U.S. & China: Official Relations Hot and Cold, but Warmer Person-to-Person

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Average Chinese and American citizens seem much friendlier toward each other than do government and political leaders of both nations. That’s the news coming from a survey released by the Committee of 100, the New York City-based nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of prominent Chinese Americans.

So just what is the state of official relations between the United States and China? Complicated, yes. Schizophrenic, yes. Good one day, frosty the next. Meanwhile, political leaders in both Washington and Beijing get significant mileage out of criticizing each other’s nation.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney charges China is “a cheater” on the world economy, making it a major part of his campaign as he hopes it will resonate with American voters. President Obama’s campaign has attacked Romney for supposedly outsourcing jobs to China, and the president announced a World Trade Organization case against China’s subsidies on auto parts exports. Visiting China in September, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a serious snub when Vice President Xi Jinping, about to take over from President Hu Jintao, cancelled a meeting without notice.

Newspapers are filled with stories about trade antagonisms. Increasingly, China and the U.S. find themselves on opposite sides of critical situations in world hotspots, including Iran and Syria. And China has bluntly warned America to stay out of its escalating clash with other Asian nations over control of the seas in the region.

It’s not all bad, though. For example, U.S Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping both stated during the Secretary’s recent visit to Beijing that plans are underway to increase cooperation between the two nations’ militaries.

Now a survey from Committee of 100 suggests familiarity may, in the case of these two cultures, breed cordiality in a person-to-person context. It seems, the report concludes, that the citizens with the warmest, most positive views of the other country are those who have actually visited it and met its people.

“Interaction between the two peoples creates a better relationship,” said Charlie Woo, a member of Committee of 100. “For those [Americans] who have visited China, their impression is overwhelmingly more favorable, and for Chinese who come here, most have favorable opinions.”

The Committee’s 2012 U.S.-China Public Opinion Perceptions Survey shows that 55 percent of the general American public views China favorably, a three percent increase from 2007, the last time the survey was done. About 59 percent of Chinese people view America favorably.

There seems to be a disconnect between what average people think, however, and what American government and business leaders think the public believes. Business leaders and policymakers were polled separately on how the U.S. views China, and the results show that people in business or government have skewed views of the publics’ attitudes. Business leaders think only 20 percent of the U.S. public holds a favorable view of China. Policymakers say 17 percent. Both are substantially low estimations. read more…

Our View: ECSU leads hunger relief; welcome to EC, Panera

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Elizabeth City State University continues to reach out into the local community, a trend we heartily applaud. The latest effort pits campus organizations, individual schools and administrative offices against each other in a friendly competition to see who can raise the most money or collect the most food for Food Bank of the Albemarle. The Feed the Need Food Drive is timed to coincide with ECSU’s homecoming, which features a number of events to appeal to the local community as well as students, faculty and alums. read more…

Rev. Al Sharpton urges audience at Fayetteville State to get involved

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Civil rights activist Al Sharpton told a Fayetteville audience Saturday that he believes November’s election will play out as one of the most important in the nation’s history.

“Whoever wins this election won’t just impact the next four years,” he said. “It will impact the next 100 years.”

The silver-haired MSNBC talk show host spoke to about 1,200 people at Fayetteville State University’s Seabrook Auditorium as part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

The United States, he told the crowd, is caught up in a voting battle that will determine the victor. Sharpton said people shouldn’t have to be convinced to get out and vote. And they don’t have to go back in history and see how blacks have been cheated and mistreated.

Racial bias, he said, continues today.

Sharpton, 57, opened his speech talking about the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 150th anniversary of which was recognized two weeks ago. President Lincoln’s preliminary proclamation in 1862, which ultimately freed the slaves, played an integral role in the push for equal rights.

But after making strides during Reconstruction, he said, blacks saw setbacks that weren’t overcome until the 1960s.

