Black News: Children Dying in Chicago at an Alarming Pace

Two weeks ago, 3-year-old Jaquan Reed was fatally shot on Chicago, Illinois', West Side.

Men participate in the Million Father March to support children going to school.

While the case shook the city, such shootings involving children are no longer rare in the Windy City. Within the current academic year, 36 Chicago-area students were killed.

Essence.com spoke to Phillip Jackson, a well-known political activist in the city and also founder of Black Star Project, a Chicago-based community outreach group, about what is being done to end the senseless shootings involving children.

The following is an edited version of that interview:

ESSENCE: There have been so many shootings and deaths. Please tell us what's happening in Chicago? ESSENCE: Xerox names Ursula Burns CEO

Phillip Jackson: This is a national catastrophe that is happening while we as a country do nothing. We're asking for national attention. This is a pandemic. We will not be able to solve this problem in Chicago unless they can solve this same problem in Houston [Texas] and other cities. Watch our panelists talk about the growing violence in Chicago »

ESSENCE: The nation's first black president is from Chicago. And you still do not feel like there is enough attention placed on this problem?

Technorati Tags: chicago children deaths,black youth,african american youth,black news,african american news

Black Professional Round Table: What does it mean to have the first Black Female Run a Fortune 500 Company?

 

With Ursula Burns being recently appointed as the first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company, the Black community had a lot to say.  Most importantly, Black women and men in academia, law, and the professional world shine light on various points of view that should be considered as the nation celebrates the achievements of Burns and the Xerox Corporation.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux – President of Bennett College for Women:

“Glass ceilings are shattering and sisters are celebrating this amazing milestone. After the dust clears, let’s focus both on the glass ceiling and the sticky floor that suppresses the wages and salaries of most working women.”

 

Dr. Mary Stoddard, Attorney at Law – Stoddard,  Parks & Associates, PLLC:

“Having the first black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is greatly past due. The value of a segment of the population that has been the fundamental cornerstone to the growth and development of this country is long due our nation. Because one black female has been bestowed the job, that does not remove the many who are qualified and denied the opportunity because they are a black woman.”

 

Click to read more comments.

Technorati Tags: ursula burns,black women,julianne malveaux,african american women,black money,african american money

Rick Ross’ Baby’s Mama Has More to Say

Here's what Tialondra Kemp (Rick Ross's baby mom) has to say about Rick Ross.

“50 reached out to my attorney. I told him that I wanted to do a book and he made it happen,” Kemp shared with AllHipHop.com. “He got me my publishing deal and everything. He really helped me a lot. Rick Ross would’ve never gave me this opportunity.”

“I think that everybody know that he’s [Rick Ross] a fake and he’s a fraud and I think it’s a lot of things that’s in the book that would explain why he’s that type of person, you know,” Kemp continued. “He was an abusive person, you know. And he’s a deadbeat dad. He’s battered his first baby mama and the only things that he’s done is put his hands on women… he’s never been arrested but for battery for on his baby mom. Right now, he has an open case for carrying a concealed firearm, but the firearm was registered to him. And the reason he caught the charge is because his concealed weapon license was revoked for the battery he had against his first baby mom.”

“I wouldn’t consider him as a great father. I’m quite sure he loves his son, but he’s not supporting his son. He’s not in his son’s life. And that’s what it’s about,” she said. “You know, it’s not about money. It’s about being there for your child, you know, and showing them love.”

 

Technorati Tags: rick ross,baby mama,50 cent,hip hop,black celebrity gossip

Black News: Black Woman is First to Lead a Fortune 500 Company

Xerox named Ursula Burns to succeed Chief Executive Anne Mulcahy, in a move that makes Burns one of the most prominent African-Americans to head a Fortune 500 company.

Mulcahy, 56, an economic advisor to Barack Obama during the U.S. presidential transition, will retire as CEO on July 1. She is a 33-year veteran of Xerox, where she became CEO in 2001.

