The Central Georgian

Daily│May 8, 2008

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. Anything that hurts your ability to communicate limits your life. Yet 14 million Americans have a speech or language problem, and many do not know that they can be helped. If you have problems expressing your ideas or understanding others, call The Speech Path this May, Better Hearing and Speech Month, at 478-987-1610 (Perry) or 478-477-0601 (Macon). With proper treatment, you can minimize or eliminate most speech-language problems.

A donor drive will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2008, from 12 noon-8 pm, at all Bleckley County Schools, in memory of Linda Faulk. This simple procedure, a cheek swab, allows a person to join the National Marrow Donor Registry as a potential Bone Marrow Donor to those with leukemia or other blood disorders in need of a life-saving Bone Marrow Donor. Anyone ages 18-60 and in general good health is encouraged to come and join the National Marrow Donor Registry.

On Saturday, May 10th, 13th Annual Macon Symphony Orchestra Allegro 5K Run/WalkAll proceeds benefit the Macon Symphony. For more information, contract Gail Pollock, Race Chair, at glpollock@hotmail.com or Doris Wood, General Manager of the Macon Symphony, at (478) 301-5503.

On Sunday, May 18th, Georgia College & State University Music & Theatre Department presents the GCSU Community Dance Program Spring Concert, directed by Amelia Pelton.Admission is free. For ticket information, call 478-445-5277.

On Saturday, May 10th at Walter B Williams Park along with THP,Inc. will be sponsoring a Family Funday in Milledgeville from 12-5p. The event is free to the public for all ages.

Chambliss says he's ready to buck White House on farm bill
By BEN EVANS - Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON --Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia said he's ready to join Democratic leaders to fight President Bush's threatened veto of the farm bill unveiled Thursday.

Chambliss, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, has been the chief mediator between the White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress on the sprawling legislation, particularly on Bush's objections to its $300 billion price tag. Last week, Chambliss sat down for a private lunch with Bush at the White House, trying to persuade the president that Congress was making significant concessions.

But just hours after House and Senate leaders announced Thursday they had agreed on a final bill, the White House said that Bush would veto the measure.

"This is a very balanced farm bill," Chambliss said in an interview. "We have addressed each and every one of (his) concerns. We have not given him everything he wanted, but we have moved very much in his direction."

Bush has joined with critics from the right and left in calling for sharp cuts to crop subsidies, pointing to millionaire farmers and landholders who reap benefits under the current system.

But Chambliss and other farm-state lawmakers are fighting to protect the funding, saying it provides a critical "safety net" when the market drops. Southern growers say they need the government help because regional crops such as cotton, rice and peanuts are more expensive to grow than others and require larger operations to compete.

Under the legislation announced Thursday, farmers making up to $750,000 in farm income annually would be eligible for government payments - or $1.5 million for a married couple if both individuals are farmers. Landowners who earn up to $500,000 in non-farm income also would be eligible.

Bush has sought to eliminate payments to those making more than $200,000, but he has indicated he could accept a limit of $500,000. Current law allows payments for those making up to $2.5 million.

"Those are major changes to the payment limitation," Chambliss said, maintaining that the subsidy for landowners helps tenant farmers get cheaper rent. "There's going to be a lot of farmers who are affected by this."

The House and Senate could vote on the bill next week. It was unclear whether supporters would have enough votes to override a veto, but they will be looking to Chambliss to build support, particularly among conservatives.

"He has really been the glue that has held this bill together," said Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota
 

US terrorism report finds Al Qaeda attacks rise in Pakistan
Los Angeles Times 
The State Department's annual report on terrorism says the group killed four times as many people last year from its haven in tribal area.
Attacks in Pakistan Rising, State Department Reports New York Times
Report: Al Qaeda Gaining Strength New York Sun

Zimbabwe prepares to verify count
BBC News 
Representatives from both the governing Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change will oversee the collating process in Harare.
Zimbabwe Opposition Rejects Government Claims over Election Results Voice of America

Judge rejects NFL plea for Vick bonuses
A federal judge has denied a request from the National Football League that he overturn an earlier ruling which allows suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to keep $16.5 million in roster bonuses. U.S. District Judge David Doty of Minneapolis also declined a request by the NFL that he remove himself from the case. The NFL has accused the judge of bias. Earlier this year, Doty ruled that the Falcons would violate the NFL collective bargaining agreement if they tried to recover the roster bonus money Vick already received. The Falcons tried to get the money back after Vick pleaded guilty to dogfighting-related charges. Vick is currently serving a 23-month prison sentence.

Rev. Wright deserves some attention
Los Angeles Times
In the New York Times, Bob Herbert wonders why Wright seems "so insistent on wrecking the campaign of the only African American ever to have had a ...
Obama walks fine line in quest for white votes Boston Globe
The other thing Wright gets wrong Christian Science Monitor

A Family Fun Day to celebrate National Foster Care Month will be held Saturday, May 3 from 1-4 pm at the Jones County Fairgrounds in Gray. This event is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) Division of Family and Children's Services (DFCS) and area DFCS agencies.

