Caw 51 - Hispanic & Caribbean Leaders Call on Mayor de Blasio to Change Intro 911 Law

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.CAWNYC.COM FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION, FREE LEGAL CONSULTATIONS AND A CHANCE TO WIN A TV!

Hispanic & Caribbean Leaders Call onMayor de Blasio to Change Intro 911 Law

continued on page 22

Brian Figeroux, Esq.

The Shortcomings of Governor Andrew Cuomo

...see page 4

BY DAN NOWICKI & DANIEL GONZALEZ, THE REPUBLIC VIA NATIONAL INSTITUTEFOR LATINO POLICY

continued on page 11

How NACC’s Small Business Solutions Can Help Your Business ...see page 12

An Open Letter to Dr Keith Rowley...see page 18 (CV4)

Erectile Dysfunction: Involving Your Partner ... see page 16 (CV2)

Breakups: Is Social Media Making It Hard to Move On? see page 17 (CV3)

Obama’s ProposedAmnesty to Expand DACA?

Are Injuries Covered When the Employee Is Partially at Fault?... see page 21

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FREE A D.B.A. OF I.Q. INC. ISSUE 51 VOLUME 12

Jamaica Diaspora Comes Up Big...see page 14

Calls for Obama to Reform Depor-tation Policy ...see page 10

DIASPORA ISSUES:SALIS Indicted!

FREE Consultationsfor Salis’s clients. Call 718-222-3155

HOT TOPICS:

Beauty to Represent Haiti onInternational Stage ...see page 15 (CV1)

VOTE TEACHOUT FOR GOVERNOR!

Immigrant advocates are pushingPresident Barack Obama to "gobig and go bold" when he wields

his executive authority in the comingweeks to shield potentially millions ofundocumented immigrants fromdeportation.

But no matter what independentaction Obama takes on immigration,

big or small, it could scramble U.S. poli-tics just weeks before the Nov. 4 congres-sional midterm elections and reverberateinto the 2016 presidential election.

Obama's unilateral move to providedeportation relief risks hurting the re-election campaigns of some fellowDemocrats in the Senate and House byangering Republicans voters andspurring them to the polls.

A political backlash could help

The New York State Coalition ofHispanic Chambers of Commerce(NYSCHCC), The New American

Chamber of Commerce and other localminority chambers of commerce are callingon Mayor Bill de Blasio to immediatelyimplement changes to New York City Intro911 Law, also known as NYC Local 1 Law.Chamber officials says the law put in placeby former mayor Michael Bloomberg, is

discriminatory and deprives minority busi-nesses and contractors an equitable share ofCity contracts. The minority chamber offi-cials say Mayor de Blasio, while on thecampaign trail, promised to fix the dispari-ty the law presents to minority -ownedbusinesses, but eight months into office hehas only continued to enforce the Intro 911law, and has further deprived minoritybusinesses and contractors.

At a recent press conference held on the

Anthony Herbert 55th Assembly District, Brooklyn

... see page 5

Zephyr TeachoutGovernor, NYS... see page 8

Rickie Tulloch42nd Assembly District, Brooklyn

... see page 6

She’s Better for the Caribbean & Minority Communities

The Economic Injustice Press Conference

BY VANDELL PARK


SPECIAL CARIBBEAN REPORT2Caribbean Consulates

Anguilla845 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10022Tel: 212-745-0277

Antigua & Barbuda610 Fifth Avenue, Suite 311New York, N.Y. 10020Tel: 212-541-4117

The Bahamas231 East 46th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10020Tel: 212-421-6420

Barbados820 Second Avenue, 5th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-551-4325

Belize675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911New York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-949-1240

Dominica800 Second Avenue, Suite 400HNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-949-0853

Dominican Republic1500 Broadway, Suite 410New York, N.Y. 10036Tel: 212-768-2480

Grenada 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400KNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-599-0301

Guyana 308 West 38th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10018Tel: 212-947-5119

Haiti 815 Second Avenue,6th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-697-9767

Jamaica 767 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-935-9000

Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10022Tel: 212-838-6887

Montserrat845 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10022Tel: 212-745-0200

Panama1212 Avenue of the Americas, 6th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10036Tel: 212-840-2450

St. Kitts & Nevis414 East 75th Street, 5th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10021Tel: 212-535-5521

St. Lucia 800 Second Avenue, 9th FloorNew York, N.Y. 10007Tel: 212-697-9360

St. Maarten675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807New York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 800-786-2278

St. Vincent & The Grenadines801 Second Avenue, 21st FloorNew York, N.Y. 10017Tel: 212-687-4981

Trinidad & Tobago125 Maiden LaneNew York, N.Y. 10038Tel: 212-682-7272

For more Consulate information go towww.cawnyc.com/directory

Boosting Resilience in the Caribbean

Having lived and worked for morethan a decade in four Caribbeancountries, I have witnessed first-

hand how Small Island Developing States(SIDS) are extremely vulnerable to chal-lenges ranging from debt andunemployment to climate change and sealevel rise.

Such aspects make their paths towardssustainable development probably morecomplex than non-SIDS countries. Thatwas my experience, working closely withgovernments, civil society organizationsand the people of Belize, Cuba, Guyanaand Haiti – where I led the U.N. Devel-opment Programme’s (UNDP)reconstruction efforts after the devastat-ing January 2010 earthquake.

That’s why the upcoming UN Confer-ence on Small Island Developing States(SIDS), taking place in Samoa, Sept. 1-4is so important. It will provide an oppor-tunity to increase internationalcooperation and knowledge sharingbetween and within regions. And it takesplace at a key moment, ahead of the Cli-mate Change Summit at the UN GeneralAssembly, to be held on Sept. 23.

Climate change—and all natural haz-ards, in fact—hit Small IslandDeveloping States hard, even thoughthese countries haven’t historically con-tributed to the problem. Extremeexposure to disasters such as flooding,hurricanes, droughts, landslides andearthquakes place these countries in aparticularly vulnerable position.

In the Caribbean, two key sectors, agri-culture and tourism, which are crucial forthese countries’ economies, are especiallyexposed. Agriculture provides 20 percentof total employment in the Caribbean. Insome countries, like Haiti and Grenada,half of the total jobs depend on agricul-ture. Moreover, travel and tourismaccounted for 14 percent of Caribbeancountries’ Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in 2013 — the highest for anyregion in the world.

According to Jamaica’s Ministry ofWater, Land, Environment and ClimateChange, during the period 2000-2010 thecountry was impacted by 10 extremeweather events which have led the coun-try to lose around 2 percent of its GDPper year. Moreover, sea levels have risen0.9 mm per year, according to official fig-ures. This causes Jamaicans, who live

largely on the coast, not only to lose theirbeaches, but it also increases salinity infresh waters and farming soil.

Also, when I visited Jamaica in July, thecountry was facing one of the worstdroughts in its history. This had alreadyled to a significant fall in agricultural pro-duction, higher food imports, increasedfood prices and a larger number of bushfires – which in turn destroy farms andforested areas.

Clearly, if countries do not reduce theirvulnerabilities and strengthen theirresilience — not only to natural disastersbut also to financial crises – we won’t beable to guarantee, let alone expand,progress in the social, economic and envi-ronmental realms.

Preparedness is essential—and interna-tional cooperation plays a key role.UNDP is working closely with govern-ments and societies in the Caribbean tointegrate climate change considerations inplanning and policy. This means investingin climate change adaptation and disasterrisk reduction and preparedness, particu-larly in the most vulnerable communitiesand sectors.

In Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago,where I also met recently with keyauthorities, UNDP is working with thegovernment to enhance climate changepreparedness on three fronts: agriculture,natural disasters and promoting the use ofrenewable energy resources, which is crit-ical to reduce the dependency onimported fossil fuels.

Knowledge-sharing between and withinregions is also vital. UNDP has beenworking with governments in theCaribbean to share a successful practicethat began in Cuba in 2005. The initiative,the Risk Reduction Management Centres,supports local governments’ pivotal rolein the civil defense system.

In addition, experts from different agen-cies collaborate to map disaster-proneareas, analyze risk and help decision-making at the municipal level.

Importantly, each Centre is also linked upwith vulnerable communities throughearly warning teams, which serve as theCentre’s “tentacles”, to increase aware-ness and safeguard people and economicresources.

This model has been adapted and isbeing rolled out in the British VirginIslands, Dominican Republic, Guyana,Jamaica and Trinidad &Tobago.

In Jamaica, for example, in hazard-prone St Catherine’s Parish on theoutskirts of Kingston, a team has beenimplementing the country’s first suchCentre, mapping vulnerable areas andtraining community leaders to play a cen-tral role in the disaster preparation andrisk reduction system.

In Old Harbor Bay, a fishing commu-nity of 7,000 inhabitants, UNDP, togetherwith the government of Jamaica, has pro-vided emergency equipment and trainingfor better preparation and evacuationwhen hurricanes or other disasters strike.Boosting preparedness and increasingresilience is an investment. In addition tosaving lives, for every dollar spent in dis-aster preparedness and mitigation, $700will be saved when a disaster strikes.

However, it is also crucial to addressvulnerability matters beyond climatechange or natural disasters. Small IslandDeveloping States—in the Caribbean andother regions— are often isolated fromworld trade and global finance. The inter-national community needs to recognizeand support this vulnerable group ofcountries, as they pave the way to moresustainable development. l

Jessica Faieta is United Nations AssistantSecretary-General and UN DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) Director for LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. For more information, visit www.lati-namerica.undp.org or contact her at@jessicafaieta @undplac

BY JESSICA FAIETA


EDITORIAL 3TEAM

PublisherI.Q. INC.

Managing Editor & Editor-in-ChiefPearl Phillip

Senior EditorsColin Moore, Esq.Randall Toure, Esq.

Legal AdvisorBrian Figeroux, Esq.

Assistant EditorMarilyn Silverman

Graphic & Website DesignersPraim SamsoondarLana Delgadillo

ContributorsVandell ParkDan NowickiDaniel GonzalezJessica FaietaJennine EstesDr Steven DowshenTyler LewisK. MurrayJhodie-Ann WilliamsLeslyn GrantRavi MaharajSmith GeorgesJanet Howard

[email protected]

My people are destroyed forlack of knowledge. —Hosea 4:6

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HAICC! Visitwww.mynacc.org today

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BY COLIN MOORE, ESQ.

The Shortcomings ofGovernor Andrew Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo, the son of MarioCuomo, the former Governor ofNew York State, has inherited all

of his father’s political vices, but none ofhis virtues. There is some truth to thisobservation. Andrew Cuomo, is part of along line of liberal democrats who haveclung to the false hypothesis that NewYork State is not a “blue” State but rathera “purple” State. They believe that thereis a geographical and ideological line ofdemarcation between the predominantlyWhite conservative communities upstateand the predominantly Black andHispanic communities downstate. Afterracking up large pluralities in New YorkCity for several generations, White liber-als like Andrew Cuomo and his fatherMario Cuomo, have shown nothing butcontempt for the Black and Hispaniccommunities of New York City, whileassiduously courting the support of theWhite conservative community upstate.

