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AUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 2012YEAR 37 NO. 31

JULIANNE MALVEAUX: What’s God got to dowith Trayvon Martin’s death? PAGE 4

SEE PAGE 5

Local teacher and coach Glenn Barnes laid to restBY ANDREAS BUTLERDAYTONA TIMESbutleramj@yahoo.com

Funeral services for Mainland High School teacher and coach Glenn Gordon Barnes were held at Allen Chapel AME Church in Day-tona Beach on July 28. Barnes died July 20 at age 62.

Elder Robert L. Fuller, pastor of Greater New Zion Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, conducted the eu-logy. Interment was at Greenwood Cemetery in Dayto-na.

“He always had a smile on his face. He loved his fami-ly. He would do any-thing for them. He also loved kids and always helped them too,” said his wife, Francene Barnes.

Barnes was a his-tory teacher at Main-land High School and an assistant football coach there. He headed the junior varsity program and was the steward for the Volunteer Teacher Organization (VTO) at the school.

“He always looked for ways to teach his kids different things. He stayed watching the History Chan-nel,” his wife recalled.

Father figureIn addition, he was involved

in youth football with the Dayto-na Beach Buccaneers Pop Warner club.

“He was excellent with the kids. He always put the kids first. He was a father figure to many. Coach Barnes created the Bucs’ Pop War-ner program in 1990, I believe, and he also created a tutoring program to help the kids keep their grades up, said Tommy Rowland.

“He put in so many hours with kids while coaching youth foot-ball and heading the JV program at Mainland. He still had to go home and take care of his family.’’

Rowland had coached with Barnes for about 20 years in youth football. He is currently the com-missioner for the Daytona Beach Buccaneers, taking over for Barnes.

Tallahassee native, FAMU graduate

Barnes enjoyed traveling, music and having gatherings with his fam-ily.

“If he visited a town and had 10 cousins living there, he would visit each and every one of them,” Fran-cene Barnes related.

In 1967, Barnes graduated from Lincoln High in his hometown of Tallahassee, where he played football and was a member of the ROTC.

BY ANDREAS BUTLERDAYTONA TIMESbutleramj@yahoo.com

School is right around the cor-ner as Volusia County schools are scheduled to begin a new ac-ademic year on Aug. 20.

It’s also time for the Mayor’s Backpack Give-A-Way in Dayto-na Beach..

“We quickly recognized the need for more assistance. Kids often disconnect because they don’t have adequate school sup-plies. Having the right supplies could make the difference be-tween a successful school year

and a failure,” said Mayor Glenn Ritchey during a press confer-ence last week.

Sites for suppliesThere are several sites where

local children can receive free backpacks and school supplies.

The first event is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Aug. 4 at Derbyshire Park, 849 Derbyshire Road. Another will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 6 at Lennox Park, 825 S. Grand-view Ave. The last event is Aug. 11 at the John H. Dickerson Com-munity Center, 308 S. Martin Lu-ther King Blvd. The time is from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

The supplies are for youngsters 5 through 18. The backpacks will contain supplies such as paper, pencils, pens, erasers, socks and underwear.

High school and middle school backpacks also will include a composition book and a calcu-lator.

Free hot dogs and water will be given away too to patrons at the giveaway events.

From 240 to 3,050 givenThis is the sixth year of the give-

away. During the inception, a to-

Backpack giveaway continues to help kids get ready for school

Volusia residents pack center to hear candidates in primary racesBY JAMES HARPERDAYTONA TIMES harperjames59@yahoo.com

It was standing room only at the John H. Dickerson Cen-ter in Daytona Beach Tuesday night as hundreds of residents turned out to listen to some of the candidates who will ap-pear on the Aug. 14 primary ballot in Volusia County.

The open forum was spon-sored by the Volusia Coun-ty-Daytona Beach NAACP and the Daytona Beach Area Alumnae Pan-Hellenic Asso-ciation.

The forum was an indica-tion that the Black vote in Volusia County could make a difference in some key rac-es, particularly in the Daytona Beach mayoral, county coun-cil District 2, supervisor of elections, county clerk of the court, and county chair com-petitions.

NAACP President Cynthia Slater kicked off the event in-forming candidates and resi-dents that her organization is a frontline advocate respon-sible for raising awareness about the democratic pro-cess.

Slater, who was pleasantly

surprised by the number of residents who attended and candidates who participat-ed, said it is her hope that ev-eryone left the forum familiar with the candidates who each spoke for two minutes and hung around the center later to personally greet residents.

No guaranteed votesPat Heard, a member of the

Midtown Redevelopment Ar-ea Board, said she attended the forum to learn if any of the candidates knew anything about Midtown, which is a predominantly Black popu-lated area of Daytona Beach.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Heard acknowledged.

Bethune Cookman Univer-sity Administrator Al Bouie, who is also a member of the Pan-Hellenic Association, said he did learn something Tues-day night and cautioned Black

Residents of Volusia County attend a candidates forum sponsored by the Volusia NAACP Tuesday night. Candidates for mayoral, county council, sheri!, judge, clerk of court, school board and various other races addressed the standing room-only crowd.

Please see BARNES, Page 2

Please see BACKPACKS, Page 2

Glenn BarnesCommunity turns out

for election forum

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY THOMAS / DAYTONA TIMES Residents listen closely to candidates’ platforms at the forum. "e primary election will be held Aug. 14; early voting begins Aug. 4.

Please see FORUM, Page 2

Youngsters expressed their approval after receiving their free backpacks and school supplies at a previous giveaway event sponsored by the City of Daytona Beach.

2 AUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 2012FOCUS

SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

As demand for skilled health care workers in-creases, Stetson University is launching a new, afford-able health care training program.

The short-term training opportunity will provide interested, motivated in-dividuals seeking a job in health care the knowledge and skills needed to pursue a job in allied health fields.

Classes in the pharmacy technician and veterinary assistant programs will be-gin in September, and reg-istration is now open.

“We take great pride in offering this training for the first time to provide ac-cess for local adults to af-fordable training that can lead to sustainable job op-portunities in the health care industry. It’s estimat-ed that 20 percent of new jobs through 2014 will be located in the medical in-

dustry, and the majority of these positions will be filled by individuals with four years or less of train-ing,” said Emily Richard-son, associate vice presi-dent for Boundless Learn-ing at Stetson.

Classes in DeLand and Celebration

Through a partnership with Boston Reed, a na-tional education provid-er, Stetson now provides

health care training pro-grams that prepare stu-dents for job opportunities in the growing allied health industry.

Stetson will offer Boston Reed’s health care train-ing programs in the areas of pharmacy technician (at the Stetson University Center at Celebration) and veterinary assistant (at the DeLand campus).

“We are pleased to part-ner with Stetson University to offer this high-demand, science-based curriculum for local residents seek-ing a career change or ad-ditional skill set for today’s fast-growing health care industry,” said Grant Wells, program manager of Bos-ton Reed.

“Boston Reed commits

to offering a high-qual-ity education option for schools that do not have immediate resources or expertise to offer this type of coursework. All cours-es are taught by seasoned experts including doctors, nurses and pharmacists.”