Rate of Diabetes Increasing in U.S. Mothers
Voice of America 
But Lawrence qualifies that African American women in the study had the highest prevalence of diabetes before pregnancy, followed by Hispanic women, ...
Numbers of diabetic women having babies has doubled: study AFP
Dramatic Rise In Pre-Motherhood Diabetes In America Medical News Today

Radio One Buys Social Networking Firm Community Connect
Digitial Media Wire
LANHAM, MD. - Looking to further broaden its focus outside of radio, Radio One, a radio broadcasting company that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners, said that it has paid $38 million to acquire New York-based Community Connect Inc. (CCI), an operator of several niche social networking websites.

CCI owns sites such as BlackPlanet.com, MiGente.com and AsianAve.com. The company said that its sites have more than 20 million members combined.

"We believe that they are a great complement to our existing radio, TV and online properties," said Alfred Liggins III, the president and CEO of Radio One, adding that his company's goal is to become "the clear number one in the African-American online space."

Radio One, which owns or operates 53 radio stations, in recent months has been trying to diversify its approach.

In December 2006, it purchased Giant, a magazine targeting urban consumers, and also holds a significant stake in TV One, a cable network targeting African-Americans.

Ben Sun, the founder and president of CCI, will continue to run the company, which has about 100 employees.
 

Massive shortfall prompts hiring of outside auditor at DOT
By SHANNON McCAFFREY - Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA --Gov. Sonny Perdue said Wednesday he's asked for an outside audit of the Georgia Department of Transportation amid evidence that the state has promised about $1 billion more in transportation contracts than it can afford.

The financial mess is likely to bring some road projects to a halt.

"There is a smell that's not very pleasant about what's happening and what's being found there," Perdue told reporters of the state DOT.

Transportation Commissioner Gena Abraham cautioned that the shortfall numbers are preliminary. But she said the financial picture at the agency she took over just a few months ago is not good.

"We've promised a lot more projects than we can possibly deliver," Abraham said.

The department will look at all 9,000 road and infrastructure projects it has on the books and prioritize which ones should move forward.

Transportation dollars have not kept up with population growth in booming metro Atlanta. Studies have ranked Atlanta traffic as the second-worst in the nation, and state business leaders have worried it could harm economic growth by discouraging business from locating in Georgia.

State lawmakers took on the issue this year. They had reached agreement on a plan under which local governments could band together into regional districts. Those districts could then seek voter approval to levy a one-cent sales tax increase for transportation projects in that region.

The proposal passed the House on Friday but fell three votes short of the needed two-thirds majority in the Senate just minutes before the legislative session came to a close. It was being backed by the state's powerful business lobby.

But Perdue didn't like the plan. He has said that until the Department of Transportation resolves its fiscal problems, he cannot ask Georgians to funnel more money its way.

"The more information I frankly hear from Commissioner Abraham the more convinced I am that money may have exacerbated the problem right now," Perdue said.

He praised the work of the new commissioner - his choice to lead the department - to get to the root of the financial problems there.

Year-long re-paving construction projects planned for Atlanta area
Get ready for some weekend traffic jams on the so called Downtown Connector, where Interstates 75 and 85 converge and lead into Atlanta.

The eight-month project starts Friday and will continue on the weekends.

The contractor, E.R. Snell, has drafted a plan for almost no work on traffic lanes from Monday to Friday so weekday commuters should not be affected. The state wants to get the work done by November 30th. That means weekend travelers will deal with traffic delays.

Officials with the Georgia Department of Transportation said Tuesday that some part of the connector will be closed from 9 P.M. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for 30 weeks or more. Commuters are being advised to avoid the connector if possible during that time.

The work will continue during home games for the Atlanta Braves.

The connector was last paved right before the 1996 Olympic Games. Officials say it has reached the end of its 10- to 12-year lifespan.
 

Meet The (White) Man Who Inspired Wright's Controversial Sermon

Verizon presents a $250,000 grant African-American-Owned Businesses
LOS ANGELES,PRNewswire/ -- Verizon presented a $250,000 grant that will create greater opportunities for African-American-owned companies to serve as suppliers to major corporations throughout California.

The grant funds the creation of the African-American Supplier Engagement Collaboration, a consortium whose members include the National Black Business Council, the California Black Chamber of Commerce and the Black Business Association.

"The consortium will further strengthen Verizon's relationship with businesses owned by African-Americans," said Tim McCallion, Verizon's West region president. "The program will create new opportunities for California corporations to develop enduring partnerships with African-American-owned companies, based on a solid value proposition for all involved."

Braves/MLB: Escobar emerging as star for Braves

(AtlantaBraves.com) ATLANTA -- When Yunel Escobar left Cuba, he was confident that he would realize his dream of playing in the Majors. Four years later, there are some scouts who are beginning to believe he is one of the game's top young stars.

"He's pretty impressive," one National League scout said. "There are a lot of good young shortstops out there. But I'd put him up there with Hanley [Ramirez] and the others."

When the Braves complete their two-game series against the Marlins on Thursday night at Turner Field, Escobar and Ramirez will be looking to keep their teams near the top of the National League East standings.