In light of that, Sharpton questioned why photo identification at polls is now required in some states during an election with the nation’s first black president. While conservatives champion the voting measure as a way to prevent fraud, Sharpton said it discriminates against low-income blacks.

“Why do we need a new photo ID? Why would you risk not having the vote of 5 million voters?” he asked. “Why can’t we use the same ID we always used to vote? All of a sudden (President) Obama runs again, and we need a new photo ID. That’s a poll tax.

“The idea of a democracy should be to get as many people to vote as possible,” he said to applause. read more…

Edward Waters College debuts Success Park on its campus

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Jacksonville’s Success Park opened Tuesday following a month postpone due to heavy rain and over a year of construction.

The grand opening attracted an intimate crowd of city children, residents and officials.

The ceremony opened with tunes from Edward Waters College’s Triple Threat Drumline accompanied by Mayor Alvin Brown, EWC President Nat Glover and Irvin Cohen, director of New Town Success Zone. They marched down Pearce West Street signaling the park’s completion.

Brown said the park brings life back to the community.

“I am very proud,” he said. “The park really shows a true power of partnership between the public and private sector where you have the business community to invest along with President Glover.”

Success Park provides a safe place for children to play in Jacksonville’s New Ton community. PeDro Cohen, the Success Zone’s director, said a safe place for children to play was one of the needs the New Town community identified during a health survey in 2010. read more…

New Orleans murder victim was ‘always smiling,’ Dillard classmates say

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Even though Marguerite Washington had been at Dillard University only since August, it seemed everyone on campus — including the president — knew her as a bubbly freshman nursing student who was always laughing. No one anticipated that Washington would be among the city’s latest murder victims.

“I ran to her dorm room but nobody answered,” said classmate and friend Jasmine Walker, 19. “I saw it on the news and I just broke down.”

Police on Tuesday arrested 21-year-old Jeffery Washington in the brutal murder, alleging that he fired several rounds through the bedroom window of a house in the 7700 block of Branch Drive in eastern New Orleans where Washington was sleeping with her boyfriend around 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Jeffery Washington was booked into Orleans Parish Prison on second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder charges, records show. He is not related to the victim, even though they share the same last name, family members said.

When officers arrived at the scene Monday night, Marguerite Washington was already dead, police said. Her boyfriend, Justin Alexander, 19, had also been shot several times and remained in critical condition Tuesday.

The NOPD Violent Offenders Warrants Squad began searching for Jeffery Washington late Monday after witnesses identified him. Officers found him early Tuesday at a friend’s home in the 15000 block of Duane Street.

“She was an innocent victim — a college student in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Marguerite’s brother, Kendall Washington, 38. “We had very high hopes for her.” read more…

‘Old Boy’ production designer, Hollywood cinematographer to discuss their crafts at Dillard

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A day after director Spike Lee announced his partnership with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in a sweeping citywide anti-violence campaign, Lee’s “Old Boy” production continues to give back. Hollywood production designer Sharon Seymour — in town working on Lee’s film — and cinematographer Kerwin DeVonish will discuss their respective crafts at Dillard University on Friday (Oct. 5) and Wednesday (Oct. 10).

The Friday session begins 7 p.m., and the Oct. 10 session is set for 4 p.m. Both will take place in the Georges Auditorium in Dillard’s Professional Schools building, and both are free to attend.

Each session will start with an interview conducted by Keith Alan Morris, assistant professor of mass communication at Dillard, and will be followed by selected film clips and accompanying discussion. An audience Q-and-A will close out each session. read more…

DTC makes turnaround in finances, enrollment

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Denmark Technical College suffered through a difficult time from 2007 until 2010, with three individuals acting as president.

But it has seen significant growth since Dr. Joann Boyd-Scotland took over as interim president in June 2011.

The number of degrees awarded by the college rose by 89 percent in one year, going up from 197 in 2011 to 373 in 2012. Between the fall of 2011 and 2012, enrollment rose from 1,032 to 1,606, an increase of 56 percent.

