National Safe Passage Legislation Needed

By Attorney James M. Hagler

Chicago, IL (BlackNews.com) – The senseless death of 16 year-old honor student, Derrion Albert is a shocking snapshot into the epidemic of youth and gang-related violence that plagues Chicago’s school children. The fatal beating was captured and broadcast worldwide and elicited a response not only from Chicago’s citizens but also from the Obama Administration.

“Derrion was laid to rest on Saturday — another promising life prematurely extinguished while enrolled in an educational system that I fear discriminates against African-American children. The Fatherhood Educational Institute (FEI) advocates a Civil Rights Call to Action to reduce youth violence, strengthen student programs and to encourage a community overwatch to curb and eventually eliminate gang violence,” said Dr. Karl Schmitt (FEI Advisor).

In the wake of the fatal beating, President Obama is sending Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Chicago on Wednesday, to address students and the community on school violence. However, it is beyond the time for words, urgent action including the creation of youth afterschool programs are immediately needed.

“While this tragedy is in the forefront of national news, it is Chicago’s opportunity to consciously re-shape the fabric of our community through anti-gang legislation with the help of President Obama – who was a steadfast community organizer on the very Chicago streets we are speaking of right now,” said Attorney Jeffery Leving (President Emeritus of FEI — www.fatherhood-edu.org). “We need to act as a community before we lose an entire generation of children,” said Leving.

FEI also supports Rev. Jesse Jackson’s demands for safe passage to and from school.

“We must not allow the loss of Derrion to become yet another statistic. Inner-city violence is killing our children and profoundly scarring the lives of those who do survive childhood. This is not a legacy we can tolerate. Our organization is aggressively pursuing interventions designed to protect and prepare children from these dangers,” said Dr. Schmitt.

All students from all communities deserve an equal and safe education.

Visit: www.fatherhood-edu.org

Posted via web from aakulturezone.com’s posterous

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The uproar at this summer’s raucous town hall meetings, Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst in Congress and the endless debate over whether some opposition to healthcare reform is racially-tinged are a major disservice to the millions of Americans who need healthcare reform.

Rep. Wilson doesn’t worry about costs if a member of his family falls ill; he is covered. The majority of the people screaming and waving signs at town hall meetings don’t worry either. They are covered. Their family members walk into a doctor’s office or hospital emergency room, flash insurance cards and receive the best treatment available.

But who has been speaking on behalf of the 46 million uninsured Americans? When they get sick, there are real consequences. Do they pay the mortgage or the hospital bill? Do they buy food or save to pay for the tests that may prolong a family member’s life?

These are issues that deserve attention from our lawmakers and policymakers, not red herrings like "death panels" and purported coverage for illegal immigrants. It’s disheartening that public officials elected to serve their constituents have the audacity to play political football with something as crucial as healthcare reform. Our nation will have a serious discussion on healthcare reform only when the politicians put their constituents ahead of their desire to maneuver for political gains. What’s so disturbing is that many opponents of healthcare reform, and most assuredly many public officials, are aware of the data showing how quickly healthcare costs are rising out of control and damaging our society.

The reality is that our safety-net systems are crumbling under the cost of caring for people who are uninsured or underinsured. The working poor simply have no or limited options for providing healthcare for themselves and their families. This predicament devastates communities of color, where more than seven million African Americans are without coverage. This is not a contrived problem; rising healthcare costs are a real crisis.

So why, suddenly, must healthcare reform legislation become a budget-reduction bill?

Instead of focusing on how to obtain the best coverage possible for millions of people without insurance, the debate in Congress has been transformed into a referendum on which plan can save government the most money. This is not how it should be. When Congress was allocating billions of dollars for the war in Iraq, the focus was on how to win the war, not on how much taxpayer money could be saved.

