YUCAIPA, CA— The faculty at Crafton Hills College (CHC) are pulling out all the stops to make distance learning fun, fresh and effective.

While college-wide distance learning will continue through the upcoming spring semester, prospective students are invited to enroll in classes with instructors who are both understanding of difficult circumstances and engaging communicators in their field of expertise.

Brandi Bailes, mathematics professor, admits that statistics can be a dry subject, but humor, she has found, is a helpful remedy.

“I’ve always been a ham in the classroom, but COVID has made me need that more as a teacher,” Bailes said. “People have a lot of math anxiety, so humor always helps with that. In a traditional classroom setting, there’s more natural camaraderie, so now it’s either I am humorous, light-hearted and funny, or this class is not going to be successful.”

With student achievement at the forefront of her mind, Bailes crawls under her desk each week as she logs onto Zoom. Her students watch expectantly as a small grey elephant appears on the screen to teach them the next lesson in Statistics. Using her child’s puppets – Eli the Elephant, Lion, Cow and Cat – Bailes presents effective lectures enhanced with funny anecdotes. 

“It keeps students engaged on one hand just because it’s different, but also it helps to not ignore the fact that my students have family around,” Bailes explained. “It puts a lot of pressure on the students who are at home with kids to have to pretend like they are like other students in a distraction-free environment. I like to draw the kids in rather than ignore them and allow them to enjoy the puppet show while their parent is learning.”

Bailes acknowledges the reality of her students’ learning environment and adjusts her expectations accordingly. “We use Snapchat filters in class a lot,” she said. “The students really like using them because it’s more comfortable for them to not have to put their face forward while still having their camera on. Allowing them to hide their appearance as a duck or whatever allows them to still engage without feeling self-conscious.”

Gwendolyn DiPonio, English professor, has taught online for more than ten years and has made adjustments to accommodate students who simply prefer face-to-face classes. Recently she dressed up as Professor McGonagall, fictional Hogwarts professor from the Harry Potter series, to spice up an English lesson on the correct format for research papers.

“My videos have a twofold purpose, both to ease the tension students must feel about electronic communication and to entertain them a bit,” she said. “My dressing up as characters or adding humor to required academic content adds an element of fun we might have if we were in a room together.”

CHC faculty members’ creativity is not limited to character acting though. Alexander O’Brien, instructor of multimedia and computer information systems, was inspired to find a way to make slides more accessible in Canvas, the College’s online learning platform. In an attempt to include an interactive feature, O’Brien found that there was no easy way to accomplish that without HTML coding.

Knowing that other faculty members may be looking for a similar solution, he found that he could make a Google Slides presentation, publish it to the web, and place the provided coding from Google Slides into Canvas for a simple, looping set of images.

“It wasn’t the fully interactive element I was originally hoping for,” O’Brien said. “But it still provided a new way to look at the content.”

The end result allowed students the ability to see images before photo editing, and then blended into the altered image, which helps to distinguish the content from regular, static images. While it was a small change to the online course, O’Brien said it’s vital to make every aspect of distance learning accessible and engaging for students.

“Our students are struggling to perform their best in this new world,” O’Brien said. “It is up to us as teachers to be sure we continue to be vigilant and innovative in our approach to education.”

“For those students new to this online world, I hope our creativity shows them that taking online classes doesn’t have to be as frightening as they might think,” added DiPonio. “Hopefully professors will discover that teaching them doesn’t have to be frightening either!”

Classes for the spring semester will begin in January, and will continue to be remote through the semester. Prospective students are invited to submit an application at craftonhills.edu/prospective-students as registration will begin in November.

UPLAND, CA— The Inland Valley News, an African American Newspaper based in the Upland/Pomona area is seeking a Part-Time Office Assistant. The ideal candidate must be highly organized, skilled, computer literate, and office decorum is a must. Please send your resume to officeassistant2020@gmail.com. 

The Biden for President Victory Fund invites the public to join Senator Kamala Harris, Maya Harris, Andrew Young, and special guests for “A Celebration” on Saturday, October 24, 2020. The time will be announced upon registration. 

Special guests include Margaret Cho, Connie Chung, David Henry Hwang, Padma Lakshmi, Lucy Liu, Aasif Mandvi, Kumail Nanjiani, Ravi Patel, Lou Diamond Philips, Maggie Q, Lea Salonga, and George Takei. 

