Page 8 The Skanner February 1, 2017
News
Rev. William Barber Tells Black Press:
‘Bowing Down Is Not an Option’
By Freddie Allen
Managing Editor, NNPA Newswire
R
FREDDIE ALLEN/AMG/NNPA
everend William Barber, the
president of the North Caroli-
na state chapter of the NAACP
and leader of the Moral Mon-
days movement, delivered a rous-
ing keynote address to open the
2017 Mid-Winter Conference of the
National Newspaper Publishers
Association (NNPA).
The theme of the conference was
“Strengthening Black-owned News- Reverend William Barber II, president of the North
papers through Training, Innova- Carolina state chapter of the NAACP, delivered an
tion and Technology.” The NNPA electrifying speech during the 2017 NNPA Mid-Winter
partnered with General Motors, Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Chevrolet, Ford Motor Company,
Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), and
America has elected a racist egomani-
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ac,” said Barber, reminding the audi-
to host the conference; Volkswagen, ence that President Wilson, a former
Ascension, Coca-Cola, and the Amer- college president, played “Birth” to sig-
ican Association for Cancer Research nal that Reconstruction was over. “Ed-
supported the event as sponsors.
ucation doesn’t necessarily get racism
During his speech titled, “Where Do out of you.”
We Go from Here: Chaos or Communi-
To a chorus of “Amens,” Barber said
ty?” Barber tackled voter suppression that the one thing that we have to first
in the aftermath of Shelby v. Holder, decide to do in this moment is that
White evangelicalism and the current bowing down is not an option.
political environment in the age of “al-
Recognizing that he was addressing
ternative facts.”
a room full of journalists and publish-
Noting that President Woodrow ers, Barber pitched ideas for a number
Wilson played the White supremacist of articles and commentaries.
propaganda film “Birth of a Nation” in
“Somebody has to unpack ‘so-called’
the Oval office in 1911, Barber said that White evangelicalism that is illogical
Trump’s ascension and election is not malpractice and heresy,” said Barber.
an anomaly in American history.
“We’ve got to have some papers that
“This is not the first time that White write and do some investigative work
supremacy has occupied The White
House. This is not the first time that
See BARBER on page 10
Toxic Chocolate Kisses
By Jasmine Streeter,
DVM
Special to The Skanner
News
T
he United States
ranks 9th in the
world on choco-
late consumption.
According to Forbes,
Switzerland ranks num-
ber one, which isn’t
that much of a surprise
when you discover that
many favorites like
Lindt, Toblerone, and
Woolworths are Swiss
chocolates. Even Nestle
chocolates are Ameri-
can-Swiss made. Based
on a recent trip through
the store,
I surmise
the 9.5 lb of chocolate
consumed by the aver-
age American occurs
“
Dr. Jasmine Streeter, Veternarian and her dog Sheba
bakers chocolate batter
on the spoon or finish
up your least favorite as-
sorted chocolate out the
box, but don’t give in. On
the scale of most to least
potent, Baking chocolate
ranks number one, fol-
lowed by dark, milk, and
white chocolate.
chocolate, contact your
veterinarian as soon as
possible to see how to
proceed with treatment.
To avoid a near death
experience or hundreds
of dollars in health care
costs, keep a watchful
eye on your pet when
chocolate is nearby. If
On the scale of most to least potent, Baking
chocolate ranks number one, followed by
dark, milk, and white chocolate
predominantly around
Valentine’s day or the
months leading up to it.
Dipped
strawberries,
chocolate kisses, cook-
ies, and heart shaped
fudgy goodness abound
the supermarkets, bou-
tiques, and bakeries. So,
why should you care as
a pet owner? Chocolate
can be toxic and even
deadly to pets!
Most people can’t
dispute the wonderful
taste of chocolate dou-
ble dipped “anything”. I
however am not a huge
fan of chocolate, but that
is another topic for an-
other day. You may be
tempted to let your pup-
py lick up that last bit of
Chi
The major toxic com-
ponent in chocolate is
theobromine. Caffeine
is many times found in
chocolate products and
can be toxic as well. The
ingestion of theobro-
mine affects the central
nervous system and
heart. A dog that has
recently ingested choc-
olate may exhibit excite-
ment, rapid breathing
and heartbeat, jerky
spasm like movements,
delirium or even sei-
zure. You may witness
vomiting, diarrhea or
urinary incontinence.
In severe cases, heart at-
tacks may occur causing
sudden death. If you sus-
pect your pet has eaten
ldren
’s Community Cli
small children are in the
vicinity, give them a lit-
tle lesson on not feeding
the dog chocolate.
Teaching them that
sharing a twix or split-
ting a cupcake with the
dog can make them sick
might be all you need to
keep Fido out of the hos-
pital. Place wrapped un-
eaten candies in a sealed
bag or container out
of reach and place lids
on cookies that contain
chocolate components.
If you have a pet who
constantly gets into the
trash, take out the trash
immediately after add-
ing chocolate or place a
baby gate to keep them
at arms-length.
Whether you have a
Valentine or not, you
will most likely consume
at least one drop of choc-
olate before the month
of February is over. I
say indulge and make it
good. Hopefully you dis-
cover the sweetest, tast-
iest, chocolatiest morsel
that has ever been creat-
ed, just make sure your
pet doesn’t get any choc-
olate kisses afterwards.
Send your pet questions
to drjasmine@theskan-
ner.com.
nic
’re Moving
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W Our new address is !
2201 Lloyd Center #2252
Portland, Oregon, 97232
Located in the Lloyd Center, on the southeast corner
of the 3rd floor, toward Sears and behind Gentle Dental.
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503.284.5239 phone
503.284.9162 fax
