Sociable Susan Magazine

Today's Quote!

2012-01-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

There are many things you can do wrong in life and undo,
but you can’t unsay what you've said and you can't undo taking someone else's life.

The Martha Show Cancelled & Replaced!

2012-01-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

Domestic Goddess, business magnate, author, magazine publisher, television personality and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Martha Stewart, may not be in the best spirits right now as her talk show on the Hall Mark Chanell has been cancelled and is being replaced by a new show with Marie Osmond, the singer, actress, doll designer, and member of the show business family, The Osmonds.

She will be hosting The Marie Osmond Show according to The New York Post. The new show will feature cooking and chatty celebrities, but I doubt it can ever be as good as The Donnie and Marie Show, which I so loved. That's just irreplaceable.

"Best of INPUT" Documentaries Screen In Washington, DC Jan. 29 - Feb. 3

2012-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Selections from the world’s most innovative and provocative productions by public broadcasters appear at venues around Washington during Best of INPUT: Television Out of the BoxJanuary 29 – February 3, 2012
INPUT, the International Public Television Conference, is an annual producers’ screening and discussion showcase. Held in cities around the world since 1978, the conference reviews submissions from over sixty countries. A number of the international jury-selected finalists from the May 2011 conference in Seoul will be screened and discussed.

For full schedule and updates visit: www.centerforsocialmedia.org

All programs are free but reservations may be required for certain screenings (see individual listings)

Sunday, January 29, 3 pm

La Maison Française, 4101 Reservoir Road NW

Moloch Tropical

(France, 106 min., drama, director: Raoul Peck)

In a fortress perched on the top of a mountain in northern Haiti, a democratically elected "President" and his closest collaborators get ready for a state celebration with many international guests. Meanwhile, the country is in turmoil. As the day goes on, the rebellion worsens.

RVSP: http://taboo-input2012-auto.eventbrite.com/

For more information: www.la-maison-francaise.org

Monday, January 30, 5:30 pm

Silverdocs/American Film Institute, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD

Village Without Women / Selo bez žena

(Bosnia & Herzogovina, 83 min., documentary, director: Srđan Šarenac)

Three Serbian brothers, all bachelors, live in a womanless village in southern Serbia. Not finding any Serbian women interested in living in their isolated village, they decide to try their luck with Albanian women from villages across the border, whose men are mostly working in countries of the European Union. An entertaining portrait of rural life and the need to make choices to achieve your goals.

Tuesday, January 31, 6:30 pm

Goethe-Institut

Unusual Programming from Germany and Switzerland

20x Brandenburg – Warriors without Enemies (Krieger ohne Feind)

One episode of twenty

(Germany, 15’, television piece, director: Burhan Qurbani)

Part of a project to mark the twentieth anniversary of the eastern German state of Brandenburg. This episode is a “play with reality” - young right-wing extremists in a rural setting are supposed to take part in a social rehabilitation program and learn to sing together. Their teacher is from Cameroon.

Either Broder. On Safari in Germany (Entweder Broder)

(Germany, 30’, television-specific episode, writer/directors: Joachim Schröder & Tobias Streck)

Henryk M. Broder and Hamed Abdel Samad travelled across Germany with their specially customized colorful Volvo. They spoke with “aryans,” vegetarians, fundamentalists, socialists, friends of peace, and war profiteers. They covered a distance of 30,000 km on their safari in Germany, with Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses on board and a fox terrier named Wilma in the back seat.

Low Cost (Claude Jutra)

(Switzerland, 60’, fiction, director: Lionel Baier)

Shot entirely using a mobile phone, this fiction film’s main character has known the date of his death since he was nine years old. As it approaches, he spends his final moments with those dear to him. A fiction film about the value of human life in an age where everything is at a “discount.”

RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 169 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org

Wednesday, February 1, 6:30 pm

Goethe-Institute

Presented by the Embassy of Brazil

Home Key / Chave da Casa

(Brazil, 60 min., documentary, Directors: Paschoal Samora, Stela Grisotti)

The documentary follows the last 48 hours of a group of Palestinians in the refugee camp of Al-Rweished, on the border between Jordan and Iraq, before leaving for Brazil. They leave behind family, friends and a past full of memories. Nine months later, the film follows five of them in different points of Brazil, showing their adaptation issues, their fears for family safety, for the ones that were left behind in the Middle East, the country, the uncertainties and hopes for a new future.

RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 170 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org

Thursday, February 2, 7 pm

The Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

(USA, 81’, documentary, directors: Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith)

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a leading Vietnam War strategist, concludes that America’s role in the war is based on decades of lies. He leaks 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to the New York Times, a daring act of conscience that leads directly to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation, and the end of the Vietnam War.

Friday, February 3, 8 pm

WHUT Broadcast Event

Nora

(USA, 35, dance documentary, directors: Alla Kovgan & David Hinton)

Shot in Southern Africa, Nora is based on childhood memories of the self-exiled dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image.

www.whut.org

www.movementrevolutionafrica.com/nora/

Partners: Goethe-Institut, La Maison Française, Silverdocs/American Film Institute, Embassy of Brazil, the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, American University’s Center for Social Media, WHUT/Howard University Television, Women in Film and Video, in cooperation with INPUT, and the International Public Television Screening Conference.

Dance Moms, The Life Time Show

2012-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Set in Pittsburgh's renowned Abby Lee Dance Company, owned and operated by notoriously demanding and passionate instructor, Abby Lee Miller, the Life Time series follows children's early steps on the road to stardom, and their doting mothers who are there for every rehearsal, performance and bow...all under the discerning and demanding eye of Miller and intense mothers who enter their young daughters into dance competitions.

Seeing the highs and lows surrounding competition season delivers an intriguing and dramatic look at the cast's frantic pursuit of the ultimate National Dance title. Her “brand” of “inspirational” teaching is unique to her. She makes statements like, “It’s my way or the high way. If you forget, I’m gonna chop your head off.” Abby is a verbal bully who isn’t in great shape herself, so I don’t see why or how she’s as good as they say she is at what she does, but she’s been teaching since she was 14, and they say she is one of the most sought after dance trainers in the country. I don’t think I really believe that. Maybe she’s the queen on Pittsburg, but let her go to LA or NYC and then we’ll see how good she is compared to real competition.

The show, which is called a reality show, but is really a scripted show judging by what occurs in it promotes the verbal abuse of children and is accused of “creative editing to create what they want to depict. According to TMZ, the producers of the show have been accused of wrong portrayals and even banned from StarQuest, a competition in Pennsylvania. They are also accused of not airing the true results of the competition ... and editing the footage in a way that misled viewers into believing certain dancers were competing against each other .... when in fact they were not.

Producers also misled the organizers of Star Quest into thinking the show was about young girls in the competitive dancing world -- not about their catty foulmouthed mothers. Listen everyone, there’s no such thing as reality TV. The best you can get is loosely scripted, which is what reality shows are. Even talk shows are scripted, I know because I have been on them and even interned on one. People are told to clap, say oohs and ahhs, shake their heads to match with what the host is saying etc. So everything you watch, even a documentary is at least loosely scripted. The bottom line is once a camera is on a subject who is aware, the subjects modify their behavior, so there is nothing like a "real" reality show.
The show comes on every Tuesday at 9 on Lifetime. Feel free to watch if you are into watching the verbal abuse of children and parents vs Abby verbal wars as they all laugh all the way to the bank.

Roseanne Bar Is Back In Business!

2012-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Roseanne Bar will be in new comedy on NBC. She will be playing her normal blue collar self as the operator of a trailer park that acts like a surrogate mother to the financially strapped tenants. That’ll be fun to watch. I'll keep you posted...

New TV Show, Touch Special Preview Event Tonight!

2012-01-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today is the preview of Touch, an American procedural and science fiction television series in which Kiefer Sutherland plays Martin Bohm, a former journalist and luggage handler whose wife was killed in the September 11 attacks.

He is the father of David Mazouz who plays Jacob "Jake" Bohm, an autistic and mute boy who is obsessed with numbers and can predict future events, who also serves as the narrator of the show.

Danny Glover plays Professor Arthur DeWitt, an expert on children who possess special gifts when it comes to numbers. Pretty British born international stage, TV and movie actress, Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays New Yorker, Clea Hopkins, a conflicted social worker with good intentions who is sent to do an evaluation of the Bohms’ living situation.

Roxana Brusso plays Sheri, a former biker and the director of the facility that Jake attends and Karen David plays Kayla Graham, a woman who works at a call center and whose dream is to become a singer. The show which shows life’s interconnectedness packs an emotional punch, has a soulful edge and has incredible global scenes with locations including LA, NY, Dublin, Baghdad, and Japan, which all bring differ technical and physical challenges. As Gugu said, “The script and writing are just so fantastic.” Please support our very own Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Mr. Danny Glover by watching the special preview event tonight on Fox at 9/8 PM. Check your local listings.

NBC's Lester Holt On The Wendy Williams Show!

2012-01-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

NBC anchor man, Lester Holt man is so smart and sexy and regularly tells us what’s going on in the world around us. The 6’2 tall and svelte host of NBC's Nightly News and Dateline NBC was on the Wendy Williams Show today. When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl, the San Francisco Bay area born grandson of Jamaican descendants says he likes and admires both teams for different reasons.

When asked about the recent President’s State of The Union Address, he said, “He set the stage for the campaign to come, the tax issue and disparity between have and have nots and went back to his old election let’s work together and get on the same page sentiment.” When an old picture of him from the 80s or 90s was shown, the always well spoken journalist was temporarily thrown off, forgot his correct English grammar and said, “That ain’t right!”

When asked about why he no longer sports a moustache, he said he shaved it off during a transitional time in his life. “It was in1999 into 2000, they were demoting me, and I knew it was time to go, so I took my family on a ski vacation. When I had fallen for the 15th time on the slopes that day, and got into tub, and I thought to myself, what am I doing here, spending all this money on a vacation? The next thing I knew I was in front of the mirror shaving it off and once you start you have to finish, so I shaved it off.”

Wendy said that previously in the black community, it was known that a clean shaven face will take a brother far. However, Lester said, brothers didn’t like that he shaved it off, like he gave up his black card. Was it that the brotha's were living vicariously through him, since they didn’t dare have one? We will never know.

He’s a married family man who has been married to his Caucasian wife of 30 years, Carol. As you know, Wendy had to comment on that by saying, “So you are down with the swirl” AKA interracial love. I say find true love wherever you can. The union produced two sons, Stefan and Cameron who are 25 and 22, so they are in the second phase of their marriage and currently undergoing the empty nest syndrome. Talk about following in your father's footsteps, his older son also works for NBC as a weekend anchor in Chicago, and hosts the lead in into his father’s show, which is every fathers' dream come true. A priceless picture of his son watching him on screen at work, which he said he thought “Was a picture mocking dad,” was shown. It was so precious.

The bass guitar playing musician, who always looks so conservative and serious, also has a fun side. He dressed up as singer, Susan Boyle for Halloween two years ago, and lip synched “I dreamed a dream” which is the song she sang on Britain’s Got Talent. Talking about one of his memorable interviews, he talked about Jennifer Hudson who was patient with him and his crew, has such a great story to tell and was such a delight to be with, when he interviewed her.

He is a man who is very secure in his manhood to be able throw questionable phrases around. For example, he called professional wrestler, David Otunga, Jennifer’s fiancé, “One chiseled piece of man candy.” A term his wife found out to his dismay is most often used on gay websites.” He said he asked the producers to edit it out, but as you guessed, they said, "No way."

He has also just finished an interview with Scotty McCreery, the high school senior and winner of the 10th season of American Idol who he caught up with in Kansas City, Missouri. The special will be airing soon. To show more of his fun side and alluding to the multiple hats he wears at his job, he ended by saying, “I also do small parties, bar mitzvahs and weddings.” Even if it doesn't all come across on screen, a very warm, fun and versatile man of many talents is who Lester Holt really is.

NY Giant's Devin Thomas on The Wendy Williams Show

2012-01-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

The weather maybe cold, but NY Giant's wide receiver, Devin “Show Time” Thomas is hot, hot, hot! Even Lester Holt said, “He’s one chiseled piece of man candy.” The 25year old from Michigan who has recently found fame was a real life hero on Sunday January 22, 2012 when he made a huge impact in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, as he recovered two fumbles, one of which was recovered in overtime to set up the winning score that took the Giants to Super Bowl XLVI.

The former Carolina Panther said he’s been working hard preparing for the game, and Wendy encouraged him stay out of the clubs, stay at home and stay focused to which he concurred. When asked how he feels about being a NY Giant, the former Redskin who said he’s very familiar with Washington, DC said, “I’m loving being a Giant. It’s a true blessing.” This is the first time he’s in the play offs and super bowl. The single guy who said he didn’t leave a girlfriend in DC is also an actor and model with juicy pictures to prove it. When asked who he is modeling his career after like Michael Strahan, he said “I’m doing it my way and not following anybody. I’m following my own standards."

As you know, Wendy had to ask him about those much coveted Super Bowl tickets. He said players are allowed to have 10 tickets. They get 2 for free and have to take care of the rest, which we all know he definitely can afford. After taping his segment, even Wendy had to say, “Maybe I’m pre-menopausal. I’m hot and they keep it cold in the studio. I’m a mess. I’m sure having all that man candy next to her had her hormones working over time...Watch the Super Bowl which features this hottie on Feb 5th on NBC.

Jerry Springer on the Wendy Williams Show!

2012-01-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Yelling, fist fighting, hair/wig pulling and chair throwing are staples of the outrageous Jerry Springer Show. The show where the security personnel really earn their keep restraining unruly guests and has had titles like I married a horse, Two strippers and a red neck, Springer, I barely know her, Sex, chicken and candy and I slept with 251 men in 10 hours is now a world wide TV staple. The affable 68 year old host, Jerry “Cat Daddy” Springer was on Wendy’s couch today sporting Wendy shoe cam worthy black shoes with red shoe laces, which he said are that color so he doesn’t forget to tie them.

He was asked the question, “Where is the craziest place people have ever chanted your name?” He initially jokingly said Cleveland, then thought about it and said at a ball game in a stadium during half time in the men’s room, which are huge and hold about 300 guys with urinals all around, which people go to all at the same time, so they don’t miss the game. He said, “At my age it’s hard enough going without so many guys chanting Jerry behind me.”

The British-born American television presenter and host of the tabloid talk show since its debut in 1991 said some people love the show, which I can believe for it’s weirdness, and shock and entertainment value, but he said he is also accused of ruining the culture and he said he hopes hell isn’t that hot because he burns easy. However, it’s a fun show to watch and it makes people feel good about themselves when they see people doing much worse than they are, so he said people are always very nice to him when they meet him.

He is a man of many talents including being a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, a former news anchor and a musician. It is also said that one of his earliest memories about current events was when he was 12 and watching the 1956 Democratic convention on television where he saw and was impressed by John F. Kennedy who he later helped in his campaign. Although most of the people on his show have minimal educatation, he is a very educated man who earned a political science degree from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Northwestern University. He was also a political campaign adviser to Robert F. Kennedy and an attorney at the Cincinnati law firm of Frost & Jacobs, now Frost Brown Todd.

In all the 21 years he has hosted his show, he has never gotten an Emmy. Wendy said that’s how you know “those things,” referring to the Emmys, are rigged. When asked about that he said, “Could you imagine the protests? Wendy even asked if he had received an award for even something less popular like the best lighting, or best hair. To which he jokingly responded, “Maybe best dentist. It’s a crazy show but there’s nothing artistic about it. I just happen to be hosting a popular show. You don’t get an Emmy for that.” However, he has done other things outside of The Jerry Springer Show. He was also the second host of the show, Americas Got Talent.

Prior to show biz, he was in politics then he became a star with his show. His case is unique because most people do it the other way around. When asked who he’s voting for in the upcoming election he said, “I love Barak Obama, but there are lot of people that don’t and it’s going to be a tough race.” And as you guessed, Wendy had to ask if America could have a balding or over weight president likely like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. To which he said, I was born in 1944 and in every presidential election we always elect the cooler guy. It's the hero against the egg head."

He went on to name the many “cool” presidents we’ve had like Kennedy who was cooler than Nixon, Nixon who was cooler than Humphrey and McGovern, Reagan who was cooler than Carter, Carter who was cooler than Ford, Clinton who was cooler than George Bush, George Bush who was cooler than Gore and Kerry and Obama was was cooler than McCain. "We like the cooler guy to be the president. We want a good looking guy like James Dean. Other than the issues, there’s a self concept of how we want to be viewed in the world through our president because we want to be viewed as cool."

He also gave away black Jerry Spring Show security T-shirts to contestants who played the, Which of These Is A True Jerry Springer Show Title Game with him and Wendy and after being called "Cat Daddy" by a contestant, he responded jovially by winking and saying, “You just call me Cat.” Considering his age, that's a really fun guy to be around...

Did Heather Locklear Almost OD? Say it Ain’t So!

2012-01-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

Prescription pills and booze and pretty Miss Heather Locklear wouldn’t be thought of together, but hey, this is real life and drugs, booze and stuff are part of it for many in Hollywood. According to Hollyscoop.com, she and Jack Wagner, her former fiancé had a fight which involved shoving and pushing, a dog and the cops being called. She entered rehab, but was later spotted at a LA Lakers game with glassy red eyes. They say the aging 50 year old beauty is no longer a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood manifesting in a lack luster career because roles for her have dried up is what is affecting her.

However, we often don’t see ourselves like others see us, because regardless of how Hollywood treats her, she’s still beautiful, and she and Jack are a beautiful age appropriate couple and she has a 14 year old daughter to take care of, so there’s nothing wrong with getting older. However, maybe because she’s been cute and pretty it all her life, she’s not having issues now that she’s not the hot young starlet anymore. She’s been the cheer leader, the hot teenager and the hot young lady all men wanted all her life, so maybe she based her self-worth on men desiring her and now that is gone, she's finding things to mask the pain.

That’s what happens when you’ve been pretty forever. However, beauty is vain and real beauty comes from the inside. If you were a cutie petutie all your life with a self-worth based on people’s responses to your beauty, the sooner you get off that bandwagon the better for you. However, if you were plain looking or even ugly and swanned into a beauty, you are better off, because you can go back to a place where were before you swanned.

A word is enough for the wise…

Heidi & Seal Hit Splitsville? Say It Ain't So!

2012-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

German supermodel, Heidi Klum and British born half Nigerian soul singer, Seal after three children together, and being married for almost 7 years have decided to call it quits. If they are getting a divorce after all their annual marriage renewal celebrations, I guess most people shouldn’t bother getting married at all.

I can’t believe this after Seal gallantly married her when she was pregnant by then 53 year old Flavio Briatore and then adopted her daughter. They always seem to be like the perfect couple, but that goes to show that looks can be deceptive. I have always admired the couple who kinda flaunted their interracial marriage in Hollywood because they were so secure in their relationship with each other and because they were both successful in their careers outside of Hollywood and only went there to become bigger brands, which I might add is always the best way to go when dealing with Hollywood.

However, like I tell people in Europe, especially when they are thinking of heading to the US and particularly Hollywood that relationships don’t last long term here. Relationships that would have stood the test of time in Europe or in remote parts of the US are easily destroyed and discarded in Hollywood. There are just too many distractions there.

However, even if something is wrong in the marriage, Heidi should know better how to work on it because this isn’t her first foray into matrimony. She married stylist Ric Pipino in 1997 and the couple divorced in 2002, then she had the baby for Flavio and then married and had three more kids for Seal.