Boyd-Scotland served as president of DTC from 1992 until 2007. She was called to return as interim president after the resignation of Dr. Michael Townsend.

Dr. John Waddell served as president from 2007 until 2009, but was fired by the DTC Area Commission following an audit by the State Tech Board. Dr. Walt A. Tobin, currently president of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College, stepped in to help the college from July 2009 until January 2010.

Boyd-Scotland said when she returned, her focus was to put the school back on a solid foundation.

“First of all, my goal was to stabilize the institution, and that was going to require taking a really strategic look at the budget, student enrollment and general operations of the college,” she said.

Making the public aware of what DTC has to offer was the reason for the jump in enrollment, according to Boyd-Scotland. In addition to a curriculum that’s designed to meet the needs of local businesses, DTC provides daily transportation for students in a three-county area, dormitories and a comprehensive food service system.

The college also operates two sites in Barnwell, one site in Allendale and it teaches dual credit courses on site at local high schools, she said.

The college advertised its offerings and made personal contacts with the community through the churches, she said.

Boyd-Scotland also assessed and made improvements to the budget and the curriculum. She cut $1 million in personnel expenses.

Additionally, the increased enrollment improved the college’s financial situation. The budget shows enough money to operate on for a period of 30 to 45 days as required by law, according to Boyd-Scotland. read more…

THE GLOVES COME OFF At ringside, Delawareans givetheir candidate edge in bout

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Delawareans got their chance to listen to President Barak Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney argue their platforms directly to each other in the first of three televised presidential debates Wednesday.

The debate, which focused on the economy, health care and government’s role in people’s lives, were supposed to give people a view of the two men vying for the U.S. presidency. First Staters viewing the debate appeared to side with their party affiliation.

Ken Currie, 67, of Dagsboro, held a watch-the-debate party with about a dozen fellow Republicans at his house. And he and others there felt Romney was the winner.

“If you have to assign who won, they felt the governor certainly won,” Currie said. “I was very pleased with his performance. He had the facts, and he was articulate with them. He was intense.”

“Yes, it was logical and it was factual, but there was an emotional component.”

Kevin McAllister, president of Alpha Phi Alpha and a registered Democrat, hosted a crowd of about 50 people for a watch-party at Paradise Palms Restaurant in Wilmington. McAllister, 36, of Bear, a project manager for DuPont Co., said “President Obama won tonight simply because he was able to give details.”

He added that both men were eloquent, but “Obama had a real plan.”

Delaware State University political science professor Samuel Hoff, who viewed the Wednesday debate, gave it to Romney. He felt the men tied in several of the nine points brought up, but Romney won most of them and gave Obama only a single point. read more…

Concordia student talks about deadly Colorado shooting

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The Aurora theater shooting was nearly 3 months ago.  A Concordia College student was there when it happened.

Andrew Bowers is an Aurora native.  He says he, his girlfriend, and some friends were out for a fun night. He says they were seated just 20 feet from the shooter. Miraculously, they all made it out unhurt.

For millions of people across the country, July 20, 2012, marks a day of senseless violence and tragedy. But for Andrew Bowers, that nightmare is all too real.  Bowers takes us back to that night when James Holmes is accused of walking into a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises”.

“He threw something over our heads. It was making a hissing noise, looked like something was coming out of it. At the time, we didn’t know what it was,” Bowers said.

The next thing he knew Holmes started shooting.

“I turned to cover up my girlfriend as much as possible. We were in the third row from him. So were 20 feet away.”

In total, twelve people were dead and 58 injured before Holmes was taken into police custody.  Bowers and his friends were some of the lucky ones… All made it out safely.

“We definitely, as we got in the car, we realized just how much we loved each other.” read more…

CAU’s Hill scores teaching award

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Barbara Hill, assistant professor in the School of Education at Clark Atlanta University has been awarded the 2012 Vulcan Teacher of Excellence Award, which is presented annually by Vulcan Materials Company.