Right now, the nation needs its leaders, President Obama and the Congress to focus on the best plan for the people, regardless of the cost. There has been much debate over whether there should be a "public option" allowing the government to offer insurance. The public option should be considered not based on its cost, but its merit. It should be included if it can offer additional competition in the marketplace and drive down the premiums charged for other insurance plans. Now is not the time for ideological battles over government-run programs, now is the time for finding and implementing programs that work, be they government, private or hybrids. The nation needs programs that reduce the cost of insurance to consumers and cover the uninsured.

This over emphasis on costs has led to some ridiculous proposals that would ultimately be bad public policy if enacted.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), for instance, has a plan mandating that all Americans purchase health insurance. Because his plan has no public option, struggling middle-class families would be forced to buy health insurance at rates likely to be difficult for them to pay.

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released data further reinforcing why real healthcare reform must be enacted. Already, healthcare coverage for the average American family costs $13,375 a year, and health insurance premiums increased 138 percent over the last 10 years. At that rate, many families will suffer financial hardships.

Yet, largely because of the diversionary issues used to cloud the debate, the public doesn’t focus on the fact that we all pay a price when healthcare costs skyrocket. The businesses that pay the healthcare coverage for 160 million Americans must either deduct more money from employee wages or raise the price of their products or services, or in some cases, do both.

Healthcare in America is a train racing toward derailment.

When lawmakers consider the cost of a plan, they need to also consider the pain and higher cost caused by their inaction. They need to hear the voices of the 46 million people who are uninsured. They need to hear from the people with soaring medical bills.

And they need to remember that if the town hall meetings had been populated with people without insurance, they would wave signs, saying, "Help Me."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Henrie M. Treadwell is director of Community Voices, a nonprofit organization at Morehouse School of Medicine working to improve health services and health-care access for all Americans. Media seeking interviews with Dr. Treadwell please contact Alicia Ingram, 404-493-1724 to Schedule.

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PRISONS VS. EDUCATION: WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

According to the "Philadelphia Inquirer" newspaper Pennsylvania intends to build four new prisons for 800 million dollars. Did you know that it also takes $50,000 a year to house a prisoner? Reading this was upsetting because it was so easy to build four new prisons. Governor Rendell had spent 3 months trying to get the state budget passed because he refused to put education on the chopping block. The State of Pennsylvania could educate 5 children rather than put one man or women in prison. It seems like our country’s priorities are all twisted. Other countries are investing in education and they are experiencing expansion while America is in a state of decline.

Pennsylvania was not the only state to assess its commitment to education. Students in California and other states are experiencing overcrowded classes and bus services have been cut. Students don’t vote so they are an easy target for budget cuts. The majority of children in the United States need a better education than they are experiencing right know. Filling prisons is not the solution to our problem. Too many prisoners are high school drop out. In fact they need an education if they are to change their circumstances and not return to prison after they are released.

When is this country going to face the reality that a major solution to our economic crisis is right in our own communities? There are children who need access to better instruction and they need parents who are not in a prison cell. Too many grandparents are raising children because they have no choice. It is difficult for grandparents to provide the resources and guidance that growing teenagers need. Parents need to play an active role in their child’s education at all K12 levels.

Expanding prisons is not the solution to the economic crisis. A prison my generate jobs but it does not compare to what a well educated entrepreneur can do. We need to choose business development and job creation in areas where jobs have been depleted. Why not build new schools with modern technology that will lead to more sophisticated instruction and students who are prepared to succeed in college. Many of the schools in Philadelphia are over 50 years old and the maintenance expenses are unreasonable. These old buildings are not the best places for students to learn.

It’s time to make education a priority in every state. If we continue to fill our prisons with perfectly healthy young men and women we are becoming our own worst enemy. There is a tremendous amount of talent that is sitting in a cell and wasting away. Changing a young person’s potential to end up in prison starts at birth. Children need to develop an early passion for reading and learning. Parents can be a major part of the solution. The future is within our grasp and we need to say no to prisons and yes to education.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Stephen Jones is an education coach and author of Seven Secrets of How to Study, Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship Guide. For more information about Dr. Jones and his work, please visit www.studyskills2u.com.

