball victory, but the Cardinals declined to cut them after winning the Big East tourna-ment and Midwest regional. They only wanted the last nets of the season, the ones in the Georgia Dome.WhenitwasWare’sturn,theGeorgiaDomebasketwaslow-ered to court level so the injured Cardinal could cut the final cords.
The usual method is to climb up a ladder, of course, but Ware’s surgically repaired right leg pre-vented any of that. He’s a high flyer when healthy but ground-bound now. So the net came to him.
With crutches still clamped in his armpits, the sophomore was handed a pair of orange-handled scissors. One snip, two snips, three snips, four. His work was done. The net was his.
“Words can’t describe how I feel,” he said. “I’m so proud of these guys, it’s crazy.”
And with that, one of the most riveting college basketball stories ever had its fitting closure. When the comeback Cardinals had rallied from their second 12-point Final Four deficit to win the national title, beating Michigan 82-76,KevinWare’scourageousand classy nine-day journey from agony to ecstasy was complete.
It began on his back in Lucas Oil Stadium, his right leg deformed
by a gruesome compound fracture ofthetibiaagainstDuke.Every-thing after that awful accident was a show of strength, compassion and determination by an inspired team on a mission.
It started when teammate Luke Hancock – who would become the Final Four Most Outstanding Player – rushed to Ware’s side and calmed him amid the shock and agony. And that’s when Ware summoned the where-withal to gather his traumatized teammates and tell them, “Just win thegame.I’mOK.Justwinthegame.”
At the worst moment, this was the personification of the “Louisville-first” mantra coach Rick Pitino had been preaching. Team over everything.
“I’m not sure any of us could havebeatenagreatteamlikeDuke
unless he gathered us all together,” Pitino said.
From there, Ware went to the back of an ambulance and emergency surgery at Methodist Hospital, not far from the stadium. For two days, he convalesced there, and the “Win It For Ware” mindset took hold with the Cardinals – not to mention a good portion of the nation. When he came back to Louisville, he was greeted with a hero’s welcome, complete with massive media attention and get-well phone calls from first lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Win-frey, among countless others.
Then it was back to his home state of Georgia for the Final Four, a basketball festival that Ware could only watch but still impacted – at one critical moment Saturday night against Wichita State, he hobbled up onto the raised floor to exhort his teammates during a timeout.
Finally, when the teammates Ware referred to constantly as “my broth-ers” finished the deal, there was KevinWarewearinghisnet.
“It means everything,” he said. “… It’s one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had. Probably the best feeling. We’ve been through a lot this season, but we made up our mind to get the job done.”
Ware watched “One Shin-ing Moment” with his best friend, Chane Behanan, draping an arm over his shoulder. Behanan, who had been so upset by the sight of Ware’s injury, transformed from a slumping sophomore into a terror in Atlanta. The power forward had 25 points and 21 rebounds in two games, ripping down 11 boards in the second half alone Monday night and just wearing out the Wolverines inside.
Not far away was Hancock, watching the video after scoring
42 points in two games in a bril-liant display of clutch shooting. When Michigan raced to a 12-point first-half lead on the strength of little-known freshman Spike Al-brecht’s stunning 17 points, Han-cock provided the emphatic answer. He scored 14 points in 2 minutes and 33 seconds, stroking four 3-pointers in a dazzling eruption, and signaling that the Wolverines were not going to get away from Louisville.
Hancock’s gravely ill father, Bill, was watching from the front row behind the Louisville bench – the first games he’s been able to attend this NCAA tournament. WhatLukedidtocalmKevinWarein Indy, he did to inspire his dad here. When it was over, Hancock went to his frail, 70-year-old fa-ther and repeated the question he asked him Saturday night, “How was that?”
It was good. Storybook good. “I kind of feel like this
pushed him,” Ware said of Han-cock. “Going out there and playing for his dad.”
With the title won, the media clustered around Ware one more time in the Louisville locker room. “Good Morning America” got him to tape a promo, which he aced: “I’mKevinWareoftheLouis-ville Cardinals and we just won
the national championship. Good morning, America.”
Everyone else had questions. It had been harder to watch than he thought it would be, but the end result was what it had to be. As the crowd thinned around Ware, I asked him what he learned about himself in these remarkable nine days.
He thought for a minute, and then said, “I’m a lot tougher than I honestly thought I was.”
He’s tougher than most of us thought any basketball player could be. And he will need that toughness in the months to come, as the long rehab process continues.
“I’m going to come back as strong as I can,” Ware said.
And that championship net around the neck? When he finally gets around to taking it off, where will it go?
“I’m keeping it right in my room,” he said. “I’m hanging it up somewhere, then hopefully getting another one next year.”
That may be too much to ask.ButaftertheinspirationKevinWare provided to his Louisville Cardinals teammates on this na-tional championship run, no dream seems too outraged.
Kevin Ware’s inspirational Story gets Picture Perfect ending With louisville’s National title
Injured Louisville guard Kevin Ware takes part in the celebration by cutting down the net after the Cardinals beat Michigan to win the national title.
Kevin Ware embraces teammate Peyton Siva following Monday night’s victory.
NEW ORLEANS -- An inter-nal investigation at Southeastern Louisiana has revealed that 137 ineligible athletes competed for the Lions in unspecified sports between 2005 and 2010.
In a statement released Thurs-day, Southeastern, which is located in Hammond, La., said most vio-lations occurred between 2005 and 2007 and involved instances in which the university failed to comply with NCAA academic re-quirements by mistakenly certify-ing athletes as eligible.
“In many instances, student-athletes would have been eligible had proper procedure been fol-lowed, such as timely declaration or change of a major,” Southeastern athletic director Bart Bellairs said.
The report stressed there was no evidence Southeastern recruited athletes who weren’t in good academic standing, noting that 86 percent of the athletes in question graduated.
The university says it will im-pose penalties such as reducing scholarships, vacating victories and imposing a two-year probationary period on itself while awaiting the NCAA’s review of the case. How-ever, it remained unclear which specific sports would be affected.
Southeastern spokesman Rene Abadie says the university, which
is a public institution, isn’t releas-ing which sports were involved in the violations at this time and said he could not discuss why that information was being withheld from the public. By contrast, when LSU conducted an investigation of improper contact between an as-sistant football coach and a player in2009,theuniversityspecifiedthesport involved and the sanctions it was imposing on itself pending the NCAA’s review.
SoutheasterncompetesinDi-vision I, and its football team is in the Football Championship Sub-division. The Lions are affiliated with the Southland Conference. Their men’s basketball team hasn’t competed in the NCAA tournament since the 2004-05 season, the last season before the period covered by the probe.
Southeastern’s statement said none of the compliance personnel who committed certification errors remain at Southeastern, and that none of the athletes in question are still enrolled.
“It is regrettable that current student-athletes, coaches and programs will suffer penalties as a result of these infractions,” Bel-lairs said, “but I am completely confident the systems we have in place currently will help avoid these issues from recurring.”
137 were ineligible at Se louisiana