Program feesAs part of its partnership

model, Boston Reed pro-vides all materials, instruc-tors and helps place stu-dents in externships upon completion of classroom instruction. Upon com-pletion of the partnership program, many students are immediately eligible for employment and often pursue higher education, working toward nursing or other healthcare pathways.

Program fees are approx-imately $2,995 for pharma-cy technician and $1,199 for veterinary assistant and include textbooks, class-room materials, extern-ships and certificates of completion.

The pharmacy techni-cian program will run Sept. 11 through Feb. 14, 2013 at the Stetson Universi-ty Center at Celebration, 800 Celebration Ave Suite 104. The Veterinary Assis-tant program will run Sept. 15 through Oct. 20 at the DeLand campus, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand.

Course registration is open and interested at-tendees can learn more and register at www.bos-tonreed.com.

Stetson partners with Boston Reed College to offer pharmacy, veterinary assistant programs

candidates they shouldn’t assume they are guaran-teed the Black vote.

“All candidates are go-ing to have to let the peo-ple know what they are go-ing to do to improve the quality of life for everyone,” Bouie said.

DAYTONA BEACH MAYOR

All four candidates for mayor of Daytona Beach came ready to address the crowd.

Realtor and hotel owner Fred Hoffman said he was running to help change peoples lives in Daytona Beach for the better. He also said he will work to bring business owners to the city.

Former Daytona Beach commissioner Derrick Henry remembered play-ing basketball in the gym where the forum was be-ing held.

“I will listen before I ask to be heard. Daytona Beach has been a divided city. I am the right candi-date to bridge the gap,” said Henry.

“Zip code 32114 needs some special attention. I am a tireless fighter for Daytona Beach,” he con-cluded.

Edith Shelley, a current Daytona Beach commis-sioner, said if elected she will hold City Manager Jim Chisholm accountable. She added that she would be accessible.

Shelley said the recon-struction of Orange Ave-nue, which runs through Midtown, will remain one of her top priorities. She is currently working to put a jobs network on the city’s website.

Gwen Azama-Edwards, a former Daytona commis-sioner and city clerk, chal-lenged her opponents to match her credentials.

Azama-Edwards re-minded the crowd she was city clerk for 16 years and was elected to the com-mission for two years from Zone 4.

“They can talk it. I can walk it, Win with Gwen,” she concluded.

VOLUSIA COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2

Volusia County Council District 2 candidates also addressed the crowd.

Nancy Epps, former mayor of Ponce Inlet, said she has 14 years as a volun-teer for various organiza-tions and, if elected, to the

council she will take the time to talk to residents.

Business owner Ken Ali said the county council is out of control and “we need to change the people sitting on the county coun-cil.”

“I want to represent you, not the special interest,” Ali said.

District 2 incumbent Josh Wagner reminded the heavily Black audience it was he along with Council-woman Joyce Cusack who pushed for a county civil rights ordinance.

Wagner said if someone believes they are a victim of racism, they can now, in addition to going through the federal government, file a complaint with the county.

Wagner also didn’t shy away from noting there weren’t enough minorities working for the county.

“We don’t have a lot of diversity in Volusia Coun-ty Government,” adding that is why he is proud of the internship program the county now has in which a number of Bethune-Cook-man students are partici-pating.

STATE ATTORNEYBoth candidates for State

Attorney spoke. Both are Republicans and the on-ly candidates vying for the seat.

Incumbent R.J. Lariz-za has held the seat since 2009 and says under his watch the conviction rate is the highest it has ever been in the four counties he rep-resents.

Larizza also noted he is proud of the 220 people he supervises, calling them “good people who care.”

“Prosecuting isn’t just about putting people in jail,” he said.

His opponent, Stasia Warren, who stepped down from being a judge the past 21 years to challenge Lariz-za, said she is running be-cause she cares about the victims of crimes.

“I want to stand on my record,” declared Warren.

CLERK OF THE COURT

All three Volusia Coun-ty Clerk of the Court can-didates were present at the forum.

Diane Matousek has been the Clerk of the Court since 1992 and faces a chal-lenge for the first time in 16 years from two opponents.

Matousek, of Orange City, is running against Re-publican challenger Steve deLaroche, 48, of Ormond Beach, a former county judge, and Christine Sand-ers, 42, of Ormond Beach, who once worked for the clerk’s office.

Sanders said if elected she would reduce spend-ing and increase customer service.

DeLaroche said he could do a better job running the office and would modern-ize the computer and digi-tal system.

Matousek took issue with charges against her that her office was not up to date with the latest tech-nology.

“We are modernized, more automatic than most. We have good custom-er service. You’re hearing falsehoods,” said Matousek concluding, “We run a tight ship. I am a public ser-vant.”

VOLUSIA COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIR

The three county council chair candidates said why they should be elected.

Carl Persis reminded the audience that in addition

to being a county coun-cilman he was a former teacher and principal.

“I’m all about dedicating my life to helping people. It’s about what I can do to help you,” he said.

Jason Davis said voters need someone who will sit on the council and listen to them. “You want a true voice running to be your county chair,” he said.

Attorney Ted Doran started out saying “He knows the community.”

“I am here to stay. I am here to help you. In this county, you have been left behind. I’m here for you and I will deliver for you,” he concluded.

SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS

Supervisor of Elections Supervisor Ann McFall fac-es three challengers – cur-rent Volusia County Coun-cilman Andy Kelly, attor-

ney Beaulah Blanks and community activist There-sa Apgar.

McFall reminded the au-dience that she has been one of the most vocal su-pervisors of elections op-posing voter suppression laws enacted by the state legislators and signed by Gov. Rick Scott.

“The governor wasn’t lis-tening. Legislators weren’t listening. I went to the pub-lic,” said McFall, who was a guest on several national TV shows.

Kelly reminded the audi-ence of McFall’s role in the unseating of former Black Daytona Beach Com-missioner Derrick Henry whom she reported to the State Attorney’s office for alleged voter fraud involv-ing absentee ballots.

“I’m here for you. I want to make sure everyone of your votes count,” said Kel-ly.

Blanks arrived late to the forum and was unable to address the audience. Ap-gar was not there.

JUDGES, SHERIFF, SCHOOL BOARD, CONGRESS, CITY COMMISSION

Also participating in the forum were county court judge candidates: Group 7 - Steven Burk, Dustin Havens, Alan Holt, Chris Kelly and Adam Warren; Group 8 – Bryan Feigenbaum and Michael McDermott.

Congressional candidate for District 6 Vipin Verma also attended.

Volusia School Board District 2 candidate Ida “Lucy Duncan” Wright spoke. Her opponent, in-cumbent Al Williams, was not present.

Sheriff candidate Wen-dell Bradford addressed the crowd. His opponent, incumbent Ben Johnson, did not show up.

District 4 county coun-cil candidates Shannon McLeish and Damien Richards asked for sup-port. Doug Daniels and Jay M. Young were not in at-tendance.

District 4 school board candidates Walter Ford-ham, incumbent Judy Con-te and Charles King were present. Linda Costello did not attend.