No matter what I hear about them I love and admired them as a couple. I hope they can work it out. Maybe the key to that would be moving away from LA/Hollywood, a place known to destroy even the strongest marriages and they should both consider working less and spend more time with their family. Money has its place, but isn't everything. With her doing the many businesses and shows she's doing and him globe trotting around the world singing and touring, something’s gotta give. This was such a strong union and they need time and energy to rekindle the fire between the two of them.

I love them both and wish them well especially for the sake of those four kids who definitely don’t need to have “my mother’s boyfriend, my father’s girlfriend and stepmother, step father issues” in their lives. I would urge the couple to get it together, get in counseling and stay together, even if they are not as passionately in love as they once were because marriage is really about hanging in there when the going gets tough. Also, I remember asking a couple who had been married for over thirty years what their secret was, and they both said there's no secret. The only secret to a long term marriage is to stay married.

A word is enough for the wise...

Shanola Hampton Star of Shameless On The Wendy Williams Show!

2012-01-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Petite and pretty powerhouse and star of the Showtime show, Shameless, who has been acting since 2001was on the Wendy Williams Show today sporting black size 6 Jimmy Choo shoes with silver chains she bought specifically for Wendy’s Shoe Cam three years ago, when the show was picked up by Showtime saying, “These are my Wendy Williams shoes.”

The Summerville SC native who still has an 83 year old grandma and a very supportive family said her family keeps her grounded and said, “Being a star is all relative right?” Talking about her family, she also said, “They’re very proud of me.” The great teeth having star also shared that she sucked her thumb till she was 22 years old when her “most secure guy” husband who she met when they both actors and undergraduates at Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC when she was getting her degree in Theater, with emphasis in Performance who she married at 23 years old and has been married to for 12 years told her she had to stop.

Please support the Sistah, by watching Season 2 of Shameless, which comes on on Sunday nights at 9 PM on Showtime. The show is about an alcoholic man lives in a perpetual stupor, while his six children with whom he lives cope as best they can. The completely dysfunction family is run by the oldest a daughter because the mother left. Shanola plays Veronica Fisher, the is the sassy and fun neighbor who tells it like it is about everything and everybody and is madly in love with her husband. The show also shows that she’s very comfortable with her body, because she often not wearing much, which for her is okay because she has a great body courtesy of her always being in the gym because she isn’t the healthiest eater. She also said she got breasts implants and they’re hers because she paid for them. Tell it girl...

The Master’s degree in Fine Arts from University of Illinois having sister who is an education advocate said she comes from a family of educators which is led by her dad who is a pastor. She also recently conquered the fear of flying in a helicopter while on vacation with a husband; she had previously conquered another fear of jumping off a cliff, while her husband conquered the fear of parasailing.

When asked who her friends in the industry are, she didn’t name any names but told Wendy, “You’ve been a friend in my head for like ever.” She’s having the best time in Hollywood right now and if things slow down she has her education and family to fall back on. Talk about a smart sister with her head on straight.

Vanessa Bryant Gets Half of Kobe’s Fortune!

2012-01-23T09:08:00.000-08:00

Like my nephew used to say when he was a toddler, “We share.” Well, in the same way, Kobe is having to share his self made fortune with the beautiful 31 years old Latina he married without his parents blessings and a prenuptial, Vanessa now that the happy times are over and they are getting a divorce.

It’s a huge pay day for her, since she gets half of his75 million fortune and only really only needs him to be a good co-parent to their two daughters, which we all know he definitely will be.

Considering she is a woman who married young after meeting Kobe on the set of a video shoot while still a high school student, and whose whole career has been being "Mrs. Bryant," I must say girlfriend made out like a bandit. She also gets three mansions in Newport Beach, one of which her mother already lives in.

I tell you, marrying the right guy at the right time while he still believes in the romantic notion of fairytale love and no prenup is like investing in or being part of a small company that becomes huge like Apple and being set for life.

Now she can do whatever she wants. She can stay in obscurity and be rich or she can choose to chase fame. There’s a difference between money and fame, and some people want one or the other or both based on their personalities. Time will tell which one she does.

The life she lives post Kobe, will let us all know if he has been restraining her from the life she really wanted to live all the years they were together. She is already a prime candidate for TV shows like Basket Ball Wives and Housewives of Beverly Hills. Either way we’ll all be watching her next moves as she looks to find her way and reinvents herself, however, I hope she has enough sense to invest in her Latina community to help move them forward.

I'm Latina & I'm not a Maid...

2012-01-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in class yesterday watching this educated, hardworking, ambitious and feisty petite Columbian beauty state passionately, "I'm tired of telling people that I'm Latina, I'm not a maid and I don't have many kids" as many in the class burst out laughing. She also had a lot to say about her few years in the good old US of A since her arrival from Columbia.

Let's backtrack to see where this Latina who was born and bred in Columbia, and now lives in America is coming from and how she justifiably got so hot under the collar trying to refute the negative stereotypes plaguing females in her community such as she stated includes them being ambitionless, baby factories working as maids. I guess the many Latina maids and Jennifer Lopez acting in the movie, Maid In Manhattan didn't help matters. Then when she tells them she's in the communications field, they are quick to ask if she works for Telemundo or Univision. She's said, "Why can't they think I work anywhere else?" Maybe they assume because she has a thick accent a major network won't hire her. However, in reality she does. Talk about people being narrow minded know it alls, who can't simply ask her a question and wait for her to answer. No, they can't do that. They have to dig into their box of Latina stereotypes and label her with the ones they deem appropriate and fill in the blanks in their minds and have the audacity to blurt it out.

She doesn't appreciate being put in a box based on her ethnicity, which some Americans are excellent are at doing. Hearing this passionate lady express her anger at some of her people's lack of ambition, which has a lot to do with the stereotype, I have no doubt she will do a lot to help her ethnic community as she said she already motivates Latinas she comes in contact with to be more ambitious and rise above their current circumstances to eradicate the negative stereotypes.

She's even already being accused of being overly ambitious by her fellow younger interns at work, who don't seem to understand what all her fuss about being driven to succeed is about. All I could think of telling her is, "Count your blessings and move on." This the good old US of A and people will always find some group or box to put you in to define you, so they can attempt to understand you. Hey, they ask people from the Caribbean if they came to US on boats and call them boat people, they ask if Africans live on trees and in huts with wild animals roaming freely around, they ask if people from the Middle East came to the US on camels, the list is endless. Although it is unfortunate, that's just what comes with living in a big old melting pot...

Today’s Quote!

2012-01-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.

EXCLUSIVE: President Obama’s New York City Fundraiser Speech Transcript

2012-01-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama hit the pockets of upscale New Yorkers tonight with a vengeance. Making several stops including a fundraiser at Spike Lee's house and a rousing event at The Apollo in Harlem, Obama is seeking to build his war chest to face a tough presidential election in November. Below is his full speech as it was give at the Bellecour Reception Area at the Daniel Restaurant in New York, New York at 6:15 P.M. EST on Thursday, January 19, 2012.

THE PRESIDENT: "Hello, everybody! Hello! Hello! (Applause.) Everybody, please have a seat. Have a seat. Thank you. You’re going to make me blush. (Laughter.) Well, it is wonderful to be back in New York and it is wonderful to be with all of you.

"I understand that you already had a chance to talk with the outstanding junior senator from New York, and Kirsten is doing a wonderful job, so all of you guys should be very proud. I’m sure that a number of you supported her in previous campaigns and will continue to do so."

As I look around the room I see some old friends -- not in years, but -- some of you in years -- (laughter) -- but who have known me for a very long time, people who supported me in my first U.S. Senate race -- Andy supported me in my first state Senate race."

Question: Congressman Bobby Rush

THE PRESIDENT: "That’s exactly right.

"I’m going to speak very briefly at the top because I want to spend most of my time in conversation. We’re obviously living through a historic time. We just went through the worst financial crisis in our history since the Great Depression, worst financial crisis. We have an Arab Spring that is transforming an entire region of the world. The structure of the global economy, the changes in technology all are happening at a breathless pace.

"And I think that -- when I think back to the last three years, I could not be prouder of what we’ve been able to do in averting a depression, saving an auto industry. We’ve now seen 22 consecutive months of job growth in the private sector. We’re starting to see manufacturing come back to the United States.

"On the international stage we’ve been able to manage the end of one war and the beginning of a transition of another. We have been on the right side of democracy. We’ve strengthened our alliances, restored respect for the United States around the world.

"On issues of equity and the values that we care most deeply about, we’ve made enormous advances -- ending “don’t ask, don’t tell" -- (applause) -- making sure that equal pay for equal work is -- (applause) -- appointing two really smart women to the Supreme Court. (Applause.)

"But we have so much more work to do. We’ve got so many things that remain to tackle. We have an economy that, although now is getting close to where we were before the financial crisis struck, continues to struggle with these long-term trends that had been going on for decades, where middle-class families felt less and less secure; where the education system wasn’t equipping our kids to compete in a global economy; where we had an absence of an energy policy; a health care system that was bleeding companies and the federal treasury dry, and not providing any care for millions of people.

"And so part of our task is to tell a story about everything that we’ve gotten done over the last three years so that people have confidence that change is possible. It’s not easy, it’s messy, there are times where it’s frustrating, sometimes we experience setbacks -- but change occurs, meaningful change that concretely helps people’s lives. But even as we tell that story, we’ve also got to tell a story about where this country needs to go.

"I’ve never felt more confident about the capacity of America to meet the moment and assure a solid future for our kids and our grandkids. But it’s going to require more work, and it’s going to require us making good choices. And this year is going to be as stark a choice as we have seen -- a starker choice than we saw in 2008.

"I mean, think about it. In 2008, I was running against a Republican nominee who agreed that we should ban torture, agreed that we should close Guantanamo, believed in climate change, had worked on immigration reform. And so as profound as the differences were between myself and John McCain, there was some sense of convergence when it came to some very important issues.

"If you’ve been listening to the Republican debates, they have moved. (Laughter.) I’ve stayed here. (Laughter.) They’ve gone in a different direction.

"Now, that’s going to make for a hugely important, hugely consequential election -- partly because we need to win this election to consolidate all the gains that we’ve made over the last three years and make sure that financial reform is actually implemented effectively and not watered down, and somebody like a Richard Cordray as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is able to prevent people from being subjected to predatory lending; partly because health care reform still has to be implemented.

"We already have 2.5 million young people who have insurance because of that bill, and millions of seniors who are saving money on prescription drugs because of that bill. But there are a whole bunch of folks with preexisting conditions who are still going to need help, and a whole bunch of working families who still don't have health insurance and they’re going to need those exchanges that we’re setting up put in place so that they can get affordable health care.

"But it’s not just a matter of implementing many of the things we’ve already done. It’s a matter of meeting the requirements to get to where we need to go. We’re going to have to solve this fiscal crisis that we’re in, in a way that’s balanced and fair, and in which everybody does their fair share.

"We’re going to have to make sure that we are investing in community colleges and early childhood education, so that everybody genuinely has a fair shot. We’re going to have to rebuild America. In a city like New York, we’ve got tens, hundreds of billions of dollars of infrastructure work where we could put construction workers, right now, who are sitting at home, back to work, making ourselves more productive to meet the challenges of a 21st century economy.

"We’re going to have to make sure that the budgets for the NIH and NSF and all our basic research in science is maintained so that we continue to be the leading innovators in the world.

"We’re going to have to make sure that all the work we’ve done over the last three years to restore America’s standing in the world, that that’s preserved, and that people everywhere continue to see America as the one indispensable nation in assuring that there’s an international order that thinks about everybody, and not just thinks in terms of raw power.

"So this is a big deal, this race. And I am very confident about our prospects. As tough as the economic environment is, as many headwinds as we’re experiencing, I believe we’re going to win. But that belief is premised on my confidence in you, that you guys are going to step up, that you are going to show the same kind of resolve and determination and enthusiasm that you showed in 2008.

"If you do, then I think we’ll win the argument, because I think we have a better vision for the future. And I continue to have this profound confidence and faith in the American people, and that a vision of a America that gives everybody opportunity and is inclusive, and considers our values important to project around the world and in our own government -- I think that’s what they want to -- that’s how they think about America as well.

"So I hope all you guys are ready to go --"

AUDIENCE MEMBER yells: Fired up.

THE PRESIDENT: "I hope you’re fired up. And I don't -- I’m glad you guys wrote checks, but I don't just want your money. I’m going to want your ideas and your time and your energy and your effort. And if you give me that, I promise you I will be working harder this time than I did in 2008. All right?"

"Thank you very much, everybody."

by DC Livers for Black PressRadio on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:37pm

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. On The Wendy Williams Show

2012-01-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Tall, handsome and distinguished looking civil rights activist and Baptist minister, Rev Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. has played a role in empowerment, peace and social justice for as long as anyone can remember in America. He was on the Wendy Williams Show today bearing a gift of a box of Hostess Twinkies for Wendy. Referring to Michelle Obama he said “They have tell Michelle to give us a break on the Obesity campaign.” He also said to Wendy, “I’m so proud of your show. You got something going girl!”

On the love fest/talk show, where he fed Wendy the twinkies he brought, they also talked about Ms. Aretha Franklin, who has been making music for 50 years and is known for her social consciousness and wholesomeness as a person. He said he has known her since they were teenagers. He also said, Aretha and Harry Belafonte did a tour to raise money for Martin Luther King when he couldn’t meet payroll at one time and he was a regular fixture at Aretha’s parent’s home in Detroit, Michigan.

Rev Jackson whose mustache is legendary and will soon be celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Jackie shared on how they grew up together, shared jail cells, and how she’s a bona fide social activist and civil rights leader in her own right. However, they hit a big bump in 2001 when he had an affair with writer and professor of Pan-African Studies and Politics, Karin L. Stanford, that produced a 12 year old daughter named Ashley, which was suprising to many, especially after he was one of President Bill Clinton’s advisers when he was going through the Monica Lewinsky drama.

When asked about that, the Rev. responded by quoting the lyrics of Donnie McClurkin's song , “We fall down, and we get back up again, and you care enough and try enough. You can trust Wendy to push his buttons by saying, “Word on the street is that you’re not paying child support, set the record straight, Rev,” referring to the $4,000 monthly child support payment he is supposed to be paying, but some say he is not. To which he didn’t explicitly respond by stating that he is paying, but said something about both he and his daughter’s mother are working on it.

When asked about his oldest son, Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. going for Obama’s Senate seat, he said, "He has been in Congress for 15 years and has done quite well as a scholar activist. I look forward to his re-election. He’ll win.” The "Good Rev" ran for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, and is credited as being one the people who paved the way for Obama’s Presidential nomination and win. When asked if he was jealous when Obama won, he was said he was excited because his win was a redemptive thing for African Americans and that he saw him recently at the Martin Luther King Statue Dedication in DC. Defending Obama, he also went on to say that Obama been under attack ever since he become president even though he has been pairing down on the war, the troops in Iraq are coming home and there’s job recovery.

He also talked about MLK and his last act, which was planning the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to try to get poor people benefits they deserve and how the things MLK stood for are being undone, leaving people powerless, lost and frustrated because they can’t get credit, don’t live as long as they should because they don't have health care and don’t have help. He also said of Obama's critics, “We need people who see the world through a door and not a key hole.We need broad vision in high places.”

The Rev who is also the head of the Rainbow Push Coalition, which protects the rights of minorities on Jan 25-27 will host the Wall Street Economic. Visit www.rainbowpush.org to be part of the struggle for economic justice to undo the effects of the recession, which has caused the many businesses, homes and jobs to be lost in the US. All that Dr. Martin Luther King stood for is in jeopardy, do your part to ensure that doesn’t happen.

15th Annual Rainbow Push Wall Street Project Economic Summit

2012-01-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

The event is hosted by Rev Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.

For more information visit, http://www.wallstreetproject2012.org/

Actor, Nate Parker On The Wendy Williams Show!

2012-01-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

32 year old Nate Parker, Star of the new movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails was on the Wendy Williams Show today where he shared that when he was in high school he was made fun of for his African features including his big nose, big lips, nappy hair and dark skin tone. We all know kids can be insensitively cruel to each other at that age, so it wasn’t surprising.

However, these are the same features he is being celebrated for now as a handsome actor. It’s amazing to see how much perceptions have changed over time. He said if people said you look African or you have African features then, it was perceived negatively because the images people saw about Africa on TV at that time was malnourished people with flies walking all over them. We all know that he is telling the truth thanks to National Geographic and Aid organizations projecting such pity inducing images of Africa in the West to get money for their operations. Not that such images don't exist, but they certainly don't represent the whole of Africa. That's just like representing all people in the US with some tore up looking crack heads in some American cities. I thank God that things are changing and Africa is slowly but surely being represented correctly and holistically in the world wide media.

However, my only concern is that he is a victim of what usually happens to so many people who have been made fun of as children for their African features including Wayne Brady. They attempt to get as far away as possible from those features that they were teased about by marrying outside of their race, so at least their children and the spouse they look at daily doesn’t remind them of those features they were traumatized for having.

In Nate’s case he is married a Caucasian woman and he has 3 biracial girls to show for it. I know he probably doesn’t think that’s why he married who he did, but it may have played a part in it. I don’t fault him for this since such negative experiences traumatize people at a deep psychological level that they are often not even cognitively aware of how wounded and psychologically traumatized and damaged they are. So what he did is to be expected and he's definitely not the only one.

I also appreciate that he was on the Wendy Williams Show, which is hosted by an African American woman because the show gave him the format to even express his experiences. Had he been on a show hosted by a Caucasian person, he may not have felt comfortable enough to share on that part of his life’s experience.

All I can say to Nate is what I tell every other black person I meet which is, “Your Black Is Beautiful!!” Also, everyone, please go out and watch the movie Red Tails, so Hollywood will be encouraged to make more movies starring all black casts.

Nominees For The 43rd NAACP Image Awards Announced!

2012-01-19T23:34:00.000-08:00

(Craig Robinson, Vanessa Williams, Corey Reynolds, Tracee Ellis Ross)

The nominees for THE 43RD NAACP IMAGE AWARDS were announced today during a live press conference from the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA. Vanessa Williams, Tracee Ellis Ross, Corey Reynolds and Craig Robinson announced the categories and nominees.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Winners will be announced during the two-hour star-studded event, which will air live on Friday, February 17 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on NBC.

ABC and CBS lead the nominees in the TV categories with 18 and 16 nominations respectively, followed by BET and HBO both with 15. In the recording category, Columbia Records leads with eight nominations, followed by Warner Bros. Records with five nominations and Elektra Records with four nominations. Dreamworks Pictures/Touchstone Pictures/Participant Media lead with eight nominations, while Focus Features and TriStar Pictures followed with seven, and Universal Pictures with five in the motion picture category.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. The organization's half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Event sponsors for the 43RD NAACP Image Awards include UAW/Chrysler, Hyundai, FedEx, Wells Fargo, Ford Motor Company, and Bank of America.

Following is a partial list of the nominated categories. Please visit our website at http://www.naacpimageawards.net for the complete listing.