Video calls will also be provided to all confirmed guests 24 hours prior to the event. To register, please visit https://secure.joebiden.com/a/aapi-celebration?attr=103876375.

For more information, please contact Sreyashe Dhar at sdhar@joebiden.com.  RSVP is REQIRED. 

RIVERSIDE, CA— – The 4th annual SoCal Women’s Cancer Conference led by The Pink Ribbon Place, a program of Riverside Community Health Foundation, and co-hosted by Anthem Blue Cross returns this year on October 21-24 for the English conference, and October 28-31 for the Spanish conference. This four-day virtual conference is a one-of-a-kind event that focuses on what it means to be a woman and a cancer survivor. This event promises to offer a memorable and incredible experience for all participants!

Breakout sessions during the conference include intimacy during cancer, navigating cannabis and the connection between genetics and cancer.

To kick-off the 4-day event, live speakers on October 21 will include: Dr. Shannon La Cava, Chief Clinical Officer at Cancer Support Community Los Angeles and Monique Tiffany, MSN, RN, Regional Medical Specialist II for Myriad Genetics, Inc. Dr. La Cava will explore finding meaning, purpose, and joy while living with a cancer diagnosis and COVID-19 isolation and Monique will identify the common body changes that occur during and after cancer treatment that may affect sexual health.

The cancer conference will feature over 40 speakers and eight categories of information related to cancers of the breast, gynecological, colorectal, skin, and more.

The English conference begins October 21 through October 24. Registration is now open at www.socalwcc.org. The Spanish conference begins October 28 through October 31. One can also register for the conference in Spanish at espanol.socalwcc.org.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- San Bernardino County residents are urged to prepare for the upcoming influenza (flu) season by getting a flu vaccine, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Getting a flu vaccine will not only reduce risk of illness, hospitalization, and even death, but will also help reduce the burden on our healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Erin Gustafson, County Interim Health Officer. “Early vaccination will provide protection throughout flu season and into the spring.”

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death. Since the flu can affect all age groups, everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine in early fall, just before the flu season starts in November.

To stop the spread of flu and other respiratory illnesses:

• Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue in the trash after use.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after a cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers may be used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid close contact with sick people and stay home from work or school if you get sick and limit contact with others.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also important to continue to avoid gatherings, wear a face covering, and keep six feet distance from others.

This is also the perfect time for residents to ensure they have received all needed vaccinations, especially older adults. Adults over the age of 65 are at higher risk of developing serious complications from flu, such as pneumonia and are highly encouraged to get the pneumococcal vaccine.

To find free flu vaccination clinics throughout the county, visit https://wp.sbcounty.gov/dph/flu. 

By Lou Yeboah

“For I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm, I’m about to spit you out of My mouth. And because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, be zealous and repent, so that you may live and not die, [Galatians 5:19-21] and pray that you are found worthy to escape the tribulation that is coming upon the whole world. [Galatians 5:19-21]. I tell you, the night is fading away, the sun is peeking over the Eastern horizon, and I am coming soon!” [Romans 13:11]. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. [Revelation 3:15-22].

God’s message to each of us is as it was to Hezekiah, “SET THINE HOUSE IN ORDER FOR THOU SHALT DIE AND NOT LIVE.”  Just as Isaiah did not have anything else to say, neither do I. Isaiah delivered his message and left. Why? Because the message was plain enough that it did not need to be explained.  

Getting “our house in order” MUST become a priority in all of our lives. The Bible declares that there will be a 2nd coming of Christ. When? We do not know. But when He do come, He will be coming as Judge this time.

I can only hope and pray that today is the day that you put into action, the steps needed in getting your house in order. This is our finest hour!  The present shaking that we are experiencing is proof positive that God’s Kingdom is advancing on the earth and the hour of His return is near.  Be vigilant.  Be focused.  The present world as we watch it is undergoing shaking. Governments who are previously unmovable are trembling. Kings and Rulers who are untouchable in the past are being removed from their glorious palaces. [Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22] Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” [1Thessalonians 5:6].

“A watchman stood on the city wall and warned the people… [Ezekiel 3:17].

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices …y. [Colossians 3:5-10].

“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” [Revelation 22:20].

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media  

California voters will decide whether or not to go tougher on crime through a November ballot initiative that makes changes to previous propositions and bills designed to reduce the state’s prison population.  

