RAPPIN’

Tommy Wyatt

Vol. 36 No. 35 Website: theaustinvillager.com Email: vil3202@aol.com Phone: 512-476-0082 Fax: 512-476-0179 January 30, 2009

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage Paid

Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949

This paper canbe recycled

Who serves up the bestsoulfood in Austin? All ofAustin is invited to come andfind out at the Austin BlackExpo, scheduled for Satur-day, January 31, starting at12:00 P.M., at The MonarchEvents Center.

The Soulful Taste ofAustin Cook-Off will featurecelebrity TV chefs AngelaShelf Medearis, host of TheKitchen Diva! T.V. and Ra-dio Cooking Show and ChefG. Garvin, host of Turn Upthe Heat with G. Garvin onthe TV One Network. TheCook-Off is open to both pro-fessional chefs and individu-als.

In addition to the Soul-ful Taste of Austin, the daywill feature a family-friendlycelebration of local African-American culture and flavorwith shopping opportunitiesfrom locally-owned busi-nesses, a children’s Fun Zone,and plenty of high-energy en-tertainment and music.

“Our objective inlaunching the Black Expowas to create a tangible andengaging opportunity to con-nect the businesses and non-profit organizations in Cen-tral Texas to the communitiesthat they serve” said Dr.Chiquitta Watts-Eugene,President and CEO of theCapital City African-Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce.

“We recognized thatfood, music and fun areamong the best ways to con-

Celeberty Chefs, Angela Shelf Medearisand G. Garvin, to judge Soulful

Taste of Austin

nect people and unite commu-nities. As such, the BlackExpo was designed withplenty of all three,” continuedWatts-Eugene.

In addition to the Ven-dor Expo and The SoulfulTaste of Austin Cook-Off,there will be a Step ShowCompetition for $600 in cashand prizes. Step Shows aregroup competitions showcas-ing synchronized steps anddance moves performed tomusic. Once exclusively per-formed by African Americangreek fraternities and sorori-ties, thanks in part to main-stream movies like 2007’sStomp The Yard, more andmore people are becoming in-volved in step competitions,from campus organizationsand church groups to highschools and local communi-ties.

The day’s activitiesclose out beginning at 9 P.M.with an Ol’ School Jam fea-turing the best hip-hop andR&B soul music of the 70s, 80sand 90s. Ol’ School Jam at-tendees must be 21 and olderto attend. There will be a cashbar available.

The Austin Black Exporuns from 12:00 P.M. to Mid-night at the Monarch EventCenter, located at 6404 N. IH35, Suite 3100, in the LincolnVillage Shopping Center. TheVendor Expo, Soulful Taste ofAustin and Fun Zone activi-ties are free. Tickets for theStep Show and Ol’ School Jamare $15 and available onlineat austinblackexpo.com. Ap-plications to be a vendor, en-ter a step team or enter thecook-off are also availableonline.

Kitchen Diva - Angela Shelf Medearis

CAPTION: The Reverend Raymond McClintock(left), associate minister at Mt. Zion Missionary Bap-tist Church, and Albert Black (right), Deputy Directorfor Child Inc. join Congressman Lloyd Doggett on thesame Inaugural Platform, where only hours previously,President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th Presi-dent of the United States. Albert and his wife Kathy,Equal Opportunity Manager for the Department of Vet-erans Affairs in Austin, attended the National PrayerBreakfast with President Obama as personal represen-tatives of Congressman Doggett. They later viewed theInaugural Parade from the Presidential ReviewingStand.

By. James WrightSpecial to the NNPA

from the Afro-AmericanNewspapers

W A S H I N G T O N(NNPA) - President BarackObama and First LadyMichelle Obama are nothappy with new dolls thatresemble images of their twoyoung daughters.

Ty Inc., makers of thepopular beanie baby dolls,has created two 12-inch dollsnamed ‘’Sweet Sasha’’ and‘’Marvelous Malia.’’ TheWestmont, Ill.,-based com-pany said, through spokes-woman Tania Lundeen, thatthe dolls’ names were chosenbecause they were ‘’beautifulnames.’’

‘’There’s nothing on thedolls that refers to the Obamagirls,’’ Lundeen told the As-sociated Press. ‘’It would notbe fair to say they are exactreplications of these girls.They are not.’’

The Obamas, through aspokesman, said it would be‘’inappropriate to use youngprivate citizens for marketingpurposes.’’

Also in the news, MattelInc. announced it will launch

its first complete line of Afri-can-American Barbie dolls.

The line, which fea-tures three adult dolls, waspreviewed one day afterAmerica’s first African-

American president, BarackObama, took office.

The “So in Style” dolls,expected to be released in fall2009, come with little sistersas part of a mentorship theme.

Obamas Upset over Beanie Babies NamedAfter Their Children

The public is invited toattend the Heritage Hills/Windsor Hills Round RobinBrainstorming Session onWednesday, Feb. 4 from 6:30p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at the DobieMiddle School Library (secondfloor), 1200 E. Rundberg Lane.

During the session, meet-ing participants will developgoals, objectives and neighbor-

hood plan recommendationson trees, parks and recreation,community health and the en-vironment in the HeritageHills/Windsor Hills PlanningArea.

The brainstormingsession is part of the neigh-borhood planning process,which began in HeritageHills/Windsor Hills in May

City to host Heritage Hills/Windsor Hills Round Robin Brainstorming

2008. The process is a col-laborative effort betweenneighborhood stakeholdersand City staff, which willculminate with the HeritageHills/Windsor Hills Neigh-borhood Plan.

For more informationv i s i twww.cityofaustin.org/zon-

By. Marcus A. WilliamsSpecial to the NNPA

from the Afro-AmericanNewspapers

W A S H I N G T O N(NNPA) - Rappers,songwriters, producers andthe creative minds behind thescenes of the hip hop cultureworked overtime to encour-age the youth of America toget out and “Barack thevote.” And this inaugurationweekend, they all fashion-ably flocked to the nation’scapital to celebrate a job welldone.

Music and fashion mo-gul Russell Simmons, enter-tainment executive and so-cial activist ValeishaButterfield, Dr. BenjaminChavis president and CEO ofthe Hip Hop Summit ActionNetwork were the creativeforces behind the fourth an-nual Hip Hop Inaugural Ballat the prestigious HarmanCenter for the Arts in Wash-ington, D.C.

The group of politicallysavvy hip hop leaders includedindustry executives and artistslike T.I., LL Cool J, Young Jeezy,Bow Wow and the creators andorganizers of the Hip-Hop Cau-cus Respect My Vote Campaign.

Though hip hop hasgrown into a mainstream phe-nomenon, there are still many in-dividuals who know little aboutthe genre of music and view rap-pers as gangsters with no pur-pose.

It’s for that very reason,artists say, this ball was so spe-cial; it allowed the world to wit-ness a more humbled side of thehonorees.

For rappers Young Jeezyand T.I. being honored at theevent was surreal.

“Give me a minute to getmy thoughts together, likeYoung Jeezy said ‘it’s not oftenthat my name is called for doingsomething good’,” T.I. said in

Hip Hop Helped aDream Come True

Russell Simmonshis acceptance speech.

“This may soundfunny but I want to thankGod for me dropping out ofthe school, selling crack, liv-ing the street life, putting fearin my heart, which made mego out and buy machineguns to protect myself andnow facing a year in the peni-tentiary,” he continued. “Itwas those things that al-lowed me to be able to bettertalk to the youth – I lived itall so when I went out to tellthe youth to vote, they lis-tened because they know Iam just like them and nowlook what happened.”

“What’s happening isbeautiful,” Russell Simmons re-counted. “When I stepped offthe plane I could feel it in the air– I felt love and excitement fromeveryone about what is prepar-ing to happen. And it feels goodto know that hip hop had some-thing to do with it.”

Those artists honoredcouldn’t contain themselvesfrom reiterating how happy theywere to be recognized for theirefforts to help what once was alone dream of Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr. manifest into a reality.

In honor of PresidentObama singer and star of“Dancing With the Stars” Marioperformed a moving renditionof Michael Jackson’s “Man InThe Mirror” to echo the themeof change that pervaded thepresident’s campaign.

Are you readyfor DTV?

On February 17, 2009, all broad-cast television stations (ABC,CBS, NBC, FOX) are requiredto transmit programming in digi-tal, which will leave views whoget their programming over anantenna without a picture, un-less they get a special converterbox. The U. S. Senate passed a billthat would extend the transitionto all-digital TV signals fromFeb. 17 to June 12, with the hopethat those who have not yet pre-pared for the switch will do soin the additional months. Why are they switching? Digi-tal technology uses less radiobandwidth, freeing up frequen-cies for police, fire and emer-gency services communica-tions. The federal governmentis proposing the February tran-sition date, but President BarackObama is asking Congress toconsider postponing the switchuntil the summer. The benefit tothe viewer is clearer audio andsharper picture quality. If you have cable television,you will not have to make theswitch or get a converter box.However, if you are on a satel-lite system, you will need toupgrade your TV. The government has been of-fering $40 coupons to offset thecost of converter boxes, but re-cently ran out. Anyone whoapplies now is put on a waitinglist.

According to a recentNielson Co. survey, 6.5 millionU. S. households or 5.7 percentof all homes are completely un-prepared for the upcoming digi-tal transition (DTV). Of those,9.9 percent are African Americanhouseholds. Among other cit-ies nationwide, Austin rankseighth in cities lease preparedfor the digital conversion at 8.45percent. As usual, African Americansfall behind on making the nec-essary changes. We have a ten-dency to operate on CP Timemost of the time. However, ifyou re one of those people whohave not made the necessaryarrangements, you need to getin line now. It is not known justhow long the wait will be. If youhave any concern about whatyou need to do, you may call(888) 388-2009 or go towww.dtv2009.gov. Some people are constantlyasking how the election ofbarack Obama will change theirlives. Well, I can tell you thatPresident Obama will only beable to help those who helpthemselves. He will only knowwhat we need is if we tell himand his staff. However, most ofthe request will have to first bepresented to the local electedofficials - city, county and state.So, it is time to get organized andstarting doing research on whatwe need to do to improve ourliver or to keep it going in a posi-tive direction.

EDITORIALS/COMMENTARYEditorial, Commentary or Letter to the Editor Fax to 512.476.0179 Email to vil3202@aol.com Mail to 1223-A Rosewood Avenue, 78702

Page 2/THE VILLAGER/January 30, 2009

Farrah GrayNNPA Columnist

By. Marc H. MorialNNPA Column‘’The arc of the moral

universe is long, but it bendstowards justice.’’ MartinLuther King, Jr.