Ruth Trager, the Daytona Beach commission candi-date for Zone 1 also spoke to residents at the forum. Candidates Dale Heuer-mann and Carl Lentz were not present.

Daytona Beach Zone 6 candidates Paula Reed and Cathy Washington both addressed the audience. Their race is not on the bal-lot until Nov. 6.

Barnes received his bach-elor’s degree in history from Florida A&M University where he also played foot-ball and was the editor of the school’s newsletter.

The Barneses married in 1971 moved to Daytona Beach in 1972.

Glenn Barnes also was a member of Greater New Zi-on Primitive Baptist Church in Daytona Beach.

He was also affiliated with the NAACP and FAMU

Alumni Association.In the past, Barnes ran for

Daytona Beach City Com-mission Zone 5 seat.

“So much will be missed about him. He was just a well-rounded person,” add-ed Rowland.

Scholarship to help kids play sports

Family and friends have set up the Glenn G. Barnes Athletic Scholarship Fund in his honor.

“The fund is designed to help kids in school cover the $75 fee required now to play sports. Many kids cannot af-ford it and this is something

that my husband wanted to do. He always wanted to help kid and instill positive qualities in them in both the classroom and athlet-ics,” Mrs. Barnes said.

Along with his wife of 42 years, he is survived by his son Thomas Barnes of Los Angeles; two daughters, Lindsey Barnes and Rossi Williams, both of Daytona Beach; and 12 grandchil-dren.

For information on the Glenn G. Barnes Athletic scholarship fund, contact S. Fletcher at 386-299-3587.

BARNESfrom Page 1

tal of 240 backpacks were given away. Now, a total of 3,050 are being distrib-uted with $25 worth of school supplies inside each backpack.

“It actually started with us just giv-ing those backpacks to kids in our af-ter-school program but the mayor and other officials decided to branch it out. Since then, it has really grown and ex-panded citywide,” said Percy William-son, Daytona Beach’s Leisure Services director.

Sponsors for the event include Wal-mart, Pepsi Bottling Company and Fri-to Lay.

Big help for local parents“Parents have come to depend upon

it. It really helps out a lot of people espe-cially with today’s economic situation. This helps parents with not having to buy so many and sometimes no school supplies,” Williamson explained.

Vendors also will be at the giveaway sites.

“It’s just so much more going on. So many other vendors will be on hand providing much-needed services. The people really get a lot,” added William-son.

Parents are required to accompany their children and have a valid ID at the event.

For more information, contact Lei-sure Services at 386-671-8337.

BACKPACKSfrom Page 1

FORUMfrom Page 1

ASHLEY THOMAS / DAYTONA TIMES Kenneth Scott (left) is pictured with District 2 County Councilman Joshua Wagner and Zone 5 Commission-er Patrick Henry. Wagner is seeking reelection in the Aug. 14 primary.

KAREN CLARK / SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMESMidtown Redevelopment Area Board member Pat Heard, Supervisor of Elec-tions candidate Beaulah Blanks and Daytona Beach Area Alumnae Pan-Hellenic Association president Johnnie Moore attended Tuesday night’s forum.

COMMUNITY NEWSAUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 2012 3

NAACP Golf Chairman Harry Davis has plotted his course for the 11th Annual Jacqueline A. Browne Me-morial Golf Tournament slated for Aug. 11 at Pine Lakes.

In addition, he is set to re-ceive sponsorships of $500, $350, $100 and $50 from or-ganizations and individuals for the local branch’s efforts of promoting educational, social and economic devel-opment through communi-ty programs. Each sponsor-ship level has benefits that may afford the opportunity to play in the tournament without cost.

Davis has been on the move and was recorded as the Low Gross Champion for the recent 2012 Eagles Club Championship. His ti-tle was a result of a 36-hole-stroke-play tournament (with handicap) over a two-day challenge at Halifax Plantation and Palm Har-

bor Golf Club.He entered the gross

scores of 74 and 72 for a to-tal of 146. This was his third consecutive defense of his title and eight overall.

Davis managed to win the 2011 Grand Club Men’s Championship for

11 of the past 13 years. The North Carolina native relo-cated to Palm Coast from Maryland.

He explained that con-tributing organizations and individuals signed up for the memorial tournament will be list-ed at the luncheon on a sponsorship banner and/or a sign in the teeing area of the course.

Tribute to BrowneThe Jacqueline A.

Browne Memorial Golf Tournament is a tribute to Browne, who, in 2000, revitalized the then dor-

mant branch after being approached by individu-als having experience bi-as. Browne passed away in 2001.

She was a New York City educator, Democratic Women’s Club president, board chairman of the Af-rican American Cultural Society, a member of the Palm Coast Service District Advisory, and president of the advisory’s Public Works Committee.

Registration begins 7 a.m., followed by the shot-gun start at 8 a.m. The fee for the four-person scram-ble is $75, which includes greens and cart fees, awards, breakfast and lunch.

For more information, call Davis at 386-437-5082 or Willard Anderson at 386-586-4053.

AACS hosting Aug. 10 luncheon

Vivian Richardson, for-

mer African American Cultural Society (AACS) president, conjured up a luncheon for those seek-ing a delicious fare in after-noon, mid-summer fash-ion.

Land yourself a spot on the runway, wearing your favorite afternoon apparel. The fashion craze abounds in prizes. It will partly be sponsored by Kohl’s De-partment Store and will benefit the AACS Scholar-ship Fund.

Groups are welcome and RSVPs are encouraged.

It happens Aug. 10, 1-4 p.m., at the AACS, 4422 North U.S. 1 in Palm Coast. Tickets are $10 per person.

For tickets, call Vivian Richardson at 386-446-6935, or call the AACS office at 386-447-7030.

Church’s monthly giveaway is Aug. 11

The Women’s Mission-

ary Society of First Church - the Rev. Gillard S. Glover, Pastor - has scheduled its monthly food giveaway for Aug. 11, 1-3 p.m., at 91 Old Kings Road North in Palm Coast.

For more information, call 386-446-5759

As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.

Flagler NAACP to host golf tourney on Aug. 11

B! J"#$%&'" D. M(()#*+! | Daytona Times

Palm Coast Community news

Birthday wishes to Twins Alexis and Alana Williams, Ernest G. Robinson Jr., Bob Brooks, Aug. 2; Clarence Mauge’, Aug. 3; Gloria Major, Shirley Horne, Aug. 4; Rudy Forbes, Aug. 5; Ivor Dehaney, Taylor Pincham, Aug. 7.

Birthday wishes to:

Happy Birthday to You!

GOSPEL HALLELUJAH WORLD WIDE RADIO MINISTRIES

Hosted by: Bro. Harold Ford and Prophetess Deborah Ford

LISTEN TO WPUL 1590Saturdays 10 am -noon

Sundays 5am- 7am & 1pm-3pm

Listen online at: www.wpul1590.comwebsite: www.gospelhallelujah.com

Come let the Holy Ghost Get Ya!

Harry Davis

Jacqueline A. Browne

Meeting to focus on land-use change near DeLand SunRail station

Volusia County staff members will con-

duct a public workshop to provide an

overview of the proposed large-scale com-prehensive plan amendment (CPA 12-1-1) to change the future land use designations from urban low intensity and industrial designations to the activity center desig-nation for the area next to the DeLand ar-ea SunRail commuter rail station.