Andrew Cuomo is not the firstDemocrat to pursue this schizophrenicpolicy of implementing a Republicanpolicy, while claiming to be a life-longDemocrat. His former boss, Bill Clinton,was one of the early Democrats whoimplemented this policy called triangula-tion, and in the State Legislature, PedroEspada, Jr., and Malcolm Smith provedto be Democratic wolves in Republicansheep’s clothing.

Wayne Barrett, a reporter for theVillage Voice, once observed that MarioCuomo only visited Brooklyn twice dur-ing his long tenure as Governor of NewYork State. It is said that when ElliotSpitzer nominated David Patterson asLieutenant Governor, Andrew Cuomotook umbrage at the fact that he was notpicked as Lieutenant Governor, andwaged a virulent campaign against DavidPatterson, undermining his administra-tion at every turn and sabotagingPatterson’s attempt to run for Governorin 2010, just as his father Mario Cuomo,had undermined the administration ofDavid Dinkins, and sabotaged Dinkins’campaign for re-election. AndrewCuomo himself has never chosen aminority to run as Lieutenant Governorand has chosen as his running mate in2014, Kathy Hochul, a White conserva-tive from upstate Erie County with viru-lent anti-immigrant and pro-gun rightscredentials.

Andrew Cuomo himself has shown lit-tle sensitivity to the immigrant communi-ty in New York State, that constitutesover 27% of the state population.Andrew Cuomo, while paying lip serviceto the Dream Act, has failed to supportlegislation in Albany which will provide$25 million in tuition assistance moneyto help undocumented immigrantsattending colleges in New York State.While claiming that he would sign theBill if passed by the Senate, AndrewCuomo has done nothing to push the Billforward in the predominantly RepublicanSenate. Meanwhile, he has failed to repli-cate Elliott Spitzer’s decision to grantState licenses to undocumented immi-grants. In fact, his Lieutenant Governor,Kathy Hochul, not only opposesSpitzer’s attempt to grant New York Statelicense, but threaten to summon sheriffdeputies to arrest undocumented immi-grants who appeared at her DMV officein Erie County.

Andrew Cuomo has claimed to be apassionate advocate against public cor-ruption, but when the MorelandCommission was appointed to root outpublic corruption, there was a gapingchasm between Andrew Cuomo’s actionsand his rhetoric. The New York Times ina July 24, 2014 edition reported that “Mr.Cuomo’s aides blocked the anti-corrup-tion commission whenever it tried to

investigate the Governor’s office or hisbiggest supporters.” The normally placidand objective New York Times, in a July24, 2014 editorial, called Cuomo a “liarand phony.” The New York Post statedthat “the then governor pledged to endthe corrupt culture that had come todefine the Empire State. Now he is a sym-bol of it.”

As a newspaper which is dedicated toaddressing the concerns of the predomi-nantly Black and Hispanic immigrantcommunity in New York State, westrongly oppose the candidacy of AndrewCuomo, based upon his demonstratedcontempt for the Black and Hispaniccommunity in New York State, his failureto support legislation in Albany to pro-vide tuition assistance to undocumentedimmigrants in New York State, his failureto choose a minority as his running matein 2010 and 2014, his choice of a runningmate with a demonstrated history of vir-ulence and aggression towards the immi-grant community, and his hypocrisy inappointing an anti-corruption commis-sion and then preventing it from imple-menting anti-corruption policies. For allthese reasons, we unequivocally opposethe candidacy of Andrew Cuomo andendorse the candidacy of his rival,Zephyr Teachout.l

Andrew Cuomo has demonstrated his contempt for the Black and Hispanic communities. He has failed to support legislation in Albany for the New York DREAM Act and he has failed to choose a minority

running mate.


CIVIL RIGHTS4

Agreement with Barneys New York toAddress Customer DiscriminationAttorney General Eric T.

Schneiderman recentlyannounced an agreement with

Barneys New York that will help ensurethat customers, regardless of their race orethnicity, have equal access to its storesthroughout New York. This agreementfollows a nine-month-long investigationby the Attorney General’s Office, whichwas launched after two African-American customers alleged they werefalsely accused of credit card fraud whileshopping at Barneys’ flagship store.

“Profiling and racial discriminationremain a problem in our state, but notone we are willing to accept. This agree-ment will continue our work to ensurethere’s one set of rules for everyone inpublic accommodations, including cus-tomers in New York’s retail establish-ments,” Attorney General Schneidermansaid. “This agreement will correct a num-ber of wrongs, both by fixing past poli-cies and by monitoring the actions ofBarneys and its employees to make surethat past mistakes are not repeated.”

Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defenseand Educational Fund, Inc., said, “One ofthe most significant problems we facetoday, concerns racial profiling ofAfrican-Americans and Latinos. The

Civil Rights Act of 1964 stands as one ofour most important tools for confrontingthose problems that persist in the publicaccommodations context. I thank theAttorney General's Civil Rights Bureaufor working to ensure that the doors ofour public establishments are equallyopen to all, regardless of race.”

The Attorney General’s Civil RightsBureau reviewed several complaintsfrom customers and former Barneysemployees. The complaints alleged that:

•Door guards identified minority cus-tomers exclusively as warranting surveil-lance;

•In-store detectives followed minoritycustomers, even when the customers hadbeen identified by sales associates asclients and frequent patrons of the store;

•In-store detectives disproportionatelyasked sales associates to reprint receiptsafter minority customers made purchasesin order to confirm the purchases werelegitimate;

•In-store detectives disproportionatelycalled sales associates who handled andcompleted minority customers’ transac-tions in order to investigate the cus-tomers’ credit card use; and

•Some sales associates avoided servingminority customers so they would not becontacted by loss-prevention employeesseeking to investigate the use of creditcards by minority customers.

Additionally, the Attorney Generalfound that Barneys maintained inade-quate records of stops made by their loss-prevention employees, but despite theselapses, existing records showed a dispro-portionate number of African-Americanand Latino customers being detained foralleged shoplifting or credit card fraud.

After its investigation, the AttorneyGeneral’s Civil Rights Bureau concludedthat Barneys did not have comprehensivewritten policies regarding racial profil-ing; use of objective, race-neutral criteriafor investigating potential shopliftingand/or credit card fraud; use of excessiveforce and handcuffs, or treatment ofdetainees. The Bureau also concludedthat Barneys lacked consistent record-keeping policies with respect to stops anddetentions made by its loss-prevention

employees or by local law enforcement.

Under the terms of the agreement,Barneys will:

•Retain an independent anti-profilingconsultant with expertise in the preven-tion of racial profiling in loss preventionand asset protection;

•Establish new recordkeeping require-ments on investigations, detentions andfalse stops conducted by loss-preventionemployees;•Limit access to its closed-circuit TVareas by local law enforcement officersand maintain records of visits by locallaw enforcement officers;

•Adopt new loss-prevention detentionpolicies and a new anti-profiling policy;

•Develop and conduct anti-profilingtraining for loss-prevention and salesemployees;

•Investigate customer complaints of pro-filing; and

•Pay $525,000 in costs, fees, and penal-ties.l


VOTE 2014: IN THE COMMUNITY 5

BY VANDELL PARK

and their parishioners attended the con-cert/rally held at the Pleasant GroveTabernacle Church on Fulton Street herein Brooklyn. The head of the NationalFellowship Council of Churches, BishopT. Bernard Hibbler П, spoke on behalf ofthe pastors associated with the churchcouncil, while Reverend Dennis Dillon,Founder and CEO of the Christian Timesand the New York Community, Churchand Business Empowerment, share theirsupport for Herbert’s campaign:

“We endorse the campaign of AnthonyHerbert. We believe he is the man for thejob; he has proven himself, and he is aman of integrity. We want someone inoffice who will get the job done and webelieve that Tony is that man and we stand

behind him 100% percent.”“I think that we desperately need the

kind of leadership in our community whounderstand the needs of our people,understand the challenges that our com-munity faces and are going to specificallyaddress and deal with those needs andissues, and the fact that Tony Herbert hasalready been in the trenches, the fact thathe has shown a passion for our communi-ty and our people, is clearly a reason whywe need to support him. I am pretty confi-dent that if we support him and get himelected to the Assembly, he is going todeal with the issues that are pressing… itis not just police brutality and policeabuse that we are dealing with, but whenwe look at the housing landscape, when

we look at the land grab, we deal with theeconomic displacement of our community;there are just a myriad of issues thatneeds to be addressed; we definitely justnot need to get him elected, but we alsoneed to hold him accountable.”

The 55th Assembly District which ismade up of Brownsville, East Flatbush,parts of Crown Heights, Weeksville,Bushwick, East New York and Ocean Hill,was represented by New York StateAssemblyman William Boyland Jr.Herbert ran for Assemblyman for this dis-trict two years ago but came in fourthbehind Boyland, Anthony T. Jones andRoy Antoine. In the September 9th pri-mary elections, Herbert will face offagainst fellow Democrats, Lori Boozer,Anthony T. Jones, Latrice MoniqueWalker, Ineisha Williford, David R. Millerand Bilal Malik. His Republican opponentis Bemeda Jackson who will run unop-posed. Asked how his campaign is doingso far, Herbert said: “The campaign isgoing good; so far I am endorsed by thePBA (The Patrolmen BenevolentAssociation) which gives me a voice at thetable to have a conversation so that theycan understand what’s going on in ourcommunity. Hope to get the endorsementof the NY Daily News and other lawenforcement agencies.”l

Hosea: 4:6 - My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge

Tel: 718-722-9217 Email: [email protected]

Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014

Location: NACC Conference Room26 Court Street, Suite 701, Brooklyn, NY 11242

Faith-based Leaders SupportCommunity Activist, Anthony Herbert

Who should attend?Faith-based and community leaders

Visit www.mynacc.org to register.

Applications will be available

for the FREELay Health

AmbassadorsProgram

An Introduction toHeartSmartsHeartSmarts is a program to empower others to live heart-healthy lifestyles. The program seeks to educatepastors and community leaders to become educators inthe community about cardiovascular health. What makes

HeartSmarts different is that it uses a faith-based curriculum, so each of the ten sessions of the HeartSmartsprogram has a biblical scripture that goes along with it.

