Your Biz Consulting Offers Grant Writing Workshops, March 8

The Your Biz Consulting Firm is presenting a “Show Me the Money” Grant Writing Workshop Series, sponsored by the Black American Political Action Committee (BAPAC) and the Post News Group. Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies, as well as from nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities, are encouraged to attend. The first workshop of the series will take place Friday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to noon at 1000 Broadway, Suite 109 (Trans Pacific Centre Building), in downtown Oakland. Taught by Kia Croom, accomplished grant writer and journalist, the workshop series provides instruction for both beginning grant writers and experienced professionals. Topics will include the essential grant components, building agency credibility, creative ways to make a grant proposal stand out and identifying and submitting grant proposals. The cost is $75 per workshop. Participants who register  for all three workshops will receive a discounted tuition rate. Registration includes all tuition, fees and materials, including the “Show Me the Money” grant writing workbook and templates.

Rev. Lacy and Congregation Support Education 100%

Rev. R. Lacy, pastor of the St. Andrew Missionary Baptist Church, announced that his church has become partners with several local, regional  and national Baptist organizations.

He said his church will launch a fundraising campaign with a special emphasis on educational support and other vital community services. His church has enrolled its students in the Post-100% Club that will reward students and families with gift cards and grocery cards for perfect attendance.

“We want to inspire our youth to go to college to be able to support their families with a career,” said Rev. Lacy, who continues to preach three weekly sermons, still practices what he preaches. His motto is,  “Let us walk together children, and don’t get weary. There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Hajj Pilgrims and Al-Islam Pioneers Recognized

The Hajj is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Al-Islam, and is a demonstration of unity among the worldwide Muslim community. Hajj is an obligation and duty of Muslims, to be carried out at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime, by those who are healthy and can afford to take on this journey. Resident Imam Faheem Shuaibe announced that his Masjid recognized the Muslim men and women who made the Hajj at a ceremonial dinner Feb. 3 at the Elijah Muhammad Cultural Center, located at 1652 47th Avenue in Oakland. Bro. Abdul Wahid Taha, Master of Ceremonies, spoke on the history and significance of the Hajj experience, which included his own Hajj pilgrimage. Bro. Yusuf Nasir, a young African American born into Al-Islam, gave a recitation of the Holy Quran in Arabic. The Muslim sisters involved with the Health and Wellness Committee (Sisters Aaliyah Taha, Tauheedah Wren, Tarliena Aamir-Baliton, and Kamilah Shuiabe), were honored for their hospitality and food preparation. Resident Imam Faheem Shuiabe acknowledged 87-year old Bro. Ahmed Abana on behalf of the local Muslim Community

Obama’s EPA Deputy and Tribal Affairs Director Visits Oakland

The Oakland Bay Area Chapter (OBAC) of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women hosted Michelle DePasse, Assistant  EPA  Deputy and Tribal Affairs Administrator in Oakland Feb. 2 for a roundtable briefing with women leaders and selected guests of the Northern Bay Area.

Unique Army Base Development Policy Promises to Create Thousands of Jobs for Oakland Workers

Despite past local hiring laws, Oakland residents have long failed to find jobs, even at publicly funded construction projects, which notoriously have hired only 5 percent African American workers in journeymen positions. All that may start to change as the result of the new community benefits, local hire ordinance, passed unanimously by the Oakland City Council Tuesday night, designed to set hiring guidelines for construction at the old Army Base site, the largest piece of industrial land left in the city. The ordinance was crafted as a result of nine months of intense negotiations that included community groups, business organizations and labor unions. The new ordinance, which is the first of its kind in the city, is intended to have teeth and requires 50 percent local hiring in journeymen positions and 100 percent local hiring in apprentice positions.