On behalf of the Na-tional Urban League and itsaffiliates, I offer my heartfeltcongratulations to BarackObama and Joe Biden as theyofficially assume their rolesas President and Vice Presi-dent of the United States .

For millions of Ameri-cans and freedom-lovingpeople all over the world, theinauguration of PresidentBarack Obama breathed newlife into our nation’s oldestand highest values. Watch-ing the ceremony at the U.S.Capitol with the Lincoln Me-morial in the background, Iwas reminded of the 1963March on Washington.

Then as now, the nation

George CurryNNPA Columnist

From Prophet King to PresidentObama in 40 Years

was on the brink of dissolu-tion and despair. And then,as now a visionary leaderstepped forth with a messageof hope onto the stage of his-tory.

In one of those rare actsof divine timing, PresidentObama was sworn-in oneday after the nation cel-ebrated what would havebeen the 80th birthday of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is amazing to thinkthat the moral arc of the uni-verse has given us a prophetand a president in the spanof 40 years. With the inaugu-ration of President Obama,we have moved closer to real-izing Dr. King’s dream. Theforces of inequality, injustice,and division are clearly onthe run, but as long as thoseforces hold sway in any cor-ner, our work is not yet done.

In the time of legal seg-regation and denial of theright to vote, Dr. King’s ex-traordinary moral authorityhelped lead us to a better day.In these times of unprec-edented domestic and foreignupheaval, we now have aPresident who possessesboth the moral and politicalauthority to get this countryback on track.

But democracy hasnever been a solo act or spec-tator sport. If we are to regain

our economic and moralstanding in the world, all ofus are going to have to get inthe game.

The National UrbanLeague is already workingwith the new President andCongress to pass a majorstimulus package designed tocreate new jobs and put ourpeople back to work.

We will continue to be astrong advocate for the urbancommunities we serve. Wewill give the new Presidentour support when we thinkhe’s right and we will not hesi-tate to tell him when we thinkhe’s wrong.

With so many chal-lenges facing this nation,within the next four years wecould very well reach a tip-ping point that will determinewhat kind of America weleave to our children. Will itbe an America that worksonly for the wealthy and con-nected or will it be an Americawhere everyone who is will-ing to work and contributehas an equal chance to liveout their dreams? In thewords of President Obama,‘’Starting today, we must pickourselves up, dust ourselvesoff, and begin again the workof remaking America .’’

Marc H. Morial is Presi-dent and CEO of the NationalUrban League.

I don’t know who is themost ridiculous: RushLimbaugh, who said he hopesPresident Obama fails, or Repub-lican Congressional leaders,who are not saying that, but try-ing to make Limbaugh’s wishcome true. Both forget that we hadan election on Nov. 4 and theirside lost. Handidly.

Limbaugh, the subject of abook titled, “Rush Limbaugh isa Big Fat Idiot,” picked his wordscarefully when he said he wantsObama to fail.

“My hope, and please un-derstand me when I say this. Idisagree fervently with thepeople on our side of the aislewho have caved and who say,‘Well, I hope he succeeds. We’vegot to give him a chance.’ Why?They didn’t give Bush a chancein 2000. Before he was inaugu-rated the search-and-destroymission had begun. I’m not talk-ing about search-and-destroy,but I’ve been listening to BarackObama for a year-and-a-half. Iknow what his politics are. Iknow what his plans are, as hehas stated them. I don’t wantthem to succeed.”

Limbaugh said his staffhad warned against wishing theworst for Obama. But he ignoredthem, declaring, “I am last thelast man standing.” In predict-ing an uproar over his remarks,Limbaugh said, “I would be hon-ored if the Drive-By Media head-lined me all day long:‘Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.’Somebody’s gotta say it.”

Obviously, he was thathonored. The next day he tried

By. Julianne MalveauxNNPA Columnist

Memo to Republicans: You Lostto soften his attack, saying hewas supportive of the new presi-dent but not his polices, as if onecan separate the two.

“I support our president,like I have supported all presi-dents. I just don’t supportObama’s policies,” Limbaughsaid. “I don’t support the nation-alization of banks, which hashappened. I don’t support thenationalization of the auto com-panies. I don’t support the na-tionalization of the mortgagebusiness. I don’t like BarneyFrank and Chris Dodd runningthings. And I don’t want that tocontinue.”

Who care whetherLimbaugh likes DemocratsBarney Frank or Chris Dodd?The voters like them and in a de-mocracy, that’s all that matters.Get over it, Rush. You lost. A bigfat idiot should be able to see that.

Limbaugh isn’t the onlyRepublican acting as though theGOP won the election in Novem-ber. Trickle-down Republicanpolicies were clearly repudiatedas evidenced not only by the elec-tion of President Obama but bysizeable House and Senate vic-tories as well.

Unfortunately, someoneforgot to tell that to House Mi-nority Leader John A. Boehner(R-Ohio). Appearing Sunday onNBC’s “Meet the Press,” he saidRepublicans are opposing theObama-backed stimulus planbecause it is seen as “a lot ofwasteful Washington spending,padding the bureaucracy anddoing nothing to help create jobsand preserve jobs.”

Don’t you love it whenpeople who spend all of theirtime and money getting to Wash-ington complain about ‘Wash-ington spending?” Of course it’sWashington spending; this iswhere our federal government isheadquartered.

Even John McCain is act-ing as though he won. Yes, thatone. I read a story just last weekabout how “the Mc is back,” howMcCain had returned to his mav-erick ways. He wasn’t a maver-ick before and he’s not one now.Instead, we are being serenadedwith a remix of his campaign

rhetoric, the same talk that sawhim go down in defeat.

The rejected Republicnominee for president was onFox TV Sunday, blabbing abouthow he would not have an-nounced the closing ofGuantanamo Bay without firstdeciding what to do with currentdetainees and his objections tothe proposed stimulus plan.

I am beginning to wonderif Obama isn’t too nice to thewrong people. He campaignedfor Joseph Lieberman and wasrewarded by the Connecticutsenator’s decision to campaignagainst him in the general elec-tion and speak at the Republi-can convention in support ofMcCain. What did Obama do?He gently nudged his Demo-cratic colleagues to let “Joe theTraitor” keep his Homeland Se-curity Committee chairmanship.

A similar pattern occurredwith John McCain, one of the firstpeople Obama reached out towhile he was still president-elect.Obama has sought McCain’sopinion on cabinet appointmentsand honored him with a candle-light dinner of the eve of inaugu-ration. Again, Obama was re-warded with a round of criticismfrom McCain.

Earlier, in one of his sanermoments, McCain said the pub-lic had spoken in November andvoters made it clear that theywant Congress to get to work andto work together across politicallines. Instead, we’re seeing thesame old posturing by Republi-cans, even after Brack Obama hasmet them more than halfway.

The president was rightwhen he reminded Republicansthe he won the election. Now, heneeds to act like it. Conservativecolumnist William Kristol got itright when he wrote in the NewYork Times, “All good thingsmust come to an end. Jan. 30,2009 marked the end of a con-servative era.”

George E. Curry, formereditor-in-chief of Emerge maga-zine and the NNPA News Ser-vice, is a keynote speaker, mod-erator, and media coach. He canbe reached through his Web site,www.georgecurry.com.

Why do banks andbusinesses get breaks whencollege students do not?While some are gettingmulti-billion dollar bail-outs, the students who soenthusiastically supportedBarack Obama are being of-fered scant relief from theeffects of our brokeneconomy.

Much attention hasbeen focused on keepingpeople in the middle class.What about those who areattempting to claw theirway into the middle classthrough education? Weneed a broad-based stimu-lus package, and collegestudents need special help.

Thanks to a federalgovernment bailout, Gen-eral Motors will be offeringcars to the public with zeropercent interest loans.Banks, too, are getting sub-sidized loans.

Through federal pro-grams, students pay be-tween 5 and 9 percent forgovernment loans. Whentheir parents cannotqualify for federal pro-grams, they go to privatelenders, and pay as muchas 15 percent for loans tocover college education.

Some pay for collegeon their credit cards, pay-ing between 18 and 24 per-cent for their children to goto college. If we can offercars at zero percent, andgive banks subsidizedloans, why not offer stu-dents college loans at onepercent.

Rev. Jesse Jacksoncalls it the one percent so-lution, and he is right ontime. One percent moneyfor students helps themwith better repaymentterms, and helps their par-

A Bailout for Our Studentsents as well. And it helpscolleges maintain enroll-ment, because there are stu-dents who are dropping outof school because they can’tafford to pay.

When college studentshave federally subsidizedloans, they are required tobegin paying them backwithin six months of gradu-ation. In this economy? Weneed a reality check. As longas the unemployment rateexceeds six percent, stu-dents should have eighteenmonths to begin payingback their loans. Otherwise,students are pressured topay their loans back bywhatever means necessary.Some use credit cards, at 18percent, to pay loans back.Others struggle and findthat if they do not pay theircredit scores, or their lifetimeof opportunities, are af-fected.

Student credit rating isnot the only thing affectedby failure to repay. Collegesare judged on the loan re-payment rates of their stu-dents, and accrediting agen-cies penalize colleges whohave repayment rates over25 percent.

But in a rotten economy,it is understandable that somestudents have difficulty repay-ing their loans. An economicstimulus package that helpsstudents and colleges mightsuspend sanctions for thosecolleges with high loan repay-ment rates until the economyis more stable.

Thirty years ago, stu-dents were more likely to getgrants than loans for college.Indeed the equation was thatstudents paid for college withone-third loans and two-thirdsgrants. Now the equation hasbeen reversed. The Pell grant,our need-based grant pro-gram, provides students with$4750 a year toward their costs.

Bennett College costs$22,000 for tuition room andboard, so where does the other$17,500 come from. Further, thePell grant is granted fully tostudents with the lowest in-comes, phasing out when par-ent income is about $55,000 ayear.

President Obama pro-poses raising the Pell Grantto $5350 a year. That’s help,but it isn’t enough. The Pellgrant ought to be $10,000 per

year. It helps us train thenext generation, it helpsmaintain college enroll-ment, and while it is highenough to make a differ-ence, it does not fully coverthe cost of education, forc-ing students, too, to investin their futures.

Already Republicansare carping that they don’twant the Pell Grant to go up.But young people need helpwith their tuitions. The av-erage student graduates the$20,000 in student loans,and the average AfricanAmerican student gradu-ates with $26,000 in loans.Our young people areshackled before they begintheir lives, their loan statusdictating some career deci-sions.