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Outstanding Comedy Series

"Love That Girl!" (TV One)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Reed Between the Lines" (BET)

"The Game" (BET)

"Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Dulé Hill - "Psych" (USA Network)

Malcolm-Jamal Warner - "Reed Between the Lines" (BET)

Phil Morris - "Love That Girl!" (TV One)

Pooch Hall - "The Game" (BET)

Terry Crews - "Are We There Yet?" (TBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Tatyana Ali - "Love That Girl!" (TV One)

Tia Mowry-Hardrict - "The Game" (BET)

Tracee Ellis Ross - "Reed Between the Lines" (BET)

Vanessa Williams - "Desperate Housewives" (ABC)

Wendy Raquel Robinson - "The Game" (BET)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Craig Robinson - "The Office" (NBC)

Damon Wayans, Jr. - "Happy Endings" (ABC)

J.B. Smoove - "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)

Nick Cannon - "Up All Night" (NBC)

Tracy Morgan - "30 Rock" (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Amber Riley - "Glee" (FOX)

Gabourey Sidibe - "The Big C" (Showtime)

Keshia Knight Pulliam - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)

Maya Rudolph - "Up All Night" (NBC)

Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family" (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series

"Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)

"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC)

"The Good Wife" (CBS)

"Treme" (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Andre Braugher - "Men of A Certain Age" (TNT)

Hill Harper - "CSI: NY" (CBS)

L.L. Cool J - "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS)

Taye Diggs - "Private Practice" (ABC)

Wendell Pierce - "Treme" (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Chandra Wilson - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Khandi Alexander - "Treme" (HBO)

Regina King - "SouthLAnd" (TNT)

Sandra Oh - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Taraji P. Henson - "Person of Interest" (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Corey Reynolds - "The Closer" (TNT)

Ice T - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC)

James Pickens, Jr. - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Nelsan Ellis - "True Blood" (HBO)

Omar Epps - "House M.D." (FOX)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Alfre Woodard - "Memphis Beat" (TNT)

Anika Noni Rose - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC)

Archie Panjabi - "The Good Wife" (CBS)

Diahann Carroll - "White Collar" (USA Network)

Loretta Devine - "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Outstanding Talk Series

"Anderson" (Syndicated)

"Oprah's Lifeclass" (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

"The Doctors" (Syndicated)

"The View" (ABC)

"The Wendy Williams Show" (Syndicated)

Outstanding Reality Series

"All-American Muslim" (TLC)

"American Idol" (FOX)

"Dancing with the Stars" (ABC)

"Sunday Best" (BET)

"Tia & Tamera" (Style Network)

Outstanding Variety Series or Special

"2011 BET Awards" (BET)

"Black Girls Rock!" (BET)

"Oprah Presents: Master Class" (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

"Prince! Behind the Symbol" (The Africa Channel)

"UNCF An Evening of Stars Tribute to Chaka Khan" (BET)

Outstanding Children's Program

"A.N.T. Farm" (Disney Channel)

"Dora The Explorer" (Nickelodeon)

"Go, Diego! Go!" (Nickelodeon)

"I Can Be President: A Kid's-Eye View" (HBO)

"My Family Tree" (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Performance in a Youth/ Children's Program - (Series or Special)

China Anne McClain - "A.N.T. Farm" (Disney Channel)

Keke Palmer - "True Jackson, VP" (Nickelodeon)

Lance Robertson - "Yo Gabba Gabba" (Nickelodeon)

Leon Thomas III - "Victorious" (Nickelodeon)

Zendaya Coleman - "Shake It Up" (Disney Channel)

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Outstanding New Artist

Committed (Epic)

Diggy Simmons (Atlantic Records)

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (Columbia Records)

Mindless Behavior (Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records)

Wynter Gordon (Big Beat/Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Male Artist

Anthony Hamilton (RCA Records)

Bruno Mars (Elektra Records)

Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)

Chris Brown (Jive Records)

Common (Warner Bros. Records)

Outstanding Female Artist

Beyoncé (Columbia Records)

Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

Ledisi (Verve Forecast)

Mary J. Blige (Geffen)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

Boyz II Men (Benchmark Entertainment/MSM Music Group)

Cee Lo Green feat. Melanie Fiona (Elektra Records)

Mary J. Blige feat. Drake (Geffen)

Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)

The Roots (Island Def Jam Music Group)

Outstanding World Music Album

"Afrodiaspora" - Susana Baca (Luaka Bop)

"Carnival Fever" - Brother B (King Chero Records)

"Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival" - Boukman Eksperyans (MunckMix, Inc.)

"Sounds of Blackness" - Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)

"The First Grader" - Alex Heffes (Varese Sarabande)

Outstanding Music Video

"25/8" - Mary J. Blige (Geffen)

"Hear My Call" - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

"I Was Here" - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)

"Someone Like You" - Adele (Columbia Records)

"Where You At" - Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

Outstanding Song

"Best Thing I Never Had" - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)

"Fool for You feat. Melanie Fiona" - Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)

"I Smile" - Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)

"So In Love feat. Anthony Hamilton" - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

"Someone Like You" - Adele (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Album

"4" - Beyoncé (Columbia Records)

"F.A.M.E" - Chris Brown (Jive Records)

"I Remember Me" - Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

"Lasers" - Lupe Fiasco (1st & 15th/Atlantic Records)

"The Light of the Sun" - Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

LITERATURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction

"A Silken Thread" - Brenda Jackson (Harlequin Kimani Press)

"Boundaries" - Elizabeth Nunez (Akashic Books)

"Say Amen, Again" - Reshonda Tate Billingsley (Gallery Books)

"Silver Sparrow" - Tayari Jones (Algonquin Books)

"The Plot Against Hip Hop: A Novel" - Nelson George (Akashic Books)

Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction

"Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America" - Melissa Harris-Perry (Yale University Press)

"Super Rich" - Russell Simmons (Gotham Books)

"The Cosmopolitan Canopy" - Elijah Anderson (W. W. Norton & Company)

"The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place" - Hill Harper (Gotham Books)

"Who's Afraid of Post- Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now" - Toure (Free Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author

"2Grieve 2Gether: A Journal from the Heart Helping Survivors & Supporters Navigate the Healing Process" - Denise Hall Brown (2Lift 1Up Publishing)

"A Defining Moment" - Patricia Duncan (IJABA Publishing Inc.)

"The Loom" - Shella Gillus (Guideposts Books)

"The Strawberry Letter" - Lyah Le Flore (Ballantine/Random House)

"We the Animals" - Justin Torres (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/Auto-Biography

"A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother" - Janny Scott (Riverhead Books)

"Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention" - Manning Marable (Penguin Group (USA)-Viking)

"My Song" - Harry Belafonte (Knopf)

"No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington" - Condoleezza Rice (Crown Publishers)

"The John Carlos Story" - John Carlos, Dave Zirin (Haymarket Books)

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Motion Picture

"Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)

"Pariah" (Focus Features)

"The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)

"The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

"Tower Heist" (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Eddie Murphy - "Tower Heist" (Universal Pictures)

Laurence Fishburne - "Contagion" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Laz Alonso - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)

Oliver Litondo - "The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)

Vin Diesel - "Fast Five" (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Adepero Oduye - "Pariah" (Focus Features)

Emma Stone - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Paula Patton - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)

Viola Davis - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Zoë Saldana - "Colombiana" (TriStar Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Anthony Mackie - "The Adjustment Bureau" (Universal Pictures)

Charles Parnell - "Pariah" (Focus Features)

Don Cheadle - "The Guard" (Sony Pictures Classics)

Jeffrey Wright - "The Ides of March" (Columbia Pictures)

Mike Epps - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Bryce Dallas Howard - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Cicely Tyson - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Kim Wayans - "Pariah" (Focus Features)

Maya Rudolph - "Bridesmaids" (Universal Pictures)

Octavia Spencer - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

"I Will Follow" (AFFRM)

"Kinyarwanda" (AFFRM)

"MOOZ-lum" (AFFRM)

"Pariah" (Focus Features)

"The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)

Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture

"A Separation" (Sony Pictures Classics)

"Attack the Block" (Screen Gems)

"In the Land of Blood and Honey" (FilmDistrict)

"Le Havre" (Janus Films)

"Life, Above All" (Sony Pictures Classics)

DOCUMENTARY

Outstanding Documentary - (Theatrical or Television)

"Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" (Sony Pictures Classics)

"Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" (Submarine Deluxe)

"Sing Your Song" (HBO Documentary Films)

"The Rescuers" (Michael King Productions)

"Thunder Soul" (Roadside Attractions)

WRITING

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Arthur Harris - "Reed Between the Lines" - Let's Talk About Ms. Helen's Son Part 1 (BET)

Prentice Penny - "Happy Endings" - The Girl with the David Tattoo (ABC)

Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil - "The Game" - Parachutes....Beach Chairs (BET)

Vali Chandrasekaran - "30 Rock" - It's Never Too Late For Now (NBC)

Vince Cheung, Ben Montanio - "Wizards of Waverly Place" - Wizards vs. Angels (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series

Cheo Hodari Coker - "SouthLAnd" - Punching Water (TNT)

Janine Sherman Barrois - "Criminal Minds" - The Bittersweet Science (CBS)

Lolis Eric Elie - "Treme" - Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues? (HBO)

Pam Veasey - "Ringer" - Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them? (The CW)

Zoanne Clack - "Grey's Anatomy" - I Will Survive (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture - (Theatrical or Television)

Alrick Brown - "Kinyarwanda" (AFFRM)

Ann Peacock - "The First Grader" (National Geographic Entertainment)

Dee Rees - "Pariah" (Focus Features)

Elizabeth Hunter, Arlene Gibbs - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)

Tate Taylor - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

DIRECTING

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Jay Chandrasekhar - "Happy Endings" - The Girl with the David Tattoo (ABC)

Kevin Hooks - "Drop Dead Diva" - Mother's Day (Lifetime)

Leonard R. Garner Jr. - "Rules of Engagement" - The Set Up (CBS)

Miguel Arteta - "How to Make It in America" - Mofongo (HBO)

Salim Akil - "The Game" - Parachutes/Beach Chairs (BET)

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series

Ernest Dickerson - "Treme" - Do Watcha Wanna (HBO)

Ken Whittingham - "Parenthood" - Opening Night (NBC)

Kevin Sullivan - "NCIS" - Tell-All (CBS)

Paris Barclay - "Sons of Anarchy" - Out (FX Network)

Seith Mann - "Dexter" - Get Gellar (Showtime)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture - (Theatrical or Television)

Alrick Brown - "Kinyarwanda" (AFFRM)

Angelina Jolie - "In the Land of Blood and Honey" (FilmDistrict)

Dee Rees - "Pariah" (Focus Features)

Salim Akil - "Jumping the Broom" (TriStar Pictures)

Tate Taylor - "The Help" (DreamWorks Pictures/Participant Media/Touchstone Pictures)

Please visit our website at http://www.naacpimageawards.net for the complete list of the 42nd NAACP Image Awards' Nominees.

Want To Know Who Runs the Internet? Sarah Stankorb Tells You Who!

2012-01-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

(Illustration by Branden Vondrak)

In light of Senate 968 "Protect IP Act" (PIPA) & H.R. 3261 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA), which potentially threatens to black out our favorite websites at any point in time, we seriously have to begin thinking about who runs the internet. If you think no one does, then you are mistaken.

I thought this article by By Sarah Stankorb on American University's website would be great to share because it sheds light on this very topic. Keep reading below...

Picture a vast space, cloaked in darkness. Your virtual life zips along circuits in binary code, looping through servers. A figure at one end of a room flips a switch. Your shopping habits are jettisoned to a retailer targeting your demographic. A different man, we can’t make out his face, taps in code. Your website crashes. (You’d just posted unpopular political views online.) And you, parked at your laptop watching YouTube videos, suspect nothing. It’s science fiction, right? Beyond what we see on our desktops, most of us don’t know what keeps the Internet running or who stands at the other end of miles of cable and code. It’s a simple question, and we should know the answer: who runs the Internet?

For the full article, visit the link below
http://www.american.edu/americantoday/campus-news/20111209-internet-control-DeNardis.cfm

Don't let Corporate Interests Control You!

2012-01-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Denounce PIPA & SOPA!

If you support Senate 968 "Protect IP Act" (PIPA) & H.R. 3261 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA), you are potentially supporting an impending black out of your favorite website. Tell Senate & Congress you OPPOSE them!!

Corporate supporters of Senate 968 (PIPA) and HR 3261 (SOPA) demand the ability to take down any web site (including craigslist, Wikipedia, or Google) that hurts their profits -- without prior judicial oversight or due process -- in the name of combating "online piracy."

PIPA and SOPA authors and supporters insist they'd only go after foreign piracy sites, but Internet Engineers understand this is an attempt to impose "Big Brother" controls on our Internet, complete with DNS hijacking and censoring search results. Incredibly, many Congress Members favor this idea.

Try to imagine jack-booted thugs throttling free speech, poisoning the Internet (greatest of American inventions, the very pillar of modern democracy), and devastating one of the our most successful industries. Totalitarian, anti-American, massively-job-killing nonsense.

Tell Congress you OPPOSE Senate 968 "Protect IP Act" (PIPA) and H.R. 3261 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA):

Phone your Member of Congress via nifty Progressive Change app
Contact Senators who are refusing to meet with constituents about PIPA.
Reverse Robocall pro-PIPA & pro-SOPA MOC + Lobbyists (More at Ars Technica)
EFF Action Center - Strike Against Censorship - Congressional Emailer
ECA Congressional Emailer - Don't Censor Our Internet!
OpenCongress Congressional Emailer - Oppose SOPA
Generic Congressional Emailer (You'll need your Zip+4)
Petition Congress - Protect Innovation, Dump SOPA (Progressive Change )
Outside the US? Sign Petition Opposing US Censorship of Global Sites (EFF)

Supporters of PIPA and SOPA: RIAA, MPAA, News Corp, TimeWarner, Walmart, Nike, Tiffany, Chanel, Rolex, Sony, Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, VISA, Mastercard, Comcast, ABC, Dow Chemical, Monster Cable, Teamsters, Rupert Murdoch, Lamar Smith (R-TX), John Conyers (D-MI)

Opponents of PIPA and SOPA: Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, eBay, AOL, Mozilla, Reddit, Tumblr, Etsy, Zynga, EFF, ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Ron Paul (R-TX)

Where does your Member of Congress stand on PIPA and SOPA? (Project SOPA Opera)
PIPA and SOPA Are Too Dangerous To Revise, They Must Be Killed Entirely.

Congress needs to hear from you, or these dangerous bills will pass - they have tremendous lobbying dollars behind them, from corporations experts say are attempting to prop up outdated, anti-consumer business models at the expense of the very fabric of the Internet -- recklessly unleashing a tsunami of take-down notices and litigation, and a Pandora's jar of "chilling effects" and other unintended (or perhaps intended?) consequences.

Don't believe it? Monster Cable has labeled craigslist a "rogue site," earmarked for blacklisting and full-takedown under PIPA -- resale of stereo cables by CL users reduces Monster 's new cable sales. (reddit).

There is still time to be heard. Congress is starting to backpedal on this job-killing, anti-American nonsense, and the Obama administration has weighed in against these bills as drafted, but SOPA/PIPA cannot be fixed or revised -- they must be killed altogether.

Sen Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep Ron Wyden (D-OR) are championing an alternative to SOPA/PIPA called Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) that addresses foreign sites dedicated to piracy, without disrupting basic Internet protocols, or threatening mainstream US sites like craigslist.

Tim O'Reilly, a publisher who is himself subject to piracy, asks whether piracy is even a problem, and whether there is even a legitimate need for any of these bills.

Learn more about SOPA, Protect IP (PIPA), and Internet Blacklisting:

Growing Chorus of Opposition to PIPA and SOPA
Open Letter against SOPA from 83 Prominent Internet Engineers
Why SOPA and Protect IP (PIPA) are Bad, Bad Ideas (Techdirt)
Piracy not a problem, PIPA and SOPA are unnecessary (Tim O'Reilly on GigaOM)
PIPA and SOPA News (Google News)
PIPA Wikipedia entry ::::: SOPA Wikipedia entry
SOPA FAQ (CNET)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton In Ivory Coast

2012-01-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently visited Ivory Coast as part of a four-nation tour of West Africa, promoting good governance and economic development. Some say it was to reinforce the United States’ support for Alassane Ouattara, who they assisted in becoming the President following the 2010 presidential election, after which former President, Laurent Gbagbo challenged the vote count, alleged fraud, refused to step down and called for the annulment of results from nine of the country's regions.

Ouattara was declared the winner and recognized by election observers, the international community, the African Union (AU), and the Economic Community of West African States. However, the Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council, which according to Article 94 of the Ivorian Constitution both determines disputes in and proclaims the results of Presidential elections, declared Gbagbo the winner. After a period of civil conflict which lasted from 4 December 2010 till 11 April 2011, Gbagbo was arrested by the Republican Army of Ivory Coast. In November 2011, he was extradited to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and is currently facing charges for crimes against humanity, becoming the first head of state to be taken into the court's custody.

With Gbagbo facing charges from the ICC, a court which has been accused of unfairly targeting African leaders and the international media's decreased focus on Ivory Coast, many people incorrectly believe the various post-election crisis issues and human rights violations in Ivory Coast are over. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The international media's coverage reduction may be a good development, since many people believe many of them ran biased reports in favor of Ouattara during the post-election crisis. However, Ivory Coast is still currently under a lot of tension as Gbagbo's many supporters are still promoting his cause and voicing their displeasure at his forceful removal from office, his extradition and the charges of war crimes he is currently facing.

It is believed that the forces of the internal community backing Ouattara in Ivory Coast have been committing massive human rights violations including rape, robberies, extrajudicial killings, and expropriation of civilians’ properties, such as cars, farms, and houses. Subsequently people’s civil liberties are being repressed and unions and opposition groups cannot organize. Gbagbo is seen as being the ICC’s scape goat, while people from Ouattara's camp who many say are equally guilty of many wrong doings are yet to be sent to the ICC.

With such an environment, it is surprising that the US through the Secretary of State congratulated Ouattara on the progress he is perceived to have accomplished, and continues to advocate reconciliation, which many believe is impossible and misguided based on the artificial facade of peace presented, since the preconditions for true and lasting peace have not been met.

Voice of America's Ndimyake Mwakalyelye discusses Clinton's trip with Ivorian Analyst, Community Organizer, Scholar and leader of The Revival of Pan Africanism Movement, Mr. Gnaka LaGoke, who has been monitoring the situation and hoping for a resolution and long lasting reconciliation and peace.

Click here to watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA-B3iAkHkk

To see some of the coverage of the issue and the work The Revival of Pan Africanism Movement and other groups have been doing, visit the following links.

Journalist, George Curry's article:

http://www.georgecurry.com/columns/news-reports-do-not-mirror-reality-in-cte-divoire

Journalist, George Curry/Gbagbo Interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNQezvDy38Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZm_pVBGXHc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPPPHaJmo1Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPh-crKUOzc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a9IkLts35U

Coverage of The Revival of Pan Africanism Movement Conferences:

http://sociablesusan.blogspot.com/2011/01/ivory-coasts-electoral-crisis-in-time.html

http://sociablesusan.blogspot.com/2011/07/revival-of-pan-african-forum-conference.html

Call To Action:

If you would like to be involved, be part of the organization of upcoming conferences and workshops, or if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions about The Revival of Pan Africanism, please send them to panafrica.now@gmail.com.

Join to help build a growing community of Pan Africanists as well to contribute to the expansion of a new Pan African consciousness.

Today's Quote!

2012-01-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

In the game of life, you win some and you lose some, but ultimately, we are all winners in the game of life till the day we die...

Shop Cheap For Your Kids at Just between Friends!

2012-01-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

If you are looking to buy cheap clothes and toys for your kids and you don't mind slightly used ones, visit www.jbfsale.com Twice a year the host sales where people shop for toys, clothes, strollers, movement sensors, Barbie jeeps.

You can also be a seller and drop off your items such as books and clothes and you know the items are good because they have good and strict guidelines. It's in several states in US so feel free to visit the website and plug in your zipcode to find the location closest to you.