An avid biker, Burns, 50, will join a list about 15 women CEOs of a Fortune 500 company and become one of only a handful of African American CEOs. She joined Xerox in 1980 as an engineering intern, was named president in 2007, and had been groomed as the next CEO by Mulcahy. [ID:nN19438536]

Mulcahy, who has been credited with revitalizing the world's top supplier of digital printers and document management services, and also serves on Citibank's (C.N) board of directors, will remain as the company's chairman.

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: ursula burns,xerox,ceo,black women,african american woman,black woman

Lady Drama: Beyonce’s Sound Off about Being Sexy

Here's what beyonce says about working out and being sexy...

“To me, it’s sexier when it doesn’t look like you go to the gym,” she told Britain’s Daily Mail. “If you look like you’ve been spending a lot of time in the gym, then it just looks like you spend a lot of time in the gym.”

“I feel best when I’m not really thin and not really heavy—when I’m still curvy. I really believe that everyone is supposed to be different, and whatever is a natural weight for you is usually what looks best.”

“The truth is, it’s a lot of sacrifice. It’s more about your mental strength than physical strength. You have to push yourself. It doesn’t matter what trainer you have, and it doesn’t matter what program you’re on,”

Posted by BallerGirl at 4:56 PM 0 comments

Technorati Tags: beyonce knowels,black news,african american news,black celebrities,african american celebrities

Black News: Was Iman Insulting Michelle Obama?

"Mrs. Obama is not a great beauty. But she is so interesting looking and so bright. That will always take you farther. When you're a great beauty, it's always downhill for you. If you're someone like Mrs. Obama, you just get better with age."

Click to read more.

Technorati Tags: iman,michelle obama,black news,african american news,black women,african american women

Financial Lovemaking 101: What is the Man’s Responsibility in Behavior?

Hip-hop "mogul" Irv Gotti has gotten tremendous criticism for mistreating his estranged wife, Deb. Let's be real, Irv is mean and appears to be highly inconsiderate. He cheats on Deb openly, disrespects her and doesn't seem to care if she stays or goes.

"Irv Gotti treats his wife worse than an abandoned dog in a pound," says black celebrity gossip columnist, Lady Drama. "Any man who treats his wife like that should walk through hell with gasoline soaked pants."

But while Irv does his thing and does it wherever and with whomever he likes, his wife may not necessarily be an innocent victim. She has the opportunity to leave him and be with another man. She can draw boundaries on the relationship and not deal with his behavior. But she does not. Why is that?

In this episode of Financial Lovemaking with Dr. Boyce, we talk about Gotti and what he and his wife can do to make things right. We also answer some critical and important questions.

Continue reading Financial Lovemaking with Dr. Boyce: Is Irv Gotti's Way the Right Way?

Technorati Tags: black love,african american love,irv gotti,black celebrity gossip,black celebrities,black relationships,african american relationships,black women,african american women

Black Love: The Rules of Texting

Texting is the new calling, which means there's a whole new battleground for romance -- and a new set of rules to play by. Start your flirty texting education here, with advice from Debra Goldstein and Olivia Baniuszewicz, authors of "Flirtexting: How to Text Your Way to His Heart."

More Dating Articles from Glamour:

• Five Secrets All Guys Keep From You
• Seven Things a Guy's Bedroom Says About Him

#1: DO say the words text me when you give out your number to a new guy. Giving a new guy your number and telling him to call can be iffy. Start with a text.

#2: DON'T just text "Hi." Even if the only reason you're texting him is because you're thinking about him, this kind of short and shy flirtexting typically leads nowhere.

#3: DO text him back within 24 hours. Anything beyond that reads "I'm just not that into you -- or your texts."

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black love,african american love,black relationships,african american relationships

Genma Holmes: The Power of Entrepreneurship

by Genma Holmes

When I am asked advice about to grow a business, I always reference my experiences at the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Conference (BEEC). As I plan my business strategies at the beginning of the year, BEEC is always at the top of the must do list. Even when times have been lean, I have managed to find a way to attend the ONLY entrepreneurial conference that helps make me money.