The workshop will begin at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 7 in the first-floor training room of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Cen-ter, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand.

More information: Becky Mendez, 386-736-5959, ext. 12943.

Mentor trainingscheduled Sept. 18 Community Partnership for Children is recruiting men-tors for teenage children in foster care. The next orientation will be held Sept. 18 from 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at the Community Partner-ship for Children, 160 North Beach St. To register or for more information: Susan Hiltz, 386-547-2293 or Susan.Hiltz@cbcvf.org.

Music workshopmeets at New HopeThe Volusia/Flagler Chapter of Gospel Music Workshop of America will meet Aug. 4

and Aug. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The meetings are held the first and third Saturdays of each month at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 633 Roy Ave.

Aug. 11 event helps sick kidsDaytona Lagoon will be serv-ing ice cream and toppings for donations on Aug. 11 from noon to two during an “Ice Cream Breakfast,” an-nual campaign raising funds and awareness for Give Kids the World. The cost of the event is $2 and $5 donations for a scoop. Location: 601 Earl St. More information: Contact Trish Mucciolo at

trish@daytonafunparks.com.

Free workshop on Alzheimer’s Learn 10 strategies that may surprise you and five strategies that may protect your children and grandchil-dren at a free informational workshop on Alzheimer’s disease with guest speaker Dr. Diane B. Tellier, The event will be held Aug. 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Port Orange Regional Library auditorium, 1005 City Center Circle. More information and to RSVP: 386-267-1204. Tutoring help availablePartnering with St. James Academy, Elect Ladies Men-toring is offering tutoring services, school supplies, study spaces and encour-agement for students 17 and up seeking a high school diploma. More information: 386-258-7199 or Electla-diesmin@aol.com.

Elect Ladieshosting workshopA discussion on how to over-come limitations in order to achieve the impossible will be hosted by Elect Ladies Ministry titled “From ESE to PHD,” on Aug. 4. Registra-tion and a continental break-fast begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by the workshop from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Halifax Medical Center, France Tower Classroom E. Cost: $5. More information: 386-258-7199.

To list your event FREE, e-mail us at news@daytonatimes.com. No phone calls or faxes, please. Events are listed on a space-available basis, and in the sole discretion of the Daytona Times staff. For guaran-teed placement, contact Lynnette Garcia, lgarcia@flcourier.org, phone 954-882-2946, for ad rates.

Community Calendar

Compiled by the Daytona Times

MEEK MILLRapper Meek Mill and Tyga will be in concert on Sept. 2 at the UCF Arena in Orlando. Showtime is 7 p.m.

 

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Buried in a sea of government regulations

AUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 20124 EDITORIAL

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: CONGRESS 2012

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RJ MATSON, ROLL CALL

We African-Americans must get more involved in making policy. As one of my mentors taught me, “You can be one of two things: a political activist or a political victim.” We must get into the game and ensure our needs will be met. And we have plenty of needs.

As businesses work to over-come staggering obstacles – many of which are imposed by Washington – each step for-ward leads to two steps back-ward. Few would argue that the anemic growth the country has experienced over the last four years is enough to rebound from the trough we find ourselves in, yet policymakers continue to re-vert to the same failed policies that have wielded little in the way of results.

Surrendered to government

In the wake of the 2008 eco-nomic downturn, the American public unwittingly surrendered innovation and individualism for the promise of federal res-cue. Now the sober realization that further government inter-vention has failed is setting in. Recently, the rate of small busi-ness startups hit a record low, businesses lowered their hiring expectations, and government spending peaked – all at the ex-pense of taxpayers.

Instead of empowering the private sector, the Obama ad-ministration has targeted it. The president’s own comments in July underscored how aloof he is from business owners. He said, “If you’ve got a small busi-ness – you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that hap-pen.” Before that he assessed that the private sector is “do-ing fine.” All came after an En-vironmental Protection Agen-cy official’s comments became public where he explained the organization’s policy of “cruci-fying” businesses.

Each year, small business-es create two-third of new jobs, and they produce half the U.S. gross domestic product. Unlike their larger competitors, these companies often can’t afford to hire specialists to navigate the burdens federal requirements put on them. It takes valuable time and resources keeping up with all that’s asked of them. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that small businesses recently downgraded their hiring expec-tations or that earlier this year, nearly half of those surveyed said that government regula-

tion was their biggest deterrent to creating new jobs.

Limits competitionBut the impact of government

overreach is much broader. In private markets, Washington is limiting competition.

Regulators in favor of less test-ed, possibly insufficient, alterna-tives have targeted once-proven safe chemicals. The Environ-mental Protection Agency’s de facto regulatory program, De-sign for the Environment, need-lessly promotes compounds that haven’t been sufficiently tested over those already approved.

In the telecommunications world, lawmakers seem intent on slow-walking important de-velopment. Current regula-tions are still designed for mid-20th century technology, which makes no sense in today’s digi-tal age.

Developments in domestic energy resources, which have already cut prices at the pump and lowered heating and utility costs for homeowners, contin-ue to be stymied by strict federal and state regulation. The admin-istration has cut offshore drill-ing permits by a third. Federal and state agencies have acutely hamstrung developers through excessive regulation, in spite of proven safety measures.

Real solutionsRegulators should strive for

more efficiency. By partner-ing with small businesses, poli-cymakers can create rules that protect our communities, the environment, and the economy.

It’s time to repower private industry. America is a country built on individualism, oppor-tunity, and innovation. Now is not the time to abandon those values.

Harry C. Alford is the co-founder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Click on this sto-ry at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

What’s God got to do with Trayvon’s death?

George Zimmerman, the man who killed Trayvon Martin, told Fox News personality Sean Han-nity that the events that occurred on February 26, 2012 were “God’s will.” What a cynical manipulation of our Creator.

Zimmerman has proven him-self to be a multiple liar. He called himself destitute, while collecting tens of thousands of dollars from a website that was formed to fund his defense. He declined medi-cal attention the night he killed Trayvon, and then showed up the next day with bumps on his head, but no evidence of who put them there. This is the equivalent of a drunk driver fleeing the scene of an accident and turning himself in sober the next day.

Zimmerman’s willTrayvon’s death is not God’s

will, but Zimmerman’s, and the will of those legislative vigilan-tes who have passed “Stand Your Ground” laws in many states. Note that “Stand Your Ground” laws are different from the “castle laws” that allows residents to use force against those who unlawful-ly enter their property.

These laws have their own downside – witness the case of a man who shot Halloween trick-or-treaters. But these laws allow folks to shoot people (as opposed to formerly held laws where one was required to retreat) if they are in a place where a defendant is al-lowed to be.

Using such laws, had Trayvon

had a weapon, he might have jus-tifiably used it on Zimmerman, since he had the same right to be on the streets as Zimmerman. But does anyone have any doubt that if the shoe were on the other foot, Trayvon would have been al-lowed to leave jail without being charged?