51st Anniversary of the Assassination of Patrice Lumumba

2012-01-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 is the 51st anniversary of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba by the United States and Belgium (Belgium apologized in 2002), in cahoots with select Congolese elites. Congolese people and friends of the Congo throughout the globe commemorate Lumumba's assassination each year to bring attention to the Congolese people's pursuit of freedom and liberation in the heart of Africa.

Since the assassination of Lumumba, the foreign multi-national corporations of the 1% profit from the plundering of Congo's abundant mineral resources and are complicit in the super-exploitation of Congolese labor. They are also the underlying engine of the violent conflict in the country. Congolese women have occupied the U.S. Embassy in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, demanding that the United States cease its support of strongmen in Congo and Africa.

This year's commemoration is particularly special because the November 28th elections resulted in the stealing of the vote and the voices of the Congolese people. Congolese throughout the globe have risen up to reclaim the stolen will and voices of the Congolese people. Friends of the Congo, Institute for Policy Studies' Foreign Policy In Focus Project, Africa Faith and Justice Network, Congo Global Action, Washington Peace Center and others are rallying in solidarity with Congolese in their pursuit to reclaim the stolen voices and advance democracy and self-determination in the heart of Africa.

Join us for a day of demonstration, film screening and teach-in on the current crisis in the Congo and how you can join the global movement in support of the sons and daughters of the Congo:

January 17, 2012
Solidarity Rally and Teach-In

Speakers:Nita Evele, Congo Global Action
Clarence Lusane, Associate Professor School of International Service, American University
Carrie Crawford, Chair, Friends of the Congo

Time:4 pm - 6:30 pm - Solidarity Rally at the White House
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Screening of Crisis in the Congo:Uncovering The Truth
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Panel Discussion With Election Observers
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Location: The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church
1313 New York Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20005
January 17, 2012
New York, NY
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Commemoration of Patrice Emery Lumumba Featuring:Queens native Tobias Truvillion, a celebrated actor, who regularly debuts on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live", will be the Masters of Ceremonies for this red-carpet event. Acclaimed Poet and Author, Ms. Toni Blackman will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the dynamic series of performances featuring: Hasan Salaam, the Jersey-bred MC who was voted the winner of FUSE TV's "Hip Hop President" contest; The Mahina Movement, a phenomenal 3 women trio who "combine poetry and song to create passionate music straight from the heart; Congolese artist and orator, Isaac Katalay who is a co-founder of CONTEMPTRA - a Congolese dance concept that combines contemporary and traditional Congolese dance moves. Ghanaian Model Afua Boni will bring her magnetic beauty and resplendent presence to the festivities.
Time: 6:00 pm – 11:30 pm
Venue: Taj Lounge: 48 W. 21 st Street, New York, NY
Tickets: $20 advance / $25 door
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To learn more about this great man, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba

For more information about the events, call 202-584-6512, email: events@friendsofthecongo.org or visit www.friendsofthecongo.org

Buy Cheap Furniture & Accessories From Hotel Liquidators!

2012-01-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

If you are looking to buy slightly used furniture and accessories also known as attic stock to decorate your home from hotel liquidators, visit www.southwestsurplus.com to get great bargains.

Actress Tasha Smith's New US Fragrance & Contest

2012-01-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

WIN the Smell Good, Feel Good & Look Good Contest

with TASHA SMITH!!!

Beautiful, and delectable actress and acting coach, Tasha Smith has something new up her sleeve. It's her new organic fragrance named US. This hard working woman has set herself apart in this field with this exquisite and exciting new fragrance.

Enter the contest to win a Hollywood night out with her at www.justtasha.com

Today’s Quote!

2012-01-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Sustainable development is... ... development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of further generations to meet their own needs. -- World Commission on Environment and Development Our Common Future, 1987.

Skechers & Arizona Track Notorious For Animal Cruelty

2012-01-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

NBC plans to air a Super Bowl commercial that uses greyhound racing to show how fast Skechers' new sneakers are. But an undercover investigation has revealed that the Arizona track that serves as a backdrop for the commercial is notorious for extreme animal cruelty.

And with over 100 million viewers expected for Super Bowl XLVI, animal advocates fear the ad will effectively whitewash an industry so dependent on animal cruelty that it's outlawed in 38 states.

GREY2K USA recently published findings of an undercover investigation that exposed the Tuscon Greyhound Park’s shocking cruelty. Now, the group has started a petition on Change.org asking NBC not to air Skechers' commercial during the biggest American sporting event of the year. Will you sign GREY2K USA's petition telling NBC to take a stand against animal cruelty by refusing to air Skechers' new commercial, shot at the Tuscon Greyhound Park, during the Super Bowl?

When it learned Skechers was filming an ad at the Tuscon Greyhound Park, GREY2K USA wanted to draw attention to that specific track's terrible record of mistreating greyhounds. Through its undercover investigation, the group had already found that the track was:

muzzling greyhounds while they're warehoused in dark, cramped kennels;
providing inadequate exercise out of doors;
feeding dogs raw meat from diseased animals and animals dead before slaughter;
running dogs in dangerous conditions; and
ignoring a disturbing frequency (every 3-4 days) of serious injuries like fractured skulls, broken bones, dislocations and muscle tears.

Then, when GREY2K USA found out the ad was planned to air during the Super Bowl and had some of the biggest names in sports behind it, it became clear this issue was much bigger than just one track in Tuscon. Thousands of dogs each year suffer broken legs, cardiac arrest, spinal cord paralysis and broken necks in the dog racing industry. When the dogs are no longer profitable, they're killed.

Super Bowl ads are the most sought after slots on the air all year, NBC wouldn’t have any trouble replacing Skechers' ad with another. All that's needed is enough of a public outcry to get the broadcaster to drop Skechers’ ad promoting dog cruelty.

Please sign GREY2K USA's petition telling NBC not to air the Skechers Super Bowl ad promoting dog abuse next month.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

The Change.org team

The 411 On Hot Trends for 2012

2012-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

1. Bright nails. Incorporate color into your style through nail color. With pinks and purples you can’t go wrong, but you might want to rethink yellows because not everyone can wear it well.

2. Big cocktail rings are great investment pieces that pop color into any drab outfit.

3. Colorful Jeans. Be fun and comfortable in bright colored jeans. However, if you thighs remotely touch, you might not want to wear the lighter colored ones. You can dress them up or down and they can take you through the summer. Dittos are a great brand to consider.

4. Colorful Scarves made of silk chiffon or other light fabrics are great.

5. Bright colored or print shoes are a must have. Carlos by Carlos Santana are great.

6. Violent lips temporary tattoos for lips are must have for all trendy ladies' pouts.

By Bryce Gruber of www.theluxuryspot.com on the Wendy Williams Show

New All Star Cast Movie: Red Tails!

2012-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, a movie comes along that inspires you through the depiction of past heroic acts of brave men and women. Red Tails, a World War II movie based on actual historical events of a crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program facing segregation while kept mostly on the ground and called to duty when desperately needed under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard is such a movie.

The cast includes British born Nigerian actor, David Oyelowo as Joe 'Lightning' Little and several other African American actors such as Bryan Cranston as Maj. William Mortamus, Cuba Gooding as Jr.Major Emanuelle Stance as Josh Dallas Ryan (as Joshua Dallas), Daniela Ruah as Sofia, Terrence Howard as Col. A.J. Bullard, Michael B. Jordan as Maurice 'Bumps' Wilson , Theo James as Mortamus' intel Officer, Tristan Wilds as Ray 'Ray Gun' Gannon, Gerald McRaney as General Luntz , Method Man as Sticks, Andre Royo as Chief 'Coffee' Coleman, Elijah Kelley as Samuel 'Joker' George, Lee Tergesen as Maj. Col. Jack Tomilson and Ne-Yo as Andrew 'Smoky' Salem.

The movie shows the problems they face including racism and how they started the civil rights movement. The movie's producer, George Lucas, was worried that only a very narrow part of the actual events that occurred could be included in the movie. However, we all know that this is just a window into what occurred, including the men saving many lives that would have been lost.

The action scenes are choreographed with mind blowing precision and special effects. Terrence Howard delivers one of the most memorable performances of his career. In addition to an excellent supporting cast this movie also boasts of a script that offers abundant scope for more than sufficient characterization.

The movie which delivers what promises to be an endearing depiction of how people have fought discrimination of all sorts and emerged courageously to fight for causes above and beyond their imagination is a spectacular must see to say the least.

It is important to note that Hollywood is a business that caters to demand with supply. Contrary to popular belief, Hollywood doesn’t know black or white, it knows only green (the color of the dollar). So please go and watch this inspirational movie about African American heroes on the opening weekend, January 20th to encourage Hollywood to make more movies that feature Africans and African Americans in starring roles.

To view an interview with the Producer, George Lucas, visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/george-lucas-hollywood-di_n_1197227.html

The Lessons In The Vanessa & Kobe Divorce Saga

2012-01-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

Remember the song, Gold Digger by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx which includes the words, “We want pre-nup?” Well, maybe Kobe should have listened to it. It’s not news that Vanessa Bryant has filed for divorce from Kobe, but the issue is now the settlement because there was no pre-nup.

Well, now it’s all about how the lawyers and the couple iron things out because there was no prenup. Some people are saying she should get half, others are saying she didn’t work for it, so she shouldn’t. What do you think? I think she should get half so she can spread the wealth around. She can do a lot to help the Latino community with the money.

At the very least, Kobe should pay the woman for her time. She was married to him for 10 years; was made the laughing stock in their social circles including the NBA wives for his inability to keep it in his pants, which was even probably worse because some say she was "aloof" because her husband is the star of the Lakers team, which isn't surprising because each environment has a pecking order.

She is said to have stayed in the unhappy marriage for 10 years because that’s the least amount of time you can spend to get the most amount of money. So if anything, she should be paid for her tenacity alone for sticking it out, so she should get her half and raise her kids.

However, there's a moral to learn from this story. Years ago, when they got married quickly and without Kobe's parent's knowledge or consent, after Kobe dumped an African American girl, word through the grapevine was that they got married because her stepfather who had adopted her legally, thinking of dollar$ had said he was going to charge Kobe with statutory rape if he didn’t marry her because she was underage and they were sleeping together at the time. He was cornered, and fearing he would lose everything he had worked for, so that’s why he married her, to avoid the charge and subsequent jail term he would have had to do, but to others who didn’t know this, the marriage was just too fast and was for unclear reasons.

However, the bible states, "Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." They were both too young and immature to get married and even the schemer/instigator of the marriage didn’t benefit like he thought he would. When they got married, the step father was the first to leave Vanessa’s mother, when he realized that he no longer had any say in his own home because of his rich son in law because “everything” in his own home was about what Kobe wanted. Ahh, the power of money!!

He also didn’t benefit financially from having a rich son in law who he was instrumental in getting because that’s when Vanessa realized he was her "stepfather," not her father and only bought him a few clothes to show her appreciation, while her mother benefited immensely, including being bought a house close to Kobe’s mansion, so she could be close to Vanessa.

So here we are ten years later with two innocent children caught in the middle, learning the lesson again that manipulation never works long term. So people should learn to let what will be, be.

A word is enough for the wise…

Brandy on The Wendy Williams Show

2012-01-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Looking very good and wearing very beautiful and high Neiman Marcus shoes ready for Wendy’s shoe cam, recording artist and actress, Brandy Norwood who is the newest cast member of the game, sauntered onto the Wendy's couch. Even Wendy had to say, “I saw those at Neiman Marcus. You wear it like a super model should.”

She plays Chardonnay, a feisty, sassy, bartending sistah, with other side hustles who has caught the eye of the newly divorced and single Jason Pitts who has issues to put it mildly. This is a good change for Jason, because one would have thought he was one of those brotha's who say “I’m not dating a woman if she’s not white, Latina or darker than a brown paper bag.

Brandy says her daughter is Sy'rai is now 9 years old and is boy crazy with Justin Bieber fever, who she just met and went crazy over, crying and the whole nine yards. Brandy says, she helps her learn her lines, and she'll say things like, “Say it with attitude. Give me more.” The Game which films in Atlanta takes Brandy away from her LA home based where her daugther schools, but she comes to Atlanta to see her on weekends.

Brandy who says everyone in her family is doing well, is also dating a “mystery man” who she says is a publisher, she is in love with, finally. She says although he’s a year younger, he’s very mature, doesn’t have children and loves her daughter. She also talked about Tyler Perry's new movie, The Marriage Counselor, and how she got the part by a hook up through her acting coach, actress/acting coach Tasha Smith who put in a good word for to media mogul, Tyler Perry who she said she had been trying to get to him for 3 years.

However, bloggers were abuzz saying she had issues with Kim Kardashian who is also in the movie, because they had fell out over the Kim/Ray J sex tape which catapulted Kim into super stardom. However, she didn’t respond to that question directly, but she said she never saw her because they didn’t have scenes together, but she said, “I mss my friendship with Kim and can’t wait to see her at the premiere. When asked if she has words for Kim she said the following, “Kim I love you. I’m here whenever you need me. Keep your chin up.”

She also shared that after her ill advised and failed attempt at rapping, she is currently in the studio singing her out and her next album will be out in May, so stay tuned...

Andy Cohen on The Wendy Williams Show

2012-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live on Bravo every night at 11pm is busy and in the entertainment business, busy is good. He just got back from the House Wives of Beverly Hills where he says there was no wig pulling, but there was deep emotion, and surprising new allegiances.

He was asked, “Was Brandy on the cusp of not getting hired back because of her desperate act of getting married, or was she just having fun?” He said in truth, she never was had a ceremony but never and Kim Richards was in recovery. Also he was very diplomatic in answering the question, “Who has more money, Lisa Vanderpump or Adrienne Maloof?” He said, “Money in terms of cash or investments? Vanderpump has a restaurant and has sold restaurants and clubs in the past. Maloof is part of owner of a casino and the Sacramento Kings, so you decide…

When asked if he has been to the many housewives’ homes, he said he has only been to Vanderpump Manor because he believes in separation of "Church and State." He also said as concerns, Linnethia Leeks AKA Nene Leakes, “I hope to be in business with Nene for a long time.” When asked about Nene having her own show, he said, “Nene is part of a huge show,” referring to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kim Zolciak who has been given a show, named Don’t Be Tardy For The Wedding. She got a great half hour series which ends with a million dollar wedding designed by Colin Cowie.

The Real House Wives of New Jersey cast are all coming back. The Real House Wives of New York has several new cast members. So this season’s fantastic. He says it’s a great new show. Wendy was quick to say, “I don’t like movies like Brave Heart, on Bravo.” Which makes sense when one can watch shows like Tabatha’s Salon Takeover and Michael Buble and Kathy Griffin who will be hosting an hour long talk show once a week on Bravo, which will included the week in pop culture, rants and a show guest. As for rumors of Jenny McCartney having a show, there’s no news yet. It’s all speculation right now.

When asked about which of his guest have been the most drunk, he said it was Regina King and Jackee Harry. A few drinks too many ladies? Not nice. Andy left with a parting gift from Wendy, which was none other than Shakeitha, Wendy’s wig head with a side pony tail. Shekeitha is said to be a of a girl in her early 20's, who loves to go to clubs, and wants to hang out with the celebs.

Verbally Abusive Relationships

2012-01-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

How's your relationship with yourself?

Did you know that millions of people suffer verbal abuse from peers, parents, partners, boss, and even other cultures? Verbal abuse is an attempt to control you. Are you in such a relationship? Today we are with author of Patricia Evans, author of Victory Over Verbal Abuse; A Healing Guide To Renewing Your Spirit and Reclaiming Your Life. Her other books include, The Verbally Abusive Man, Can He Change?, and Controlling People.

Increasing awareness is what we are about. Verbally Abusive Relationships is becoming a more used term. In 1992 when I wrote my first book it wasn't a much talked about topic and wasn't counted as abuse. However, as time went on, it has become a known type of abuse and like other forms of abuse; it is used to control others. For example, in the survival book, it teaches the victims to know what's going on with the abuser and how to get away from the abuse.
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They don't know what's wrong in the relationship, but they know something is wrong. After 2002 it is recognized more as part of abuse. Bullying is verbal abuse. In the reality shows verbal abuse occurs often and it is made to look acceptable. People don’t know, but many of the reality shows are scripted and people don't realize that. They think this is normal behavior and that's normalizing it in the minds of people. Almost always, verbal abuse is not just people being verbally abusive to each other. There are other underlying things as well, like bullying, control, fear, intimidation.

If you are in a situation where you are physically or verbally abused you should leave.

Being verbally abused can impact anyone's confidence.

Generally, it happens in relationships of any type including, teen or adult, or short or long term relationships because the partner that's being abused keeps focusing on what they can do to not make the abuser angry, by thinking, “What I can do to make the person happy, or maybe I said something wrong, or maybe I did something to make him or her angry.” If it's not name calling, some people don't see it as verbal abuse. However, verbal abuse can take various forms such as belittling, inappropriate jokes in social settings, discounting, ridiculing, put downs, and then the abuser says, “Can't you take a joke?” Or they say, “You are too sensitive.”

In reality no one lives in your psyche to think for you to then be able to say you are too sensitive or not, so they can't define what is normal for you or what you should find funny or not. What is happening is that you are being defined by the abuser and the abuser is trying to make you believe what happened is okay.

When in such relationships, women will feel lost, lonely and depressed to the point that they need to seek medical help or even register in a psychiatric hospital. Both men and women get abused, but men seem to experience it less and speak less about it than women do. The calls I get from men, include that they are being woken up in the middle of the night and raged at by women with borderline personalities and other similar issues.

Caller: I need help and don't know what to do. The abuse is occurring in my relationship with my spouse and I also have a 2 month old son. I hear yelling, and put downs often. He's often threatening to hurt me, and he has put his hands on me, and told me shut up.

Guest/Host: Tell all the people you can trust what's going on. It's not your fault, but it is directed at you. See if you can video the abuse by getting a recorder and tying the cord around your waist or put it in a fanny pack. If he tries to take it from you, he would have a harder time. Also, always have a cell phone on you to call 911 and you can use it to record also, because the video gives you a record that can help your case.

Most abusers threaten that if you leave, you'll never see your kid again, so the more you have recorded on camera the better for you. Make the presence of a camera normal in your house by videoing things all the time including your baby. Make a video scrap book of your baby's development. If the abuser gets used to seeing it in the house, he won't question it that much. You may have to call and get a restraining in order against him and get him sent to jail because abusers need big shocks to show them that what they are doing is not okay and is very wrong. Nothing happened like this before you married him right?

Caller: Oh no. He was so nice. We did things together. We went places together. Now this is the biggest shock I've experienced in my life. It's so hard for me to want to get up each day now.

Guest/Host: He's saying I can't hear the real you. He's telling you things like, "You're lazy. You don't do anything. Also, it's classic for them to switch behaviors, so when they do by acting like nothing happened or it wasn't a big deal, or they become overly apologetic and buy you gifts or begin crying and saying it's your fault for making them mad or your fault for not doing something or the other, don't believe them. Get the books, Controlling People and Victory Over abuse. Also, go to My Sisters Place, where you can get help and advice. You can also call the domestic violence line at (1800) 799 SAFE or (1800)799-7233 or visit www.verbalabuse.com

You don't have to take verbal abuse. Do you take it because you question that you will never love again? Do you feel you are being controlled all the time? Are you wondering how to get your confidence and self-esteem back? How can you recover and become the person you used to be?