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Sometimes you are just confused as to whether you really love the person you are dating or it is mere attraction, and it is difficult to make a decision. Questions abound and you don’t know how can you be so sure that you’ve picked the right one? Well, the first thing that should be done is ask yourself why you have the love for the person you’re with? A better understanding of your heart and what it says should not be understated. For instance, does your heart beat for your partner? Do you feel totally devastated when he is not around? You should know the difference between love and infatuation. Blind love is not an option and shouldn’t be part of this equation.

More often than not there comes times when we see in our paths that one person that seemingly is for us, and we put ourselves in position to allow what we see to believe without full scrutiny. In all aspects of life we are generally judged by the choices we make, and in some cases by choices we DON’T make. Discernible options that are ours places us in precarious positions when we are not equipped to be prominent in those choices, and not positioned favorably to take advantage. With this in mind, we have to live in harmony with Christ’s mandate for holy matrimony. This is part of His Divine plan for our salvation. The gist of this essay then, are lessons derived at how we should make the right decisions, live the type of life that would exemplify good works, and allow self, family and community to be part of all of the aforementioned. The lessons gives opportunities for reconciliation and a better understanding choosing partners for life! But how can we go about the business of finding the ones apropos for good lifetime relationships?

Throughout history time has shown us what happens when we don’t go beyond status quo or look deep within in lieu of opting only for surface matters to color our palette. Having the right person in your life is liken to relating to that which is a deep metaphor for your soul to reverberate and be sharing of the things that God has envision for that person to be one with you. I will refer to thematic overview for subjective interpretation as ‘soul mates’ when referring to those that should align themselves for a congruent relationship.

Our soul mates are not progenitive to just the opposite sex, but can come from all walks of life. All things are not equal in degrees of development. There’s differences in the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of how we choose our friends and  acquaintances. Sometimes these relationships can be intense depending on our souls connecting from the past without allowing it to undermine the advantages of futuristic progress as opposed to possessing a regressive mind. So the question still remains, how do you choose the right partner? I’ve formulated a few tips that I find to be important to help one understand the true essence of love and help you make decisions as to choosing the right soul mate.

Common Interests — For a compatible relationship the couple should have common interests…interests that both find engaging.  There should be no inhibitions or compromises. When two people have different interests, one person usually ends up sacrificing their desires for the other person in order to live a happy life, or end up living completely separate lives. Therefore to avoid any future complications and creating egotistical  issues, it’s better to analyze your interests and desires for a perfect match.

Ambitions — Never let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t pursue goals that may be ordained from God. Healthy ambition can help any relationship prosper. I find it so necessary to preserve your individuality and make it clear that you too, have a life and ambition worth the sake of the relationship. Find out whether your partner are comfortable with dual goal-setting initiatives.  Would your partner be willing to let you have that career you have always wanted?

Intellect — This is important and should be one of the things that you look for in choosing your soul mate. Does the intellect levels match?  It is very difficult to communicate with a dull or insensitive person who may not be willing to reason. Ask these questions to yourself: when you talk to him/her, are the wave lengths the same? How long does it take for questions to be answered adequately? Can the both of you really talk about absolutely anything? This may sound crazy but imagine living your entire life with someone who doesn’t understand you and who frustrates you to no end by lack of communication?

Principles — Deep-seated morals and ethics should be inherent in forming a base for truth and spiritual resolve. If one of you are resilient in this mode without your partner sharing the same sense of being, there will be problems in your relationship. Establishment in a strong belief system is paramount to stability  and must be straightened out before plunging into marriage.