As the September 9th primary elec-tions date draws near, a number ofindividuals working towards

securing a seat in the New York StateAssembly, are seizing every opportunityto rally the support needed to get themelected. On Saturday, August 23, 2014,Anthony Herbert, the candidate running torepresent New York’s 55th AssemblyDistrict, hit the campaign trail in anunusual way, by hosting a religious con-cert that engaged several choirs fromchurches within his district. Herbertbelieves the church community is a strongbase he can rely on for political support:“The program put together here is just togalvanize my base with the churches,given that I am supported by over 16 pas-tors from within this community. At least10 of them are very influential withregards to having large members at theirchurch; that’s where the voting base is andI’ve gotten all their endorsements andnow we are just working to make sure thatwe win so that we can move the churchesback to the table, so that when peoplecome in our community they know thatthis is the place where they have to stopand talk first before they cut any deals.”

Herbert’s political strategy appears to beworking as a number of prominent pastors


NEWS VOTE 2014: CARIBBEAN STAR6

Rickie Tulloch Looks to Carry on the Work ofRhoda Jacobs in the 42nd Assembly DistrictBY JANET HOWARD

Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs hasserved her constituents of the42nd Assembly District in

Brooklyn for 36 years with an exemplaryrecord of achievements. After much delib-eration, Jacobs has decided that it is timeto pass the mantle of leadership to a can-didate she feels will continue serving thecommunity with the traits that every goodelected official possesses—i.e., honesty,transparency, and integrity. That candi-date is Rickie Tulloch. With several candi-dates vying for the seat, Jacobs was askedwhat qualifies Rickie Tulloch for that seatand sets him apart that made her endorsehim.

Speaking to Caribbean AmericanWeekly, Jacobs responded, “Well to beginwith, I’ve known him for many years and Iknow him as someone who has been activein many things that are the kinds of thingsthat I care about and that I think areimportant to our community. You knowthat the 42nd district is diverse. It’s large-ly Caribbean….There are some things thatan entire community needs. There aresome things that you always have to paymore attention to. There are people whoneed more but don’t have the voice andhaving worked with Rickie Tulloch allthese years, I know he was involved withchild care, being on the board of day care

community based day care. You probablyknow that I was one of those people whostarted child care on CUNY campuses. Hewas a member of the community board.He hasn’t forgotten his roots. He camehere as a youngster. He’s an immigrantfrom Jamaica. I always find it wonderful-ly interesting that somebody who camefrom a large family each of them struggledto become something. So in all hisendeavors in the community he’s beenthere for the broader community and hecomes with a professional background—that’s very important to our district whichis in health care financing. We have a sur-prising number of people in our communi-ty who even with Obamacare need accessto affordable care. It’s probably thelargest concentration of people who prob-

ably work in some sort of health carewhich is interesting--registered nurses,home care attendants. He brings thosequalities— honesty, transparency, integri-ty. He has worked in the community allthose years. He hasn’t moved in just to runin the elections”

Who is Tulloch?Leithland Rickie Tulloch’s story is one ofthe American dream. It is the story of aman who was lifted up through hard work,public education and the support of hisgreat Brooklyn community. Finally, his isthe story of a community advocate whohas dedicated his life to giving back to thediverse Brooklyn neighborhoods that wel-comed him and his family with open armsin 1976, when they arrived in Flatbush

from Jamaica in search of a better life.Today, Rickie is the proud father of fouradult children, the Deputy Chief FinancialOfficer of Harlem Hospital Center and theChair of Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs’Community Advisory Council.

In these roles, Tulloch continues to nur-ture a deep understanding of the issuesthat matter to community residents and isa strong advocate for the concerns of ourworking and middle class families, seniorcitizens, youth, immigrants and localcommunity groups. In these roles,Tulloch continues to nurture a deep under-standing of the issues that matter to com-munity residents and is a strong advocatefor the concerns of our working and mid-dle-class families, senior citizens, youth,immigrants and local community groups.Rickie has come a long way since his jour-ney began in the halls of Erasmus HallHigh School when he arrived in Brooklynas a teenager. He went on to attendBrooklyn College, where he received aB.S. in Accounting and a M.A.Economics.

Along the way, Tulloch grew passionateabout public service and assumed leader-ship roles in a range of community organ-izations. His positions included: Founderand Chair of the Visionary Political ActionCommittee; Treasurer and Chair of theLands Use Committee of CommunityBoard 17; Chairman of the FlatbushAction Community Day Care CenterBoard; Board Member of the ErasmusNeighborhood Association; President ofthe Ginger Ridge High School PastStudents Association; and Vice Chair ofthe West Indian Progressive ActionCouncil.

Along with his extended family, Tullochhas been an involved resident of the 42ndAssembly District for the past 38 years.On September 9, Tulloch is looking tocarry the mantle of AssemblywomanRhoda Jacobs and become the representa-tive for the 42nd Assembly District inBrooklyn.

As constitutents head to the polls to votein the September 9 primaries, Jacobs hashad the honor and privilege of represent-ing it for over 30 years successfully, andhad this to say: “It’s important that whichenabled me to stay in office for so longwas understanding the common needs—what the constituents have in commonand to advocate and fight for them and tobring them together. The important thingis that too often people think they have tovote once every four years. It’s not justvoting for President; it’s going out thereand voting for your local official everytwo years to get the person who’s mostempathetic, who stands for what youbelieve in and to show people running foroffice that you have a voice…Choose theperson who will be your voice and fightfor you and for the issues that are impor-tant to you and your family. Choose RickieTulloch. I support him 100% and youshould too.”l

To volunteer or donate, visit:www.friendsoflrickietulloch.com


FAMILY MATTERS 7

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How Can Spirituality Affect Your Family Life?

Can spirituality promote a healthi-er physical life for your family?Recent medical studies indicate

that spiritual people exhibit fewer self-destructive behaviors (suicide, smoking,and drug and alcohol abuse, for exam-ple), less stress, and a greater total lifesatisfaction.

Much of the research linking spiritualand physical health has involved elderlypatients; however, the data offer aglimpse into a possible tie between aspiritual life and good health for peopleof all ages.

Although spirituality has been shownto reduce depression, improve bloodpressure, and boost the immune system,religious beliefs should not interferewith the medical care kids receive.

So what exactly is spirituality, and howcan it enhance your family's health?

Spirituality and Physical HealthDoctors and scientists once avoided thestudy of spirituality in connection tomedicine, but findings within the past 10years have made some take a secondlook. Studies show that religion and faithcan help to promote good health andfight disease by:•Offering additional social supports,such as religious outreach groups•Improving coping skills through prayerand a philosophy that all things have apurpose

Although research on kids hasn't been

done, many studies focusing on adultspoint to the positive effects of spirituali-ty on medical outcome:•In a 7-year study of senior citizens, reli-gious involvement was associated withless physical disability and less depres-sion. Death rates were lower than expect-ed before an important religious holiday,which suggested to researchers that faithmight have postponed death in thesecases.•Elderly people who regularly attendedreligious services had healthier immunesystems than those who didn't. Theywere also more likely to have consistent-ly lower blood pressure.•Patients undergoing open-heart surgerywho received strength and comfort fromtheir religion, were three times morelikely to survive than those who had noreligious ties.

Spirituality and Mental HealthReligious and spiritual beliefs are animportant part of how many people dealwith life's joys and hardships. Faith canprovide people with a sense of purposeand guidelines for living.

When families face tough situations,including health problems, their reli-gious beliefs and practices can help themfight feelings of helplessness, restoremeaning and order to life situations, andpromote regaining a sense of control. Forsome families, spirituality can be a pow-erful and important source of strength.

Medical studies have confirmed that

spirituality can have a profound effect onmental states. In a study of men whowere hospitalized, nearly half rated reli-gion as helpful in coping with their ill-nesses. A second study showed that themore religious patients were, the morequickly they recovered from some disor-ders. A third study revealed that high lev-els of hope and optimism, key factors infighting depression, were found amongthose who strictly practiced their reli-gion.

Can Spiritual Beliefs EnhanceParenting?Attending organized religious servicesmay help some families connect withtheir spiritual values, but it's not the onlyway. Less traditional paths also can help

kids and parents find spiritual meaning.To foster spirituality within your own

family, you may want to examine yourown values. Ask yourself: What isimportant to me? How well do my dailyactivities mirror my values? Do I neglectissues that matter to me because I'm busyspending time on things that matter less?

This search can be conducted on yourown or as part of a larger group — a reli-gious community, friends, or your ownfamily. Making a spiritual journey mighthelp you and your family live a healthierlife, both emotionally and physically.l

© 1995-2014. The NemoursFoundation/KidsHealth®. Reprintedwith permission.

REVIEWED BY STEVEN DOWSHEN, MD

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VOTE 2014: POLITICS8

A Feisty Democratic Challenge for Cuomo

The New York State 2014 guberna-torial race has taken an interestingturn for incumbent Governor

Andrew Cuomo, who probably thoughthis ride to a second term in office wouldhave gone unchallenged from anyonewithin the Democratic Party. Instead,Governor Cuomo is now forced toemploy a number of political ploys, evenusing the courts to derail his Democraticchallenger, Fordham University LawProfessor, Zephyr Teachout. However, inspite of the incumbent Governor’s politi-cal tactics, the vivacious woman chal-lenger, is making inroads withDemocratic primary voters and hasbegun to secure major endorsements inher bid to become the first woman gover-nor of New York State.

In an interview with CaribbeanAmerican Weekly, Teachout said of herchallenge to Governor Cuomo: “It’s amonumental task, but it’s one worthdoing and is one I can do. In the lastPublic Employees’ Federation and on asingle day, over 600 people donated tomy campaign. There are people who aregiving just $10, whereas people whogave to Andrew Cuomo’s campaign,gave hundreds of thousands of dollars,but every day what we are seeing is newexcitement, new energy, and then to get alittle practical, in a Democratic primary,not that many people vote. It could behalf a million, seven hundred and fiftythousand people, and I can tell you thatDemocrats who’ve been paying attentionto what is happening in this state are nothappy with Andrew Cuomo. They are nothappy with how he’s treated schools. Italk to parents and teachers all the timewho have noticed that he has looted fromour schools to pay for tax breaks for bigbanks, and that unhappiness is becomingsomething of a movement. I talk to peo-ple all the time who are unhappy thatAndrew Cuomo failed to pass theDREAM Act, and chose as his LieutenantGovernor, a running mate, in an act thatI find deeply offensive, somebody whohas run as an anti-immigrant, KathyHochul, who has made her politicalcareer that way. New York is the mostopen to immigrants than any other statein the country and we have to maintainthat role. He hasn’t been a leader andpeople feel that absence of leadership.When they find out about my campaignthey get very excited.”

