1. food and drink
2. desserts and baking

Life!
The Charlotte Post
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2014 SECTION B
Celebrating
the spirit of
Christmas
Volunteers from Charlotte Invasion prepare toys for delivery
Indulge yourself
with cream
cheese cookies
ASHLEY MAHONEY
Wind down to Christmas celebration with cream
cheese cookies.
By Ashley Mahoney
[email protected]
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the
house everyone snuck out of bed to grab just one more
Cream Cheese Cookie! With the arrival of winter and
Christmas, we invite you
to try your hand at these
COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS
holiday favorites.
Wrap those last few
presents and let the carols play. Keep indulging
in that cookie dough—
someone has to test it—
and keep your eye out for
snowflakes (after all,
Christmas miracles do
happen).
On this very merry
cookie journey, from our kitchen to yours we wish you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Ingredients:
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 jar apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
Preparation:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Sift 1 cup of flour
• Cream together ? cup of butter and 3 ounces of cream
cheese
• Mix 1 cup of sifted flour into creamed butter and
cream cheese
• Roll into dough (place in fridge for 5 minute increments if the dough does not hold together)
• Roll out dough on a floured board
• Cut into small squares
• Fill the center of each square with apricot preserves
• Moisten and pukk up corners and pinch together
• Bake for 12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet
• Remove from sheet and place on cookie wrack while
still hot
• Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the cookies
• Serves with a glass of milk and love!
Bon appetit!
The Wadsworth House, OC Foundation, Resourceful Solutions II and Charlotte Invasion
sponsored “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Celebration” Dec. 21 at Carole Hoefener Center.
Organizers prepared meals and toys for 300
families.
Guest speakers included A. Fulton Meachem,
CEO of the Charlotte Housing Authority; N.C.
Sen. Joel Ford; N.C. Rep. Tricia Gotham; retired
judge Shirley Fulton, owner of Wadsworth
House, Tonya Phifer of Charlotte Invasion and
Omar Carter, founder of the OC Foundation and
organizer of the celebration.
Herbert L. White
PHOTOS BY DANIEL COSTON FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Tick-tock: Last-minute shopping tips
By Sarah Skidmore Sell
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. – The clock
is ticking, and your holiday
shopping list isn’t complete.
Don’t fret – you aren’t alone.
The National Retail Federation found that only about
half of shoppers had finished
shopping as of Dec. 10. That
means tens of millions will be
ticking those final items off
their lists in the coming days.
But procrastination doesn’t
ASHLEY MAHONEY
Savannah Burch enjoys the Christmas meal at “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Celebration at Carole Hoefener Center.
have to mean desperation.
Here are a few tips to help survive last-minute shopping:
• SEIZE THE DAY: Retailers
know the rush is coming, and
they are doing everything
they can to attract last-minute
shoppers. This includes extended shopping hours, expedited shipping and exclusive
promotions.
That opens up lots of strategies for shopping that will
keep you out of the crazy
lines in stores at noon on
Christmas Eve.
One tactic is to become a
night owl. Many retailers are
open longer in the week before Christmas. For example,
Wal-Mart says its stores are
open 24 hours a day up until
8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and it
is offering shipping options
up until Dec. 23. Toys R Us
stores are open around the
clock from the morning of
Dec. 23 through 9 p.m. Christmas Eve; it also is extending
its hours in the days preced-
ing.
And many retailers, such as
Best Buy, allow shoppers to
find an item online and pick it
up at a store. Even 7-Eleven is
targeting shoppers, offering
gift cards, toys and stocking
stuffers in its stores.
The bottom line: Take advantage of those last-minute
discounts and other deals.
• DO YOUR HOMEWORK:
Marshal Cohen, chief industry
analyst at market researcher
foods, according to UNC’s
Lindsey Smith, who authored
a 2013 study on the topic.
“We’re encouraging people
to cook because we think it’s
healthier, but then the question becomes, are they actually able to cook,” says Smith.
“For us, what we’re really interested in knowing was do
they make the time to cook?”
Smith says one way to overcome the challenge of food
preparation, in addition to
cooking instruction, could be
to donate items that are eas-
ier to prepare such as pasta
and canned beans.
Smith’s study found that
long hours or multiple jobs
are a barrier to healthy eating,
particularly for low-income
households or people living
alone with no one to share
cooking responsibilities.
“They’re often facing a
higher burden or time
scarcity, which means they
just might not have the
money, but they just don’t
have the time to invest in
preparing a meal if they’re
juggling multiple responsibilities,” she says.
Several food banks in North
Carolina offer cooking classes
and nutrition education to
help families prepare healthy,
affordable meals. The Share
Our Strength Cooking Matters
program is a volunteer-staffed
cooking program available in
parts of North Carolina. Program organizers say they see
improved nutrition for the
families involved, and some
have even reported healthy
weight loss.
Nutrition for needy goes beyond food
By Stephanie Carson
NORTH CAROLINA NEWS SERVICE
CHAPEL HILL – ‘Tis the season for food drives, and while
the public service is needed
and appreciated, research
from UNC Chapel Hill is asking whether North Carolinians
have the skills or the time to
prepare the food that is donated.
Many schools have phased
out
“Home
Economics”
classes, and many households
have shifted to ready-to-eat
Please see SHOPPING/3B
Five ways to show
kids how to give back
throughout the year
BRANDPOINT
Any time is a great time for families to talk to their children about
giving back and helping those who
are less fortunate. Whether you’re
celebrating a holiday, special occasion, or still haven’t figured out
your 2015 resolution, make giving
back part of the conversation - from
making financial donations to volunteering time and energy, giving
can be easy and enjoyable.
As parents who want your children to be well-rounded, caring citizens, leading by example is
important. Getting involved in a giving-back project as a family can help
your kids learn good values. Here
are some great projects your family
can take on together:
1. Organize a food drive - The winter months can be tough on food
pantries. If your children are in-
volved in a club or organization,
help them organize a food drive
with their peers. You can even ask
your neighbors to get involved.
Have your children draft a letter that
will inform the neighbors about
what you’re doing, when you’ll be
picking up food, and what kinds of
food are most needed by the pantry.
Be sure to encourage your children
to thank everyone who donates
food.
2. Volunteer - There are so many
ways your children can put their efforts toward volunteering. For older
children who are able to shovel
snow, rake leaves or mow lawns,
have them connect with a neighbor
or family friend who is housebound
or on vacation. Younger children
can help with keeping the community clean, too. Head out to a park
Cuban cigar boom? Not yet, stores, customers agree
BRANDPOINT
Vitamin A is distributed through Vitamin Angels’ partners to Mayan families. More on Ana Estela’s story
can be found at www.vitaminangels.org/gift.
By Rachel La Corte and
Kelli Kennedy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI – The coveted Cuban
cigar is set to make its first
legal appearance in the U.S. in
years, with relaxed guidelines
allowing American travelers
to return with a few of the
once-forbidden items in their
suitcases. But the cigars
won’t roll into stores just yet,
and owners say they aren’t
worried about any dip in
business.
“I don’t think they’ll be
able to afford it. It’s not for
the average customer,’’ said
Erik Otero, who left Cuba
when he was 3 and has been
rolling cigars since age 11.
Most people won’t travel
on a regular basis to buy ci-
gars, said Otero, who works at
Guantanamera Cigars Co. in
Miami’s Little Havana. “If anything, it might create a cigar
boom because it’s going to
pique interest again.’’
Licensed American travelers
to Cuba will soon be able to re-
turn home with up to $400 of
merchandise, of which $100
combined can be spent on alcohol or tobacco products. Experts say that’s three to 20
cigars, depending on size,
brand and quality.