Jordan: Community’s Help Needed to Stop Killings

Howard Jordan, newly hired as Oakland’s police chief, this week asked the community to step forward to help halt a recent rise in violent crime. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, he said in a week  the city has seen 20 shootings, five of them homicides, and so far this year, there have been 14 homicides, two more than at this time last year. Jordan blamed much of the violence on disputes between two rival groups in West Oakland and two other groups in East Oakland. Most of the killings are committed by people who are involved in other types of illegal activity, he said. “Quite simply, that is unacceptable. I want to make Oakland one of the safer large cities in California,” he said. “The department cannot do it alone.”

Harris Secures $18 Billion for State Homeowners

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris this week secured an historic commitment to California of up to $18 billion that will benefit hundreds of thousands of homeowners in the state hardest hit by the mortgage crisis. “California families will finally see substantial relief after experiencing so much pain from the mortgage crisis,” said Harris. “Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will directly benefit from this California commitment.” “This outcome is the result of an insistence that California receive a fair deal commensurate with the harm done here. We insisted on homeowner relief for Californians and demanded enforceability so homeowners actually see a benefit that will allow them to stay in their homes, and preserved our ability to investigate banker crime and predatory lending,” continued Harris.

THE OAKLAND POST AND U-ME MULTIMEDIA GROUP INC.

On behalf of U-ME Multimedia Group Inc., Abdul Aziz and James Clanton Jr. would like to thank Paul Cobb, Amir Abu Haqq-Shabazz, and the entire staff of the Oakland Post for all of their collaborative support.  

John Collins, Buffalo Soldier, Rode a War Horse

While the Black Tuskegee airmen were shooting down planes and patrolling the skies with their red tails in the European Theater of Operations, the all-Black US Army Buffalo Soldier Division, trained to fight from the backs of war horses, arrived in Africa in 1943, at two locations, Casablanca, Morocco and Oran, Algiers in North Africa, to defeat the Nazi forces during World War II. The all-Negro Second Cavalry Division was the last all-horse cavalrymen to ride in the United States Army. John E. Collins, now in his 90th year, was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1924, at a time when the glorious epic stories of the Buffalo Soldiers were synonymous with the historic folklore of the Black Cowboys who helped tame the American West. In 1943, Collins was drafted in Phoenix, Arizona and sent to Fort Clark, in Brackenville, Texas. “I was in the last all-horse Division in the U.S. Army which included the Buffalo Soldiers and its four horse cavalry regiments,” said Collins. “I was proud to be a part of the Buffalo soldiers because our troopers were considered to have a high degree of esprit de corps (morale) and courage.” He was a horse cavalryman, private first class, who served in the 9th and 27th Cavalry regiments in Texas. The Buffalo Soldiers arrived overseas at two locations, the 9th and 27th regiments at Assi Ben Okba, near Oran, Algeria, aboard the troopship USS Gen. Anderson; and the 10th and 28th regiments arrived in Casablanca aboard the troopship USS Billy Mitchell. “After arriving in North Africa, the four regiments reassembled at a staging area. We received the bad news that our entire division was to be dismantled while on foreign soil,” Collins said. “Our units were transformed overnight into hard labor units, port battalion stevedores, truck quartermasters, engineers, hard labor services units and replacements for the 751st tank battalion, 92nd Infantry Division and other all-Negro hard labor units, though the Division was combat trained.” Realizing that the morale and the storied courage of the disappointed Buffalo Soldiers could be undermined, the War Department summoned NAACP Executive Secretary Walter White to Oran to calm the restless spirit of the thousands of colored troopers who were righteously indignant and to persuade them not to  riot. White’s Harlem Renaissance writings and activist credentials, earned from fighting Ku Klux Klan lynchings, helped to make him palatable to the group of proud African American war horsemen on African soil. … Continue Reading