When asked how she is faring, beinga woman and challenging an incumbentmale, Teachout had this to say: “I think Isurprised Andrew Cuomo very much byrunning, I think he did not expect a pri-mary challenger and he certainly did notexpect a woman. I don’t know if you knowthis, but New York’s politics is primarilydominated by men. I think something like84 percent of people who are running forSenate this year are men and that’s anembarrassment; it’s a little like minority-owned businesses. If you look aroundand notice that people are not represent-ed, you actually know that there is aproblem with the system and not a prob-

lem with the women themselves. It’s aclassic old boys’ club. It’s very, verysecretive, tends to protect its own, sowhen there is the major scandal againstGovernor Andrew Cuomo’s top aideinterfering with subpoenas. This is a veryserious issue because it suggests thatGovernor Cuomo does not respect theidea of law, and the idea of law meansthat even if you are wealthy and well-connected the same laws apply to you.What’s so striking to me is that there is ascandal and the old boys’ club isn’tspeaking up. There isn’t any politicalcompetition and it has taken an outsiderin a woman to stand up and say this iswrong; this may or may not be illegal,but it is immoral to have one set of lawsfor your friends and wealthy businesspartners, and another set of laws for therest of us. I’ve got to tell you though, thatit is really exciting to run as a woman,because people are coming out of thewoodworks and one of the most inspiringthing is when women 20 years old wouldsay to me, you have inspired me, I wantto go into politics, I want to follow yourpath. We need to have more women inpolitics.

Teachout says her campaign is makingheadway as she works relentlessly dayafter day in the various communitiesacross the State. She says she has chosenTim Wu, a minority, as her running matebecause she believes in diversity, andbecause they both share a passion forservice to people. Teachout is calling onGovernor Cuomo to debate her publiclybefore the primary elections. TheFordham Law Professor who wonGovernor Andrew Cuomo in the courtson August 20th, 2014, after he chal-

lenged her five-year residential eligibili-ty as a New Yorker, to run for theGovernorship, says she is confident ofbeating him at the primary elections aswell: “I have been working from morningto night going to small communitygroups, talking to people, listening topeople, hearing what their concerns are,and I know that poll looks bad, but whenwe look at the polls we see somethingvery different which is that Democraticprimary voters, and I really urge yourreadership to vote in the Democratic pri-mary because this is such an importantelection and we can’t afford four moreyears of this, Democratic voters are get-ting to know who I am, we had five sto-ries in the New York Times just in thelast two weeks, and an extraordinary edi-torial in the New York Times that calledon Governor Andrew Cuomo to debateme because I am a serious candidate anda serious challenger. I would admit thatit is a serious challenge to be an under-dog, but New York loves underdogs andthere is so much excitement because peo-ple are tired of the Andrew Cuomoregime.”

Teachout says once elected as Governorof New York State she will ensure smallbusinesses, and minority-owned busi-nesses are given the attention theydeserve. She also promises to work withthe immigrant community in a number ofways: “I’m in favor of expanding votingrights; I think it is essential. What makesa New Yorker is someone who is here;that’s the definition, and we have tomaintain our openness and we shoot our-selves in the foot if we have an attitude ofclosing down the gates behind us. NewYork’s strength traditionally, why it has

strived, why it has been so vibrant isbecause of its openness. Right now weare having a national debate about immi-gration and Arizona is on one side. NewYork should be on the other side, and asGovernor I would be on the other sidewith open arms. Andrew like what hedoes in so many areas, which is staysilent, not answer questions, refuses totalk to people, and I have to suspect isbecause he’s running for President, butin New York we need a governor whocares about New Yorkers, not about theirown political future. Tim and I both standstrongly for drivers’ licenses for undocu-mented immigrants, and of the NewYorkers Home Act which would recog-nize that people are New Yorkers whetheror not the federal government recognizesthat, if they have been here for five yearsand paid their taxes.”

The courageous and formidable ZephyrTeachout says New Yorkers deserve aGovernor who will fight for their interestfirst, and she will ensure the needs of allNew Yorkers are met. “The most basicreason is that we will fight for all NewYorkers. We have a vision of an economyand democracy that works for all of us,not just the wealthy and well connected.We are traditional Democrats, we believein schools. We believe every childdeserves to be in a small class no morethan about 20 kids; we believe in arts,and music and sports for every child. Webelieve in public employees. GovernorAndrew Cuomo has real disdain for peo-ple who work for the State and peoplewho work for the City. We believe ininfrastructure, and Andrew Cuomo hasproven over four years that he believes inhimself and his donors, and his prioritiesare cutting taxes for big banks, cuttingtaxes for millionaires, changing theestate tax rates so that the wealthiestNew Yorkers now actually pay less as apercentage of their income than middle-class New Yorkers and the effect is thatwe now have a New York public that isthe most open, where we have the mostunequal State, and we have the schoolsthat are the most segregated than anyother State across the whole country.That’s unacceptable. That’s not who weare and this race is about two very differ-ent visions: do we want a New York thatworks only for the wealthy and well con-nected? Or, do we want a New York thatworks for all of us?

Thank you so much for this interviewand I hope that your readers follow mycampaign and vote for me in theSeptember 9th primary.”l

BY VANDELL PARK

Democratic challenger Techout with her running mate, Wu

“I talk to people all the timewho are unhappy that AndrewCuomo failed to pass theDREAM Act, and chose as hisLieutenant Governor runningmate, in an act that I finddeeply offensive, somebodywho has run as an anti-immi-grant, Kathy Hochul...”


MONEY MATTERS 9

One of the questions most oftenasked about credit cards is howthey can impact your credit

score. With so many different types ofcredit cards now available, it's no wonderconsumers have lots of questions.

Here are five credit card best practicesto help you pay down your outstandingdebt and improve your score for themonths ahead:

n Start small. One of the best ways toestablish credit is to apply for a creditcard with a low limit. Keep making on-time payments and your credit score islikely to improve. Once you have estab-lished a track record of managing yourcredit card account wisely, ask the cardissuer for a larger credit line. Credit scor-ing models look at the total amount ofcredit you have available, so a higherlimit can also have a positive impact onyour credit score. In fact, if you manageyour credit card properly, the card issuermay increase your credit limit withouteven having to ask.

n Don't charge more than you can payoff by the due date. This is perhaps themost obvious yet also most importantcredit card best practice. The averageinterest rate on credit cards is around 15percent, which is probably going to bethe most expensive debt you'll ever carry,

so maintaining a low balance each monthhelps to improve both your budget andyour credit score. Remember the pur-chase you made with your credit cardbecause it seemed like a good deal? Well,it ceases to be a great deal if you have topay interest on it month after month. Andthe balance you have on your credit cardcan have a significant negative impact onyour credit score if it's a large percentageof your total amount of credit available.VantageScore Solutions recommendskeeping balances under 30 percent of thelimit for any given card.

nThink of your credit score as a snap-shot in time. If that snapshot includes asignificant credit card balance, it couldhave a negative effect on your creditscore. Remember to pay off your balanceearly, or, at worst, make significant pay-ments in order keep the balance low ifyou expect your credit score will bepulled by a creditor and used to finance apurchase. Here's a trick you can try tohelp improve your credit scores evenmore: Pay your credit card bill onlineeven before you receive your statement.Or pay your bill down to zero or below30 percent a few months ahead of thenext time your credit is checked in antic-ipation, for example, of applying for amortgage or financing the purchase of avehicle. As long as you don't charge any-thing new, it will help to ensure a low

Spend Smart and Score Brilliantly

balance on your credit reports, and willlikely mean an improvement in yourcredit scores.

n Don't open up multiple cards within ashort timeframe. Each time you apply fora credit card, a "credit inquiry" will bemade with one or more of the threenational credit reporting companies(Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).Each inquiry can cause your credit scoreto decline slightly, but it should recoverto its previous level in a relatively shorttime, as long as you haven't exhibitedany other risky credit behaviors such asmissing a payment. Credit score modelsgenerally do allow you to shop for thebest rates for certain lines of credit, suchas those for auto and home loans, so itsokay to have multiple inquiries, as longas they occur within a two-week time-frame — and experts encourage shop-

ping for the best loan terms, even if thatmeans a short-term impact on your cred-it score. Having said that, if you're in themarket for a large loan, like a car orhome loan, it's a good idea not to openany new accounts until you've closed onthe loan.

n Hold on to your credit card for a while.The longer you have a credit card withconsistent on-time payments, the better itis from a credit-scoring standpoint.Credit-scoring models like to see thatyou are a good credit manager over along period of time. One common mythabout credit scores is that they willimprove if you close credit cardaccounts. Not only is that untrue, butclosing unused credit card accountscould actually cause your scores to drop.l(BPT)

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OBAMA ADMINISTRATION10

BY TYLER LEWIS

Civil and Human Rights Coalition Calls onObama to Reform Deportation Policy

On July 1, President Obamaannounced that his administra-tion would take executive action

to reform our broken immigration sys-tem, with an eye toward reducing unnec-essary deportations. The changes couldhave far-reaching implications for mil-lions of immigrant families who are suf-fering as a result of the current system.

The President’s announcement cameafter more than a year of the U.S. Houseof Representatives refusing to advanceany legislation to address immigration.The Senate passed a bipartisan bill (S.744) on June 27, 2013.Legislation passed by Congress remains

the most effective and comprehensiveway to address our broken immigrationsystem, but in the absence of legislation,President Obama can mitigate some ofthe problems through his constitutionalpower to fine-tune the details of existinglaws.

The Leadership Conference on Civiland Human Rights believes the followingreforms must be part of any executivechanges made by President Obama:

Broaden the Use of Affirmative ReliefThe administration should follow themodel of the 2012 “Deferred Action for

Childhood Arrival” (DACA) policy bydefining certain groups of immigrants —such as parents of U.S. citizen children,or those with strong community or workties here in the U.S. — who pose nothreat and whose cases can be“deferred,” sparing them and their fami-lies from senseless deportations.

Reform Immigration EnforcementPoliciesThe administration should do more toensure that immigration officials applycommon sense in cases where immi-grants do not qualify for DACA or otherforms of affirmative relief. The govern-ment should do more to use “prosecutor-ial discretion,” where officials look care-fully at individual cases and stop depor-tations that do not serve the public inter-est. And it must do more to protecthuman rights and prevent abuses near theborder.

Promote Humane Treatment inDetention PolicyThe combination of sweeping mandatorydetention laws, rigid numerical quotas,and the widespread use of private, for-profit corporate jails to house immigrantshave turned our deportation system into anational disgrace. The administrationshould increase the use of bond hearings,

and it should do more under existinglaws to use cheap, effective, and humanealternatives to prison-like detention con-ditions.

Protect the Rights of All WorkersMany immigrant workers are exploitedas cheap labor, only for their employersto turn them over to immigration author-ities when they stand up for fair pay orsafer conditions. This hurts immigrantand native-born workers alike. The

administration should swiftly move toprotect immigrant workers involved inlabor or civil rights disputes, and shouldprevent employers from using immigra-tion policies to retaliate againstworkers.l

For details about the letter to PresidentObama, please visit www.civilrights.org

For immigration news and updates,please visit www.ijlef.org


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IMMIGRATION 11

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to take up the Senate-passed bipartisanreform package.