In Miami, the average cus-
Please see TEACH/2B
tomer spends $5 to $8 per
cigar, Otero said.
Sampson Clay, visiting
Miami from Cincinnati on his
honeymoon, stopped at the
Cuba Tobacco Cigar Co.,
where an employee hand-
Please see CUBAN/3B
Teach children the spirit of giving all year long
2B
Continued from page 1B
to pick up litter and recycle
cans and plastic bottles. Or
connect with a nursing home
and ask if there is a resident
who would like a weekly visit;
maybe they would enjoy a
chance to play board or card
games with your children.
The Charlotte Post
LIFE/The
3. Make giving relatable,
measureable and meaningful
- Explain to your children the
benefits of donating money to
highly reputable organizations (check Charity Navigator
ratings to ensure your dollars
will be responsibly managed)
that help others in need, espe-
cially organizations that help
children. For example, Vitamin Angels helps support
children who don’t have the
opportunity to eat a variety of
healthy, nutritious foods their
bodies need.
An estimated 190 million
children under the age of 5
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon Simply Organic
vanilla extract
monds. Cut into 32 pieces.
• Ask for help - Just because
you’re hosting the party doesn’t mean you need to do all
the work. When issuing invitations, specify what kind of
a party it is. A potluck is great
for family gatherings and parties. Just provide a list of
items people should bring on
the invite.
Once the party is underway,
ask a friend to be in charge of
keeping drinks filled, and
have another friend monitor
the music station, so you can
enjoy the party as well.
• Keep it simple. Often the
simplest food options are the
healthiest - something your
guests might appreciate during this season of indulgence.
For example, a fresh fruit or
veggie tray is extremely simple to put together, because
you won’t have to spend time
in front of the stove or mix ingredients to bake in the oven.
Continue to keep it simple,
but add trendy touch by trading out the ranch dressing for
a Greek yogurt dip or homemade hummus made with
Simply Organic seasoning
packets for additional flavor
for your fresh fruit and veggie
spread.
No matter the type of party
you are hosting this season, a
few trendy touches and clever
food shortcuts will wow
guests and keep them raving
long after it has ended. Above
all else, have fun and enjoy
these special moments with
loves ones because the memories will last a lifetime.
Clever holiday entertaining
shortcuts that are big on taste
and lower stress levels, too
BRANDPOINT
It’s the season for entertaining. Between the holidays,
family gatherings and just
needing an excuse to socialize
during the long winter
months, you’ll probably be organizing several fun parties
and gatherings at your home.
If you’re dreading the season because it feels like entertaining is so much work, the
following tips will help you
make this holiday season and
beyond a breeze.
• Make lists - If you’re a mobile device user, get a list
started for everything you
need. Any time you think of
something, be sure to add it
to the list immediately, or
send yourself a reminder
email so you can add it at a
later time. These lists will help
you keep everything organized and remind you of what
you have left to achieve so
you aren’t scrambling to
make an appetizer or clean
the bathroom at the last
minute.
• Take short cuts. Of course
you want to show off your
cooking skills, but that doesn’t mean you need to slave for
hours in the kitchen preparing foods.
Intricately decorated sugar
cookies are as beautiful as
they are delicious, but sometimes simple shortcuts - like
making bars rather than cookies - can make an event much
less stressful. Here’s a quick
recipe from Simply Organic.
Sugar Cookie Bars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Frosting:
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic almond extract
Sliced almonds
Directions:
Lightly grease a 9x13-inch
baking pan. Line with parchment paper so the paper overhangs the edges. In a large
bowl, stir the flour with the
baking powder and salt; set
aside. In a separate bowl, beat
the butter with the sugar until
fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg
yolk and vanilla. Slowly add
the flour mixture until fully
incorporated. Press mixture
into bottom of prepared pan.
Chill for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or
until set in the center and
edges are lightly golden. Cool
completely before frosting.
Frosting directions:
Using an electric mixer,
whip butter until light and
fluffy. Beat in powdered
sugar, milk and almond extract on low speed until
smooth. Spread over cooled
cookie bars. Sprinkle with al-
Roots of black geneology:
Q&A with Henry Gates
By Kam Williams
AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is
the Alphonse Fletcher University professor and director of
the Hutchins Center for
African and African-American
Research at Harvard University.
The Emmy Award-winning
filmmaker, literary scholar,
journalist, cultural critic and
institution builder has authored 17 books and created
14 documentary films, including “Finding Your Roots,” now
airing on PBS.
His six-part PBS documentary series, “The AfricanAmericans: Many Rivers to
Cross” (2013), which he
wrote, executive produced
and hosted, earned the Emmy
Award for Outstanding Historical Program—Long Form,
as well as the
Peabody
and
NAACP Image
Awards. Gates’
latest book is
Finding
Your
Roots: The Official Companion
Gates
to the PBS Series,
released by the
University of North Carolina
Press in 2014. Here, he talks
about Finding Your Roots:
Season Two, now available on
DVD.
Kam Williams: Congrats on
another fascinating season of
Finding Your Roots. How did
you pick the luminaries to invite to participate in the project? Did you already have an
idea that they might have an
interesting genealogy?
Henry Louis Gates: No, we
picked them cold. I have a
wonderful team of producers.
To tell you the truth, first we
just fantasize. Then we sit
down in my house with a big
pegboard with the names of
all the people who said “Yes.”
So we never know who we are
going to get in advance.
KW: How do you settle on
the theme of each episode?
For instance, you did the one
on athletes with Derek Jeter,
Billie Jean King and Rebecca
Lobo, and the one on chefs
with Tom Colicchio, Aaron
Sanchez and Ming Tsai.
HLG: Usually we first do the
research and film everybody,
and then organize the
episodes internally. For instance, Episode One was
called “In Search of Our Fathers.” You might wonder,
what does Stephen King have
in common with Courtney B.
Vance? Well, Stephen King’s
father left when he was 2, and
Courtney never knew his father. He was put up for adoption.
KW: Environmental activist
Grace Sinden says: “The subject of our roots is fascinating,
as shown in your television
program on PBS. I’m wondering what you found to be the
singularly, most-interesting
discovery in your research for
Finding Your Roots 2?
HLG: That’s tough to say,
because each story has something dramatic and interesting. Take when Ming Tsai’s
grandfather fled China after
the revolution, all he took besides the clothes on his back
was one book, the book containing his family’s genealogy. Isn’t that amazing? He
was willing to flee to a whole
new world, learn a new language, and start over in a new
culture only if he had his family tree with him. That’s
heavy, man!
KW: Whose roots were you
able to trace back the farthest?
HLG: Ming Tsai’s, without a
doubt. We’ve traced several
people back to Charlemagne,
but Ming’s goes back to B.C.,
because of the Chinese penchant for keeping fantastic genealogical records.
KW: Sangeetha Subramanian says: “It seems that your
guests have a variety of reactions as each story and new
fact is revealed. Whose reaction to an uncovered story
surprised you the most?”
HLG: Anderson Cooper,
without a doubt. I told him
that his third great-grandfather, Burwell Boykin, was a
slave owner. First of all, Anderson was very saddened
and disappointed that he descended from a slave owner.
But his ancestors were from
Alabama, so I told him that
was very common. I don’t
think you inherit the guilt of
your ancestors. We merely reveal whatever we find, without making any sort of
judgment. What your ancestors did is what they did.
That’s not on you.
KW: Has anybody ever tried
to disagree with their DNA
analysis?
HLG: No, but some people
were shocked, particularly
African-Americans who believed they had Native-American ancestry. They’re always
disappointed. [chuckles]
KW: Did any of your subjects ask you not to reveal
something you found out
about their family?
