Urban Maven Small Business Showcase with Anika Robbins, provides a necessary boost in awareness for small businesses
Minneapolis, MN (July 13, 2010/IBNN NEWS)…On Saturday, July 10, 2010 founder, business owner and Global entrepreneur Anika Robbins presented her trademark Urban Maven Small Business Showcase in downtown Minneapolis at Spill the Wine Restaurant and Event Center located on the corners of 11th and Washington Avenue.
"Sponsors of the Urban Maven Small Business Showcase"
The Urban Maven Small Business Showcase is an opportunity for businesses of all types to participate in a “round-robin” event showcasing products, services with information on handling life’s ups and downs while being a small business owner or for those thinking about going into business an opportunity to network and obtain valuable information about branding, social media and collaborating.
‘It’s a great place to start” says founder Anika Robbins who also is the CEO of the global cosmetic firm Anika International Cosmetics. After the event, Anika said, 
“We had an amazing event! People are still talking about it…. we are all inspired, uplifted & stocked up on wonderful products!” A true networking event indeed!
The next Urban Maven Small Business Showcase will be in cooperation with the Selby Jazz Festival in September 2010.
To find out more information about the Urban Maven Small Business Showcase and how you can participate, contact them by visiting their website at www.urbanmaventv.com.
Minnesota Viking Legend Joey Browner says, it’s about “Our Children”
"Joey Browner - The Joey Browner Foundation"
Minnesota has many professional Black athletes (male and female) who are never seen in the community, let along showing up as a surprise for a young child that has lost his eye in an accident. The saying that, “It takes a village to raise a Child” rings home to former Minnesota Viking Joey Browner, who takes action and try’s to fill the gap whenever he can to make a difference in a child’s life.
By Donald W. R. Allen, II – On Assignment/IBNN NEWS
Minneapolis, MN. (July 13, 2010/IBNN NEWS)…Former Minnesota Viking Joey Browner was once tagged, “The Strongest Hands in the NFL,” has formed a new venture that will soon be known has, “The Strongest Minds working with our Children in our community.”
Browner, who played safety for the Minnesota Vikings, was an outstanding Defensive Player and tackler; Browner was selected to six Pro Bowls, in 1985-1990 while playing with the Minnesota Vikings (1983–1991). He finished his career playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. Joey Browner is also a 4-time member of the John Madden “All-Madden Team”. Joey also is a five time NFL Hall of Fame Nominee. Joey was the first round draft-pick and 19th overall pick as Safety of the Minnesota Vikings in 1983.
Joey is a Veteran Traveler having gone to China with the NFL players association in 1988 to Germany with the 1989 USO Tour and to Paris to kick off the French Federation of American Football Annual Championship game in 1991.
Joey organized and created the “Joey Browner Foundation,” who’s motto is “Mind, Body and Heart,” understanding Children are this country’s most valuable resource. They represent our future. The challenge society demands that young people receive every educational opportunity as they prepare for their future.
"The Joey Browner Foundation"
The Joey Browner Foundation has been formed to promote recreational/athletic activities with an educational component and volunteerism within the child’s community. Browner, who champions excellence in education for all children said, “Together we must work on bringing the Children of the United States up to speed in reading, writing and arithmetic. Our Asian brothers have math textbooks that are three times smaller than what we use in the United States, but their Children excel in math at an incredible rate. We (United States), must implement learning techniques in our education systems that will ensure all Children K-12 will have the same opportunities in life, or be able to make opportunities on their own, using what they’ve been taught.”
The JBF will extend grants and scholarships to any child who can demonstrate the desire to explore their own personal growth and benefits to society as a whole.
By focusing on the positive of society and channeling the inherent energy and enthusiasm of children, leadership will naturally follow. The camps specifically sponsored by the JBF will have leadership as an integral part of the camp.
Part of the application process will be the willingness to volunteer in the applicant’s community. If need be, this can be required prior to attendance of the camp. By giving back to their community in a way approved by the JBF, the child will be rewarded with a camp/trip/activity experience.
"Tony Davis, Amir and Joey Browner (l-r)"
One of Joey’s many community outreach missions that he pays for out of his own pocket was a visit to the home of 4th grader Amir Davis, a straight A student at North Park Elementary School in Fridley. On Sunday, July 4th this year, Amir was hurt in a firework accident that left him blind in his left eye.
Amir’s father, Tony – a long time Minnesota Vikings fan, knew that a visit from a Minnesota Viking would raise the spirit of 9-year old Amir.
"Amir, a happy boy being raised by a village."