On June 30, Obama signaled that hewould try to fix as much of the nation'sbroken immigration system as he couldunilaterally.

He directed Attorney General EricHolder and Homeland Security SecretaryJeh Johnson to identify by summer's end,the actions the administration legally cantake "to do what Congress refuses to doand fix as much of our immigration sys-tem as we can" and vowed he would"adopt those recommendations withoutfurther delay."

After numerous closed-door meetings,the timeline for presidential action isexpected to be early to mid-September,although there already are rumblings thatthe President should push the decisionuntil after Election Day.

Using executive authorityBy using his executive authority as pres-ident, Obama would try to reshape policywithout going to Congress. But whateverhe does would not carry the weight of alaw and he could provoke a legal chal-lenge if he tries to legislate on his own.

Some of the recommendations Obamamay be considering are:•Expanding his Deferred Action forArrivals (DACA) program. The programis currently limited to young undocu-mented immigrants brought to the U.S.as minors. Some advocates are recom-mending that Obama expand the programto include undocumented parents and siblings of immigrants already approved.

•Expanding the use of "parole in place"to include undocumented immigrantsalready in the U.S. who are eligible forgreen cards. That would allow them toget green cards without having to firstreturn to their country and wait 10 years.

•Allow some family members who havebeen deported to return to the U.S. toreunite with relatives in the U.S. who arecitizens through the expanded use of"humanitarian parole."

•Allow immigrants who receive deferredaction, temporary protected status, asy-lum or refugee status to join the militaryand, after serving five years, be eligiblefor citizenship. Immigrants without per-manent residency are currently barredfrom the military.

There also are indications Obama couldmake concessions to business interestssuch as the high-tech industry in hopes ofsoftening opposition to the other policychanges.

By using his executive authority asPresident, Obama would try to reshapepolicy without going to Congress. Butwhatever he does would not carry theweight of a law and he could provoke alegal challenge if he tries to legislate onhis own.

Arizonans weigh inRep. Raúl Grijalva, (D-Ariz.), saidObama must take action on his own

Republicans retake the Senate in thecoming November elections if Obama's action drives more angry Republican vot-ers to the polls than Democrats whowould want to reward him.

Obama also risks alienating Republicanallies of immigration reform, such asSen. John McCain, (R-Ariz), who wasthe lead GOP negotiator on last year'sbipartisan reform bill — which passedthe Senate in 2013 — and is warning Obama not to overreach on his own.

Still, Obama's presidential legacy onimmigration is at stake and he may beready to "go big" despite the politicalramifications.

"I think the people want the Presidentto be bold," said Petra Falcon, ExecutiveDirector of Promise Arizona, an immigration advocacy group. "They wantthe president to be a leader. He needs tobe a problem solver."

Plenty of criticismPresident Obama may soon make anexecutive move on the immigration cri-sis, bypassing Congress to help some ofthe children at the border and other ille-gal immigrants avoid deportation. ThePresident has taken flak from both sideson immigration reform. He has been crit-icized by reformers for the record num-ber of deportations during his administra-tion. He has been frustrated byRepublicans in the House, who declined

because it is now clear that Congress isnot going to act before his second term asPresident ends. He also argues thatObama is bound to receive criticism fromRepublicans for taking even limitedaction on immigration so why not use hisauthority to protect as many people aspossible from deportation?

Grijalva dismisses McCain's claim thatObama will destroy chances for passingan immigration bill if he takes action onhis own.

"If the president does something big, itis going to build momentum, maybe notduring his time in office, but I guaranteeyou, whoever runs for president in 2016will have question Number 1 to answeron the issue of immigration reform,"Grijalva said. "The question will be: Areyou going to extend (Obama's) executiveactions on immigration?"

After immigration-reform efforts fellapart in the House, Falcon's organization,Promise Arizona, shifted its attention topush Obama to take action to protect asmany undocumented immigrants as pos-sible from deportation and allow them tohave work permits.

"What we want him to do is bring reliefto as many of the 11 million undocument-ed (in the country) as possible," Falconsaid.l

Obama’s ProposedAmnesty to Expand DACA?continued from page 1

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NEWS SMALL BUSINESS MATTERS12

Are you an entrepreneur who isfrustrated and perplexed andsimply overwhelmed by the

plethora of rules and regulations outthere and are just at your wit’s end sinceyou don’t have the foggiest idea who youcan turn to for help? You took a huge stepand exited the world of 9-5 and are nowanxious to attach that “Open forBusiness” sign on your retail establish-ment. But before you climb that ladderyou must make an appointment with theNew American Chamber of Commerce(NACC) Small Business Solutions.NACC’s Small Business Solutions con-sultations are facilitated through the LawFirm of Figeroux & Associates. We havethe answers. We have the expertise. Wehave the knowledge. We have the experi-ence. And we have compassion andrespect for the small business owner whowants to achieve the American Dream ofbusiness ownership. Here’s how we canhelp:

If you are running a home-based busi-ness, which incidentally, is a very popu-lar business genre today—your officecan be but a few steps away in yourkitchen, bedroom, basement, attic orwherever —you might just qualify for

home business tax deductions. You juststarted your business and already, we’resaving you money.

If you are operating a business, youwill need an accountant to help you payyour taxes every year; all those pages andpages with the tiny print, are time-con-suming. Who has the time?

If you are a savvy entrepreneur, youwill most certainly want to avoid theunpleasant and scary experience of beingaudited. Who wants to meet with theIRS?

If you are in business with a colleague,you will need a partnership or sharehold-ers agreement. A handshake is notenough, even if your business partner is

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You should formulate a business plan,which is an absolute prerequisite forevery single business owner—this isneeded when you are hunting for fundingsources; e.g., banks or venture capitalists.You certainly are not going to dip intoyour pocket for cash.

You should decide what type ofaccounting software would be mostappropriate for your business. IsQuickBooks the right choice?

You should either handle your book-keeping and accounting in-house or out-

source it; the latter is a cost-effectivestrategy since you won’t have to hire full-time staff to perform this vital function.

You should make a determination as towho should control your business’scheckbooks. You should be aware ofyour sales tax responsibilities.

You should have an expert review yourfranchise agreement in the event you areinterested in exploring opportunities inthe exciting and lucrative world of fran-chising.

In summation—under one roof, SmallBusiness Solutions incorporates theexpertise and experience of a LegalDepartment, a Tax Preparation andAudits Department, an Accounting andBookkeeping Department, a FranchisingDepartment and a CollectionsDepartment—all of the departments thatwill enable you to focus all your energyon attracting customers and watchingyour business grow. Just imagine, youare a small business and yet, you willenjoy personalized attention from depart-ments that are an integral component ofBig Business. That’s how NACC’s SmallBusiness Solutions can help your busi-ness.

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SMALL BUSINESS MATTERS 13

Government Contracting andCertification – What Does lt Really Mean?

You’ve heard the phrases before:government contracting andsmall business certification, but

what do they really mean? And does itreally matter for your small business?Maybe — and maybe not. Let’s cutthrough all the noise and define thesephrases in a meaningful way for yourentrepreneurial endeavors.

What is government contracting?Government contracting is the processthat lets you sell your goods or servicesto the government and its various agen-cies. The government has a contract oragreement with you, whereby it purchas-es what you do or make. And U.S. gov-ernment agencies buy a lot from smallbusinesses — nearly $100 billion worthof goods and services each year! Frommarket research to janitorial services, ifyou want to make the government yourcustomer, there’s a good chance there’s aneed for what you offer.

So, what does it mean to be certified asa “small business”?Being certified as a “small business” isonly significant if you’re interested ingovernment contracting. Why? Because

there are certain set-asides that the gov-ernment must adhere to when they’relooking to buy goods or services – there’sa percentage of business set aside for dif-ferent kinds of companies, includingsmall businesses. (Others includewomen-owned, veteran-owned, etc.) Soif you want to be a contender in the fed-eral marketplace, your small business hasto meet official criteria to be eligible forgovernment contracts.

How do I certify my business as small?First, make sure you do, in fact, have asmall business. For most industries,Small Business Administration (SBA)defines a "small business" either in termsof the average number of employees overthe past 12 months, or average annualreceipts over the past three years.

Then, when you know you adhere tothe size standards, you register for gov-ernment contracting. This process alsoserves the purpose of “certifying” your

business as small.

Where can I get help?Starting out in government contractingcan be overwhelming, but SBA hasresources to help:•The Government ContractingClassroom: Online, self-paced trainingcourses to fill you in on the governmentcontracting landscape — from startingout to special programs•Procurement Technical AssistanceCenters (PTACs): PTACs offer local, in-person counseling and training servicesto businesses that want to sell productsand services to federal, state and/or localgovernments.•Selling to the Government – Get StartedWith These 5 Steps: A five-step plan thatsummarizes the process of entering thefederal marketplace, plus links to addi-tional resources.l

K. Murray is an author and moderatorfor the the SBA.gov Community.

The New American Chamber ofCommerce (NACC ) offers seminars ongovernment contracting and certification.For more information, visitwww.mynacc.org

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NEWS CARIBBEAN NEWSBRIEFS14Jamaica Diaspora Comes Up Big

St. Lucia to Examine Economic Citizenship

Jamaicans living abroad have remit-ted US$16 billion to the local econo-my over the past decade, according

to the island’s Minister of State in theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and ForeignTrade, Arnaldo Brown.

Brown told the launch of the NorthEast United States leg of the “MappingJamaica’s Diaspora Project” that thislevel of inflow from the Diaspora contin-ues to demonstrate its commitment to thecountry.

But in addition to remittances, Brownsaid other aspects of the Diaspora arecritical to the development of theCaribbean island.

“The Diaspora, which has already beenplaying an integral role in nation build-ing, particularly in the health and educa-

tion sectors, is now being invited tostrengthen its cooperation with their landof origin in the areas identified in thenational growth and investment agenda,”he told the launch.

Brown said that, last year, over 300health missions visited Jamaica from theDiaspora, and that schools also continue

to receive “tremendous support” fromorganizations, institutions and alumni.

He noted that an estimated three mil-lion Jamaicans are in the Diaspora, withthe United States accounting for 1.8 mil-lion. The United Kingdom and Canadaaccount for an estimated 800,000 and300,000, respectively.

Brown said the goal is to have 100,000Jamaicans in the Mapping Jamaica’sDiaspora database by June 2015 and thatthe sixth biennial Jamaica Diaspora con-ference will take place in Montego Bayfrom June 14-18 next year under thetheme “Jamaica and the Diaspora,Looking for Growth and Prosperity”.l

Source: www.caribbean360.com

Remains ofJonestown Mass-suicide VictimsDiscovered in Former U.S. Funeral Home

The cremated remains of severalvictims of the 1978 JonestownMassacre have been found in a

former funeral home in the U.S. state ofDelaware.