California’s Proposition 20 proposes expanding the list of offenses that disqualify incarcerated persons for parole. It also calls for upgrading several theft-related fines from misdemeanors to felonies. It would also require law enforcement to collect the DNA of people who commit certain misdemeanors. 

If Prop 20 passes, vehicle theft, firearm theft, unlawful use of a credit card and other specific types of theft and fraud crimes will be chargeable as “wobblers,” which means the prosecutor will decide whether to charge them as misdemeanors or felonies. Under the current criminal code, these crimes are considered misdemeanors.  

Prop 20 would establish two new types of crimes: serial crime and organized retail crime, and it would increase penalties for repeat shoplifters.  

Changing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) parole review program, Prop 20 would reclassify 51 crimes and sentence enhancements as violent in order to exclude them from the program, which is only available to nonviolent offenders. It would also require that an incarcerated person’s entire criminal record is taken into account before becoming eligible for parole, instead of only looking at that individual’s most recent offense. It would also allow prosecutors to request a review of the parole review board’s final decision. 

The initiative makes critical adjustments to 2011’s AB 109, 2014’s Proposition 47, and 2016’s Proposition 57, all of which were California legislative responses to the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared overcrowding in California’s prisons violated the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Together, those measures changed several crimes from wobblers to misdemeanors, increased parole chances for incarcerated people convicted of nonviolent crimes and shifted the imprisonment of non-violent and non-sexual offenders from state prisons to local jails. 

Prop 20 is supported by the Republican Party of California, the California Grocers Association, police and peace officer associations, Crime Victims United and Crime Survivors, Inc. Supporters argue that the previous criminal justice reforms were misguided and caused significant public safety problems, and that Prop 20 would close loopholes that let out violent offenders. 

They also say that the proposition would rightfully reclassify crimes as violent that are currently considered nonviolent, including felony assault with a deadly weapon, human trafficking of a child and rape of an unconscious person. 

“Prop. 57 was misleading because it promised that only nonviolent inmates would be released from prison early,” said Citrus Heights Police Chief Ron Lawrence, former president of the California Police Chiefs Association. “But under California law, a number of violent crimes are classified nonviolent.” 

Opponents of Prop 20 argue that tough-on-crime stances do not reduce crime, and that Prop 20 would only increase the state’s spending on prisons and tear families apart. They also highlight that the criminal justice system disproportionately incarcerates Black and Brown people, and that the proposition would only deepen the devastation mass incarceration has caused in Black and Brown communities. 

Groups that oppose Prop 20 include the ACLU of California, the California Labor Federation, the California Teachers Association, Equality California, the Public Defenders Association, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and the National Center for Crime Victims.  

Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown also oppose it.  

Brown, who signed AB 109 and developed Proposition 57, said, “Proposition 20 is supported by a very narrow group of people who don’t accept even the modest prison reforms that I was able to achieve. It’s driven by ideology and, in some cases, by a total lack of understanding of human nature and no sense of redemption or allowing people to put their lives on track.” 

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media  

Ahead of the November election, a group of dialysis nurses and patients have come out in strong opposition to Proposition 23.  

If passed, Proposition 23 would require all kidney dialysis clinics to have a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant on site during dialysis treatment. It would also prohibit clinics from reducing their services without state approval and make it illegal for them to refuse treatment for patients based on their insurance or payment source. 

Although the proposition’s supporters say passing it would improve clinics across the board, opponents argue that requiring the presence of a physician at each clinic would force many clinics to shut down and increase healthcare costs for 80,000 California dialysis patients. Opponents also point out that the ballot measure would not require the physician to be a nephrologist or kidney specialist. 

Dialysis is an important medical procedure for patients with kidney failure, with risk of death increasing by 30 % after one missed appointment. Patients need to attend a regular clinic to avoid complications in treatment that may arise if patients were forced to visit emergency rooms.  

Opponents of Prop 23 argue that many smaller clinics would not be able to afford the new staffing requirements and would be forced to shut down, leaving dialysis patients without a regular clinic. 

“They’re not going to be able to operate because they’re not going to be able to afford the additional expense of paying this doctor when some of these expenses could be utilized to improve the equipment we have and which basically impacts the improvement in the care of a patient. It’s a waste of money,” said Kim Bailey, an Inglewood-based dialysis nurse. 