Caller: My mom is abusive. When I was growing up, we were not really close. She said things to me as a child that weren't beneficial. She treats most people in the same manner. As an adult she wants to build a relationship with me. Lately, she's been calling. Last weekend she called and I had to get off the phone to do something. She called 15 minutes later and left negative messages on my home and cell phone calling me names in not so lovely worlds. I need help to know what to say to her, so she knows how her words affects her relationships with me and others.

First, set boundaries, tell her, "I don't want you to ever call me names again." Keep a record of all her messages. Something’s wrong in her psyche. She sounds emotionally unstable and needs to take care of herself. However, be realistic about what you can achieve with your mother and learn to manage the relationship.

You can say, you are busy, if you are talking to her, and limit your conversations with her. If she talks negatively to you, she has to know that she can't access you anytime she wants and also that you have a record of what she has said. Self-preservation should be number one for you. It's important to know she has emotional problems, so you must distant yourself from her and limit contact and interactions with her. If she's putting you down on the phone. Tell her, “I'm hanging up,” and hang up and switch off or disconnect the phone.

Sometimes people are dealing with abnormal, borderline psycho or personality disorder patients and people often mistakenly think their behavior will normalize them, but it's impossible. Only getting medical and psychiatric assistance can help them. You can't explain it to them. Even if you do, they will never get it. To them, what they are doing is ok. You have to let them know that it is not okay or justified, because the abused person is being damaged in the process. Self-preservation is key.

Caller: I need help with an abusive woman. I feel I'm being verbally abused. Her attacks towards me have showed this, but she believes it's her defense mechanism. I feel bad about what she says to me because it makes me question myself worth. She has some valid points, but the delivery leaves much to be desired. Then an hour later, she will talk as if nothing happened and doesn't realize what she did and how it made me feel.

Guest Host: Is she on drugs or alcohol?

Caller: She's on prescription pain killers. She went to a psychiatrist and was told she has depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. I feel we need to go our separate ways, but I feel responsible for her condition. She depends on me financially, because she's not working.

Guest: She's not a healthy person. It may have started in childhood. Don't do couple's counseling with her because they'll say it's 50/50 and that you are both responsible for the situation, when it's not the case. Invite her to therapy, when she stabilizes then you can go your own way. PTSD treatment would be the most recommend for this situation. Somewhere and sometime in her life, she's been traumatize. That's what causes all these conditions. Get her to her physician and ease your way out of your relationship. As long as you are around, your abuser you will not get better. You have to leave. Record her actions. Establish a haven for yourself such as a church.

Verbal abuse is real. How can you heal from the trauma and become the person you were meant to be? Healing starts when you are free from abuse, which can be through separation, ending the relationship, limiting the time you spend with them or going your own way. Also there are therapies available to both the abuser and the abused. People with ADHD that have trouble managing anxieties often abuse people.

Treatment therapies help include:
EMDR Therapy: An accepted psychotherapy for the treatment for a variety of symptoms and conditions. www.emdria.org

Shock and Trauma Therapy is necessary for both the abuse and the abused.

Narrative Therapy helps the victim build a sense of self to identify with the stronger parts of their psyche.

Somatic Experiencing releases frozen internal energy within

Hypnotherapy takes the victim or the abuser back to their childhood and see if they heard or experienced neglect, deprivation or abuse such as being beaten, hit, yelled at etc, so they can process and release the trauma.

Biofeedback is good for the victim relaxing, taking the stress out and being in charge of him or herself.

Breathing techniques help when anxious to counter panic attacks.

Caller: I've been in an abusive relationship when for 5 years. I dated an abusive man who grew up in an abusive home where his mother abused his dad. I let it go and my whole life has changed for the better. If you have children, they will watch the abuse and do the same thing.

Guest/Host: You left, but it was a process.

Caller: Yes, it was a process. I didn't want to be alone, my kids are grown and it took me at 8 years. I just thought that was the way it would be for me forever. My children didn't understand why I stayed. I had a black eye, and I even had to be hospitalized. No one should take abuse from anyone.

Caller: I'm in a 3 year old relationship; I’m told by my wife that on occasion I can be verbally abusive. My dad physically abused my mom, and my mom verbally abused my dad. I've also been diagnosed with PSTD, depression and anxiety.

Guest/Host: Google, "Men ending verbal and control" and many resources will come up. Also, you can read the book, Controlling People, and it shows you how the family you grew up in you has affected you. Keep doing therapies like EMDR via emdia.org to resolve the childhood problems you have. Also, record what you say, when you are talking to your spouse, so you can replay it and see what you do, including telling others how you think they should think, and feel or what they should do and all the things that you want to make define others. Healthy people hold others in curiosity and do not tell people who they are, what they should do and how they should be, while abusive people are the opposite. The trauma from childhood disconnects abusers from themselves, so they project themself on others and define their needs in others, including who they are and what they should do.

Caller: I was in verbal abusive marriage for 26 years. I was a housewife with 7 children, only a high school education and was married at a young age. I walked away from my husband who was the pastor of a church. I went to a shelter and because I was sexually abused as a child, they took me in under that covering. They said because I was not physically abused by my husband they couldn't help me. I've been out here for 7 years and I refuse to go back and give up my freedom. I went through a lawyer who helped me anonymously because he knew my husband and I got a divorce, but he told me that with my husband's mentality I wouldn't get anything. Once I left him, I was the bad person who left the “nice pastor” and our home. My relationships with other people changed. People stopped talking to me and wouldn't have anything to do with me because of it.

Guest/Host: You can visit www.verbalabuse.com Some victims go to churches that offer help. Verbal abuse doesn't have publicly funded agencies. You may have to leave, go to another city and establish yourself there.

Source: The Audrey Chapman Show
Guest: Patricia Evans
Broadcast Date: 01/07/12

Tavis Smiley Hosts: Remembering MLK

2012-01-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

How To Restore Prosperity In America

George Washington University to Host Panel Discussion Featuring PBS’ Tavis Smiley, Jan. 12

EVENT:

George Washington University will host Tavis Smiley, host of “Tavis Smiley” on PBS, in a discussion focused on how to restore prosperity in America. This symposium, featuring a distinguished panel of guests, will focus on a recently released white paper from Indiana University on how poverty is changing in America.

PANELISTS:

• Majora Carter, urban revitalization strategist, Majora Carter Group

• Barbara Ehrenreich, author, “Nickel and Dimed“

• Vicki B. Escarra, president and CEO, Feeding America

• Michael Moore, American filmmaker

• Suze Orman, personal finance expert

• Jeffrey Sachs, poverty expert; professor of health policy and management, Columbia University

• Tavis Smiley, host, “The Tavis Smiley Show” and co-host of “Smiley & West” from Public Radio International (PRI)

• Cornel West, professor and author, Princeton University

WHEN:

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012; 6:30 – 9 p.m.

WHERE:

George Washington University

Lisner Auditorium

730 21st St., NW, Washington, D.C.

Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Orange and Blue Lines)

RSVP:

This event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 5 p.m. All attendees must register to attend. Media must register with Leshelle Sargent at lsargent@tavistalks.com or 646-484-4963. All media must register in advance or on site with identification.

Justine Timberlake & Jessica Beale

2012-01-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Justine Timberlake and Jessica Biel on their engagement! However, the Wendy Show Staffer calling Justin’s grandmother, Sady who they say is a sweet older lady who loves her grandson to bits and is excited for them may be kinda going too far for a story. Grandma Sady is quoted to have said, "Jessica is a lovely and sweet girl and has been to the house several times."

The cast of The Celebrity Apprentice 2012 Unveiled

2012-01-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

After much media speculation the list is finally here. Have you seen it?

It includes Clay, Aiken, Michael Andretti, Tia Carrere, Adam Carolla, Lou Ferrigno, Debbie Gibson, Teresa Giudice, Victoria Gotti, Arsenio Hall, Penn Jillette, Lisa Lampanelli, Dayana Mendoza, Aubrey O'Day, Dee Snider, George Takei, Paul Teutul, Sr., Cheryl Tiegs and Patricia Velasquez. View their profiles here:

Who are you looking forward to seeing and who do you think will win?

I wouldn’t go as far as speculate who will win. Only time will tell that for sure…However, we all know we are in for a good season of manipulation, temper tantrums, back stabbing and back biting the way only The Celebrity Apprentice delivers.

We Want Some More Donny!!

2012-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Rich, well-connected and handsome former NYC Advertising guru and heart throb, Donald “Donny” Deutsch was on the Wendy Williams Show today and as always, he had some honest and inspiring words to share with us women. That’s one thing I admire about him. He tells it like it is anytime, anywhere, any day. Below is some what he shared. She who has ears, let her hear...

I prefer to hire women executives because they are more collaborative. If you look at girls sitting together and playing on a Saturday morning, you see them playing together and collaborating and that’s the same behavior they take into the work place. With boys it’s different. It’s one way. It’s about, how big is my office? Or how high is the position? It’s a zero sum with them. They have to stake their claim on it and one person must win. I’ll take a woman executive over a man every single time.

This is my two cents on that, Donny is a man and may not have had to deal with women's cattiness and competitiveness that’s why he believes all women are nice and not competitive, which isn’t true. Women are not always the nice collaborating angels who "play well" together well like he put it. Women have their own manipulative ways to undermine, intimidate and hurt each other. It's just that they often don’t openly display their aggression with violence as men do. But these days, that’s changing too and some younger women are getting physically violent as can be seen on many of the reality shows on TV now.

Q&A

Q. What is the mistake most women make about their relationships?

A. They take advice from their girlfriends

Q. Is there a possibility of an unmarried president being in the white house?

A. We won’t see it. Mainstream America and most places outside of New York require a traditional president. A single president may insinuate that he’s a womanizer and begs the question, "Can he be trusted." I doubt if there can be a gay or single president, but he could be a widower with a child in a very traditional sense, which means he was married and his wife died.

Q. My female friends notice changes in my appearance more than my husband does. How can I get him to notice me more?

A. The way to keep his attention is to wear a “little outfit” AKA lingerie and role play.

Q. Men perceive me as intimidating. How can I make myself approachable?

A. If a man says that, he’s not the right one for you. That’s the litmus test about the right guy for you. You have to be who you are.

Q. I find myself with guys who just want to date me, but they don’t want everyone to know I’m their girlfriend. What can I do?

A. Any time a woman asks the question, “Why do I get this kind of guy? You have to look at yourself. What vibes are you sending out? These men may be afraid of intimacy or commitment. However, commitment should be the price of entry. Never be with a man if he won’t be exclusive with you, because if you do, he won’t respect you. If you lose him for that reason, you lose him. That’s better for you anyway.

Today's Quote!

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

No country has succeeded in effectively sealing off its border

Even if it did, it would only stunt it's growth.

Today's Quote!

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Today’s Quote!

2012-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Gets You In.

worrylessenjoymore.com

Keeps You In.

Today’s Quote!

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

God has given you everything you need to succeed.

Waiting For The Perfect Man!

2012-01-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm sure a man made this...

But the sentiment may be true to an extent.

So, the bottom line is this...

Ladies, be ladies, but...

Don’t play hard too hard to get.
Or you wont get got!

Book of The Month - From Citizen to Refuge by Mahmood Mamdani

2012-01-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

'On the face of it, life in the camp presented a sharp and favourable contrast to the open terror of living in Uganda. But it was the Kensington camp, and not Amin's Uganda, which was my first experience of what it would be like to live in a totalitarian society.' Mahmood Mamdani

Expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin in 1972, Mahmood Mamdani arrived in a cold and overcast London, Mamdani to join his compatriots in a camp run by the UK government's resettlement board. As he recounts: 'On the face of it, life in the camp, with its surface calm and order, presented a sharp and favourable contrast to the open terror of living in Uganda. But it was the Kensington camp, and not Amin's Uganda, which was my first experience of what it would be like to live in a totalitarian society.’

In one of his first books, republished here with contemporary images, Mamdani begins to explore the theme of political identity – the colonial politicisation of racial identity and its reproduction after independence – which has been the subject of much of his subsequent work, notably the groundbreaking Citizen and Subject.

With a new preface written especially for this edition, Mamdani also touches on his personal and intellectual journey since From Citizen to Refugee was first published.

This gripping and highly readable story of the Asians’ last days in Uganda interweaves the stories of Mamdani’s friends and family with an examination of Uganda’s colonial history and the subsequent evolution of post-independence politics. The British colonial policy of divide and rule ensured that race coincided with class, effectively politicising the category of race.

This vivid autobiographical account is as pertinent now as when the book was first published in 1973 in its telling of a story that will be familiar to refugees and those seeking asylum in Britain today.

To purchase a copy, visit https://secure.fahamubooks.org/cart/?fa=additem&gcoi=90638100176320&format_id=3

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

My Prayer For You

May you exceed all your expectations.

May goodness and prosperity follow you.

May God reveal his will for your life to you.

May your year be blessed beyond your expectations

May you have the wisdom to listen to the word of God.

May you have the wisdom to follow the will of God for your life.

Amen!

Trustworthiness

2011-12-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

A faithful companion is a safe anchor.

Living A Life of No Regrets II

2011-12-31T16:49:00.000-08:00

Where we are now? We are heading into 2012 and many people are anxious. It’s been a rough period. People have lost homes, jobs, have downsized, and are working in fields they wouldn’t have even considered. What’s the significance of 2012? The Mayan calendar has a part in this phenomenon. Every 26,000 years, there’s a wobble in time. The end of this period will be December 21st 2012. It’s being predicted that seas will rise, earthquakes will occur and we’ll have some type of Armageddon will happen. However, in my experience, I say no, that’s not what will happen. A shift will happen. We will become aware of being part of life, the world and humanity and be more ecologically cooperative instead of being competitive. That’s the shift that’s occurring.

We will live as one with the world. There’s a shift occurring that we should participate in instead of being traumatized by trying to fight it. I lived with indigenous people recently in the rain forests. The eagle is strong symbol represents and represents America. The condor is the highest flying bird and represents South America. The people have a saying that it’s when both birds fly together that there will be a positive change. 2000 years they predicted that man will create a machine that will think for him. This, of course is the computer.

However, it’s when we can tune back in to our divine intuition, go back to the thinking of the earth’s natural movements, and trying to get in touch with our higher levels of consciousness through meditating can we become our best selves and do good. For example Zappos is doing good for humanity, because for every one shoe they sell, they donate one. There’s a breakdown of the institutional powers such as government and big banks that used to run the country.

The Transformation Leadership Council came about because I was seeing lonely transformation changes all over the world, and I felt it best to effectively harness this together, to manifest their impact in the world. I invited 30 people to be part of it. Now we have 120 members from 8 countries, we meet twice a year. It’s similar to, Evolutionary Leaders www.evolutionaryleaders.net started by Deepak Chopra. However, regardless of how bad it is, we will get through this tough period.

To discouraged people out there, who even before this particular period didn’t have a positive sense of purpose, how can we help these people to believe in themselves again? What we are saying is understandable to them, but not easy. If someone believes their situation is hopeless, doomed and they say to themselves, “I’ve tried and failed.” What would you say to them? The first thing is I let people talk. I listen to their pain and hear their experiences. So hear their story and then ask them, “What do you want to do moving forward? The I say, let me teach you and give you tools to use such as goal setting, reaching out, visualization, and getting over anger. There’s a lot to learn. I do this same thing for pre-release inmates and for every person we work with, we see change.

What helps people get it? We teach them that they may have been victimized but now they have to make concerted effort to live the life they want. Event +Response = Outcome.

Life is always about choices especially at pivotal points in one’s life.. It’s about the choices we make and the actions we take. It takes time, support, and work to get things done. Join with others on the path you are on to teach and learn some new tools, but now with the internet, so much more is available to many people even if you have to go to the library to use a computer. Also, you can reach out to the groups like The Salvation Army and you can attend seminars. I just did a seminar with about 200 unemployed people in Silicon Valley.

The library is a good resource. For example, a pregnant homeless woman in Columbus Ohio would go into the Library to get warm. In order to not be chased out by the staff, she had to read a book. So she grabbed the first book on her way which was Chicken Soup for the Soul. That’s how she read a book about a little boy who was taken to get a dog. When the boy got there, he saw a puppy who had leg problems and was limping. When the boy inquired about the dog, the person selling it said, oh you don’t want that one. The boy asked, “Why? What’s wrong with it.” The seller said, “It’s damaged. Look at all these other puppies you can have.” The boy then said, that’s the dog I want.

He then rolled up his pants and showed his twisted leg with a metal brace on it and he said, “He’s going to need someone who understands him.” The woman who was reading the story had planned to commit suicide by lying down on the train tacks to be run over by a train after having her baby. Now she runs Soup Kitchens for the Soul. You can always get to resources through Youtube, and there are tons of stuff on the internet.

William Clement Stone's father died when he was 3, leaving the family impoverished because of his gambling losses. At the age of 6, Stone began hawking newspapers on Chicago's South Side, while his mother worked as a dressmaker. At 13, he owned his own newsstand. At the age of 16, he went to Detroit to help his mother in the insurance agency she had opened and later became a multi-millionaire. He said he’d rather make $1 from 1 million people than 10,000 from 100 people. Stone ran $100 into millions with a strong desire to succeed and by putting into practice the principles in the book Think and Grow Rich . He was the living example of the proverbial rags-to-riches

What do you believe in that you are you willing to take a stand for and invite others to come and join you? That’s a way to live without regret.

Living A Life Without Regrets I

2011-12-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

How’s your relationship with yourself? If you don’t have a positive relationship with yourself, you will find it hard to deal with the unexpected and live a life with out regrets.

As people, we mush personally be effective to create the positive changes we desire in our lives. We will encounter the unexpected, but we must still be prepared enough to weather the storm and come out on top. Today we will be receiving advice on living life without regret and using successful principles, from Chicken Soup for the Soul series author, Jack Canfield Jack Canfield. His latest book that he co-wrote with William Gladstone is titled, The Golden Motorcycle Gang. You wrote the Chicken Soup for the Soul series which people are fascinated by. How do you live a life without regrets? The contents of the book helped even me. Living a life with no regret is about following your passions and having the courage to let go of what doesn’t work to move forward towards your goals. If life you must embrace your dreams, goals and aspirations. Often times you must leave what was working and encourage that which wants to be born.

If you were born in a home where you were told not to try this or that, or it was so unstable that stepping out of your comfort zone was a major issue and now as an adult you want to follow your passion and you want to let go, but its difficult, what are you supposed to do?

In Paulo Coelho’s blog, Devil Headed Tag, in which he talks about the devil having a sale where most items were cheaply priced. However, there were two things namely fear and self doubt with a price tag of $10,000 each and he asked him why those items were so expensive, and he replied, “With that I control the world.” As human beings we have fears that we aren’t good enough or competent because we lack confidence and self esteem. Self esteem is from being in a lovable environment and feeling capable to do what you desire. People from families fraught with anxiety and fear have to overcome the negative beliefs and programming installed in them as children.

No one is immune from this. My dad was an abusive alcoholic and my mother was an alcoholic, but I went to school, explored, took risks and saw that I survived, so I took more risks and was not afraid of failure. Although I’m an author, but not all of my books were successful. People must get up from where they are and make change happen in their lives by doing things like working with a coach, listening to motivational tapes, reading motivational books and getting an education in the field they are interested in.

You develop self confidence when you do something and survive. Then the next thing is less scary. When I spoke at my first event, I was scared. When I finished it, I realized that even though it may not have been the performance, but I had done it and survived. Soon I’ll be speaking at another event after Bill Cosby, I don’t know if I can measure up to him but I will speak. The more risks you take, the more confidence you develop. FEAR stands for False Experiences Appearing Real.
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Learn using your mind to create positive images through rehearsals and visualization. We are raised to be so vested in outcomes and if we perceive outcomes to be possibly detrimental, we are stooped. Stop doing that imagine the best not the worst. For example, champions when they are training expect to win. That’s what motivates them to train so hard and many times they win. Even if not a trophy they won against their doubting belief systems. National champions expect to win that’s why they win.

