Texas Southern University Host Annual Health Fair

Students and staff of Texas Southern University attended its annual health fair today at its campus recreation center.

The mission of the  health fair was to provide healthy lifestyle information to students through a variety of services.

The services included HIV testing, blood pressure tests, and blood donating; and booths such as The American Cancer Society and Planned Parenthood were there.

Although the fair provided a variety of information for both men and women, it was geared toward men's health.

"The men's summit asked to partner with us," said hostess Janaye Robertson when explaining the reason for this.

A variety of companies came to inform people on numerous topics such as: alcohol usage, healthy food choices, helping those with disabilities, cosmetic treatments for cancer patients, organ donating, etc.

The Houston Lace Wellness Center was the company that provided cosmetic treatments for cancer patients.

The informant at the booth, Terri Tribble, explained that the company originally began to help women reclain a positive self image, and now is exclusively for cancer patients.

"[Some of the products] we feature are lace eyebrows, wigs, mastectomy bras, limphodema sleeves, and chemotherapy shirts, " said Tribble.

In addition to this, Tribble also said that Houston Lace provided cosmetic surgery and permanent makeup.

According to Tribble, the Houston Lace Wellness Center helps around twenty women annually.
Another organization called the Allendale Bone and Joint Clinic provides treatments for neck and nerve pain, stress on joints, and physical therapy.

 Dr. Hall, the chiropractic specialist said the clinic helps around 800-1,000 people annually.

At this booth, students had the opportunity to be screened for tension using a device called a thermograph; which takes a person's skin surface temperature.

 Another booth at the fair was the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission.

Nicole Shamlin, one of the informants at the booth stated the purpose of the company. "They regulate the alchol industry in the state of Texas, and we try to deter minors from drinking," said Shamlin.

The TABC regulates the alcohol industry by licensing bars.

In addition to the information they provided, they passed out free drawstring bags with notebooks and extra information inside.

Another company called Sunrider provided information on healthy eating and an herbal supplement called Live Foods.

The company had some of their products for sale as well as some tea that could be sampled.

This year's health fair provide infomation in a variety of areas such as: food, disease prevention and awareness, healthy bones, alcohol, etc.

This fair gave students the opportunity to recieve free infomation on health questions they may have had.

Harris County Attorney's Office Launches Hugs for Kids Program

By Omamoya Esiso

A stuffed animal can turn a small frown into a big smile on the face of a child that has been a victim of neglect.

Every year, thousands of children are reported victims of child neglect and abuse, and the Children's Protection Division of the Harris County Attorney's Office handles hundreds of these cases annually.

The ages of child neglect victims range from infancy to 17 years old, and the abuse is physical, sexual, or medical.

Susan Sciacca, Assistant County Attorney talks about the type of cases that are handled at the County Attorney's Office.

"Many of the cases include sex abuse, [and] a lot of times they coexist. But then we have neglect. It could be anything from physical neglect to medical neglect, where a child is not being taken to a psychiatrist for [their] mental health issues," she said.

Though the main goal of CPD is to keep children safe, their other goal is to bring some comfort to the children that are in these situations.

For this reason, investigator Larry Fox and administrative assistant Darlene Hadaway launched the H.U.G.S. for Kids program in 2009, in downtown Houston to comfort children facing difficult circumstances.

Darlene Hadaway, the administrative assistant of the Children's Protection Division said that the H.U.G.S. (Helping Us Grow Safely) for Kids Program began when Fox witnessed two children in court watch as their father went to trail in handcuffs.

"While this man, being in custody, is brought to court, there are two little children watching the entire scene, and Larry wanted something to give them. So he started keeping stuffed animals in his vehicle," she said.

 

"These kids are going through a lot in their lives, and this is just something to make them feel better and to hold onto whenever we come into contact with them," she said.

Hadaway said that investigators keep a large box of stuffed animals at their Murworth Office, where caseworkers often bring children.

Larry Fox said that that while the stuffed animals are primarily used for children involved in neglect cases, the stuffed animals are occcasionally used for other circumstances.

Fox said he was at an elementary school in the principal's office and saw a small child, about 5 or 6 years old crying.

He found out she was grieving over the death of her grandmother, so he recieved permission to allow the child to pick a stuffed animal out of his police car.

Fox said giving away stuffed animals has a small and positive impact on the children.

"It bridges a little gap," he said.

Fox also said that the children are under a high volume of distress, often due to them being removed from their homes, and may feel uncomfortable when they see armed police officers coming in to take them.

"Because they don't know [us], we want to show them that we have a soft side," said Fox.

The goal of the H.U.G.S. for Kids Program is to let children know that someone cares, and though it may not take away all of their pain or fear, it can bring a smile to their face.

Contributions of Three African Americans to Black Drama and Literature

Ossie Davis, Francis Gray Ward, and Val Gray Ward have written plays that have helped the world see the true identity of African American drama as well as African American culture.

Val Gray Ward grew up in the south during a time of segregation and a lot of racial conflict. Performing helped Ward get through these tough times and her plays have earned her over 21 Grammys and Emmys.

