Friday, March 30, 2012

Real.Life.Woman.Talk.Weekend Playlist Picks!


Good Morning Beautiful Ladies...

3.30.12 Thought Of The Day

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Healthcare: Pay For It Now Or Pay For It Later


The idea that we are individually separated individuals with regards to public health care is an untruth. Death and Communicable Diesease do not respect one's insurance coverage, bank balance, or social status. The idea that you won't pay for someone else to have preventive and treatable health care is a lie. Simply stated you will eventually decide what you'll pay...Your Money or Your Life. Have A Healthy Day!

Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Yes, It's Wednesday...

3.28.12 Thought Of The Day

Friday, March 23, 2012

Stay Healthy Tip: Spring Allergies


Remember to be mindful of allergies and allergens as you enjoy the outdoors. Flowers aren't the only things blooming (i.e. poison ivy, poison oak). Stock up on allergy meds and be sure to purchase some diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for potential serious reactions. Have A Healthy Day!!!

Colton Dixon's Version of Piano Man Check It Out

If You Must Curse...

3.23.12 Thought Of The Day




"Why you? Because there's no one better. Why now? Because tomorrow isn't soon enough." - Donna Brazile

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The "Hoodie Experiment' - Try It Out And See How It Works For You...

The 'Hoodie Experiment' by Deric Muhammand
(Note: This Was Written Prior To The Murder of Trayvon Martin)

If Jesus came back to save the world how would he be received if he chose to show up in a "hoodie?" If the "cover of darkness" that he decided to come under were a Black fleece hooded sweatshirt and he arbitrarily walked in and sat on the back row of the church, synagogue or the mosque, how would we respond? These are questions that swim around in my head every winter when I pull my hoodies out and decide that I don’t want my bald head to freeze over. There is something about a young, Black male in a hoodie that makes everyone want to double check to make sure their doors are locked when in reality some of us are just trying to keep our ears warm.

As a member of the Nation of Islam, I was trained to wear a suit practically every day. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad dressed his followers in business attire, because he wanted to prepare us to meet with the business people of the entire world. He also taught us that "opposites attract"; that we should not go among our people offering what we have been taught looking exactly as they do. These are profound lessons that every Black man in America can benefit from.
When I am "dressed up" in a custom suit, I am usually treated with some form of distinction. White people can’t help but at some point ask "excuse me, sir, you look so sharp and well-spoken, what do you do?" That’s their way of saying with political correctness, "you don’t look like the rest of the nigg**s." If I am recognized for my activist role in the community, I am sometimes treated with some form of honor. However, when I am "dressed down" in my jeans, sneakers and my "hoodie," I get the opportunity to see how young Black males are treated for real. People double-lock their doors, clutch their pocketbooks, decide to wait for "the next elevator" and can be generally rude. It’s a more profound experience when you change from your three-piece suit to your hoodie on the same day. It’s as if the world becomes a different place. And while I recognize the power of presentation and how wearing a suit and tie can afford you some visible advantages, I also recognize that not every brother has a suit or tie and I am more concerned about the way my people are treated "dressed down" than the way I am treated "dressed up."
I know what some of you are thinking. Some of you are thinking this treatment is justified, because "these youngsters just need to pull up their pants." I agree, in part. Walking around with your boxer stains on display is not the way to earn respect. But, the truth is we feel this way because the Black male image has been hijacked, repackaged and villainized by the mass media. When we see a Black male wearing a hoodie, we automatically think of "O-Dog" from the movie "Menace to Society" shooting the owner of a convenience store because he said something about his mother.
We don’t look at the man in the hoodie and think "Wow, I wonder if that’s Brother Deric under there." The reality is, it just might be. And a more important reality is that the biggest thieves, murderers and robbers in the country wear suits, not hoodies. You should be even more afraid when you see them coming.