On Sunday, July 11, 2010 former Minnesota Viking Joey Browner showed up at the home of the Davis’ in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota with a signed football and Joey’s legendary number 47 jersey for 9-year old Amir.
Tony Davis, Amir’s father said, “This is a great honor. We have a professional sports figure in our living room that took his Sunday afternoon to visit my son. We are truly blessed to have Joey in Minnesota. I don’t know if my son will ever see out of his left eye, but today the kindness Joey showed will be in our memories forever.”
Doctors are undecided if Amir will ever be able to see out his left eye, but they remain hopeful.
As for the rest of the Sunday afternoon visit…Joey stayed and visited with the family and had dinner.
“This is what its all about,” says Browner, “Our Children!”
Minnesota Department of Transportation and Mary Prescott, Director of Civil Rights (MnDOT)–Strike Three…You’re Out!
"MnDOT - No Blacks, No DBE's, working incompetents.”
by Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/IBNN and USA Radical Black
Let’s review. In 2010, MnDOT has decided to continue the trend of contributing to the Black and minority-ethnic unemployment crisis by not having a clue on how to obey the laws set fourth to address the inclusion of contractors of color working on Minnesota’s highways, bridges and roads. If you drive down any street in the state of Minnesota and you happen to come upon a work crew, chances are 99.999% there will not be a Black person working on the project.
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) awarded $0 dollars out of $116 Million in contracts to African American Contractors from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010. Thus zero jobs for the Black community from Black construction companies.
Now, organizations like the National Association of Minority Contractors, NAACP, Minneapolis Urban League and others must put an “all hands on deck” to over-take the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Civil Right Department. They are to blame for this continues heinous mismanagement of people and resources.
In 2009, the Minnesota Department of Transportation put out a series of documents aimed at a plan to address the 17-year catastrophic failure of organizing, mobilizing and collaborating with Disadvantaged Business Enterprises or commonly known as DBE’s.
In one of the documents from 2009, MnDOT wrote:
“MnDOT’s 2009 Overall Goal for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Participation on Federally Funded Projects is 15.3%. Currently, MnDOT is undertaking a major transformation and strengthening of its Civil Rights programs. A collaborative DBE and Workforce Development workgroup of internal and external partners is working to identify areas where Civil Rights programs can be improved. This group will continue to meet as specific program changes are developed and implemented. Many improvements are already occurring, while others may take a little longer. These changes are expected to result in a stronger Civil Rights program that will ensure the demographics of Minnesota are reflected in the contractors and workforce in the transportation industry.”
"MnDOT open your eyes!"
MnDOT’s Civil Rights Department has missed the mark again going into their eighteenth year of adopting a plan or process that works to build capacity DBE’s. The Request for Proposals put out by MnDOT are addressed to 501(c)3′s with no room for a group or individuals with true business savvy to come in and turn a failed process around.
One of the many problems in MnDOT is Mary Prescott, Minnesota’s transportations Civil Rights director. Ms. Prescott refuses to pull in business-minded stakeholders from the community with a possible plan of action that for the most part, could work.
Ms. Prescott will have to bit the bullet for MnDOT’s latest Semi-Annual Report that shows a total disregard for the federal DBE regulations under 49 C.F.R Part 26 state that a bidder makes Good Faith Efforts (GFEs) when the bidder (a) meets the DBE goal established for a contract or (b) documents that it made adequate GFEs to meet the goal even though the bidder was unsuccessful in meeting it. This requires a bidder show that it took all necessary and reasonable steps to achieve a DBE goal or other requirement of the regulations, which, by their scope, intensity, and appropriateness to the objective, could reasonably be expected to obtain sufficient DBE participation, even if they were not fully successful.
What CFR 49 Part 26 says becomes a foreign language to state employees at MnDOT.
Obviously, a “good-faith” effort is not working.
In a letter sent to Derrell Turner, Division Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration – Minnesota Division, Ms. Prescott provides the “DBE FHWA Semi-Annual Report for the First Half of the 2010 Federal Fiscal Year.”
This is the “smoke-signal” sent up as a warning that again, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has reached an unbelievable level of incompetence and someone must cover their butts.
IBNN has intercepted a copy of the letter, below:
Also, what this letter represents is a continued lack of cordial and diplomatic relationships with stakeholders that might not see eye-to-eye with Ms. Prescott and her staff who have been “emasculated” from a process that still today “has not worked.”
There are those of us in the community that could assist in solving MnDOT’s issues of non-compliance, exclusion, obstruction and what we allege an attempt to apply Racketeering practices in the DBE process.