The remains were found among 38small containers of ashes found insidethe former Minus Funeral Home inDover, Delaware.

The Dover police told local media thatof the 38 containers, 33 were clearlymarked and identified. Nine of the 33containers of unclaimed ashes were iden-tified as victims of the Massacre.

The marked containers spanned a peri-od from approximately 1970 through the1990s. The funeral home’s owner,Edward Minus, died in 2012, and thefuneral home was foreclosed on inOctober 2013.

“It was definitely a shock when wefound out exactly what we had,” saidDover police spokesman Mark Hoffman.“Obviously, it’s an intriguing story and atragic story, and to think this was foundright here in our jurisdiction, about sixblocks from the police department, makesit very compelling to us.”l

The St. Lucia government hasappointed a task force to deter-mine whether or not the island

should establish an EconomicCitizenship Program (ECP).

The Kenny Anthony government saidthat the task force, which is expected tosubmit a report by December 1, will bechaired by Professor Vaughan Lewis, theforeign policy advisor to the governmentand former University of the West Indies(UWI) lecturer.

It also includes McHale Andrew, the

chief executive officer of Invest St.Lucia, trade unionist George Goddard,US attorney Larry Bashman and TimothyFerdinand, President of the NationalYouth Council.

Governor General Dame PearletteLouisy, in the Thorne Speech earlier thisyear outlining the government’s policies,had noted that it would have the questionwhether or not St. Lucia should establishan ECP as a new area of investment.

“The time has arrived for us to examinethe case for defining and broadening the

framework under which citizenshipmight be offered as part of investing in St.Lucia; and if we should think that it is aviable option, then under what circum-stances we should do so.”

She said then the government hoped“that this matter will be addressed withurgency during the current parliamen-tary year.”

Several Caribbean countries haveimplemented ECPs as a component oftheir national capital mobilization goal ofnational development.l

MinisterArnaldoBrown


NEWS CV1

nHEALTH nENTERTAINMENT nRELATIONSHIPS nRECIPES nSPORTS nHOROSCOPE

Caribbean Kitchen Corner

"My grandmother came up with thisrecipe to use up some larger than lifezucchini that came from her garden.This is an easy way to use up those left-over bananas too!" — TahoeGirl

Ingredients2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 2 ripe bananas, mashed 3 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions1.Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F(165 degrees C). Grease and flour 29x5-inch loaf pans.

2.Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole

Visit www.cawnyc.comfor the latest Caribbean news, sports, information and more!

SUBMITTED BY TAHOEGIRLALLRECIPIES.COM

Caribbean Zucchini Bread

wheat flour, salt, baking soda, bak-ing powder, cinnamon, and nutmegtogether in a bowl. Beat thebananas, eggs, vegetable oil, apple-sauce, brown sugar, white sugar,and vanilla together in a separatelarge bowl. Stir the flour mixtureinto the wet mixture. Fold the zuc-chini, walnuts, and coconut into thebatter until evenly combined. Pourinto the prepared pans.

3.Bake in the preheated oven for 40to 50 minutes, until a toothpickinserted into the center comes outclean. Cool in the pans for 25 min-utes before removing to cool com-pletely on a wire rack.l

• PREP 20 mins • COOK 45 mins • READY IN 1 hr 25 mins

Stunning Beauty toRepresent Haiti OnInternational Stage

Lisa Drouillard is a smart young woman and she isstunningly beautiful. She holds a degree in Crim-inal Justice, and she is also a violinist and has been

competing in pageants for eight years holding many titlesand is now Miss Grand Haiti International. During herearly years she started modeling and doing philanthropicwork that came along with her winning titles.

Lisa has been featured in magazines such as Today’s

Black Women, Super Models Unlimited andHype Hair. NY Daily News featured Lisa in anarticle after her victory as Ms. Teen New YorkUSA 2010. She has also appeared on severalTV shows.

On Haitian Flag Day in 2011, Lisa received acitation from former Brooklyn Borough Presi-dent Marty Markowitz, and she was alsoawarded a citation and a proclamation at theNew York City Council at City Hall.

Lisa is in the midst of creating her own non-profit organization and several projects forHaiti.

Early this summer 2014, Lisa assumed thetitle of Miss Grand Haiti International. This isthe first time Haiti will be represented on the"Miss Grand International" stage, which willtake place in Bangkok, Thailand, in October."Miss Grand International" is one of the largestinternational pageants in the world, where abouta hundred countries are represented.

"I have always been proud of my Haitian her-itage and culture. I will be wearing a ToussaintLouverture outfit during the competition inThailand. It's such an honor for me to representHaiti on such a grand scale," said Lisa.

To follow and keep up with Lisa, you can fol-low her on her Instagram @itslisadee or theFacebook Miss Grand Haiti. The hashtag to useif someone wants to spread the message alongwith Lisa’s photo is #MissGrandHaiti.

To view Lisa and other beauties from aroundthe world, who will compete in Bangkok, Thai-land, on October 7, 2014 for "Miss GrandInternational," go to ww.missgrandinterna-tional.com/?page=contestant.

To go directly to Lisa's page/website, go towww.missgrandhaiti.wordpress.com. l

BY SMITH GEORGES

Nicki Minaj's "Pink Print" is due out November28th, which happens to be Black Friday. Therelease of Nicki Minaj's new album has been up in

the air for a while. The success of "Anaconda" which ben-efited from a strong viral campaign, climaxing with therecord-breaking release of the ass-tastic music videomakes it a bonafide hit; and a bonafide hit means a releasedate.

Sticking with the Pink Friday theme of her albums, therecord will hit stores November 28th, AKA Black Friday.Will you be grabbing a copy?l

Pink Friday to be Released Nov 28


NEWS HEALTHCV2

While erectile dysfunction (ED)is common, it’s also frequentlymisunderstood. Perhaps that’s

because ED is a subject that is not oftentalked about—it can be awkward andembarrassing for both and men andwomen to discuss, even with a healthcareprovider. But talking about it, and learn-ing about it, can help men and their part-ners understand and manage this commoncondition.

What ED is:•The inability to maintain an erection suit-able for intercourse.•A medical condition that can affect menof any age.•A common sexual problem that typicallyhas a physical cause, but can also be theresult of psychological issues or a sideeffect of medication.•Often, the first sign of an underlyingmedical condition.

What ED isn’t:•A “natural part of aging.”•A sign that a man isn’t interested in sexor isn’t attracted to his partner.•Something that only happens to oldermen.•Just a man’s problem.•A problem without solutions.

This last point is an important one toremember—there are solutions. The first

step to that solution is talking to a health-care provider to figure out what is causingED. There are many things that can causethis condition:

•Heart disease•High blood pressure•Diabetes•Parkinson’s disease•Trauma from surgery, such as surgeryrelated to prostate cancer•Hormonal problems (e.g., thyroid dis-ease)•Anxiety•Depression•Relationship problems•Fear of intimacy or performance anxiety•Drug abuse•Alcoholism•Smoking•Obesity•Certain prescription medications

A healthcare provider can help figure outwhat is causing ED, and what treatmentmight be best.

Involving Your PartnerED isn’t just a man’s problem—his part-ner is affected as well. ED can cause aman to withdraw from sex and his partner.A female partner may blame herself,thinking that she is no longer desirable.She may also blame her partner and sus-pect infidelity as the cause behind his ED.A lack of communication can be destruc-tive for couples dealing with ED. For menin relationships dealing with ED, talkingwith a partner is an essential part of man-aging the condition.

So how do couples start the conversa-tion about ED?

What to do:•Acknowledge that this is difficult to talkabout. For many men, sexual performance

Erectile Dysfunction: Involving Your Partneris a real part of self identity, and problemsin that area can be a blow to a man’s self-esteem. Recognize that this is hard to talkabout, even embarrassing, but impor-tant—for both of you.•Educate yourselves about ED. Learnwhat ED is (and isn’t) to better understandwhat might be causing the problem. Asmost cases of ED have physical causes,focus on this as a medical problem likeany other.•Stay positive and focus on solutions.There are many treatment options avail-able and professionals, including health-care providers and therapists, who canhelp.

What not to do:•Withdraw from your partner and avoidsex. This can only lead to greater misun-derstanding of the issue.•Discuss this in the bedroom. Instead,choose a neutral place to talk andapproach the subject in a calm manner,away from the heightened emotions of thebedroom.•(For partners) Internalize the problem.This is a medical problem your partner isdealing with. ED does not mean yourpartner is cheating or no longer finds youattractive. Focus on helping your partnerand encouraging him to seek medicalhelp.l

Source: American Sexual HealthAssociation.


LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS CV3

When you're happy in your rela-tionship, posting about it onsocial media seems only natu-

ral. Uploading pictures, adding youranniversary to your profile, and taggingeach other on a regular basis is very com-mon. One professor at University ofCalifornia, Santa Cruz calls these things"digital possessions." So what do you dowith your virtual scrapbook when therelationship ends? Social media andbreakups aren't a great combination.Looking at old social media posts andcontent can make it very hard to moveforward in your new life. Here are sometips for how to begin to get over a breakup even if you have social media connec-tions.

Social Media and Breakups Make ItMore Difficult to Get OverYour Ex

In a study where 24 young adults wereinterviewed, researchers found that “…12 of the study subjects deleted the digi-tal reminders, eight were keepers andfour were selective about what they keptor deleted.” Basically, half of the studysubjects deleted all reminders of their ex,but the other half didn’t find it so easy toremove all digital reminders of the rela-

tionship. The study also found that someof the people who deleted content regret-ted it afterwards. Here are some tips forhow to stop social media from making ithard to heal from your breakup:

Step AwayBefore you take any steps on socialmedia that you might regret later, turnaway from social media for at least aweek or two. Deactivate your account, orjust log out and clear your browser histo-ry so it’s harder to return to the site. Thiscooling off period will give you distancefrom the digital reminders, and prevent

you from deleting everything which youmight regret. It also gives you time awayfrom all of the digital reminders that arelike salt in a wound.

Hide PeopleYou can hide people from some newsfeeds, such as Facebook. This will stoppictures of your ex or his status updatesfrom popping up without actually havingto remove your connection. This usuallywon’t be enough, however, because it’stoo tempting to keep visiting the profile.When you need to, unfriend your ex sothat you can really distance yourself from

his posts and pictures. It can be hurtful tosee that he’s moved on, and you’re justreopening the wound every time you login.

Save Pictures Before You Delete Them It might be necessary to remove imageswith your former flame, because it’s justtoo hard to look through the albums.Save these images to a flash drive orexternal storage device, and then removethem from Facebook. This way, if youever want the images you have a copy,but you are not continuing to concentrateon a negative memory of the past whenlooking through your pictures.