Zimmerman says this case has divided our nation. Perhaps he is right. How else could an admitted killer garner more than $150,000 via the Internet unless some rabid souls choose to support the wan-ton massacre of young African-American men?

At the same time, this admit-ted killer has had hubris enough to provoke the New Black Panther Party, a small organization that is more bark than bite, to make him the target of incendiary rhetoric. The New Black Panther Party may have offered a death threat. Zim-merman actually committed one. Were it not for the national atten-tion this case has garnered, he might have never been charged.

Pain into passionI met Sybrina Hudson, Tray-

von’s mother, at the most recent Rainbow/PUSH annual confer-ence. Sybrina is soft-spoken but

determined, a woman who would not have sought the limelight but for her commitment that her son, and other young Black men tar-geted by racists, should have jus-tice. She has started a website, www.justicetm.org, that will pro-mote justice for Trayvon and oth-ers whose lives are placed in jeop-ardy by “Stand Your Ground” laws. She is turning her pain into passion and power.

The rest of us who love young hoodie-wearing Black men must tell them the racist rules of the game. One friend told me that she instructs her sons never to look a White policeman or a threaten-ing-looking White man in the eye. Another has banned evening ex-cursions, choosing to drive her sons to get snacks rather than to have them walk. Still another has instructed her son to turn on the microphone embedded in his phone so that, in case of confron-tation, she has a record of what happened.

George Zimmerman knows an-other God than most of us do. But then this gross manipulation of our Savior’s Word is not the first manipulation Zimmerman has attempted. Shame on him, and shame on those ministers who do not immediately denounce this blasphemy.

Julianne Malveaux is a Wash-ington, D.C.-based economist and writer. Click on this story at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

Lax gun laws allow terrorism at home

Blacks, Latinos strongest supporters of !nancial reform

We are shocked and saddened by the massacre in Aurora, Colo. But Aurora is part of a pattern, not an isolated incident.

Two days earlier, 17 were hurt outside a bar in Tuscaloosa, Ala., when a gunman opened fire. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot in a Tucson, Ariz., shop-ping center. Virginia Tech students were mowed down on campus.

In Chicago, 228 people have al-ready lost their lives to gun vio-lence as of mid-June. Nationwide, there have been 60 mass shoot-ings since the Tucson horror, ac-cording to the Brady Campaign. Every year, about 100,000 Ameri-cans are victims of gun violence, with about 30,000 killed.

Established routineAurora is shocking, but the

shock has become routine. We fixate on the details of the killer, James Holmes. Our leaders of-fer condolences and prayers. But we need both prayer and policy to provide for domestic tranquility.

Depression isn’t isolated. Mass depression and mass access to guns is a recipe for massacre. We must do more than mourn. We must act to limit domestic terror-ism.

Holmes purchased the four guns he carried in local Colorado gun shops along with 6,000 rounds of ammunition in the last 60 days. How could he arm himself with

an assault rifle that is useful only to hunt humans? It was easy be-cause in Colorado, it was perfect-ly legal.

According to the Brady Cam-paign, in Colorado, there is no ban on assault weapons or on high-ca-pacity ammunition magazines, no registration requirements, no gun owner licensing requirements, no background checks for Internet sales, no “good cause” required for a concealed carry permit, or no limit on the number of handguns you can buy in one purchase.

Drastic declineOur police chiefs campaigned

hard for a ban on assault weapons that put them at risk. A weak fed-eral assault weapons ban existed from 1994, until George Bush let it lapse in 2004. During that time, the number of crimes committed with assault weapons declined dramatically. But the National Ri-fle Association, the powerful gun lobby, campaigned hard against the ban and intimidated politi-cians in both parties.

Now the gun lobby has won. People have begun arming them-

selves, as if that would protect them. In 1959, 60 percent of Amer-icans supported a law to ban pos-session of handguns except by po-lice and other authorized persons. Last year, nearly half (47 percent) of Americans said they have a gun in their home. By 2011, only 26 percent supported it. Last year for the first time, a majority of Ameri-cans said they were opposed to a law to make it illegal to manufac-ture, sell or possess assault weap-ons.

‘Passionate intensity’In “The Second Coming,” the

poet William Butler Yeats cap-tured our time when he warned “the ceremony of innocence is drowned; the best lack all con-viction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”

How many must die before “the best” stand and speak? We must revive the ban on assault weap-ons in America. Creating cha-os through violence is not a joke. Arming ourselves is not a solution; it is a defeat. We must demand ac-tion to defend the domestic tran-quility against a gun industry, lob-by and culture that now pose a clear and present danger.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rain-bow/PUSH Coalition. Click on this story at www.daytona-times.com to write your own re-sponse.

Blacks and Latinos support fi-nancial reform more than any other group, according to a new poll released by Lake Research Partners. When consumers were asked if Wall Street caused the fi-nancial crisis, eight out of 10 Afri-can-Americans agreed. Sixty-five percent of Latinos agreed, com-pared to an overall rate of 64 per-cent.

The telephone poll, conducted in July by Lake Research Partners, was jointly commissioned by the Center for Responsible Living (CRL), AARP, and Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) and the National Council of La Raza.

Investment in homesIn general, people of color

tend to invest more in their per-sonal residences than in stocks or bonds. Unfortunately, many times our communities are also the unfortunate targets of pred-atory lenders offering a range of high-cost products that often leave consumers in worse finan-cial shape than before.

For example, in a recent guest commentary in The Hill, Con-gresswoman Maxine Waters [D-Calif.] said, “Many of us on Capi-tol Hill who feel strongly about the

need for reform have been strug-gling with the sometimes-subtle, sometimes-overt, but always te-nacious, attempts to undermine financial reform over the last two years. And because we’re sensi-tive to making sure that the law we passed works in practice, even some allies of financial reform are often too quick to believe the in-dustry when they cry wolf about the unintended consequences of Dodd-Frank.”

The 2010 Dodd%Frank Wall Street Reform law was enacted in the wake of the economic melt-down to overhaul of the financial regulatory system. The law creat-ed the Consumer Finance Protec-tion Bureau, which consolidates the consumer finance protection authority previously scattered among seven different agencies in-to a single entity whose mission is to protect consumers from decep-tive practices by banks, credit card companies and other institutions.

What consumers wantConsumers of color polled favor

a strong CFPB and also called for the Bureau to require clearer ex-planations of lending rates, terms and fees; oversee non-bank lend-ers; write tough rules matched by CFPB enforcement; create a searchable database where con-sumers can report unfair practic-es and/or view complaints; and protect military service members who have been deployed from mortgage and foreclosures.

In the aftermath of devastat-ing financial losses, followed by a string of lawsuit settlements against many of the nation’s larg-est banks to resolve charges of dis-criminatory lending practices and lack of maintenance of foreclosed homes, many people of color are not just hoping for – but expecting redress.

Charlene Crowell is the Com-munications Manager for State Policy & Outreach with the Cen-ter for Responsible Lending. Click on this story at www.day-tonatimes.com to write your own response.

NNPA COLUMNIST

CHARLENE CROWELL

TRICE EDNEY WIRE

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR.

