Letter from the Editor and Publisher,
F. L. Jones, II
BlackStreetJournalOnline.Com
The blackstreetjournalonline.com is more than entertainment. We strive to bring articles of importance to the community. It is our mission to provide a well rounded source of information spanning multiple generations and cultures. You will find more than stories on sports and music heroes. Articles will be presented that will enhance the lives of our readers. Motivational stories as well as current events are offered.
We want to be more than a gossip paper, sports blog, or music showcase. We want to be a part of your lives.
Please send questions, comments, or topics that you’d like to see presented to the editor. Every effort will be made to address your items in a timely manner.
F. L. Jones II
Editor and Publisher
We want to be more than a gossip paper, sports blog, or music showcase. We want to be a part of your lives.
Please send questions, comments, or topics that you’d like to see presented to the editor. Every effort will be made to address your items in a timely manner.
F. L. Jones II
Editor and Publisher
By Susan Evans, MD
www.elve8.com
When you look in the mirror in the morning, do you grimace in dismay or do you smile and give yourself a fun wink? Whether you’re 40, 50, 60 or beyond the person with the wink will probably win the Still Sexy contest. Beauty is a state of mind first and foremost. That said, there are several dietary measures and exercise regimes that can help improve your overall physical being and enhance your sex appeal. There are also some really good techniques that can keep your skin looking healthy and beautiful.
As you age, your body has different nutritional requirements. When you are in your 40s you need a low-fat and high-fiber diet complete with Omega-3 essential fatty acids. This will help reduce your calories, boost your metabolism, and keep your heart healthy too.
During your 50s, calcium and phytoestrogens become extra important nutritional needs. If you find yourself suddenly struggling with weight gain due to hormonal changes, you will also need to reduce your calories and modify your lifestyle with increased healthy activities.
As you progress through your 60s, you need to maintain a balanced diet. Increasing your fiber intake can help combat some bowel problems that become more common during this age range.
In addition to calcium, iron, vitamin C, and folic acid that can help ease age progression by maintaining a healthy body, you also need to be physically active. Following your doctor’s guidelines for your age and lifestyle will help keep your energy up. Dancing is one of the best forms of exercise you can get. It is fun, releases endorphins, and it shapes the body and the mind.
Recent tests are even linking dancing with a reduced chance of getting Alzheimer’s.
When you get older your skin becomes more prone to sensitivity and damage. While you still need a healthy daily dose of vitamin D, it is important not to abuse your time in the sun. Once you have absorbed your vitamin D (it only takes about 10 minutes), be sure to wear protective coverage, sun block, a hat, and sunglasses. Use lotion daily to keep your skin smooth. You may also want to consider glycolic peels fillers to rejuvenate your face.
Glycolic peels are chemical peels made from a sugar cane substance called alphahydroxy acid (AHA). Essentially, it works by lightly peeling away the outermost layers of your skin, which are the ones that are the most damaged. Although it is not a surgical procedure, a sedative can be used with it. Since it is effective at removing the damaged layers and wrinkles but it is not as harsh as a deeper peel, glycolic peels are becoming more common in skin rejuvenation therapy.
No matter how old you are, if you eat right and take care of yourself, you can look and feel great. Keep your mind in shape, too, and remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
So, behold yourself sexy and you will be sexy. How are you handling the aging process? Have you changed your diet to meet your body’s needs?
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The Tulsa City-County Library African-American Resource Center
Thursday, September 2nd and 3rd, 2010 – 6-8:30pm, at Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford Tulsa, Oklahoma Phone the library at 596-7280 for more details.
Community Forum
Man Up IV: HIV/AIDS, Violence and the Community
Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford, Tulsa
Theme: HIV/AIDS - The Rest of the Story
Speaker: Dr. Dexter Voisin, Associate Professor, University of Chicago
Mr. Marvin Blades, President, Coalition of 100 Black Men
Dr. Dexter Voisin, Associate Professor at the University of Chicago is scheduled to visit Rudisill Regional for a frank discussion of Teen Violence and HIV Intervention. The date of Dr. Voisin's visit is Friday, September 3, 2010.