John Collins, Buffalo Soldier, Rode a War Horse

By Paul Cobb

While the Black Tuskegee airmen were shooting down planes and patrolling the skies with their red tails in the European Theater of Operations, the all-Black US Army Buffalo Soldier Division, trained to fight from the backs of war horses, arrived in Africa in 1943, at two locations, Casablanca, Morocco and Oran, Algiers in North Africa, to defeat the Nazi forces during World War II.
The all-Negro Second Cavalry Division was the last all-horse cavalrymen to ride in the United States Army.
John E. Collins, now in his 90th year, was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1924, at a time when the glorious epic stories of the Buffalo Soldiers were synonymous with the historic folklore of the Black Cowboys who helped tame the American West.
In 1943, Collins was drafted in Phoenix, Arizona and sent to Fort Clark, in Brackenville, Texas.
“I was in the last all-horse Division in the U.S. Army which included the Buffalo Soldiers and its four horse cavalry regiments,” said Collins.
 “I was proud to be a part of the Buffalo soldiers because our troopers were considered to have a high degree of esprit de corps (morale) and courage.”
He was a horse cavalryman, private first class, who served in the 9th and 27th Cavalry regiments in Texas.
The Buffalo Soldiers arrived overseas at two locations, the 9th and 27th regiments at Assi Ben Okba, near Oran, Algeria, aboard the troopship USS Gen. Anderson; and the 10th and 28th regiments arrived in Casablanca aboard the troopship USS Billy Mitchell.
 “After arriving in North Africa, the four regiments reassembled at a staging area. We received the bad news that our entire division was to be dismantled while on foreign soil,” Collins said.
 “Our units were transformed overnight into hard labor units, port battalion stevedores, truck quartermasters, engineers, hard labor services units and replacements for the 751st tank battalion, 92nd Infantry Division and other all-Negro hard labor units, though the Division was combat trained.”
Realizing that the morale and the storied courage of the disappointed Buffalo Soldiers could be undermined, the War Department summoned NAACP Executive Secretary Walter White to Oran to calm the restless spirit of the thousands of colored troopers who were righteously indignant and to persuade them not to  riot.
White’s Harlem Renaissance writings and activist credentials, earned from fighting Ku Klux Klan lynchings, helped to make him palatable to the group of proud African American war horsemen on African soil.
“We were hurt, and the scar from this regret forever remains,” said Collins. … Continue Reading

Dwayne Johnson, from troubled teen to box office success, stars in Journey 2

Sandra Varner’s Celebrity Profiles

 

 

Whether you’re young at heart or an experienced adventurer, Journey 2 will take you down path of curiosity and splendor set in an island paradise, sure to bring excitement to the entire family.  Dwayne Johnson as Hank, a stepfather anxious to ease family tensions, takes viewers on a 3d trek to a mysterious island hoping to protect his obstinate yet curious stepson Sean (Josh Hutcherson).  Sean has received a coded message from a place unknown and will not stop until he follows his hunch.  Dangerous and ill advised he will not back down.

 

Hank wants to make his wife Liz (Kristin Davis) happy and feels if he accompanies Sean to the island, it will make their strained relationship better.  After all, Hank is a Navy vet whose brawn and bravado can be put to good use, traveling to a place where frightening and mysterious creatures abound somewhere beyond the South Pacific.

 

            Johnson continues to build upon an impressive film career that has given way to numerous movies running the gamut between action-adventure to kiddy faves.  Finding time to volley between the world of wrestling and making movies, his career is guided by one of Hollywood’s most powerful agents, Ari Emanuel. Johnson’s film credits include: The Scorpion King, The Rundown, Walking Tall, Be Cool, Get Smart, Gridiron Gang, Race to With Mountain, Tooth Fairy, Faster and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?

… Continue Reading

Rev. Lacy and Congregation Support Education 100%

By Mario Hammonds

Rev. R. Lacy, pastor of the St. Andrew Missionary Baptist Church, announced that his church has become partners with several local, regional  and national Baptist organizations.
 He said his church will launch a fundraising campaign with a special emphasis on educational support and other vital community services. His church has enrolled its students in the Post-100% Club that will reward students and families with gift cards and grocery cards for perfect attendance.
“We want to inspire our youth to go to college to be able to support their families with a career,” said Rev. Lacy, who continues to preach three weekly sermons, still practices what he preaches. His motto is,  “Let us walk together children, and don’t get weary. There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.”