The key to a better understanding in our choices is to know beyond reproach that having the ability to discern whom shall you trust, to what degree and how to manifest ‘thus sayeth the Lord’ precepts are important.  I’ve come to believe that all of our soul mates have one thing in common — they come into our lives to teach us lessons in compassion, forgiveness and in an unconditional love of ourselves and each other. Sometimes these relationships are challenging and painful; sometimes we are victimized; and sometimes we are the very ones who are prone to show the other person how to find the path back to the Godhead.  Once we know the definitive aspects of how soul mates can be positive and progressive in our lives, we will be better off in all things spiritual!

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Friendiligence is one of those Internet buzzwords up for consideration to be added to the upcoming edition of the Merriman Webster Dictionary. Google it. It loosely means the time and energy used to establish and maintain friends and friend requests mainly on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. As an author trying to navigate the vastness of the World Wide Web in order to market and promote my book, friendiligence most surely is an action verb. It is the type of action that can take the man hours of two full time jobs to complete effectively.

I must admit I haven’t been a very good friend this year, virtual or otherwise, being reprimanded by my oldest and dearest buddy for being aloof and insensitive because I told her about my mom’s surgery in a blanket Reply-All email. I’ve even been guilty of sending condolences in a text message, albeit, a sincere and well written text message. I had to check myself on that one. I would have pressed less characters dialing the ten digit number, speaking the sentiment to a live person and would have registered more sincerity points. I told myself that I can’t be that busy.

Bottom line, the people we interface with everyday in person and those we connect with through the Internet want to be treated like real friends, not spam. It takes due diligence to establish and maintain those connections. As an educator and citizen of the world I’m keenly aware that social skills and a certain amount of tooting your own horn (self-marketing and promotion) is the new literacy. Making connections with people is and will always be the most important skill set for every career path.

My pastor quoted last week that theoretically your less than five people away from getting in contact with anyone. Like six degrees of separation.  I contemplated the probability of getting my next novel, The Manual to Oprah’s producers as soon as I get it in galley form. Now, we are talking about people that on any giving day are in between attitude adjustments, reality checks and lattes. There are a lot of variables to take into consideration, but I think we’ve all witnessed a miracle in our own lives when everything aligns, you make that nearly impossible connection and doors open. Even if it only happens about as frequently as a total eclipse.

So there is something to this friendiligence thing. Verizon wireless says your service is only as good as the network your on. I think the key to success is rooted in what you already know about establishing good friendships. You learned it from Grandma. I have compiled a few do’s and don’ts to help you beef up your network.

Choose your friends wisely Momma didn’t let you just play with anyone. Many of us join these social networks to help build a brand or image. We shop through graphics, create slideshows and pimp our profiles to coincide with that image. You can’t accept everyone’s friend request. Do a little investigation to see if the potential friend meshes with your brand, image and values.

Check in What’s the matter? Did your fingers fall off? You can’t call, email of text a person? I was that person that used my email inbox as a caller id of sorts. I would see that some left me a message on My Space and think to myself, “That’s nice.” Or, screen my messages to see who I wanted to reply to. I figured out that it won’t shave time off my life to comment to a blog post about a new pet or to send out a birthday greetings. Remember it’s about connection. Relationships are reciprocal. I wouldn’t want to be guilty of calling on my friends only when I need something.

Treat others the way you want to be treated Before you capture gazillion friends or even capture that ma ny email address and inundate them with comments, bulletins and messages like a telemarketer, think about it. Do you like it when you return to your page and find a bulletin the size of Mt. Rushmore on your space (My Space). Similarly, you want other people to get a word in on your wall (Facebook) in between the continuous post of an overzealous cyberfriend. Less is more. Work on a brief constructive response.

Ask for help I admitted my weakness. Friendiligence was kickin’ my butt. A good friend of mine, Ella Curry, internet publicist, and founder and host of the Black Authors Network radio show sent me an email this summer that gave me an epiphany. It said that she had some assistants answering her accounts and that she was away from her business for a time and estimated the time she would get back to me. I appreciated the time line. At least I didn’t feel like I was being ignored. I found out later that she had hired some tech savvy teens in her family to help her keep up with emails and requests on her My Space account. I got to thinking about how empowering this was for a young person to be outsourced for certain administrative duties. This wasn’t your typical paper route and lemonade stand gig.  