We have to expect to succeed and we will. Be willing to go out and do what you want to do. However, you must also realize that not everything we do will work or work out the way we want. There’s always risk in achieving success. You must doing something that’s never been done; you must risk being rejected if you apply for opportunities. So if not you want do anything, risk taking and rejections are part of the package.
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How do you create positive change when things appear doomed? You should visualize and believe in positive change and walk with positive people who can help and inspire you. Create a positive visual image isn’t only for visionaries, it’s for anyone who wants to get to a higher level than where they are now. Chicken Soup for the Soul has stories of people overcoming obstacles to live the life they always dreamed of or help create a positive impact in the world and many times these are one and the same.

What inspired the book, The Golden Motorcycle Gang? I was a teacher in the public school system for a while, and then I went to grad school to get a graduate degree. One of my teachers there said we should close our eyes and meditate to get us in touch with our original intention of becoming teachers. Others in the class were talking about how they were inspired by their teachers in school, however, I went back to before I was born, and floating through space, and the book stems from me and people like me, The Golden Motorcycle Gang is a metaphor similar to Hell’s Angels members that ride around on bikes and are somewhat arrogant, cocky, and have irreverent energy.
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I saw they were having problems in the world and we choose to be born to come and help. I’m meeting people who have similar stories and know they are here for a larger purpose. The members are part of it, and I was buying these little golden bikes from China and giving it them, so that’s how the name came about and out of that we began the Transformational Leadership The website is http://goldenmotorcyclegang.com/

We live in an equitable, loving compassionate world. It’s all about living with purpose. We all must be of the mindset of loving service, and ask ourselves the question, “What is the gift you want to give or contribute to the world?” My gift occurred to me when I got a job as a counselor to kids at a camp. I love being a teacher. I went to a University in Chicago and became and educator, then I went to Jesse Jackson Church and learnt about being at the bottom and stepping up.

The real fixers of this world are everyday people like Lauren Abramson who took kids who committed crimes and had them meet the victims in intervention circles where they facilitate reconciliation, healing and understanding among victims, offenders and their supporters. The website is www.communityconferencing.org After that many of them don’t want to participate in crime anymore. At The Golden Motorcycle Gang, www.goldenmotocyclegang.com we have resources there to help people discover their passions.

No age group too young to think about the contributions they can make to the society at large. For example, Ryan Hreljac, a young 6 year old boy in Canada whose teacher told him that in Africa some people have to walk long distances to get water. He began doing chores for it and spoke to everyone he could about it and it evolved into a non-profit foundation, The Ryan’s well foundation http://www.ryanswell.ca/ that has built many wells now. So, it’s all about one’s passion and inspiration to serve humanity.

If you come from improvised circumstances, like being born poor in rural America, or as in the case of Elizabeth Murray who was born in the Bronx, to poor, and drug-addicted parents, you still don’t have an excuse. She became homeless just after she turned 15, when her mother died of AIDS, and her father moved to a homeless shelter. Life turned around when she began attending the Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Manhattan. Though she started high school later than most students, and remained without a stable home while supporting herself and her sister, Murray graduated in only two years.
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She was awarded a New York Times scholarship for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University, matriculating in the fall semester of 2000. She left Harvard in 2001 to care for her sick father and to start motivational speaking; she resumed her education at Columbia University to be closer to him. According to her book Breaking Night, her older sister, Lisa, graduated from Purchase College in New York State and is a school teacher for autistic children. In late 2006, her father died of AIDS. She eventually returned to Harvard in 2006 and graduated in June 2009. As of August 2009, she had begun taking graduate courses at Harvard Summer School and would like to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology to counsel people from all walks of life. She is the founder and director of Manifest Living, a company that provides a series of workshops that empower adults to create the extraordinary things in their lives.

At The Golden Motorcycle Gang, we have the Goals program where people are taught how to set goals and learn success principles. I recently taught a class in California, on learning skills and gaining success. Addicted people and people turn to crime because that’s all they are aware of and feel hopeless. If you don’t have the skills what do you do? People who feel hopeless and helpless, if they reach out through non profit organizations and churches, they’ll find help. There’s a lot of people want you to succeed but you have to reach out and find them.

Today's Quote!

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: www.solutionfocusedpolitics.wordpress.com/tag/collaboration/

“Alone we can do so little;

together we can do so much.”

Hollister's Overly Suggestive Shopping Bags!

2011-12-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Hollister, the American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co.is going overboard because their shopping bags are getting more and more risqué and ridiculous. From hot studs with bare shoulders, to shirtless guys with six packs, it's always been clear that Hollister is not a demure brand. Their images are usually sexually suggestive. The reason why? Your guess is as good as mine.

However, I believe they have gone too far this time with the image of a couple kissing splashed on their shopping bags that they are assaulting people's eyes, minds and psyches with. To make matters worse, they are not just kissing, the man is also bare chested, implying that he is naked, while the girl is "clothed" in what could be lingerie for all I know.

However, the image could also suggest that sexual intercourse may be occurring in the lower region we can't see. With the image, one would think they are advertising and promoting "kissing" or adult toys instead of the clothes they are supposed to be selling.

But it's not surprising because just like other retailers vying for attention in America's very saturated and crowded market place, I understand Hollister's need to shout out loud with attention grabbing images. However, this image is wrong, wrong, wrong and it's just another sign of America's moral decay.

If it wasn't, some regulating government agency should have made them stop using those bags because it's not necessary to sell their products and it could have a negative impact on young impressionable kids who are constantly bombarded with such negative images.

Would it kill Hollister to use more wholesome images on their shopping bags? I know they'll say they only cater to adults. However, I don't shop at Hollister myself and just as I was walking by and saw people carrying the bags while walking around in the mall, so did many impressionable underage kids who don't shop there. Even when vying for consumer's attention, as a company, they should exercise sound judgement and good corporate social responsibility by using more wholesome images.

Hollister should stop psychologically assaulting people with their outlandish images. They can do better and and they should be made to because the more such actions go unaddressed, before you know it, they will have stark naked people on their shopping bags and then we'll all "wonder" how they got so far. So it's best to nip such nonsense in the bud now.

A Poem by Virginia Coyle

2011-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: http://www.genderacrossborders.com

When all the noise is silenced,
the meetings adjourned,
the lists laid aside
and the wild iris blooms by itself
in the dark forest,
what still pulls on your soul?
In the silence between your heart beats
hides a summons.
Do you hear it?
- Virginia Coyle

Today's Quote!

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: hongkonghustle.com

We live with the consequences of the choices we make.

Special Women's Retreat by Author of Iron Butterflies, Dr. Birute Regine

2011-12-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

In the silence of our collective hearts, women all over the world are listening and responding to a summons, to connect to our passion, to shape our communities in ways that honor our connection to the Earth and to each other. This retreat is a call for women to gather and become a circle with a “leader in every chair.” More importantly it offers a time to pause, to reflect, to listen deeply, and connect with yourself and others in a deeper way.

Dr Birute Regine, author of “Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World,” will guide you through the process of composing your stories, where you will listen to your wisdom and connect to a story you didn’t know you had. Each person will create a personal story and help others in creating theirs, developing your skills of co-creation and collaboration. You will share your story at the end of our time together… a story to take home, to live fully, for becoming the leader that you are, for being a fully authentic self.

Location: 71 Forest St. Milton Ma 02186.
Time: 8:30 am-5:00 pm on Saturday, January 7, 2012.
Fee: $150. Morning snacks and lunch are included.
Bring: A journal and your favorite art materials.
Dress Code: Comfortable clothes.
Preregistration required with full payment.
Space is limited.
Contact: Birute Regine at biruteregine@comcast.net
To reserve your space, mail checks to 411 Broadway Cambridge 02138
For more information, visit http://www.ironbutterflies.com/

Antiques

2011-12-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

Are you sitting on a gold mine without knowing it and thinking it is trash? If you are, you might want to rethink the stuff you have around you. First start by asking yourself the question, "What is the difference between antique and trash?" The answer is just care over time.If you take care of something, it looks good no matter how old it is.

The TV shows, Auction King and Antiques Roadshow where people bring in their antiques to see what they are worth advises us to care for and keep our things well because what you think is trash could be worth a pretty penny now or in the future.

Here are some tips on how to know what to care for, keep or buy if you see them being sold, so you can make good money on them in the future.

1.) Always focus on collectibles or series items. If it’s worth something to someone now, it will be worth something to other people in the future.

2.) Popular brand name collectible items like Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, and Budweiser are always good sellers.

3.) For wines, the older, the better. So if you have bottles of wine that has been in your family for years that’s a good thing to sell.

4.) Leather bound books including bibles are always good to keep or buy because they are worth a lot.

5.) Also go with your gut instinct. If you really like something, buy it and keep it, because if you like something now, chances are someone else will like it in the future.

Today's Quote!

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

An educated world is a better world!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

May God bless you immensely,

Give you wisdom & peace that passeth all human understanding, Give you love, happiness, joy, good health & a sound mind.

Happy Holidays!

Todays’ Quote!

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

Wisdom begins with wonder

– Socrates

Natural Home Remedies

2011-12-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the financially well oiled promotion and advertising machinery of the pharmaceutical companies in America, the greater part of the American society is an overmedicated society with most people popping several pills for one reason or the other.

However, this need not be so, considering that many diseases and illnesses were cured before pharmaceutical companies came into existent, many medicines have negative side effects and now some illnesses causing pathogens are so used to medicines that they are now resistant to them. So, to get of this negative pill popping treadmill, consider the following home remedies that actually do work.

Home Remedy for Sore Throat:

Gargle with a mixture of warm sage tea, lemon, lime, and salt.

Home Remedy for Urinary Tract Infection:

Cut and eat or drink the natural juice of pineapple. They work because they contain bromoline. Also, remember to wipe well, always from front to back.

Home Remedy for Middle Ear Infection:

Warm up garlic oil, suck it up with syringe like dropper, lay the person down on their side with their head on a pillow. Put some drops in their ear and leave in for 15 min. After the time is up, drain out by tilting head on to cotton wool.

Home Remedy for Mosquitoes:

Rub lemon grass on skin to avoid mosquitoes.

Todays’ Quote!

2011-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Facts by themselves are nothing…

It’s through teaching that they become something real;

Something students can grasp and use to shape themselves tomorrow.

Actress, Patricia Keaton on The Wendy Williams Show

2011-12-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves Raymond alum, and current star of The Middle, Patricia Heaton who is best known as Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond was on the Wendy Williams Show recently and the pretty petite powerhouse who I’ve always liked because she comes across as a nice wholesome normal person who acts, had a lot to say.

Wearing nice size 6 shoes ready for Wendy’s shoe cam, the married mother of four boys talked about her marriage of 21 years and how she and her husband hi fived each other when her husband mentioned it to her and how after that they went on about their business for the day.

She also said she’s a firm believer in counseling because talking about issues helps you work out your emotions and feelings to sort things out, so you don’t have to make wrong decisions or behave based on your feelings, which we all know are fickle, because the world can be a tough place.

She also said your home should be a haven from the world. However, she acknowledged that couples should hang in there when the kids are young, till they get in school and become independent, because kids are hard on marriages from zero to 10 years old.

However, if looks have anything to do with keeping a marriage together, she’s definitely holding her own in that department as you can see in the picture above, even though I’ve never seen her in hot roles before. A mother of four looking like that!! Although she's wearing a tasteful lingerie, I don’t think the whole world needs to see this as this should be reserved for her husband. However, she looks really good and some smart movie directors should consider putting her in hotter roles, if her husband is ok with that.

Looking at her on Wendy's couch with her new hair cut and the picture above, which she shot for a friend’s portfolio, I definitely see that the lady is hot to trot. She even said she got her lawyer who thought it was her head photo-shopped on another woman's body to go after the people who leaked the sexy picture. Why bother girlfriend? Use it to your advantage to get more roles that portray you differently.

She also said she is not a fan of Halloween because she was sent by her mother to a Halloween party on the wrong day dressed in a gypsy costume. When she got there, she was told by her friend, "Oh the party was yesterday, but here are some treats I saved for you, while being handed some nuts in a cup. She had to take a walk of shame home as cars drove by with passengers looking at her wearing her costume, which included a bandana with a gypsy earring attached and plenty of beads around her neck.

Talk about history repeating itself. Unfortunately, she did the same thing to her own son. While he was in second grade, she had her son wear a black and yellow ninja costume to school on the wrong day! Talk about major embarrassment that couldn’t be lived down for years for the young fellow. The school’s office had to call her to bring her son’s uniform for him to change into.

As Wendy said, she’s accepted being the crazy family at her son's school and keeps it moving among her son’s fellow students’ mothers, but feels she may be being judged. Referring to the super perfect mothers, Patricia said, “They can judge me all they want, as long as they know what home work needs to be done and to bring the cup cakes when I forget.” I've got news for both of you, many of those mothers you think are judging you, would love to be you, they just don't have it in them.

This is to Wendy, Patricia and all the hard working wives and mothers out there, you are working married women raising your kids, and you can only do some much. You are doing a good job as it is. So, keep doing you!

Pepco Gets Slapped With a 1 Million Dollar Fine!

2011-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

After years of bad customer service, and acting like there’s no oversight for them, the power company, Pepco has been slapped with a one million dollar fine which they have said they won’t appeal and rightfully so.

Meeting and exceeding customer expectations has not always been their motto. They do things like leaving homes without power for days and even weeks during power outages especially in the dreaded winter season when many people depend on power for their heat. Most customers are so frustrated with them and their unreliable and inefficient ways.

Pepco is known for doing things when they get around to it and on top of that they are not efficient communicators who would correctly inform their customers of estimated times for their electricity and heat being restored. At115 years old, Pepco is just an old company and the company is too big, too slow, and too inefficient, but with the fine all will change and quickly too. As a matter of fact, it already has.

They now say they have put in work to enhance their service including trimming trees that affect power lines, enhanced priority feeders, renewed or replaced under ground cables, improved their website including adding the ability for customers to report outages online, and creating mobile phone apps to serve their customers. It’s unbelievable that with the many years they have had to make changes, they are just doing these things to enhance their reliability.

However, there’s a downside to this new and improved Pepco, and you guessed it, a rate is in the future if the Public Service Commission approves Pepco’s price increase request.

This is sure to anger already frustrated customers, but Pepco says this price hike is to support the investments they are making in their systems for the type of service customers expect. Pepco says they are seeing results from their investments by their systems not going out or down anymore and they are very focused delivering better service.

Pepco delivering more efficient service remains to be seen, especially this upcoming winter. Me and many customers sincerely hope they can really back up their words with their actions...

A True Love Story of A Woman In Love…

2011-12-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Life is precious because you never know when it's your time to go and pay the one debt we all owe.

She married the love of her life in May.

Her husband died on the 4th of July.

One night in October, she went out to dinner with friends and had a nice time. Everything seemed fine.

She died that night with her wedding picture in her arms and her wedding red dress draped over a chair.

She was buried in her wedding dress.

She was a vibrant upbeat person in her 40s who was living with her daughter at the time of death.

Her autopsy states that she died of natural causes.

But people say she died of a broken heart...

Todays’ Quote!

2011-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Find a second use for things – Up-cycle!

Today's Quote!

2011-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Gloria Feldt

Change forces you to see things with fresh eyes, to appreciate people differently, to clear the cobwebs from the mind. Tradition is comforting to be sure, but it's in the unfamiliar spaces that you grow; in the unknown territory that you get new energy and fresh thinking.

--Gloria Feldt, nationally renowned speaker, activist and author, whose passion for social justice has propelled her life’s work. Her books include, No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power, Send Yourself Roses, co-authored with actress Kathleen Turner, Behind Every Choice Is a Story, and The War on Choice.

For more information, visit http://gloriafeldt.com/

Laptops: A "No No" Near Your You Know What!

2011-12-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

You may not know this, but laptops should not be called laptops because they should not be put on laps because laps are pretty close to some of your most important assets AKA your reproductive organs.

Also, take care of these often sensitive areas by not following the trends and wearing fashionable but not healthy underwear. Wear underwear that let those areas breathe. So synthetic fibers no matter how pretty or fashionable aren’t the best. Wear natural fibers like cotton.

They should be put on tables or other available surfaces because what they emit can affect ovaries and testicles and damage it. Also, pregnant women should keep laptops away from their stomachs for the same reason.

It’s better to be safe than sorry!

A word is enough for the wise…

Ambition

2011-12-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Life provides limitless opportunities & possibilities…

Visible only to those with a true desire to achieve.

Steve Harvey on the Doctor Oz Show

2011-12-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Thrice married and twice divorced Steve Harvey, author of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment and Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man who says, "Failure is a wonderful teacher," was on the Dr. Oz show to give women the "scoop" on men. Below are some of what he shared with my "two cents" included of course...

Why do men cheat?

The biggest reason men cheat is because so many women are willing to cheat with them. Men just have too many options and no one or nothing to make them accountable. Another reason is because many men cheat hoping their spouse won't find out and even if they do, they will take them back.

Can a man have a happy marriage without sex?

No. As a matter of fact, both men and women can't be happy to be in a sexless marriage or relationship. I understand that sex helps in tightening the marriage bond, but if you aren't married to the person I don't believe you should be having sex with them.

How much time does a woman in a bad relationship lose aging wise?

In terms of aging, a woman in a bad marriage loses twelve years of her life, while a man in bad relationship ages loses 4 years of his life. Maybe this has something to do with men aging better than women, because instead of sticking with their mess, they just find a replacement and move on physically or psychologically.

What do women do wrong in relationships?

Women relinquish their power by giving up sex too fast not knowing that it is a driving force for men. I agree on this. Women need to stop sleeping with men they are not married to. That's why there are so many single parent led homes when we all know the ideal environment to raise children in is a two parent home.

How do you make a man do what you want?

To make a man become more romantic, or do what you want him to do, remind him of what he used to do that you liked. I believe this will work with some men and not for others. If a man has moved on psychologically and is just physically present, he doesn't care what the woman thinks and won't respond to her needs but if he still loves his woman and wants to be with her, this may work.

How can you make your relationship better once you become parents?

Schedule date nights together to have time for yourself. I totally agree with this especially if you have kids and you can find a safe place or person to leave them with.

When the best time to be physically intimate?

Coupling is best in the morning. If you have the time and energy to do it before heading off to work or beginning your day, then go for it.

Does nagging help motivate men?

If your husband is not helping with chores in the house, don't nag because he'll just tune you out. Give him an ego boost instead and also have a reward system. For example, tell him, "If you help me with the chores, I'll do this for you later...

Do men like needy women?

No man wants a needy woman. Ladies, don't be needy. Have a life and keep your friends even after you are in a serious relationship or after you get married. Most women discard all their friends when they find the "one," because they believe their husband will fulfill all their needs and soon they are woefully disappointed when he doesn't fulfill their dreams and has a life outside of them, because he unlike them has kept his friends from his single days who he hangs out with and doesn't want to go shopping with them in the mall or do other girlie things.

What do men want from women?

What a man wants from a woman are loyalty, support and sex. I believe this generally speaking, but all men are not the same or in one phase of their lives, so men often want different things at different times of their lives. A poor or insecure man may want to marry up for money, an illegal immigrant may want his citizenship papers, a man might want kids that have certain "desirable" features, a man might want a trophy wife to boost his social standing and ego etc. The list is endless and is much more than the three he shared.