 Ward has given hundreds of inner city youth the chance to get involved in theater.

 Despite the numerous obatsacles that Blacks faced while trying to progress in this type of career, Ward maintained a successful career in the performing arts and will forever be known for this.

 The late Ossie Davis has worked as an actor, playwright, voice over, narrator, and a film director.

Davis has also created a number of works in movies, television shows, plays, and in history.

 He will be remembered by his talent, and the wide range of films and shows that he was apart of over the 7 decades of his career.

 Francis Ward is a journalist and has written for Black magazines, newspapers, and news stations.
 The magazines he's written for include Jet and Ebony, and the newspapers he's written for include The Chicago Sun Times. He has reported on the assasination of Martin Luther King Jr., and has written a tribute to Gwendolyn Brooks.

Conneticut Resident Caught in Times Square Bomb Plot

Thirty year old Faisal Shahzad was arrested and charged in a Times Square bomb plot in New York on Monday, May 3rd. He was headed to Dubai when he was taken off of the plane and into police custody. Shazad allegedly planned on bombing Times Square last Saturday, using a homemade gas and propane bomb, that was sitting inside his car. Surveillance cameras show him leaving a parked SUV, filled with explosives outside of Times Square. Somehow he was able to board a plane later on that day despite being on the 'No Fly List.' The Pakistani native was reportedly seen in the city of Karachi where five suspects had been detatined in connection to the bomb plot, according to Pakistani officials. The Pakistan's embassy in Washington along with the country's interior minister both agreed that they would help with the investigation.

Local Vegetarian Store Gives Residents a Healthier Alternative

Link to Sunshine Foods Website: http://www.sunshineckls.com/

Sunshine Foods, a small store located in Third Ward Houston, Texas really sticks out amongst the neighboring fast food restaurants. It's a vegetarian store and eatery that provides a wide variety of vegan dishes, herbs, and other all natural products. The store is co-owned by a woman named Arga V. Bourgois, and she explained one day that it was her grandfather's vision to open a health food store in the community. "My grandmother asked me before she passed why people suffer before they die," say Bourgeis. She went on to say that her grandfather did research to find the answer to that question and found out that it had to do with the types of food people consumed. She said that poor dieting is common in the Black community and as a result can cause a chemical imbalance, leading to health problems. The constant consumtion of fried foods, red meat, and many soul food dishes all have a factor in why there are many issues in the African American community. She also said that many Black babies are given cows milk instead of their mother's milk, and the body does not process cows milk the same way as it would human milk; which can cause a chemical imbalance. She said that her grandfather changed his diet and started eating more fruits and vegetables, natural foods, and began takng herbal supplements which can cleanse the body of toxins. He lost weight and also noticed a difference in the way he felt, and as a result decided to open a store that sold nothing but all natural foods and products, and herbal supplements. The store's eatery sells a variety of vegetarian foods such as, meatless burgers, salads, fruit smoothies, bean pies, and much more. Some of the products the store has are, neutralizer gel, shea butter, natural soaps, natural deorant, and many herbal supplements sucha as CKLS (colon, kidney, liver, spleen). The residents of Third Ward; whether vegetarian, into natural foods, or simply just want to switch to a healthier diet, have a store and eatery where they go.

Christian Rapper Flame's Goal: Preach Gospel Message to Lil' Wayne

Imagine rapper Lil' Wayne coming out of prison a year later preaching the gospel message to unbleievers or to the unsaved through word of mouth or through his music. Then imagine someone like you having something to do with it. (Assuming you are a Christian) Flame has a goal of reaching Lil Wayne with the gospel message by encouraging Christians all around the globe to write him letters while he is behind bars. He is using his facebook and twitter page as a tool to post messages and videos to friends, persuading them with verses from scriptures. "How tight would it be if many Christians flooded Weezy with mail while he's in jail? Pray 2 Cor. 4:3-4 will no longer be true of him and others," says Flame on one of his facebook messages. Flame would also like the opportunity to speak with Lil' Wayne in person while he is in prison, in hopes of changing his life. Flame has posted Lil' Wayne's mailing address to others on his twitter. To log onto Flame's twitter page, go to www.twitter.com/flame314.

The Benefits of Facebook

Facebook is a popular and growing social network that millions of people all around the world are using. Whether you're wanting to stay in touch with friends and family, promote a business, or just create your own webpage, facebook is the perfect tool.  With Facebook you have the option of posting personal info, photos, music, videos, stories, and messages. You can aslo instant chatt, join groups, play games/quizzes, and so much more!!! If you're looking for a relative, a friend, or someone from your past, there is good chance you can search for them and find them on facebook. " I like the fact that facebook lets you connect with people you haven't met in awhile and it let's you control your privacy settings, " says Sammi, a college student. Facebook does allow you to control your privacy settings by giving you the option of leaving it open to anyone, exlcuding it to people in your network, or excluding it to just friends. So if you're looking for another social outlet, or promotional tool for a business, facebook is geat online community to join.