The Obama Adminis-tration has also offered a$4,000 tuition grant for stu-dents who do communityservice. That grant programis also a step in the right di-rection. I do hope that as theregulations for this programare developed, the ObamaAdministration seeks inputfrom college presidents, andalso from students, aboutways the requirements forservice will be measured.

At Bennett College, fartoo many of our students arestruggling with the effects ofthis economy. When parentslose jobs, students struggle tostay in school. When parentcredit scores change, the abil-ity to qualify for some loanschanges, and again studentsstruggle to stay in school.Good students, dean’s list stu-dents, students with stellarGPAs are beginning the springsemester worried sick aboutwhether they can graduatewith the balances they carry.The data is compelling, but thechallenges that some of ouryoung women face are all themore challenging.

Students need a bailout!They need one percent moneyfor loans, more time to begin torepay their loans, and higherPell Grants. If we can find $138billion for Bank of America,and offer car loans at zero per-cent, can’t we provide a bail-out for college students?

Julianne Malveaux ispresident of Bennett College forWomen Shecan be reached atpresoffice@bennett.edu.

Cut coupons, cut costs allaround. They’re not just for gro-ceries anymore.

Hard times call for action!Your income may be the same,or even shrinking, but food, gas,and goods and services pricescontinue to rise. What can youdo? You gotta eat, you gotta go towork (hopefully) and you gottalook good doing it, right?

Don’t stress. Get the scis-sors, and… get on the computer.Coupons aren’t just in the Sun-day paper or your favorite maga-zines anymore. You can findthem online and print them outright there at home. We’ll get backto that in a minute…

For years, many folkshave gone to the Sunday paperfor coupons. In fact, there are in-serts now that contain nothingbut pages and pages of coupons.

And these coupon inserts,often valued at hundreds of dol-lars in savings, reach far beyondgroceries. There are now cou-pons for everything from food(of course) to hair products,health care items (such as aspi-rin, cough syrup, vitamins, etc.,)and toiletries. And, more andmore these days, you can findmoney-savings for car care,such as oil changes, tune-ups, tirerotation, brake service – allthings we need to have to keepour cars in good shape and runn

Cost Savings is Profitinging smoothly.

Think about it.. You aregoing to have to get your oilchanged anyway, why not savefive to 10 bucks!

And that’s the key to us-ing coupons… use them forthings you are going to buy any-way. Otherwise you are not re-ally saving money.

As mentioned, the Sun-day newspaper is a big sourcefor coupons. Everyday maga-zines you read or browse arealso ripe with money-saving op-portunities. And most neighbor-hoods have monthly or evenweekly “penny saver” types ofpublications that are free in racksoutside grocery stores, retailersor restaurants, or many of themare delivered in your mailbox..

For example, metro-At-lanta area residents receivewhat’s called “Savvy Shopper.”

It is made up of couponsand special offers, and most ofthe offers are non-grocery. Theyinclude savings at your local fit-ness center, discounts on homeand car repairs, restaurant cou-pons, reduced tickets to profes-sional hockey and basketballgames, and other entertainmentevents such as theme parks,museums and shows.

Again, many of these itemsare things you would be pur-chasing anyway, so why notsave a few bucks. You will besurprised how these savings canadd up. And you can make it funby challenging yourself andyour family to see who can findthe most coupons with the mostvalue each week.

Another key to shoppingwith coupons is to watch forspecials that complement yourcoupons. Watch the store flyersthat you receive in the mail orare available at the stores. For

example, if your kids likeTotino’s Pizza Rolls, buy themwith a coupon while they areon sale. I was with a friend re-cently while she was groceryshopping. She had perused overa certain grocery chain’s flyerand saw the pizza rolls her kidslove were on sale for $1 a box ( abox normally ranges from $1.23to $1.99), and she had a couponfor 40 cents off if she boughttwo.

Now, how about this!That particular grocerychain doubles coupons forup to $1, so she received80 cents off, and since theywere on sale, she basi-cal ly got the boxes forabout 60 cents each.

Use your computer. In fact,you may even find it easier andmore fun, and it will certainlychallenge and be fun for yourkids. There are a lot of free cou-pon sites, but be wary of theones that want you to sign upfor something to get to the cou-pons. You don’t have to do that.A favorite and free coupon siteis www.coolsavings.com. Pe-ruse the coupons and print outthe ones you want. They changeeach week and you can evengo back and get the ones youlike again.

Also, go to the prod-uct web sites. For example,Pillsbury, Land O’ Lakesand Kraft are just a fewwhose web sites are freeand that offer coupons ontheir products as well asfree recipes.

By the way, did youknow that restaurant rev-enue has declined recently,while the sale of recipebooks has increased?Hmmm.... or should we sayMmmmm!

Visit the church of your choice on Sunday

JOSHUA CHAPEL CHRISTIAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

1006 Yeager Lane, Suite 102-A Austin, Texas

Sunday ServicesSunday School 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

WEDNESDAY Bible Study 6:30 P.M.SATURDAY New

Member Assimilation 10:00 A.M.

Agape Baptist ChurchIn “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)

AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love He exhibited isExemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you. For there is no greater love!

Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM

Mid-Week ServiceThursday: Praise, Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PM

Call 454-1547 for TransporationWebsite www.agapebcaustintx.org

Jesus is Coming AgainThe church fellowship where everybody can be somebody!

MaranathA Faith Center4930 South Congress Avenue, C-302 512-750-4628 512-804-2537

Sunday School 9:00-10:00 A.M.Morning Service 10:00 A.M. -12Noon

Floyd Fontenot, Sr., Founder Floyd Fontenot, Jr., Pastor

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church4509Springdale Road 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281

We invite you to come and worship with us

Sunday ServicesWorship 8:30 A.M.Sunday School 9:45 A.MWorship Service 11:00 A.M.

WednesdayEvening Bible Study 6:00 P.M.

Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor

Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road

Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Study 6:30 P.M.Imani Complex, 1st and 4th Wednesday

Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727

Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims

Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax: 512-478-1892

Radio Ministry (KIXI 970 AM 9:00 A.M.TV Ministry (ACTV. Ch 32) 9:00 A.M.Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875

Sunday ServicesWorship Service 8:00 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.

WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M. Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709

Rev. Marvin C. GriffinPastor

Rev. H. Ed CalahanPastor

Sunday Services

Wednesday Service 7:00 - 8:00 P.M.

January 30, 2009/The Villager/Page 3

St Annie A.M.E. Church1711 Newton StreetAustin, Texas 78704

Voice mail (512) 444-4509E-mail: saamechurch@peoplepc.com

Sunday School 9:30 A.M.Morning services 10:45 A.M.

Rev. Derwin D. Gipson, Pastor

Aligned with Mattersof Eternity

AFRICAN ASSEMBLIES of GODCHURCH

A growing church ministering to African American andother nationals

Come worship with us

Sunday Worship 11:30 A.M.Wednesday Prayer Meeting 6:45 P.M.

Place of WorshipThe Church of Glad Tidings 2700 Northland Dr. Austin, TX 78756

For more information, contact Pastor Jonah Ghartey512-873-8103 www.allnationschurch@yahoo.com

David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church2211 East MLK Blvd. Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399

Sunday ServicesDiscipleship Training 8:15 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship 10:00 A.M.

Rev. Joseph C. Parker Jr.Pastor

Nursery services available

DOUBLE “R” GROCERYWe cash ALL Tax Refund

ChecksCheck Out

THE AIRPORT FLEE MARKETSaturdays and Sundays

450l East Martin luther King Blvd.

1149 Airport Blvd.

Serving Austin since 1970Let us Fill your next Perscription!

SAVE TIMEAsk your doctor to call

your prescription in to usand we’ll have it ready for you

when you get here!

2115 E. MLK Blvd.512-476-7338

Austin, Texas 78702www.PHRX.Net

Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat 9 a.m. - Noon

HOSPITAL PHARMACY

Rosewood Avenue Missionary Baptist Church1820 Rosewood Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702

(512) 476-8201 Fax (512) 476-5693

Weekly ServicesSunday School 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.Wed. Night Bible Fellowship 6:30 p.m.

Rev. Coby Shorter, IIIPastor

The Spencer & Ora Lee Nobles“Hope Center” (512) 476-6722

Websi te :www.rosewoodbaptistchurch.org

“Divine Enpowerment for Bold Ministries”

Mount Sanai Missionary Baptist Church 5900 Cameron Road Austin, Texas 78723-1843

(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax Web Site - www.themount.net

WORSHIP SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.

“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18 A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor

Rev. Lois Hayes, Pastor

Church news, announcement? If so, contactthe Villager at

476-0082

The 15th Annual DaffodilFestival will be held March 7,2009! The day’s festivities beginwith a new event, the Senior KWalk. Registration for the Walk,which joins the Festival at RoundRock’s Allen R. Baca Center (301W. Bagdad, Bldg 2), is from8:00-8:45am; the Walk beginsat 9:00am.

Opening Ceremonies forthe Daffodil Festival are sched-uled for 10:00am. The fun-filledday is highlighted by free liveentertainment and free children’sgames with prizes. The excite-ment continues with the draw-

ing of our raffle winners and alive auction with the best ofRound Rock up for bids! Comehungry for your favorite festivalfoods, and don’t plan on leav-ing empty handed as we have awonderful array of vendors withjewelry, arts & crafts, productsand services to share. The fun

only lasts until 4:00pm, so comeearly to take advantage of theFestival’s many activities.

Interested volunteers andvendors can contact 512-705-8901or visitwww.rrdaffodilcapitaltx.usand www.rrtxsrfoundation.orgfor more information.

Round Rock Senior Citizens FoundationRound Rock Daffodil

Festival

Thank You,Rosewood Oaks Primary would like

to thank the friends of Rosewood Oaks Primary, our parentsand the East Austin community for making 2008 one of our

best years ever for our East Austin campus. Our friends’support has made it possible for us to offer more benefits to

our parents in 2009. With your help we were able to openan infant center at our East Austin campus to service

the full family. We thank God for our friends who gave theirtime and generosity to make this such a successful year.

MIRACLESWe ask God for blessings and miracles each and

everyday. However some of us fail to realize ourblessings because we have so much fear and mistrust

in our hearts. When dealing with your friends you have toopen up your heart so you can receiveyour blessing. A friend

is a very unique person – each one brings with them theirown little blessing. When you place all of those little

blessings together you haveyour—————————————————MIRACLE.

HAVE A SAFE AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Rosewood Oaks Primary*2600 Rosewood AvenueAustin, Texas 78702Office – 472-8007 / Fax – 472-0964E-mail: rosewoodoaks@aol.com

AUSTIN, Texas — Dr.James L. Hill, senior vicepresident and special assis-tant at The University of Texasat Austin, has been selectedby the Austin IndependentSchool District’s AfricanAmerican Heritage ProgramCommittee to receive its“Friend of EducationAward.”