Hajj Pilgrims and Al-Islam Pioneers Recognized

By Abdul Aziz (fka: R. Hardy Jr.)

The Hajj is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Al-Islam, and is a demonstration of unity among the worldwide Muslim community.
Hajj is an obligation and duty of Muslims, to be carried out at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime, by those who are healthy and can afford to take on this journey.
Resident Imam Faheem Shuaibe announced that his Masjid recognized the Muslim men and women who made the Hajj at a ceremonial dinner Feb. 3 at the Elijah Muhammad Cultural Center, located at 1652 47th Avenue in Oakland.
 Bro. Abdul Wahid Taha, Master of Ceremonies, spoke on the history and significance of the Hajj experience, which included his own Hajj pilgrimage.
Bro. Yusuf Nasir, a young African American born into Al-Islam, gave a recitation of the Holy Quran in Arabic.
The Muslim sisters involved with the Health and Wellness Committee (Sisters Aaliyah Taha, Tauheedah Wren, Tarliena Aamir-Baliton, and Kamilah Shuiabe), were honored for their hospitality and food preparation.
Resident Imam Faheem Shuiabe acknowledged 87-year old Bro. Ahmed Abana on behalf of the local Muslim Community (known as Masjidul Waritheen – translated as “The Place Where the Inheritors of Paradise Bow Down”). He was given a certificate of appreciation for 37 years of distribution throughout the Bay Area of the Muslim Journal, the independent national news organ of the community associated with the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed (Son of Elijah Mohammed).
The Muslim community at the Elijah Muhammad Cultural Center conducts a 12:30 p.m. Friday Jumu’ah (Congregational Prayer and Lecture) Service, free of charge and open to the public.

Obama’s EPA Deputy and Tribal Affairs Director Visits Oakland

The Oakland Bay Area Chapter (OBAC) of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women hosted Michelle DePasse, Assistant  EPA  Deputy and Tribal Affairs Administrator in Oakland Feb. 2 for a roundtable briefing with women leaders and selected guests of the Northern Bay Area.
DePasse and Trade Commissioner Teresa Cox explained Obama’s positions and programs available for green jobs, transportation, energy efficient funding, airport and urban transportation resources.
Haqq Shabazz, CEO of Village Life Entertainment 5, was invited by the Post News Group because he has  business dealings with Native American and tribal leaders, especially business opportunities for the formerly incarcerated
Leaders discussed the possibilities of Indian Tribe entrepreneurs  doing business joint ventures with  African Americans in the U.S. and internationally with both DePasse and Cox.
Some of the attendees at the briefing included: KaSelah Crockett, Deborah Ale Flint Teresa Cox, Beverly Greene, Iris Merriouns, Aisha Brown, Colin Foard, Sheryl Grant, Admika Arthur, Akiba Davis Everett, Cheryl Perry League,  Cathy Adams, Joy Gibson and Nicole Felix.

Unique Army Base Development Policy Promises to Create Thousands of Jobs for Oakland Workers