HLG: No, although I’m sure
a few people would like to do
so if they could. But we’re PBS.
We’re independent.
KW: Chandra McQueen is
curious about what surprised
you the most about your own
genealogy?
HLG: The fact that I was
50.1 percent white and 48.6
percent black.
KW: Do you go about gathering genealogical information about African-Americans
differently from the way you
do for other ethnicities? How
do you get past the obstacle
of slavery?
HLG: Yes we do, because
African-Americans generally
weren’t identified by name in
the census prior to the abolition of slavery. So, we start
with the 1870 census, which
is the first in which blacks appear with two names. Then
you go back to 1860, and see
whether there were any slave
owners with the same surname, since, more often than
not, most emancipated slaves
kept the surname of their former owners. Ironically, the
key to finding one’s black ancestry during slavery often involves finding the identity of
the white man or woman who
owned your ancestors. That’s
quite a fascinating paradox.
suffer from vitamin-A deficiency, which can lead to
weakened immune systems,
childhood blindness and even
death. With Vitamin Angels, a
25-cents donation can help
provide a child in need the vitamin A he or she requires to
help prevent vitamin-A deficiency for one year. One quarter, one child. An easy
contribution from your
child’s piggy bank or make a
donation yourself to show
your children how together,
the entire family can make a
difference. Visit give.vitaminangels.org to learn more
about the organization and
how far a donation will go toward helping other children.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
4. Get crafty - Let your children’s talents turn into something good for others. For
example, they can create holiday cards to be delivered to
service members while they
are overseas and away from
their friends and family. The
same kinds of cards can also
be sent to patients who need
some cheering up while in the
hospital. If your children knit
or sew, have them make blankets, scarves, hats and mittens for people who might
need some warmer clothing.
5. Clean out the closet - Before or after a big gift-giving
holiday, cleaning the house
and eliminating some of the
toys is a high priority. Ask
your children to go through
the clothes they’ve outgrown
and the toys they no longer
play with. They can fill a box
with the items they no longer
need and you can help them
donate everything to an organization that will put them
to good use.
Giving back to the community as a family can bring you
closer together and provide a
platform to reinforce positive
moral values during a season
so often focused on materialism (or materialistic wants).
So give these ideas a try now
and year round and see what
good things your family - especially your children - can accomplish.
Cuban cigars won’t be in U.S. soon
3B
Continued from page 1B
The Charlotte Post
LIFE/The
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
wrapped a cigar in front of a
packed store.
Clay said flying to Cuba is
too expensive. “I do love my
cigars, but I probably wouldn’t go down there to get the
real thing,’’ he said.
Sitting at the bar of Florida
Cigar Co. in Fort Lauderdale,
Al Schilleci echoed the
thoughts of many aficionados: A Cuban is fantastic, but
the quality is declining and cigars from Nicaragua are as
good or better.
“I’ve got some Nicaraguans
back in the locker here that I
would put up against any
Cuban any day,’’ Schilleci, 60,
said. “I’d go to Cuba for the
destination, but cigars wouldn’t be the attraction.’’
President Barack Obama has
announced a host of initiatives to strengthen ties with
Cuba, but the embargo on the
country remains. Cigars
brought back to the U.S. must
be for personal use, not resale
– same as the rules that existed for travelers before August 2004, when the Bush
administration imposed strict
restrictions those traveling to
the island.
The new trade, travel and
currency rules will take effect
once federal officials revise
publish the regulations, which
could take weeks.
Even then, travelers bringing back their allotment of cigars won’t affect retailers,
said Kip Talley of The International Premium Cigar and Pipe
Retail Association, a trade
group for tobacconists and
suppliers.
“If and when Cuban cigars
are allowed to be imported, I
think there will be a spike in
retail tobacco sales,’’ he said.
“The curiosity of a new product in the marketplace will
drive people out to try those
products.’’
The U.S. cigar market sees
about 13 billion cigars sold
each year, Talley said. Fewer
than 300 million are premium
cigars, the handmade traditional versions.
It’s those cigars that attract
people to Little Havana. Tour
buses stop along a street with
a half-dozen cigar shops next
to a park where men in widebrimmed hats play dominos.
For novices, the mystique of
a Cuban is the biggest lure.
Many consider Cuban tobacco
the finest in the world because of its climate, fertile
soil, proximity to the equator
and hand-rolling technique.
But some longtime smokers
say it will take time for Cuban
cigar-makers to catch up to
more sophisticated productions in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, where
they’re grown by ``Cuba people with Cuban seed and are
very quality controlled,’’ said
Joaquin Saladrigas, a sales rep
for cigar line Don Pepin Garcia.
Still, some consumers will
buy cigars in Cuba, “get back
on their yacht and put them
in their locker’’ for bragging
rights, said Jay Shapiro of the
Cigar Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s an ego-driven industry,’’
he said.
Some tobacconists say they
would welcome further loosening of the rules. Cuban tobacco could be added to
blends for even better-tasting
cigars, said Eric Newman, coowner of J.C. Newman Cigar
Co. in Tampa.
Newman said much of the
hype surrounding Cubans is
tied to its prohibition.
“It’s like the forbidden
fruit,’’ he said. “Everyone
wants what they can’t get.’’
Associated Press writer Peter
Orsi in Havana contributed to
this report.
Dear Alma,
I love my husband. We’ve
been married for 19 years.
About 10 years ago we were
about to get divorced. Not because of infidelity
but
because we just
couldn’t
get
along.
We went to
counseling and
learned how to
ALMA better communicate
with
GILL
each other. I’m
happy to say it
worked and we’re doing just
fine. I think we both wanted
to be with each other more
than we wanted to be apart.
My husband is retired military and very rigged on taking
care of business. He makes
sure all the bills are paid, insurance and health care. All
the cars are taken care of and
basically whatever I ask for,
he’ll do it.
Nobody has a perfect marriage, so here is the part
where I let you know our
problem. During that time we
were separated, I pawned my
wedding rings. I was mad and
thought we were over. When
we got back together I was
wearing my mother’s wedding ring. When my dad died,
she gave it to me.
Anyway, my husband commented on me wearing my
mother’s ring and never ever
mentioned it again. When I
asked him about replacing
the ring, he dismissed it and
asked why, saying that my
mother’s right was beautiful
and I should continue to wear
it. I didn’t say anything because I want him to buy and
give me a ring of his choosing.
I picked out our rings when
we initially got married, both
the wedding and the engagement rings.
I didn’t think about it much
then, but over the years I regretted it. Because that’s what
a man is supposed to do
when he wants you to be his
wife. That’s the way he can let
everyone know that I’m his
wife. My husband could afford a beautiful ring for me,
yes, a substantial diamond. I
don’t understand why he
won’t buy me one.
After all these years of marriage, I think I deserve it. This
hurts my feelings and makes
me feel like he doesn’t really
respect our union. I do feel
bad sometimes when I think
about how he takes care of
everything else.
I know it sounds selfish, but
it’s important to me. How can
I get him to realize the importance of him replacing my
wedding ring?
A.P., Lacey, Wash.
OK Girl, you know what my
first thought is: Since you
sold it, why don’t you replace
it? Clearly, he just doesn’t
sound like a ring man to me.
He wasn’t when you met and
married him and he isn’t now.
A rose is a rose – you can’t
make it bloom into a tulip.
Any who, permit me if you
will a moment to question
your self-indulgence. Why is
it important for you to receive
a “big diamond” from your
husband? Is it really about
principle or for you to show
and shine?
Is it important for your love
to be blinged out and defined
by a ring or is it important for
him to continue to meet and
feed your needs as the best
husband he can be.