Alicia Latimer, Coordinator of the African-American Resource Center reports that two local speakers will present as well- Marvin Blades-President of the Coalition of 100 Black Men and Dr. Rhae Orr.
Professor's goal: Separate HIV facts from fiction
By: Dawn Trice
Before becoming an associate professor at the University of Chicago, Dexter Voisin worked for years as a social worker/mental health counselor in large urban areas such as Atlanta and the Bronx. Often, he was the only black male therapist in a social services agency and was assigned to counsel young black men.
Many of them were growing up in violent neighborhoods. The young men told Voisin their stories of desperation: Some had witnessed friends being killed; others had been the victims of incest; still others had been abandoned by drug-abusing parents. Too many of these young people also were infected with HIV through heterosexual contact, with some dying from AIDS.
So Voisin, who has a doctorate in social work and now teaches in the university's School of Social Service Administration, began to research why teens who live in violent communities might engage in risky sex.
"We know that living in a violent community affects young people in terms of their mental health outcomes, low school achievement, gang involvement," said Voisin. "But no one had looked at the relationship between violence and sexual risk-taking."
Was it that kids who lived in unsafe communities believed they didn't have much to lose, so they engaged in unsafe sex? What Voisin found as he began to examine the issue surprised him.
One study, which was released last month, began in 2006 when Voisin held lengthy discussions with a group of black males, between the ages of 14 and 18, who were living on the South Side and attending Chicago Public Schools.
It soon became clear that the teens who didn't practice safe sex (such as using a condom) weren't doing so just because living in a stressful, high-risk community predisposed them to other high-risk behaviors, as Voisin initially believed.
Surprisingly, the young men were engaging in unsafe sex because they didn't believe the dire statistics surrounding HIV infections and young black males. In 2007, for instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that black adolescent males were approximately eight times more likely to become infected with HIV compared with white males and three times more likely than Latino males.
The black teens believed the numbers were manufactured to make them look bad. They also said that the HIV-infection rates of their white peers were suppressed because they could use private doctors. The youths added that their white counterparts were more sexually promiscuous but that message intentionally was tamped down.
Ironically, the qualities that were helping the young black men cope in tough neighborhoods - their desensitization to violence; their being vigilant and hyper-suspicious in assessing whether a person is friend or foe - were placing their lives in jeopardy when it came to preventing HIV.
"In the end, the youth who subscribed to conspiracy theories engaged in unprotected sex," Voisin said. "But those who believed what they were being told about HIV/AIDs and infection used a condom when having sex, or had little or no sexual activity."
That study led to another, and this time Voisin interviewed focus groups of college students of different races. He found more conspiracy theories among the black students, some of whom believed that if there was a cure for AIDS, it would be withheld from them. Others didn't believe former basketball star Magic Johnson was infected with the virus because he looks so healthy.
Voisin found that while white students had better access to HIV-prevention information from health care providers and high school sex-ed classes, black college students received the bulk of their information from friends and the media.
The black students said they didn't buy the public service announcements that ran on television networks such as BET because those warnings were overshadowed by the more sexually explicit and protracted content of music videos.
In addition, the black students said that celebrities weren't credible sources for prevention messages because students view them as merely paid pitchmen. Students said they would prefer to hear from regular people infected with the disease.
Why the conspiracy theories?
"I think there's still so much silence and secrecy around AIDS and HIV," Voisin said. "When you look at some of the biggest socializing structures in the black community - the church is one - there are still conservative attitudes and misinformation that this is a gay disease, when heterosexual transmission is the fastest-growing proportion of HIV cases in the black community."
No Regrets..........
Frequently in life, we do things that we often do not desire to do. We do these tasks to make others happy, or because it is what is expected of us. On occasion, a reason isn’t required to perform a duty. Habits are formed for whatever reasons, and the assignment is carried out. Living up to the expectation of others can create quite a burden. While you aren’t necessarily inclined to carry out the obligation, you trudge through it and complete the mission. Time and again, the end result is frustration, regret, and general unhappiness.
It doesn’t matter if you are doing a simple task for your parents, grandparents, or even your children. When you are acting in a manner for which you have no desire, general disappointment will follow. Then of course, there are the perfunctory questions that swirl around within your thoughts. The answers are readily available, but you dare not speak them aloud. No matter the source of your disappointing action, the resounding question to yourself is usually…..why?
