houston style magazine vol 24 number 42

JESSE JACKSONTalks About Congress’ Unacceptable Behavior

SPOTLIGHTSH TSU CELEBRATES HOMECOMING 2013 H

Complimentary H Houston Premiere Weekly Publication H Volume 24 H Number 43 OCTOBER 17 - OCTOBER 23, 2013

NEWS COMMENTARIES SPORTS HEALTH EN TER TAIN MENT2013 AAMA GALA

CAPTAIN PHILLIPSMeet The StarsOf The Film

BREAST CANCERSeperating FactsFrom Myths

SERAFINA’S PROMISETerri Reviews A BookBy Ann E. Burg

NOMF HONORS MARTINA WELLS FARGO $760K GRANTS

PG 2 OCTOBER 17 - OCTOBER 23, 2013 WWW.STYLEMAGAZINE.COM

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Local Briefs

040509 Terry McMillan

By Demez White

DEPARTMENTS2 Haute Shots 4 Commentary5 Local Briefs6 Health8 Culinary11 Feature12 Beauty/Political14 Entertainment18 Book

©2013 Houston Style Magazine, a Minority Print Media, L.L.C. Company. All Right Reserved. Reproduction in whole or within part without permission is prohibited. Houston Style Magazine has a 2007 audit by Circulation Verification Council (CVC). Houston Style Magazine is a member of the Texas Publishers Association (TPA), Texas Community Newspaper Association (TCNA), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Independent Free Paper of America (IFPA), Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) and Members of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP). National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.), Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (HHCC), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Latin Women’s Initiative (LWI), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Houston Association of Hispanic Media Profession-als (HAHMP), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and Members of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP).

Volume 24 • Number 42• october 17 - october 23, 2013

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Its Time To Stop...By Jesse Jackson

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PAGE 16

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SAMETRA SCOTT [email protected]


JESSE

JAC

KSON

COMMENTARY It’s Time to Stop Abusing America’s Public Employees

The government shut-down engineered by the Republi-can tea party zealots in the

House of Representatives is headed into its third week. The damage is spreading. Infants go without nu-trition. Children are locked out of pre-school programs. Scientists are losing support and locking up labs. The people taking the biggest hit, of course, are pub-lic employees -- the workers who serve the American people. Some 800,000 of them were initially fur-loughed without pay. Ironically, those deemed the most essential are paying the highest price. “Essential” government employees are now, as Jeffrey David Cox, the president of the

American Federation of Govern-ment Employees, told me on my radio show, essentially “indentured servants.” They’re forced to work without pay. About half of AFGE’s 670,000 members are deemed “es-sential.” They are required to work, and face disciplinary action if they don’t. But they aren’t getting paid and won’t be until the shutdown ends and Congress decides to vote them retroactive pay. These employees include nurses, food inspectors, janitors, fi refi ghters and more. Most are not big earners. They have to buy food and gas, pay rent or mortgages, keep electricity and heat on. Most have to pay to get to work and back -- in gas, in mass transit fees, in parking. They are drawing down savings or going into debt just to keep going. This is unacceptable. We all benefi t from dedicated and skilled public servants. They work for us. And now we’re punishing them, and no doubt, driving the best out of government. When private employ-

ers forced people to work without pay, it was called slavery. As this is written, reports suggest that Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell are close to an agreement. But House tea party Republicans continue to oppose a settlement. Shutting down the government has under-mined America’s reputation across the world. Defaulting on our debts threatens a global fi nancial melt-down. The time for these games has long past. It’s time for a vote. A Sen-ate deal can end a fi libuster; an end to the shutdown would pass the Senate. That will put pressure on House Speaker John Boehner to al-low a vote in the House. The real-ity in this standoff is that a majority of legislators in both the House and Senate would support reopening the government and lifting the debt ceiling to avoid default. In the House, a resolu-tion would have to be passed with Democratic votes joined by a likely

minority of Republican votes. In the Senate, the Democratic majority can pass it on their own, if Repub-licans stop fi libustering it. It’s time for the majority to act. For Boehner, allowing a vote may risk his position as speak-er, as tea party Republicans would accuse him of surrendering. For Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc-Connell, ending the fi libuster would aggravate the zealots, and possibly strengthen the tea party challenge to him in the Republican primary for his Senate seat. But it is long past time for both to stop cowering and start leading. Scorn for bureaucracy and government is a long-standing American tradition. But perhaps this shutdown will help people real-ize that we have a huge stake in an effective and effi cient government. We should show far more respect for those we employ with our tax dollars. They are like all workers. They struggle to support their fami-lies. They go to work every day. Many live paycheck to paycheck, while laboring to put aside a little money to pay for their children’s education. Few can afford to work without pay and none should be forced to do so. Shutting down the govern-ment and punishing the people who work for us should be unaccept-able to all those who care about this country. You can write to the Rev. Jesse Jackson in care of this news-paper or by email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twit-ter @RevJJackson. Share this story online at www.stylemagazine.com.


LOCAL BRIEFSLet The Fashions Begin, Inc. An-nounces Distinguished Men Who

Will Walk The Runway

Houston, Let The Fashions

Begin, Inc. is having its 17th

annual Men of Style Gala

being held on November 15th at Hotel

ZaZA, 5701 Main St., Houston, Texas

77005 at 6:00 pm. The theme for the

Gala is “Dare To Dream”. The Gala

co-chairs are Linda Wischnewsky, Van-

essa Hall and Constance Charles. The

Let the Fashions Begin, Inc. Founder Judge Clarease Yates and the 2013 Men of Style honorees

texas Family Pledges $100,000 to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Lone Soldiers Program

honorary chairs are Francis and Kristyn

Page and Judge Michael McSpadden and

Anne Van Horn. “We are ecstatic about

our 17th annual Men of Style event. Ho-

tel ZaZA will never be the same,” says

MOS founder, Judge Clarease Yates.

The 2013 Men of Style honorees are

professional and civic-minded men who

are being recognized for their fashion

savvy and contribution to the commu-

nity including: Living Legends - Darryl

Wischnewsky, Dr. James Douglas, At-

torney Nelson Jones, and Mark Wallace;

2013 Men of Style honorees - Michael

Aldridge, James Banks, Astley Blair,

Judge Marc Carter, Mark L. Christensen,

Keith Davis, Sr., Dimitri Fetokakis, John

Jamil, Danny Nguyen, Chester Pitts, Car-

roll Robinson, Esq., Dr. Stephen Simko,

Dr. John Stanford, Jr., R.G. Thomas, and

Gilad Zadok. Go to our website www.

