With hundreds of television channels to choose from today, it’s hard to imagine a program truly capturing the attention of the nation. Yes, there are moments from the tragic (Sept. 11, 2001) to the ridiculous (O.J. in the white Bronco) that rivet us, and the Super Bowl has become a national religious service for the country’s secular denomination. But when it comes to scripted shows, even the most hyped ones reach only slices of the population.But from Jan. 23 through Jan. 30, 1977, the nation collectively turned its eyes to a 12-hour miniseries called “Roots.” The drama, based on the book by Alex Haley, traced several generations of a slave family, beginning with Kunta Kinte, a young West African man kidnapped by slave traders and shipped to America. Now, in connection with the show’s 30th anniversary, Warner Home Video has released “Roots: The Complete Collection” ($119.98), which includes “Roots: 30th Anniversary Edition” plus the sequels, “Roots: The Next Generations” and “Roots: The Gift” (a Christmas-themed movie). “Roots: The Next Generations” is also available by itself ($59.98).

Previous miniseries such as “Rich Man, Poor Man” (1976) were successful but ran over several weeks. So it was a ratings gamble for ABC to schedule “Roots” on eight consecutive nights, particularly considering its frank depiction of slavery and the fact that the black characters were the story’s heroes and the white characters its villains. The gamble paid off beyond anyone’s most optimistic hopes. “Roots” earned higher ratings than any entertainment program before it, averaging a 44.9 rating and a 66 audience share. The final night’s single-episode ratings record wasn’t broken until 1983, with the finale of “M-A-S-H.”

The show had an impact far beyond mere numbers, though. For a while at least, it made race and racial history a topic of conversation in America. More than 200 colleges and universities developed courses around it. Genealogy became a fast-growing hobby as Americans decided that they, too, wanted to know the story of their families.

Among the collection’s extras are featurettes (“The Struggle to Make Roots,” “Connecting With the Past”) and an interview with Haley by British journalist David Frost. Also included is the informative documentary “Crossing Over: How Roots Captivated an Entire Nation” and “Roots: One Year Later,” a program from 1978 that, while a tad self-congratulatory, is nonetheless interesting.

Read More: News & Observer

Program offers a chance to learn from and assist the young

RALEIGH – In the gymnasium at the Garner Road Family YMCA on Saturday morning, black men urged their younger counterparts to tell them about the obstacles they face.

Organizers said the conversations would give the older men more insight into what young black men are dealing with in today’s society — and what was needed to help them.

“We want to show compassion,” said David Prince, a program director for Food and Nutrition Services, part of the N.C. Division of Social Services. “We want them to know that we’re here. We want to spend time with them. The goal is we want to prevent them from building up the jails.”

The program is affiliated with the Triangle High Five, a regional consortium with the goal of getting 100 percent of area high school students to graduate. About 40 men sat and listened to nearly 100 boys and young men talk about barriers to success, including low expectations from others and a lack of role models.

One of the organizers is Orage Quarles III, president and publisher of The News & Observer.

The group now will try to address several of the concerns aired by the young men. Some mentors also suggested assuring the young people that the meeting would not be a one-time thing.

“They need to have that contact so they don’t feel like the ball’s being dropped,” said William Stubbs, an administrative intern at Reedy Creek Middle School, where he is a sixth-grade assistant principal.

Several initiatives to mentor young people have popped up recently in Raleigh. Phase II, a personal training company, is starting one in conjunction with the Raleigh Boys Club and St. Augustine’s College. The program — incorporating fitness, academics, community service and religion — will benefit black males ages 11 to 13.

During his swearing-in ceremony last week, Raleigh Police Chief Harry Dolan said he would like to see more officers mentoring at-risk youngsters in the city.

Read More: News & Observer

(ARA) – Heart Disease kills more American women each year than all other causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer, but don’t let that statistic scare you. According to the American Heart Association, the number one cause of death is also the single most preventable cause of death, and lifestyle factors play a key role.

If you smoke…
Put down the cigarettes. Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases HDL (good cholesterol) and increases the tendency for blood to clot.

If you do everything possible to avoid exercise…
Change your attitude and join a gym. Exercise is a great habit to develop that will help you with heart health. It can help lower your blood pressure, improve your blood circulation and keep your weight down.

If you’re guilty of regularly eating a non-healthy diet that includes a lot of fat and sugar…
Change your tune! According to the Cleveland Clinic, women who hold excess fat around the middle of their bodies are at an increased risk of developing heart disease. Although there is nothing you can do to change your body type — you can take steps to keep your weight at a healthy level.

A good place to start is by figuring out ways to work the foods that have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease into your diet. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition lists these as including apples, bran, grapefruit, red wine, strawberries, chocolate and pears.