He also corrected the following misconceptions:

The "Once a cheater, always a cheater" adage is based on the fact that people stay a certain way. While most people including anyone attempting to offer you credit believes past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, he says this is not true. He says men, including him are willing to change and stop cheating if they find the right woman. I believe this, but I also believe there are many other reasons men stop cheating including when they embrace God in their lives.

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," is a popular adage, but he says this isn't true, because a man will put his feet up and eat to his heart and stomach's content in one woman's house and go and have his other needs met at another woman's house. I totally concur!

My two cents: As much as I agree with many of his statements, I can't respect or take a man who has been married thrice and dispensing relationship advice seriously...

Today's Quote!

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Where one’s focus goes, one’s power flows.

Seasonality and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

2011-12-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that we have so much technology in our daily lives Mother Nature through the seasons still reigns supreme because we are affected by the changing seasons. The cold weather makes many people eat more. The ability to resist many heavy foods diminishes during the colder months as we stuff our stomachs full to comfort us or make us warmer against the cold weather. The way we eat, sleep, and feel all change when compared to the summer months. This is caused by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). There’s something about winter that makes many people sensitive.

The colder weather and shorter days make many people feel like hibernating, eating, and putting on winter weight. For some people there’s only a minimal difference, but for others, they are affected by the season really badly. So we might be sad which may be called seasonality, but we can also have SAD, which is a full blown illness.

What can we do about it? Seasonality or SAD can affect you and how to cope is to do things that make it easier for you to get through the winter. Dr. Norman Rosenthal, author of Winter Blues; Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disordder, is today’s guest.

Do you have the winter blues or even worse? Are you slightly or seasonally affected? Or do you experience seasonality? Or do you just have plain SAD? Do you lose your creativity, your will to live, and just do all you can to just get through the day during the winter months? Can meditation or medication help? These are some questions we will answer on how the changing seasons affects us.

When you’re feeling bad during the winter months, ask yourself, “What’s causing these feelings,” and then do what you can do about it. There’s a default thought that you just have to bear your sad feelings, which is not true, because you can make changes to make yourself happy and fulfilled. Understand why you feel bad and what you can do to feel better. Don’t think you just have to bear it. Become a detective in your life to investigate what’s occurring.

Some people develop lack of energy, lethargy, lack of enthusiasm with shorter days and feel off color. Some also see that their relationships are not working, but they only focus on why the relationships are not working instead of viewing it holistically and realizing that the changing weather may also play a part in the situation, but the idea that it’s the weather causing changes in their behaviors that affect their relationships doesn’t come to most people intuitively. So, think of the season first and then you can focus on other reasons.

Relationships are not easy to change or reverse and there’s a theory in psychology to deal with what’s easier to change first. Even sophisticated people begin scour their brains for incorrect reasons for why things are going wrong with them or their relationships during the winter months instead of thinking of the seasons. The first thing is to know yourself and how external elements change you. For example, ask yourself, “Do I begin to crave and eat more unhealthy foods during this period? This can be because you have carbohydrate craving and need warmth. There’s a reason that heavy foods people would easily avoid in the summer months become their favorites in the fall and winter months.

However, we all know that it’s better to substitute protein for carbohydrates because it is better than carbohydrates in larger quantities in our system. Also, slow cooked oats are better for our systems because they have a low glycemic index, which is how quickly carbohydrates are dumped into our blood stream when we eat carbohydrates, releasing blood sugar. This is when blood glucose spikes occur and cause repeated cravings where you want more and more carbohydrates in a bad vicious cycle. Carbohydrates that are more slowly digested are better. Slow oats with a glycemic index of 45 is better than quick oats with a glycemic index of 60-70. So you can cook a pot of cooked oats on Sunday and divide in portions and eat it during the week to stay healthy. Also you should get more light.

Caller: I’ am from Jamaica where it’s always sunny. Here in the US, I have difficulty waking up and getting up in the morning and by 3 pm in the day I also hit a low during the winter months. I also have low energy levels all the time, but when I’m in Jamaica or in the summer time, I don’t have this problem.

Guest/host: Take a timer and put it on your bedside lamp and set it to half hour before you want to wake up so you can wake up to a nicely illuminated room. Dawn simulators are also good but are a bit more expensive. They turn on lights gradually like a summer morning and you wake up to that. A light box in the morning is also good or in the after noon set low for 20-30 minutes of light to carry you through the rest of the day is also a good idea. Vitamin D is also good to take because most people have low amounts of this, but it’s best to take multivitamins supplements, so you get all the vitamins you are deficient in. To cope with negative weather mood swings in the middle of the day walk in the sun to get some light and exercise.

How do you fight back against the seasonal changes that affect you? What we do or don’t do affects us. People just want to hibernate during winter months, but they should go out to be in the sun and be active because they need the light and exercise.

During the holidays there are many reasons people feel bad and it can be a depressing and energy zapping time for many people because there are other issues like PTSD, family issues, depression, anti-socializing sentiment, and death, and all this can be a very challenging. Low mood problems should be treated, so people can enjoy the holidays. High expectations of the holiday seasons can exceed the reality, which also causes depression during the holidays. This happens because we are presented with idealized images of the holidays are that don’t reflect our own lives.

In reality people have real problems, such as lack of money, un or under-employment, financial loss in the stock market, and so many other reasons, so the holidays aren’t as pleasant as the media would like us to believe, so we should scale back our expectations and focus on reaching out instead of focusing on materialism. A thorough recalibrate of one’s expectations is necessary and focusing on giving immaterial gifts can be spiritually rewarding and fulfilling. One third of the people in this country are now poorer than they used to be. Broken families, death, dysfunction, isolation, feelings of having no where to go and feeling uncomfortable is very prevalent during this season.

Some people are so depressed that even when every situation is presented to them to take them out of that funk to try to make them happy, they can’t shake it and it makes you aware of the complexity of the situation and that it is not easily resolved.

Also, focusing on the biology of the season, the Melatonin which is secreted by the pineal gland at night helps us sleep and stay on track with our lives, while melanin is the skin pigmentation found in the skin. People of color feel the winter months badly because they may be genetically predisposed to it and when the light is low, we feel it and if you grew up in a beautiful sunny climate, you feel it more.

For me coming from South Africa, when I came to NYC to do my residency after daylight saving time changed, I didn’t know what hit me, but I knew I wasn’t the same. It happened to me annually and that’s how I figured it out. Having been raised in a forever sunny summer environment has patterned many people with that expectation and makes the lack of it more intense.

Also, peoples’ attitudes change. In high density areas like NYC, people are more apt to not be on their best behavior. Places with high people density, promotes negativity. Even in other places the more southern you go, the nicer the people are.

If you ask the right questions you get the right answers. You need to ask yourself the right questions, such as, “How did I feel last year at this time.” when you review the answer, then you may see a pattern. For example, a young lady was dating a young man in the summer months and they did so many things together, but when it got to the fall months like October later in the year; she was too busy for the guy. She was always too busy for him “cleaning out her sock drawer” or doing one thing or the other.

Then he ended the relationship. She was really sad that the relationship had broken up, but she didn’t view the relationship in the right paradigm. We should look at time as a cyclical not linear thing to see our reoccurring patterns. There can be psychological reasons for relationship break ups, which are often too complex to figure out.

If this sounds like you it may be a hard subject to brooch with your loved one, you are right because it’s not easily explained to other people who don’t understand it. A man was trying to treat his winter blues by putting a light on his head while running on a treadmill and his wife said you look like a jerk, which was demeaning.

That’s what ends relationships. She should have said, “How can I help to make this easier?” She should have said I understand because this is something you need to function. Before you can be a good partner you have to realize the specifics of what your partner is dealing with and find ways to help them. That’s the kind of relationship that’s likely to work. That’s how good partnerships work like a team.

Caller: My name is William, I am former radio DJ from long island and I live in Rhode Island. This is the worst time of year for me because my mother and sister recently passed. There are so many homeless children, but some people are just putting up Christmas trees and celebrating when others are in need. There was a time when I was homeless and I tried to reach out to those who had never been homeless, but they didn’t want to hear it.

Being a blind person from birth from a family of 9 and considered the black sheep of the family because my parents could not accept the fact that I was blind was difficult. If not for my grandmother, I would have ended my life a long time ago, but I tell people, don’t feel sorry for me. I try to give advice, but people don’t want to hear what I have to say. Another thing that depressed me is that baseball season isn’t here.

Guest/Host: When I look at people’s lives, I look at what they’ve been able to do in their past and what they can do in the future. Your voice has a certain comforting quality to it and you also must have learned a lot of lessons of survival to survive your homelessness in addition to being blind and what you can do going forward is teach others those lessons.

Another thing is that loss is memorialized in the season because it brings back memories of our loved ones. Try and work on the biology of the problem by getting more light, exercising and meditating to restore your spirit, and reach out and make connections with people that will feel meaningful to you. We must get over our losses and move on in the fellowship of like minded people who nurture us. If your basic biology is so depleted, you must attend to it first and nourish it to get back up to par.

Guest: Psychiatrist, Dr. Norman Rosenthal http://www.rosenthal.com/
Host: Theresa Caldwell
Source: The Audrey Chapman Show
Broadcast date: 12/17/11

Lowe's Prove Your Commitment To Diversity!

2011-12-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

TLC launched a popular reality show called "All-American Muslim" about everyday Americans, who happen to be Muslim, going about their normal daily lives including playing sports, going to school, going to work and paying their taxes.

This was too much for the anti-Muslim fear mongers at the Florida Family Association, who were outraged that the show was depicting Muslims as "ordinary folks just like you and me." An article on the organization's web site suggests that the show instead depict "one of its secular, attractive nominal Muslims as he decided to get more serious about his faith, and ended up participating in jihad activity or Islamic supremacist efforts."

A controversy was whipped up by the extremist Florida Family Association over the show and Lowe's Home Improvement decided to pull its advertising from the show. The equation in the TV business is, no advertising = no show.

Lowe's speedy capitulation to a small right-wing hate group sets a dangerous precedent and emboldens bigots. Lowe's should have ignored the Right's bigoted pleas and gone about its business. Instead it caved to a group of bigoted extremists. The company claims it is committed to diversity -- it's time to prove it. To live in peace and harmony, all Americans must value religious liberty and reject hate, and the Radical Right's anti-Muslim hysteria and bigotry.

Please sign the petition to Lowe's Chairman and CEO Robert Niblock now, urging the company to reverse course on its decision to pull its advertising from "All-American Muslim in response to a Religious Right hate group and reinstate its advertising to set a precedence in rejecting bigotry and extremism.

Today's Quote!

2011-12-16T12:00:00.001-08:00

Celebrate Diversity!

The world would be unbelievably boring

if we all look, think and act alike.

Today’s Quote!

2011-12-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Don’t sell your labor to those who will take your honor.

Girlfriends Alum, Tracee Ellis Ross On The Wendy Williams Show

2011-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

The funny and beautiful Tracee Ellis Ross AKA Joan Clayton from the hit TV show Girl Friends, and current star of the new BET show, Reed Between The Lines was on the Wendy Williams show recently. Wearing ridiculously high 7 inch shoes she bought at Barneys which she called, “Wendy Shoes” that looked more like art work ready for a close up onWendy’s shoe cam, she came across as a well put together young lady. I guess she has no choice being the daughter of Miss Diana Ross.

As usual she looked really good with her nice figure, and her lovely hair in beautiful bouncy ringlets courtesy of her stylist, Chukie “Love” Amos which was inspired by the picture of a lingerie model she saw. I never could decide who is more beautiful or whose personality I could identify more with, Joan's or Toni's, as I loved both of them in Girlfriends and think they are both gorgeous. I'm not the only one who thinks she's gorgeous, even Wendy commented on her looks and even her butt. I think Wendy was really reciprocating Tracee's complementing gestures, because Tracee started out saying how beautiful Wendy is, probably so she wouldn't be so hard on her.

She also said referring to her mother’s clothes, “I love, adore, I’m obsessed with and love everything from my mother. She said she was in College at Brown University when she called home and learned that her mother was getting rid of some clothes and made it a rule that no clothes get tossed till she approves its “tossability.” That must be nice being the same size as your mother and the only daughter that cares about clothes so much, so you can “vintage shop” in your mother’s closet. I’m so jealous!

Although she didn't share about her love life, she had quite a lot to say about the business, including the good news is that she’s a producer on the new show with Malcolm Jamal Warner, who she said is a great guy and they share a similar vision. She also said, “I’m so glad Television is showing a man like Malcolm Jamal Warner,” who she says is like a brother to her. I love women of color having power over the images of us in the media, so hearing she’s a producer, which any actress would be wise to be, is such good news. Also, this is to Malcolm Jamal Warner, please keep doing what you're doing to get women to talk so positively of you.

She also talked about the possibility of the Girlfriends movie. Unlike what many people believe that it's all about race. Movie production is really all about money. The color Hollywood loves isn't black or white. Hollywood loves "green," and if people want to see the Girlfriends movie, "the fans have got to ask for it" and when it is made, they must go out and see it to pay for it and encourage other movies like that to be made.

I would love the Girlfriends movie because I want to see how things pan out for the four brown beauties on the show including Joan getting married, Toni and Joan finding their friendship again, Toni and her husband co-parenting their child and it would be great if they could get her mother to play Joan Clayton’s mom in the movie. I doubt if that could happen because I do believe she was asked to play her mom in the TV series and she declined. As Tracee put it once, "My mama has five kids!"

However, I won’t hold my breath on it because we can only dream for now. As you know, unlike other shows like Sex and the City that have a lot of money behind them, black TV shows wanting to transition to movies don’t automatically get green lit because they don’t have unlimited funds to tap into. However, money isn't everything and if people express a demand for it, it will be done.

So people, if you want to see the movie, let us get the conversation going about the Girlfriends movie and maybe some investors will be convinced to back it and we'll have ourselves a movie…

Featured Organization: CAST

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), a not-for-profit organization, was established in 1998 in the wake of the El Monte sweatshop case where 72 Thai garment workers were kept for eight years in slavery and debt bondage. Upon their release and under the leadership of CAST’s founder Dr. Kathryn MacMahon, a group of concerned community activists realized something needed to be done to address the re-emergence of slavery in our own backyards.

Kim escaped a decade of forced prostitution from a makeshift brothel in the suburbs of Los Angeles. After spending time at the CAST shelter, her mental and physical outlook improved dramatically. Today she is speaking out on behalf of other victims.

John was trafficked to the US from Mexico, forced to work long hours in a restaurant under constant threat of physical abuse and deportation. But when the FBI liberated him, CAST provided crisis services and placed him in a partner shelter program for men. With support from CAST, John worked with the FBI to hold the traffickers accountable for their crime.

Lulu suffered years of physical and sexual abuse after being trafficked from Indonesia to Los Angeles as a domestic servant. Once liberated, it took only a month after coming to CAST for her to obtain a Work Authorization card. Today she is enrolled in a part-time nursing program and building the foundation of her life.

As many as 18,000 men, women and children are trafficked into the United States every year and even more are trafficked within our borders – suffering unspeakable violence at the hands of traffickers. Yet survivors of slavery like these bear testament to what CAST accomplishes on a daily basis. Our work is important because it empowers. So as we gather around with family and friends during the holidays, let us celebrate the New Year by continuing to create hope and the promise of new lives.

Will you help ? Your contribution will continue to help provide victims with a second chance at life and help to end modern-day slavery once and for all.

For more information, visit http://www.castla.org

Janet Jackson: The New Face of Nutrisystem

2011-12-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

Music isn’t selling so much these days and hasn’t been for a while, so singers are expanding their job opportunities to stay financially buoyant by partnering with weight loss companies. This makes sense since the music business is also a “you must look good” business. They also do this to stay relevant and in front of people.

Some recent collaborations include Jennifer Hudson who partnered with Weight Watchers, Post-baby Mariah Carey who is now a spokesperson for Jenny Craig and now Janet Jackson has joined the band wagon. She has a new job as a spokesperson for Nutrisystem.

The collaboration with the tag line, "Janet Jackson got on it, and you can too!" is supposed to inspire her fans to lose weight, just like she did on “Nutrisystem,” since she looks like a regular woman wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans on their website. However, Janet Jackson is not a regular woman. She’s a megastar who like many other women of color including me has always been battling the bulge.

Janet has been losing and gaining weight for as long as we’ve known her and I'm not too sure that many people will be buying her "Nutrisystem weight loss” plan because judging from her pictures in the tabloids, it seems she does something much more than that to get in shape before she comes out with a new record.

Either way, we love you Janet and we want you around for a long time. So, please take care of yourself and don’t do anything to lose weight that will harm your health or endanger your life...

To see Janet on Nutrisystem's website visit, www.nutrisystem.com

Top Conversations in 2011

2011-12-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

1. The Economy: There was much "talk about the Benajmins" including the high unemployment, the dismal job market outlook, and hope for the future. God please return the USA to the land flowing with milk and honey it once was. However, we also must repent of our ways so that God can restore this country.

2. Penn State University/ Syracuse University Scandal: Jerry" Sandusky’s & Bernie Fine’s abuse of a position of trust, trusting people with children and child safety were all big topics this year. Also, the "good old boy network" and institutional power protecting perpetrators of crimes were also big topics. Time will tell as it all unravels to answer the question if the allegations are true or not.

3. Casey Anthony: How the jury got it wrong. Most believe she knew something about it… In the divine scheme of things, no one that is guilty shall go unpunished. So if she is guilty she will definitely pay. May Caylee's soul rest in peace.

4. Steve Job's Death: The Einstein of our generation passed on. The father of the MAC, IPad & IPhone and his positive influence and legacy was a major topic.

5. Amanda Knox: Wild child away from home participating in a sex game that went wrong or a victim of circumstantial evidence in a foreign country? No one knows, but it's all still fishy and suspicious. In the divine scheme of things, no one that is guilty shall go unpunished.

6. The Royal Wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William: For the modern day fairytale, we were all became loyal British subjects via TV for a couple of hours, while sadly remembering Diana. However, it was wasteful spending of money in a country where the masses are hurting financially to the point that a riot occured because of it, but don’t we all love a beautiful and expensive wedding? I do!

7. High Profile Infidelity

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Baby daddy! Brilliant guy! Well planned and executed affair with house staff member right under his wife's nose and started and finished serving his term as governor before the lid blew. The man is a master magician. He really needs to teach classes to school others to the game. Teach teacher! Don’t hate the player. Hate the game! Mad props and hats off to him! However, what is worth doing, is worth doing well, if he was going to cheat, did he have to cheat with that after having Maria Shriver? Maria's no beauty queen, but her class is undeniable. It just goes to show you can never figure men out… However, I always wondered about him. By marrying Maria, he married up into America's "Royal family," and got a trophy wife. However, I recall on the Oprah Winfrey show that Maria said Arnold would call home while he is attending governors' meetings at the White House asking if the children are cleaning their own room and doing their own laundry. Maria said she's say that's not important right now focus on the meeting you are attending. She then said, "My mother never taught me how to do laundry." It was obvious that he didn't want his children raised in the priviledged way his was, so, although they looked good together their different backgrounds was an issue and it's not suprising that he cheated with someone from a background that's similar to his that he was be comfortable with, because that woman can't hold a candle to Maria.

Herman Cain: Now we know for all those women to come out, his hands were in some cookie jars including many that didn't come out. However, as a person of color, to come out to run for your party's nomination knowing you’re not squeaky clean like Barak “Mr. Boy Scout from birth” Obama is really “dumb dee dee dumb”. All he did was embarrass his family. That's really very silly!