One thing we have to realize, this state employees have the “Cadillac of benefits,” with a work environment that is exclusive to the people they like doing business with. If the DBE “FAIL” was to be addressed, over-turned and administered the way it should – MnDOT’s Civil Rights Department would look and run a lot different – as it should.
The City of Minneapolis, officials brace for allege violations of the Hobbs Act—Extortion By Force, Violence, or Fear – Part 1, explaining the Hobbs Act
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by Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/IBNN News and USA Radical Black – Exclusive Report
"...and you thought you were the only one with a Button."
Minneapolis, MN. (July 11, 2010/IBNN Special Report)…The nightlife in downtown Minneapolis is full of excitement, fun and adventure. My journey put me across the bar from a group of folks that are someway involved in the City of Minneapolis infrastructure. This was a great example of being in the right place at the right time.
As I started to eavesdrop the group went into detail about the possible federal investigations into violations within the City of Minneapolis involving Minneapolis City Councilwoman Lisa Goodman and the possibilities of indictments of key City Hall officials for using their positions to sway, corrupt and use their collective and individual powers to change the outcomes for various decisions that have been made. They also spoke of a Minneapolis City Councilman that might be testifying against another city council person.
This four part story will first explain what the Hobbs Act is and how an official can become complicit in violating the act along with possible R.I.C.O Act violations. This investigation could reach as far to the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights Contract Compliance Unit to the Community Planning and Economic Development.
My night out on the town and listen to this group gave me enough information to extend and invite to the mainstream media, especially the Star Tribune and WCCO Channel 4 who both are stuck in “spinning” the violence in north Minneapolis has just a “minor” bump in the road, when we all know that the death of 16 youths in one geographic area of poor, unemployed area if the city with the possibility of a serial killer who has an affection for White women dumping them in rivers and by freeways sends a serious message that both WCCO Channel 4 and the Star Tribune are more for the bright and shinny side of the news rather than circumstances that need to be put in check. If there ever comes a time when people in Edina start feeling the effects of unsolved homicides; bodies found in abandoned houses and unemployment three-times worse than any other group in the United States – believe me, heads will roll.
In order to prove a violation of Hobbs Act extortion by the wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, the following questions must be answered affirmatively: Read the rest of this entry »
Murders and more Meetings: Attempting to solve the problem of Violence in North Minneapolis with Institutional Racism
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"NoMi"
In 2007 KARE 11 News published a news report titled, “North Minneapolis: Hope for the Future. A paragraph in the article read: “It has been a year of bad news on the Northside, where news accounts of murder after murder have reinforced the neighborhood’s image problem.” The story was from July 11,2007 – thousands of meeting later we reach 2010 – almost year to date of the story. If doing the same thing over and over again isn’t insanity – what is?
by Donald W.R. Allen,II – Editor in Chief/IBNN NEWS and USA Radical Black
Minneapolis, MN. (July 9, 2010/IBNN NEWS)…In 2007, Dallas Drake, who is the principal researcher at the Minneapolis based Center for Homicide Research said, “One of the most well-recognized correlates for homicide is economic conditions, and especially poverty.” Read the rest of this entry »
BlogTalkRadio show “ON POINT!” featuring co-hosts Ronald A. Edwards and Don Allen gaining momentum Episode 6 on Saturday, July 10, 2010
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"Ronald A. Edwards and Don Allen co-hosts of ON POINT!"
You can also listen to past episodes:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Minneapolis, MN. (IBNN NEWS/July 6, 2010)…Heading into the sixth installment of “ON POINT!” co-hosts Ronald A. Edwards and Don Allen remain humbled, but excited. Ronald A. Edwards, 71 – who is also a blogger and chief contributor to The Minneapolis Story and host of Minneapolis Television Network’s (Minneapolis-Channel 17, Sunday’s at 5 p.m.), says, “This is a great opportunity Mr. Allen and I have created to provide real, factual information delivered to the community in a non-traditional form. The local mainstream media, neglects the Black community of the Twin Cities and folks are starving for this kind of information.”
Co-host Don Allen, 48 who coins himself as an Internet Marketing Guru and News Junkie has two controversial blogs read globally. The Independent Business News Network and USA Radical Black were created by Allen to address local and national issues, events and sometimes-huge disparities in the minority-ethnic community.
