Washington Informer

The nation's oldest civil rights organization is celebrating the recent repeal of the state of Maryland's death penalty.

In a statement released late last week, Ben Jealous, NAACP president and CEO, said a major milestone for which the Maryland NAACP had worked toward for more than a century, had been accomplished.

"Thank you Gov. [Martin] O'Malley, Lt. Governor [Anthony] Brown, and the bill sponsors and supporters in the House and Senate that showed the backbone and moral clarity to end this injustice,' Jealous said of the March 15 bill passage. "Tomorrow we will wake up in a state where we will never again have to worry if someone is put to death because of their color, class or in spite of their innocence."

Gerald Stansbury, president of the Maryland State Conference NAACP, added that the state had joined 17 other states and most of the Western world in banning the death penalty.

"Thanks to the hard work of the Maryland CASE, Family Victims, and all the other organizations that joined the NAACP in making this historic day possible," Stansbury said. "This decision will make our justice system fairer and more effective. I hope it will inspire leaders in other states to follow suit."

The repeal bill passed by a vote of 82 to 56. The Maryland Senate has already passed the bill. With Maryland, six states have repealed the death penalty in the last six years and Maryland becomes the first state under the Mason-Dixon line to repeal the death penalty.

The NAACP is also working in Colorado and Delaware where legislation to repeal the death penalty was introduced a week ago.

(Source: NAACP.org)

Karyn Buxman and the Honorable Barbara Kennelly will be among the lineup of speakers for the "March on Washington | Private Duty Home Care Integrated Conference & Exposition." The event is being held through March 20 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in downtown D.C.

Buxman, president of HUMORx, a humor based stress management and communications company, will speak on Monday during the general session from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. She is also the author of "This Won't Hurt a Bit! And other Fractured Truths in Healthcare," a 96-page collection of stories, quotes, jokes and cartoons for those on the giving and receiving end of healthcare.

Kennelly, a former Democratic member of Congress from Connecticut, will speak on Wednesday during the session from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. Kennelly spent much of her recent career in the Social Security and health fields, participating in critical healthcare policy debates, especially involving Medicare. She has also helped shape legislative initiatives that advanced the multiple interests of consumer groups, the health insurance industry, hospitals, practitioners, nursing homes and others.

The conference which began on March 17, features educational sessions, addresses by leading home care and hospice advocates, and insights from political pundits.

Tap Festival and All-Star Concert March 23

Chloé & Maud Productions bring to D.C., Emmy and Grammy winners, Tony nominees, Broadway and Vaudeville stars, and the hottest tap dancers from across the country, and around the globe for the 5th annual DC Tap Festival and All-Star Concert Weekend. The event will be held March 21-24 at the DC Dance Collective and Duke Ellington Theater.

DC Tap Festival III's All-Star Concert takes place at 8 p.m., March 23 at the Ellington Theater and presents an extravaganza of tap stars and special guest, Grammy Award winning singer, Mya.

Also appearing will be EMMY Award winner Jason Samuels Smith and Luke Spring, the 7-year-old tap dancing prodigy seen on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

For tickets and other informatiion, please visit: www.dctapfestival.com.

The highly-revered 10-part mini-series, "The Bible," narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David, airs on The History Channel through March 31.

The 10 episodes which began on March 3 and are also airing on Lifetime, tell the major stories of The Bible from Genesis to Revelations.

On April 5, "The Bible" will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray and on DVD. The four-disc DVD and Blu-Ray will include special behind-the-scenes content including the making of the mini-series in the Morrocan desert, features about how "The Bible" was cast and more information on how the project was conceived and developed.

"The Bible" was co-produced by "Touched By An Angel" star Roma Downey, who portrays Mother Mary in the widely-watched film which took more than two years to make.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, has expressed "surprise and shock" that prosecutors could possibly file charges against her after the exhumation of two bodies believed to be those of young activists last seen at her home 24 years ago.

In a statement from her lawyer dated March 17, Madikizela-Mandela commented that it's "difficult to legally imagine how and what new evidence is contemplated," considering the many diverse accounts presented more than 10 years ago to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The two skeletons that were exhumed last week by forensic scientists showed signs of multiple stab wounds and are believed belong to Lolo Sono, 21, and Siboniso Shabalala, 19. The pair reportedly had gone to Madikizela-Mandela's home to get help to leave the country to become freedom fighters.

(Source: CNN)

Dr. Andrea Sullivan's Practical Advice on Homeopathic Care

A huge obstacle to adopting a natural health regimen is not choosing to afford to go to a licensed naturopathic physician or complementary care practitioner. They have health insurance that affords them the opportunity to visit with an Allopathic or conventional doctor, who will continue to prescribe pharmaceuticals, even though they may be aware that the drugs are creating problems. I have many patients who come to me after a constant regime of medications, admitting that they are now tired of the problems the medications are causing and want a different approach. They are finally "sick and tired of being sick and tired." They do not want to come out of pocket for health care and they have health insurance that does not give them what they need or deserve.

Allopathic medicine has also gotten many people accustomed to a quick fix. Suppressing the symptoms and not curing the person is the typical model. We accept the quick fix as good enough for the time being, not understanding that poor health didn't happen overnight and good health will not happen within that time frame either.

Misunderstandings & Myths

African slave or "Secret Doctors" were the early doctors in America, along with Native Americans. We brought some of our beliefs and culture with us to this country regarding voodoo and some of us used it in the slave quarters and fields.