The award is presentedto an individual who has ex-emplified strong character,excellent leadership and out-standing service in the fieldof education. The committee

Dr. James L. Hill to Receive“Friend of Education Award”

A big Thank You is dueto each and every one of theemployers that participatedin our Winter Job Fair. Wegreatly appreciate you bring-ing job opportunities to ourcustomers and for dealingwith the mass of job seekersin attendance. We especiallythank you for staying beyondthe planned end time to ac-commodate all those whoturned out.

To all the job seekersthat came in hopes of findingemployment, Thank You foryour patience and for the or-

It’s a new day...of respect and dignity for thebuying power of African American churches ourmembers! The Texas Congregations United forEmpowerment, Inc. (TCUE) is a collective ofblack churches vigorously advocating the blackchurch, the most effective vehicle to deliver eco-nomic empowerment, wealth building, and a com-munity of educated consumers. We join togetherleaders from faith and business for optimal eco-nomic empowerment for our members and com-munities they serve. TCUE invites all pastors tojoin us to heighten our collective influence to ac-complish our purpose, goals for churches, pastorsand congregations! Visit the TCUE Website: http://www.tcue.org to submit a membership applica-tion. Contact Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims

praised Hill’s academic ac-complishments, including hiswork through the years withthe University Outreach Pro-gram, Neighborhood Long-horns Program, Texas Long-horn Partners Responding toEducation Priorities, and therecruitment and retention ofminority students, facultyand staff.

The ceremony for pre-sentation of the award will beat 3 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Dr.Exalton and WilhelminaDelco Activity Center, 2601Pecan Brook Drive.

derly way in which you con-ducted yourselves. We realizethat long lines and coldweather were not pleasant. Ifyou were able to find employ-ment as a result of the faircongratulations! If not, don’tgive up – keep searching. Itmay take longer than you’dlike, but you will achieve suc-cess.

One thing we learnedfrom this job fair is that due tothe current economic situa-tion and the number of peopleseeking work, we’ve out-grown our facility for such

events. The layout, crowds,etc. didn’t create the environ-ment needed. Our next jobfair will be at a different andbigger location so as to betteraccommodate employers andjob seekers.

We want to serve you(employers and job seekers)better. You can help by let-ting us know how.

Send us your sugges-tions by email towsca@twc.state.tx.us.

Again, thanks to every-one who participated in theWinter Job Fair. We look for-ward to seeing you at the nextone.

WorkForce Job Fair was a great success

TCUE needs your church

Youth of Today. Hope of Tomorrow.

Page 4/THE VILLAGER/January 30, 2009

Marissa HornsbyConnally High School Alonzo Black

Hendrickson High School

Alon RodgersKelly Lane Middle School

Cherreigne’ SmithDel Valle High School

Montsho HughesMcCallum High

Sponsorship

Available

Call for info

476-0082

January is designatedSchool Board RecognitionMonth, and Pflugerville ISDwould like to express its ap-preciation to the PflugervilleBoard of Trustees, as theywork together to provide abetter future for all studentsserved by the District. Boardof Trustees members serve askey advocates for studentsand are responsible for com-municating the needs of theDistrict to the public and thepublic’s expectations to theDistrict. “As citizen leaders,individual school boardmembers face complex anddemanding challenges, andfew people fully understandthe scope and far-reachingimplications of board mem-bers’ responsibilities,” Super-intendent of Schools CharlesE. Dupre said. “Each of ourboard members plays a vitalrole in the District’s goal ofpreparing Each Child forTheir Future in Our World.”

The Board of Trust-ees is charged with establish-ing a vision for the District’smany programs, designing astructure to achieve that vi-

sion, ensuring schools are ac-countable to the community,and strongly advocating con-tinuous improvement in stu-dent learning. That job entailsan endless string of meetingsand school functions to at-tend; reams of reports, agen-das, proposals, and other in-formation to read and study;and a host of difficult deci-sions to make.

Board members con-tribute hundreds and hun-dreds of hours each year lead-ing their districts. Whethercrafting policies, hiring keyadministrators, listening tostaff and student concerns, orrecognizing outstanding pro-grams, board members al-ways keep their eyes on thegoal of student achievement.

Take a moment tothank our school board mem-bers for making the time toshare their vision and voiceabout the future of our chil-dren.

Pflugerville Indepen-dent School District Board ofTrustees Carol Fletcher, Ph.D.,President, serving the Districtsince 2001; Elva Gladney,Vice President, serving theDistrict since 2001;Vernagene Mott, Secretary,serving the District since2004James Hamann, servingthe District since 1999Paul J.King, serving the Districtsince 2001 Jimmy DonHavins, serving the Districtsince 2005; Cynthia Graves,DDS, serving the Districtsince 2006.

Board members will bepresented with a special gifthonoring their leadership rolein Pflugerville.

January is School BoardRecognition Month

Wow! The week of Janu-ary 19, 2009 was amazing.Monday, January 19th was aholiday for Del Valle Studentsin recognition of Dr. MartinLuther King. I participated inthe MLK March that startedfrom the Capitol and endedwith a big celebration atHuston-Tillotson University.At the MLK March there wereso many people who cametogether to participate in theMLK March from all races. Itappeared to me as though thefamous speech “I Have aDream” by Dr. Martin LutherKing was happening in frontof my eyes. It was awesome tosee so many people come to-gether in order to support thedream of equality for allpeople that Dr. King haddreamed of.

The next day an unfor-gettable historical event hap-pened. On Tuesday, January

A Week to RememberWith Hope for the Future

20th the first African Ameri-can was sworn in as Presi-dent of the United States ofAmerica. The world watchedthis amazing event as Presi-dent-Elect Barack HusseinObama took the oath of officeand became our Commanderin Chief with his wifeMichelle, and daughtersMalia and Sasha standing byhis side. Del Valle Studentswere allowed to go the libraryor the cafeteria during our 3rd

period class to witness theswearing in of PresidentObama, and to hear his inau-gural speech. Being able towitness the history of havinga black president during mysenior year of high schoolblew my mind. Although Iwas not old enough to vote forPresident Obama, watchinghim become our presidentand seeing how he appeals toeverybody and bring peopletogether was encouraging.

Now that America haselected a black president, Ihave more hope, more ex-citement and higher expec-tations for my future. I be-lieve that President BarackObama and his administra-tion will make greatchanges for our country. Ibelieve that things will onlyget better for me and for mycountry. As an AfricanAmerican female, I believeanything I want to achieveis possible. For our countryI believe … Yes we can! Yeswe will! Yes we did! …GoCardinals!

Hendrickson HighSchool Assistant PrincipalWillie Gipson was inductedinto the Texas A&MKingsville/ Texas A&I Hall offame. Gipson was a studenttrainer for Texas A&I from1968-1972, and later returnedto the university as the headtrainer. During PrincipalGibson’s tenure, Texas A&Iwon four national champion-ships.

Gibson first came toPflugerville as an assistantprincipal, a position he helduntil 2004, when he joined theHendrickson high schoolstaff. Gibson briefly left thedistrict, but rejoined the HHSstaff in 2008. Gibson has re-

cently been presented a witha fifteen year service award byUIL. He was also a member ofthe national Athletic TrainersAssociation, and has a tenyear service award from theUniversity of Texas Track andField association.

The Athletic BoosterClub met this week and theHawk Football Banquet is6:30 p.m. Thursday Jan. 29 atPflugerville Lions Club. Thiswill be a special event sincethis was the best season inschool history with the teammaking it all the way to thestate quarterfinals. In otherathletic news, baseball sea-son is finally underway aftera week of parent meetings thefirst day of baseball practiceis Friday Jan. 30. The boys’and girls’ basketball teamsplay in Lampasas Friday Jan.30 and then face Hutto athome on Tuesday Feb. 6. Var-sity games start at 7 p.m. andFreshman JV teams beginningat 5:30 p.m.

The Theatre Depart-ment is producing “LittleShop of Horrors” 7:30 p.m.Friday Jan. 30 and SaturdayJan. 31 and a matinee perfor-mance at 2:30 p.m. SundayFeb. 1 in the Performing ArtsCenter.

Congratulations to Assistantprincipal Willie Gipson

The Annual MLKCelebration in Austinusually has three events: thepresentation of the YouthAchievement Awards, theMLK March, and the MLKKeynote Address. TheAddress usually featuresprominent AfricanAmericans who have madesignificant social, political,civic, artistic or spiritualcontributions to thecommunity. Past guests haveincluded; Maya Angelou,Andrew Young, MarionWright Edelman, ChrisGardner and HarryBelafonte. This year’s speakerwas Bishop T.D. Jakes.

The evening ofJanuary 24th saw every seatof St. James MissionaryBaptist Church filled withspectators who’d come to seeBishop Jakes give his keynotespeech. Clearly linking theevents and people of the civilrights movement with therecent victory President

Baract Obama, on one side ofthe stage was a red graphicimage of Martin Luther KingJr. and on the opposite sideof the stage was a bluegraphic image of our newPresident.

When T.D. Jakes tookthe stage, the entire sanctuarywent silent. And as he beganto speak the audience wasimmediately rapt. BishopJakes is an immenselypowerful speaker. He spokeof all the people who died inorder for our nation as awhole to have the courage toelect President Obama. Hepointed out a distinct lineleading from Dr. King’s workin the civil rights movementto Obama’s election, “Dr.King is the root, and BarackObama is the fruit”, he said.Then he started to talk aboutone of Gods greatest gifts toman, “The Thing”, he said itdidn’t matter how handsome,tall, black, white, or smart youare, some people just have“The Thing”, and when youhave it, you know you haveit, and everyone else knowsyou have it. It may come onlyevery once and a while inevery generation but thosepeople who have the thingare destined for greatness.Dr. King Had “The Thing”,and Obama has “TheThing.” After that address, itwas needless to say thatBishop Jakes also has “TheThing.”

Tayla TerryMcCallum High Schol

The Knights had afour day week last week inwhat is also a historic week forthe country. Villager YouthBrigaders joined in the annualMartin Luther King Daymarch from the Capitol toHuston-Tillotson Universityon Monday; and Tuesday wasthe inauguration of our 44thPresident and the nation’s firstAfrican-American president.All social studies classes wereable to watch the ceremonieslive or through streamingInternet video. The day madefor some interesting classdiscussions.

The School play“Once on this Island” will beperformed on January 29th/30th at 7 p.m. in the cafetorium.