Friendiligence, write it three times and use it in a sentence. I’m sorry, that’s the teacher in me. Social networking sites are not an accidental phenomenon. People are making the necessary contacts to get discovered, to gain exposure, and to stay connected. Friendiligence is not something you can just talk about. You have to be about it.

Sherryle Kiser Jackson is a fresh voice in Christian fiction. Her style reflects an honest commentary on her life with Christ. Soon and Very Soon is her debut novel. She anxiously awaits the publication of her second novel, The Manual, October 2009. Experience her too real to be preachy, Biblically based, out-the-Christian-box fiction at www.sherrylejackson.com or on www.Myspaceom.c/sherrylejackson

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THE MYTH OF THE POOR MAN’S PATENT

Houston, TX (BlackNews.com) – Paraphrasing Warren Buffet, "The best response to a slow economy is to determine how one can generate their own wealth." Developing ideas is one way people can generate wealth and start down the road to financial independence. Everyday people conceive novel ideas for products and services. However, many of these ideas go undeveloped. Several factors contribute to people not pursuing their ideas. In addition to a lack of confidence and the fear of losing the idea to someone else, one main factor that contributes to a person not pursuing his or her idea is a lack of practical knowledge of what to do. Fueling this lack of knowledge are misconceptions and misinformation. One example of misinformation is the concept of the "Poor Man’s Patent."

The commonly known "Poor Man’s Patent" is a document created by a person in an attempt to protect his or her idea. The practice is for the inventor to prepare a written description of their invention, place it in a self-addressed stamped envelope and mail it. The envelope comes back to the inventor with a postmark date. The inventor then keeps this sealed and postmarked envelope containing that written description as proof that they conceived the idea for the invention. The postmark date serves to identify a point in time for the conception of the idea. Many people believe that this process gives them protection against others who may conceive the same or a similar idea.

The truth is that this sealed and postmarked envelope has very little benefit. The most one can do with this postmarked envelope is show evidence of a conception date for the idea. However, this conception date alone does not protect the idea. The patent laws do not protect ideas that are intentionally concealed from the public. If an inventor conceives an idea but keeps the idea a secret and does not develop it and a second inventor independently conceives, develops and files a patent application for the same or a similar idea, then the second inventor is legally entitled (has first priority) to pursue patent protection for that idea. Although someone may be the first to conceive an idea, the first inventor must be diligent in developing the idea in order to claim ownership. The patent laws reward a person that first conceives an idea, diligently develops their idea and then makes the idea known to the public. Part of this diligence is filing a patent application for the idea.

In order to receive patent protection for an idea, an inventor must take some affirmative steps to develop and protect the idea. These steps should include: 1) generating a structural and/or functional design for the idea, 2) if possible, generating a model or prototype of the idea; 3) testing the idea and 4) filing a patent application (provisional or formal patent application) to begin the process of obtaining patent protection for the idea.

Although many people know about the "Poor Man’s Patent", the best approach to establish an initial date of conception for an idea prior to filing a patent application is to: 1) prepare a written document describing the idea (including structural and/or functional descriptions of the idea and drawings if applicable); 2) sign and date the document in the presence of another person; and 3) have the person who witnessed the signing sign and date the document. A notary can serve as a witness in this process. The inventor then keeps the signed and dated document without concern about an envelope being accidently opened. When trying to establish a conception date for an idea, this approach of signing the document in the presence of a witness is similar to the practice in technology companies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darcell Walker has over 20 years of experience practicing law. His specialty area is Intellectual Property law (i.e., patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and product licensing). Attorney Walker is licensed in Texas and registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In addition, Attorney Walker is the author of the book Godly Ideas. For more information visit www.dwalkerlaw.net and youtube.com/user/godlyideas.

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