Hill has been on CAU’s faculty since 2010 and has worked at various times for the Atlanta, Fulton and Clayton school districts.

Vulcan Materials Company has been a sponsor of the Teaching Excellence Awards since 1991 through the Georgia Foundation of Independent Colleges. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize. more info…

Clark Atlanta University Lifts Suspension Of Marching Band After Hazing Investigation

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Clark Atlanta found no evidence of hazing or any illegal activity, according to a statement.

“After conducting a self-­‐imposed, aggressive and thorough investigation, which began August 30 in response to an allegation regarding the possibility of hazing, Clark Atlanta University today announces that there was neither hazing nor any illegal activity as defined by Georgia Code 16-­‐5-­‐61,” read a statement issued Tuesday. “Therefore, the University today is lifting its suspension of the ‘Mighty Marching Panthers’ Band.”

The university self-imposed a suspension on the Mighty Marching Panthers on Aug. 30, halting all performances. The school stated at the time there was no clear and immediate evidence of illegal activity.

Hazing at Historically Black Colleges & Universities, like Clark Atlanta, have been increasingly under the microscope after the death of drum major Robert Champion during a hazing incident at Florida A&M University one year ago. Champion was beaten in the dark on a bus after a football game, ultimately leading to his death. Champion was from Decatur, Ga., just outside Atlanta. read more…

Kennedy to address Claflin conference

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Dr. Thomas E. Kennedy, an author of many works of fiction and literary criticism, will give the keynote address and conduct a fiction workshop at the 11th Annual Claflin University Regional English and Language Arts Pedagogy Conference to be held in Ministers’ Hall on Oct. 3-4.

The two-day conference is sponsored by the Claflin University Department of English and Foreign Languages.

Workshops will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Minsters’ Hall. The conference is set to conclude the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 4. Pedagogy is the study and process of teaching.

Registration for the conference is $50. The fee is waived for teachers. The public is invited to hear Kennedy’s keynote address at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 3. Please note seating for non-registered audience members is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

A native New Yorker, Kennedy has traveled extensively throughout the world. He’s held executive and editorial positions, including editor and translator for Copenhagen’s Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims.

He has lived most of his adult life in Copenhagen and received his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1988. Kennedy travels to the United States frequently for reading tours and to teach at the Fairleigh Dickinson University graduate school. read more…

Charles R. Drew University continues comeback, president says

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After regaining full accreditation, new leadership and financial support, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is “stronger than it has been in quite some time” and is continuing its comeback, President and Chief Executive David M. Carlisle said Tuesday during his first “state of the university” speech.

The school is committed to helping fill the nationwide physician shortage, contributing to cutting-edge medical research and continuing its original mission to reduce health disparities and train students for work in under-served communities, he said to students, faculty and community members on the campus grounds.

After being placed on probation in 2009, the university was reaccredited by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges last year. The university also received new accreditation for an urban public health program and a nursing school.

“There was a time that our future was anything but guaranteed,” Carlisle said. “Those days are behind us.”

The university’s decline coincided with the problems at King-Drew Medical Center, which closed five years ago and is scheduled to reopen in 2014. Charles R. Drew was forced to close its residency program. read more…

1986 Cheyney University, then freshman, on death row

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Lawyers for condemned Philadelphia killer Terrance Williams today filed documents with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court opposing the reinstatement of Wednesday’s death penalty and asking Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille to recuse himself from the appeal.

The motion asking Castille to disqualify himself is based on Castille’s role as Philadelphia District Attorney in 1986, when a Common Pleas Court jury sentenced Williams to death for the 1984 murder of Amos Norwood.

Castille, as the city’s chief prosecutor, approved the decision to seek the death penalty and to defend the sentence after Williams’ lawyers challenged it on appeal.