Allen says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Mainstream media and some local Black news outlets has been an enemy of the Black community. There are no talk radio shows that deal with the catastrophic ‘fails’ in the Black community. Some of the reasons why our local Black newspapers don’t print some of the stuff they should are because of economic and financial constraints. If you have a client that runs a social service agency who purchases ad’s in your Black newspaper or radio station, you are not willing to put out information that might shed light to heinous practices that might point back to your revenue stream – that’s understandable. When this happens, we all lose.”
"Click on the above picture for quick tune-in."
On Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 5 p.m. (CST)“ON POINT!” with Ronald A. Edwards and Don Allen will feature another 90-minute special program to look at current events, news and information in the Twin Cities and our nation.
- This program will also deal with the recent murder of 16-year old Anthony Titus, a child gunned down in north Minneapolis. We will spend sometime on the Northwest Area Foundation and the Headwater’s Foundation Black Leadership Summit and the resent silence from elected officials – Black and White, who seem to be bamboozled on what to do about the growing numbers of homicides in the Black community.
- We will also ask the question, “What happens when the wrath of violence moves to downtown’s Minneapolis’ Aquatennial, Minnesota State Fair and other events in the Twin Cities custom designed to exclude Black Minnesota?
To tune in from the comfort of your home computer, iPhone, Blackberry, Smartphone or iPad, click here for the show. Read the rest of this entry »
Political Case Study using Facebook Status shows Hypocrisy, Opinion and Emotions – Anyway, Happy Birthday Nancy Reagan!
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"Screw em Don, thanks for the birthday wish!"
Yes, today is the birthday of Nancy Reagan, the wife of Republican Ronald Reagan, the United State’s 40th President.
This morning my Facebook status was, “Join me and wish Nancy Reagan a Happy Birthday. (Wife of America’s best president Ronald Reagan – you miss him yet?).” This was a “personal case study” to see who out there is actually paying attention, and what drives my Facebook friends to leave a comment on my page.
Okay, I have to come clean; I didn’t know it was Nancy Reagan’s birthday until I saw that I had given Ms. Reagan (automatically) a birthday cake for her birthday. (She is my friend on Facebook). Out of “respect” for the person, not the politician” (her husband), I still wish her a Happy Birthday.
Now, let’s deal with the comments on “a birthday wish.”
Some of you seemed “shocked” about the piece, “You miss him yet?” Clearly speaking about Ronald Reagan, to gain” knee-jerk” reactions from my sometimes-critical “friends.”
It’s funny; some of you went as far to bring up former President Bush, who was never mentioned. Then there were the references to the Republicans and Democrats. This “birthday wish” had no reference to Democrats or Republicans by the name that describes the “party.”
One response to Ms. Reagan’s birthday wish from me on Facebook, took it to “outer space,” asking me, “What planet was I from?”
"The White-man behind the Black-man."
Then there was the President Obama/Democratic cheer leading section. My Facebook friend stood tall and proud to defend our first Black president saying, that Reagan was not half as articulate as President Obama. That might be true, but I was wishing Nancy Reagan a Happy Birthday.
Whenever emotions and opinions get messed up in politics, the blame game begins. A number of folks, including those from California, said, “Bush created the mess and President Obama got ‘stuck’ with cleaning it up.”
That might me true, but let’s look at the whole picture, without emotions or opinions.
"Why am I in this story anyway - nice head"
My Facebook friends that are hard-core, right wing, liberals have played Read the rest of this entry »
Star Tribune Newspaper – Please Feel Free and Continue to…
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by Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/IBNN NEWS and USA Radical Black
Minneapolis, MN. (July 5, 2010/IBNN NEWS)…In a city like Minneapolis, people from all walks of life deserve some reasonable consideration in news and information from and about their respective communities.
On Thursday, January 8, 2010, the Star Tribune Newspaper announced Michael Klingensmith would be the paper’s new publisher. He began his new job on Monday, January 5, 2010.
In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio’s Cathy Wurzer, Klingensmith was asked, “What do you want to see on the front page of the paper and on the home page of the Star Tribune’s Web site?”
Klingensmith answered, “I think the primary mission for the Minneapolis Star Tribune is to do the best possible job we can with the news of the Minneapolis-St. Paul marketplace. Obviously there’s a lot of people who do national news. We need to do that as well, but our focus and our unique contribution is what we can bring to the news of the marketplace.” Read the rest of this entry »
Murderapolis – Murder, Death, Kill of a 16-year-old child leads community members to demand changes in city’s infrastructure
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Here’s where the problem continues. You have the Peace Foundation; Shiloh International Ministries represented by a guy name Andre Dukes; A Minneapolis City Councilman’s wife running an organization that refuses to bring “The Right Stuff and People” to the table with another division of folks that say they “represent” the community and yet none of these people have the guts to call a press conference or make an appointment to speak with the mayor on solutions to the ever growing murder rate in “Murderapolis.” Wouldn’t be easier to provide opportunities for Black youth in a city with under 400,000 people and a very small Black community?
