Probation Challenge’s Interview with Christopher ‘Chris’ George Kennedy, Democratic Candidate for Illinois Governor

CHICAGO IL –  Christopher ‘Chris’ George Kennedy, Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate, recently visited the Probation Challenge Studio, where the Rev. Harold E. Bailey, conducted a heart-winching interview before a live audience.

Chris Kennedy, 53, eighth child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, began his dialog with history concerning grandparents Joe and Rose Kennedy, his wife and children, and then told of his uncle, the late President John F. Kennedy. He also spoke of his uncle, the late Robert F. Kennedy, who served as former U.S. Senator/64th U.S. Attorney General. Both father and uncle were shot and killed at the hands of an assassin’s bullet. John and Robert were best known for their advocacy in the Civil Rights Movement.

Bailey vigorously questioned Kennedy about: Education, Incarceration, Jobs and Violence, and without hesitation, Kennedy approached each category with the confidence that existing problems in the state of Illinois could and would be fixed once in office. He additionally spoke of Chicago’s problems.

Kennedy, admonished Chicago youth to not hold on to the presupposition that their vote doesn’t count! He explained that youth have been conditioned to believe a false philosophy… by those who benefit accordingly.

When asked why he was aspiring for the Illinois Governor’s seat, Kennedy responded, “I am running because I love Illinois and believe it can once again be a place where we can raise our families and find opportunity, but our state is broken and it must be fixed.

I’ve seen the possibilities and potential of this State from so many vantage points. I cannot sit back and watch as State Government stands in the way of what’s possible. It’s time to restore the American Dream to the people of Illinois.”

Rev. Harold Bailey, said that “Not many running for office or seated officials’ will admit to that which Kennedy has proclaimed.” Bailey was referring to Kennedy’s remarks that the “City of Chicago is becoming “whiter and whiter.” Kennedy without fear of repercussion explained his assertions. His accusations may be viewed on the PCC Network.

Bailey’s love for youth has caused him to not to sit on the seat of doing nothing, but rather to assist in saving African American and Hispanic men and women from the perils of what he calls ‘The Pit-of-Hell’ … which he said are the proposed jails and prisons.

The Christopher George Kennedy Interview May be Viewed at:

WWW.ProbationChallenge.org – The Truth Network – 24/7 and On-Demand.

Who Is Christopher George Kennedy?

Kennedy is chairman of the Kennedy family investment firm Joseph P Kennedy Enterprises, Inc. He is treasurer of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, he was on the Executive Committee for the Chicago Community Trust, and he has been a board member of the Catholic Theological Union, Interface, Inc. and Knoll Inc. He is a member of the mutual fund board of trustees for Ariel Investments.

Kennedy moved from Boston to Decatur to work for Archer Daniels Midland in the 80’s, and has spent his life working around issues of hunger, whether as the chairman of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, or now helping to run the non-profit he and his wife founded, Top Box Foods.

Kennedy was the president of Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago, Illinois, from 2000 until 2012. The property was originally owned by the Kennedy family until it was sold to Vornado Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust. The Merchandise Mart, one of the properties of Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago, Illinois, from 2000 until 2012. The property was originally owned by the Kennedy family until it was sold to Vornado Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust. The Merchandise Mart, one of the properties of Merchandise Mart Properties, is the largest commercial building in the world, serving as both a luxury wholesale design center and one of the leading international business locations in Chicago. The Mart spans two city blocks and rises twenty-five stories for a total of 4.2 million square feet. Three million people come through the Mart each year to visit its retail shops, permanent showrooms, and office space as well as attend the numerous trade, consumer and community events hosted there.

The Public is invited to view this serious interview between Christopher George Kennedy and the Rev. Harold E. Bailey, President of Probation Challenge. The Network allowed no stone to be left unturned! Raw unadulterated truth was presented, and now Bailey is trusting that youth will hear and adhere to sound judgement.

• Contact Person: Rev. Harold E. Bailey at: MRHEB@AOL.com Telephone: 773-978-3706
• To view the Kennedy Interview go to: WWW.ProbationChallenge.org 24/7 and On- Demand

Journal of the American Heart Association Report

Study Highlights:

* Children from socially and economically disadvantaged families and neighborhoods appear more likely to have thicker carotid artery walls, which in middle-aged and older adults has been associated with higher risk for heart attack and stroke.

* The socioeconomic position of a child’s family was more strongly associated with thicker carotid artery walls than living in a disadvantaged neighborhood.

Dallas, TX (BlackNews.com) — Children from socially and economically disadvantaged families and neighborhoods appear more likely to have thicker carotid artery walls, which in adults may indicate higher risk for heart attack and stroke in later life, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

The carotid arteries supply blood to the brain. An ultrasound test of the arteries’ inner layers, the intima and media, may detect the early development of atherosclerosis, or “hardening of the arteries,” which underlies the development of cardiovascular disease later in life.