The pledge was made their as

Son and Daughter Move to Is-

rael and Join IDF The Bar-Ya-

din family, Friends of the Israel Defense

Forces (FIDF) Texas Chapter supporters,

recently pledged $100,000 to the FIDF

Lone Soldiers Program, which supports

Lone Soldiers financially, socially, and

emotionally throughout their military

service. The pledge was made as Reuben

and Deborah Bar-Yadin’s two children,

Ze’ev and Rachel, recently made Aliyah

(moved to Israel) and will be joining the

IDF. When Ze’ev and Rachel join the

IDF, they will be a part of the FIDF Lone

Soldiers Program. Israel’s Lone Soldiers

are those with no immediate family in

Israel, among them soldiers whose fami-

lies live abroad and who chose to leave

their countries of origin to serve the State

of Israel. “I’m very proud to be a sup-

porter of Friends of the IDF,” said Reu-

ben Bar-Yadin. “Without a strong IDF,

Israel would not survive. FIDF helps sol-

diers’ personal welfare and allows them

to do their job.” For more information,

please visit www.fidf.org.

letthefashionsbegin.com to purchase in-

dividual tickets and view our sponsor-

ship levels.

Reuben, Ze’ev, Reuben’s mother Tzipi, and Tzipi’s husband Yaacov Hersage with a soldier planting a tree at the Negev Educational and Wellbeing Center.


Thirty years ago, a diagnosis of breast cancer was thought of as a virtual death sentence for many

women, but since that time significant progress has been made in the fight against breast cancer. Reduced mortal-ity, less invasive treatments, an increased number of survivors and other advance-ments have their roots in breast cancer research – more than $790 million of it funded by Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest breast cancer organization. However, the reality is that breast cancer is still a serious disease. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held each October, brings awareness to the dis-ease and empowers women to take charge of their own breast health. This year, about 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the U.S. and nearly 40,000 women will die from it. Globally, 1.6 million people will be diag-nosed, and 400,000 will die. Despite the increased awareness of breast cancer, ma-jor myths still abound. Women must re-

Breast Cancer in 2013: What You Need to Know

HEALTH

main vigilant against this disease by learn-ing the facts and understanding how they may be able to reduce their risk. The Myths and Facts on Breast Cancer. Myth: I’m only 35. Breast cancer happens only in older women. Fact: While the risk increases with age, all women are at risk for getting breast cancer. Myth: Only women with a family history of breast cancer get the disease. Fact: Most women who get breast cancer

Learn the facts about breast cancer.

have no family history of the disease. However, a woman whose mother, sister or daughter had breast cancer has an in-creased risk. Myth: If I don’t have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, I won’t get breast cancer. Fact: You can still get breast cancer, even without a gene mutation. About 90 to 95 percent of women who get breast cancer do not have this mutation. Myth: Women with more than one known risk factor get breast cancer. Fact: Most women with breast cancer have no known risk factors except being a woman and getting older. All women are at risk. Myth: You can prevent breast cancer. Fact: Because the causes of breast cancer are not yet fully known, there is no way to prevent it. Actions to Reduce Your Risk Breast cancer can’t be prevent-ed; however, research has shown that there are actions women can take to re-

duce their risk of developing breast cancer. • Maintain a Healthy Weight – Postmenopausal women who are overweight have a 30 to 60 percent higher breast cancer risk than those who are lean. • Add Exercise into Your Routine – Women who get regular physical activity may have a lower risk of breast can-cer by about 10 to 20 percent, particularly in postmenopausal women. • Limit Alcohol Intake – Research has found that women who had two to three alcoholic drinks per day had a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer. • Breastfeed, if you can – Research has shown that mothers who breastfed for a lifetime total of one year (combined duration of breastfeeding for all children) were slightly less likely to get breast cancer than those who never breast-fed. For more information on the facts about breast cancer and what you need to reduce your risk, or to find resources in your community, visit Komen.org or call 1-877-GO-KOMEN.

October 15, 2013Turn Up to Fitness6pm * Recreation Center

October 16, 2013Pep Rally Noon-1pm * SSLC

Office/Dormitory JudgingNoon-2pm

Charity Auction4-6:30pm * SSLC

Celebrity Basketball GamePremixer with players 5pm7-10pm * Health and Physical Edu-cation ArenaStarring DJ Big Tho, Dougbezzy, Gross Mann, Propain, and Stunna Bam

LOCAL TSU is “Proud of Our Stripes” for Homecoming 2013

Halftime entertainment Double H-Town and Ivy ShadesCost: Free with student ID and can good or $1Alumni with alumni membership card $5General Public $10October 17, 201312th Annual Tiger Paw Classic8am * Goose Creek Country Club- Baytown, TX

Office/Dormitory JudgingNoon-2pm

Seriously Funny4-7pm * Granville Sawyer Audito-rium

Alumni Awards & Meet/Greet Re-ception

6-11pm * Westin Galleria Hotel (Monarch Room)

TSU Got Talent7-10pm * Granville Sawyer Audito-rium

October 18, 2013Yard Festival10am-6:30pm * Back of Student Life Center

College/Schools Open House9am * Campus Wide2013 President’s GalaReception 6pmDinner 7pm * Westin Galleria HotelRecognizing TSU Alumni, Com-munity Leaders, and Corporate and Philanthropic PartnersAlumni Honorees include Dale Long, a College of Science and Technology graduate, who has been recognized nationally for his work with Big Brothers and Big Sisters; Alice Mendoza, a College of Phar-macy and Health Sciences graduate who serves on the Texas State Board of Pharmacy; Winfred Frazier, a Jes-se H. Jones School of Business ma-jor and vice president at KTRK-TV,

Channel 13; Ricky Anderson, a Thur-good Marshall School of Law gradu-ate, an attorney and Houston business-man; Perry Miller, from the College of Science and Technology, who serves as general manager, Houston Airport System, William P. Hobby Airport; and Gerald Womack, from the College of Business, who serves as president of the Houston Black Realtors Asso-ciationEntertainment by Howard Hewitt, Re-gina Belle, Chris Walker, Natalie Fore-man and Vincent Powell

Pan Hellenic Council Greek Show Step Wars 7-10pm * Health and Physical Educa-tion Arena$15 pre-sale/$20 at the door

October 19, 2013Tailgating 6am-midnight * TSU Campus

Homecoming Parade 10am-noon * Downtown

TSU vs Alcorn2pm * Tiger Stadium


What’s in Our Shopping Cart

With a current buying power of $1 trillion, manufactur-ers and marketers should

be paying careful attention to the shopping patterns of African-Amer-ican consumers. The latest report on Black consumers, Resilient, Receptive and Relevant: The African-American