Why do I keep doing this thing, action, etc., that makes me so unhappy? Why do I care about x,y, or z? Why do I feel obligated, inclined, or motivated to do this unnecessary thing?
Stop asking the same questions for which you already have the answers. The regret that you are experiencing is real, and should be acknowledged. Living a life with few or no regrets is more difficult that one could imagine. First, there are the norms of society that dictate that we behave in a certain manner to be considered normal or acceptable. Second, there is the innate desire to please. It doesn’t matter who is the glad recipient of your unwanted task. If you are dutifully carrying out an obligatory task, you are aiming to please someone. Anyone. Except for the most important person, yourself.
When you are finally able to address your unhappiness with the situation and tell whomever that you do not wish to do something being asked of you, or recognize that it isn’t necessary to please everyone, you may be on the road to no regrets. So what if you don’t run to the store, cook, or do whatever is being asked of you? The world will not cease to spin on its axis. The apocalypse will not occur because you have said no. There is not a need to be rude, but there is a need for honesty. When others ask something of you, they realize that it is a 50/50 gamble on a favorable outcome. And on occasion, the odds do not swing in their favor.
Living a life with few or no regrets means learning to say no. It also means learning to be faithful and true to yourself first and foremost. Others are usually most happy with you when you are happy. And you honestly never be happy until you learn to please yourself by honoring yourself. Try it. You just might like it!
Still Sexy After All These Years: Tips For Your 40s, 50s, And 60s
www.missblackusa.org
"Live life to the fullest, 'til the wheels fall off … ”
Osas Ighodaro was born and raised in the home of the New York Yankees – Bronx, New York. With her whole family from Nigeria, she is proud to be apart of her family’s first American born generation. Being a Nigerian-American has taught her the importance of family, pride, and never forgetting where one comes from.
Osas graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism and dual minor degrees in Entrepreneurship and Theatre. After graduation, Osas starred in her first feature film as well as in an array of independent and short films. She proudly performed in the New York Fringe Festival and also hosted a half hour television show which showcased the arts, politics, and issues of the African Diaspora. Currently, Osas is a candidate for the Masters of Fine Arts in Acting at the Actors Studio – Pace University.
Her work as an actress, model, dancer, journalist and community advocate have taken her throughout the U.S. and abroad but most recently to the state of Connecticut where she is actively involved in raising awareness of heart disease, the #1 killer of women. Osas believes a person’s time is purely a small token of appreciation towards others.
Osas’ interests besides spending time with family/friends and performing include traveling, meeting new people, and giving back to the community. She is known to believe that the sky is the limit and anything one puts their mind to they can conquer.
"Live life to the fullest, 'til the wheels fall off … ”
Osas Ighodaro was born and raised in the home of the New York Yankees – Bronx, New York. With her whole family from Nigeria, she is proud to be apart of her family’s first American born generation. Being a Nigerian-American has taught her the importance of family, pride, and never forgetting where one comes from.
Osas graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism and dual minor degrees in Entrepreneurship and Theatre. After graduation, Osas starred in her first feature film as well as in an array of independent and short films. She proudly performed in the New York Fringe Festival and also hosted a half hour television show which showcased the arts, politics, and issues of the African Diaspora. Currently, Osas is a candidate for the Masters of Fine Arts in Acting at the Actors Studio – Pace University.
Her work as an actress, model, dancer, journalist and community advocate have taken her throughout the U.S. and abroad but most recently to the state of Connecticut where she is actively involved in raising awareness of heart disease, the #1 killer of women. Osas believes a person’s time is purely a small token of appreciation towards others.
Osas’ interests besides spending time with family/friends and performing include traveling, meeting new people, and giving back to the community. She is known to believe that the sky is the limit and anything one puts their mind to they can conquer.
Osas Ighodaro Miss Black Connecticut USA 2010
By: Marla Mayberry
www.mtul.org
Each year, the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League (MTUL) raises funds to provide financial support for the Urban League’s community enhancing programs. This year we would like to invite you to join MTUL in this effort to help benefit the Tulsa Community.