A Pep Rally was heldon January 27 at the end of the

day (during 8th period andCatapult) instead of themorning. This is great becauseour boys and girls basketballteams are doing very well. Thegirls’ had really exciting gamesagainst Westview andParkcrest last week. Both theboys and girls teams faceDeseau this week.The Starry Knights CoffeeHouse performance will be 7p.m. Friday Feb. 6. Admissionis free and refreshments willbe sold.

Next week, Feb. 2-6 isNational Teen DatingViolence Awareness Week atour school. During that weekstudents will be giveninformation through posters,classroom discussion, andwritten material. During theweek before Spring Break, 8thgrade students will be shownan informative video depictingtrue stories that containpositive messages on whathealthy relationships look like.

Pflugerville ISDinvites all parents to attend anevening of valuableworkshops the secondTuesday of each month.February’s conference will beheld at Murchison Elementary,2215 Kelly Lane. Register online at http://www.pflugervilleisd.net/forparents.cfm.

Jeremy HendersonMcCallum High School

The year 2009 hasbrought some good things andgood change in our lives.

Well, there is a newschool in town, Volma OvertonElementary School. This schoolis named after a very specialman.. Mr. Volma Overton Sr.was a person who worked foreducation of children andequality. His son , Mr. VolmaOverton Jr. was one of thespeakers for the ocassion. Therewere people there of all ethnicitiesfrom the community, churches,my family and school district.

It was exciting and

educational to me.I went to the dedication

because my dad was the artist ofthe Volma Overton Sr. portraitthat will be on a special wall inthe front hallway of the school.The portrait was honored byeveryone in the Overton Family.The people at the ceremony lovedthe picture my dad drew of Mr.V. Overton..The newspaper and newsstations were there to give areport about this event. My dad,Tony Terry III was a part of thishistory and I am so proud of him.I really enjoyed watching mydad give his speech about theportrait and how much hardwork and time he put into it forsuccess. I loved watching howexcited and amazed the peoplewere about my dad’s art work.My dad, Tony is a special mantoo.

Let’s all make a“change” and stay in school andstay off drugs! Obama ChangeHas Come!Peace Out People,

Volma Overton ElementarySchool dedicated

Last week was anhistoric week

On Tuesday, January 20,2009, History was made asBarack Obama took the presi-dential oath in Washington D.C.All the students and teachers ofMcCallum watched the inaugu-ration and it was great. I was veryexcited to watch and see it all.He gave a powerful inaugura-

tion speech that had everyone inD.C. and around the worldwatch. In his speech, he was ba-sically saying that we should getready to work on fixing thecountry’s problems. We shouldwork together to get the job done.I really enjoyed his speech andreally appreciate what he hasaccomplished so far. He hasmotivated everyone around theworld and has changed the faceof the United States. I hope thatPresident Barack Obama willcontinue to do well and do greatthings. I hope that everyone willhelp President Barack Obama fixthe United States and that wepay attention to what he does.Congratulations and GoodWork President BarackObama!!!!!!!!!

President Barack Obama 44th Presidentof the United States

T.D.Jakes Makes MLKKeynote Address

PASSALONG ••Arts and Culture

Evelyn Martin Anderson

January 30, 2009/THE VILLAGER/page 5

Black Expo

Austin, Texas – TimeWarner Cable Central Texasis seeking entries for its fifthAnnual Spotlight on Educa-tion Awards for the 2008-2009 school year. The dead-line for submission is March20, 2009.

Spotlight on Educationis a Time Warner Cable(TWC) initiative honoringteachers who have developedcreative learning experiencesusing cable and Internet tech-nology providing a valuableclassroom experience for stu-dents. Teachers of all gradelevels (K-12) at state accred-ited public or private schoolsare eligible to participate.

At least three exemplaryteacher projects will be recog-nized as Spotlight on Educa-tion winners. Winning entrieswill be announced at a May2009 ceremony, and eachhonoree will receive a $500personal award in addition toa $1,000 grant for his or herschool. Additionally, all final-ists will be considered for theTWC National TeacherAward celebration this Junein Washington, D.C.

Last year, six area teach-ers received a local Spotlighton Education Award and fiveteachers received TimeWarner Cable’s nationalteacher award. “Winning theTime Warner Cable NationalTeacher award has inspiredme to integrate even moreeducational programminginto my lessons to help makemy classroom an extraordi-nary place for learning,” saidJennifer Atkinson, first gradeteacher at Metz ElementarySchool in Austin. “My stu-dents have been able to gain

TEACHERS’ INNOVATIONS CAN GAINFUNDING FOR SCHOOLS

a deeper understanding ofconcepts presented to thembecause of the exceptionaleducational TV programmingoffered to teachers by TimeWarner Cable.” Nationalaward winning teachers re-ceived an all-expenses-paidtrip for two to Washington,D.C. for the gala celebration,$2,000 personal cash grant, a$3,000 school technologygrant, and a Crystal Applecommemorative award.

Time Warner Cable’slocal and national teacherawards also provide localteachers with an opportunityto showcase their exemplarystudents while increasing theuse of technology in the class-room. “As a technology spe-cialist, I have seen my teach-ers increase their use of tech-nology and cable resourcesbecause they wanted to showoff their ideas and students’work through these awards,”said Donna Bownds, Instruc-tional Technologist at ClearCreek Elementary school inKilleen. “As a past winnermyself, I would like to thankTime Warner for being a mo-tivating force in the educationof our students!”

Entry forms and fullsubmission criteria may befound atwww.timewarnercentral.com.The deadline for submissionis March 20, 2009.

Time Warner Cable isthe second-largest cable op-erator in the U.S., with tech-nologically advanced, well-clustered systems locatedmainly in five geographic ar-eas — New York state (in-cluding New York City), theCarolinas, Ohio, southernCalifornia (including Los An-geles) and Texas. As of June30, 2008, Time Warner Cableserved approximately 14.7million customers who sub-scribed to one or more of itsvideo, high-speed data andvoice services.

By. Hazel Trice EdneyNNPA Editor-in-Chief

W A S H I N G T O N(NNPA) – After a blisteringreport released early thismonth confirmed that a se-nior official in the Civil RightsDivision of the U.S. JusticeDepartment illegally hiredand fired career attorneysbased on their political align-ment with President Bush,Civil Rights lawyers aroundthe country say the new headof the Civil Rights Division –yet to be named by PresidentBarack Obama – will likely be“pivotal” in his presidentialadministration.

“The assistant attorneygeneral heading the CivilRights Division will perhapsoccupy a pivotal seat in theObama administration. Presi-dent Obama has been quitepublicly critical of the DOJ’spositions on civil rights is-sues and with three majorcases raising important raceissues, that person will havea full plate from the begin-ning,” says Charles Ogletree,executive director of theCharles Hamilton HoustonInstitute for Race and Justiceat the Harvard UniversityLaw School. “The CivilRights Division was the keyagency pushing an agenda ofracial justice in the 1960s, andif we are going to address racediscrimination cases, votingnights violations, racial pro-filing, and mass incarcera-tion, particularly of youngblack males, the new [assis-tant attorney general] for civilrights must hit the groundrunning the moment he or sheis confirmed.”

Little progress has beenmade in the enforcement ofsignificant civil rights lawsover the past eight years as theleadership of the Civil RightsDivision politicized the hiringand firing of career attorneys,based on their philosophical

Rights Lawyers Await Appointment ofNew Civil Rights Chief

alignment with the conserva-tive views of Bush, confirmsa recent report.

“We’ve got to get backto civil rights,” says Con-gresswoman Eleanor HolmesNorton (D-D.C.). “You can’tdo anything there unless youhave a whole new set ofactors…We were dealingwith perverse treatment of thelaw, much of it stated, sowe’re talking about direct evi-dence.”

A joint investigationand report by the DOJ’s Of-fice of the Inspector Generaland Office of ProfessionalResponsibility reports thatBradley S. Schlozman, aformer senior Division offi-cial, “hired lawyers for careerpositions based on their po-litical or ideological affilia-tions.”

The 65-page report, re-leased publicly on Jan. 13,says that Schlozman, basedon employee interviews, wentas far as to use terms such as“commies” and “crazy libs”in emails when describingpeople that he aimed to weedout of the division between2003 and 2006.

The report concludes,“The evidence in our investi-gation showed thatSchlozman, first as a DeputyAssistant Attorney Generaland subsequently as Princi-pal Deputy Assistant Attor-ney General and Acting As-sistant Attorney General,considered political and ideo-logical affiliations in hiringcareer attorneys and in otherpersonnel actions affecting

career attorneys in the CivilRights Division. In doing so,he violated federal law – theCivil Service Reform Act – andDepartment policy that pro-hibit discrimination in fed-eral employment based onpolitical and ideological af-filiations, and committed mis-conduct.”

Federal law states thatsuch hires must not includepolitical considerations; butrather, civil rights qualifica-tions, which the report saidwas often excluded.

Because Schlozman isno longer a DOJ employee,he is not subject to disciplin-ary actions, the report con-cludes, but recommends thathis illegal activity at the DOJbe considered if ever seeksfederal employment again.

The report also says thatdivision managers “failed toexercise sufficient oversightto ensure that Schlozman didnot engage in inappropriatehiring and personnel prac-tices. Moreover, Schlozmanmade false statements aboutwhether he considered politi-cal and ideological affilia-tions when he gave sworn tes-timony to the Senate JudiciaryCommittee and in his writtenresponses to supplementalquestions from the Commit-tee.”

In a nutshell, the crucialcivil rights division is said tohave been left in a mess.

“What the Bush admin-istration did was particularlyabandon civil rights enforce-ment on behalf of African-Americans – especially Afri-can-Americans,” says TedShaw, former director-coun-sel of the NAACP Legal De-fense and Education Fund,who is now a law professorat Columbia University.“They focused where theycould on finding so-called re-verse discrimination cases,refused to use the full pano-ply of civil rights enforcementtools that were available to it

and in general had more of arelationship with defendantsin civil rights cases.”

Shaw says the Bush Jus-tice Department was moreconcerned about defendantsfound in violation of civilrights laws than with civilrights lawyers and plaintiffs.

“The one thing that the

department is going to haveto do is restore its relationshipwith the civil rights commu-nity,” he says. “I think thatcan be done fairly quickly.But, the damage has beendone in terms of the career at-torneys that have been lostfrom the division, the morale,and the turn over within the

division, that won’t be done asquickly. That will take some timeto do.”

Political chatter aboutnew leadership at the CivilRights Division is escalating asthe civil rights world awaits theoutcome of the delayed confir-mation of Eric Holder, Obama’snominee for attorney general.