TRICE EDNEY WIRE

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

HARRY C. ALFORD

NNPA COLUMNIST

FROM WIRE REPORTS

NEW YORK (AP) – Snoop Dogg says he was “born again” during a visit to Jamaica in February, is changing his name to Snoop Li-on and is ready to make music

that his “kids and grandparents can listen to.”

The artist known for gangster rap is releasing a reggae album called “Reincarnated” in the fall.

The West Coast rapper held a news conference in New York

on Monday. Later he played five songs for a small crowd, in-cluding one called “No Guns Al-lowed.” It features his daughter.

The album will be followed with a documentary of the same name. It features him making music and will include some per-sonal elements of his life, a pro-ducer of the film said. It will de-but at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

John Legend got his feet wet as a judge on TV’s “Duets,” and now he wants more.

The nine-time Grammy win-ner has signed an exclusive pod deal with NBC’s studio coun-terpart Universal Cable Produc-tions, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Under the deal Legend and his Get Lifted Film Company, with partners Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius will work alongside UCP senior vice presidents Rich-ard Rothstein, Chris Sanagustin and Maira Suro to develop se-ries for cable and broadcast net-works.

“We’re thrilled to have the cre-ative talents of John, Mike and Ty to help us in our efforts to create imaginative and signature televi-sion.

Already, they’ve proven their passion and commitment to TV by bringing unique talent to the studio. We look forward to a fun and productive partnership,” Rothstein, Sanagustin and Suro said in a joint statement.

Excited about ‘next step forward’

The pact marks Legends’ first step into the TV series arena. At UCP, he joins a studio roster that includes “The Walking Dead”

executive producer Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment; Hypnotic, which produces “Co-vert Affairs” and “Suits” at USA; and Tagline, the shingle behind USA’s “Psych.”

“Ty, Mike and I are really ex-cited about working with Maira, Richard and Chris and the en-tire UCP family as we take this next step forward in building Get Lifted. I believe we can do some-thing really special,” Legend said in a statement.

In addition to his role on ABC’s “Duets,” Legend most recently fronted a Showtime special and will be heading out on tour in the fall.

ENTERTAINMENTAUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 2012 5

BY JACKIE JONESBLACKAMERICAWEB.COM

Former ABC News Weekend anchor Carole Simpson has had a wide range of obstacles and victo-ries throughout her illustrious ca-reer, many of which she recount-ed in her memoir “NewsLady.” But Simpson felt compelled to update the book after hearing that many young Black journal-ists are running into many of the same racist and sexists incidents she faced in her four decade-long career in broadcast journalism.

One of the more devastat-ing revelations, previously un-published, was that White men were not always the source of her problems. She faced animosity, sexism and racism from women and Black colleagues as well.

“There are some controver-sial aspects to this new version,” Simpson said in a news release announcing the updated mem-oir. “I talk about the ‘dirty little secret’ in Black America. We are prejudiced against each other.”

Covered range of topics for TV

Simpson was the first Black woman to work in NBC’s Wash-ington bureau and was an Em-my-winning correspondent for ABC News.

She covered a wide range of topics from natural disasters, for-eign affairs and political report-ing, including presidential nomi-nating conventions and covering candidates, as well as anchoring the weekend newscasts. In 1992, she was the first Black journal-

ist to moderate a presidential de-bate.

Right up to the end of her dai-ly broadcasting career, Simpson wrote, she had to fend off racist and sexist remarks. But she contin-ued to encourage

aspiring young Black journalists, funding several scholarships with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Radio Television Digital News Associa-tion (RTNDA).

Now Boston professor, writing coach

Her honors include induc-tion into the NABJ Hall of Fame,

a lifetime achievement award from the New York Association of Black Journalists and the Leon-ard Zeidenberg First Amend-ment Award in recognition of Simpson’s work to protect First Amendment freedoms.

In 2006, Simpson retired from ABC News and joined the School of Communications at Emerson College in Boston as a Leader-in-Residence, where she is a full-time journalism faculty member and writing coach. Simpson al-so maintains a blog and website, called Think About It at www.car-olesimpson.com.

Writes about Max Robinson

The re-release of “NewsLa-dy’’ expands on the behind-the-scenes look at Simpson’s life. In

addition to painting a portrait of the race and gender difficulties she faced while building her ca-reer, she also reflects on the rise and fall of the late Max Robinson, the first African-American to an-chor a major nightly newscast, and an ABC colleague.

“This really may be one of the few things written about Max Robinson since his death,” of AIDS at age 49, Simpson said in the news release.

“I recount events in this book that show how many tried and how many succeeded in doing me harm,” Simpson said. “But before, during and after my tele-vision career, I was able to over-come and prospered. I was blessed.”

Simpson writes about Black America’s ‘dirty little secret’

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) – Showtime says it’s launching a new documentary showcase,

with Dick Cheney and the late Rich-ard Pryor among the first to be pro-filed.

The cable chan-nel told the Tele-vision Critics As-sociation on Mon-day that the series titled “Closeup” will offer provoc-

ative studies of culturally signifi-cant people.

Among the first films will be “The World According to Dick

Cheney,” which Showtime de-scribed as a measured, com-plex look at President George W. Bush’s vice president.

Other documentaries include “Richard Pryor: Omit the Log-ic” and “Suge Knight: American Dream-American Knightmare.”

Filmmaker Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”) will profile music mogul Tommy Mottola, who has worked with stars including Michael Jack-son, Diana Ross and Mariah Car-ey. Mottola and Carey divorced after five years of marriage.

Air dates for the “Closeup” documentaries were not imme-diately announced.

Pioneer Black journalist updates ‘NewsLady’ memoir; recounts racism, sexism endured during career

Carole Simpson

LUIS SINCO/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCTSnoop Dogg smokes a blunt onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13 in Indo, Calif.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT John Legend performs during a climate rally on !e National Mall to celebrate Earth Day in Washington on April 25, 2010. He has signed a pod deal with Universal Cable Productions.

‘Born again’ Snoop Dogg releasing ‘Reincarnation’

Beyond ‘Duets’: More projects in the works for Legends

New Showtime documentary to focus on Richard Pryor

EURWEB.COM

Sammy Davis Jr. is getting cov-ered on all angles, it seems.

Currently, there are three produc-tions in the works commemorating the life and career of the late great entertainer.

First is a feature film out of By-ron Allen’s Enter-

tainment Studios. The storyline is based on the life story as told by his daughter Tracey Davis, re-

ports Shadow and Act.“On his deathbed, one of the

last things my father told me as he put my face in his hands was: ‘Tracy, tell my story. Warts and all’.”

Also in the making are two stage productions, one currently entitled “I Will, I Can.”

Sammy’s life was quite an ad-venture, from being an onstage performer to husband and father, to religious transformations and life-changing events, there won’t be a dull moment in the re-telling of his life.

No casting announcements have been made yet.

3 productions in the works about Sammy Davis Jr.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Former CNN host T.J. Holmes was pulled over on Monday, and documented the experience over Twitter.

Holmes did not indicate where he was driving, but tweeted that he was pulled over one mile from his house with two cop cars be-hind him. He snapped a photo-graph of a police car in his rear view mirror with the caption “Driving while black ain’t no joke!”