As a young student of revolution, I studied the life of

There are various ways for leadership to do this. Pastors and ministers should go to great lengths to find out how common people are treated when they enter the doors of their churches. A church, mosque or synagogue who treats the least member the same way the pastor or minister is treated is one that God would be pleased with. Leaders should call anonymously to their own organizations and get a feel for how common, everyday people are treated. News reporters should just go and anonymously stand in a line to recieve "food stamp" assistance and see how mothers who may have hit a tough time in life are treated. What a story that would make! We live in a society that doesn’t give a damn how common people are treated, because people in leadership are too busy worried about how they, themselves, are treated. It is the culture of a society that was built on slave labor; only I am not simply speaking of the way Whites treat Black people, I am speaking of the way we treat one another. If you have lost your compassion for the way everyday people are treated, then your leadership will be short-lived. God is turning the page as we speak.

Jesus set the standard for nearness to him by saying that the mistreatment of "the least of these, my brethren" represented the mistreatment and neglect of Jesus himself, (Matthew 25:40). Go and read it for yourself. Leadership is only as good as the treatment afforded to the least of those that they are supposed to be serving. If every Black male in a hoodie were unintelligent then Jay-Z wouldn’t be a multi-millionaire. If every man in a suit were to be trusted then Bernie Madoff wouldn’t have become a multi-billionaire scheming hard-working families out of millions of dollars. More crimes are commited in Brooks Brothers suits than in Roc-a-wear hoodies. I’m simply saying, be careful not to base your opinions of others on the images you see on TV. Jesus might just decide to make his return wearing a hoodie just to see how we treat "the least of these our brethren." I encourage all professionals, preachers, parents, politicians, leaders and others to take the "Hoodie Experiment." Just put on a hoodie one day and get a glimpse of how our young people are treated. If you choose not to do that, just find a way to put yourself directly in the shoes of the people you are supposed to serve. When you see how they are treated it may give you some insight into why they act the way they act. Most of you think you know their experience, but you really don’t. Truth is, no individual can rise above the condition of his or her people. So even, if you wear a suit most days like me, or President Obama (ahem!), at some point, society will remind you of this. Our president is a well-dressed world leader, but
Learn to look beneath the hoodie and beyond the cuff links. For, if we are unwilling to look beyond the surface we will never be able to find the substance. And we need the substance in order to survive.
(Deric Muhammad is a Houston-based Activist/Organizer in the Ministry of Justice. Visit his website at
the late-great Libyan leader Col. Maummar Ghadafi. An unforgettable story is told about his early days as the leader of the country when he was about 28 or 29 years of age. He used to slip away from his security, dress up in disguise and disappear into the streets among the homeless, destitute, poor and hopeless people of Libya. He, the president and leader of a nation, used to live on the streets for weeks at time. He was trying to better connect himself to their experience so that he could make effective decisions for them. This afforded him the opportunity to see firsthand what their needs were. It better equipped him to be able to serve them which, despite what is written about him negatively, he did. Ghadafi was willing to put himself in the shoes of the least, the last and the lost in order to see what his people were suffering at the moment. I found this to be a very powerful tool.considering the way he is treated by a certain demographic in America, he may as well wear a hoodie every day.www.dericmuhammad.com.)


Click here for the original article posted on The Final Call:
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Perspectives_1/article_8680.shtml#.T2pswwXVlF4.facebook

 

Please Don't Shoot Me

3.22.12 Thought Of The Day

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
by Mindy Kaling

This is my first book review and I thought it appropriate to start out with something that was an easy read plus entertaining. Thank goodness I came across this book by Mindy Kaling. Let me state up front that I think I am probably one of the last remaining people on earth that has never seen an episode of The Office, so I literally picked this book from the title alone. Before reading this book, I had no idea of who Mindy Kaling was and now I feel as if I know her.

Mindy wrote this book in a way that allows the reader to feel as if they were going through some of her life experiences right beside her. If you are not an avid reader but love to read then this book is for you. Let me revise that last sentence. If you are a female and not an avid reader but love to read this book is for you. Why? Because this book has Mindy saying a lot of the things we want to say out loud and are only thinking. You know that moment when you actually have to ask yourself, "Did I just say that out loud?" She also reveals many things that you may have thought but never told anyone only because you thought you were the only person thinking that. All I can say is Mindy is your girl because odds are you have at least one other person that shares that thought. One of my favorite moments in the book was when she wrote about the differences from men and boys. She said until she was thirty she only dated boys. She also defined commitment that women want and not what men think it is, at least in her opinion. I totally agree with her 100% when she wrote, I’m not talking about commitment to romantic relationships. I’m talking about commitment to things: houses, jobs, neighborhoods…It’s a commitment to not floating around anymore.