Congress man Anthony Weiner’s “Weinergate”: Sexting AKA sending inappropriate pictures to a stranger. This begs the question, is sexting cheating? Well, he succeeded in embarrassing his nice conservative Muslim wife with a high profile job. Shame on him! However, it makes sense because when a man has a well-raised conservative wife who probably won’t participate in kinky fantasies, he will look to get those needs met elsewhere…Don’t front people, we are all human…

U.S. Representative Christopher Lee: Sending pics AKA Sexting again. This begs the question, is sexting cheating? This reinforces the fact that a man is a man is a man…But was what he did worth losing his job over? Yes, because in a country grappling moral bankruptcy we must hold our elected officials to standards that are almost impossible for most other citizens to keep.

8. Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries Fairytale Wedding & 72 day marriage: This shows that a beautiful bride, a handsome groom and a lavish wedding have nothing with the longevity of a marriage. Too much media coverage though! People let sleeping dogs lie, face the drama in your own life and move on…

9. Barak Obama: I believe he's doing his best although most people don't think it's not enough as everyone is looking for someone to blame for the bad economy. However, some of this is his fault for being too inspiring because he had people believing he could perform magic once he got into the White House, but when he got there, he realized things aren't as simple as they seem when one is on the outside looking in and people didn't like that at all. Will he get a second term? Only time will tell...Either way he will still go down in history as the first non-Caucasian/biracial president of the US of A.

10. Tim Cook: Steve Jobs replacement is relatively unknown. Time will tell about us what he's made of but I have no doubt about his abilities because he wouldn't have been the replacement if he isn't capable...

11. Conrad Murray: The man who will forever be known as the man who killed the greatest entertainer was a major topic of discussion. However, before we crucify him, we should remember that although he was medically negligent and ignored the hippocratic oath he took when he became a doctor, Micheal loved, wanted and asked for the "milk" he was being given. However, someone needed to go down for it and it was Conrad. He will do the time for the crime and move on...I'm not sure if he'll still have his license to practice medicine though.

Today’s Quote!

2011-12-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

What is your is yours.

Even if it goes away it will return to you.

Today's Quote!

2011-12-13T16:54:00.000-08:00

Perseverance is the synonym for luck!

Harlem Globetrotters in Baltimore Dec 30th

2011-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

The Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy will be in Baltimore at the 1st Mariner Arena as part of their 2012 World Tour on Dec 30th for two shows at 2 and 7 pm.

This year’s lineup includes 7”8 inches tall "Tiny" Sturgess and 5”2 inches tall "Too Tall" Hall. There’s a woman on the team too. Her name is TNT Maddox. You go girl!

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.

Over the years they have played more than 20,000 exhibition games in 118 countries. Brother Bones's whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" is the team's signature song. "Globie" has been their mascot since 1993.

For more information and tickets, visit http://harlemglobetrotters.com/tickets

Say No To Meningitis!

2011-12-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

The National Meningitis Association (NMA) is a nonprofit organization founded by parents whose children have died or live with permanent disabilities from meningococcal disease.

Meningococcal disease is a serious, potentially fatal bacterial infection that strikes an average of 1,500 Americans annually. In particular, adolescents and young adults are at increased risk of contracting meningococcal disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends meningococcal vaccination for all adolescents 11-18 years of age. It can cause your limbs to be amputated. Meningitis

The number of meningococcal disease cases changes from year to year. From 1998 to 2007, about 1,500 Americans were infected each year, with a range of 900 to 3,000 cases. 11% of those infected will die. Adolescents and young adults have an increased incidence of meningococcal disease, accounting for 15 percent of all cases. One out of seven cases among adolescents will result in death.

Among those who survive meningococcal disease, approximately 20 percent suffer long-term consequences, such as brain damage, kidney disease, hearing loss or limb amputations.

Get your child vaccinated. For more information, visit http://www.nmaus.org/

Today's Quote!

2011-12-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

"Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with Love" --Mahatma Ghandi

Change & The Power To Change

2011-12-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

How is your relationship with yourself? If you don’t have a great one, then you need to work on change. Change and the power to change is what we’re talking about today. Change can be a self defeating, thought provoking, thinking pattern changing event. Thinking in a thoroughly positive way is the highest level of thinking of success, joy and health.

Change can be challenging, but we will help you with that today. I have a guest here, Leila, a regular listener of the Audrey Chapman show. She is a 33 year old divorcee with no children and she will help you by sharing about her process of change.

Change is something that people struggle with and wonder about because they aren’t clear on what to do. We all have a will to do what we want to do. Author, Wayne Dyer in his book, Excuses Be Gone states, “I believe that any thought patterns that don’t enhance and expand your joyous development are excuses.”

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Do you want to move from where you are now to where you want to be? Do you want to know what the process is?

We are talking about change and how people go through change. Leila, a listener for 5 years is originally from NYC. You believe it’s possible to change, but it takes time and work. You have the desire and want to change, but then you must seek the tools. You must change your thought processes and your outlook to ultimately change your life. I come from mixed family of Muslim and Christians. I was a Muslim and I went out into the world with no preconceived notions and I was treated differently. I was shocked and traumatized by how I was treated because the focus was on what I look like. I was basically thrust into the lions’ den.

All of the emphasis and focus was on the fact that I was covered. I started covering at 19 and I went to an HBCU in the Deep South and I was surprised by the exposure I gained by being from NYC, which when you are there, you take for granted. Everyone in the world is in NYC. It’s a melting pot, so I was surprised that other people around me at school didn’t have that kind of exposure.

Change and how people go through change. What affected you that made you feel you needed to address change in your life? I started going to see a therapist when I was married, and the last time I went was for myself. What were you interested in changing about yourself? I was interested in changing the effects of discrimination and its effects on me because I was angry and I didn’t want to stay that way. I also went because my mother was ill and I needed to speak to someone about that.

Now I understand myself and others better. That’s what you get in therapy. You share information about yourself to gain insight about yourself and how you get in your own way, self sabotage and have self sabotaging behaviors. In therapy you have an epiphany or ah hah moment. That’s what therapy is all about; to make you better and to help you make new choices to put your life on a better path. It takes hard work and time and you can be confused, angry or frustrated with yourself in the process. It takes time to be still, to know why you think a certain way, do things a certain way and to be more conscious of yourself.

People don’t want to be aware of themselves. They want to focus on other people’s lives and ignore their own problems and issues. That’s why TV soap operas and reality shows are popular. For me, the beginning of going to therapy was about my mother, and also my lack of interest in men. I was so goal focused and I got to know a Muslim man with the intention of getting married. I wasn’t successful, so I focused on my goals and now I’m fine.

How do you participate in self defeating ways that are preventing you from living your best and happiest life in terms of success, joy and health?

The Audrey Chapman Show prompted her to think about her life because it entered her life when she was going through a divorce. She learned what she wanted out of life and what to do to obtain it. Don Lemon, the CNN reporter and news anchor on the prime-time weekend version of CNN Newsroom, based in Atlanta, during an on-air interview with members of Bishop Eddie Long's congregation on September 25, 2010, he said that he was a victim of sex abuse as a child, and that it wasn't until he was thirty that he told his mother about it. In his memoir, Transparent, he acknowledges publicly that he is gay and discusses colorism in the black community, racism, homophobia, and the sexual abuse that he suffered as a child.

He said he was dealing with how different he is. Being different, attending HBCU and being treated with open discrimination and prejudice was surreal for me. African Americans and the African American community don’t see themselves as discriminating of others or carrying prejudices, when in fact they do. They are only sensitive to being discriminated against as a group themselves.

In therapy, some things I learned about myself came out, like how much my childhood affects me and my life, and how that can all change through me making better decisions to let my situations have better outcomes, and for me to have better balance, maturity, and less stress. All this have been awesome. It taught me to focus on a plan and give myself permission to operate on the plan, and not to focus on the problem, but to focus on the plan to get out of the problem.

Plans are changeable, but you need them because you need to start with something. You can’t just jump out there. You need some structure which is what plans are. Also, be aware of what you don’t know. You need older and wiser people in your life to help advise you to make better decisions. Change isn’t something you need to do alone. A friend, a therapist, a mentor, or a coach can guide you. No one ever got anywhere by themselves.

People ask for help for many things, but when it’s for making decisions or choices we are reluctant to seek help. People think it's about someone else telling you what to do, when it's actually not. It’s about advice. Decisions are changeable. You can back up and try something else. You can do something for a while before you change it because it’s not working for you. Everything you think, say or do is a choice. Entering into the vast world of excuses is the major reason people don’t change. Thought patterns are the biggest thing people grapple with. People tell themselves they can’t do something and this is overwhelming for them, but we all have the power to change our lives.

My guest Leila put herself in therapy to help her cope with mother’s illness and discovered there were many reasons to change for herself and she left therapy with many tools to redefine herself. Huge changes are what people want, but we need to take little baby steps towards change, so we don’t traumatize ourselves. Baby steps count too. Life is about the journey, not the destination, so enjoy it and walk in the direction of your goals. If you want big results immediately, you can get depressed and disillusioned and stop what you are doing, when you shouldn’t because little steps add up into big changes.

Caller: It’s important to focus on self. I weighed 200 pounds in elementary school. I am successful in my career because I’m very educated, but I focused on my education so much, but I was crumbling inside. I focused on losing the weight.

I joined Weight Watchers for the 8th time and got a trainer. I felt accomplished when I lost 150 pounds. Making exterior changes in my weight made me feel better on the inside. I started with diet, but I’m focused on my whole self now. I’m able to be more authentic with others because I’m not hiding behind my weight anymore. It’s no mistake that we are all overweight in my family because we all eat the same way.It’s a family learned behavior and its no mistake that we are all overweight in my family. Getting healthy have affected my other relationships in a positive way.

Guest/Host: It’s not what you’re eating, it’s what’s eating you. You were using food to self medicate. It’s hard to work on the abstract, such as the inner self to change because education is structured and planned out for you, so it’s easier to do.

You are on the right track of learning new behaviors. They teach dealing with your whole self at Weight Watchers, not just the weight. It was started by a registered dietitian and a doctor and you do the program in relation with other people in a support group setting, so you have a support system and that makes a difference by humanizing your situation, so you feel it’s ok and you can get through it just like the other people around you.

Start somewhere with change. Congratulations for getting and staying on the path. Stay on the path till you achieve your goal. Start small and see that you’re able to fulfill your dreams and then you can take on more. Being scared is very natural because change is part of taking risks.

Caller: I’ve become extremely jaded. I’m not the person I was once. I was very healthy but a personal failure has taken its toll on my confidence and self esteem. What can I do to make changes? I got into my passion, which is sewing and each piece I finish, I feel a sense of accomplishment ,but I still engage in the bad habits, such as substance abuse and I back slide, self sabotage and I stop and start using again. I sabotage myself like I’m not worthy of success.

Guest/Host: You’re in battle with yourself. The old part of you is holding on to the old paradigm of negativity in you. You are swinging between the new and old you. You are using the drugs to put you back in that negative place. Get yourself in a 12 step program to have the group support of others who have been where you are to be successful.

It will feel uncomfortable at first, but you need to do this to kick start your change process, so you don’t relapse and you can get to the other side. This applies to any type of change. To get out of any negative behavior, you need people cheering you on and supporting you. You have acknowledged that you have a problem, which is the first step. You are in a vicious cycle that you can’t stop on your own. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. It’s like spinning in one spot and not getting anywhere. You need to make changes to get the results you desire.

Caller: My name is Debra. I’m in the process of changing for the better at 50 years old. I have always felt bad about myself because I have a hypercritical mother. I was in the armed forces and made Captain before I spiraled out of control with drugs and alcohol. I’ve been clean for 5 years now. A year and half ago, I lost my job and became ill due to a digestive problem because I couldn’t digest food.

The problem stemmed from my emotions. On the advice of a friend, I began walking, made dietary changes and I began to feel better. Now I do yoga several times a week, I walk for miles, I pray always, and I’m back in school back at Catholic University as a straight A student. I didn’t know I was creating my own dilemma. I didn’t have any thoughts or opinions about myself. I was assuming and believing everything others said about me.

It’s important to watch what we eat, feed our mind, body and spirit. The food I was eating was contributing my emotional condition. Foods like refined sugar, tobacco, and caffeine were affecting me. So, I had to detox and stop eating all those things and red meat. Simple changes I made have made profound changes in my life and I feel better.

Guest/Host: You took control of your inner life due to changes you made. You are at the base of everything in your life. People get disconnected and confused. You had a rough childhood, and the older people get they are less likely to change, so you've done very well. It’s harder to change when older, but it’s possible to be the very best person you could ever be.

It’s sometimes better to change when you’re older because you don’t have as many distractions. There’s no plateau and “we are done” doesn’t exist because we are all a work in progress. You never know where you will have a learning experience, so keep the child inside you alive. Keep your curiosity alive and be open to learning something new.

Have you changed anything in your life? How did you do it? What were the processes and the steps?

Caller: I’m a compulsive over eater. I’m an emotional eater. I’m an every eater. I couldn’t self cope I was taught how to eat to self soothe. When I was younger it was sex and alcohol and later it was food, which was that one thing I thought was safe. However, it became an addiction.

Guest/Host: Find a 12 step program, so you are surrounded by people who have "been there and done that" and have had relapses. Food is an addiction and you need help. There’s a 12 step program for everything. If you really want to make change you can get free support for it. Change isn’t easy and it’s hard to do alone. People use anything to feel good including shopping and gambling because they also get a high from it. Fat people don’t love food; they just don’t love something about themselves. 12 Step groups are also good, so you don’t get into other co-dependent relationships.

People think of excuses that stop them from doing what they want to do. Change will be different. People say or think things like it’s risky, takes time, it’s too much drama, it’s not my nature, I can’t afford it, it’s too much, no one will help me, I’m not strong or smart enough, I don’t have the energy, I’m too busy, or I’m too scared.

Caller: I was married at 19 years and divorced at 30. I raised my three children who are all doing well now by myself. I’m now 61 and I was laid off my job, but I’m ok with it because now I have time to spend with my mother.

Guest/Host: That’s what life is all about. It’s all in how you see a situation. Some people would be upset over being laid off, but you see the positive in it.

Caller: I appreciate your show because you are free therapy for so many people. I met a great man 10 years ago. We’ve both benefited and given to each other over the years. We have lived together for 6 years and I thought our next step would be marriage but he doesn’t’ seem to believe in that, so on January 1st, I will move forward by myself.

Guest/Host: You have to make the best decisions for you. Expectations for others can become a disappointment. We have to focus on the long term benefits of the choices we make, so we can come out better in the end. Give yourself time to work it through and out of your system.

Final Thoughts: It is good to be open to new ideas, but verify your ideas against your belief systems to see what will work and what won’t, and create affirmations for yourself to nourish your soul.

Source: The Audrey Chapman Show
Broadcast Date: 12/10/11
Guest: Leila

Today’s Quote!

2011-12-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

The more you give, the more you get.

but not necessarily in the same form.

Eddie Murphy Will Be Playing DC’s former Mayor Marion Barry In A Movie!

2011-12-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Eddie Murphy will be playing DC’s former Mayor, Marion Barry. HBO Films is developing an untitled television project. Spike Lee is attached to direct with John Ridley of (Red Tails, Da Brick) is billed to write the script. The Washington Post says Murphy, Lee and Ridley would all serve as executive producers as

Journalists Harry Jaffe and Tom Sherwood who wrote and book published Dream City detailing politics in D.C in 1994 will be consultants, along with The Nine Lives of Marion Barry filmmakers Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer.

He served as the D.C. mayor from 1979 to 1991 and again from 1995 to 1999, and is currently a member of the D.C. City Council representing the city's eighth ward. In January 1990, Barry was caught smoking crack cocaine at the Vista International Hotel in downtown and was arrested on drug charges, serving six months in prison.

Will the movie be able to capture and depict the complex relationship and romance of his with DC? I doubt that very much, because although Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr was born in Leflore County, Mississippi, and in 1965 moved to Washington, D.C. to open a local chapter of SNCC, he has shown that he is a loving, loyal and very beloved adopted son of DC in a relationship that is too complex and intricate to accurately decipher.

I hope the movie makers have enough sense and courtesy to contact him to inform him of their project and seek his assistance in making the movie, because regardless of what he has done, he is an average African American man doing what many of African American men do, the only difference between him and them is that they aren’t held under a mayoral microscope and he ultimately comes across as a nice, easy going, down to earth and charming man who cares about people.

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2011-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

In life, we all play many parts & wear many hats!

Sociable Susan Magazine

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The Martha Show Cancelled & Replaced!

"Best of INPUT" Documentar​ies Screen In Washington, DC Jan. 29 - Feb. 3

Dance Moms, The Life Time Show

Roseanne Bar Is Back In Business!

New TV Show, Touch Special Preview Event Tonight!

NBC's Lester Holt On The Wendy Williams Show!

NY Giant's Devin Thomas on The Wendy Williams Show

Jerry Springer on the Wendy Williams Show!

Did Heather Locklear Almost OD? Say it Ain’t So!

Heidi & Seal Hit Splitsville? Say It Ain't So!

Shanola Hampton Star of Shameless On The Wendy Williams Show!

Vanessa Bryant Gets Half of Kobe’s Fortune!

I'm Latina & I'm not a Maid...

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EXCLUSIVE: President Obama’s New York City Fundraiser Speech Transcript

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. On The Wendy Williams Show

15th Annual Rainbow Push Wall Street Project Economic Summit

Actor, Nate Parker On The Wendy Williams Show!

Nominees For The 43rd NAACP Image Awards Announced!

Want To Know Who Runs the Internet? Sarah Stankorb Tells You Who!

Don't let Corporate Interests Control You!

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton In Ivory Coast

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Shop Cheap For Your Kids at Just between Friends!

51st Anniversary of the Assassination of Patrice Lumumba

Buy Cheap Furniture & Accessories From Hotel Liquidators!

Actress Tasha Smith's New US Fragrance & Contest

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Skechers & Arizona Track Notorious For Animal Cruelty

The 411 On Hot Trends for 2012

New All Star Cast Movie: Red Tails!

The Lessons In The Vanessa & Kobe Divorce Saga

Brandy on The Wendy Williams Show

Andy Cohen on The Wendy Williams Show

Verbally Abusive Relationships

Tavis Smiley Hosts: Remembering MLK

Justine Timberlake & Jessica Beale

The cast of The Celebrity Apprentice 2012 Unveiled

We Want Some More Donny!!

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Waiting For The Perfect Man!

Book of The Month - From Citizen to Refuge by Mahmood Mamdani

Happy New Year!!

Trustworthiness

Living A Life of No Regrets II

Living A Life Without Regrets I

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Hollister's Overly Suggestive Shopping Bags!

A Poem by Virginia Coyle

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Special Women's Retreat by Author of Iron Butterflies, Dr. Birute Regine

Antiques

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Merry Christmas!!

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Natural Home Remedies

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Actress, Patricia Keaton on The Wendy Williams Show

Pepco Gets Slapped With a 1 Million Dollar Fine!

A True Love Story of A Woman In Love…

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Laptops: A "No No" Near Your You Know What!

Ambition

Steve Harvey on the Doctor Oz Show

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Seasonality and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Lowe's Prove Your Commitment To Diversity!

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Girlfriends Alum, Tracee Ellis Ross On The Wendy Williams Show

Featured Organization: CAST

Janet Jackson: The New Face of Nutrisystem

Top Conversations in 2011

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"Best of INPUT" Documentaries Screen In Washington, DC Jan. 29 - Feb. 3