In the last year MTUL programs have served 10,347 through direct services, education and training, and information and referral services. This represents an increase of nearly 4,000 individuals over prior years. MTUL is growing and our programs are improving! In 2010 the agency has already been granted over $625,000 in new funding. As the need for social service programs increases so does the need for financial support. This is why your contribution is so important to the long-term sustainability of the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League.
The Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League will host its Annual Dinner on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Help us celebrate 56 years of service to the Tulsa community along with our National Urban League President Marc Morial as he gives the keynote address.
Marc Morial an entrepreneur at age 15 began success and service at a young age. As Mayor of New Orleans in the 1990’s, Morial managed to lower crime and murders by sixty percent, cut the unemployment rate in half, and drastically lowered the poverty rate. As an entrepreneur, lawyer, professor, mayor and legislator, Morial has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans and one of the top 50 Nonprofit Executives by the Nonprofit Times.
Please join us in celebrating MTUL’s milestones, accomplishments, and volunteers, for an exciting evening with our National President, Mr. Marc Morial.
www.mtul.org
Each year, the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League (MTUL) raises funds to provide financial support for the Urban League’s community enhancing programs. This year we would like to invite you to join MTUL in this effort to help benefit the Tulsa Community.
In the last year MTUL programs have served 10,347 through direct services, education and training, and information and referral services. This represents an increase of nearly 4,000 individuals over prior years. MTUL is growing and our programs are improving! In 2010 the agency has already been granted over $625,000 in new funding. As the need for social service programs increases so does the need for financial support. This is why your contribution is so important to the long-term sustainability of the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League.
The Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League will host its Annual Dinner on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Help us celebrate 56 years of service to the Tulsa community along with our National Urban League President Marc Morial as he gives the keynote address.
Marc Morial an entrepreneur at age 15 began success and service at a young age. As Mayor of New Orleans in the 1990’s, Morial managed to lower crime and murders by sixty percent, cut the unemployment rate in half, and drastically lowered the poverty rate. As an entrepreneur, lawyer, professor, mayor and legislator, Morial has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans and one of the top 50 Nonprofit Executives by the Nonprofit Times.
Please join us in celebrating MTUL’s milestones, accomplishments, and volunteers, for an exciting evening with our National President, Mr. Marc Morial.
By: Camelle Davis
Carmelle@blackstreetjournalonline.com
Carmelle@blackstreetjournalonline.com
By: President Barak Obama
www.mybarackobama.com
Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.
As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.
Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.
As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.
By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.
Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.
We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.
In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.
Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.
What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.
For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.
Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.
Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.
www.mybarackobama.com
Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.
As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.
Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.
As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.
By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.
Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.
We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.
In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.
Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.
What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.
For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.
Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.
Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.
Remembering Hurricane Katrina, 5 years later
By: Greg Markley
greg@blackstreetjournalonline.com
Remember Hurricane Katrina? Five years later, I do. Like many at the time, I could not believe the utter failure of government at all levels to come to the rescue of US citizens in an American city. The media ‘woke up’ as a result of the nightmare and their on the ground reporting woke many of the rest of us up, myself included.
This week, Katrina and it’s aftermath is being remembered in many ways. The kick off was NBC reporter Brian Williams’ special Dateline report “Hurricane Katrina: The First Five Days which aired on Sunday, August 22. His team was on the ground in the city as the hurricane approached and then hit New Orleans. Most of the footage for the show came from those days. Williams was interviewed shortly after Katrina and predicted: “I think it’s going to change our society for a good long while,” he said. “If we come out of this crisis and in the next couple of years don’t have a national conversation on the following issues: race, class, petroleum, the environment, then we in the news media will have failed by not keeping people’s feet to the fire.”
Williams will anchor several upcoming editions of “The NBC Nightly News” from New Orleans to commemorate Katrina’s fifth anniversary. He’ll also host a special edition of “Meet the Press” from the city August 29 at 10 a.m.
On Monday night at 9 p.m. EST on the National Geographic Channel, a two-hour special called Witness: Katrina covers the August 2005 disaster from ground level. It collects images and recordings not from TV reporters on assignment, but from Gulf residents in their homes — holding camcorders, or making phone calls, as the massive storm surge comes closer and closer.