Ted Shaw

By. Evan BarnesSpecial to the NNPA from

the Los Angeles Sentinel

(NNPA) As President ofthe United States, BarackObama’s love of sports is no dif-ferent than that of his predeces-sors.

But while most identifiedwith baseball (George W. Bush)or football (Gerald Ford starringfor Michigan in the 1930’s),Obama has become synony-mous with basketball – a gamethat helped him “forge an iden-tity” according to his memoir“Dreams From My Father”.

Bill Clinton was perhapsthe first President openly con-nected to the sport. He cheeredfrom the stands as his ArkansasRazorbacks won a NCAA title in1994 and lost to UCLA in the1995 championship game.

And who can forget thathe, along with his wife Hillaryand vice-president Al Gore, wasa secret character in the videogame NBA Jam and its sequelNBA JAM: Tournament Edi-tion?

But to the public, it’sObama’s background with thegame that stands out. Numerousvideos have been shown of himdriving to the hole or pulling upfor that lefty jump shot.

He played pick-up gamesbefore every primary election aswell as on the day of his historicelection. Even grainy footagehas been uncovered from hisdays at Punahou High Schoolin Hawaii, where he was a re-serve on the team that won the1979 state championship.

And yes, many know by

Obama’s Eye Has Always Beenon the Ball

now that Oregon State men’sbasketball coach CraigRobinson is his brother-in-law.

To those who followsports closely, it’s his statementsabout wanting a college footballplayoff instead of the BCS, thathave taken plenty of notice andfar more significance.

Ever since he told ESPNhis desires on November 3 – andreiterated it this month whenasked during a recent press con-ference - it added one more voiceto the argument that many whowatch college football havemade since the BCS was insti-tuted in 1998.

An argument that grewloud again this month when USC,Texas and Utah felt that theyshould’ve played for the na-tional title against Florida.

But is that unique? Itwouldn’t be the first team aPresident would be accused ofthrowing his weight in a sportsissue.

Richard Nixon once sug-gested a play call to MiamiDolphins head coach DonShula before Super Bowl VI. Itdoesn’t matter that it didn’twork; the fact that he did itshowed that he followed thesport enough to make theguess.

It’s hard to imagineObama calling up a team dur-ing the NBA Finals and mak-ing any recommendations.

His campaign, however,did attract a variety of athletesto his behalf. Athletes of allwalks of life rallied behind himand normally apolitical figureslike Michael Jordan and TigerWoods were moved to act.

Woods spoke on Sun-day during the “We Are One”pre-inauguration concert/cel-ebration and for someone whois known for not speaking outon things, it says a lot that theObama camp convinced him tobe there.

As a nation that loves itssports as much as anything else,Obama’s connection with it mir-rors many of his supporters.Those who play basketball canidentify with him playing pick-up games and those who playfantasy sports know that he’llbe among their ranks come foot-ball season.

Some think that it’s stereo-typical to continue associatingthe nation’s first Black presidentwith basketball -a sport that hasbeen identified more and morewith Black players. They thinkthat it plays on certain assump-tions about how Blacks enjoytheir leisure time.

One has to ask, though,that for someone who has beenhailed as a role model for Blackyouth, wouldn’t it be a positiveto see that person doing thingsthat they perhaps might do.

That’s what makes himunique as a sports-loving presi-dent. Not just that he plays bas-ketball like most who seek recre-ation, but he’s someone thatfans of all races can relate tobecause he thinks like them.

He lives and dies with hislocal teams (Chicago Bears andWhite Sox) and has opinions onthe issues of the day.

Don’t be surprised ifwhen he gets called the nation’sNo. 1 sports fan, it won’t feellike a ceremonial title.

Page 6/THE VILLAGER/January 30, 2009

Texas Lottery KIPP

MYEC empowering Families

Capital Metro invitesthe community to five openhouse events at stationsalong the MetroRail line dur-ing February. These educa-tional events aim to familiar-ize customers with all aspectsof how to ride MetroRail: tour-ing the train and station, un-derstanding the schedulesand using the new ticketvending machines. CapitalMetro representatives will beat every event to orient cus-tomers and answer their ques-tions about the Red Line, be-ginning service March 30.

The open houses arefree, come-and-go events,open to the public. Except forthe Leander Station openhouse, parking will be lim-ited. Riding the bus orcarpooling is encouraged.

Sign Language inter-preters for the Deaf will beavailable, and other reason-able accommodations can berequested at least three days

Capital MetroRail StationEvents in February

in advance by contactingNancy Crowther at (512) 389-7583.

Capital MetroRailOpen Houses:Leander Sta-tion – Saturday, Feb. 7 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. 800 N. US 183 Plaza

Saltillo Station – Sat-urday, Feb. 14 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.412 Comal Street Bus routes:4, 320

Crestview Station – Sat-urday, Feb. 21 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

6920 North Lamar Blvd.MLK, Jr. Station – Satur-

day, Feb. 21 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.1719 Alexander Ave

Bus routes: 18 Limited park-ing next to station

Downtown Station –Friday, Feb. 27 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.

401 E 4th Street Busroutes: All local and ‘Dilloroutes

Bus routes: 1, 101, 300,320, 350

Access St. Johns for lim-ited parking at adjacent de-velopment.

Austin/Travis CountyEMS Pilot Program Will En-hance Downtown, Highwayand Special Event Response

AUSTIN, TEXAS — TheGreater Austin Crime Com-mission will provide Austin/Travis County EmergencyMedical Services

(A/TCEMS) with twospecially-equipped motor-cycles as part of a pilot pro-gram to improve downtown,highway and special event

response. Former AustinMayor Roy Butler and Joe E.Holt will make the presenta-tion Friday, January 23, 2009,10:00 a.m., at

the A/TCEMS vehiclecompound (15 Waller Street).The motorcycles and medicalequipment are valued at morethan $25,000.

“The Greater AustinCrime Commission and itsmembers are proud to providethe start-up equipment for theEMS

motorcycle pilot pro-gram,” said Joe Holt, presidentof the Greater Austin CrimeCommission and chairman ofJPMorgan Chase

(Austin Region). “Im-proving EMS response capa-bilities will undoubtedly savelives.”

The A/TCEMS motor-cycle initiative is one of only afew similar programs in theUnited States, including thesuccessful

Miami-Dade MotorcycleEmergency Response Team(MERT). Growth in the Austinarea and the resulting trafficstrains

traditional ambulance-

CRIME COMMISSION PROVIDESEMS MOTORCYCLES

based emergency services. TheBMW “authority model” mo-torcycles, purchased throughLone Star

BMW/Triumph, areequipped for Code 3 emer-gency response (i.e., lights andsirens) and will carry ad-vanced life support

equipment, includingautomated externaldefibrillators.

The EMS motorcycle pi-lot program is part of a trafficsafety public awareness cam-paign that the Greater AustinCrime

Commission will launchin Spring 2009. Major programsponsors include Temple-In-land, Inc., Richard and RaeHill, Adm.

Bobby R. Inman, USN(Ret), Betty D. King, Congress-man Michael and LindaMcCaul and Signature Sci-ence, LLC.

The Greater AustinCrime Commission wasfounded in 1997 to supportCentral Texas law enforcementand raise public

awareness about crimeprevention. The organization,which is led by Joe E. Holt ofJPMorgan Chase and a boardof business

and community leaders,promotes numerous publicsafety and youth outreach pro-grams. Previous presidents in-clude the late

Mack Wallace (1997–1999), Dr. William H.Cunningham (1999–2001),Adm. Bobby R. Inman, USN Re-tired (2001–2003),

Roy Butler (2003–2005)and Ralph Wayne (2005–2007).

(AUSTIN, Texas) —Danica Robin McKinney, age21, was crowned Huston-Tillotson University’s MissUNCF at a recent coronation.McKinney, is a junior Englishmajor with a minor in sociol-ogy.

She is an HT HattonSumners Scholarship recipi-ent and was awarded theprestigious United Negro Col-lege Fund/Mellon MinorityUndergraduate Fellowship(MMUF). McKinney is also aW.E.B. DuBois HonorsScholar, a member of God’sAnointed Angels of Praise(G.A.A.P.), an A.P.P.E.A.L.S.mentor, president of the Pre-Alumni Council, and vicepresident of the Upsilon Al-pha chapter of Zeta Phi BetaSorority, Inc. She will repre-sent the University at the na-tional United Negro CollegeFund pageant in Greensboro,

North Carolina.McKinney, born and

raised in Seguin, Texas, is thedaughter of Ola McKinneyand the late Donald RayMcKinney and the grand-daughter of Theodore andSarah Cunningham.

McKinney is an aspir-ing actress and writer. Afterundergraduate school, sheplans to pursue her master’sand doctorate.

Huston-Tillotson Uni-versity, the oldest institu-tion of higher education inAustin, Texas, is a chartermember of UNCF, which isthe nation’s oldest andmost successful minorityhigher education assistanceorganization, founded in1944. Today, UNCF pro-vides financial support toits 39 member institutionsand increases minority de-gree attainment by reducingfinancial barriers to college.

UNCF institutionsand other historically blackcolleges and universities arehighly effective, awarding25 percent of African Ameri-can baccalaureate degrees.UNCF administers morethan 400 programs, includ-ing scholarship, internshipand fellowship programs,mentoring, summer enrich-ment, and curriculum andfaculty development pro-grams. Today, UNCF sup-ports more than 60,000 stu-dents at more than 900 col-leges and universitiesacross the country.

DANICA ROBIN MCKINNEYNAMED HUSTON-TILLOTSON

UNIVERSITY’S MISS UNCF

The Travis CountySheriff’s Office, in partner-ship with Texans in Motion,will have a Child Safety SeatInspection (By AppointmentOnly) on Feb. 4, 2009, in theparking lot of the Del ValleSoftball Complex, behind theSouth Rural CommunityCenter & Health Clinic, 3518FM 973 South. This is a FREE

Travis County Sheriff’s Office SponsorsFree Child Safety Seat Inspection

service. Call (512) 854-6615 or(512) 854-7786, Mondaythrough Friday from 8am to5pm to schedule your FREEinspection.

For more informationon this event or on Child Pas-senger Safety, contact CarrieFortner, (512) 854-6615, orNicole Durand, (512) 854-7786.

In honor of Black His-tory Month, the Austin Con-vention & Visitors Bureau isteaming up with the City ofAustin and George Washing-ton Carver Museum & Libraryto present free screenings ofKings of the Evening, anaward-winning AfricanAmerican film shot on loca-tion in Central Texas, on Feb.6 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. atthe Carver Museum’s BoydVance Theatre (1165Angelina Street)..