There are several moments in this book that Mindy nearly reminds me of one of my best friends. She is funny and I don’t think she realizes how much and my friend is the same way. I think we all have that one friend that you really can’t get mad at and if you do it can’t be for longer than a minute because they are just being themselves. Based on the text of this book, I would venture out to say that Mindy Kaling is that friend in her circle.

Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show Interview with Mindy Kaling

Yes...You!

3.21.12 Thought Of The Day

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A Great Idea as Added Security To Your Home...

Put your car keys beside your bed at night...and tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr's office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across!



If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this. It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

P.S. Send this to everyone you know because it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. It was suggested that all elderly carry their car keys with them in case they fall outside and no one hears them. They can activate the car alarm and then someone will know there's a problem. Please pass this on even IF you've read it before. It's a reminder.

Welcome Spring 2012

3.20.12 Thought Of The Day

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hey Ladies "Spring IS Near...."

  Spring is near!!! It's time to pull out the pretty spring eye-shadows Pink,blue,green and purple... Try the FBR Palettes http://fbrcosmetics.com/products-page/artist-palettes  

  
For a glamorous look, try our intensely-colored eye shadows. These smooth-textured shadows come in matte, frost, and shimmer finishes which flawlessly glide on making your eyes irresistible to all. With several shades to choose from in convenient five and fifteen shade palette, you will be sure to mesmerize everyone in sight. 

Beyoncé - If I Were A Boy


3.19.12 Thought Of The Day


Thursday, March 15, 2012

Movie Review: 21 Jump Street

The 2012 movie is based on the TV sitcom of the late eighties and early nineties involving young cops going undercover in high school to break up a drug ring. Unlike the seriousness of the sitcom, the movie is a bit more on the lighter side with a combination of action and comedy.  If you never saw the TV series, you will still be able to enjoy the movie. 
Jenko (Channing Tatum , the popular high school jock,  and Schmidt (Jonah Hill), the unpopular nerd, meet again seven years after high school graduation in the police academy.  This time around the pair become friends and helps each other through the academy.  Despite their enthusiasm, the pair is sent to the undercover division of 21 Jump Street to break up a drug ring at a local high school after a botched arrest.  This time around Jenko and Schmidt have a different experience in high school, in a reversal of roles of sort.  They realize high school is not what they remembered.  Aside from dealing with the insecurities that come along with high school, re-living their glory days or not so glory days, the two still have a job to do by identifying and bringing down the dealers and suppliers of the drugs.
Ice Cube portrays the no nonsense captain who runs the Jump Street division.   The language may be off putting if you are sensitive to swearing.  A nod to the past, the Jump Street division is in the same abandoned church from the TV series. If you do not mind a bit of slapstick comedy, you should this movie as long as you do not take it too seriously and do not mind obvious stereotypes.
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Dave Franco, Ice Cube
Cameo appearances by cast members from the original TV show include, Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson Peete and Peter DeLuise.
Opens March 16, 2012
Run time approximately 1 hour 44 minutes.

21 Jump Street Trailer Official 2012


My Mind. My Body. My Choice,


3.15.12 Thought Of The Day


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Why Are Women Still Fighting For Equal Pay In 2012?

I recently read this article an purposely saved it to post during Women's History Month. Why do women still have to fight for equal pay for equal work in the United States of America? It is amazing to me that we call ourselves to be the greatest country in the world, literally. Even with all of the bullshit going on in Washington, the economic woes and such we still have this idea that this country is exceptional. If that is the case, may I ask how can we say that when women are still treated less than equal when it comes to work and pay?


NJ legislators target women's pay inequality

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012
BY HUGH R. MORLEY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

* Bill to address male-female inequality failed to get Senate support in 2010.

