Sports Legends Jim Brown, Bill Russell and George Foreman Partner for Peace

It was announced today that three
of America's Hall of Fame athletes have partnered for peace within
America's disenfranchised communities. Football icon Jim Brown, NBA great
Bill Russell and Boxing champion George Foreman have collaborated to launch
The Amer-I-Can "Peacemakers" initiative. The official launch of the
initiative will coincide with the 20th Anniversary celebration of The
Amer-I-Can Foundation, which will take place on January 31, 2008, Superbowl
week, in Phoenix, Arizona. The kick-off events include a golf tournament
and star-studded gala.

As the fundraising Board of The Amer-I-Can Foundation for social
change, the goal is to raise $20 Million dollars by December, 2008 to
support the curriculum which currently exists in socially and economically
neglected schools and neighborhoods across America. The Peacemakers Board
will oversee efforts that will financially support the programs designed to
stop the violence, increase the peace and educate young minds in America.
George Foreman, one of the first supporters of the program states, "I'm
thankful for the opportunity to join forces with two of the world's most
exceptional human beings in this quest to save and change lives."

The mission of The "Peacemakers" is to improve communities and save
lives being lost to violence among young people, which is rapidly spreading
across this country and to empower middle and high school kids, who
normally would fall through the cracks, with desperately needed Amer-I-Can
life-management skills. Youth violence is not an urban or minority problem,
it is an American problem of epidemic proportion.

The Peacemakers initiative is born out of concern that there is a war
here on American soil taking more lives than the war in the Middle East.
According to the Violence Policy Center, in 2004 three times the amount of
young men between the ages of 15 and 24 were killed by guns in America's
cities than soldiers in the Middle East. Jim Brown states, "We have an
opportunity to exponentially increase the number of lives saved and changed
once we begin funding our own programs."

To that Bill Russell adds, "My goal is to bring passion, compassion,
and intelligence to my position as Chairman of The Amer-I-Can Peacemaker's
initiative."

Since its inception in 1988, over 500,000 youth and young adults have
successfully completed the Amer-I-Can training. Students who complete the
Amer-I-Can curriculum experience on average a 60% decrease in disciplinary
incidents, a 38% decrease in absences and a 35% increase in their grade
point averages. The program is changing lives nationally in over 16 states
and internationally in the United Kingdom, Belize and South Africa.

Merry Christmas From Jimmy Di

Leaving the Nest: Advice on Helping Adult Children Move out of the House

One of the more delicate times in a parent's life is delivering the news that it's time for an adult child to move out on his or her own.

In the best of situations — where everyone agrees that leaving home is the best scenario — it can lead to bittersweet feelings of relief and loss. In worst cases, it can scar the parent-child relationship.

Parents first must convince themselves that they are not doing their children any favors by sheltering them from real-world responsibilities. Helping out for a time after college or high school or during a difficult life experience is fine, but giving children carte blanche to squat indefinitely in the family home can be unhealthy for everyone involved.

Vicki Rackner, M.D., a surgeon, author and relationship consultant based in Washington state, says parents of adult children (those who no longer go to school and are 18 or older) have to be crystal clear about what their parental "job description" is.

"I think a lot of people think the description says to keep them from pain — make it stop hurting. Really, [the parent's] job is to launch independent adults," Rackner says.

Learning to fly
"What parents have to realize is that if they want to really look after their children, they have to teach them important learning skills that they're going to require to sustain their own lives and eventually the lives of their own families," says Nicholas Aretakis, author of No More Ramen: The 20-Something's Real World Survival Guide (Next Stage Press, 2006).

An oft-cited reason for moving back home is that children can't afford to pay rent. In some cases, kids also want to maintain their parents' standard of living — one that took decades to achieve, says Jane Adams, Ph.D., author of Boundary Issues (Wiley, 2005) and When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us (Free Press, 2004).

"The reality is that moving out may mean that they might have to double or quadruple up with friends in apartments or houses, and they may have to take a bus before they can buy a car," Adams adds.

"This is a generation of entitled kids, who feel at 21 that they're entitled to the standard of living that it took their parents until 45 or 50 to achieve. If [the children] say it's for financial reasons, [parents] need to sit down and look at the money [the children are] bringing in and look at what it would cost to live somewhere else," says Adams.

Have a plan
If you have children who are about to graduate from high school or college and who don't have living arrangements for the near future, experts advise raising these issues with them now. Moving back home after college or a challenging life experience or not leaving home after high school should, in most cases, be a temporary arrangement.

In order to make the eventual transition more seamless, parents also should consider asking children living at home to pay some rent, contribute to the bills, and perform household chores and other jobs that they'll need to do once they're out on their own.

Parents should be supportive but also have reasonable expectations when working toward the complete independence of their adult children, says Ellen Gibran-Hesse, a San Francisco-based attorney and life coach.

A single mother of 21-year-old and 18-year-old sons, Gibran-Hesse says to devise a plan — such as giving your child six months to find a job. And during that time period, parents can help the child polish up his or her resume, land job interviews and learn about personal money management.