There’s no right or wrong
way to show your love when
we’re comparing two positive
actions. Again, he is meeting
the requirement of damn decent husband and you’re
longing for the one thing that
you don’t have.
Yes, I know, an act that you
find to be important doesn’t
seem to be all that important
to him. Sometimes an anthill
situation to one person can be
a mountain of a mother, to
another.
I’m not discounting your
need for your husband to
comprehend the importance
of the tradition of a wedding
ring. And speaking of wedding rings, here’s what I
found when researching the
tradition. Did you know wedding rings have been worn on
different fingers, including
the thumb? We wear it on the
left ring finger because it was
thought to be a vein in that
finger, directly connected to
the heart. Ahh, not!
Scientists have proven
that’s not true at all. So there
you go… Seriously, a ring can
be a symbol of your union,
but so is his ability to come
home every night and handle
his business.
If this is his one major flaw,
hang your white flag sister
and count your blessings. Let
him continue to meet your
necessary needs while you
play and pay for your wants.
Wise up, value the strength
and devotion of your husband and re-re-recognize!
Alma Gill’s newsroom experience spans more than 25
years, including USA Today,
Newsday and the Washington
Post. Email questions to: [email protected].
Follow her on Facebook at
“Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma.
what the car was; a tribute to
its slick styling, but nobody
knew that the FR-S was a
Scion.
That’s the quandary of the
Scion FR-S. It is a great car but
it is a low volume vehicle. So
how big of a marketing
budget does Scion allocate to
boost its presence in the market? While Scion ponders that
question, the driving public is
not all that aware of a contemporary traditional sports car
that is right under its collective noses. Scion has been on
sale since the 2013 model
year.
Although it is a 2+2 coupe,
the car is a really a two-seat
sports car. There’s not
enough space for small children in the back seats, although there are latches for
child seats. The rear seats are
BRANDPOINT buckets but the back of the
Scion, Toyota’s youth market brand, produces a great sports coupe in the FR-S, which seat is a bench. It will fold
down creating a decent sized
goes virtually unknown among the larger car-buying public.
cargo space.
Scion’s halo car is the FR-S.
major automotive powerBy Frank S. Washington
We don’t think anybody is
houses. As the designated On sale for a couple of years, going to pay much attention
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
youth brand of Toyota it is the 2+2 coupe has not done to the back seats. The story of
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
not clear whether Scion has what it was intended to do; the 2015 Scion FR-S is under
DETROIT – Scion suffers established an independent generate aspirational intent its long bonnet or hood. The
from a malady that has af- presence in the market even for the brand. That was appar- car had a 2.0-liter, four-cylinfected a number of brands though it has some top-notch ent during our week-long test der boxer (flat) engine that
drive. A lot of people asked made 200 horsepower and
that are smaller offshoots of products.
151 pound-feet of torque. It
was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with
paddle shifters. A six-speed
manual gearbox is available.
Our 2015 FR-S with its automatic gearbox was rated at 25
mpg in the city, 34 mpg on
the highway and 28 mpg
combined.
One quibble about the
power train is that maximum
torque should be reached at a
lower RPM rather than the
listed 6,400 RPMs. That would
provide even more oomph.
But don’t get it twisted;
though lacking the brutishness of cars with far more
horsepower and torque, the
2015 Scion FR-S was quick
and nimble.
The car was a throwback to
heralded sports cars, mostly
British that were lightweight
and agile. Our FR-S with
weighed a little more than
2,800 lbs. and for this model
year its handling had been enhanced.
It had a more rigid front suspension, retuned rear shock
absorbers and improved
damping. Scion said that the
changes resulted in less body
roll and they did. Taking
curves, mostly expressway
entrances and exits, aggressively, the FR-S stayed flat
with no tire squeal. There
were no dips at the corners.
On flat surfaces the car rode
smooth, and the driver felt
only the most pronounced
bumps in the road.
We’re not a fan of paddle
shifters or automatic manual
transmissions. But with what
Scion called dynamic rev
management technology, the
setup on the FR-S was smooth
flowing, easy to initiate and it
conveyed that the driver had
more control of the car.
The FR-S had a low center of
gravity, a long hood and short
rump. It had an aggressive
front bumper and angular
headlights. The rear dual baffled exhausts were larger and
they were flush with the rear
bumper. The rear fascia was
low and wide while the tail
lights were sharply angled.
The car had a distinctive style
that was menacing and it
looked fast.
With a no-nonsense interior,
the FR-S was about driving. It
had deep bucket seats, a
leather-wrapped
steering
wheel, large gear shift knob
and a large center mounted
tachometer. We monitored
our speed with a large digital
readout that supplemented
the analogue gauge.
Our interior was black, upholstered and it featured red
accent stitching and aluminum pedals and scuff
plates. There were creature
comforts. The test vehicle had
a touch screen, Bluetooth,
audio streaming connectivity,
an HD radio and auxiliary and
USB jacks. There were voice
controls as well as a navigation system. The premium
audio system featured 300
watts and eight speakers.
This is going to sound like
one of those late night commercials but you get all this
for less than $30,000. That’s
right; the base price of our
2015 Scion FR-S was $25,800.
Add options and a $755
frieght charge and total came
to $29,742. That’s not bad for
a true sports car.
Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.
A ring of pain for wife who wants perfect marriage
Scion is slick, but an unknown among sports cars
RIDES
Shopping tips for last-minute buyers
Continued from page 1B
NPD Group, says many people do not yet know what they
want to give, or get.
“These consumers are the
ones who put themselves in a
stressful situation,’’ he said.
“The one saving grace is online (shopping) is a chance for
a lot of people to do their
homework.’’
He said shoppers can narrow down their options ahead
of time by looking online.
You can also check Amazon.com to see if the person
has a wish list you didn’t
know about, or study Facebook or Pinterest pages for
ideas.
Such prep work can save a
lot of headaches and potentially limit last-minute impulse purchases that can
prove costly.
• WEAR COMFORTABLE
SHOES: Seriously, this is a
common-sense step many
shoppers skip.
“Wear comfortable shoes
for goodness sake,’’ Cohen
said. ``It (shopping) is exercise and it’s not very comfortable.’’
Don’t waste time cruising to
find the closest spot to the
store either, he said. Those
comfortable shoes will make
it easier to just park and walk.
Electronics are hot on most gift lists
By Johnny Taylor
HOUSTON FORWARD TIMES
Shopping for the holidays?
We have gift recommendations for Smartphone, wearable technology, gadgets,
consoles, appliances and
more.
1. Computer: HP Stream 11
(http://store.hp.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/us/
en/mdp/Laptops/hp-streamnotebook-13) – Are you looking for a $200 laptop loaded
with Windows 8, good for typing things, cheap, durable and
mobile? If so, then you want
the HP Stream 11.
Unlike the Google Chromebook, this device is loaded
with Windows for you PC
users. The only sacrifices are
battery life and screen size.
Display 11.6”, Processor Dual
Core 2.16 Ghz Intel Celeron
N280, Storage 32GB, Memory
2GB, Wireless 802.11; Bluetooth and Weight 2.74. Retail
$200.00
2. Gaming Console: PlayStation4 (http://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/ps4/
): The PS4 preserves its slight
edge over Xbox One going
into the holiday season. For
those looking for a singular,
games only focus, PS4 is the
way to go.
The bottom line is the PS4
beautiful graphics, smart interface, blazing performance,
near perfect controller and
better indie offerings gives it
the edge over Xbox One. The
bad is PS3 games are not compatible with the PS4. Retail
$400 (Sony $400 and Amazon
$486).