By Ken A. Epstein

Despite past local hiring laws, Oakland residents have long failed to find jobs, even at publicly funded construction projects, which notoriously have hired only 5 percent African American workers in journeymen positions.
All that may start to change as the result of the new community benefits, local hire ordinance, passed unanimously by the Oakland City Council Tuesday night, designed to set hiring guidelines for construction at the old Army Base site, the largest piece of industrial land left in the city.
The ordinance was crafted as a result of nine months of intense negotiations that included community groups, business organizations and labor unions.
 The new ordinance, which is the first of its kind in the city, is intended to have teeth and requires 50 percent local hiring in journeymen positions and 100 percent local hiring in apprentice positions.
 Unheard of previously in Oakland, the law also requires that the 50 percent local hiring provision applies to businesses that will move into the site once construction is completed.
For Oakland, this will mean 3,000 construction jobs and jobs in businesses that open at the Army Base – as many as 8,000 in total – “Thousands of jobs that are going to be here for 20 and 30 years,” said Councilmember Jane Brunner, who chaired the committee that negotiated the wording of the ordinance.  
“(The ordinance) has been a lot of work, (and) it started in a lot of conflict. But what you have before you is 100 percent consensus on key elements, especially about putting West Oakland  (and the rest of Oakland) to work,” said Brian Beveridge, speaking at the City Council meeting. Beveridge is a member of the OaklandWORKS alliance and a leader of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project.  
The  law also “bans the box,” creating job opportunities for workers with prison records and who will not be required to put that information on their job applications.  
Further, the law creates a jobs center – a place through which all jobs must pass – so that it is possible to monitor and enforce the hiring agreements.
 The groundwork for this was laid by years of efforts by community groups and members of the City Council, Desley Brooks, Jane Brunner and Nancy Nadel.   Brunner acknowledged that the low number of African-American workers who have been able to obtain construction employment stimulated controversy and established the need for the Jobs Task Force.
Brooks has crafted a pilot agreement that requires that prime contractors on Army Base remediation projects must be local firms. OaklandWORKS  is a West Oakland based, citywide advocacy alliance, that has focused on Oakland Army Base development.   Founding members include Leadership Excellence, PUEBLO, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, Oakland Black Caucus, John George Democratic Club, NAACP, Oakland Natives Give Back and Oakland Parents Together.
The mission of the alliance is to advocate for Oakland’s underrepresented communities and the traditionally underserved in the areas of economics, social, and environmental justice.
OaklandWORKS and other community groups are  emphasizing that despite the passing of the ordinance, community members and groups have to stay active to make sure the law is implemented.
 “There have been promises about jobs made to the flatlands communities before.  This policy  is a much better framework for making it happen, but people in the community are going to have to stay involved over the next few years to create real action on the problem,” said Kitty Kelly Epstein at the Council meeting.  She  became involved in the issue while working with former Mayor Ron Dellums, and she is currently a member of OaklandWORKS. … Continue Reading

Jordan: Community’s Help Needed to Stop Killings

Howard Jordan, newly hired as Oakland’s police chief, this week asked the community to step forward to help halt a recent rise in violent crime.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, he said in a week  the city has seen 20 shootings, five of them homicides, and so far this year, there have been 14 homicides, two more than at this time last year.
Jordan blamed much of the violence on disputes between two rival groups in West Oakland and two other groups in East Oakland.
Most of the killings are committed by people who are involved in other types of illegal activity, he said.
 “Quite simply, that is unacceptable. I want to make Oakland one of the safer large cities in California,” he said. “The department cannot do it alone.”
Describing local efforts to control crime, Jordan says the police department is partnering with the U.S. Marshals Service to track down fugitives and with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to trace illegal guns.
Shotspotter, a technology that detects and locates the source of gunshots is helping police respond more quickly to violent incidents, he said. In addition,   people can call the number at 510-517-8793 to leave anonymous tips about illegal gun sales.