Consumer 2013 Report, illustrates how much of that spending breaks down: Our annual retail spending makes up 87% of the total market retail spending, while retail spend-ing for the Total Market accounts for 70%. This is a narrow gap in retail spending between Blacks and the To-tal Market which indicates our impor-tance as Black consumers. We shell out 30% more of our annual income than the Total Market as well. So now that you have a glimpse as to where the bulk of our household incomes are spent, let’s take a look at where that spending oc-curs. Annually, African-Americans, make 154 shopping trips, which is eight trips more than other group. We average, 20 trips to dollar stores, seven trips more; 15 trips to conve-nience/gas stores, which is two more than any other group and 15 trips to drug stores, which is one more to drug stores than any other group. Less time is spent at grocery stores, with three fewer trips. The exception

to grocery store shopping, though, is with Blacks who earn upwards of $100K annually. We also make three fewer trips to warehouse stores and two fewer trips to mass merchandis-ers than the Total Market. However, more upper-income Blacks (73%) shop at warehouse clubs than non-Blacks annually. The Center for Disease Con-trol has identified a phenomenon specific to some of our communities known as “food deserts” or “retail deserts.” We all know you won’t find some large chains in some ur-ban areas. And, some existing gro-cery stores simply don’t carry the freshest, most nutritious foods. This might explain the occurrences and store preferences of food shopping trips in the African-American com-munity. As the data also shows that African-Americans tend to frequent retail stores located in our commu-nities, there is an opportunity for expansion of both affordable, qual-ity product variety and actual stores in our neighborhoods. In an effort to try to attack this “Food desert” trend, the Whole Foods chain, plans to build a store in Chicago’s Engle-wood neighborhood. Earlier this year, the chain announced that a new store would be open in 2016. Another retail area that’s big for us is ethnic health and beauty care products – I know, no shocker there, right? We spend more than nine times more than any other demographic on Ethnic Hair and Beauty Aids. Sure, of course there are other hair care products on the shelves, but those products are not identified as ethnic, but they can lead to tremendous market growth opportunities, as Blacks’ hair care spending within traditional CPG re-tailers is underdeveloped compared to the total market. In fact, 46% of Black households shop at Beauty Supply Stores and have an average annual total spend of $94 on prod-ucts at these stores. Among other edible and non-edible products, the report shows that on average, African-Americans also purchase more un-prepared meat and frozen seafood, dry vegetables and grains, refriger-ated juices & drinks (in addition to those that non-perishable and can have an extended shelf life), femi-nine hygiene products, fresheners and deodorizers. And, that’s just a few of the categories that we tend to over-index. On the other hand, the insights show that we spend less money on the range of dairy prod-ucts (milk, yogurt, etc.) on the ed-ible side and this could be because

many of us are lactose-intolerant; and categories like hair care (not to be confused with Ethnic HABA), some magazines with selected titles plus lawn and garden products round out the non-edible list. African-Americans are brand loyal consumers, but like other con-sumer groups; we enjoy value (e.g. better per-item pricing) and spend 18% of our retail dollars on private label brands. You know – the store brands. I am always fascinated by how varied different groups’ pref-erences tend to be. For instance, in the private label category, disposable diapers rank as the most popular item for us; but they rank fifth on the store brand list of White non-Hispanics. Again, this is an opportunity for mar-keters who are paying attention. And here’s one of the new areas that we explored for this year’s report. All of us make fast food runs from time to time – some of you I know, more often than others, but hey, there is no judgment here. I am sure our busy schedules and multiple mouths to feed at home, make hitting those drive-thrus a lot easier. So we took a look at our preferences for fast food or Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) over the last three months. These are the top five Black household QSRs in comparison to other U.S. households: 1.McDon-ald’s (65% vs. 60%)

2. Burger King (44% vs. 36%) 3. Subway (43% vs. 40%)

4. KFC (37% vs. 26%) 5.Wendy’s (36% vs. 30%)

Now, I know with all of these powerful insights, you want more right? Have no fear! Our special four-page copy of the Resilient, Receptive and Relevant: The African-Consumer 2013 Report will continue to be in-cluded as an insert in your newspa-per. If you would like to learn more, I invite you to visit our website at www.nielsen.com for the full report. I would love to hear from you so we can keep the conversation going. So, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook. In the meantime, remember how power-fully relevant you are with every con-sumer choice you make. Follow Us on Twitter @NielsenKnows #AAConsumer13 Like us on Facebook: www-facebook.com/NielsenCommunity Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Af-fairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsen.com.

By Cheryl Pearson-McNeil

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil

BuSINESS


Grilling is no longer just

for summer. Spice up

your grilling repertoire

year-round with a Smokehouse Burg-

er with Peppered Bacon and Cheddar

that’s sure to please a crowd.

Grilling Tips

Here’s a list of items to con-

sider when preparing for your grill-

ing get-together:

Quick Fix – Using store-

bought hummus or salsa, stir in some

Tabasco Original Red Sauce to en-

hance the flavor and add an extra

kick for a tasty side.

Meat Mix-Up – Use ground

CuLINARY Fire Up the Grill All Year Roundturkey or chicken instead of ground

beef when making burgers for an un-

expected change of taste and texture.

Made-Over Margaritas –

Combine frozen strawberries, tequi-

la, lime juice, sugar, Tabasco Original

Red Sauce and ice for a refreshing

strawberry margarita.

For more grilling recipes,

visit www.Tabasco.com.

Smokehouse Burger with Pep-

pered Bacon and Cheddar

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

8 slices bacon

2 tablespoons Tabasco Chipotle

Pepper Sauce

1/2 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon Tabasco Original

Red Sauce

4 ounces Cheddar cheese

4 hamburger rolls

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Place bacon slices on rack

positioned over baking pan and

brush generously with Tabasco Chi-

potle Sauce. Bake for 8 minutes,

flip, baste again, and bake until crisp

about 8 more minutes.

Combine beef, salt and pep-

per. Form into 4 patties and grill or

broil to desired doneness, about 5

minutes per side for medium. Baste

burgers with Tabasco Original Red

Sauce and top with cheese.

Serve burgers with melted

cheese topped with bacon on rolls.

Smokehouse Burger with Peppered Bacon and Cheddar


Terry McMillan VisiTs HousTon wiTH new noVel

No one was tweeting,

there were more antici-

pation and smiles then

there were conversations. Most of

the events I go to are sort of funny

about starting times, meaning, they

rarely start on time. That wasn’t the

case on this night, at 7:00pm sharp

with no decorations or music, no real

introductions. Acclaimed author Ter-

ry McMillan walked on stage with

her new novel “Who Asked You?”

in one hand and her glasses in the

other and simply said, “Those lights

are way too bright cut them down. Is

that a child? My writing really isn’t

for children.”