3. Smartphones: iPhone 6,
iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung
Galaxy Note4 and Motorola
Moto X (www.apple.com,
www.samsung.com
and
www.motoroal.com);
The iPhone 6 is an exceptional phone in nearly every
way except its average battery
life. It’s thin and fast with a
spacious screen and the
smoothest payment system
we’ve seen in the mobile payments space (more to come
on this subject matter in
TechFoward).
It’s the best overall phone of
2014 for Mac users. Retail
$199 / 2 year term AT&T,
$650 T-Mobile and $800 Amazon.
Samsung Galaxy Note4 is
the first smart-phone to carry
Qualcomm’s fastest 2.7GHz
quad-core Snapdragon 805
processor and quick-charging
technology. The Galaxy Note
4 is also the only one of its
kind to give you a stylus for
writing and multitasking. Retail $299 (AT&T with 2 year
term); Best Buy $825 and
Amazon $700.
Motorola Moto’s Goldilocks
phone returns with better
hardware than last year’s
model and even more appeal.
A suite of handy voice and
gesture controls backs a fluid
design that you can customize yourself with accent
colors and different backings
(leather! wood grain!) It may
not stun you with the absolute zenith of its components, but it’s a darn likable
device that, starting at $99 on
contract, gives you a heck of a
lot of mileage for a midrange
price.
Retail $99 (AT&T / 2 year
term) and $527 Amazon.
4. Wearable tech: Watches
(http://www.samsung.com/u
s/mobile/wearable-tech) –
Your phone is way too big and
unwieldy — what you need is
a smaller second screen to let
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Helping You Find The Right
Church For Your Faith Journey
4B
LIFE/ The Charlotte Post
PROVE ALL THINGS
Can Women Be Preachers? (Part 2)
C.M.E.
PARKWOOD INSTITUTIONAL
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
802 Tom Hunter Road • Charlotte, NC 28213
704-921-4915 (Ph) • 704-921-4917 (Fax)
Website: www.parkwoodcme.org
Sunday Worship
8:00 & 11:00 AM
Sunday School
9:30 AM
Bible Study
Wednesday 12 Noon Thursday 6:30 PM
BAPTIST
TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE
Dr. Cathy C. Jones
Reverend
Since writing the first part of this article two weeks ago
I’ve been contacted by members of the community who
are in opposition to the bibles teachings that women are
not to be leaders in the Lord’s Church. I’m grateful for
any discussion or dialogue of the scriptures but let me be
the first to say that the Word of God is TRUTH (John
17:17), and it is the only way to truly know how God expects us to serve Him. In (Part 1) of this article, it was
pointed out the Christ himself “chose” 12 “MEN” to be
His Apostles (Mat 10:1-4) even though there were capable women around at that time whom He could have chosen if He wanted to. We also looked at (1 Timothy 2:12)
where the Apostle Paul said that women “should not teach
or have authority over a man”. If these scriptures are not
clear enough then I would like for us to take a look at (1
Timothy Chapter 3). In this chapter Paul gives instructions to anyone who has the “desire” to become a
“Bishop” which is a “Pastor” in the Lord’s Church. Paul
goes on in (1 Timothy 3:1-7) to list the “qualifications”
that one must have in order to be considered as a “Pastor”
of the Church. Let me repeat that…..THERE ARE
“QUALIFICATIONS” THAT MUST BE MET IN
ORDER TO BE A PASTOR IN THE LORD’S
CHURCH! Similarly, if you were interviewing for a job,
you would have to meet certain standards in order to be
considered a good candidate. Otherwise you would become disqualified. The bible tells us exactly in (1 Tim 3:17) what qualifications anyone must possess to become
Bishops. In particular, in (1 Tim 3:2), the bible says “A
Bishop then MUST be blameless, the “HUSBAND” of
one wife”…. Let me repeat that, the bible says “A Bishop
must be the “HUSBAND” of one wife! I ask everyone to
consider this simple question: Can a woman be a “Husband”? The obvious answer is absolutely NOT! Friends,
this simply means that women “DO NOT” meet the qualifications to be Pastors in the Lord’s Church! As I said before, God loves us all and we are all useful in His
kingdom, but we must all obey and follow the examples
that the scriptures show us in regards to leadership in His
Church. We would love to study this topic further with
you. Please contact us if you have any questions and always remember to “Prove All Things”!
Brother A.M. Hawkins
University Church of Christ
9920 Newell Hickory Grove Road
Charlotte, NC 28213
Email us at [email protected]
(704)599-0529
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The Prophet’s Column
6183 NC Highway 109 South, Wadesboro, NC 28170
Degrees Of Punishment n Hell (Part 2)
When I was under Holy Spirit conviction (in. 16:7-11), it
was made so clear to me that if I didn't get to Christ, Hell
would be hotter for me than the drunkard in the gutter.
You ask why. I had light that the drunkard in the gutter
didn't have. I felt the keen edge sword of responsibility
so much that I felt that if I didn't get to Christ it would be
my own fault. Yet, on the other hand, the Holy Spirit
taught me I could have nothing to do in my salvation. And
praise the Lord I had nothing to do with my Salvation.
The Holy Spirit delivered me from the dead just as He delivered Christ from the dead. Yes, I was dead in trespasses
and sins and could not raise myself out of that death sleep.
Let me ask you church members a question; "do you
know that every sinner by nature is dead in trespasses and
sins?" If you, as a church member, have never known that
all sinners are dead in trespasses and sins, you don't know
my Redeemer! You can go on saying you are saved all
you want to. One minute after death you'll get the greatest shock of your life. You'll wake up in the presence of
the God you never loved nor desired. Before you can be
saved, my friends, there has to come the awakening Work
of the Holy Spirit in your heart and dead spirit. If you have
never known your dead spiritual condition as a fallen
creature of Adam, you don't know any more about Salvation that a doodle bug knows when Sunday comes! If
you've never seen the wickedness of your heart, you've
never seen your need of the cleansing Blood of the Lord
Jesus. You can go on singing "Amazing Grace" all you
want to. All your singing will be all the more kindling
wood to burn you in Hell. I must warn you by the Grace
of God of the danger you are in. What if I passed by your
house one night and saw it on fire? You are in bed asleep
and don't know the fire is burning. If I didn't try to warn
you of the danger, they'd tar and feather me. So, if I don't
warn you of the danger you are in on that religious profession saying "I accepted Jesus as my Saviour," woe is me!
So I must warn you to flee from the wrath to come. John
the Baptist warned those Pharisees of his day. He called
them a generation of vipers. It made them mad, didn't it?
I call you a generation of vipers and you want to crucify
me. "Away with that fellow Little! He's crazy. Don't listen
to him! He'll get you lost.!" Yes, you have to be awakened
to your lost condition or go to Hell! I make no apology
for telling you that, May God help you. May He reveal
your lost condition to you. He will if Christ is ever to be
revealed to your heart!
Your Gospel Editor and Teacher,
J.M. Little
Advertisement
Advertise your church
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Church Guide!
Southern Baptist Convention hosts race summit in March
Advertisement
By Tom Strode
THE BAPTIST PRESS
NASHVILLE – The Southern
Baptist Convention's ethics
entity will host a summit on
race relations in the wake of
grand jury decisions regarding police killings of black
men that have provoked
widespread protests and a nationwide discussion.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission will hold a
leadership summit with the
theme "The Gospel and Racial
Reconciliation" March 26-27
in Nashville, Tennessee. The
ERLC previously had an-
Contact Bob Johnson
704.376.0496 for more information.
nounced the topic of its second annual leadership summit on the same dates would
be developing a pro-life ethic
but changed in response to recent events.
In announcing March's summit, the ERLC said, “Our
churches must reflect the
united kingdom of Christ
more than the divided states
of America."
