---APMA Podiatrist Eases Shaq's Pain---
More and more high-caliber athletes are depending on podiatry to keep them active in their sport. Just ask Robert Mohr, DPM, Chief of Podiatric Surgery at UCLA who has been treating Los Angeles Laker's center Shaquille O'Neal for significant game-limiting problems with his right great toe joint. When past treatments failed to completely relieve Shaq of his pain, Dr. Mohr began taking aggressive action by designing an orthotic device to be placed in his shoe. Mohr is also working with the company that manufacturers Shaq's basketball shoes to construct a shoe that will reduce the pain Shaq is experiencing now. "You take on a different level of responsibility when treating a player like Shaquille O'Neal," said Mohr, a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). "The repercussions of his ability to play are great, and our priority is to ensure that he gets the treatment he needs to compete and stay healthy." Shaq is suffering from a painful limitation of motion in his right great toe joint. Mohr wanted to exhaust all non-surgical options first in order to keep Shaq playing for the rest of the season. The orthotic he designed for Shaq creates an area of rigidity under the toe joint that will limit the motion and lessen some of the stresses placed on the joint. This should reduce some of the pain and allow Shaq to play more comfortably. "This is just the beginning of Shaq's treatment, but the fact that the first orthotic is helping to lessen the pain is very encouraging." For more information, contact Allison Brewer via email: ajbrewer@apma.org ajbrewer@apma.org or phone: 301-581-9221.

---Cleveland ministers voice commitment to public schools--
A group of leaders from Cleveland's religious community will gather Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. to express their support for both the strategies and funding that will help the city's public schools continue to strengthen programs and raise student achievement. As the nation's highest court prepares to hear the Cleveland school voucher case, the ministers will take issue with the message of pro-voucher groups that the city's African-American community is united in support of vouchers. Actress Vivica Fox will join parents and community leaders at the pro-public education "Every Child Counts" rally Tuesday night, Feb. 12 at 5:45 p.m. at Cleveland's St. John A.M.E. Church. Fox, a television and movie actress, will offer remarks to the hundreds who are expected at the rally. The "Every Child Counts" rally urges our state and community leaders to fight for smaller class sizes, more teachers and schools that meet the needs of all children instead of vouchers that drain critical funds from public schools.

---Metro Atlanta African American philanthropists give back, despite economy---While the Chronicle of Philanthropy touts the nation's major donors in its most recent list of top charitable contributors, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta (UWMA) and five other known United Way campaigns nationwide continue programs to improve donor diversity. As UWMA's African American Initiative (AAI) enters its third and final year, it is on its way to reaching its $1.5 million fundraising goal, ahead of schedule. The initiative has attracted over 56 donors who gave individual gifts of $10,000 or more compared to under 20 before the initiative began, ranking Atlanta as the fastest growing metropolitan area nationwide with the highest number of African American donors giving at this level to United Way. One of the more recent donors includes George Andrews, president, Capital City Bank. With spending power of over $572 billion, more and more African Americans are increasingly giving to their communities in big ways, which often go unreported. Based on an informal study of United Ways nationwide, five are known to have started initiatives focused on donor diversity: Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Columbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; and St. Louis, MO.

---New England Conservatory's Thomas A. Dorsey Gospel Jubilee features Mississippi Mass Choir, February 16 and 17---
New England Conservatory's 23rd Annual Thomas A. Dorsey Gospel Jubilee in Boston, MA will be celebrated in NEC's Jordan Hall Saturday and Sunday February 16 and 17. Deemed "a rousing tribute to the vitality of modern gospel" by The Boston Globe, NEC's Gospel Jubilee has become a Boston tradition. Both the Saturday and Sunday celebrations will feature the Grammy-Award winning Mississippi Mass Choir as well as New England Conservatory's 200-voice Millennium Choir. Also featured on both programs: the New England Conservatory Gospel Choir; Freda Battle with Praise and Worship; liturgical dancer Pamela Rutherford, and the George W. Russell Jr. trio. For more information or ticket information, contact Calvin Hicks, Director of the Conservatory's office of Community Collaborations via email to clhicks@newenglandconservatory.edu or call (617) 585-1136.

---African Americans hold patents on important inventions-
Black History Month celebrates African American cultures and heritage and recognizes the many contributions African Americans have made to this nation. In conjunction with Black History Month, the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office is recognizing some very special African Americans whose inventions have made great technological contributions to the world. Some of the patent holders recognized are: 1) Granville T. Woods, who was known as the 'Black Edison.' He received over 30 patents and successfully fought suits brought against him by Thomas Edison for the rights to certain electrical inventions., 2) Miami resident Ivan Yaeger received a patent for and artificial arm and hand assembly in 1987. 3) Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist from New York, became the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a method to remove cataract lenses. 4) Dr. James West received a patent along with Gerhard Sessler for the electroacoustic transducer, which revolunized the microphone industry.

----New drug to fight Hypertension---
Pharmacia Corporation (NYSE: PHA) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for eplerenone for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure).Eplerenone, a selective aldosterone blocker (SAB), is being developed as a once-daily, oral therapy designed to specifically block the effects of the hormone aldosterone. Aldosterone is a key component within the RAAS (renin angiotensin aldosterone system) and plays a significant role in the body's regulation of the cardiovascular system. The hypertension NDA includes clinical studies involving more than 3,000 hypertensive patients. Key results include efficacy in blood pressure reduction across multiple patient populations, including African Americans, the elderly, diabetics and systolic hypertensives. Eplerenone has been studied both alone and in combination with other classes of antihypertensive agents. For more information, contact: Karen Sutherland, 908-901-8584.

---Little Richard named to NAACP Hall of Fame---
Performing artist and rock'n'roll magnate Little Richard will be inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame. Joining a distinguished list of past inductees, Little Richard's induction will take place at the 33rd NAACP Image Awards, which tapes February 23 and airs March 1 ( 8-10 pm) on FOX TV.

----Homebuyers surf----
Homebuyers who use the Internet as an integral part of the homebuying process tend to be younger, wealthier and more ethnically diverse than traditional buyers, according to a new study released by the California Association of REALTORS. According to the "2002 Internet versus Traditional Buyer Study," Internet buyers also spent significantly less time looking at homes for sale prior to making a purchase and looked at far fewer homes prior to making a purchase than did traditional buyers. "Thirty percent of all Internet buyers were of Asian decent, compared to 19 percent of traditional buyers; 18 percent were of Hispanic/Latin American decent compared to 16 percent of traditional buyers; and African American and Indian ethnic groups made up the remaining 6 percent of Internet buyers compared to 5 percent of traditional buyers." Copies of survey findings are available by calling (213) 739-8352.

---Events: Black Press Week (March 13-17)
March 16, 2002 will mark the 175th anniversary of the founding of the first Black community newspaper, and thus the Black Press, in America. On that day in 1827, John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish, published the first issue of Freedom's Journal.

Send your events and press releases to Unity First's Calendar of Events via email: editors@unityfirst.com.

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