Of all these foods, perhaps the most versatile is the pear. Here are some examples of how adding pears to your diet can benefit your health:

* You can reduce the number of calories you consume at the main course by 12 to 13 percent if you begin a meal with foods that have a lot of bulk or volume, but few calories. A pear fits this bill exactly because of its high fiber and low caloric content, just 100 calories for a medium pear.

* Spice up salads with heart healthy ingredients. A sliced pear makes an excellent addition to a green salad along with blanched sweet potatoes, pistachios and lean chicken. This is a filling, healthy meal that will do your heart good and tastes delicious.

Here’s a tasty recipe you may want to try:

* Curried Pear, Pistachio and Grilled Chicken Salad (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients for salad:
6 cups mixed, washed and torn salad greens or spinach
3 large ripe Bartlett Pears, cored and sliced
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 small red onion, sliced
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast fillets, chilled

Ingredients for the curry-chile vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced

Directions: Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To assemble salad, toss half of the dressing with the salad greens. Divide evenly among 4 salad plates or bowls. Top with pears, nuts, bell pepper and onion. Slice each chicken breast into strips and lay over salad. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

* Avoid added sugars in your diet whenever possible. Table sugar, honey, brown sugar and other sweeteners offer no value to our diet other than empty calories.

This doesn’t mean, however, you have to skip dessert. Imagine a lusciously sweet and healthy fresh, poached pear for dessert each night. This recipe for poached pears includes a small amount of added sugar, but also incorporates heart healthy ingredients like wine and chocolate along with the fiber-rich pears. Bosc is the traditional variety used for poached pears, but any variety can be used.

*Wine Poached Pears in Chocolate Sauce (Makes 6 servings)

6 pears, peeled and sprinkled with the lemon juice as they are peeled
1 lemon, squeezed for juice
peel of 1 orange
2/3 cup sugar
2-1/4 cups of water
1 bottle of red wine
1 stick of cinnamon
1 peppercorn
1 pinch of salt
Fat free chocolate syrup

Directions: Stand the pears in a pan, not touching each other. Sprinkle with the sugar. Add the salt and wine. Then add the orange peel, cinnamon, and peppercorn. Bring the pears to a boil over high heat. As soon as the wine starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Gently lift the pears from the syrup with a slotted spoon, place on a platter or bowl and set aside. Boil the juice down until it is reduced by half. Set aside to cool.

To serve: Pour chocolate into individual serving bowls and warm slightly in microwave. Place poached pear on top of chocolate and drizzle with poaching juices. Top with additional chocolate syrup or chocolate shavings.

For more heart-healthy recipes that include pears, log on to www.calpear.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

SIDEBAR

Warning Signs that a Woman May Be At Risk for a Heart Attack

* Feeling really tired — even after getting enough sleep.
* Trouble breathing
* Trouble sleeping
* Feeling sick to the stomach
* Feeling scared or nervous
* New or worse headaches
* An ache or burning feeling in the chest, feeling “heavy” or “tight” in the chest
* Pain in the back, between the shoulders
* Pain or tightness in the chest that spreads to the jaw, neck, shoulders, ears or the inside of the arms
* Pain in the belly, above the belly button

Should you feel these signs – do not ignore them. Go to your doctor or clinic right away.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

About California Pears.

Pears are one of the oldest fruits to be consumed by civilized man with a history dating back to ancient Roman times.

California, along with Washington and Oregon, is a leading producer of both fresh and canned pears. The traditional Bartlett pear is the major variety grown in this state, but other varieties produced in California include: Bosc; Comice; Forelle; Seckel; Red Pear; and Sunsprite. \

U.S. pears are available virtually year-round. Harvest of pears in California begins in early July with Bartletts, Bosc, Red Pear and Sunsprite varieties followed by Comice, Forelle and Seckel which begin harvest in August. Pears hold very well in storage and are available on U.S. retail store shelves throughout late summer, fall and early winter. Some varieties like the Bartlett, Bosc, Comice and Forelle and will hold for up to 3 to 6 months after harvest.

KnowMenopause.com Provides an Interactive Resource for Health Care Professionals and Patients

(ARA) – Recently, 491 menopausal women participated in a nationwide poll and reported that there is a lack of credible information about menopause – a potentially confusing time in a woman’s life. In fact, this new survey found that 67 percent of the women felt that there is a great deal of confusion about treatments for menopausal symptoms. In addition, only 9 percent of the women strongly agreed that accurate and current information about menopause treatments is easy to find.

There were similar findings in a survey of 300 physicians. In this survey, 93 percent of the physicians stated that honest, credible and consumer-friendly resources would better help them serve their patients. Now, a new online destination called KnowMenopause.com is available to help ease the confusion that exists.

“Research shows that when it comes to menopause, 73 percent of physicians cite Web sites as resources women use to gain knowledge. KnowMenopause.com is a user-friendly Web site that provides useful, well balanced information designed to help women better understand menopause and improve the interaction with their health care professionals,” says Gloria Richard-Davis, M.D. As a reproductive endocrinologist and women’s health expert, Dr. Richard-Davis is featured on the site reviewing the basics of menopause.