He tweeted updates from the side of the road over the course of 10 minutes. He wrote that the officer was “stumbling over his words trying to explain” why he

was pulled over. “This is a damn shame,” Holmes wrote.

Holmes later added that the officer said he “wanted to make sure [Holmes] had insurance on the car.” Holmes commented, “I kid you not.” He then mocked the experience, tweeting that he “managed to avoid jail time” but his “relationship with _____ County police may have been soured a bit.”

Holmes, who left CNN for BET Networks in December 2011, will debut his new show later this year. His show is expected to be a late night, comedic news show titled, “Don’t Sleep With T.J. Hol-mes.”

Holmes tweets about recent experience of being stopped by cops

Richard Pryor

Sammy Davis Jr.

T.J. Holmes left CNN for BET to star in his own show titled “Don’t Sleep With T.J. Holmes.”

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TECHNOLOGYAUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 2012 7

Engineering industry works to gain female studentsBY KEVIN COLLISONMCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS (MCT)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Thirty years after the first wave of women began pur-suing engineering careers, it’s still mostly a man’s world – despite an earnest effort to encourage girls to pursue a profession with good opportunities.

Take Taya Upkes, who graduated summa cum laude in May with a bache-lor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Uni-versity of Missouri-Kansas City.

She had nine job offers before receiving her diplo-ma and accepted an offer from Cummins to work at its plant in suburban Min-neapolis.

Her starting salary? Somewhere in the “mid-60s.” And Cummins also is paying her graduate school tuition. She helps design generator sets for yachts, she said, and she’s the on-ly woman working in a de-partment of 15 or 20.

“I actually enjoy it,” she said. “It was intimidat-ing at first, but I got used to it. It’s not in the back of my mind to think about it anymore.”

Nationwide patternEngineering schools

around the region report Upkes isn’t alone.

“The demand for engi-neers in general is high,” said Gary Mirka, an associ-ate dean at Iowa State Uni-versity. “Ninety-five per-cent of our students have jobs within six months, and recruiters are keen on women.”

Despite those opportu-nities, the enrollment at Io-wa State reflects a nation-wide pattern.

The share of women in its undergraduate engi-neering program peaked at 16.5 percent in 1995. This year, 15.2 percent of the engineering students are female.

Nationally, 17.9 per-cent of undergraduate en-gineering students were women in 2009, according the most recent data from the National Science Foun-dation. Ten years before, 19.8 percent of engineering students were female.

And even when a wom-an obtains a degree in en-

gineering, it’s no guarantee she’ll enter or stay in the profession.

Reasons for leavingThe foundation reported

that 12.9 percent of the al-most 1.6 million engineers in the nation were women in 2008, significantly lower than the graduation rate.

Betty Shanahan, the ex-ecutive director and CEO of the Society of Women Engineers, said a study last year called “Stemming the Tide: Why Women Leave Engineering” found one-third of female engineering graduates didn’t enter the profession because they thought the workplace cul-ture was inflexible and not supportive of women.

The report also found nearly half of the female en-gineers who left the profes-sion did so because of poor working conditions, too much travel and lack of ad-vancement or low salary.

One-third said they didn’t like the workplace, their boss or the

culture.“When women leave a

company, they leave the profession,” Shanahan said. “When men leave a company, it’s generally to go to another company.”

Engineering to health

As for the continuing low number of women go-ing to engineering school, Shanahan and others said

one of the bigger reasons why capable girls didn’t choose the profession was their impression that engi-neers generally were lon-ers working on abstract projects that didn’t directly help people.

Many choose health care fields instead.

“Girls don’t see the op-portunities in engineering as opposed to other fields where you can see how you make a contribution,” Sha-nahan said. “The stereo-type is you work alone and the social relevance isn’t understood. Girls don’t see the opportunities in engi-neering.”

The subtle messages sometimes conveyed by teachers and parents that engineering is a man’s

world also helps continue that pattern, she added.

“It is a male-dominated field, and those implicit bi-ases are often carried over,” Shanahan said.

‘Weird’ reactionUpkes, who graduated

from high school in Sioux Falls, S.D., and attended UM-Kansas City on a soft-ball scholarship, remem-bers the reaction she often got when people learned about her degree.

“Every time someone said you were an engineer and people said, ‘OK, that’s weird,’ it got ingrained in my mind,” she said. In all her mechanical engineer-ing classes, there was only one other female.

“Everybody noticed it, but after a while, when they knew you could do the work, people could ac-cept it.”

Bette Grauer, an assis-tant dean at the Kansas State University engineer-ing school, said about 15 percent of the undergradu-ates there are women. That low figure comes despite an active Society of Women Engineers chapter that of-fers after-school programs for middle school students and outreach efforts to high schools around the state.

“I can’t explain it,” she said. “I’ve been a high school science teacher and physics teacher. Fifty per-cent were girls and they do really well. I’m not sure why we don’t attract them.”

ALLISON LONG/KANSAS CITY STAR/MCT Destnee Walton, 12, from left, Martayllia Copes, 10, and Jordan Miller, 11, all of Kansas City, assemble a robot on July 20 at Science City in Kansas City’s Union Station. !e KC STEM Alliance (science, technology, engineering and medicine) summer camp hosted a "eld trip to Science City where campers demonstrated robots they designed, programmed and built using the engineering skills they learned during camp.

NASA laboratory heading toward Red Planet has many wondering about costly endeavorBY ERYN BROWNLOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

Saturn has its famous rings and Jupiter is the granddaddy of the solar system, but no planet has entranced earthlings quite like Mars.

Humans have launched 40 spacecraft to the Red Planet, lured by the pros-pect that life might once have existed in what is now dry rocks and sand. The latest machine to make the journey is NASA’s Mars Sci-ence Laboratory, a hulking, souped-up lab-on-wheels that will plunge toward the Martian surface next week.

But even as excitement builds, some wonder: Is Mars exploration a good investment?

It certainly doesn’t come cheap. It’s hard to calculate a total price tag, but over the 48 years that NASA has been launching missions to Mars, Americans have spent a significant sum. The Viking missions alone cost nearly $1 billion – in 1970s dollars. The twin rovers Spirit and Opportu-nity cost a total of about $1 billion to build and operate as well.

Over budgetCuriosity, as the Mars

Science Laboratory rover is known, is over budget at $2.5 billion.

Some in the federal gov-ernment have suggested it’s time to roll back the spending. President Ba-rack Obama’s fiscal plan for 2013 would cut NASA’s funds for Mars exploration from $587 million to $360 million.

Proponents insist Mars science is vital for the U.S. More visits to our next-door neighbor could an-swer lingering questions about Earth’s history, rein-force U.S. prestige and get more children interested in science.

It also could bring hu-manity closer to answering the ultimate question: Are we alone in the universe?

“It’s the search for the meaning of life,” said Alden Munson, a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a science and technology think tank based in Arlington, Va.

Science fiction mainstay

America’s love affair with Mars can be traced to as-tronomer Percival Lowell, who turned his telescope to the Red Planet in the 1890s and thought he saw an intricate system of ca-nals that must have been built by intelligent beings.