For the last few years, I have been able to get my fellow brothers in the pest control industry to the conference as well. Each passing year, we have become more determined to work together on larger contracts and grow our companies together. What I have learned the most by attending the conferences is the power of collaborating and working together for the greater good. Being in an industry where there are few women in leadership roles and even fewer minorities as key influencers, it is even more evident to me the power of connecting with others who are visionaries and rain makers.

When you are in the presence of those who want to see you succeed, who teach you to think successfully, and who create venues to help you not only network but to close the deal, you are affected in a positive way. You leave the conference WANTING to be successful. And when you are hungry enough and have drive and ambition, you will walk in your destiny no matter what the economic barometer says.

Click to read.

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Financial Lovemaking: The Money Behind Nas and Kelis

Dr. Boyce and S. Tia Brown give the financial angle to the divorce between the rapper Nas and his wife Kelis.  There’s more to this divorce than meets the eye.

Click the image to listen!

 

Technorati Tags: nas and kelis divorce,celebrity gossip,celebrity couples,black celebrities,african american news,hip hop,black money,black wealth,african american money,african american wealth

Pregnant Black Woman May Get Firing Squad

A pregnant British woman facing possible execution in Laos will go on trial this week, the country's foreign affairs ministry said Monday.

Samantha Orobator became pregnant in prison, according to a spokeswoman for rights group Reprieve.

Samantha Orobator "is facing death by firing squad for drug trafficking," said Clare Algar, executive director of Reprieve, a London-based human rights group.

Orobator, 20, was arrested on August 5, said Khenthong Nuanthasing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman.

She was alleged to have been carrying just over half a kilogram (1.1 pounds) of heroin, Reprieve lawyer Anna Morris told CNN by phone from Vientiane, the Laotian capital. "For that amount of heroin the sentence is normally the death penalty," she said.

Orobator's mother Jane found out in January her daughter was pregnant -- more than four months after she was arrested, her mother said.

Jane Orobator heard the news from the British Foreign Office, which has been monitoring the case, the mother told CNN by phone from Dublin, where she lives.

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black news headlines,african american news,black women,african american women

Mrs. Obama’s Message to Women Around the World

Heather Ferreira works in the slums of Mumbai, India, where she has watched thousands of women live under a "curse."

The women she meets in the squalid streets where "Slumdog Millionaire" was filmed are often treated with contempt, she says. They're considered ugly if their skin and hair are too dark. They are deemed "cursed" if they only have daughters. Many would-be mothers even abort their children if they learn they're female.

Yet lately she says Indian women are getting another message from the emergence of another woman thousands of miles away. This woman has dark skin and hair. She walks next to her husband in public, not behind. And she has two daughters. But no one calls her cursed. They call her Michelle Obama, the first lady.

"She could be a new face for India," says Ferreira, program officer for an HIV-prevention program run by World Vision, an international humanitarian group. "She shows women that it's OK to have dark skin and to not have a son. She's quite real to us."

Those who focus on Michelle Obama's impact on America are underestimating her reach. The first lady is inspiring women of color around the globe to look at themselves, and America, in fresh ways.

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: michelle obama,black news,black politics,african american news,african american politics

Can Wealthy Guys Get away with More in their Relationships?

In this episode of Financial Lovemaking, Dr Boyce and Tia ask whether rich guys get away with more than regular guys.

Click the image to listen!

Technorati Tags: financial lovemaking,couples and money,black couples and money,black women,black relationships,african american money,black money

Black Love: A Woman Writes About Her Pain

My heart taken freely as the love was squeezed out of it

All the flavor is gone there is nothing left not a bit

My mind nearly destroyed as any independent thought I had was negated

My body abused- no longer is there found pleasure- once loved now hated

My soul what is left of it is freely given back to God

I’d rather risk being as though I never was rather than continue this facade

Existence in a body abused without pleasure,

A mind without independent thought, how can one measure?

