WI Web Staff
HIV Testing events 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., June 27-29
Beginning on National HIV Testing Day on June 27 and continuing through June 29, Whitman-Walker Health will provide free rapid HIV testing at one Walgreens store in D.C. daily. The rapid HIV test takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes to administer and process. Test results will be delivered by the local AIDS service organization providing the testing on site.
HIV testing is being provided by health departments and local AIDS service organizations at select Walgreens stores in 20 markets across the nation as part of an ongoing collaboration between Walgreens, the nation's largest drugstore chain, and Greater Than AIDS, a coalition of public and private sector partners united in response to the domestic epidemic.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Act Against AIDS initiative and the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS, the official sponsor of National HIV Testing Day, also are supporting the effort.
Whitman-Walker Health will provide free HIV testing at the following Walgreens store in Washington, DC:
• Walgreens 4225 Connecticut Ave, NW
Free, walk in HIV testing will also be available at both Whitman-Walker Health facilities:
• Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St., NW, 9:00 am-6:00 pm, June 27
• Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE, 9:00 am-4:30 pm, June 27
Of the more than 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. today, an estimated one in five, or nearly a quarter of a million people, do not know it. One-third of those who are positive are diagnosed so late in the course of their infection they develop AIDS within one year. Early diagnosis and treatment helps save lives and is known to reduce the spread of HIV. The CDC encourages everyone to know their status.
"One in 20 adults in DC has HIV," said Whitman-Walker Health Executive Director Don Blanchon. "Nine out of every 10 cases of HIV/AIDS in DC is among African-Americans. One in seven gay or bisexual men in DC has HIV and that number drops to one in every three Black gay or bisexual men in DC. With numbers like these, the importance of getting everyone in the District of Columbia tested is evident. This partnership with Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS will allow us to inform new audiences of the importance of getting tested, knowing your HIV status, and taking care of your health."
All totalled, 47 Walgreens stores in 20 markets across the nation are participating, including stores in the following cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Calif., Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach, Fla.
An additional 138 Walgreens stores in the participating communities will help publicize the free testing provided by local health departments or AIDS service organizations through in-store messaging, including posters, post cards and in-store audio. Walgreens also will promote National HIV Testing Day with special messages on June 27 on its Times Square digital display, the largest billboard of its kind in the country.
"These testing events provide valuable and vital opportunities to help the communities we serve," said Glen Pietrandoni, Walgreens senior manager of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. "Walgreens has supported people living with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic through its ability to offer accessible pharmacy, health and wellness guidance to patients, wherever they live. Our pharmacists are developing relationships, listening to concerns and providing education and support."
This marks the second year in a row that Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS have coordinated with local health departments and AIDS service organizations to allow them to provide free HIV testing at select Walgreens stores. This year, more than twice the number of Walgreens stores and markets will participate. More than 50 participating health departments and AIDS service organizations are providing the testing and delivering results on site, as well as supporting outreach.
For more information, including participating Walgreens stores in each city, visit:
Mayor Vincent C. Gray has submitted a bill to the D.C. Council that pays homage to late Go-Go music icon Chuck Brown.
The Chuck Brown Park Designation Act of 2012 would designate the western portion of Langdon Park, between 18th and 20th streets in Ward 5 Chuck Brown Park.
"Chuck Brown, Go-Go music and the District of Columbia are inextricably linked to each other, and it's appropriate that the Godfather of Go-Go should be honored by the city that embraced him and his music," Gray said in a statement. "I promised at his memorial service that we would name a park in his honor, and that it would symbolize Chuck, a place where there is action, people, traffic; the sounds of a city. A park where Chuck's music can be played and where people can enjoy themselves as they always did while listening to Chuck Brown perform."
Brown's responded, saying:
"We would like to thank Mayor Gray for this great honor and encourage the D.C. Council to pass this legislation. We pray the park will be a place where all people can come together to celebrate the things that were most important to Chuck and his fans: family, life, peace and love."
Brown passed away on May 16 at age 75, following a lengthy illness.
As former Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas Jr. prepared over the weekend to settle into a new home and identity at a federal compound in Alabama, the 51-year-old married father of a teenage son, acknowledged in an interview that he has been in prayer over fear of the unknown.
"God helps you conquer all obstacles," he was quoted as saying. "I talked about fear on Friday [during a gathering]. "If you don't acknowledge fear you'll be paralyzed."
Thomas, who fell from grace after admitting that he diverted $$353,000 of taxpayer money, meant for youth sports programs to his personal use, was scheduled to begin a 38-month incarceration this week at the Federal Prison Camp at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, where he will be known as inmate No. 31866-016.