He never found them, of course, but Martians

became a science fiction mainstay.

Earthlings got their first up-close view of Mars’ rocky surface in 1965, when Mariner 4 flew by and pho-tographed a surface that appeared as dead as the moon’s — lacking water or active geology, two prereq-uisites for life.

But later missions, from the Mariner 9 orbiter to Spirit and Opportunity, helped establish Mars as a useful comparative labo-ratory for studying climate and geophysics on Earth. They demonstrated that the planet was once warm-er and wetter than it is now. Long ago, it may have been a hospitable cradle for life.

Life on Mars?When planetary scien-

tists assembled recently at the behest of the National Academies to set research priorities for the next de-cade, the search for condi-tions that would allow life to emerge on Mars topped the list.

“If there’s life or past life on Mars, it means the chances that life exists somewhere else are much higher,” said David Paige, who studies the moon and terrestrial planets at UCLA. If Mars is barren, “it might make Earth more unique than we thought.”

Some experts question the wisdom of focusing so intently on a single plan-et. Jupiter’s moon Europa,

which is covered with an ice-encrusted ocean, could have the potential to har-bor life; Saturn’s moon Ti-tan, rich in organic chem-istry, might as well.

“It’s like the person who loses their keys and on-ly looks for them below the streetlight,” said David Jewitt, a planetary scientist at UCLA who studies com-ets.

Ultimate status symbol

Regardless of whether life can be found beyond Earth, Mars exploration boosts U.S. prestige.

“A lot of the warmest feelings people have had around the world have had to do with the space program,” Munson said. “It’s hard to put a value on that.”

Space exploration is the ultimate status symbol. China and India have sig-

naled their technological aspirations by establishing space programs. So have Iran, Pakistan, Venezuela, Israel, Mexico and dozens of other countries.

“I’m afraid if we step back, it will be decades be-fore we get back to Mars,” said Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., whose district in-cludes NASA’s Jet Propul-sion Laboratory in La Can-ada Flintridge, where Mars missions are based. “We have the expertise now. No other countries have been able to do this.”

Hubble successorNASA has outperformed

other space agencies by a wide margin, complet-ing 13 successful missions (against five failures) since 1964. The Russians have had particularly bad luck, with 15 failed missions and only four partial successes.

The amount of money

Americans devote to Mars is tiny compared to annu-al expenditures on other NASA projects, said Mun-son, who noted that in 2011 alone, the agency spent more than $4 billion on the International Space Station and the fleet of space shut-tles.

The James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Tele-scope that is designed to help scientists study the very early universe, is cost-ing NASA $8.8 billion.

Even that price tag is dwarfed by the more than $600 billion the Defense Department will spend in 2012.

Jewitt put it like this: Americans spend more than $7 billion a year on potato chips.

“We’re talking about a small amount of mon-ey in the grand scheme of things,” Paige said.

Is exploring Mars worth the investment?

Curiosity’s neighbors

AUGUST 2 - AUGUST 8, 20128 HEALTH

BY CANDACE BAGWELLBLACKAMERICAWEB.COM

Many Americans are turning to the web to self-diagnose their symp-toms without consulting a doctor. Medical experts are now saying this can do more harm than good.

A new study found that most peo-ple who use the Web to research their symptoms make their condi-tions appear worse than it may be.

“This is particularly true when the disease is rare,” said study co-author Dengfeng Yan, a doctoral student at the Hong Kong Universi-ty of Science and Technology. “That is, given the same set of symptoms, people will overestimate their own likelihood of getting such rare (of-ten serious) diseases than that of other people.”

Six experimentsYan and co-researcher Jaideep

Sengupta conducted a total of six experiments by distributing infor-mation to nearly 250 college stu-dents about the flu, HIV, osteoporo-sis, and breast cancer.

In one experiment, research-ers provided students information about the flu and asked them to imagine if they were experiencing symptoms like a cough, fever, run-ning nose, and headache.

They then asked the students to identify whether their symptoms matched a “regular” flu or were related to the feared epidemic of the time, H1N1 also known as the swine flu.

Following this exercise, research-ers continued by asking how the students would diagnose someone else with the same symptoms.

Fearing the worstResearchers found that students

were more likely to diagnose them-selves with the worst case, the H1N1 flu in comparison to when they di-agnosed others.

Yan accounted the difference in the diagnosis perspective to psy-chological distance. He suggested that when diagnosing others, peo-ple tend to rely on broader statis-tics rather than the specific symp-toms the individual may be experi-encing.

“Consumers often fear the worst

when it comes to their own health, while maintaining a calm objectiv-ity with regard to others,” Yan said.

Risky undertakingResearchers believe that peo-

ple who self-diagnosis are likely to mistaken their symptoms for worst-case scenarios which can have dan-gerous effects. They said it can lead to unnecessary stress and medical expenses.

Yan and Sengupta aren’t the only ones who find self-diagnosis via the Web risky. Dr. Peter Galier, an in-ternal medicine specialist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center be-lieves it’s a part of human nature for people to overestimate the health issues for themselves and family members.

Galier explained that many peo-ple who rely on the Web rather than a doctor about their symptoms don’t realize the risk of erroneous information.

“When people are able to access a lot of information that isn’t filtered, and they don’t have expertise in the field, they don’t know how to priori-

tize the information,” Galier said.

See a doctorGalier provided an example of

a healthy young man who may ex-perience chest pain after drinking a cold soda. He believes that the man could easily turn to the Internet and identify his symptom as a sign of a heart attack. However, he does not recognize the essentials of miss-ing information such as his age and medical history.

“Chest pain in a 55-year-old guy is looked at much differently than in a 25-year-old guy,” he said.

Study researchers recommended that people should primarily see a doctor for their symptoms.

‘’The advantage of seeing a real doctor isn’t just because he or she is an expert,” he said. “It’s also that they aren’t you.”

They believe that an objective di-agnosis from a doctor eliminates the emotional stress that often comes with self-diagnosis. Yan suggest-ed disclosing the situation to col-leagues to ease the panic and stress surrounding their symptoms.

Experts warn against self-diagnosing via Web

Study researchers recommended that people should primarily see a doctor for their symptoms.

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Saying their members have been locked out and patients are suffering, the Florida Pharmacy Asso-ciation joined others in a suit filed last week in Le-on County circuit court to stop the Agency for Health Care Administration from restricting which pharma-cies are allowed to serve Medicaid and Florida Healthy Kids patients.

A coalition of pharmacy groups, individual phar-macies, chains and pa-tients called on the court to immediately stop re-stricting where Medicaid patients can get their med-

ications filled. The suit comes after many phar-macies received letters in May from managed care provider Amerigroup Flor-ida saying they would no longer be allowed to fill Medicaid prescriptions af-ter July 9.

Plaintiffs in the case say the restriction violates state and federal Medicaid rules that require patients to be given a choice on where they pick up their medications. Responding to complaints, AHCA offi-cials in June defended the restrictions, saying Ameri-group remained in compli-ance with state and federal law. The lawsuit followed.

Pharmacy group sues over network restrictions