A heart without love, or life without breath

A soul broken and bruised is worse than death

Let me go -be happy

Or if per chance during this thing

Some pleasure is found in my suffering

Just let me be

This misery cannot be my destiny

Let me go and be happy without you

Death can be sweet sometimes when colors are always blue

When life with someone is become so harsh and so bitter

I have given up trying to love even though I know I am no quitter

If continuing in this is proven to be my destiny

Then let me not continue to breathe just let me be

Let it not be too long

That I endure this life’s sad song

Let me go and be happy

This cannot be my destiny

Let me go -be happy

Or if per chance during this thing

Some pleasure is found in my suffering

Just let me be

This misery cannot be my destiny

Leave me alone and just let me be

Copyright 2006, by Arene

Technorati Tags: black love,black romance,black relationships,black women

Black Celebrity News: Still think Oprah Wears a Weave?

This photo allegedly proves that Oprah Winfrey’s hair is real.  At least that’s what they are saying about it.  I’m not sure, but it does look like she’s got some real stuff on her head.

Technorati Tags: oprah winfrey,black celebrities,black women,african american women,does oprah wear a weave?

Your Black Reviews: Beyonce’s New Flick

By Reviews R Me

Most of us don’t expect much from Beyonce on the big screen.  I didn’t expect much either.  I only hoped that I could make it through the movie without throwing up or wondering who in the holy hell told her that she could act in the first place.  But this movie was different.  Beyonce did it right and did it well.  Also, with Idris on screen, you always had something good to look at.

Really, you could call this movie “Fatal Attraction for Black people”, since the white lady was the evil monster and all the black people were scared of her.  Shoot, as crazy as she was, I was scared of her too!  You could tell that she and Idris were carrying the movie, while Beyonce was more of an extra.  That’s probably good to let the real actors hold it down.

I give Beyonce a B on this performance, which is better than the failing grade she normally gets.  Check out the trailer by clicking the image below:

 

Technorati Tags: beyonce knowels,idris elba,black celebrity gossip,black movie reviews

Money and Love: Should the Man Always Earn More?

In this episode of Financial Lovemaking, Dr. Boyce and S. Tia Brown discuss Mel Gibson’s Half billion dollar divorce, Beyonce and Jay-Z and whether men are uncomfortable earning less money than women.  Click the image to watch!

Technorati Tags: black money,african american,black wealth,african american wealth,couples and money,relationships and money,love and money

Playwright Lynn Nottage Wins Nobel Prize

Stories of race and gender prevailed at this year's Pulitzer Prizes, with "Ruined," Lynn Nottage's harrowing tale of survival set against the backdrop of an African civil war, winning for drama Monday and books about slavery, civil rights and Andrew Jackson also receiving awards.

In a rare victory for the short story, Elizabeth Strout's "Olive Kitteridge," a collection set in New England and linked by the forthright title character, a math teacher and general scold with an understanding heart. It was the first book of short stories to win since 2000 (Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies").

Three prize winners centered on racial history, from colonial times to the 20th century.

The general nonfiction award went to "Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II" by Douglas A. Blackmon, Atlanta bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. Newsweek editor Jon Meacham won the biography prize for "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House," a best-seller about the populist president whose sympathy for the less fortunate never extended to slaves.

"Jackson represents the best and the worst of us," Meacham said.

"It's a huge honor for me," Blackmon said of his Pulitzer, "but more importantly I hope it really validates the idea that this is a part of American history that we have ignored and neglected, and it's time for a really dramatic reinterpretation of what happened to African-Americans during that period of time."

 

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: lynn nottage,black news,african american news,black writers,african american writers

Black News: Oprah Cancels her Columbine Show

Cassie Sadusky, 25, left, and her sister Jetta, 22, visit the gravesites of Columbine students Corey DePooter and Rachel Scott at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens near Littleton, Colo., on Monday. (Ed Andrieski/Associated Press)

U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey cancelled Monday's taped show marking the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings, saying she felt it focused too much on the shooters rather than the victims.

"I decided to pull the Columbine show today. After reviewing it, I thought it focused too much on the killers. Today, hold a thought for the Columbine community. This is a hard day for them," Winfrey wrote on Oprah.com and her Facebook page.

Winfrey's action came amid muted commemorations of the massacre in the Denver, Colo., suburb of Littleton that claimed the lives of 12 students and a teacher. Another 26 people were wounded.

Click to read.