Harris Secures $18 Billion for State Homeowners

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris this week secured an historic commitment to California of up to $18 billion that will benefit hundreds of thousands of homeowners in the state hardest hit by the mortgage crisis.
“California families will finally see substantial relief after experiencing so much pain from the mortgage crisis,” said Harris. “Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will directly benefit from this California commitment.”
“This outcome is the result of an insistence that California receive a fair deal commensurate with the harm done here. We insisted on homeowner relief for Californians and demanded enforceability so homeowners actually see a benefit that will allow them to stay in their homes, and preserved our ability to investigate banker crime and predatory lending,” continued Harris.
California secured the $18 billion agreement as part of a national multistate settlement to penalize robo-signing and other bank servicing and foreclosure misconduct. The agreement comes after California departed from the multistate negotiations last September when the estimated relief to California was $4 billion.
Attorney General Harris insisted on more relief for the most distressed homeowners, meaningful enforcement, and the ability of California and other states to pursue investigations into misconduct.
California’s participation in the settlement increased the amount of relief other states will receive by approximately $6 billion.
California also obtained separate, enforceable guarantees to ensure that banks will be accountable for their commitments to California. As part of the separate California guarantee, banks must enact a minimum of $12 billion in principal reductions for California homeowners.
Failure to achieve this minimum level of reductions will result in substantial cash payments of up to $800 million that the banks will have to pay to the state. Benefits include:
- More than $12 billion is guaranteed to reduce the principal on loans or offer short sales to approximately 250,000 California homeowners who are underwater on their loans and behind or almost behind in their payments.
- $849 million is estimated to be dedicated to refinancing the loans of 28,000 homeowners who are current on their payments but underwater on their loans.
- $279 million will be dedicated to offering restitution to approximately 140,000 California homeowners who were foreclosed upon between 2008 and December 31, 2011.
- $1.1 billion is estimated to be distributed to homeowners for unemployed payment forbearance and transition assistance as well as to communities to repair the blight and devastation left by waves of foreclosures, targeted at 16,000 recent foreclosures.
- $3.5 billion will be dedicated to relieving 32,000 homeowners of unpaid balances remaining when their homes are foreclosed.
- $430 million in costs, fees and penalty payments.
Additional details on the settlement, including how homeowners can apply for relief, can be found at www.oag.ca.gov.

Michelle Obama Convinces Leno to Eat Veggies

Michelle Obama was absolutely glowing on Tuesday night when she strode out onto the “Tonight Show” stage.
She was making her first late-night TV appearance since becoming the first lady, but she looked calm and confident while chatting up host Jay Leno.
First lady Obama cajoled Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the “Tonight Show,” in defiance of his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet.
Leno once told a magazine he had not eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn’t dissuade the first lady, who was  promoting her “Let’s Move!” campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits. Unlike many celebrity guests, she did not  go with a low-cut cocktail dress or anything dramatic — just her mint green J. Crew skirt (the one she wore to 10 Downing Street in 2009 with the rhinestone-covered cardigan), a thin, gold-flecked sweater by Michael Kors and a pair of low, pointed-toe heels. She made the skirt new with a bejeweled gold belt.

Health Care Transitions Must Be Patient-Centered

By David Farrell

Care transitions are defined as movement of patients between providers such as when an elder moves from the hospital to a nursing home – or from the nursing home to their home with a home health care agency.  
Care transitions can be dangerous, especially for frail elders with complex chronic conditions.  Too often, care transitions are poorly executed, increasing healthcare costs, and often resulting in readmission back into the hospital.  
In fact, according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, there are about five million hospital readmissions every year, with approximately a third occurring within 90 days of discharge, of which 46% could be prevented.
Many patients make multiple transitions across various healthcare settings.  With each transition, the risks associated with poor care coordination and communication between healthcare providers increases.  In many cases, patients and their family members are not prepared to cope with care transitions, nor do they have the competence to navigate a fragmented healthcare system and advocate on their own behalf.
At its core, a safe transition results from a patient-centered process.  The patient, caregivers and families must be embraced as partners of the care team.  They are to be empowered with education, decision-making and choices, including end-of-life care.   … Continue Reading

Obama Pledges to Enforce a “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights”