These are some of the recommended suggestions for the City of Minneapolis:
- A call for the immediate resignation of Ward 5 City Councilman Don Samuels
- A call for the immediate resignation of Mayor Rybak’s public policy aid Sherman Patterson
- An audit of fund usage for Shiloh International Ministries “intervention” programs with funds cut-off immediately to the organizations non-profit until they can develop a plan of action in detail to show attempts to make contact in the “community.”
- Resignation of Michelle Martin and Sondra Samuels from the Peace Foundation, also to include the resignation of Andre Dukes
- A re-formatting of dollars to the Minneapolis Urban Leagues LEAP program, Truancy Program and the development of a “true” gang intervention program headed by Jerome Copeland
- Transfer of Inspector Mike Martin from the 4th Precinct.
by Donald W.R. Allen,II – Editor in Chief/IBNN and USA Radical Black
"Like it or not!"
Minneapolis, MN. (July 5, 2010/IBNN NEWS)…North Minneapolis resident James Nelson writes in an email, “This is very difficult to share but a close family friend and neighbor, Anthony Titus, was the shooting victim yesterday. He lived on the 2500 block of Sheridan. A wonderful young man me and my family enjoyed the company of for many years. He went to school with my kids. His mother Princess is a great lady working with troubled youth herself. Please pray for her and her family.”
Today, the Star Tribune reports that, Minneapolis police are looking for the person who shot and killed a teen on the 2900-block of Fremont Avenue North Sunday night on the 4th of July. It happened just before 9 p.m. Sunday night. Police say when officers arrived they found a 16-year-old Anthony Titus in the backyard of a home. Police say he had been shot in the torso and then ran down the street before collapsing. Read the rest of this entry »
Who will press the RESET button for Black Minneapolis? It must be everyone!
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Editors Note: When I say Black Minneapolis – I just don’t mean just Black people. Everyday, some of you that are not Black experience the same hate, trauma, racism and unfair playing field that certain races have experienced for decades. The RESET button in Black (everyone) Minneapolis must be pressed with a collaborate effort to reject the negative energy, people, places and things that will give way to jobs, better education for the children and an economic infusion into an area that has been over-run by 501(c)3’s that need to be replaced by businesses.
Freedom: “The lack of a specific constraint, or of constraints in general; a state of being free, unconstrained.” North Minneapolis does not have “freedom.”
By Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/IBNN NEWS and USA Radical Black
(Editorial/Opinion)
Minneapolis, MN (July 4, 2010)…Just recently I finished a book by Peabody Award winning co-creator of the public radio program Studio 360 and co-founder of Spy Magazine, Mr. Kurt Andersen.
His book “RESET” (Random House), with forward by Tom Brokaw stated, “We should get up every morning and ask, ‘What do I need?’ Not ‘What do I want?’”
Andersen wrote about pop culture. He said, “For twenty years now, we have watched Homer Simpson’s spot-on caricature of the quintessential American – childish, irresponsible, will-fully oblivious, fat and happy. There were news stories warning of a real estate bubble back in 2005, years before the bubble burst. Deep down we had an inkling at least that the spiral of over-leverage an overspending and the price of stocks and houses bubbling ever higher were unsustainable, just as everyone figured that the unprecedented performances of baseball players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens couldn’t be kosher, but…no one wanted to be a buzz kill. From 1982 until 2008, we partied like it was 1999.”
Let’s bring it home.
"North Minneapolis Foreclosures"
In third quarter 2007, citizens of Minneapolis watched what would be the catastrophic effects of the event called the “Foreclosure Crisis.” We watched thousands of Minneapolis residents loose their homes, jobs, families and lives they have become accustom to. The poor population of north Minneapolis was hit the hardest in the state by the crisis created by the economy, but also by local and national politicians that used “community organizing” in collaboration with ACORN, NAACP an the National Urban League to force banks to give loans to people of color so they could be a part of the American Dream and experience “home ownership.”
The only problem was, If you and your spouse worked for minimum wage in the Twin Cities from 2000 to 2007, no bank, under any pressure from a politician or any human service agency had any business giving access to a $100,000.00 home loan for one simple reason - “No one understood the process and definitions of the banking industry nor was there adequate training in the community of the variables and derivatives that come with bank loans, arms, and interest rates.” Read the rest of this entry »
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