Spike Lee’s new documentary, called If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise and airs this Monday and Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EST on HBO, covers new ground such as the BP oil spill.
This Wednesday's edition of the PBS series Frontline. called Law and Disorder, devotes itself to one specific incident: the shooting of a young man, and the severe beating endured by the man's brother by the police.
These are not easy shows to watch judging from my viewing of Sunday’s Dateline show, but it is better to watch and get upset all over again than be lulled back to sleep and forget Katrina and its aftermath which continues five years later.
Greg Markley, Contributor to The Black Street Journal on community and justice issues
Greg Markley is a community organizer and expert on criminal justice issus
greg@blackstreetjournalonline.com
Remember Hurricane Katrina? Five years later, I do. Like many at the time, I could not believe the utter failure of government at all levels to come to the rescue of US citizens in an American city. The media ‘woke up’ as a result of the nightmare and their on the ground reporting woke many of the rest of us up, myself included.
This week, Katrina and it’s aftermath is being remembered in many ways. The kick off was NBC reporter Brian Williams’ special Dateline report “Hurricane Katrina: The First Five Days which aired on Sunday, August 22. His team was on the ground in the city as the hurricane approached and then hit New Orleans. Most of the footage for the show came from those days. Williams was interviewed shortly after Katrina and predicted: “I think it’s going to change our society for a good long while,” he said. “If we come out of this crisis and in the next couple of years don’t have a national conversation on the following issues: race, class, petroleum, the environment, then we in the news media will have failed by not keeping people’s feet to the fire.”
Williams will anchor several upcoming editions of “The NBC Nightly News” from New Orleans to commemorate Katrina’s fifth anniversary. He’ll also host a special edition of “Meet the Press” from the city August 29 at 10 a.m.
On Monday night at 9 p.m. EST on the National Geographic Channel, a two-hour special called Witness: Katrina covers the August 2005 disaster from ground level. It collects images and recordings not from TV reporters on assignment, but from Gulf residents in their homes — holding camcorders, or making phone calls, as the massive storm surge comes closer and closer.
Spike Lee’s new documentary, called If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise and airs this Monday and Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EST on HBO, covers new ground such as the BP oil spill.
This Wednesday's edition of the PBS series Frontline. called Law and Disorder, devotes itself to one specific incident: the shooting of a young man, and the severe beating endured by the man's brother by the police.
These are not easy shows to watch judging from my viewing of Sunday’s Dateline show, but it is better to watch and get upset all over again than be lulled back to sleep and forget Katrina and its aftermath which continues five years later.
Greg Markley, Contributor to The Black Street Journal on community and justice issues
Greg Markley is a community organizer and expert on criminal justice issus
Ex-Negro league baseball star still working at 104
DANICA COTO,Associated Press
PONCE, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Emilio Navarro swivels his hips several times, then bends down to touch his toes.
Not bad for someone who's 104 years old. He doesn't need a cane to get about and is known to go out dancing now and then. He doesn't use glasses, either.
"And I don't have many wrinkles," he says in Spanish. He smiles, then allows in English: "Just a little bit."
But the former professional baseball player isn't being honored for his spryness. He is being honored as America's Outstanding Oldest Male Worker for 2010 -- Navarro still keeps the books and controls the finances at the game machine business he started.
Navarro, believed to be the last surviving player of the Negro American League, was chosen for the honor over dozens of candidates nominated in 30 U.S. states by Experience Works, the United States' largest nonprofit training center for older workers.
Navarro, known affectionately as "Millito," began working at age 12. He cleaned shoes, sold newspapers and hawked "dulce de coco," a popular coconut treat in Puerto Rico, to help his mother financially.
"She didn't know how to read or write," he said.
He didn't particularly enjoy those jobs, but eventually his passion -- baseball -- gave him a living.
At 17, the 5-foot-5 Navarro signed with the Ponce Lions in Puerto Rico and went on to play for the New York Cuban Stars in one of the black leagues in the U.S. He later played in the Dominican Republic and in Venezuela.
Navarro then worked as a coach and athletic teacher at schools in Ponce and Caguas. He also managed a baseball stadium in Ponce for 10 years -- the job that proved his least favorite.