The way she commands the

room without trying comes natu-

ral for a woman that has been writ-

ing since she took her first creative

writing class at Berkley. Putting on

her glasses and reading from the

thoughts of a seven year-old boy she

has the entire room laughing and in-

terested. She’s not trying too hard,

simply reading.

Speaking from the mind of a

seven-year-old boy she’s doing more

than just reading, she’s gaining inter-

est without giving away too much of

the storyline, without reading from

the minds of the main characters.

Anyone listening either can’t wait

to buy the book or can’t wait to go

home and read it.

After twenty-three minutes

of reading she stops and smiles, looks

out over the room of roughly 200

people. Mostly women, mostly over

40, all excited. “There are a lot of you

but I’ll stay as long as it takes to sign

all your books.”

She was asked by a young

girl in the audience, maybe one of the

only ones in the room. “What advice

would you have for young writers?”

I can’t speak for everyone

else but I was expecting the standard,

“Don’t give up, keep pushing, follow

your dreams.”

As the young lady stood

there, Terry looked over her glasses

and said, “Most young writers want to

have a bestselling book, make a lot of

money and have that book turned into

a movie. You have to love writing;

you have to read a lot. Don’t just read

African American novels but read all

novels, all races, all genres. Get better

and expand your horizons. You have

to decide is this really something you

want to do.”

Coming from a woman that

knew she wanted to be a writer since

her first creative writing class at UC

Berkeley and writing editorials for

the school newspaper the advice

comes from real life experience.

Looking around, choosing

another young person, this time a

man. Maybe one of four in the room

who asks, “I want to thank you for

being professional on Twitter, do

you think social media helps you sell

books more than word of mouth?”

Fanning her hand across the

room she smiles and thinks about the

question for a minute. “I like Twitter

more than Facebook because I can

get my thoughts out so much quick-

er on Twitter. You can say a lot with

140 characters. Most of the women in

this room are my age, my generation,

they aren’t here because of social me-

dia; they are here because they like

to read. Maybe for the younger gen-

eration but for the majority of my fan

base it’s still word of mouth.”

What’s evident in how com-

fortable she is on stage is that she’s

been doing this for a long time. Talk-

ing about how much she misses her

home, how she’s been on the road

since 9/11 people soak in every word.

“I wake up sometimes at five

in the morning just to write. I’m ex-

cited about what the characters are

going to say, what they’re going to do

because I don’t know. For me at this

point in my career, writing the story is

the best part. Not the book cover, not

the tours but the actual writing.”

What I take away from the

event and the moment is that even

after bestsellers, after movies, after

sitting down with Oprah and count-

less other TV personalities it’s still all

about the writing.

You can read more from De-

mez at www.demezw.com.

FEATuREBy Demez WhiteStyle Feature Writer

Terry McMillan


New 1st of Its Kind Kids Natural Hair Salon Opens in Houston

I know my mother had a time comb-ing my hair. I wouldn’t hold my head still. I was always crying from

pain. It was not fun for either of us. She screamed with delight when I was old enough to go to the beauty shop. Relief for her but still a headache for me. I hat-ed the beauty shop. I had to sit there all day long listening to adults’ blah about gossip and watch boring TV shows. Plus I was still in pain. I wished there was a

shop that catered to kids. Well now there is. Sitting in the heart of Museum District is Zayd’s Natural Kids, a full-service natural hair salon that caters to children, ages three (3) to thirteen (13). Zayd’s Natural Kids’ owner, Shawna Fa-rooq , who is also the owner of Zayd’s Naturally Natural Hair Studio, notice that with her adult hair salon that all of the at-tention was placed on adults leaving the kids very bored. “I wanted to have some-thing that would be conducive towards kids,” said Farooq. “They got bored. We had nothing to entertain them with. We didn’t have pictures of children’s styles from them to choose from. So I wanted to have a place where they could feel com-fortable and feel like this is for them.” Thinking solely of what kids would want Farooq has created a whim-sical salon for kids. Walking through the doors and I hit by color. Yellow, blue and green pain adorn the walls, with equally colorful salon chairs at all workstation. Across from that area is a play zone with an athletic theme featuring the Houston

Texans, Rockets, and Astros. Next what caught my eye was a second play station, which I thought. I came to learn that it was the pamper party place. A group of little girls can have the ulti-mate day out doing their nails, makeup, playing dress up or whatever fl oats their boat. The area is all decked with pink and purple walls and is complete with hand chairs, boas, and others things to have a grand time. There is even a read-ing nook in the salon so children can grab their favorite book and catch up on some reading while getting their hair done. Zayd’s Natural Kids is a full service salon offering an arrange of servicing including Cornrow Braiding, Double Strand Twists, Coiled Twists, Locks, Bantu Knots, Pressing and many more natural hair styles for children. Prices are reasonable. Some examples include hair cuts for $19, fl at iron styles for $50, braided Mohawk for $60, and rodded Mohawk $69. “The natural hair movement is fi nally becoming more prominent and

accepted in America, and Houston. We are truly excited to provide relief and ed-ucation to Houston parents who need as-sistance with maintaining their children’s natural hair,” said Farooq. Zayd’s Natural Kids Hair Salon is located at 221 Almeda Road, Houston, Texas 77004 and is open Tuesday – Sat-urday from 10am-5:30pm. Contact them online at www.zaydsnaturalkids.com or by calling 7135261009.