By Tanya
Dennis

During his State of the Union Address, President Obama  announced the establishment of a Financial Crimes Unit that will consist of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general.  
The same day, newly appointed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray addressed Congress for the first time, informing the Republican-controlled sub-committees: “We will not hesitate to use enforcement actions to right a wrong.”
Both agencies – the Financial Crimes Unit and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s – are expected to expand federal investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis.
Obama appointed New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to co-chair the Crimes Unit task force.
Obama also presented a “Homeowner’s Bill of Rights.” The bill that he will send to Congress calls for fee transparency; simplified forms; allows people with a credit score of 580 and whose mortgage is underwater to apply for refinancing; eliminates red tape; and assures no more run-around by the banks.
Obama stressed that this bill will not help those who have acted irresponsibly and is designed for homeowners who have paid their bills on time but are underwater in their mortgage. … Continue Reading

Global Cooking: Indian Three Bean Salad

By Subhashini
Coburn

As a longtime reader of the Post, it is a pleasure to appear in these pages and to share with you some of my favorite recipes.
Cooking has been an integral part of my life for many years. Trained as a teacher when going to school in India, I currently teach cooking and various crafts, including knitting and crochet, at Studio One Center for Art in Oakland.
In my native country salads are often a simple mixture of onions, root vegetables such as daikon radishes, with lemon and salt and pepper. In this country, with an incredible variety of vegetables able to be grown, our salads are often very rich in variety and flavors.
The following recipe for Three Bean Salad is an example of our American sensibilities. I have found it to be very much enjoyed by kids and adults, alike.
This salad keeps well and after marinating for a day is even richer in character. This recipe serves 6 to 8 people. Keep in mind that this recipe and all recipes are not rigid with ingredients. They can be varied and adjusted, with taste changes, but still quite successfully modified.  Most ingredients are readily available at local supermarkets, but many spices are more economically obtained at ethnic import stores. We will explore this in a future article.

 

 Three Bean Salad
 1 -15 oz .can white beans, drained and rinsed
 1 -15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 -15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced.
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and rinsed
 3/4 cup red onion, finely diced
2 bunches of finely cut green onions
Leaves from 2 bunches of fresh cilantro (coriander) or parsley
1 cup fresh mango or apples, diced
1 cup dried cranberries.
2 cups of pre-washed spinach, cut in small pieces
Prepare, as above and place in an appropriately sized bowl

… Continue Reading

$2 Billion Mismanaged While Homes are Foreclosed

While California is engaged in massive budget cutting deficits, $2 billion is not being utilized to prevent homeowners from losing their homes, according to Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA).
Thousands of California homes are being foreclosed even though the California Housing Finance Agency (CAL-HFA) has $2 billion in federal funds in the Keeping Your Home California (KYHA) program.  
This money can be used to prevent foreclosures, reducing the outstanding principal on unaffordable mortgages.
However, CAL-HFA has grossly mismanaged the program with very little of the funds being dispersed.  Last month, the agency provided funding for only 50 homeowners.  The principal reduction program has barely been utilized.
While  NACA has been effective in providing affordable solutions, it has not been allowed to participate.
NACA is the largest and most effective non-profit HUD-certified homeownership organization in the country, according to staff at NACA.  The organization provides the best programs for both homeowners who have unaffordable mortgages and homebuyers looking to purchase.  
NACA is working with over 100,000 California homeowners at risk of foreclosure and are beginning a four-week tour throughout the state. The organization will be working with thousands of additional homeowners, all of whom should be able to access these funds.  For more information and to participate, go to www.naca.com.
If NACA were able to participate, homeowners who are unemployed would be able to have their mortgage paid for a period of time and others who owe more than their property is worth could have their outstanding principal reduced by up to $100,000.   
However, CAL-HFA is more interested in adhering to outdated processes and timelines than in helping homeowners, according to NACA.
NACA’s participation could turn this failure into a success.  While CAL-HFA blames lenders and investors, NACA has legally binding agreements with all of the major lenders and investors that could benefit all the agencies in the program but most importantly California homeowners.
CAL-HFA is not using potential resources when desperate families with their children are unnecessarily being thrown out of their homes.  People can call Claudia Cappio, CEO of CAL-HFA, at 877-922-5432 to ask her why is she refusing to work with NACA and make this program work.