Parents have to accept that the relationship with their children might suffer temporarily from such acts of tough love, says Stephanie Buehler, Psy.D., a relationship specialist and director of the Buehler Institute in Irvine, Calif. But if parents approach these interactions calmly and with good intentions, their relationships with their children should survive this transitional phase, Buehler says.

Stick to your guns
Inevitably, some adult children will want to return home after leaving the nest and finding the struggles of independence too overwhelming.

Gibran-Hesse says that the parents' first reaction should be to help the adult child regroup. Do not present coming home as the first option. Try to solve whatever issues your child is having — for example, by helping him or her look for a less expensive place to live or by going through the budget and advising him or her to make tough (but necessary) spending choices.

In dire situations, parents might take the child back under their roof. But they should do so only with a plan and time limit in mind, she says.

Parents need to communicate clear boundaries. If they agree to help pay for a few designated items once the adult child has moved out, they should do so with the intention that the child will accept more and more responsibilities until he or she pays the whole bill.

If the child oversteps those boundaries, learn to say no — all in the context of love — Rackner says.

Gibran-Hesse agrees. "We've been protecting our children for so long. I think if there's a mistake, it is that we're too afraid to trust. They are programmed to be independent."

Cowboys outlast Packers

What started with Tony Romo facing childhood hero Brett Favre in the NFC showdown of 10-1 teams turned into a matchup against Aaron Rodgers.

Romo and the Dallas Cowboys still held a 27-24 lead over Green Bay after three quarters Thursday night, though they hadn't scored since Rogers threw his first career touchdown pass before halftime then completed all six passes on the Packers' first drive after the break.
Favre, the 17-year veteran Romo grew up watching and cheering for in Wisconsin, hurt his right elbow with 10 minutes left in the second quarter when he was hit hard by cornerback Nate Jones as he threw a pass. Terence Newman made a diving interception of the fluttering pass.

After grabbing his arm while still on the ground, Favre flexed it while walking slowly to the sideline. He remained on the sideline, then after getting treatment and having an X-ray taken during halftime, came back out still in his pads and with his right arm covered with a sleeve. But instead of his helmet, Favre donned a baseball cap and watched Rodgers play.

Dallas was stopped on fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay 31 on the opening drive of the second half. The Packers then drove 69 yards in 12 plays, including 6-of-6 passing for 61 yards by Rodgers before Ryan Grant scored on a 1-yard TD run that made it 27-24.

Rodgers, who mimicked Romo in practice the past week, got the Packers within 27-17 when he threw his first career TD pass, an 11-yarder to Greg Jennings with 31 seconds left in the half. He had played in only six games over two-plus years before Thursday, and had thrown only two passes this season.

Romo's third TD in a six-play span was a 10-yarder to Terrell Owens, and it came after Newman's interception.

The first TD by Romo was 3 yards to Patrick Crayton only three plays after another interception by Favre, which was his first in 140 attempts. Favre unloaded that pass under heavy pressure from Stephen Bowen and it was picked off by Ken Hamlin and returned 18 yards.

Romo was 14-of-23 for 252 yards after three quarters, and his TDs pushed his season total to 32, breaking his tie he was in with Danny White for the team record. Favre was 5-of-14 for 56 yards.

After Crayton's TD, the Packers responded with a three-play drive, with Grant running 62 yards for a touchdown on third-and-1 with one second left in the first quarter. That came after the Cowboys were penalized for having 12 men on the field, then had to burn a timeout because they had 12 men on the field again before the ball was snapped.

On the next drive, Romo threw a 26-yard TD to tight end Anthony Fasano in the second quarter, after a 48-yard catch by Owens.

Rookie kicker Mason Crosby gave the Packers a 3-0 lead with a 47-yard field goal on the opening drive.

Nick Folk, the Cowboys rookie, had field goals of 51 and 26 yards before Dallas took advantage of Favre's miscue.

So much of the talk leading into the showdown was the possibility for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs for the winner. That could determine if another high-stakes Dallas-Green Bay game in late January would be played in Texas Stadium or frigid Lambeau Field


At kickoff on the last Thursday in November, it was 54 degrees at Texas Stadium. It was 19 in Green Bay.

Hall of Fame quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, who combined to lead the Cowboys to their five Super Bowl titles, took part in the coin toss. They joined the other Dallas captains, including Romo. Favre was among the Packers who participated in the pregame ceremony.

Before the game, there was a moment of silence for Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins safety who was fatally shot in his Miami home Monday.

Redskins' Taylor Dies After Shooting

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early Tuesday, a day after he was shot at home. He was 24. Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor's father told him the news around 5:30 a.m."His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

He said Taylor died early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday.Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president of football operations. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand."Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.Taylor was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.


"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery," Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. "It has not been confirmed as yet."The shooting happened in the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Eight days before the attack someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police."They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."Born April 1, 1983, Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is police chief of Florida City.A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart - an emerging locker room leader.Especially since the birth of his daughter."From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash said. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins as the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he'd ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change."It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he'd ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee."I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."His hard work was well-noted."He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said. "And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life