Digital evidence can make it really hardto move on after a breakup. At the end ofthe day, do what you need to do to moveforward in a positive way. If that meansuntagging yourself in images, or evenblocking people — the most importantthing is that you’re taking steps to remainpositive and starting to heal.

Article compliments of Jennine Estes, aMarriage and Family Therapist in SanDiego, California. Jennine is certified inEmotionally Focused Therapy forCouples and creator of #BeingLOVEDIscampaign. MFC#47653. Visitwww.estestherapy.com l

GREEN CARD SLAVERY?Don’t put up with ABUSE anymore! We can get a Green

Card for you and your children PLUS a divorce. Call 718-222-3155 now for a FREE consultation!ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

BY JENNINE ESTES

Breakups: Is Social Media Making it Hardto Move On?


IN TROUBLE WITHTHE LAW?

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Remember the lawyer youhire, does make a difference!

NEWS CONVERSATIONSCV4

For countless years our country haswitnessed an over-abundance ofaccusations from various political

parties and organizations leveled at theiropponents, and oft-times even their col-leagues, with regards to your run-of-the-mill allegations of sinister transactionsand dealings. Quite rare, however, havewe truly had the opportunity to authenti-cate these claims one way or the other inan effort to put the matter to rest in thebest interest of the national community.How many questions are there that arestill being asked of the previous adminis-tration, including those that hover overyour own head, that could utilize closureto put the minds of the citizenry to rest?For you see, for all the denunciationplaced on the current constitutionalamendment that is purportedly diminish-ing the trust that the population holds inour democracy, it is really the mistrustgenerated by these unsolved, allegedabuses that is responsible for any dwin-dling faith.

It is with this knowledge that I findyour recent tirade on the winding downof the "emailgate" probe to be quiteamusing. The issue you have raised inrelation to the Hon. Attorney General'scommunication of Google's officialrelease, summarizing their investigationinto the matter is that it was the Hon.

Attorney General who was in fact inves-tigating himself. How in your mind youcan arrive at the conclusion that someoneseeking to obtain information duringwhich time a separate and independentinvestigation was taking place (informa-tion that can be used as evidence shouldlegal action be taken against him)amounts to investigating himself, is sim-ply baffling. By that logic, I would saythe same of the man who goes to thepolice station for a copy of an accidentreport if the matter is being taken tocourt. But more than that, there are someobvious questions that are begging to beasked, but unfortunately has not beendone as yet. Those would be:

•If by your measure the response givenby Google does not exonerate the Hon.Attorney General from your claims, doyou possess any information or evidenceto the contrary?

•If you have indeed validated them, whyhave you not produced it to the public?

•If you have validated them, which firmdid you use to do so and when did you doit?

•If not, have you ever sought to havethem validated, and if not, why?

You speak of the Hon. Attorney Generalinvestigating himself, but who did youapproach to conduct your investigationinto these allegations before you openlyshared these falsified documents with theMembers of Parliament and the rest ofthe nation? Or did you think that ourdemocracy would allow you to act asjudge, jury and executioner in doling outyour verdict without a second thought orreason? When I listen to your pleas forthe government to consider public con-sultation in parliamentary affairs, I won-der, with whom did you consult beforedispensing these falsified documents anduntruthful allegations unto our unsus-pecting citizens? Was it that you were soheart-warmed by the magnanimity of thepersons who generously offered up the

documents that it became an impossibili-ty in your own mind that these docu-ments could have been falsified? Or wereyou just desperate to produce any glim-mer of affirmation that you're not com-pletely ineffectual as the Leader of theOpposition? Your hypocrisy good sir, itwould seem, knows no bounds.

Based on this, there is no wonder whyyou would therefore oppose any amend-ment to the constitution. In its currentform, you are protected as a member ofParliament to do and say as you pleasewithout fear of removal. But how long doyou think your constituents would toler-ate your incompetence should the right ofrecall be available to their discretion? Italmost certainly would not be five years.The least you can do now is to apologizeto the Hon. Prime Minister, members ofCabinet and the public at large for yourdeception and betrayal. To ask that youremove yourself from office would indi-cate that you may indeed still be con-scionable and capable of observing theHonorable prefix attached to your name.Honorable Dr. Rowley, is not just a title,it is a code that you swear to live bywhile you maintain public office, and themoment you lose your honor, you shouldgive up your office and your title, other-wise you will continue to mislead thepublic for as long as you remain in theirservice.l

An Open Letter: Dear Dr. Keith RowleyBY RAVI MAHARAJ

Hosea: 4:6 - My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge

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Date: Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 12noon


AMERICAN DREAM 19

Looking for the Best Mortage: Shop,Compare & NegotiateShopping around for a home loan or

mortgage will help you to get thebest financing deal. A mortgage—

whether it’s a home purchase, a refinanc-ing, or a home equity loan—is a product,just like a car, so the price and terms maybe negotiable. You’ll want to compare allthe costs involved in obtaining a mort-gage. Shopping, comparing, and negotiat-ing may save you thousands of dollars.

Home loans are available from severaltypes of lenders—commercial banks,mortgage companies, and credit unions.Different lenders may quote you differentprices, so you should contact severallenders to make sure you’re getting thebest price. You can also get a home loanthrough a mortgage broker.

Brokers arrange transactions rather thanlending money directly; in other words,they find a lender for you. Whether youare dealing with a lender or a broker maynot always be clear.

Some financial institutions operate asboth lenders and brokers. And most bro-kers’ advertisements do not use the word“broker.” Therefore, be sure to askwhether a broker is involved. This infor-mation is important because brokers areusually paid a fee for their services thatmay be separate from, and in addition to,the lender’s origination or other fees. A

broker’s compensation may be in the formof “points” paid at closing or as an add-onto your interest rate, or both. You shouldask each broker you work with how he orshe will be compensated, so that you cancompare the different fees. Be prepared tonegotiate with the brokers as well as thelenders.

Obtain All Important Cost InformationBe sure to get information about mort-gages from several lenders or brokers.Know how much of a down payment youcan afford, and find out all the costsinvolved in the loan. Knowing just theamount of the monthly payment or theinterest rate is not enough. Ask for infor-

mation about the same loan amount, loanterm, and type of loan so that you cancompare the information. It’s important toknow about rates, points, fees, down pay-ments and private mortgage insurance.

Obtain the Best Deal That You CanOnce you know what each lender has tooffer, negotiate for the best deal that youcan. On any given day, lenders and bro-kers may offer different prices for thesame loan terms to different consumers,even if those consumers have the sameloan qualifications. The most likely reasonfor this difference in price, is that loanofficers and brokers are often allowed tokeep some or all of this difference as extracompensation.

Generally, the difference between thelowest available price for a loan productand any higher price that the borroweragrees to pay, is an overage. When over-ages occur, they are built into the pricesquoted to consumers. They can occur inboth fixed and variable-rate loans and canbe in the form of points, fees, or the inter-est rate. Whether quoted to you by a loanofficer or a broker, the price of any loanmay contain overages.

Have the lender or broker write down allthe costs associated with the loan. Then

ask if the lender or broker will waive orreduce one or more of its fees or agree toa lower rate or fewer points. You’ll wantto make sure that the lender or broker isnot agreeing to lower one fee while raisinganother or to lower the rate while raisingpoints.

There’s no harm in asking lenders orbrokers if they can give better terms thanthe original ones they quoted or than thoseyou have found elsewhere. Once you aresatisfied with the terms you have negotiat-ed, you may want to obtain a written lock-in from the lender or broker. The lock-inshould include the rate that you haveagreed upon, the period the lock-in lasts,and the number of points to be paid. A feemay be charged for locking in the loanrate. This fee may be refundable at clos-ing. Lock-ins can protect you from rateincreases while your loan is beingprocessed; if rates fall, however, youcould end up with a less favorable rate.Should that happen, try to negotiate acompromise with the lender or broker.

Remember: Shop, Compare &NegotiateWhen buying a home, remember to shoparound, to compare costs and terms, andto negotiate for the best deal.l


NEWS KNOW YOUR RIGHTS20

Today, families across America arefacing a dilemma—they are con-fronted with a very expensive

investment for their children when theybrainstorm and make the decision to sendthem to college. But fortunately studentloans are available for their sons anddaughters who want to achieve theAmerican Dream and get better jobs thantheir parents and go to college to realizethat dream. They just have to be veryserious about doing their homework andbecoming knowledgeable about all ofthose student loans out there. Do not bediscouraged; do not procrastinate; stu-dent loans are out there waiting for appli-cants just like you.

You don’t think you qualify for finan-cial aid.So many college students don’t evenbother applying for financial aid becausethey don’t think they qualify, but that is ahuge mistake. You are passing up theopportunity to see if you qualify forgrants, which basically, is money for col-lege that you do not have to pay back,which of course is the situation withloans. Even if you don’t qualify for agrant, you can still qualify for federalloans as opposed to private student loans,the former which come at a lower inter-est rate. You’ll also find out if you quali-fy for work study, which is an opportuni-ty for you to work on campus to earnextra money.

You forget or miss the deadline for theFree Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA)To find out if you qualify for this type offinancial aid, you must fill out the freeFAFSA. You’ll have to provide informa-tion about your income and possibly yourparents’ income as well as your parents’assets. There is a deadline to filling outthis application, and it needs to be doneeither every year or every semester;every college has their own policy. Thesooner you fill out the FAFSA, the better,because once this financial assistance isused up, it’s gone.

You have the “borrow now, earn later”mentality.A lot of the problems with student loansis attributable to the fact that you can

borrow as much as you want, because injust a few short years you’ll be earning asteady, good salary and will be able topay it back with ease. Unfortunately, intoday’s recessionary economy, this isn’talways the case. A lot of recent graduatesstruggle to find a job once they graduate,or even when they do, it’s not the salarythey expected. Plus, even if you do landa job, shelling out a good portion of yourhard-earned income stings every month.Be conscious of the money you are bor-rowing, and do everything possible toreduce what you will owe.

You take out more loans than youneed.Going along with that same borrow now,earn later mentality, many college stu-dents take out extra loans. Hey, what’s an

extra few thousand each semester to beable to live in a nicer apartment, buysome new clothes, take a vacation, orsimply have more fun with friends. It’snot a good idea because those extra loansadd up quickly, and you’re paying inter-est on them as well. Once you’re donewith school, working, and trying to payoff those loans, you’ll realize those extraloans weren’t worth it.