Firebrand Congresswoman Maxine Waters brought her fi re hose brand of oratory to

the Fort Bend Freedom Fund Ban-quet Saturday in seizing upon the federal government shutdown to get the sold out Missouri City event to its feet applauding her for her no holds commentary. “I am lifetime card carrying member of the NAACP but being a lifetime member means more than carrying a card. It means carrying your head up high. It means fi ghting for what is right for your country and your community,” she said before rushing right into the issues at hand. “The reckless irresponsibil-ity of this shutdown cannot be over-stated. As we slowly emerge from the worst economic crisis in over 70 years, I am saddened that ideo-logical extremism has led to another self-infl icted wound that could have dire consequences for our fragile re-covery, said Waters came invited by

POLITICAL Congresswoman Maxine Waters Wows Fort Bend NAACP

her colleague Congressman Al Green and State Rep. Ron Reynolds. Waters, 75, was born the fi fth out of 13 children. She has represent-ed the Los Angeles area in Congress for more than nearly 23 years and before that served in the California Assembly since 1976. Waters is the most senior of the 12 black women currently serving in the United States Congress, and is a member and for-mer chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. “Even a short shutdown threatens job creation, harms small businesses, and leaves families with uncertainty and instability. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are immediately and indefi nitely fur-loughed. Some agencies are forced to drain reserve funds, while others are closing entirely. The SBA will stop approving loans and loan guar-antees for small businesses. Hous-ing loans to low and middle income families in rural communities will be

put on hold, as will start-up business loans for farmers and ranchers. This not only harms those seeking these loans, but the small banks that offer them, slowing business and leading to potentially large backlogs,” she said as the Congress’ ranking mem-ber of Financial Services. “Representatives are gam-bling with our American economy to make an ideological point. Each day this shutdown continues risks further irreparable damage to our fi nancial system, our economy and our middle class. It must end now,” she said. Waters said her friend, Houston’s Congressman Al Green can be polite but she won’t be po-lite when policies impacting people as much as this does continue to be held in limbo. “As hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without pay; as home buying slows to an eventu-al halt; and federal agencies remain

unable to complete their important work the debt ceiling must be raised,” she said to standing ovations followed by her call that not doing so “has sig-nifi cant impacts on our fi nancial mar-kets and the economic security of all Americans. “I urge my colleagues to stop using the debt ceiling to push extremist ideology and vote now on a clean debt-limit increase,” she said before accept-ing a Texas cowboy hat from Dr. Jontia Reynolds.

By Burt LevinePolitical Writer

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Dr. Jonita Reynolds

BEAuTYBy Jo-Carolyn GoodeEditor-At-Large

Shawna Fa-rooq , owner of Zayd’s Natural Kids Hair Salon

Some of Zayd’s Natural Kids Hair Salon’s clients


Somali Pirates Hold Captain Hostage in Navy SEAL Rescue Thriller

Captain Phillips is based on the true story of Captain Richard Phillips, portrayed by Tom

Hanks, and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, which was the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. In the film, Barkhad Abdi plays Muse, the leader of the Somali pirates who forges a re-luctant and strange relationship with Phillips during the ordeal. Abdi’s real-life friends, Barkhad Abdirah-man, Faysal Ahmed, and Mahat M. Ali, play Muse’s pirate cohorts. The screenplay was written by Billy Ray (The Hunger Games), and based on Phillips’ book “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea.” Paul Green-grass directed the film. While I was in Los Angeles for press day for Captain Phillips, I viewed the film. I found Captain Phillips it to be exhilarating, filled

with on the edge my seat drama and anticipation. I had the opportunity to interview two of the stars, Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi. Susie Stillwell/Juicy Culture: How did you become involved in the casting process for Captain Phillips and ultimately get the role? Barkhad Abdi: One night the news came on and they said that a casting group in Minneapolis was casting a Tom Hanks film and look-ing for Somali actors. So it was an experience I wanted to try. SS/JC: Can you talk about the mutual respect that your char-acter Muse unwillingly forges with Captain Phillips during the course of the film? BA: The relationship be-tween these two men is weird. They are in this situation and they don’t want to be around each other. Muse has to keep Phillips alive to get mon-ey. But Phillips has to build a rela-

tionship with Muse in order to stay alive. So it’s a relationship that none of them wants, but they’re forced to try and understand each other. SS/JC: As an actor, what is it like working on a Paul Greengrass set? BA: Paul Greengrass before every scene would take me and Tom and we would go to the side. We would discuss that particular scene and how it had to be done. After the scene it’s either everybody’s quiet or Paul would give me a direction. There was nothing in between. He would give me more insights, details, how Tom’s character’s feeling, how I’m feeling, and how my character was feeling. He would always have some sort of insight to make the scene better. Tom Hanks: They built the exact replica of the original lifeboat and put it on a gimbal and that’s where we shot. It’s a very uncomfort-able space. It smells horrible. The air is bad. It’s hot and you are right on top of each other. There are a lot of

places to bonk your head and crack your knee. We all did that. … But Paul sets up an environment that is very realistic and I can’t imagine do-ing it any other way. SS/JC: Did you gained any crucial insights from playing Captain Phillips? TH: Yes. It’s always surpris-ing. You don’t necessarily go in and talk to the real person in order to try to find some secret key to the lock. But just he is an accomplished merchant mariner. That’s the main thing. Captain Phillips hit theaters nationwide last Friday, October 11, 2013. Juicy Culture always keeps you abreast, informed and on top of BLACK HOLLYWOOD. For comment or question go to susiestillwell.com. Click on Juicy for your comments or email us at [email protected]. Juicy Culture. KEEPING IT REEL TO REEL!

ENTERTAINMENTBy Susie StillwellEntertainment Writer


Bentley Kyle Evans is the Cre-ator and Executive Producer of Bounce TV’s “My Crazy

Roommate,” starring Laila Odom and Brittany Richards, and is also currently producing season four of TV One’s “Love that Girl.” The tele-vision exec has an “eye for funny” and has used that eye to help nurture rising stars and make TV history for African Americans in the industry. A 20-plus-year veteran of television and film, Evans began his career as an intern for Robert Townsend’s film, “Hollywood Shuf-fle.” He had the acting bug and gave it a whirl, but his greatest passion was found behind the lens in the writer’s room, creating characters from ex-periences with his real-life family, friends and neighbors. Evans partnered with Martin Lawrence on Fox Network’s clas-sic hit sitcom “Martin” [1992-1997] where Evans served as Executive Producer. He sky-rocketed to suc-cess, becoming the first African-American TV exec to have sitcoms airing on two networks simultane-ously with the creation of “The Ja-mie Foxx Show” [1996-2001]. Both shows aired over 100 episodes and continue to run in world-wide syndi-cation today. Evans has some serious roots in Texas, where his wife grew up in Houston. They still visit the Bayou City frequently, and you could tell he got a little homesick when he rel-ished about signature staples like The Breakfast Club, Frenchy’s Chicken and the best Ice cream in the world, Blue Bell.