Due to limited seating,members of the public are en-couraged to RSVP to 512-974-4926. Seating is on a firstcome, first served basis.

Agenda is as follows:10:30 a.m. Public

screening with City Officialsand Kings of the Evening castmember Reginald T. Dorseyin attendance. Interview/Photo opportunities include:

• Mayor Pro TemBrewster McCracken (Wel-come andAcknowledgements)

• The HonorableSamuel Biscoe, Travis CountyJudge (Public Address)

• Members of the pub-lic in attendance to celebrateBlack History Month

• Reginald T. Dorsey,actor, Kings of the Evening

2 p.m. Public screening,film only.

Austin Celebrates BlackHistory Month with

EMPLOYMENT/BIDS/PROPOSALS/PUBLICINFORMATION/FOR SALE/FOR RENT/MISC

January 23, 2009/The Villager/Page 7

EmploymentEmploymentEmploymentEmploymentEmploymentRequest for Proposal

Apply at HR5930 Middle Fiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512) 223-5621hhtp://www/austincc.ed

EEO/AA/M/F/D/V

New Jobs for theWeek of

01/26/09Senior Cashier

Multiple locations40 hours per week, hoursinclude weekends.$2,239-$2,557/Monthly

Job #0901011Administrative Assistant II

Northridge CampusMonday –Friday, 7:00 a.m.

– 4:00 p.m.$2,239-$2,557/Monthly

Job #0901012Testing Center Supervisor

Northridge Campus40 hours per week, some

evening and weekends.$2,878-$3,598/Monthly

Job #0901013Journalism Instructor (Half

Time Position)Northridge Campus

Monday –Friday, 7:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

$2,239-$2,557/MonthlyJob #0901012

Location as assigned.Hours as assigned.

Salary assigned accordingto the Faculty Salary Scale.

Job #0901014English Instructor (Early

College Start Program)Location as assigned.

Hours as assigned.Salary assigned according

to the Faculty Salary Scale.Job #0901016

Document Imaging ClerkHighland Business Center

Monday – Friday, 8:00a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

$2,255-$2,819/MonthlyJob #0901017

AustinCommunity

College

Let ourClassifieds

work for you.Call

476-0082 for more

information,look us up on

the web atwww.theaustinvillager.com

AUSTIN COMMUNITYCOLLEGE DISTRICT (ACC) issoliciting bids from qualified ven-dors to provide uniforms for theACC Police Department.

Invitation for BidNo. 200-09008VJ

Complete bids must be sub-mitted to the Purchasing Depart-ment no later than Tuesday, Febru-ary 24, 2009 at 2:00 p.m., CentralTime. Bid packages are available onthe ACC Purchasing website athttp://www.austincc.edu/purchase/

In addition, the bid documentis available in the ACC PurchasingOffice [(512)223-1044] between thehours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.,Monday through Friday.

Bids, when submitted, mustbe properly identified, sealed andreturned to the ACC Purchasing Of-fice, ACC Service Center, 9101Tuscany Way, Austin, Texas 78754,by the deadline for submission.

ACC reserves the right toaccept or reject any or all propos-als, in whole or in part, to waiveinformalities or technicalities, toclarify ambiguities, and to awarditems or groups of items as may bein the best interest of ACC.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

By. Larry MillerSpecial to the NNPA from

the Philadelphia Tribune

P H I L A D E L P H I A(NNPA) - Anyone in the Afri-can-American communityknows it is dangerous foryoung Black men and howquickly and senselessly a lifecan be ended.

Murder can happenover a drug deal gone wrong,a real or imagined insult, amisspoken word to someoneelse’s girlfriend or for a fewdollars left over from a pay-check.

Nikisha Ramsey,35,the mother of DwayneCanty, 17, said it might havebeen a robbery in which herson died, but she is certain hewas set up and that he knewthe people who gunned himdown on a cold January nightlast week.

“The way it happened,I believe he was set up. Heknew the people that didthis,” she said, clutching ateddy bear affectionatelynamed Rufus. “He made acouple of phone calls andhad just left the house. Hewasn’t outside for two min-utes before I heard gunshots.”

Law enforcement ex-perts would agree that in mostcases the murder victims andthe killers know each other.And many times both have ahistory of prior arrests orprison records.

But not this time, some-times the victim just happensto be a good kid with a cleanrecord who was on his way tothe store. That is what homi-cide detectives say happenedto Dwayne Canty on Jan. 20,just after 7 p.m.

“This was a young manwho dreamed of joining theUnited States Navy and seeingthe world,” said Capt. JamesClark of the Homicide Unit.“Mr. Canty did not have a po-lice record and had never beenin trouble with the law.”

According to Clark,Canty was gunned down inthe 2100 block of NorthNewkirk Street, about half a

Mother Grieves Over Son

block from his residence. Hewas rushed to Temple Uni-versity Hospital where hewas later pronounced dead.

Clark said Canty’smother had sent him to a lo-cal KFC for dinner. At anempty lot on the way he wasapproached by two or morerobbers who demanded hismoney.

“At this point we thinkthis was a random killing,”Clark said. “His motherasked him to go to a KFC topick up dinner for himself andhis siblings. At the top of theblock there is an empty lot andCanty was approached bytwo or more robbers who tookhis money and then shot himseveral times. We think theytook between $120 and $140.Basically this gives newmeaning to the words sense-less killing. This was justcold-blooded murder.”

Canty’s family, likemany Americans, had beencelebrating the inaugurationof President Obama, a historymaking event that for manyAfrican-Americans hasbrought a renewed sense ofpride and direction.

Ramsey has three othersons, Deandre Canty, 16,Darnell Canty, 19, and

Darren Anderson. Andersonstill lives in Georgia, but shehad moved to Philadelphiaseveral years ago and wasplanning to move back to Sa-vannah.

“It’s just too crazy uphere,” she said.

Clark said detectiveshad spoken to several witnessand were still trying to piecetogether exactly what hap-pened.

“Dwayne Canty wasearning his GED and hadworked at a McDonald’s forseveral months,” Clark said.“He never hurt anyone. Youcan imagine that his familyis taking this very, veryhard...We’re asking for thepublic’s help. If anyone hasinformation regarding thecold-blooded killers who didthis, please contact us.”

Meanwhile, police willinvestigate, question peopleof interest, follow-up onleads.

Nikisha Ramsey andher family will have to waitfor justice and hopefully theywill not have long to wait.

She said, “I believe thatthe police will find out whodid this, but there’s anotherkind of justice, God has hisown justice.’’

BlacBlacBlacBlacBlack Rrk Rrk Rrk Rrk Rreeeeegistry is a cgistry is a cgistry is a cgistry is a cgistry is a classiflassiflassiflassiflassified diried diried diried diried directory ofectory ofectory ofectory ofectory of African African African African AfricanAmerican bAmerican bAmerican bAmerican bAmerican businessses in Austin and Surusinessses in Austin and Surusinessses in Austin and Surusinessses in Austin and Surusinessses in Austin and Surrrrrroundingoundingoundingoundingounding

arararararea. Tea. Tea. Tea. Tea. To be inco be inco be inco be inco be included call 476-0082luded call 476-0082luded call 476-0082luded call 476-0082luded call 476-0082

Caption: Nikisha Ramsey, the mother of 17-year-old Dwayne Canty,says she knows her son was set up and knew the people who gunned himdown last week. Credit: Abdul Sulayman/Philadelphia Tribune

Special to the NNPA fromthe Seattle MediumSEATTLE (NNPA) -

Washington State AttorneyGeneral Rob McKenna hasannounced an agreement be-tween the Attorneys Generalof 34 states and Dell underwhich Dell will provide resti-tution to customers who ex-perienced problems with thecompany’s financing promo-tions, rebate offers, technicalsupport and repair policies.

“It’s time for a reboot ofDell’s customer service sys-tem,” McKenna said. “Ouragreement requires disclo-sures to prevent future com-munication breakdowns andensures that customers whoare owed money are promptlypaid.”

Under the agreement,Texas-based Dell, Inc., and itssubsidiary, Dell FinancialServices, LLC, admit nowrongdoing but agree to pay$1.5 million in restitution toeligible consumers who fileclaims postmarked by April13, 2009. Dell cooperatedfully with the attorneys gen-eral during their investiga-tion.

Dell will pay an addi-tional $1.85 million to thestates for reimbursement oflegal costs and other ex-penses. Washington will re-ceive $200,000 of that amount.

Assistant AttorneyGeneral Katherine Tassi of theAttorney General’s Con-sumer Protection Divisionsaid Washington and Con-necticut jointly led an inves-tigation into Dell’s sales prac-tices after customers com-plained about an array is-sues.

Some applied for zero-percent financing then werecharged higher interest rates.Others had trouble obtainingwarranty service on their Dellcomputers. Many said theynever received promised re-bates.

“The deals Dell madeand the terms computer buy-ers thought they agreed to

Dell Agrees To Refund ConsumersUnder Settlement With 34 States

didn’t always compute,”Tassi said.

One consumer said shemade a purchase with zero-percent financing for 18months and made her pay-ments on time. But the lastpayment was applied late.The customer was then billed$668 interest for the entire fi-nancing period.

Under the settlement,Dell agreed to the following:

FINANCING ANDCREDIT OFFERS

• Disclose in advertise-ments for promotional creditoffers that the majority of con-sumers who apply won’tqualify for the best annualpercentage rate (APR), anddisclose the range of initialAPRs that consumers whoare not considered the “mostqualified borrowers” arelikely to receive.

• Inform consumersconsidering applying for pro-motional financing that theapplication is for a revolvingopen credit account, that mini-mum monthly payments arerequired and that approval ofthe account does not guaran-tee that the consumer will alsoqualify for conditional financ-ing promotions (such as zero-percent interest for 90 days).Explain how finance chargesare calculated, disclose anypenalties and inform the con-sumer whether subsequentpurchases made using thecredit account will be subjectto the same or different financ-ing terms.

• At the time of creditacceptance, disclose whetherthe applicant has qualified forany conditional financingpromotion.

WARRANTIES ANDSERVICES

• Fulfill its warrantyobligations within 30 daysfrom the date of notificationor receipt of a defective prod-uct.

• Disclose whetherphone-based troubleshootingor remote diagnosis is re-quired before Dell will pro-

vide on-site repair or war-ranty-related service.

REBATES• If a rebate is available,

provide the necessary rebatedocumentation at the timeproduct is delivered or theservice is provided

• Mail rebates withinthe specified timeframe, orwithin 30 days if no date isspecified.