“We know that socioeconomically disadvantaged people are at greater risk of health problems, including more cardiovascular disease earlier in life, and we also know that atherosclerosis is a life-long process that starts in childhood,” said David P. Burgner, Ph.D., senior study author and senior research fellow at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia. “For this study, we wanted to determine if there is an association between socioeconomic position and the thickness of the carotid artery wall in mid-childhood.”

Researchers analyzed both family and neighborhood socioeconomic position data from 1,477 Australian families. Socioeconomic measures included income, education and the occupation of parents, as well as the relative socioeconomic status of the immediate neighborhood. Between the ages of 11 and 12, the children’s right carotid artery was imaged and maximum carotid intima-media thickness measured.

The study found:

* Both family and neighborhood socioeconomic position were associated with carotid artery inner layer thickness, but the family association was stronger.

* Children whose family socioeconomic position was in the bottom fourth (most disadvantaged) at age 11-12 were 46 percent more likely to have thicker carotid measurement, i.e. above the 75th percentile.

* Socioeconomic position as early as age 2-3 years was linked to thickness in carotid artery measurements at age 11-12.

Researchers said that when they considered traditional cardiovascular risk factors, including body weight, blood pressure and exposure to second-hand smoke, their findings did not change.

“It is surprising to see that these traditional risk factors do not appear responsible for our findings,” said Richard S. Liu, M.B.B.S., lead author, resident medical officer and Ph.D. student at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. “There’s a suggestion that there may be additional factors driving this association.”

Based on their other research studies, the authors propose that infection and inflammation may be among the additional underlying factors. Infection, which leads to inflammation, is more common among those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, they noted.

“This doesn’t mean that body weight and blood pressure aren’t important — they are — but there appear to be additional factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease risk beyond the traditional factors,” Burgner said. “So, there may be multiple opportunities for early intervention to prevent cardiovascular disease.”

The authors wrote that, given the link between socioeconomic position in infancy and carotid artery measurements at mid-childhood, it may be that cardiovascular disease risk begins before a baby is born. “Reducing social inequality and poverty before birth, as well as in early childhood, is likely to have a significant impact on later cardiovascular disease,” Liu said.

“Every child needs and deserves the opportunity to grow up healthy,” said Clyde Yancy, M.D., American Heart Association past president and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University in Chicago. “Fortunately, we have the tools to improve heart health across the lifespan by ensuring every child has healthy foods to eat and safe places to be active. Community leaders need to focus on giving kids a healthy start from birth, healthy schools as they grow up, and healthy communities for families to thrive.”

Because this is an observational study, a cause-and-effect association between socioeconomic position and carotid IMT cannot be proved. It is also not yet known whether thicker carotid arteries in mid-childhood are linked to cardiovascular risk in adulthood. All study participants were Australian, which may limit application of findings to other populations.

Other co-authors are Fiona K Mensah, Ph.D.; John Carlin, Ph.D.; Ben Edwards, Ph.D.; Sarath Ranganathan, Ph.D.; Michael Cheung, M.D.; Terence Dwyer, M.D.; Richard Saffery, Ph.D.; Costan G. Magnussen, Ph.D.; Markus Juonala, Ph.D. and Melissa Wake, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne, National Heart Foundation of Australia, Financial Markets Foundation for Children, and Victorian Deaf Education Institute.

Additional Resources:

* After Aug. 9, view the manuscript link online.
* Atherosclerosis
* Social Determinants of Risk and Outcomes for Cardiovascular Disease
* EmPoweredtoServe.org
* Blacks in all socioeconomic groups have poorer outcomes after heart attack
* AHA statement on social determinants of health
* www.voicesforhealthykids.org/everychildneeds
* Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews
* For updates and new science from JAHA, follow @JAHA_AHA

Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations and health insurance providers are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit www.heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact Information: David P. Burgner, Ph.D., and Richard S. Liu, M.B.B.S, may be reached by contacting Inga Feitsma, communications manager, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, 011-03-9936 6336 (office) or 0408 657 741 (mobile); inga.feitsma@mcri.edu.au. (Please do not publish contact information.)

Campaign designed to engage men to join fight to protect women’s reproductive rights, calling out anti-choice politicians and policies

CHICAGO, IL – On August 9, the Illinois-based pro-choice advocacy organizations Personal PAC and Men4Choice have partnered to launch “CallBullshit” or “CallBS,” a first-of-its-kind campaign that employs provocative, creative tactics to empower men to join the fight to advance women’s reproductive health rights.