During the brief interview, Thomas talked about visiting his father's grave at Fort Lincoln Cemetery, roasting marshmallows with his daughters and being surprised with a visit from an uncle. He also managed to infused bits of optimism and humor while reflecting on any job prospects that might await him after his sentence is served.
In doing so, he noted his role helping to bring the first Costco to D.C.
"It'll be open by the time I get home, when I'll be looking for a job," said Thomas.
Friends Question Fiance's Story Surrounding King's Death
Monday, 18 June 2012 22:05 Published in National
Police in Rialto, California are still trying to determine the facts surrounding the death Sunday of Rodney King.
Following a call made to 911 around 5:25 a.m., June 17 by King's fiancé Cynthia Kelley, police responded to the home the couple shared, where they found his body at the bottom of their swimming pool. After several attempts to revive King, 47, he was pronounced dead. No evidence of foul play was discovered, but an autopsy was scheduled.
Now, friends of King who shot to notoriety in 1991 after suffering a brutal beating in Los Angeles at the hands of police officers, aren't buying Kelley's story.
According to a report , the friends claim that each time they hear Kelley's recount about incidents that led up to King's death, the facts change, which leads them to believe she is covering something up.
Kelley reportedly stated that after she had a conversation with King, she heard a banging on the window of their home in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Kelley then allegedly said that after the window rapping, she heard King fall in to the pool.
The report further states that two of King's friends have taken their suspicions to police detectives, who in turn, told them that they would be in touch.
Verizon's 'How Sweet the Sound' Returns to D.C.
Sunday, 17 June 2012 20:05 Published in Arts & Entertainment
Local Choirs Perform to Win Prizes, Advance to National Finale
(Tickets Go On Sale 10 a.m., June 22)
WASHINGTON, DC – Critics from coast to coast have called it everything from "Fierce" and "Uplifting" to "Authentic" and "Emphasizes Worship." No matter how you view it, one thing for sure is the fact that Verizon's How Sweet the Sound™ is a musical celebration unlike any other. It is the ultimate gospel music experience that pays tribute to gospel music and provides choirs a platform to showcase their talent. For the fifth year in a row, gospel music fans and enthusiasts from coast to coast will witness the country's premiere and most prestigious gospel choirs and have a chance to see first-hand what critics have been raving about.
Registration is currently open for the 2012 Verizon's How Sweet the Sound™ Gospel Celebration and interested choir representatives can visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com until Saturday, June 30 to sign up to be part of the How Sweet the Sound community. By registering, choirs will have the chance to rejoice in song and praise; sing in front of gospel greats and fans; and compete for a chance to win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes. After registering, choirs will be judged for their chance to advance to the regional competition.
This year, one of seven power-packed regional finals and musical celebrations will be held in Washington, D.C., 7:30 p.m., Sept. 12 at Verizon Center. Tickets are $20.99, $16, $11. Tickets are available at the Verizon Center box office, all TicketMaster locations and online at ticketmaster.com
Other cities hosting the competition, as part of the 2012 Verizon How Sweet the Sound™ tour, are Dallas, Atlanta, Newark, Detroit and Los Angeles. Competing choirs will vie for their chance to advance to the finale in New York scheduled for November 4 at the Barclays Center, where they will compete for a chance to win cash and prizes and the title of "The Best Gospel Choir in America."
GRAMMY® award-winning, songwriter, producer, arranger and music director Donald Lawrence will serve as host and be joined by GRAMMY® award-winning entertainer, producer, author and syndicated radio host Yolanda Adams. In addition, Erica Campbell of Mary Mary, Fred Hammond, Bishop Hezekiah Walker and CeCe Winans will serve as resident judges for this year's competition and also perform on stage, alongside Lawrence and Adams.
Last year, Tarboro, N.C.-based Salvation and Deliverance Church Choir won the grand prize and the title "Best Gospel Choir in America." The choir used their prize money to support "Weight On The Lord" – a program designed to help people in their community make healthier lifestyle choices. They were also able to kick off their "How Sweet The Tidings" program just in time for the holidays. The program afforded them the chance to adopt five families for the holidays, giving them food and gifts.
"Anyone would love to have the bragging rights of calling themselves "the best church choir" in the nation," said Kristian Herring, director of Salvation and Deliverance Church Choir. "How Sweet the Sound truly helped change our lives."