ERLC President Russell
Moore explained why relations between people of different skin colors and
ethnicities are a Gospel issue.
"The New Testament is clear
that the Gospel reconciles us
not only to God but also to
each other," Moore said in a
written release. "Racism and
injustice are not just social
ills; they are sins against God.
Racial reconciliation is a matter of what Gospel we believe
and to what mission we've
been called. This summit will
help equip us to tear down
carnal divisions, to bring
about peace, so that churches
reflect the kingdom of God.”
Joining Moore as speakers
will be John Perkins, Fred
Luter and H.B. Charles as well
as Hispanic pastor Juan
Sanchez.
• Perkins is an author and
leading evangelical voice in
the civil rights movement.
• Luter is the first AfricanAmerican president of the
SBC and senior pastor of
Franklin Avenue Baptist
Church in New Orleans.
• Charles is pastor of Shiloh
Metropolitan Baptist Church
in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Sanchez is the preaching
pastor of High Pointe Baptist
Church in Austin, Texas.
• Robert George is professor
of jurisprudence at Princeton
University.
• Daniel Akin is president of
the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
• Kevin Smith is assistant
professor of preaching at
Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary and teaching pastor
at Highview Baptist Church in
Louisville.
• D.A. Horton is national coordinator for urban student
missions at the Southern Baptist North American Mission
Board.
• Trillia Newbell is an author and the ERLC's consultant for women's initiatives.
• David Prince is pastor of
preaching at Ashland Avenue
Baptist Church in Lexington,
Kentucky, and associate
preaching professor at South-
ern Seminary.
• Josh Smith is lead pastor
of MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church in Irving, Texas.
The summit will take place
nearly 20 years after messengers to the SBC's 1995 meeting
adopted
a
racial
reconciliation resolution. The
statement expressed repentance for the convention's
past racism and asked
African-Americans for forgiveness. The meeting also
will occur within a week of the
50th anniversary of the voting
rights march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery.
try to, it is impossible for me
to see God by some human
definition that I’ve concocted
after reading some metaphysical narrative on the spirituality of nature and the
perpetual existence of the
cosmos.
Rather, my faith and my experience tell and confirm for
me that I have no idea about
the real power and the ultimate omniscience of the Lord
Almighty. That’s why I cannot
place Him in one denomination or the other.
Would you dare say that
God is Catholic? Maybe He’s
Baptist. Or better yet is He interdenominational?
The very question presupposes that God somehow can
be defined in the human
terms of secular beliefs. Denominations have doctrine.
Denominations have rules.
Denominations will have you
believe yours is somehow
better than theirs. Now how
ungodly is that?
I guess the point I’m trying
to make is through the blessing of this column and the gift
of this platform, I’m compelled to at least say that God
is bigger, better and greater
than that.
One of the beautiful things
about faith is that it allows
you to dwell in possibilities in
a manner that befits the best
dreams that you’ve ever had.
God is all that. He is the Alpha
and the Omega, as if we could
understand endless time
without beginning and without end.
God is everything and
everyplace at the same time.
He exists as endless time and
space. Even the terms “time
and space” are secular words
for our description of how we
as human beings relate to the
world in which we live. I’m
just not so sure they are accurate measures of a God who
created both.
My point? Faith in the
known is a powerful thing
and faith in the unknown is
even more powerful. “Trust in
the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge Him and He will
make your paths straight.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6.)
I don’t know about you, but
the awesomeness of that trust
and that reality has made me
grateful to know my acceptance of Christ has straightened my path and I wish the
same for you. I no longer try
to make the image fit the
mind. It’s too confining, and
God ain’t having it.
Our nature is to try to meet
God on our terms. His nature
is to meet us on His terms,
wherever and whenever the
time and space are right.
The preparation for this almost guarantees it happening. Our job is to simply get
ready. God does the rest.
He’s been waiting for you
for an eternity, and He knows
an eternity awaits you. He has
blessed and kept you always.
I know I’m better for it. Be
thankful for this and Happy
Holidays.
May God bless and keep
you always.
Wearable Technologies in
TechForward
throughout
2015. Retail $199.
5. Appliance: August Smart
Lock (www.august.com ) –
The $250 Smart Lock was designed by Yves Behar and is
listed as an Apple Homekit
partner.
Although it is a bit pricy and
requires a separate hub to
work over a wi-fi network, it is
easy on the eyes and installs
over your existing deadbolt
with ease.
Benefits include – keyless,
auto-unlock, Always On, log
records of entries and provide
total control. Retail $250.
6. Speakers: The UE Boom
Speaker (http://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/boom) –
The UE Boom is a compact,
durable wireless Bluetooth
speaker that plays very loud
for its size and is water and
stain resistant.
It offers up to 15 hours of
battery life, has speakerphone
capabilities and is well suited
to outdoor use. There is also a
UE Boom app for iOS and Android devices.
Retail on Dell for $180,
Amazon $215.
7. Cameras: GoPro Hero4
S
i
l
v
e
r
(http://shop.gopro.com/hero
4/hero4-silver/CHDHY401.html) – For its latest Silver
edition, GoPro seems to have
taken the specs of 2013’s
Hero3+ Black Edition, added
new features such as HiLight
Tagging so you can quickly
find that cool thing that happened, improved low-light
performance and perhaps
most importantly, a touchscreen on the back of the device.
Features 1080p60 and
720p120 video, 12MP photos
up to 30 frames per second
built in wi-fi and Bluetooth.
Retail $399.
8. Drone: UDI U818A
2.4Ghz 4 CH 6 Axis Gyro RC /
Quadcopter with Camera RTF
Mode 2 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/
B00D3IN11Q/ezdrones-20) –
6 Axis Gyro with posture control – Integrated design guarantee the precise positioning
of the aircraft. 4 channel functions provide stable flying
and easy operation.
A high capacity battery and
strong power motors enable
the helicopter to operate
much longer and more efficiently.
9. Car: AUDI A3 2.0T Quatt
r
o
(http://www.audiusa.com/m
odels/audi-a3-sedan) – The
Audi A3 is about as perfect a
car as we have seen in long
time. This compact sedan
does not skimp on the technology, offering a 4G data
connection for Google-Based
navigation through Google
Maps in tandem with destination search.
Its 2 liter engine is both economical and powerful, making it fun and practical to
drive. The bad is Audi chose
to use an AMI proprietary
dongle verses an industry
standard USB. Retail $29,000.
No limit to what God can do for us when we believe
By James Washington
HOUSTON FORWARD TIMES
You know, it has been several years since I started writing this column, and it has
evolved into being a great
source of humility and spiritual guidance for me.
The blessing of this kind of
service opportunity in the
name of my Lord and savior
Jesus Christ is certainly understood and appreciated by
me and I hope, also, by you.
One of the keys for my personal salvation in coming to
Christ was an acknowledgement that I cannot put limits
on God. As much as I might
What’s hot among electronic gadgets for the holidays
Continued from page 3B
you know what’s going on
with ease. At least, that’s what
Samsung reckons. Its new
Galaxy Gear Smartwatch lets
you take calls, send texts, and
perform various other tasks
from your wrist without
touching your phone.
The Wearable device works
through Bluetooth technology
and I can tell you from experience, this gadget is worth
every penny. I have had the
Samsung Gear for a year now
and have not had any problems.
A convenient device with
value. Stay tuned for more on
a&e
The Charlotte Post
Kwanzaa,
cinema
and Pops
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2014 PAGE 5B
ON THE MARQUEE
The Charlotte Symphony does
soul Jan. 9-10 at Knight Theatre.