The campaign and website callbs.org employ creative content to depict an alternate reality in which male reproductive health is under attack, posing the question: “Men don’t have to put up with this BS – why should women?”

Three out of four Illinois men believe that abortion should remain legal and a private matter between a woman and her doctor, according to an April 2017 poll conducted by Public Policy Polling. But that figure has not always translated into grassroots action.

“We built this campaign to engage directly with the 75 percent of Illinois men who support women’s reproductive health access,” said Terry Cosgrove, President and CEO of Personal PAC. “We hope this campaign sparks men to take action and hold our elected officials accountable, creating a bigger wave of support for women’s reproductive rights here in Illinois, across the Midwest and even nationwide.”

In addition to social media engagement strategies, the campaign is organizing men to attend phone banks, canvass for women’s health issues and help raise funds for pro-choice candidates.

“When we talked to men here in Illinois about the challenges women face when they seek reproductive health care, their reaction was, ‘That’s BS,’” said Oren Jacobson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Men4Choice. “Our campaign strives to build upon that disgust and the disbelief many man share around these unfair polices and scare tactics that rob women of their bodily autonomy and access to abortion.”

The CallBS campaign launches as the General Assembly prepares to send House Bill 40 (HB40) to Governor Rauner’s desk. HB40 would ensure that abortion remains legal in Illinois even if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade. The bill also would ensure that Medicaid and state employees’ health insurance policies provide coverage for abortion care.

Each year, thousands of women travel to Illinois to access safe reproductive health care unavailable in their home state. Even so, 92 percent of Illinois counties do not have abortion providers.

Launched in 1989, Personal PAC is a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to protecting and advancing reproductive rights for all women by recruiting, electing and holding accountable pro-choice candidates to state and local office in Illinois. Men4Choice is a political action committee created in 2015 to create an entry point where men can get engaged, get educated and take action to support women in the fight to protect reproductive health rights.

WASHINGTON, DC – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to reports that the U.S. Department of Justice, under the direction of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, intends to challenge the application of affirmative action in college admissions:

“Once again, we in the civil rights community find our progress under attack by the Sessions-led Justice Department and the current administration.  News reports that Attorney General Jeff Sessions intends to challenge the 2016 Supreme Court ruling upholding the consideration of race in the college admissions process, coupled with all the other assaults waged on civil rights that he was sworn to protect just six months ago, crystallizes Sessions’ disdain for the advancement of communities of color.  We fully condemn any effort by the current Department of Justice to undermine affirmative action in college admissions, taking us back to a period when African Americans did not have equal and fair access to higher education.  The National Urban League will do all it can to support our legal defense partners to ensure that our progress and civil rights are and continue to be protected.”

Coalition formed to alert black leaders and community activists of the Golden State Warriors’ plans to relocate from Oakland to San Francisco

 
Coalition members are asking, “Why would elected officials of San Francisco covet the Golden State Warriors when San Francisco already has a $14 billion annual tourism industry, and Oakland has only a $800 million annual tourism industry?” 

San Francisco, CA (BlackNews.com) – The San Francisco Department of Elections has vetted the Good Neighbor Coalition, granting it permission to proceed with collecting the required number of signatures, for a local ballot measure for the June 2018 election that greatly affects one of the National Basketball Association’s best teams, the Golden State Warriors.

In support of the entire community of Oakland, California, the measure aims to set the record straight: San Franciscans overwhelming do not support the covetous manner its own elected officials employed in facilitating the Warriors plans to move from the team’s 45 years in Oakland, CA across the bay to The City.

Coalition members are embarrassed; pointing out, San Francisco has a $14 billion annual tourism industry and Oakland has a $800 million annual tourism industry. So why would elected officials of San Francisco covet the Golden State Warriors, one of the jewels of Oakland, CA? Allen Jones, initiatives proponent says, “A world-class city helps its neighbors. It does not help itself to its neighbor’s jewels.”

The coalition also rebukes NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, who has endorsed this move. Silver has shown great moral leadership against the racist remarks of a now former NBA franchise owner. He has shown moral leadership against the entire State of North Carolina for its discriminating against members of the LGBT community.

However, Adam Silver is the commissioner of a multibillion dollar sports league. Since he has been commissioner, the value of the Golden State Warriors went from $450 million to over $2 billion dollars. The billionaire owners of the Warriors refused to pay their debt of $60 million in upgrades to their current facility. They claim, after leaving their Oracle Arena when their new arena is built they should not have to pay any more of the bills for the old arena, even though the team demanded the upgrades under old ownership that the new ownership enjoys. Silver has showed no moral compulsion to help the community of Oakland who still must pay this bill. Therefore, the Good Neighbor coalition felt the need and moral obligation to, address that issue in its ballot measure statement for other municipalities to consider when opening their doors to billionaire owners.