Any rom-com fans out there? I am talking about romantic comedies. So, who remembers, "My Best Friend's Wedding," which starred Julia Roberts? It was on the other day while I was channel-surfing and I found myself cracking up when Julia's character – the hip, successful NYC food critic and best-selling author – whipped out her cool cell phone in a restaurant scene. It was a gigantic flip model (almost the size of a quart bottle of milk), and featured a nifty retractable antenna. Wow. And this was just 15 years ago, in 1997. This could very well be pre-historic to you, depending on your age and perspective.
Technology and our addiction to it are moving so quickly, a few months can seem like ancient history; let alone a few years. New Nielsen consumer data of U.S. mobile subscribers reveals that between December 2011 and March 2012 (3 short months), the number of cell phone owners who opted for smartphones rose from 47.8% to 50.4%. A year ago, less than 40% of all mobile subscribers in the country owned smartphones. Chances are, you've got a smartphone, and might even be reading this column on your mobile device because the study reports that the majority of African-American mobile subscribers (54.5%) now own these phones, which are really tiny computers that allow us to do almost everything – including talk. Compare these numbers to a year ago when 33% of African-American mobile subscribers owned smartphones, which was reported in The State of the African-American Consumer Report.
The battle between Apple iOS and Android OS, and other operating systems, continues. Apple remains the top manufacturer of smartphone handsets (the iPhone), while Android was the top smartphone OS, with 48.5% of smartphone owners having a device that uses the Android system during the first quarter of 2012. Blackberry owners are a small but loyal group, holding on with an 11.6% share of the smartphone market. Nielsen's look at U.S. smartphone owners breaks down who's purchasing and using what even further:
• 50.9% of women mobile subscribers opted for smartphones in March 2012 compared to 50.1% of men.
• Not surprisingly, more than two out of three young adults (age 25-34) own a smartphone.
• Asian-Americans lead the pack as smartphone adopters with 67.3% using a smartphone as their primary mobile handset.
• Almost three in five Hispanic mobile subscribers (57.3%) use smartphones.
In addition to talking and being available pretty much 24/7, how do we use these devices? Again, what a difference a year makes. Another Nielsen study reports that all Android OS and Apple iOS users in the U.S. account for 88% of those who have downloaded an app in the past 30 days; which means the number of apps per smartphone has jumped 28%, from 32 apps to 41. It doesn't matter whether you're hunting for the best prices for anything from food to shoes, navigating your way through unfamiliar territory or catching the latest news scoop – there's an app for that. A constant, however, is the Top Five Apps: Facebook, YouTube, Android Market, Google Search and Gmail; and the amount of time the average smartphone user spends on apps each day is 39 minutes compared to 37 minutes in 2011.
Among African-American smartphone owners:
• 67% researched or looked up shopping info using a search engine.
• 64% visited a retail site/app.
• 58% looked up prices to compare between retailers.
• 55% read product reviews.
• 41% visited a shopping site/app.
• 33% looked for and downloaded a coupon.
• 30% are more likely than average to visit Twitter through a mobile web.
• 58% use mobile internet (compared to 57% of Hispanics, 56% of Asians and 41% of Whites).
• 79% text (compared to 78% of Hispanics, 73% of Asians and 68% of Whites).
The downside of the miracle of smartphones is the issue of privacy. In 2012, Nielsen reports 73% of all smartphone owners (70% in 2011) expressed concern over the scary reality of personal data collection. Fifty-five percent were wary of sharing information of our whereabouts via those smart smartphone apps.
It's amazing how mobile apps have changed the way we exercise our recreational habits. When my teenage son was younger, I remember arming my son with crayons and a coloring book in an effort keep him occupied and reduce his fidgeting during church services. Guess those childhood staples are almost obsolete. A little kid across the aisle from me last year was happily playing a game or "coloring" on his Mom's – you guessed it – smartphone. Sign o' the times.
Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsenwire.com
Congresswoman Donna Edwards' Statement Commemorating Father's Day
Friday, 15 June 2012 20:48 Published in Local
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (MD-4) released the following statement for Father's Day, observed on Sunday, June 17:
"Father's Day is an opportunity to come together and pay tribute to fathers who do so much for our families. This Father's Day, I'd like to recognize Roland Martin from Clarksburg, Maryland.
Mr. Martin was the well-deserving recipient this week of the White House's "Champions of Change" award, given to those in our communities doing tremendous work in the field of fatherhood and addressing the needs of low-income men and boys.
Mr. Martin's leadership at The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) is a great example of how we can combine community-based partnerships with engagement at all levels of government to improve the well-being of our young people. His work highlights the critical role fathers play in the development of our young people, and the importance of ensuring that all our children have access to role models in their communities.