Youth Speak Out at Bay Area Urban Debate League Discussions

William Hampton, an Oakland high school junior, was recently on the top floor of the TransAmerica Pyramid, where he was leading a discussion on urban education that included, among other civic leaders, Vaughn Walker – former Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court in of Northern California.
Hampton is one of six young people leading roundtable discussions on urban education that have included members of the Board of Supervisors, lawyers, business executives, school board members and others. The discussions are part of an ongoing series hosted by the Bay Area Urban Debate League, a program that involves more than 350 young people in competitive debate.
 According to Emily Murase of the San Francisco Board of Education, who joined the discussion on Jan. 19, the roundtable was an opportunity to engage with students on concrete policy issues. “We have much to learn from the first-hand experiences of our students,” she said. “This exercise is a tremendous asset for education policymakers and community leaders.”
“It was an eye opener,” said Professor Evan Lee of the UC Hastings Law School, who also participated. “Instead of adults saying, ‘We have the knowledge and we are handing it down to you,’ it was the students saying laying out the problems on the ground, and letting us know that until they are addressed, the knowledge doesn’t really help us.”
The Urban Debate League is founded on an understanding that debate has been linked to dramatic achievement gains in urban schools. However, unlike most debate programs, the youth are given opportunities to share their views with the real world actors who can help translate their policy ideas into reality.
Here is the Bay Area debate is increasingly linked directly to training for active citizenship and public leadership. J. Daniel Plants, Managing Partner of Voce Capital, helped to organize the events and sees the roundtable series as a kind of coming-out party for a group of young people who have dedicated years to mastering the crafts of research and argumentation. … Continue Reading

J. Douglas Allen-Taylor’s Book on South Carolina Black Land Battle

Independent San Francisco Bay Area publishers Freedom Voices announced this week the acquisition of publishing rights for “Sugaree Rising,” the  first novel by Bay Area author, journalist, and political columnist J. Douglas Allen-Taylor.
A publication date has not yet been set, but is expected in late 2012.
Allen-Taylor is an award-winning journalist and political columnist who has written for several San Francisco Bay Area publications, including the East Bay Express, San Jose Metro, the Berkeley Daily Planet, Color Lines, and Race, Poverty & The Environment. He is a native of Oakland and lived for many years in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where “Sugaree Rising” is based.
Set in the South Carolina coastal area Lowcountry in the late Depression years, “Sugaree Rising” is the story of community resistance to a massive community relocation forced by a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)-style dam building and rural electrification project. The novel also details the struggles of a unique group of Lowcountry African-American people-commonly known as “the Gullah”-to maintain a religion and culture largely based in their ancestral African homeland.
Allen-Taylor’s novel is loosely based upon the Santee Cooper Project, the 1930’s era initiative that carved out two major lakes in the heart of South Carolina, brought electrification to scores of rural communities, but in the process dislocated more than 900 families, most of them African-American.
Freedom Voices editor B. Jesse Clarke calls “Sugaree Rising” “a very solid piece of work.  The characterizations and the evocation of place and time are consistent, intelligent and well paced.  The weave between spirit and practicality is nearly seamless.  Allen-Taylor certainly had a wide range of publishing choices for such a quality novel. We’re very happy that he has chosen to publish with Freedom Voices.” … Continue Reading

Crab Feed at Beth Eden

By David Scott

Beth Eden Baptist Church held a crab feed fund-raiser last Saturday, Jan. 28 at the West Oakland Senior Center.
The scholarship fund-raiser, chaired by the church’s Education and Scholarship Committee, raised money to help send students to colleges and universities around the country.
Last year, Beth Eden awarded scholarships to over 20 students.
The mouth-watering all-you-can-eat crab, tender baked chicken, garlic bread and pasta were prepared by the husband wife chef team, Rhonda and Clifford Hart.
“We want to provide our youth the opportunity and teach them the value of a good education,” said Carole Chenier, Education and Scholarship Chair at Beth Eden.