The Declaration of Policy voters will decide on, reads:

Thou Shall Not Covet Policy of San Francisco shall be: We the People of the City and County of San Francisco California will not invite, entice, encourage, cajole or condone the relocation of any professional sports team that has previously established itself in another municipality and has demonstrated clear and convincing support from community and fans for at least twenty years and is profitable. And we stand against any sports team ownership group that attempts to avoid payment of an outstanding public debt. Instead of looking for an opportunity to take from our neighbors we wish to fully support each other and the entire Bay Area.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to defeat the owners of the Warriors and San Francisco City Hall at their own game.

You may follow progress of the ballot measure on the San Francisco Department of Elections website: Campaign services

About the Good Neighbor Coalition
The Good Neighbor Coalition was created by Allen Jones, a San Francisco resident since 1960 and a Golden State Warriors fan since 1975. The goals of the coalition are to promote team ownership integrity nationwide, greater appreciation for loyal fans and a good neighbor policy to guide municipalities on how best to deal with the loss of, or how to acquire a professional sports team through moral channels.

CHICAGO, IL – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she is leading a coalition of attorneys general and other state officials demanding that the U.S. Department of Education stop delaying its program to cancel federal student loans for thousands of Illinois students victimized by predatory for-profit colleges.

Across the country, thousands of former students of Corinthian Colleges Inc., who are eligible for loan forgiveness by the U.S. Department of Education, have yet to see their loans forgiven and are continuing to make payments on these loans. Some students are nearing the end of 12-month forbearances or collections bans on their loans and face restarting monthly payments on debts that should be canceled. All of these students attended campuses and programs where the Department of Education found fraud.

In a letter sent today to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Madigan urges the Department of Education to review the mounting applications and work to forgive loans already approved to be canceled.

“Education Secretary DeVos must immediately forgive student loans the Department of Education has already determined were solicited by fraudulent for-profit schools,” Madigan said. “Yet, inexplicably, the government is still collecting on these fraudulently induced loans from schools the Department never should have allowed to operate.”

The letter presses DeVos to provide information on what the department is doing to rectify the growing backlog of applications and to provide a timeframe for forgiving the student loan debt. In addition, since the Department of Education has already determined that these students are eligible for loan forgiveness, the letter urges DeVos to abandon the application process and automatically discharge all eligible loans.

“Relieving these hard-working Americans of their fraud-induced student debt will free them to participate more fully in their local economies, or even continue their educations with reputable schools,” the letter states.

After intense scrutiny by various government entities, for-profit Corinthian Colleges abruptly ceased operations in 2015. Corinthian owned and operated seven Everest College campuses in Illinois. Madigan’s investigation into Everest College revealed widespread misrepresentations made to prospective students, supporting the Department of Education’s own findings of fraud that Corinthian made systemic misrepresentations between 2010 and 2014 about post-graduation employment rates for certain programs at its campuses.

Former Corinthian students in Illinois were notified as part of a bipartisan effort by Madigan and 46 other attorneys general across the country to inform more than 100,000 former Corinthian students that they are eligible for streamlined loan cancelation and provide information on how to apply for loan forgiveness.

Attorney General Madigan is a national leader in investigating and enforcing consumer protection violations in the higher education field. She has investigated for-profit schools for fraud and repeatedly called on the U.S. Department of Education to immediately forgive federal loans of students who attended fraudulent for-profit schools.

In addition to her investigation of Corinthian, Madigan reached a $15 million settlement with Westwood College in 2015 that forgave private debt owed by students of Westwood’s criminal justice program. After resolving Madigan’s lawsuit, the college announced its closure. More than 3,600 former Westwood College students in Illinois received an average of more than $4,200 in relief under the settlement, in addition to the potential federal loan relief called for by Madigan.

Madigan also reached a settlement with Education Management Corporation (EDMC), which operates five Illinois Institute of Art and Argosy University campuses in Illinois. The settlement requires EDMC to provide disclosure to students about the true cost of the school and expectations for job placement after graduation.

Earlier this year, Madigan filed a lawsuit against Navient and Sallie Mae for faulty and abusive student loan practices. Madigan also testified before Congress and urged the U.S. Department of Education to crack down on the many abuses and scams facing student borrowers.

Madigan’s office runs a free Student Loan Helpline to provide student borrowers with free resources about repayment options, avoiding default or to file a complaint about loan servicing at (800) 455-2456 (TTY: 1-800-964-3013). More information can also be found on her website.

Joining Madigan in sending today’s letter are attorneys general from: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia, as well as Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.