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Black News: Jill Scott Has a Baby

Jill Scott and her fiance Lil' John (no not the rapper) welcomed their first child into the world yesterday. The newborn is named Jack, and is said to be in good health according to Jill's mom. CONGRATULATIONS to them, and it is good to see a celeb actually naming their child a sane name.
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Posted By LadyBaby to Your Black Gossip: The Official Source of Black Celebrity Gossip at 4/21/2009 07:11:00 PM

Technorati Tags: jill scott,black news,african american news,black celebrities

Tea Parties, Obama and Fox News

Genma Holmes, YourBlackWorld.com

I attended several tea parties yesterday. An informed consumer makes a better a tax payer in my book. Paying taxes is not a Democrat or Republican issue to me. It is an issue that everyone in this country should be paying attention to, especially during this time of economic chaos. As I listened to the crowds yelling about the President, I think the message of why they were gathering in the first place was lost in the screaming.

One of the top grievances of the organizers was the hundreds of billions of dollars in recent taxpayer subsidies to automakers, banks and Wall Street investment giants. This was a grass roots movement that started in Tennessee. Many concerned citizens, black and white, red and yellow, were disgusted by executive bonuses and the lack of accountability to the taxpayers who are now "investors" in these global companies. Being investors in companies that many Americans do not consider good investments should have been a time for not only educating taxpayers but elected officials as well.

Click to read more from Genma Holmes and other Black authors.

 

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Scurv’s Corner: Black Men, Black Women and Black Love Gone Bad

 

 

Technorati Tags: black celebrity gossip,black women,black relationships

Remember Brandy? She’s Back on TV

Well it seems that everyone and their momma is getting a television deal. First off Brandy is going to be heading back to the small screen in a new sitcom on ABC called "This Little Piggy" where she will be playing the high-maintenance wife of a man who takes in his younger siblings. It also seems that Keisha Knight Pulliam and Fantasia will be getting reality shows of their own. Keisha's show will be about her and her boyfriend Kaseem Penn's life in ATL, and Fantasia's show will just be about her life as a performer and a mother. Now not to sound like a hater but when did Keisha Knight Pulliam become such a big deal, first people start making fake Twitters about her and now a reality show. WTF???
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Posted By LadyBaby to Your Black Gossip at 4/16/2009 12:36:00 PM

Technorati Tags: black celebrities,african american women,black women,brandy

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This week I look at issues of respect from both co-workers and your nearest and dearest.
I am 28-years-old and work in an office full of 45-56 year-old women. My issue is how to talk to them when they say things I do not like without being disrespectful. - Young & Angry In The Office

Dear Young & Angry In The Office,
I’m a firm believer of showing deference to elders, however the office isn’t the place to act out societal roles— you’re there to do your job. I firmly believe that the only way to get respect is to demand it. Some people have that certain thing about them that ensures people, whether they’re older or younger, never test them. Other people have to go get it. So how do you command respect? First, you always make sure that you’re on top of your game, for the work environment that means being efficient, punctual and dependable. Second, you have to speak up for yourself and address every infraction in a stern, tactful, professional way. That may mean giving a soliloquy about respect (such as, “we’re all on equal footing here, I give respect and I expect it,”) or taking people aside an individual when they say something that you deem is inappropriate. Only you can determine which approach will work best. Overall you want to make sure that you leave personal roles at home, these ladies are not your aunties, and they’re your co-workers –who likely take issue with working with someone 20 years their junior – so treat them as such.

My fiancé and I are planning a big, lavish, wedding and we have restricted our families to only inviting a certain number of people, so as not to exceed my parent’s budget. My fiancé’s family is insisting on inviting many more people than they are allotted and it has caused the price of the reception to soar. Do you think that I should demand that his family pay for some of the reception, or at least the head count of the additional people that they are inviting, or does that break some etiquette rules? – Breaking the Bank for the Big Day