The motion by Shawn Nolan, a member of the defense team from the Federal Defender’s death penalty unit, contends that Castille has declined to recuse himself in previous cases his office handled when he was district attorney.

“Should Chief Justice Castille decline to recuse himself, this motion [should] be referred to the full court for decision and that the full court direct Chief Justice Castille’s recusal,” the defense motion reads.

Art Heinz, a spokesman for Castille, said the justice would have no comment on the motion.

Officials of the District Attorney’s Office were not immediately available for comment.

Today’s defense filing was in response to a petition to the state’s high court by city prosecutors to set aside Friday’s ruling by Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina, who stayed Wednesday’s scheduled execution of Williams, 46.

After two days of hearings, Sarmina ruled that the integrity of Williams’ death sentence had been undermined because the trial prosecutor and police withheld from Williams’ lawyer evidence of the victim’s sexual abuse of teenage boys. read more…

Central State to induct five into Hall of Fame; 1968 Olympian Carlos to be keynote speaker

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The Central State University Marauder Athletic Department has scheduled 1968 Olympic Bronze-medal winner and political activist John Carlos to be its keynote Hall of Fame Recognition Dinner speaker.

Carlos is a former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, and his Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. John Carlos is the author, with sportswriter Dave Zirin, of The John Carlos Story: “The Sports Moment That Changed the World” published in 2011.

Five CSU Athletic Alumni will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the dinner to be held at the Holiday Inn Dayton Fairborn I-675 Conference Center 2800 Presidential Drive next Friday, Oct. 5 beginning with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner scheduled for 6:45 p.m.

The five inductees are: Kelly Adams ‘04 – women’s basketball; Vince Buck – football; Robert Grayer ‘64 -men’s track & field; Clarence Lane ‘69 – men’s basketball; Jeffery Smith ‘84 – baseball.

Tickets for the dinner are $60 / $500 per table. Proceeds to benefit the Central State University Marauder Athletic

Department. For tickets or more information contact: skelley@centralstate.edu or 937–376-6289.

The Central State University Athletic Hall of Fame dinner honors and recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the university through their athletic participation.

All-Ohio Cross Country Championships at Cedarville University on Saturday. read more…

Kentucky State Quarterback, Martez James arrested for sexual harassment before Chicago Football Classic

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A Kentucky State University quarterback in town for the 2012 Chicago Football Classic was arrested Saturday after police said he followed a housekeeper into a room at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel and rubbed his body against hers.

Martez James was arrested Saturday morning before he was to play in the football game against Albany State University at Soldier Field.

James, a 22-year-old senior from Detroit, allegedly made inappropriate contact with the female victim at the hotel at 2301 S. King Dr. about 10 a.m Saturday, according to Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Daniel O’Brien.

James was charged with misdemeanor battery and issued a personal recognizance bond before being released from custody, O’Brien said. He is scheduled for a court appearance Nov. 15 at Belmont and Western avenues.

James was staying at the hotel while in town for the football game in which the Kentucky State Thorobreds lost 17-14 to Albany State University. The game began at 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the team’s website.

The annual game showcases two top historic black colleges and universities. Their schools’ football teams and marching bands are the focal point of weekend activities in Chicago, according to the classic’s website.

Rita James, the starting quarterback’s mother, told the Tribune that her son was not allowed by team officials to play in the game.

When reached Monday evening, she denied that her son had engaged in any inappropriate behavior. She did not make her son available for comment.

“What I want to say is that it did not happen and she is lying,” she said of her son’s accuser. “I’m very upset with the young lady who would lie on my son…I’m angry.”

She said she doesn’t understand how her son could be arrested when the hotel told the police there were no cameras that captured the incident.

“I will fight this with every penny I have, I will put my life on it that she’s lying – that’s how confident I am,” she said. “his really, really doesn’t make sense.”

She said her son went to get a towel, then got ice from an ice machine and went back to his hotel room. Read Full