While Ramirez's Marlins have been one of the biggest early-season surprises in the Majors, Escobar's Braves are attempting to knock them out of the top spot of the division standings. But since enjoying its season-best five-game winning streak, Atlanta has dropped two straight, including Wednesday night's series opener.

As the Braves began turnning things around over the course of the past week, they continued to receive steady play from Escobar. The 25-year-old shortstop entered Thursday hitting .316 with three homers and a .407 on-base percentage.

"I think I could have done even better than this," said Escobar, with Braves utilityman Brayan Pena serving as an interpreter.

With just two errors in his first 21 games, Escobar has proven that he can be better defensively than Edgar Renteria, who was traded to the Tigers in October, primarily because the Braves were so confident in Escobar's abilities.

"He's got the stuff to be an All-Star," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.

When they travel to New York to begin a three-game series against the Mets on Friday, the Braves will be looking to have some momentum. They'll send Chuck James to the mound on Thursday with the hope that he'll duplicate the success he had on Saturday, when he limited the Dodgers to one run in five innings.

After the game, James experienced some tightness in his left forearm. But instead of being alarmed, the 25-year-old southpaw said he believed the pain was simply a product of the changes he'd made in his mechanics. While battling a fatigued left shoulder last year, he altered his delivery and wasn't able to create the deception he had possessed during his rookie season in 2006.

 

First Look at Jamal Woolard As The Notorious B.I.G
(AOL/Black Voices) Things are moving at full speed as Fox Searchlight has provided the first look at Jamal Woolard as rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. The photo comes from Producer Wayne Barrow's blog . As filming is currently underway, Mr. Barrow will continue to update the blog with more pics and stories.

In just a few short years, The Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.

Judging from the photo, the looks are there and since Biggie was a well known figure, he will have to nail down the persona in order for the audience to truly be hooked.


In time we will get to see shots of Angela Bassett as Christopher's mother Voletta Wallace, Derek Luke as Sean Combs, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur

Directed by George Tillman, NOTORIOUS will be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures on January 16, 2009.

Macon Regional CrimeStoppers  names Jarrod Walker Executive Director

Historically black bank aims to keep, attract customers
By DAVID RANII
The News & Observer of Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. | The growing affluence of the African-American community, ironically, is making life tougher for black-owned banks such as Durham's Mechanics & Farmers Bank and Mutual Community Savings Bank. The two rivals recently agreed to combine forces.

The union comes as African-Americans' increased buying power has attracted the attention of larger, non-minority banks, which in recent years have stepped up marketing efforts to reach them. The non-minority banks also actively recruit African-American bankers.

All of which makes it harder for black-owned banks to stand out as they compete for customers.  Click here for more...

DeKalb CEO Jones announces bid for U.S. Senate seat

MARIETTA, Ga. --Politician Vernon Jones on Saturday journeyed from his base in mostly black DeKalb County to a town square in mostly white Cobb County to announce he is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

It was the conservatism and military tradition of Cobb County that drew him there, not skin color, said Jones, a self-described "conservative Democrat" who has been DeKalb County's elected chief executive since 2000.

"People are more concerned with who's in touch with their values than with somebody's color. This race is not based on race," Jones, who is black, told the Associated Press. More...

Nation's largest African-American religious group tackles AIDS

ST. LOUIS (ABP) -- For the first time, the nation's largest African-American religious body has corporately addressed the HIV/AIDS crisis.

AIDS awareness and prevention figured prominently on the agenda for the annual meeting of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. Scheduled to meet June 18-22 in St. Louis, leaders of the 7.5-million-member group said 45,000 National Baptists were participating in the gathering. More...

Alicia Keys Set To Release Third Album 'As I Am'

Nine-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys will release her long-awaited third studio album, 'As I Am' on November 10. Described by Keys as "Janis Joplin meets Aretha Franklin," Keys wrote and co-produced all 13 tracks on the album with the help of her longtime collaborator Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and a team of award-winning songwriters and producers including Linda Perry, John Mayer, Dirty Harry, and Swizz Beatz.

Since the 2001 debut of 'Songs In A Minor', New York native Alicia Keys has built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments with over 20 million albums sold worldwide, and now on November 10, Alicia will release the follow-up to 2003's critically-acclaimed 'The Diary of Alicia Keys', on her new album 'As I Am'.

Within 10 hours of being serviced to radio in the US, the first single from the album, 'No One' became one of the fastest moving and highest charting single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart

'No One' was written and produced by Keys and longtime collaborator Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and Dirty Harry who she collaborated with on the album alongside award-winning songwriters Linda Perry, John Mayer, Harold Lilly, Sean Garrett and producers Mark Batson, Swizz Beatz and Jack Splash.

One of the few artists who can capture an old-school vibe and make if feel refreshingly new, Alicia tackles this feat once again with an album she describes as "Janis Joplin meets Aretha Franklin."

Punctuated with rich powerful vocals, the 13 tracks on 'As I Am' will showcase Alicia's incredible songwriting and producing talents.

The Central Georgian, 2008,  Disclaimer..