Dear Breaking the Bank for the Big Day,

Etiquette was out of the door once your future in-laws stepped on your toes and didn’t respect your parents’ budget. Since they —like many others—love to plan with other people’s money I would like to tell you to just make them pay for their extra guests, but that could potentially cause long-term strife with your hubby-to-be. Consequently, you need to speak with him first and make sure you’re on the same page about the finances and the numbers. If both families were given an equal amount of guests then it is up to him to make sure that he stands firm by your side when you speak with his family. During the conversation make sure to reiterate that the day is you and your fiancé’s, but you understand why it is to the family, but your parents – who are paying – have given you a budget and it is disrespectful to expect them to pay any excess. Let them know the precise number of people that they are allowed to invite and that any extra guests must be pre-paid for by specific date if they are to be seated. You can also opt to include your parents in on the meeting. I doubt that your future in-laws will speak recklessly or be callous about spending your parents’ money in their faces. With that said…standing firm is only possible if you are financially independent of your in laws. You don’t want to play hardball with someone who’s helping to pay your rent/mortgage or watching your kids for free. So make sure that you’re in a position where you can’t be penalized for standing up for yourself – and your parents – or you may end up paying a bigger price later.

Technorati Tags: s. tia brown,black advice,black columnists,black women,african american women

Black News: Saudi Judge Refuses to Annul Marriage Btw 8 Year Old and 47 Year old Man

A Saudi judge has refused for a second time to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 47-year-old man, a relative of the girl told CNN.

The most recent ruling, in which the judge upheld his original verdict, was handed down Saturday in the Saudi city of Onaiza, where late last year the same judge rejected a petition from the girl's mother, who was seeking a divorce for her daughter.

The relative said the judge, Sheikh Habib Al-Habib, "stuck by his earlier verdict and insisted that the girl could petition the court for a divorce once she reached puberty." The family member, who requested anonymity, added that the mother will continue to pursue a divorce for her daughter.

The case, which has drawn criticism from local and international rights groups, came to light in December when al-Habib declined to annul the marriage on a legal technicality. The judge ruled the girl's mother -- who is separated from the girl's father -- was not the girl's legal guardian and therefore could not represent her in court, according to Abdullah al-Jutaili, the mother's lawyer.

 

Click to read.

Genma Holmes: Nancy Grace Temporarily Breaks Her Obsession and Reports a Black Woman Missing

by Genma Holmes, YourBlackWorld

In today's world, many individuals can deliver the news. News anchors, reporters, journalists, bloggers and talent disguised as cable hosts and then there is Nancy Grace. Nancy Grace is in a genre by herself. She is the only person on television that covers missing kids with some facts and any rumor that can be found on the streets. I am convinced that CNN's Nancy Grace is obsessed with Caylee Anthony and needs psychiatric counseling immediately. With little objectivity and even less professionalism, Nancy conducts interviews equivalent to face offs. Nancy Grace, a former prosecutor, makes me wonder if she believes she can bypass the courts and send anyone straight to jail via her TV show.
Nancy Grace has a special way of making you hate to watch her and hate to miss the next show. Since July, her acid tongue has been fixated on the Anthony family complete with swirling pictures and videos on the TV screen. As a self professed news junkie, I can watch any show on any network with an open mind. But I can only watch Nancy Grace in short intervals. Nancy has become as creepy as a pedophile showing the pictures of Caylee throughout her show. Speaking of perverts, she closes the show to Michael Jackson’s song “Gone Too Soon”. The irony of that is too long to discuss in this posting. I often find myself begging my TV screen to show a child of color missing as if it would answer back.

Click to read.

Technorati Tags: black women,black news,african american women,african american news,genma holmes

How Much Does It cost to Have a Baby Anyway?

By: Sarah Horner
April 8, 2009
An article from MSNBC.com entitled, "Budgeting for Baby: What does it really cost?" outlines exactly how much having and raising a child will cost you.
"If you've never been a budgeter, now's the time for a financial reckoning. Experts recommend that parents-to-be and new parents dedicate themselves to whittling down their credit-card debt (ideally — and here's some tough love — to zero), while at the same time, building an emergencies-only savings account of six to nine months' worth of expenses. Do whatever it takes to meet this goal: Spend on a cash-only basis and write down every expense — or use a free online spending tracker like Quicken.Intuit.com or Wesabe.com — so you have a visceral idea of where your money goes. And be prepared to sacrifice. "If you want to prioritize the expense of a child, well, you may not need as many minutes on your cell phone and you may not need as many meals in a restaurant," says Chatzky. "And by the way, you're not going to be going to restaurants much once you have a child, anyway!""
To read the entire article, Click here

Technorati Tags: black money,african american money,black wealth,african american wealth

Your Black Health: Can Gay Men Now Have Children?