New Jersey legislators are prodding Congress into addressing what they see as the stubborn inequality, and unfairness, between men's and women's pay. The Assembly last week overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act., which is stalled. The federal bill would make it tougher for employers to pay women less than men, and easier for female workers to seek legal remedies if it happens. Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt, D-Camden, who sponsored the bill, said U.S. census data show that women in New Jersey earn about 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. "Even though we have women being educated at a much higher rate than men, the minute they walk out the [college] door, the minute they go for their first job, they are instantly paid less than men," Lampitt said. A state Senate version of the bill is before the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.

The federal Paycheck Fairness Act was introduced in 2009 and 2010, and failed to get the support of the Senate in November 2010, with most Democrats backing it and Republicans opposing it. Supporters reintroduced the bill last April, when President Obama said he would back it. Opponents, including business groups, said the bill would hamstring employers in setting pay levels and make companies vulnerable to expensive and disruptive litigation over the issue. The bill addresses the male-female pay inequality in several ways, including strengthening the ability of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pursue discrimination cases, said Terri Boyer, executive director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University. "One of the big things that it does is prohibit employers from retaliating against workers who discuss" their salaries, she said. The bill also requires employers to prove that a pay inequality exists for legitimate business, or job-related reasons, Boyer said.
She said studies have shown several reasons why women earn less than men, including the fact that women are "clustered" in low-paying jobs, such as child care, she said. Women are also less likely to negotiate for a higher salary when they take a job, which depresses their salary for the future, too, Boyer said. And salaries are further depressed if women take time off to care for their children, Boyer said. When they return to the workforce, women also may find they can't climb the corporate ladder as fast as men because employers consider them less committed to work and unable or unwilling to work long hours, Boyer said.
Email: morley@northjersey.com
Source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/139673713_N_J__lawmakers_urge_Congress_to_back_fair_pay.html

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For The Work Of A Day, For The Taxes We Pay

3.13.12 Thought Of The Day

Thursday, March 8, 2012

It's Our Day!

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. Below you will see a timeline taken from http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ which is the resource that you will need to go to in order to find out more about this awesome day dedicated to women. When you go to http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ you will see a tone of information about this day as well as events and resouces regarding International Women's Day!

1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. In 1908, fifteen thousand women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910
In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread of Roses' campaign.

1913-1914
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.

1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.

1918 - 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men. However, great improvements have been made, and so the tone and nature of IWD. For the past few years, the tone has moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.
 

Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman

Happy International Women's Day!!!

3.8.12 Thought Of The Day

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Stay Healthy Tip: I Hate Water!!!

"I Hate Water" is a comment frequently heard as an excuse for not consuming enough of it. Well ok but it is the first thing we attempt to replenish when your ill. Hence the reason that almost everyone in the hospital has a bag of fluids hanging. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning and you will be more likely to drink more through out the day. Have A Healthy Day!!!

Chrisette Michele - If I Have My Way

The House Was Clean Last Week...

3.7.12 Thought Of The Day

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Perfect Lip!!


Lip makeup tips that are quite handy and useful yet perform miracles have been enlisted here:

*For long lasting lip color, apply sheer layer of foundation on lips, dust powder on them and then color them. This also helps lipstick not to change its color on dark lips.


*Choose a lip liner close to lipstick color to define the shape of lips.


*To make your lips look thicker, make the outline just outside your natural lip line, for a thinner lip look, place the outline just inside the natural lip line.

*Now fill the defined shape with lipstick using a brush and blend the color well with the outline until the latter is not noticeable.

*Lipsticks can be glossy, matte, creamy or frost ones. Choose the one that suits you and do not make the skin on lip look dried and chipped.

*A sheer tinted gloss look can also be achieved by sucking on the Popsicle of desired shade!

*Apply two coats of lipstick for longer durability. After the first coat, press the lips on a tissue paper and then apply the other coat. Outlining of the lips prevents lip color bleeding.

*Lip-gloss can be applied on lipstick or used alone for a nude look.

*Gloss makes lips appear fuller…

These tips and some FBR Lip-Gloss or Lipstick will create the perfect lip……

Source: http://www.fbrcosmetics.com/ and http://www.indobase.com/

Maxwell - This Woman's Work

Men Are Like Bluetooth...