---Election reform---
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People announced the creation of an advisory panel to review the overall progress of election reform nationwide. NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume said, "It is clear that tens of thousands of Americans were denied their most basic right: their right to choose their leaders in the 2000 elections. We are committed to ensuring that the election atrocities that happened throughout the country in the last election never happen again. The NAACP's Advisory Panel will go a long way toward helping us achieve that goal." Some of the panel members include: Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, President, Brown University, Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Michael Steele, Maryland Republican Party, Carolyn Jefferson -Jenkins, President, League of Women Voters, Eddie Williams, President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The panel's first meeting focused on reviews, responses and proposed report grades for states, and well as an assessment regarding the overall progress of election reform. The panel will issue its 2001 report card in the near future.

---ABC Radio Networks and better health---
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a new partnership with the ABC Radio Networks to inform the African-American community on ways of achieving better health through a new radio campaign called "Closing the Health Gap." "African-Americans suffer disproportionately from diabetes, heart disease and other medical problems. As a nation, we need to work aggressively to close this gap," Secretary Thompson said. "'Closing the Health Gap' is a new partnership between HHS and ABC Radio to spread the word about good health and prevention directly to millions of African-American listeners." The campaign is designed to inform, educate, challenge and empower African-Americans to change behaviors through providing lifestyle tips and information on local sources of health care and public health programs. It also will combine the radio networks' broadcast resources with HHS' health information expertise, and will involve civic organizations and community groups across the country. As part of the campaign, all 240 of ABC Radio's Urban Advantage Network affiliates will air detailed messages about the severity of the health crisis facing African-Americans, emphasizing specific steps listeners can take to adopt healthier lifestyles. HHS has made eliminating health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations a critical goal of Healthy People 2010, the nation's public health agenda for the current decade. For instance, African-Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes than Whites. Similarly, infant mortality rates for African-American children are twice as high as for White infants. Overall, the average life expectancy for African-Americans at birth is 71.8 years, compared to 77.4 years for Whites, according to the latest-available statistics from HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

---Reaching Asians---
Asia Link Consulting Group has identified Asian Americans as a key group that has a great potential as targets of investment firms and banks through in-language/in-culture marketing, sales and communications efforts. Asia Link Consulting Group is a full-service marketing research and marketing consulting company with expertise in Asian American and other multicultural market groups. "With a purchasing power of $253 billion, Asians are an integral consumer community within American society," said Wanla Cheng, Principal of Asia Link. "For companies offering financial services, understanding and tapping into the Asian market just makes good business sense given Asians' propensity for investing and saving." Asian Americans represent a large un-tapped market, providing a unique opportunity for companies to reach these markets. Asians have a high incidence of those who are foreign-born and, therefore, native-language dominant or preferred. First generation immigrants have a clear preference for in-language media and communication and are easy to target via ethnic newspapers, radio and television. Research has shown that Asians respond to companies who advertise in their native media.

---Auburn University: Racist Student Behavior---
NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume said swift moves by the president of Auburn University and the Board of Trustees to deal with displays of student racism should be a lesson for other universities recently hit with racist student behavior. Mfume said: "The move by interim President William F. Walker and the Board of Trustees to suspend 15 students who wore Ku Klux Klan attire and blackface to a fraternity Halloween party was a step in the right direction, but they should be expelled. Racism is not a laughing matter." He added, "By expanding course offerings on tolerance and diversity and appointing a task force to consider establishing a multicultural center on campus, Auburn officials have shown an exceptional level of sensitivity to the need for cultural diversity in higher education. I am also glad to see that Walker has also solicited and received the assistance of the Southern Poverty Law Center in providing tolerance training to AU faculty, staff, and students."

---Gospel Retreat with Bobby Jones---
Dr. Bobby Jones has announced the Ninth Bi-Annual International Gospel Record Label Executives & Artist Retreat. This unprecedented event will convene at the MGM Grand Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sunday, December 9 - Tuesday, December 11, 2001.The retreat will undoubtedly be one of the premier Gospel events this year. Present at this event will be gospel artists and producers, as well as industry, record label and radio executives, in addition to fans. The retreat will kick off with a new talent showcase on Sunday, December 9, 2001, followed by the Urban Thang Showcase. On December 10-11, 2001, the event will focus on informative and enlightening panel presentations, covering issues that are of paramount importance relating to the conditions of the industry. For more information or a registration packet, contact Danyelle Mitchem at (615) 383-4675.You may secure your hotel reservations at: The MGM Grand Hotel & Resort, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd.,South Las Vegas, NV. By calling (877) 313-5757 phone (toll free).

---Home-based business revolution---
As the nation's unemployment rate soars to its highest level in nearly a decade, American workers - faced with mounting layoffs, downsizing and pay cuts -- are turning to home-based businesses in record numbers to gain the financial security and personal independence that seems to elude them in the corporate world. Roosevelt Roby, President and CEO of The World Business Exchange Network and Chairman of a special International Trade Division for the Mayor's office of the City of Los Angeles and the United States Department of Commerce said, "Rather than falling victim to today's employment crisis, over 30 million Americans are turning to self-employment in a proactive move to ensure their financial futures. According to the American Home Business Association, there are as many as 8,000 people a day turning their back on corporate America and joining the self-employment movement. This fast growing industry is rapidly creating a new business revolution, soon to reach $500 billion in annual revenues." Roby adds, "The average income of home based entrepreneurs in this country is $50,250 per year and one out of every five is earning over $75,000 a year. That's twice the national average income and half of them are only working in their spare time." In this home-based business revolution, it seems many are marching to a new beat of independence and finding the results more rewarding than they ever could have imagined. Established in 1987, The World Business Exchange Network is backed by partnership agreements with the United States Department of Commerce, the United Nations and numerous other countries, government agencies and business organizations worldwide.

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