Bentley Kyle Evans

ENTERTAINMENT TV Producer Bentley Evans Continues to Make His Mark in Hollywood

With the premiere of “My Crazy Roommate” and “Love That Girl,” Evans will repeat television history, with sitcoms airing on two networks simultaneously. RB: Congrats on another season of “Love That Girl on TV One and “My Crazy Roommate” on Bounce TV. Are there any teasers this season for “Love That Girl?” BE: I will give you some teasers not spoilers. Imunique has taken control of the show, and is the driving force of the sitcom this season. This is the first year a hood chick has ever been the center and main character. We can’t wait to get the viewer’s response on that. View-ers will also notice that Imunique and Latrell are a lot closer than they used to be. RB: Many people take the road less traveled, what was yours? BE: I think outside the box and don’t take NO for an answer! Throughout my career, I have con-cealed my intentions by operating while others aren’t looking. You know that old saying you never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. I move forward at all cost, by any means necessary. RB: To have so much lon-gevity in TV, where does your moti-vation come from? BE: I must admit it comes from my father. He was a self-made guy who worked in real estate, and as a paralegal. My father set the best ex-ample of the man I am today; there-fore I have adopted that same work ethic. My father is now 85 years old, and hasn’t skipped a beat. RB: Your footprint in TV made Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx household names. What is your secret in developing talent? BE: Martin and I are good friends, and as you know he is one of the Executive Producers of “Love that Girl.” In my opinion there is no brick road to success; it’s not a secret, nor formularic. I am blessed to have the gift and talent to recognize their abilities to make people laugh, show-case their vulnerabilities, and capture

real scenarios with relatable story-lines that people recognize. As you know both Martin and Jamie started from humble beginnings, and my eye for talent developed their in-ner most beings which constructed their alter ego. Once their alter ego was established for their character, I watched it magnify through their performances. RB: You have been creat-ing quality programming in African American households, how do you feel about the explosion of reality TV that characterizes African Amer-icans in a negative light? BE: As a producer, I under-stand the business of Reality TV. It is a cheaper-scripted production that doesn’t require a star-studded cast (whose platform acquires the same amount of advertising as a scripted sitcom). When the reality explo-sion took over, it caused me to be out of work because I didn’t under-stand the functionality. Presently, I have noticed the cycle of quality TV programming swinging back to our households such as: Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire. Unfortu-nately those negative stereotypes still do exist in our communities; however it’s only a small fraction the media glorifies. I am not criticizing the business, but as a producer, there is nothing better than a scripted TV with a great storyline and plot. RB: With over two decades of experience in Hollywood, has it gotten easier for AA to pitch shows to networks? BE: No it hasn’t! It’s tough-er now to get an African American show green lit to a major network. It’s hard to believe that these are still pressing issues since we have an Af-rican American First Family. When you do the math, the last major all African American cast during prime time were: The Cosby Show and A Different World. We definitely have a long way to go because we lack the voice of African American execu-tives as our influencers and decision makers. In today’s world, investors want you to have a rock-solid busi-

ness plan and business model; which makes it hard when you have no capital or opportunities on the table. African Americans are the number one con-sumer, yet we still have a limited voice in Hollywood. I applaud networks like TV One, BET and Bounce for support-ing African American programming and content. I didn’t let those issues become a setback, so in 2009 I started my own production company. With that being said I am in total control of my creativity. I have my own in-house studio, production company, and can green light my own show along with others. RB: Family is priority #1on and off set, tell HSM about that BE: I have been in business for over two decades, and this is the first time that I have ever worked with my wife. My wife is a Houston native who majored in Interior Design so it was only natu-ral for her to design the “Love That Girl” set. Initially it was a tough pro-cess to balance due to the scheduling conflicts, but being in each other’s presence all the time has strengthened our relationship. RB: What’s next for Bentley Evans? BE: Actually, I feel like I am just getting started. New stories need to be told. New networks need content. I consider myself a content provider not a producer. I want to create a distri-bution outlet where I can manage the pipeline. RB: Three words that describe Bentley Evans BE: Focused, deter-mined and humble For more informa-tion: @BENTLEYEVANS My Crazy Roommate premieres October 14th at 10P ET / 9P CT on BounceTV www.bouncetv.com Get ready to fall in love all over again with TV One’s Love That Girl! Tune in Friday, October 11 at 9:30/8:30c for the season premiere! www.tvoneonline.com TV One’s “Love that Girl” Fri, Oct 11, 9:30/8:30 CT (Season 4) Bounce TV’s “My Crazy Roommate” Mon, Oct 14, 7pm PT/10pm ET (Season 1)

By Rebecca BriscoeNational Entertainment Wrtirer


THIS WEEK: Houston, TX

Tacos y Tacones GalaP h o t o g r a p h y B y R o s w i t h a V o g l e r

On Saturday, September 28, 2013, Houston Style Magazine was on hand at the Hil-ton Americas Hotel for the Tacos y Tacones Gala. Martha and Demetrius Navarro were the gala chairs while Linda Gonzalez and Roland Rodriguez were the

honorary chairs. Guests enjoyed dinner and dancing to Mango Punch. Tacos y Tacones is AAMA’s signature fundraising event that attracted approximately 500 of Houston’s leaders. The event featured both live and Big Board auctions in addition to a Fund a Dream mission appeal. All proceeds from the gala benefi t AAMA and the more than 20,000 people it serves each year.

Obama Wants New Approach After Shutdown

Is it a model for bipartisan governance or a short-term solution that only hardened long-held positions?

Democrats and Republicans had wildly different takes on Thursday on the agreement passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama that ended the 16-day partial shutdown of the government and averted a possible U.S. default. Hundreds of thousands of fed-eral workers returned to their jobs across the country and national monuments such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis reopened under the agreement consid-ered a victory for Obama because it lacked substantive changes to his signa-ture health care reforms targeted by con-

servatives. In a tough and somber statement, the President challenged the Republican right to drop its anti-government ideol-ogy and change how business gets done in Washington. The standoff “infl icted com-pletely unnecessary damage (to) our economy” by slowing growth and in-creasing borrowing costs, Obama said, declaring that “there are no winners here.” At the same time, he blamed the brinksmanship that fl irted with the fi rst default in U.S. history on no-compro-mise tactics of the Republican tea party wing in Congress, saying that “the Amer-ican people are completely fed up with Washington.” “Let’s work together to make government work better instead of treat-ing it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse,” Obama said in a direct jab at tea party conservatives. “You don’t like a particular pol-icy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election,” he added. “Push to change it, but don’t break it” because “that’s not being faithful to what this country’s about.” Saying “we can’t degenerate