"On a personal note, I pause this Father's Day to honor my father John, who served and sacrificed for this nation. Like many fathers throughout our community, my father instilled my core values and remains a source of inspiration. I wish all our fathers a happy and joy-filled Happy Father's Day."
Gandhi Reappointed as District's Chief Financial Officer
Friday, 15 June 2012 20:21 Published in Local
Mayor Cites Commitment to Fiscal Stability; Will Work with Gandhi toward Fiscal Independence
Mayor Vincent C. Gray has reappointed Natwar M. Gandhi, Ph.D., as the District's Chief Financial Officer. Upon confirmation of the D.C. Council, Natwar, who has held the post since 2000, will serve another five-year term.
"Dr. Gandhi has been a steady steward for the District's finances for more than a decade, and a good partner to me as I have worked to restore a strong sense of fiscal responsibility to the District's budget," Mayor Gray said in a statement. "I have appreciated his assistance in helping us balance the District's budget without using any more of our crucial reserves for the last two years – restoring our Fund Balance to over $1.1 billion from the depleted state it had been in when I took office."
Gray added that he is looking forward to working even more closely with Gandhi as he moves to restore the District's financial standing to make it a model "like those found in virtually every other state and city."
Gandhi is responsible for the city's finances, including its approximately $7 billion in annual operating and capital funds. He survived the 2007 debacle where a city tax office worker stole stole nearly $50 million in city funds as well as a controversy that involved the city's lottery.
However, Gandi has unwavering support of the local business community, and during his 12-year tenure, the city has consistently achieved a "clean" audit opinion from independent auditors in the District's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).
As a result of Gandi's financial management, the District has also secured several rating upgrades for its general-obligation bonds from the major financial rating agencies, including an 'A+' rating from Standard and Poor's, a 'AA-' from Fitch Ratings and an 'Aa2' rating from Moody's Investors Service.
SHIRE Receives $325,000 Grant to Sustain Campaign Aimed at Wards 5,7,8
Friday, 15 June 2012 19:41 Published in Local
Washington, D.C. – The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a three-year, $325,000 grant to the Summit Health Institute for Research and Education(SHIRE) for a grassroots health-education initiative serving District residents in Wards 5, 7, and 8.
SHIRE will recruit and train ward residents about the causes and dangers of obesity, the importance of regular physical activity, the risks of consuming processed foods, gardening techniques, and healthful methods of food selection and preparation. The trained cohort of peer educators will actively share their knowledge within their families, neighborhoods, and communities.
"SHIRE is honored by the confidence that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has placed in our work," said SHIRE Executive Director/CEO Ruth Perot. "In addition to the noticeable impact of peer educators in District communities, we have also seen the lives of peer educators' change as they become role models for others – losing weight, effectively managing diabetes and hypertension, and gaining confidence as spokespersons. Further, their paid work experience has opened doors to their professional and academic advancement."
SHIRE will identify teenagers and adults of all ages to include in the peer education program. After the completion of 40 hours of training, peer educators will engage community members in gardening demonstrations, trips to farmers markets, performances and other interactive word-of-mouth activities pertaining to health maintenance. SHIRE is committed to cultivating the enthusiasm and creativity of ward residents on issues of health so communities will unite to combat the high rates of health-related diseases and mortality in these wards of the nation's capital.
Currently, within these wards' demographics, approximately 35% of children between the ages of ten and seventeen are obese, 29% of infants and toddlers are overweight, and 50 percent of households are afflicted with food insecurity or chronic hunger. SHIRE develops and promotes outreach programs that inspire residents to reverse these negative trends and address the critical health concerns in their communities.
Canary Girardeau, SHIRE senior program associate, attests to community interest in the health initiative. "We observe residents talking and listening to each other," Girardeau said. "Peer educators provide dynamic and provocative presentations. There is give and take, and the resolution of issues is something they arrive at together. It is very powerful, and I am looking forward to the continuation and expansion of the project."
For more information about SHIRE and its programs, visit us at: www.shireinc.org
Republic of Liberia President Wraps Up U. S. Visit
Friday, 15 June 2012 18:36 Published in International
G. Wayne Clough, secretary, the Smithsonian Institution and Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, present President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia with a gift.
Sirleaf returned home to Liberia on Wednesday, following a most successful visit to the United States of America, where her activities took her to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and, of course, the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
Before departing the U.S. for home, Sirleaf was the special guest of honor at a luncheon hosted by the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Cole. Sponsors of the event included several of Liberia's partners: Chevron Corporation, Exxon Mobil and the Coca-Cola Company.
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