KnowMenopause.com is a unique health educational tool that enables women of menopausal age to learn about the changes they may experience during menopause and information about treatment options. The site also urges women to work with their health care professional to develop a health program and action plan that is right for them. An innovative blend of online resources and interactive tools, KnowMenopause.com offers: Web videos with expert guidance from health care professionals, real-life patient stories, e-Cards to send to friends, and a women’s wellness screener for health after age 40.

KnowMenopause.com is a resource sponsored by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Prior to launching the site to women, Wyeth invited health care professionals to preview and navigate the site to better understand the type of information their patients will receive.

Visit www.KnowMenopause.com for:

* Real-life interviews with women who share their personal experiences with menopause

* e-Cards that visitors to the site can send to friends

* A woman’s wellness screener with guidelines for optimal health management after age 40

* Interactive tools, such as a menopausal symptoms assessor

* Information on menopause basics, menopause treatment options, hormone therapy basics, and hormone therapy benefits and risks

Courtesy of ARA Content

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has leading products in the areas of women’s health care, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system, inflammation, transplantation, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and nutritional products. Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products and nonprescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The Company’s major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on current expectations of future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include risks associated with the inherent uncertainty of the timing and success of product research, development and commercialization (including with respect to our pipeline products), drug pricing and payment for our products by government and third party-payors, manufacturing, data generated on the safety and efficacy of our products, economic conditions including interest and currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes in generally accepted accounting principles, the impact of competitive or generic products, trade buying patterns, global business operations, product liability and other types of litigation, the impact of legislation and regulatory compliance, intellectual property rights, strategic relationships with third parties, environmental liabilities, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the caption “Item 1A, Risk Factors.” We assume no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.

WASHINGTON – Quick. Pop quiz. And no cheating. Are more black men in college or in jail?Janks Morton, a new movie director, is willing to bet you got the wrong answer. Although he thinks the very nature of the question is an “abomination,” he wonders: Would that same question be asked so often of any other race in America? The very premise of the question, he said, leads to faulty science. But the question is insidious, like the images that have seeped into the public psyche so deep that many black people themselves don’t get the answer right.

Morton poses the question while sitting in a restaurant seven hours before his movie, “What Black Men Think,” premieres in Washington.

He turns to three black men at a table behind him.

“Quick question: Are there more black men in college or in jail?”

Man in green shirt: “Jail.”

Man in brown shirt: “Jail.”

Man in blue shirt. “Jail.”

Morton calls over the waiter: “Hey, R.J.! Are there more black men in college or in jail?”

The waiter ponders the question, turning it as if he were inspecting a utensil. “I believe … in jail.”

Morton: “Now let’s ask some women.”

Woman in pink pearls: “I don’t know. I would say jail.”

Wrong, wrong, wrong, Morton said. There are more black men in college than in jail.

In 2005, according to the Census Bureau, 864,000 black men were in college. According to Justice Department statistics, 802,000 were in federal and state prisons and jails, “even with the old heads holding on,” Morton said.

Between ages 18 and 24, black men in college outnumber those in jail by 4 to 1.

Still, the idea that the reverse is true stems from an image that has been perpetuated, Morton said, by the government, the media and the black leadership.

“I’m worried about us and what we think about ourselves,” he said.

Distorted images

That is the point of Morton’s documentary, recently released on DVD. The film explores the stereotypes and statistics that label black men, families, women and children.

The film sets out to debunk stereotypes that he said have been perpetuated for so many years that they have struck the black community to its core. Stereotypes that have insulted, demoralized and humiliated. That have left others intimidated by black boys and black men.

The “docu-logue” is in a style akin to Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine,” with interviews of black intellectuals. It’s infused with graphics, historical footage of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and provocative moments, such as black women calling black men dogs.

Morton appears on screen in dark shades, “Matrix”-like. “More than one hundred years ago,” he said, “Harriet Tubman was quoted as saying: ‘If I could have convinced more slaves they truly were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.’ ”

At another point, the screen rolls up. Rolls down, deliberately out of focus. Morton said, “How could you have bought into the false castigations that keep you from one another?

“You sit idly by and watch your media distort your images. You know that the government stratifies you. You know that the black leadership exploits you, and you choose to do nothing.”

Morton, 43, said he graduated from Bowie State University, earning a degree in business and industrial psychology. For at least a decade, he worked in the entertainment industry, including with Ginuwine and Boyz II Men. He owned a record label, learned to stage, film and edit music videos.

Then, fed up with the industry, he quit. “I didn’t pick up the camera again until 2005,” he said.

“One night, I was watching TV. It was one of those debates on Fox. A statistic came out: 70 percent of black children are born out of wedlock. That blew my socks off. … I went to the Census Bureau and found it was true.”

Read More: News & Observer