into hatred,” he ended by quoting part of the Pledge of Allegiance that states America is “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” While no Republican leaders offered on-the-record reaction, a senior GOP congressional aide told CNN’s Dana Bash that “the President’s com-ments are not designed to help this pro-cess, only to lay blame in advance”of upcoming congressional battles over the budget, immigration reform and other issues. The congressional stalemate ended when Republicans caved to the insistence of Obama and Democrats that legislation funding the government and raising the federal borrowing limit should be free -- or at least mostly free -- from partisan issues and tactics. After all the bickering and grandstanding, the billions lost and trust squandered, the result amounted to much ado about nothing. Hardline Republicans, whose opposition to Obama’s signature health care reforms set the shutdown and debt ceiling crisis in motion, got pretty much zip -- except maybe marred reputations.“To say we as Republicans left a lot on the table would be one of the biggest

understatements in American political history,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Gra-ham of South Carolina tweeted. The agreement amounted to the cliched kicking of the can down the road, because the deal passed by Congress in lightning fashion Wednesday night and signed by Obama in the wee hours of Thursday only funds the government through January 15 and raises the debt ceiling until February 7.I t also set up budget negotia-tions between the GOP-led House and Democratic-led Senate intended to reach a broader agreement on funding the gov-ernment for the fi scal year that ends on September 30. Ideally, a budget compromise would ensure government funding and include defi cit reduction provisions that would prevent another round of default-threatening brinksmanship in three months’ time. CNN’s Brianna Keilar, Deirdre Walsh, Dana Bash, Erin McPike, Steve Brusk, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Paul Stein-hauser, Ashley Killough, Craig Broff-man, Jim Acosta, Mark Preston, Dan Merica and Lisa Desjardins contributed to this report.

POLITICALBy Tom Cohen. Holly Yan and Greg BotelhoEd

President Barack Obama



Annual Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation LuncheonP h o t o g r a p h y B y R o s w i t h a V o g l e r

On Monday, October 7, 2014, Houston Style Magazine was on hand at The Westin Galleria for the 12th Annual Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation (NOMF) Luncheon. This year luncheon featured Martina Navratilova, an inspiring cancer

survivor and tennis star whose career has spanned an amazing four decades. Yearly, the NOMF holds this affair to help charities that support education, care, and research to fi nd a cure for breast cancer, while memorializing Nancy Owens’ life who lost her battle with breast cancer. Some in attendance were Trudy Bennett, Carmen Densing, Bea Rusk, Carol Peyton, Tamara Mannen, Rosann Rogers, Afshan Baptista, Samekka Wade, Isabel Dove, Mary Haskins, Dr. Xiaosong Wang, Kaiti Kling, Betty Byrd, Ruthie Chuvac, Cathy Coleman, and Tiby Bernstein.

By Jo-Carolyn GoodeEditor-At-Large


Heineken’s National Black MBA Association Farewell Mixer P h o t o g r a p h y B y C o l b y M u l l e n

On September 14, 2013, Houston Style Magazine was on hand at Lucky Strike for the National Black MBA Association Farewell Mixer presented by Heineken. Houston hosted the 35th National Black MBA Association, Inc. Annual Conference and

Exposition on September 10-14, 2013. Some in attendance were Darrell James, Jermone Love, Vernita Harris, and Houston City Councilman Larry Green.


c.2013, Scholastic$16.99 / $18.99 Canada

304 pages

You’ve got a dream.Every kid does, but yours is special. You

want to be a football player someday, or a star onstage. Maybe your dream is to visit Europe, drive a hot car, be an astronaut, buy your own house, ride a horse, write a book, or help others. You’ve got a dream, and you’ll do anything to see it happen. But in the new book “Serafina’s Promise” by Ann E. Burg, realizing a dream might mean going through nightmares first. Eleven-year-old Sera-

“Serafina’s Promise” by Ann E. Burgfina had a secret. It was a good secret, too. It made her think while she carried water four times a day, took care of Manman, emptied chamber pots, swept the floor, gathered wood, and piled charcoal. Her secret kept her mind busy while her hands were working, too. Her secret was this: Serafina wanted to be a doc-tor someday. She’d wanted it ever since Antoinette Solaine took care of Serafina’s baby brother, Pierre - and though Pierre had died, Serafina saw that being a healer was some-thing special. Even Papa said she had a “gift” for it. But she knew that first, she needed an education and that was very expensive. Manman said that there was no money for a uniform or shoes and besides, she needed Sera-fina at home. Gogo reminded

Serafina that chores needed doing. Manman’s belly was round with another baby, and there were things she couldn’t do. So Serafina spent her days carrying water and doing chores, and turning her secret over in her head. Gogo always said that Grandpè thought an education was important. Se-rafina knew that she needed to speak to Papa, who would talk to Manman about school. A trip to the city for Flag Day seemed like a good chance to ask. And ask she did, on their way to Port-au-Prince. Papa listened – Serafina loved that about him – and though she wasn’t sure what would happen, he smiled when she promised to find ways to earn her own money for school. It would take the rest of the sum-mer, but once the new baby ar-

TERRI

SCHICH

ENME

YER rived, Serafina was sure she’d have time to do it. And then the ground began to shake… Page through “Serafi-na’s Promise,” and you might think there’s not much here. Indeed, the pages are largely empty and the words are spare, but don’t let that fool you: young readers won’t be able to help but be affected by this powerful little tale. In a matter-of-fact manner befitting her optimistic young character, author Ann E. Burg portrays Haiti’s poverty and problems without making the story one of weepy drama. That lack actually gives this book more believability, and it made me love the pluckiness of Serafina even more. In the end, those bare pages packed a huge punch and I think kids will like that a lot. Meant for kids ages

10-14, I think a slightly young-er “good reader” will find this a nice challenge. For her, or for any child who wants a quick, enjoyable novel, “Serafina’s Promise” will be a dream.

By Jo-Carolyn GoodeEditor-At-Large

Living on purpose is what many strive to do but often the road to find-

ing their purpose is long and troublesome. On the other hand, there are those who live their entire life knowing their purpose but run from it. Imani once was one of those other people. When she finally did embrace her true purpose, she began to write by faith. All of her life Imani knew a few things she wanted to help people, she had a cre-ative soul, and she loved to write. She followed her pas-sion to write by majoring in journalism at the University of Texas. Her pre-graduation years were filled with thoughts of moving to New York to ex-plore a writing career. How-ever as graduation inched ever so closer her NY state of mind didn’t seem practical. Instead of drawing towards her pur-pose, Imani turned and ran away to what she thought was