"To be in that place and not be able to play ..." he said, his voice trailing off. "I didn't like it."
Navarro later opened the game machine business, Shuffle Alley, which his sons now run. But Navarro still works, keeping the books in order and making financial decisions.
"My sons work for me now," he said with a laugh, pretending to rake in cash with his hands. "I count it and I divide it into equal parts. And there's a little bit for Millito, too."
PONCE, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Emilio Navarro swivels his hips several times, then bends down to touch his toes.
Not bad for someone who's 104 years old. He doesn't need a cane to get about and is known to go out dancing now and then. He doesn't use glasses, either.
"And I don't have many wrinkles," he says in Spanish. He smiles, then allows in English: "Just a little bit."
But the former professional baseball player isn't being honored for his spryness. He is being honored as America's Outstanding Oldest Male Worker for 2010 -- Navarro still keeps the books and controls the finances at the game machine business he started.
Navarro, believed to be the last surviving player of the Negro American League, was chosen for the honor over dozens of candidates nominated in 30 U.S. states by Experience Works, the United States' largest nonprofit training center for older workers.
Navarro, known affectionately as "Millito," began working at age 12. He cleaned shoes, sold newspapers and hawked "dulce de coco," a popular coconut treat in Puerto Rico, to help his mother financially.
"She didn't know how to read or write," he said.
He didn't particularly enjoy those jobs, but eventually his passion -- baseball -- gave him a living.
At 17, the 5-foot-5 Navarro signed with the Ponce Lions in Puerto Rico and went on to play for the New York Cuban Stars in one of the black leagues in the U.S. He later played in the Dominican Republic and in Venezuela.
Navarro then worked as a coach and athletic teacher at schools in Ponce and Caguas. He also managed a baseball stadium in Ponce for 10 years -- the job that proved his least favorite.
"To be in that place and not be able to play ..." he said, his voice trailing off. "I didn't like it."
Navarro later opened the game machine business, Shuffle Alley, which his sons now run. But Navarro still works, keeping the books in order and making financial decisions.
"My sons work for me now," he said with a laugh, pretending to rake in cash with his hands. "I count it and I divide it into equal parts. And there's a little bit for Millito, too."
Fantasy Football: WR Robert Meachem Looks Healthy
By: Sean E. Douglass
www.thebleacherreport.com
Robert Meachem finally became a fantasy relevant option last season as he put together nine touchdowns and gained the trust of coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. Coming into this offseason it seemed like Meachem would be primed for a bigger role in the Saints’ offense.
These hopes were squashed throughout the summer as Meachem missed lots of time on the practice field recovering from a toe injury. As we moved closer to August, I grew increasingly concerned about Meachem and started dropping him out of my early top thirty receiver rankings.
For a player who relies heavily on his speed, a lingering toe problem would spell disaster and especially when he plays on the turf. If Meachem was going to be a fantasy relevant option for 2010, he was going to have to prove that he was recovered from his toe problem and ready to pickup where he left off in ‘09.
Week 3 Of The Preseason
In the middle of August Meachem finally returned to practice but was hardly noticeable in the teams second preseason game. While it was nice to see Meachem back in practice and with no noteworthy setbacks, I still wanted to see him excel in game action.
Then came the Saints third game of the preseason against the Chargers and Meachem looked like his old self. Brees targeted Meachem three times, and the talented receiver posted two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown score.
Probably, the play I liked the most was the one that didn’t go for a completion as Brees took a shot down the field and almost hooked up with Meachem for a 50-yard bomb. While Meachem doesn’t look fully back from this toe injury it is clear to see he was explosive.
Fantasy Ranking Update
With a healthy Meachem, Brees has another big play target on the field and that only makes him more valuable than before. As for Meachem, he should sneak backup to the top thirty five receivers on your cheat sheet for draft day.
Meachem may not post the nine touchdowns he had a year ago, but I fully expect him to see more receptions (close to 60), go for around 900 yards, and maybe seven touchdowns. This makes him a very nice No. 3 receiver for your fantasy squad.
USA Coming home from Irac..
Tulsa Metropolitan Urban League