Naturopathy, however, is science based and does not include voodoo or faith healing. We do not have that as part of our course work. We do have the same courses that any medical student would have in addition to our specialties of Botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, and Homeopathic medicine for example. That is not to say that prayer and faith are not important in healing but I believe God wants to know you are doing your part.

Many Allopathic doctors do not teach, or in some cases even believe, that nutrition is important. They have told my patients that herbs or Botanical medicine and certainly, Homeopathic medicines do not work. We treat people who have conditions. They treat symptoms. We focus on wellness and what the body can do to make itself well given the proper support, while they focus on illness and how to stop, cut, or burn out the condition that the body is expressing.

Baby Steps

Parents seeking preventative measures to their children developing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension should incorporate dietary changes that must include reducing sugar. If you eat sugar daily, try eating it only 4 times a week. Eat other forms of sweeteners including, turbinado raw sugar, stevia, or succanat, for example. Reduce sodas and artificially sweetened drinks. Reduce the white flour which also turns to sugar in the body. Reduce energy drinks and caffeine, which also affect adrenal glands, which ultimately affect the blood sugar. Exercise is also very important.

Make an appointment in my office. Seek out some healthcare professional to whom you can talk. Read the Stress chapter in my book "A Path to Healing: A Guide to Wellness for Body, Mind and Soul." Take a yoga and meditation class. Read some personal growth/ self-improvement books. Write and say affirmations and do visualizations.

My new book is about African-American women and our superwoman/ Sojourner syndrome that is creating havoc with our health and lives. We are more likely than any other group of women to have and die from heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, hypertension and depression.

As a sociologist and Naturopath, I am acutely aware of the fact that we take care of everybody else but ourselves. We raise everybody's children in addition to our own and take care of other relatives as well. We are as Sojourner Truth was. We are the emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial support for our communities. We are the model by which our children learn loving and how to handle conflict. We do it all. My new book talks about the Sojourner syndrome, follows cases of superwomen with the above conditions, and provides the Homeopathic, herbal and nutritional prescriptions given to them for their healing.

For more information on Dr. Andrea Sullivan and the Center for Natural Healing, visit her website at www.drandreasullivan.com

Area teens often select fast foods and Chinese carry-out meals as a major part of their daily diets. While relatively inexpensive and easy to access, the regular consumption of many of these meals have led to the development of chronic conditions years later.

In an effort to address some of these meals head on, the Informer "Street Team" asked local teens their Top 3 choices for daily meals and then passed that information on to Howard University dietician Dr. Baker, who provided meal analyses for each meal based on the actual additions, substitutions, and adjustments of the teens' orders. Baker identified the caloric content based on the food composite courtesy of the USDA Food Database. Lesson: Sometimes it is not what the restaurant serves, but how a customer orders it that determines its health value.

Chinese Carry-Out

6 fried wings-1944 calories (1 wing has 324 kcal per serving)

White Rice- 242 calories

Mumbo Sauce- 150 calorie equivalent to sweat and sour sauce with adjustments in sugar and fat content

Total Calorie content of this meal = 2336 calorie

Total calories from Fat = 1278 kcal

When analyzing a meal and its appropriateness, one has to first look at the composition of the food content of the meal. Upon analyzing this meal the following was noted:

This meal is very high-calorie dense, but has limited nutrient value. Based on the method of preparation and combination of the food item, I would suggest that the consumption of this meal be limited to once per week. If this type of meal is consumed on a regular basis it may put the person at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and excessive weight gain. It may also lead to other metabolic syndromes and health conditions that affect the individual's nutritional status. This meal is low in sugar but high in sodium and fat. Due to its high fat content a person who consumes it on a regular basis is at high risk for dyslipedemia and high cholesterol which may prove to have detrimental effects on their health.

Chipotle

Chicken Burrito Bowl – 696 calories

Extra Cheese- 212 calories (106 calories per table spoon)

Sour Cream – 46 (23 calories per table spoon)

2 salad dressings – 240 calories (80 calories per table spoon)

Total Calories for this meal = 1194 calories

Total Calories from fat = 470 calories

From hindsight this meal seems to be the healthiest option of the three meals in content. This meal has a high nutrient value judging and would be considered a balanced meal taking into consideration that it consists of vegetables, fat, protein and carbohydrates in acceptable quantity. The fat, sodium and sugar content of the bowl is not very high and this makes it a healthy option. My only objection is the addition of the side dressing, cheese and sour cream which has a high fat content that might contribute some negative health attributes to the meal.

A healthy alternative would be to limit the amount of sides added to the burrito and to also reduce the serving size which is too large to be consumed in one setting. If these few adjustments are made this would make a healthy meal which can be consumed on a regular basis. The vegetable and fresh meat content does not outweigh the cheese, sour cream and sodium content of the salad dressing as this would not reduce the fat and sodium content of the meal that would still have possible mal-health effects.

Z- Burger

Regular cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried onion rings, mayonnaise and ketchup – 1061 calories

Small Z- Fries- 328 calories

Total Calories = 1389 calories

Calories from fat= 882 calories

Now looking as this Z- burger one will salivate at the sight of the dish however looks are deceiving. This meal is very high in sodium, fat and cholesterol. Consuming this meal on a daily basis would result in possible risk of weight gain and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to metabolic syndrome.

A healthier alternative would be to eliminate the bacon, use grilled chicken instead of fried chicken or beef, reduce the amount of mayonnaise and cheese or use reduced fat dairy products instead. One could also replace the fries with a salad thus increasing vegetable intake and reducing the carbohydrate content.