Albert-George Schram conducts
the symphony as nationally acclaimed vocalists Darius de Haas
and Capathia Jenkins pay tribute to
the giants of soul
music from Motown
and beyond.
With Top 40 hits of
the soul era, from "Respect" to "Signed,
Sealed, Delivered (I'm
Yours)," Classic Soul
will showcase the
de Haas
grooves and rhythms
of music greats Aretha
Franklin, Al Green, Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack and James
Brown.
Jenkins is a fan favorite at Knight Theatre after bringing the
audience to its feet
during last season's
“Broadway
Rocks!”
performance.
Concert times are 8Jenkins
10 p.m. Tickets are
$25-79 and avaiable by calling (704)
972-2000. The performances are
part of the symphony’s Pops Series.
Deltas of Charlotte Foundation
presents the 12th Legacy of Black
Women Film Showcase on Jan. 16 at
McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square.
The Ruby and Pearls Collection begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m.
with a screening of independent
films at 7:30 p.m. The showcase of
films directed, produced, written or
starring African-American women
pays tribute to actress and activist
Ruby Dee.
Filmmakers will be on hand to
participate in a question and answer
session after the showcase, which is
one of the foundation’s largest
fundraisers.
Advance tickets are $25 and can
be purchaed online at www.carolinatix.org or email [email protected].
• Charlotte Kwanzaa celebrations
get underway starting Dec. 26. The
week of programs will be conducted
through January 1 from 7 p.m. - 9
p.m.
Here’s a list of programs across
Charlotte:
Dec. 26 – Greenville Memorial AME
Zion Church, 6116 Montieth Drive.
Host: A Sign of the Times Band.
Dec. 27 – Wallace Pruitt
Recreation Center, 501 S. Bruns Ave.
Hosts: Mecklenburg County Parks
and Recreation, Blanche Penn and
The Jzar Family.
Dec. 28 – Kamit Natural Foods,
2715 Tuckaseegee Road. Host:
Ausar Auset Society
Dec. 29 – Main Library, 310 N.
Tryon St. Host: Beatties Ford Regional Public Library
Dec. 30 – LATIBAH Museum. Host:
T’Afo Feimster and the Nation of
Islam
Dec. 31 – Crossroads Charter
High School, 5500 N. Tryon St. Host:
Uhuru Sassa Restoration Academy
Jan. 1 – Greenville Memorial AME
Zion Church, 6116 Montieth Drive.
Host: A Sign of the Times Band.
For more information call Elisha
Minter at (704) 215-2225.
• Nubian Rootz Cultural Center’s
16th anniversary Kwanzaa Celebration & African Marketplace on December 27, 12 - 4 p.m. at
Tuckaseegee Recreation Center,
4820 Tuckaseegee Road•
Guest performers include the McCrorey YMCA Senior African Drummers who will preside as the
Council of Elders, the Warriors of
The Males Place, and the Nubian
Rootz Community Dancers and
Drummers.
• Get into the spirit of the holidays
with “The Story of the Little Gentleman,” making its U.S. debut at
Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
through Dec. 28, for ages 3-up.
Based on the book by award-winning author Barbro Lindgren, nobody seems to have time for the
little gentleman, which makes him
sad. But he soon discovers a wonderful new friend who changes his
life forever. This beautiful, funny
and moving tale features live musicians and a uniquely intimate style
all its own.
The production stars Hank West
(“Balloonacy”) as the title character,
Amy Arpan as the dog, and Tanja
Bechtler, Nicole Jasper and Tim Parsons as musicians.
For more information, or to order
tickets, visit ctcharlotte.org or call
the Customer Sales and Service Center (704)-973-2828.
Compiled by Herbert L. White
Holy diversity! Comics take
on hues of American society
An African-American Captain America is the latest change in an increasingly diverse super hero universe.
By Jesse J. Holland
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – For decades, comic books
have been in color, but now they truly reflect all the hues of American society.
The new Captain America is black. A Superman who is suspiciously similar to President Barack Obama recently headlined a
comic book. Thor is a woman, Spider-Man is
part-Puerto Rican and Ms. Marvel is Muslim.
Mainstream comic book superheroes –
America’s modern mythology – have been
redrawn from the stereotypical brownhaired, blue-eyed white male into a world
of multicolored, multireligious and multigendered crusaders to reflect a greater diversity in their audience.
Society has changed, so superheroes have
to as well, said Axel Alonso, editor in chief
at Marvel Comics, who in November debuted Captain America No. 1 with Samuel
Wilson, the first African American superhero taking over Captain America’s red,
white and blue uniform and shield.
“Roles in society aren’t what they used to
be. There’s far more diversity,’’ said Alonso,
who has also shepherded a gay wedding in
the X-Men, a gender change from male to
female in Thor and the first mainstream female Muslim hero in Ms. Marvel.
The change to a black Captain America is
already having an impact outside of comics.
Even before the first issue was published,
unauthorized images of the black Captain
America were shown at a town hall meeting
in St. Louis following the funeral of Michael
Brown, who was 18 and unarmed when he
was killed by a white police officer. This
Captain America had his hands up saying
“Don’t Shoot,’’ a slogan protesters have
used to highlight the number of African
Americans killed by police.
“When you take an African-American man
and dress him in the red white and blue of
the flag, of the United States flag, ... there’s
symbolism in that, that is more potent and
more thought-provoking, evocative’’ than
other kinds of changes, Alonso said.
MARVEL COMICS
The new diverse comic characters are far
from the first: Marvel introduced the world
to Samuel Wilson as the Falcon, the comic’s
first African-American superhero, in 1969
as a sidekick to Captain America. In 1977,
DC Comics introduced Black Lightning, a
schoolteacher who gains electrical powers
and becomes a superhero.
And Marvel isn’t the only company looking at diversity. An alternative black Superman, one who is president of the United
States, is part of a team in DC Comics’ “The
Multiversity.’’ DC also brags of having more
comic books featuring female leads than
any other company, including Batgirl, Catwoman, Batwoman and Wonder Woman,
the longest-running comic book with a female hero.
“Our goal is to tell the best stories while
making sure our characters are relatable
and reflect DC Comics’ diverse readership
and fanbase,’’ DC Entertainment President
Diane Nelson said.
Camille Cosby stands by her embattled man
By Frazier Moore
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK – Bill Cosby’s wife rejected sex assault allegations against her husband of a halfcentury on Monday, saying the man being
accused by at least 15 women of drugging and having sex with them is “a
man I do not know.’’
In a statement issued last week,
Camille Cosby dismissed accusations
that date back as far as the late 1960s.
She suggested that her husband, not
the women, is the party being harmed.
“None of us will ever want to be in the
C. Cosby
position of attacking a victim,’’ she said.
“But the question should be asked – who is the
victim?’’
Cosby is being sued for defamation by one
alleged victim and for sexual battery by another
woman who says he forced her to perform a
sex act when she was 15. He has never been
charged in connection with any of the accusations, and his lawyers deny many of the allegations. He settled with a Pennsylvania woman
who in a 2005 lawsuit said Cosby drugged and
molested her in 2004.
A new round of claims of sexual assault and
rape began in early November – accusations
Camille Cosby said haven’t been properly vetted by the media. She likened the media’s handling of the accusations to a Rolling Stone
article about a gang rape at the University of
Virginia that later proved to be untrue, saying
her husband’s accusers have been “given a
pass’’ by the media.
“The (Rolling Stone) story was heart-breaking,
but ultimately appears to be proved to be untrue. Many in the media were quick to link that
story to stories about my husband - until that
story unwound,’’ she said.