You take more classes than you need.Depending on where you’re headed tocollege, one single class can cost hun-dreds or even thousands of dollars.Taking classes you don’t need to gradu-ate, is a horrible financial mistake. Thisis a common occurrence when peoplechange their major. It’s tricky becauseyou certainly aren’t going to stick withsomething you realize isn’t a good fit foryou. To avoid this, really think aboutyour major before you start takingrequired courses. Sit in on classes, meetwith advisors, talk with professors, shad-ow people in your field, and do plenty ofresearch on the job outlook, what the jobentails, and other working conditionsincluding salary. This way, you aren’tmaking a rushed decision on a major.Another reason why people take classesthey don’t need, is that they aren’t quitesure and take something by accident.Requirements for colleges are constantlychanging, so it’s a good idea to meet with

Avoiding Student Loan Mistakes

continued on the next page


NEWSKNOW YOUR RIGHTS 21

an advisor in your major’s departmentevery semester to figure out what youshould be taking. You don’t apply for scholarships.Scholarships are free money used toapply towards your college education.Many people don’t think they’ll qualifyfor any scholarships or simply don’t wantto take the time to apply. But you neverknow if you qualify for a scholarship.You can find scholarships offeredthrough your college, city or state gov-ernment, private organizations, commu-nity groups, professional organizations,and much more. Ask your college’s stu-dent finance service department aboutwhat scholarships your school offers andadvice on where to find other organiza-tions that offer scholarships.

You don’t stick to a budget.Just because you’re in college, doesn’tmean you shouldn’t be trying to stick toa budget. Know where your money isgoing. You might be shocked to learnwhat you’re spending on coffee or whenyou grab a quick bite with friends. Goback over the last three months to seewhat you spent on food, gas and trans-portation, entertainment and going outwith friends, and all of your other bills,like cable, electric, and rent. See what theaverage cost was. It might be more thanyou anticipated. Make an amount that

you’re comfortable spending and stick toit by keeping track of your spending andfinding ways to cut costs.

You don’t really understand how thestudent loans work.That saying ignorance is bliss is some-what applicable to student loans, at leastwhile you’re still in school. It may soundirresponsible, but it’s pretty common forpeople just to blindly take out loans, notrealizing what they’re paying in interestand what they will actually owe oncethey get out of school. Really understandwhat you’re borrowing, the interest, andwhat the payments will be when yougraduate.

You drop classes.Two weeks into the semester and yourealize you don’t like your professor,you’re having issues in your personallife, or you just don’t like the class.Before you register, be sure you knowthe specific date when you can drop aclass without any fees or penalties.l

Avoiding Student LoansMistakes/continued from the previous page

Workers’ compensation providesa claim and benefit system forworkers who become ill, are

injured, or die on the job. To be covered byworkers’ compensation, an injury need notbe caused by a sudden accident (such as afall or equipment malfunction). Equallycommon claims are for injuries due torepeated physical motions—backstrainfrom lifting heavy boxes, for example.Physical conditions that are aggravated byworkplace conditions—such as emphyse-ma made worse by airborne chemicals —may also be covered. And, workers cansometimes be compensated for the effectsof psychological stress caused by the job.The common requirement for any of thesetypes of injuries is that they happened atwork or are related to work.

From the employee’s standpoint, work-ers’ comp is a no-fault system. It does notmatter whether a worker was carelesswhen injured. However, claims made byemployees who hurt themselves whiledrunk or fighting have often been rejectedas outside the bounds of “work-relatedactivity.” In some states, being intoxicatedis not usually enough to bar a claim; inthese states only if the intoxication causedthe injury will it not be covered by work-ers' comp.

Some states restrict coverage for injuries

caused by employees’ own misconduct.For example, in California injuries that areintentionally self-inflicted are not coveredby workers' comp, nor are injuriesreceived by someone who started a fight orengaged in horseplay that was clearly dis-couraged by the employer. And a numberof states expressly restrict or deny benefitswhen an employee’s claim is based oninjuries caused by the use of nonprescrip-tion, illegal drugs.

However, courts have often sided withthe injured worker when such cases aredisputed, ruling that the injury is coveredas long as the employee’s behavior was notthe only thing that caused the injury.Another questionable area is injuriescaused by a coworker’s violent behavior,although the workers’ comp laws in afew states, including California, specifi-cally cover them.l

Source: www.nolo.com

Are Injuries Covered Whenthe Employee Is Partially atFault?


NEWS DIASPORA CONCERNS22

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s evasive-ness on immigration causes a veryclear correlation, for minority

immigrant communities, between race andpriorities.As governor of one of the most ethnically

diverse places in the world, one wouldexpect Governor Cuomo to take a moreproactive stance for state legislation thatwould help New York’s varied immigrantpopulation, but he doesn’t.

Governor Cuomo holds the strongestpolitical power at the state level, yet heacts as if legislation that would alleviatethe constraints on undocumented immi-grants is completely out of his politicaljurisdiction, but it isn’t.

While the federal government has fum-bled with comprehensive immigrationreform, several other states have passedstate laws—access to drivers’ licenses,state IDs, and tuition assistance—to helpthe undocumented community.

Since he took office in 2011, members ofthe Hispanic, Caribbean, and Latino com-munities have called, written letters, andused social media outlets as a means todirectly reach out to Governor Cuomo forhis assistance.

The New York DREAM Act, a proposedlegislation that would allow undocumentedcollege students to access governmenttuition assistance, is a measure thatGovernor Cuomo should have openlyendorsed. His support would have greatly

impacted its chance of passing the NYSenate this year.

Several weeks prior to Cuomo’s 2014State of the State Address, Latino lawmak-ers and DREAM Act supporters petitionedthe Governor to take a stronger stance infavor of the measure and make it a priorityin his speech.

During his speech, Governor Cuomoreduced the plight of undocumented immi-grants in New York—the inability toaccess health care, provide for their fami-lies, tuition assistance, state IDs—to ananti-Semitic incident he read about in anarticle.

“I found a situation that I actually foundquite disturbing, and there was an article

in the newspaper abouta high school in PineBush, New York, andthe article said that agroup of Jewish parentswere bringing a lawsuitagainst the schoolbecause their childrenhad been victims ofanti-Semitism,” saidCuomo. “Swastikaswere drawn in theschool, anti-Semiticremarks, throwingmoney at kids and mak-ing ugly, crude state-ments.” He never mentionedthe Dream Act. Themistreatment of any

group based on race or religion is wrongand should be addressed, but it’s hard tocomprehend how an article that he readwas more pertinent to his speech than thethousands of direct messages he receivedfrom non-white immigrants.

Caribbean, Latino, and Asian immi-grants—groups that make up New York’sundocumented majority—are also discrim-inated against and taken advantage of dailyin the state that he governs.

It remains to be seen how GovernorCuomo’s 2014 reelection campaign will beaffected by his lack of initiative on statelegislation that would help a majority ofminority immigrants. l

Is Race Cuomo’s Real Reason forStaying Quiet on Immigration?BY JHODIE-ANN WILLIAMS steps of City Hall, minority chamber

leaders challenged Mayor de Blasio tomeet with them to discuss how they canwork together to eliminate the discrimi-natory aspects of the law and seek waysto increase minority business participa-tion in doing business with New YorkCity. Chambers officials say that a num-ber of minority business owners have ful-filled the City’s certification requirementbut are still sidelined from procuringcontracts with the City.

Founder, Chairman and CEO of theNew American Chamber of Commerce,Brian Figeroux, Esq., made a passionateappeal to Mayor de Blasio: “Bill deBlasio, we love you; we respect you.What we are asking you, Mayor DeBlasio to do, is to work with minoritybusinesses, because America’s futureaccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, isvested in minorities, minorities who aregoing to become the majority, whether itbe the Hispanic, Asian or Black, by 2015,and we have to invest in that majority byworking with them. So we are calling onMayor de Blasio to do the right thing andwork with minority chambers and busi-nesses, if not, our message here today isif we can’t negotiate, then we will liti-gate.”l

For more, visit www.mynacc.org

Hispanic & CaribbeanLeaders Call on Mayor deBlasio to Change Intro 911Lawcontinued page 1


Tips to Successfully Transform fromGraduate to Employee

NEWSJOBS & RECESSION 23

With the summer comes warmweather, vacation planningand an influx of recent gradu-

ates on the job hunt. In fact, during the2013-14 school year, colleges and uni-versities are expected to award nearly 5.3million degrees, according to theNational Center for Education Statistics.All those recent grads can easily translateto a highly competitive job market.

As students begin planning for theirfuture outside the classroom and prepar-ing for the next chapter of their lives —finding a job, apartment hunting, payingback student loans — many realize thatgraduation is an opportunity to refreshone's persona and digital reputation. Thiscan include social media makeovers,refreshing your tech skills and upgradingyour outdated email service to somethingmore suitable for the next phase inyourlife.

"Think of your digital footprint — youremail address, social media and even theresults of a search of your name — as thefirst impression you make on a companyor recruiter. An excellent one will opendoors," says Karen Elizaga, executivecoach and author of Find Your SweetSpot: A Guide to Personal andProfessional Excellence. "Becauserecruiters and executives receive hun-dreds of inquiries a day, they need easyways to weed people out. Many recent

grads overlook the importance of theirdigital footprint and use amusing, oldemail addresses that undermine the pro-fessional image they want to convey, ortheir social media pages reflect a candi-date who is irresponsible, profane or dis-respectful, any of which quickly movessomeone to the 'no' pile. Jobseekers’ firsttask: clean up their digital image andmake sure it makes a positive impres-sion."

There are several mail tools and fea-tures recent grads should leverage whenmaking the transition from student tonewly employed, including:

nManage your email reputation: Youremail says a lot about you. In fact, it canbe thought of as your first impression toemployers. You may need to migrate

over from an outdated email address orupgrade to a more professional emailusername

Additionally 81 percent of all emailusers are using multiple email services,making it hard to keep up with numerousor old accounts, a recent study by RadiusGlobal revealed. Consider consolidatingto one personal email address to keepyou connected and manage your contactsin one place.

nUtilize a shared calendar to organizeyour networking schedule: Having analways up-to-date address book andshared calendar available across yourphone, tablet, and other devices makesnetworking easier because you aren't tiedto any one device where informationmight be saved.

nLeverage the tools employers careabout most: A recent Microsoft surveylooked at the job and skill requirementsfrom 14.6 million job postings from thesecond and third quarters of 2013 andidentified the 20 most common skillsrequired for those positions. Proficiencyin Microsoft Office was among the topfive skills employers look for in aprospective new-hire.

nRemember that's it's all about who youknow: As the old saying goes, "it's all inwho you know," so working off one set ofcontacts that pulls in information fromyour social networks allows you to checkyour contacts' recent status updates, pro-file pictures, and Tweets while you emailthem. Additionally, many recent gradu-ates are looking for jobs outside of theircurrent residence. Don't let distance be afactor in the job hunt by staying connect-ed with Skype chat and video calls rightfrom your Outlook.com inbox.

Staying organized and being informedcan be the difference between landing ajob and a missed opportunity.l(BPT)

Note: To better prepare yourself, visitwww.mynacc.org and register for theseminar: Picture This... Your CareerSuccess.

Caw 51 - Hispanic & Caribbean Leaders Call on Mayor de Blasio to Change Intro 911 Law

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