African Americans make up the majority of dialysis patients. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 35 percent of all patients receiving dialysis for kidney failure in the U.S. are Black, even though Black people make up only 13.2 percent of the U.S. population. 

Bailey spoke about her staff, using tasks her employees perform as examples of the services that dialysis clinics already provide without Prop 23 in place. She emphasized that the patients, who come three times a week, are treated by nurses who match their shifts. This allows the nurses to bond with their patients and understand their conditions through familiarity. 

“This clinic is one of the largest ones in Southern California. I have 58 chairs, I have about 350 in-center patients, and then I have a home program as well. I have a medical director and associate medical director that are very accessible to us at any given time. Each patient has an assigned nephrologist. My physicians frequent the clinic. There is always someone in this clinic,” said Bailey. 

Los Angeles-based dialysis patient DeWayne Cox spoke about his own experience with dialysis, including what happened when he missed treatment, as an example of what might happen to other dialysis patients if the proposition passes. 

“I missed a shift for work on a Friday. I ended up in the emergency room that Saturday, and the physicians there did not know how to treat me. I received kidney failure because of high blood pressure, but I am not diabetic, but the physician there treated me like I was a diabetic and gave me insulin. I’d never had insulin before in my life, and I nearly died. And other patients do because of something like that, because they end up in the emergency room, because they miss a session,” said Cox. 

Kathy Fairbanks, the No on Prop 23 spokesperson who hosted the presentation, also spoke about the political backstory behind the ballot measure.  

Prop 23, she said, is a predecessor of 2018’s Proposition 8, which was voted down. Both the previous proposition and this year’s are supported by the SEIU-UHW West, a labor union for healthcare workers. Opponents of Prop 23 argue that Prop 23 is the union’s latest attempt to unionize dialysis clinic workers, 

“I think this is all part of a plan to put these initiatives on the ballot every two years, and essentially use it as a lever to force the dialysis provider to allow a union. If that were to happen, these initiatives every two years would cease to exist. We’d never seen another one on the ballot,” Fairbanks said. 

“I don’t like the fact that it is involving patient care. They need to continue to address the teammates that work in the dialysis facilities in terms of their union and not involve the patients in this,” Bailey said. 

By Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media  

Two years after California lawmakers passed the first consumer data privacy act in the country, voters have a chance to expand the law or leave it as it is.  

Proposition 24 on the November ballot would update the California Consumer Privacy Act to add new provisions and create an agency to enforce the laws. 

California’s consumer data privacy laws were established by the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), which requires that large tech companies disclose the kind of data that they collect from people who use their apps and websites. It also allows users, referred to as consumers in the legislation’s language, to opt out of having their data sold to third parties, including advertisers. 

If passed, Prop 24 would give consumers an opt-out option so businesses would not be able to use their sensitive personal information, such as their race, Social Security number or exact location, for advertising or marketing. It also requires businesses to obtain permission before collecting data from consumers who are younger than 16. For children younger than 13, businesses need permission from a parent or guardian to collect data. 

The initiative would also establish the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), which would enforce the consumer privacy laws. This new office would be separate from the California attorney general’s office, which currently handles privacy concerns, and the office would receive at least $10 million in funding annually.  

The initiative would also triple fines for violations concerning customers under age 16. 

Prop 24 was filed by San Francisco real estate developer Alaistair Mactaggart, who was a proponent of the CCPA in 2018. The measure is endorsed by the California NAACP, Consumer Watchdog, and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.  

Opponents of Prop 24 include the ACLU of California, Color of Change, League of Women Voters of California and Consumer Federation of California. 

Those in favor of the law argue that consumer privacy laws need to be stronger, especially now that so much of life has been moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Dugar, social activist and Yes on Prop 24 supporter, spoke with California Black Media about the need for more data privacy to stop targeted ads and discrimination. 

“You hear the horror stories every day. You hear about women who were at Planned Parenthood clinics being targeted by anti-abortion groups, kids who are logging into their classrooms being targeted by pornographic ads, folks who are on dating apps having their sexual preferences sold to the highest bidder. All that is happening now, in addition to legalized redlining and being able, as a financial institution or as a developer or real estate agent, to opt out of certain communities, especially Black folks, limiting people who see their properties and their services,” said Sean Dugar, social activist and Yes of Prop 24 supporter. 