ADDITIONAL PROCE-DURES AND POLICIES

Implement written poli-cies to ensure compliancewith the settlement, includingprocedures that address is-sues such as:

• Informing consumersof their right to cancel ordersmade with the Dell CreditAccount within three daysafter receiving final creditapproval and the writtenterms and conditions.

• Communication be-tween Dell and Dell FinancialServices when a consumerreturns a product purchasedwith credit.

• Removing consumeraccounts from collectionagencies and providing accu-rate information to credit-re-porting bureaus.

• Substantiate anyclaims Dell makes about thequality of its customer service.Dell can use the term “award-winning” to describe its cus-tomer service only if the com-pany received such an awardwithin the past 18 months.

The following statesparticipated in the settlement:Arizona, Arkansas, Califor-nia, Connecticut, Delaware,Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Ken-tucky, Louisiana, Maine,Maryland, Massachusetts,Michigan, Mississippi, Mis-souri, Montana, Nebraska,Nevada, New Mexico, NorthCarolina, Ohio, Oklahoma,Oregon, Pennsylvania,Rhode Island, South Caro-lina, South Dakota, Tennes-see, Utah, Washington, WestVirginia, Vermont, and Wis-consin.

CONSUMER REFUNDREQUESTS:

It’s not yet known howmany consumers in Washing-ton or nationwide may be en-titled to refunds under thesettlement. Consumers maybe eligible for restitution if 1)They have a valid complaintconcerning a product thatwas purchased betweenApril 1, 2005, and April 13,2009, and is addressed by theagreement and 2) Dell owesthem money.

Consumers can alsocall 1-800-551-4636 between10 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdaysto request a form by mail. Thedeadline to submit claims isApril 13, 2009.

Eligible consumerswho previously filed com-plaints with the AttorneyGeneral’s Office on or afterApril 1, 2005, will be mailedclaim forms. If you believe youare eligible and do not receivea claim form within twoweeks of today’s date, down-load one from our website orcontact the AttorneyGeneral’s Office for a claimform.

Consumers in partici-pating states should contacttheir Attorney General’s Of-fice.

The amount of moneyissued to individual consum-ers depends on the number ofeligible recipients and the to-tal amount claimed.

ChecChecChecChecCheck outk outk outk outk outour websiteour websiteour websiteour websiteour website

fffffor moror moror moror moror moreeeeecurcurcurcurcurrrrrrententententent

infinfinfinfinformaormaormaormaormationtiontiontiontionand how youand how youand how youand how youand how you

cancancancancanadadadadadvvvvvererererertisetisetisetisetise.....

wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.theaustin.theaustin.theaustin.theaustin.theaustinvillavillavillavillavillagggggererererer.com.com.com.com.com

Page 8/ THE VILLAGER/, January 30, 2009

Villager SportsvilleVillager SportsvilleVillager SportsvilleVillager SportsvilleVillager Sportsville

lAustin Energy

By George HardinBy George HardinBy George HardinBy George HardinBy George HardinSportsBeatSportsBeatSportsBeatSportsBeatSportsBeat

Toros lose to Vipers, win over Albuquerque on road

Malik Hairston tossedin 28 points, highest score inthe game, but that was notenough to put the AustinToros in the winning columnas they lost to the Rio GrandeValley Vipers 109-104 Friday,Jan. 23. Hairston, assigned to

SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 FINAL

Vipers 22 31 21 35 109

Toros 31 18 30 25 104

JUMPER—Charles Gaines, forward for the Austin Toros,leaps to make a shot while playing the Rio Grande Valley Vipersat Austin Convention Center. Photo by George E. Hardin

TOROS FAN—BerthaMeans, well-known civic andbusiness leader, watches thescoreboard as the Austin Torosput up a losing effort againstthe Rio Grande Valley Vipersat Austin Convention Center.Photo by George E. Hardin

By George E. Hardin Sports Beat

Tyson shown in new light;comeback may take place

the Toros by the San AntonioSpurs, compiled his pointswhile playing for 41 minutes.A forward, he formerly playedfor the University of Oregon.The loss snapped Austin’sthree-game winning streak. Asellout crowd of 2,746 was inattendance for the NationalBasketball Association D-League game at Austin Con-vention Center.

The lead changed 17times and the Toros wereahead by 9 points at one time,while the biggest lead for theVipers, from McAllen, Texas,was 6. Trent Strickland with27 for the Vipers, gained with38 minutes of playing time,was second-highest scorer inthe game. Strickland formerlyplayed for the Toros and wassuccessful on 11 of 18 shotsfrom the field. Rounding outthe double-figure scorers forthe Toros were Marcus Will-iams, who played collegiatebasketball at the University ofArizona, with 23, CarldellJohnson, formerly of the Uni-versity of Alabala-Birming-ham, 17, and Charles Gaines(the University of SouthernMississippi) 16, and EzraWilliams (the University ofGeorgia) 10. Gaines also wasleading rebounder with 11and the night’s only double-double contender.

The Vipers wereplaying without startingpoint guard Jared Jordan,who had a sprained left ankle

and did not travel with theteam. Alpha Bangura had 23for the Vipers. MarcusHubbard had 18. StanleyAsumnu and Craig Widnerhad 12 each, and Ernest Scotthad 11 for the Vipers.

The Toros were off toan early lead and by the endof the first period were ahead31-22, helped along byCarldell Johnson who had 9points in the period andMarcus Williams with 8. Inthe second quarter, the Torosfell back and made only 18points while the Vipersracked up 31. In the third pe-riod, the Toros pulled up andscored 30 points to the visi-tors’ 21. The fourth quartersaw the Vipers outscore theToros 35-25.

The Toros were suc-cessful on 40 of 75 attemptsfrom the floor and 20 of 29 at-tempts from the line, while thevipers hit 42 of 88 from thefield and 20 of 23 from theline. Rio Grande had 58points in the paint comparedto 50 for Austin.

Among those rootingfor the Toros was BerthaMeans, longtime CentralTexas civic and businessleader. She said, “We’rehappy to be here to watch theToros play. I hope that moreAustinites will come out andsee them.”

The game was ob-served as the Fourth AnnualCatholic School Night with

the Toros, with nine schoolsparticipating.

Rio Grande Valleywill host the Colorado 14ersFriday, Jan. 30.

After losing to the Vi-pers, the Toros traveled to Al-buquerque, N. M., on Satur-day, Jan. 24, for the first ofeight games in a row on theroad. They defeated the Albu-querque Thunderbirds 125-121. Malik Hairston forced thegame into overtime when hewas successful on a jump shotwith 7.2 seconds left in thegame. In overtime, both teamsexchanged baskets until theToros eased ahead.

Quin Snyder is headcoach of the Toros withWendell Alexis as assistant.Clay Moser is head coach ofthe Rio Grande Valley Vipers.Eric Lefort and Robert Packare his assistants.

The Toros’ nexthome game will be Sunday,Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. against theColorado 14ers. Black Heri-tage will be the featured pro-motion at that game. TheToros, 16-7 as of Jan. 25, wereleading the Southwest Divi-sion of the NBA D-League.

Mike Tyson seems anunlikely person to be hailedas a movie star, but he some-what fell into that categorywhen he circulated among theattendees at the SundanceFilm Festival in Park City,Utah, and appeared at thescreening of “Tyson,” thedocumentary movie about hislife, just over week ago. Themovie features clips fromsome of his fights, Tyson re-sponding to questions froman interviewer, and a generalsurvey of his life since he wasa 13-year-old kid in Brooklynwho became a ward of CusD’Amato, the noted boxingimpresario. D’Amato alsotrained Floyd Patterson. Some

Mike Tysonof the interviews were con-ducted while Tyson wasgiven day passes from the re-habilitation facility where hewas being treated for sub-stance abuse.

Tyson has servedtime in prison, abused drugsand alcohol, been accused ofdomestic violence and con-victed of rape. His recordshows numerous incidents ofpunching men and fondlingwomen. He was disqualifiedafter biting off part of EvanderHolyfield’s ear in a 1997 fightand lost his license to box.And he has described himselfas “the baddest man on theplanet.” In “Tyson,” themovie, however, reviewers

say he is trying to move awayfrom his bad-boy image andgain a more solid reputation.He is said to realize now, atthe age of 42, that he is not arespected hero likeMuhammad Ali and wants tobe known as something otherthan a womanizing bullywho is always ready tofight—even outside the ring.He has confessed to beingembarrassed by some of hisformer behavior.

When Tyson won theheavyweight championshipat age 20 on Nov. 22, 1986, byknocking out Trevor Berbick,he became the youngest manever to win the title. FloydPatterson earlier won the titleat age 21. (Patterson also livedin Brooklyn as a child.)

Boxing as an indus-try has been poorly receivedin recent years by sports fans.The public sees it as a brutalsport with few redeemingqualities. The sight of twomen mercilessly beating eachother and trying to physicallyincapacitate the opponent isseen as intolerable by a soci-ety that glorifies violence inso many other forms.

The Sundance FilmFestival, organized 25 yearsago by Robert Redford, aimsto promote independent mov-ies that are unlikely to be pro-duced or distributed by thetraditional Hollywood sys-tem because they are not seenas huge money makers. Onesuch movie that defied theodds was “Hoop Dreams,”the basketball documentaryabout two black Chicago stu-dents and their efforts to be-come stars in the NBA. “HoopDreams” was voted the bestdocumentary at Sundance in1994 and went on to earn $7.8million. Sundance is theAmerican equivalent of theCannes Film Festival, held insouthern France, which fea-tures more international mov-ies.

“Tyson” was directedby John Toback, with DamonBingham and Harlan Werneras producers. Werner has

aided Muhammad Ali inmarketing and the licensingof his name and Bingham isthe son of Howard Bingham,who long served as Ali’spersonal photographer.Earlier Toback used Tysonas an actor in two otherfilms: “Black and White” in1999 and “When Will I BeLoved” in 2004. “Tyson” isexpected to be released intheaters in April. An execu-tive of Sony Pictures Clas-sics said he hopes to attractart-house moviegoers and

African American viewers,the same audiences thatmade “Hoop Dreams” sucha hit.

In 2003, Tyson filed forbankruptcy after havingearned, and reportedlysquandering, more than$300 million over his career.The Internal Revenue Ser-vice says he owes millionsin back taxes.

Meanwhile, some box-ing writers have said thatTyson and Evander

Holyfield, 46, will fightagain later this year in AbuDhabi, in the United ArabEmirates. It would be thethird meeting between thetwo fighters, both of whomare known to be in need ofmoney.

“Thriller in Manila,”another documentary fea-tured at Sundance, focuseson the three fights betweenAli and Joe Frazier in the1970s. The movie, by JohnDower, is scheduled to beshown on HBO April 11.