Writing by Faiththe more sensible career of be-ing a lawyer. Although Imani wasn’t fulfilling her ultimate purpose she wasn’t com-pletely letting it go. Being a lawyer was not a detour for her, as it would seem but just another step along her journey of becoming an author. “If I hadn’t done it (lived her life) this way, I wouldn’t be the person that I am,” said Imani about living with no regrets. In the law field, Imani was able to help people and utilize her communications skills learned when she earned a journalism degree. While living her prac-tical life as a lawyer, the cre-ative side of her would not sleep. Time and time again Imani would email her friends inspirational messages. Soon her friends would forward the emails to others. Those other people would email Imani to ask to be on her distribution list. Her list grew so big and she had so many messages that she decided to take all of her messages and author her first book, You Are Not Alone, and

the birth of a new identity. She writes under the name Imani, which means by faith. She be-lieves that she lives and writes by faith. With the release of her first book about three year ago Imani could no longer deny her creative side and took the lunge to write her first novel, which recently debuted, When I Was Broken. Just as with her first book, Imani relies heavily on the details of her own life to tell the story in When I Was Broken, a woman’s journey to overcome pain, loss and heart-ache in the wake of her crum-bling marriage to discover her own power and truth. The nov-el also brings to light another issue that is a bit taboo for all of America but daily we are pushed to address it, the issue of mental illness. Even though mental illness is more in the eye of the media, the story of loving someone with mental illness is not, hence the inspira-tion behind Imani ’s novel. “I am hoping that this book will be inspiring for people who have been there and also be a

reminder that we need to do the things that we can to stay as emotionally healthy as pos-sible,” said Imani. “I think a lot of times we as a world, but also in particular black wom-en, tend to think it is a badge of honor to be really strong and to not need any help, and so sometimes, sometimes we do, oftentimes we do.” That is probably one of the biggest take a ways from the novel. No matter how much you love or care for someone else don’t forget to love and care for yourself. If just reading a re-view of this book sounds like a great movie then you have a good eye. Besides being an au-thor Imani is also a filmmaker and will soon turned her novel into a motion picture. “A lot of people who have read the book says it reads like a movie al-ready,” laughs Imani. Though her debut novel has only been out for a couple of months, Imani is already hard at work on her second novel, Bittersweet. “It is a story of a woman whose husband’s has died and she is

trying to heal,” said Imani. “ She is angry at God, angry that life didn’t turn out the way she thought it would. So this is her journey of healing.” Much like the charac-ters in her books go through a journey to be healed, Imani is on her own journey of heal-ing and transforming with ev-ery book that she writes. She hopes that through her words she can inspire and heal others writing by faith. Read more by Imani online at www.byImani.com.


Mayor Parker, Wells Fargo An-nounce $760,000 in Grants to Help Provide Housing, Support

for Chronically Homeless

Next Day Access Delivers Accessi-bility Solutions to Houston

Mayor Annise Parker and Wells Fargo & Company, one of America’s lead-

ing community banks and the na-tion’s largest home mortgage lender, today announced the company will make donations totaling $760,000 over three years for two Houston-based nonprofits to help support Mayor Annise Parker’s goal of end-ing chronic homelessness. The local grant recipients were identified in close collaboration with the City of Houston and Mayor Parker to assist the city in the areas of transitional and permanent supported housing and shelter and support services for the homeless. In response, Wells Fargo is making $760,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Houston in-cluding: The Corporation for Sup-portive Housing and The Coalition for the Homeless Houston/Harris County. The grants are funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation through the

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Now exclusive partners with

Mayor Parker, Wells Fargo An-National

Next Day Access, the new national franchise busi-ness of Memphis-based

American Access, recently launched one of its fi rst locations in Houston, Texas, serving the Greater Houston area. Offering a number of accessi-bility products, such as wheelchair ramps, stair lifts, pool lifts, ceiling lifts, bathroom safety products and vertical porch lifts for residential and commercial environments, Next Day Access works to restore quality of life and independent living with a “whole home, whole life” approach. This is the second franchise location in Texas opened by Claiborne Self. Next Day Access Houston serves individuals and businesses across the Houston Metroplex and within a 100-mile radius of the city, including areas such as The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Conroe, Galveston, Pearland, Baytown, Katy and League City. For a free home or business evaluation, call 713-344-0031 or 1-800-423-0751. For more information about Next Day Access, visit www.Next-

DayAccess.com.

Phillips 66, an energy manu-facturing and logistics com-pany, is awarding a $1.5 mil-

lion grant over three years to Rice University’s School Literacy and Culture project (SLC) to help im-prove literacy among children in the Houston area. SLC, a part of Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, and Phillips 66 are partnering to solve the prob-lem of illiteracy among youths in the Houston area by developing the Early Literacy Leadership Academy. This new center for expert teaching will help teachers gain expertise as innovators who promote higher-or-der thinking skills, second-language learning and relationships that im-pact children’s self-regulation and autonomy. For more information, visit www.phillips66.com or http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceU.

Wells Fargo representatives at Houston City Hall.

company’s NeighborhoodLIFTSM program. For more information, vis-it www.youtube.com/wellsfargo.

Houston Doctor Starts Celebrity Medical Concierge Service

The opening of Dr. Kadisha Rapp’s Concierge practice heralds the arrival of a new

approach in personalized and pre-ventive health care for members of the entertainment and business com-munity. Utilizing an approach to health care that includes a personal commitment to her patients and col-

laborative consultations with them, Dr. Rapp’s concierge service spe-cializes in offering convenient and high quality medical treatment for a variety of ailments faced by her high-end business and celebrity cli-entele. “I believe in working directly with my patients on a one-to-one ba-sis to achieve the best results,” says Dr. Rapp. “Most medical problems can be addressed by adopting simple measures such as a sound approach to prevention and management of medical conditions. I work with my clients so that they can maintain a higher quality of health thus enabling them to perform their jobs to the highest standards.” For additional information visit: www.drkbrapp.com

Phillips 66 Awards $1.5 million Grant

to Rice university to Improve Early Child-

hood Literacy

texas childrenʼs Hospital opens Oculoplastic Clinic

Texas Children’s Hospital, a U.S. News & World Report honor roll pediatric hospital,

announces a new, fi rst of its kind in Houston, Oculoplastic Clinic exclu-sively for pediatric patients. This new service will provide access to comprehensive evaluation, treat-ment and correction of congenital abnormalities of the eyelids, tear ducts and eye sockets. The clinic will offer compassionate care by board certifi ed oculoplastic surgeons with expertise in the management of complex oculoplastic disorders that affect children in coordination with pediatric specialists in ophthalmolo-gy, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, an-esthesia, and other subspecialties as needed.For more information about the Oculoplastic Clinic please visit: texaschildrens.org/oculoplastic-clin-ic. To make an appointment at Texas Children’s Oculoplastic Clinic call 832-824-1000. Appointments are available today.

Dr. Kadisha Rap

houston style magazine vol 24 number 42

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