The Yes on Prop 24 campaign also issued a statement highlighting concerns regarding Black consumers’ data privacy, after recent reports found that the Trump campaign used sensitive personal information to suppress the African American vote in the 2016 presidential election. Prop 24 would stop businesses for compiling racial data. 

“Everything you can imagine is online and available to be sold, or even worse hacked, about you. And so, we need not just strong laws, but an enforcement agency that will be able to ensure that our privacy and our data are protected, and that we as Black folks specifically are no longer targeted and no longer racially profiled online,” said Dugar. 

Opponents of the ballot initiative argue that Prop 24 actually weakens consumer rights by including an Internet “pay for privacy” scheme, where those who don’t pay get inferior service and more pop-up ads. Also, they argue that Prop 24 would force consumers to notify each website and app they use individually to protect their data. 

Opponents also emphasize that the ballot measure was written with input from giant tech corporations, and that the measure’s sponsor rejected input from privacy and consumer rights groups. 

“No one reads the thousands of words of legal fine print that you have to accept before you can use an app or visit a website. The fine print is where you sacrifice your privacy. The same is true of Proposition 24. Its 52 pages are full of privacy reductions and giveaways to Facebook, social media platforms and big tech companies that misuse our personal information,” said?Richard Holober, President of the Consumer Federation of?California. “Advocacy groups that fight for the rights of Californians have read Prop 24’s fine print and that is why they oppose it.” 

By Lou Yeboah

Now most, “Americans” know what that means. On a theological level, the phrase can be translated as, “You can lead someone to God’s Truth, but you can’t make that person embrace and live according to those principles and values.”  You can show someone something that will benefit them, but you can’t force them to accept it. People, like horses, will do as they will. The problem with that is, as a good English Proverb says, “He that neglects the occasion, the occasion will neglect him.” Case in point. Jesus says, “Because you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock you when calamity overtakes you— when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. “Then you will call to Me, but I will not answer; you will look for Me, but you will not find Me [Proverbs 1:24-28].  Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Living Water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. [Jeremiah 2:12-13].

You know, as I thought on this text, it reminded me of where I was when the Lord found me. Just like the Samaritan woman in the Book of John chapter 4, I was looking for something I did not have. I was drinking from every well I could find, but none were satisfying the thirst in my soul. When I met Jesus Christ, and He offered me a drink from His well, I found out that there was more than water in His well. What did He offer? He offered satisfaction and salvation for my soul. He offered me the opportunity to have all my sins forgiven. He offered me the opportunity to be right with God. He offered me the opportunity to miss Hell and go to Heaven when I die. What was the catch? There was no catch! All He requires from me and you, is everything! [John 7:37-38]. He wants you to come before Him, confessing yourself a sinner and calling on Him by faith. He wants you to take His death on the cross as the payment for your sins. He wants you to believe what the Bible says about Him and He wants you to accept it all on the basis of faith, [Romans 10:9]. If you are saved, let the Lord remind you how good He has been to you in redeeming your soul. If you are lost, answer Him as He calls you to come to Him and drink of His well, because every human effort of quenching your thirst apart from God will not bring satisfaction.

I admonish you, quench your thirst by drinking from the Fountain of Living Water. Understanding that Grace is God’s unmerited favor and it goes beyond mercy. Mercy is God not giving us the punishment that we deserve for our sins. Don’t hesitate to drink from the Fountain of Living Water, because when men have gone beyond the time of Gods mercies, and out-rowed the tide of Gods forbearance, and will not return, the Lord sets it down with Himself, that His wrath shall return upon them. He will no longer forbear: as [Hosea 9:15] reminds us, “There was a time wherein God did pitied them, but now He will not pitied them any more; twenty five years He called unto them and sought to bring them home; but because they stood out and refused, the Lord saith, I will love Ephraim no more.”

The Spirit is inviting you. Jesus is inviting you.  There is a river of Living Water flowing all around you, that will quench your deepest thirsts and desires. There’s a satisfaction beyond anything words can describe. All you have to do is drink of the Living Water.  It will change your life forever!  We wasn’t meant to live our lives with dehydrated hearts– recognize your need for the Living Water, Jesus Christ. As the Coca-Cola slogan says, “Obey your thirst,” and saturate yourself with water that lasts–water that only Jesus can supply.

Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets. going up and down the City from street to street, and from door to door, crying his commodity, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. [John 7:37-52].

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” [Revelation 22:17].