The UK’s Daily Mail is now claiming that:

British scientists are ready to turn female bone marrow into sperm, cutting men out of the process of creating life.
The breakthrough paves the way for lesbian couples to have children that are biologically their own.
Gay men could follow suit by using the technique to make eggs from male bone marrow.
Researchers at Newcastle upon Tyne University say their technique will help lead to new treatments for infertility.
But critics warn that it sidelines men and raises the prospect of babies being born through entirely artificial means.
The research centres around stem cells - the body's 'mother' cells which can turn into any other type of cell.
According to New Scientist magazine, the scientists want to take stem cells from a woman donor's bone marrow and transform them into sperm through the use of special chemicals and vitamins.

Technorati Tags: black news,african american news,black celebrity gossip

The End of One Year and Start of Another

It is the last day of 2008 and what an interesting year it has been. We all go through the normal ups and downs that any year can produce. I think that it is of great importance not only to make a resolution for the following year, but to look at what has happened in the current one. As it has been said so many times, we don't know where we are going unless we know where we have come from.

As I look at 2008, I made my fair share of mistakes, but feel that I have rebounded quite nicely. In my mistakes, I don't think that I put myself first as much as I now understand is necessary. It has always been within my being to make sure that those around me always had what they needed in life. Many times I have done for others at the expense of losing myself in the process. Taking the hit in order for someone else to succeed seemed like a selfless thing to do. I have found during the many years of doing this, I didn't do much for my own survival. Many women do this as we nurture and love those around us. Self-sacrifice can be good, but at the end of the day there must be something left for "self".

To right this wrong, I have decided to make more time for myself. I used to journal each day, but stopped many moons ago. Starting this blog on the last day of the year is a true beginning of something that I hope will create a sense of wholeness within me. I will hold strong to the positive things in my life that I already do regularly. About 7 years ago, I started to exercise each day. I started off walking at the park, eventually bought a treadmill and walked/jogged off 125 pounds to this date. I even had a baby in the middle of all of that. It is a must that this continue for my health and love that I possess for ME. Doing yoga and daily meditation needs to come out of the back seat and ride shot-gun with me through the next year. Being spiritually centered helps me to be a better person and stay focused on the grander scheme of things. Whatever helps you to feel grounded should to be a close companion.

I tend to always work hard, but I need to learn how to play a bit more. Having kids has caused me to be a bit ridged in my thinking. However, to raise well-rounded kids one must learn to have fun. I talk to my girls about a little bit of everything...discussions on the economy, war time chaos, what makes a good friend and love are some of the many things that we discuss. In 2009, I hope to get them out and see more things in the world around them. We need to run, get dirty and touch the things that we have seen and discussed. Kids should walk with their eyes wide open and be ready for anything that comes. Having these little people in my life is a perfect reason for me to do some things that I always wanted to do.

It is my continued intention to be the best friend and love to those important to me. People enter our lives for a reason. It should be our intention to discover their purpose in our small space and time. To not discover this intention is to miss the opportunity for something great to come into your being. Others are there to provide some type of personal growth, companionship, bring purpose and enjoyment into your life. I try not to get closed in my thinking as people come and go. When others comes into your existence, they leave a little bit of themselves and help to well round your prospectives. I love deeply, honestly, without regret and enjoy the beauty (and sometime pain) that comes from it.

I challenge you to start 2009 with a new outlook. With all that is going on in the world, there will be enough sorrow, anguish and turmoil to go around. Make it your intention to find a glowing reason to wake up each morning and take on the world. Take that smile and fire with you every place you go.

May peace and love be with you on your journey,

~~~Lisa~~~