Please see COMICS/6B
Noting that she married Cosby in 1964, a year
after they met, she said, “The man I met, and
fell in love with, and whom I continue to love,
is the man you all knew through his work. He
is a kind man, a generous man, a funny man,
and a wonderful husband, father and friend. He
is the man you thought you knew.’’
The statement, released by Cosby spokesman
David Brokaw, is the first public comment from
Camille Cosby since the renewed allegations
began.
Since then, the 77-year-old comedian’s tour
has been whittled by cancellations and indefinite postponements of about 10 concerts in as
many states reaching into next spring. A comedy special was canceled by Netflix, and NBC
scuttled his prospective new sitcom that had
been in the works.
Last week, Spelman College, a historically
Please see CAMILLE/6B
Comics reflect Out & About
new diversity
6B
The Charlotte Post
A&E/The
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Nikki Fleming and KImberly Williams enjoyed the
annual Good Friends gala,
held at the Charlotte Convention Center on December 11. The event raised
money for local charities.
Continued from page 5B
But not everyone is happy with the changes: A contingent
of vocal Internet fans are currently protesting a reboot of
Marvel’s Fantastic Four property in the movies, turning one
of the quartet – Johnny Storm – from blond and blue-eyed
to black.
Noah Berlasky, author of the upcoming “Wonder Woman:
Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 19411948,’’ said portions of the largely white, male comic book
audience don’t want favored characters to change.
“Changing people’s race or changing people’s gender can
feel more threatening or a bigger deal than changing Thor
into a frog,’’ said Berlasky, referencing a popular storyline
in which the Norse god transforms into an amphibian.
“Characters are always changing, but there are cultural
lenses which make it seem like a bigger deal if Johnny Storm
is black.’’
Movies based on superheroes, like Marvel’s The Avengers,
and DC’s Man of Steel, are driving a new audience to comic
books. That surge has comic book companies are looking to
have characters that those fans can relate to, said Cheryl
Lynn Eaton, head of the Ormes Society, which promotes
black female comic creators and the inclusion of black
women in the comics industry.
“The stories of Superman, the story of Batman, we’re
going likely to be telling them 40 years from now, and we’ve
already been telling them for decades,’’ Eaton said. “They
are telling us sort of how to live life and how we relate in this
world, so I think it’s important for everyone, for people of
different backgrounds, to have a say.’’
Comic books companies need to recognize the impact
these characters have before they change them back to their
default identities, Eaton said.
“Having Sam Wilson become Captain America and having
a woman become Thor, you’re stating that everyone is equal
and that race, gender shouldn’t not limit you, and that
you’re just as good as the heroes we’ve had. But if you pull
these symbols away from them after a short period of time,
you’re kind of going back on what you’re saying,’’ she said.
Alonso said they haven’t written an end to Wilson’s time
as Captain America.
“We have not discussed at this point the end of Sam’s journey,’’ he said. “That’s not been the topic of discussion yet,
so we don’t’ have a clean and easy way out. We’ve just got
a great landscape ahead of us to tell great stories.’’
DANIEL COSTON FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Jaysen Foreman and
Darlena Blackwell
enjoyed the RAIN
Holiday Luncheon,
benefiting the RAIN
organization, held at
the Marriott in downtown Charlotte on
December 4.
Camille Cosby stands by her embattled man
Continued from page 5B
Bill Cosby
black institution, announced it
was suspending its endowed
professorship with Cosby.
Camille Cosby’s defense of her
husband came after this weekend’s publication of a brief interview with Cosby in The New
York Post, where he maintained
his silence regarding the allegations while praising his wife for
“love and the strength of womanhood’’ for weathering the public scrutiny raging against him.
While many of the allegations
against Cosby are blocked from
DANIEL COSTON FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
court by statutes of limitations,
a Southern California woman has
sued the comedian claiming he
molested her in a bedroom of
the Playboy Mansion around
1974 when she was 15 years old.
A lawyer for the woman, Judy
Huth, wrote in a court filing Fri-
day that he has interviewed two
witnesses who corroborate her
story. Attorney Marc Strecker
also states he has photographs
of Huth and Cosby that were
shot at the Playboy Mansion
when she was underage.
Cosby’s attorneys are seeking
to dismiss Huth’s lawsuit, stating
her efforts to sell her story to a
tabloid 10 years ago undercut
her claim that she only recently
discovered the psychological
damage she contends Cosby
caused.
Happy Kwanzaa
Celebrating our tradition, living the seven principles
Classifieds
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The Charlotte Post
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career corner
New year, new career: Four growth industries for
career-changers in 2015
Brandpoint
In early January 2014, 21 percent of American workers said they planned to change jobs within the next
12 months, according to a CareerBuilder survey. Introspection is common at the turn of the year, and
people who plodded along in less-than-fulfilling jobs
for the preceding 11 months begin thinking about
what they can do differently in the new year. Many
will turn to their education options to help improve
their job prospects.
Earning a bachelor's or master's degree can help
make you more marketable to employers, improve
your chances for promotion, and enhance your earning potential. A degree can also help you change careers.
Many
working
adults
turn
to
competency-based universities, like Western Governors University (WGU), to earn a degree. Competency-based education lets students focus on what
they need to learn and move quickly through what
they already know, giving working adults the scheduling flexibility and cost savings they need to balance
work and family while mastering the skills required
for a degree. At WGU, the average student is 37
years old, and students attend from all 50 states and
the District of Columbia.
With more baby boomers reaching retirement age
and more Americans covered by health insurance,
demand for health care professionals is set to increase significantly over the next 10 years. For career-changers, health care offers many well-paying
jobs that require just two- or four-year degrees, and
these are growing at a faster rate than other industries.
For example, according to the BLS' Occupational
Outlook Handbook, the industry will need to add
more than 64,000 dental hygienists by 2022 in order
to keep pace with rising demand. The job requires
just a two-year degree and median pay is about
$70,000 per year.
Information technology
Information technology affects nearly every aspect
of modern life. The BLS notes that IT professionals
are instrumental in keeping systems running, maintaining networks, creating new software, and keeping information systems secure. The industry shed
fewer jobs during the recession and is expected to
grow far more quickly than other industries, the BLS
If you're thinking about switching careers in 2015, reports.
WGU points to four growth areas to consider:
Most IT jobs - such as computer network architect
STEM education
or software developer - require a bachelor's degree
in information technology. WGU offers several
Salaries for workers in science, technology, engineer- bachelor's and master's degree programs in informaing, and math fields rose between 2000 and 2013, tion technology, most of which include industry cerand the shortage of STEM professionals continues, tifications as part of the coursework included with
US News recently reported. As demand for STEM tuition.
workers has increased, so has the need for teachers
who can prepare students to pursue STEM careers. Business
Institutions like WGU's Teachers College, which is
the nation's No. 1 producer of STEM teachers, spe- Demand continues to be strong for managers in all
cialize in degree programs that equip graduates to areas of business. Certain business occupations are
teach math and science at kindergarten through 12th poised to grow faster than the overall economy. For
grade levels.
example, demand for medical and health services
managers will increase 23 percent between now and
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts job 2022, the BLS predicts. The profession requires a
growth of 12 percent for teachers in elementary and bachelor's degree in business administration.
middle schools, and 6 percent for high school teachers between now and 2022, with demand for math Skilled managers will also find opportunities in IT,
and science disciplines higher than average.
human resources, accounting, sales and marketing,
and administration.
Health care
8B
The Charlotte Post
A&E/The
10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hoppin’ John!
Enjoying black-eyed peas and rice for luck in the coming year is a tradition
passed down through generations. When making your plans to ring in the
New Year, you’ll find everything you need to prepare the dishes that have
a special meaning to you, your family, and your community at Publix.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014