A jet flew over NYC this week and scared people on the ground. Witnesses thought there would be another 9/11 incident, and the entire city was in a panic. Click the image to watch!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Black Health: Swine Flu Gets Out of Hand
Cases of swine flu were confirmed early today in Israel and New Zealand, the first definitive proof that the dangerous new virus has spread to Asia.
The World Health Organization, which yesterday raised its pandemic threat level from 3 to 4, two levels below a full-scale pandemic, will not meet today to consider another increase, a spokesman said at a news conference.
While the agency said people should think carefully before traveling to or from areas known to be affected by the flu virus, spokesman Gregory Hartl said it considers formal travel restrictions and border closures ineffective because people who would be screened could be infected but not yet showing symptoms.
"Border controls don't work. Screening doesn't work," Hartl said, according to Reuters news service, describing the economically-damaging travel bans as basically pointless in public health terms.
Technorati Tags: black heath,african american health
Black News: Ex Nets Star Jason Williams Reportedly Violent and Suicidal
Officers stunned a drunken and agitated Jayson Williams with a Taser at a swank Manhattan hotel Monday morning after reports that the troubled ex-NBA star appeared suicidal, police said.
Police were called to the hotel in Battery Park City in lower Manhattan around 4 a.m. after a report that the former New Jersey Nets star was suicidal, authorities said.
When officers arrived, there were empty bottles of prescription drugs strewn around the disheveled hotel suite of the 6-foot-10 Williams, police said.
Emergency Services Unit police, an elite team trained to deal with emotionally disturbed people, responded and stunned Williams with a Taser, handcuffed him and took him to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
Williams played nine seasons in the NBA with the Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers before retiring in 2000.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Black News: 3 Injured in Student Shooting at Hampton University
A former Hampton University student armed with three guns followed a pizza delivery man into the student's former dorm early Sunday, shot the delivery man and a dorm monitor, then turned the gun on himself, university officials said. All three survived.
No current students were injured and both victims and the alleged shooter were expected to recover. Officials could offer no motive for the shooting.
Hampton President William R. Harvey, who said he arrived within 15 minutes of the shooting, told a news conference the campus shooting could have been much worse.
"I think we are very, very fortunate. This could have been another — you fill in the blank," Harvey said.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Lady Drama TV: Chingy and the Transvestite, Mario Shaves His Head
Lady Drama talks about Chingy and his alleged sex life, Mario shaving his head and Rihanna’s new decoy of a boyfriend. Click the image to watch!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Barack Obama Being Pushed on Torture Issue
The White House and the Democratic leadership in the Senate signaled on Thursday that they would block for now any effort to establish an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration’s approval of harsh interrogation techniques.
In doing so, they sought to reduce pressure for a full inquiry — from, among others, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi — that has grown more intense since President Obama suggested on Tuesday that he would be open to such an investigation. While the White House has contended that Mr. Obama never actively supported an inquiry, his firmer opposition to the possibility, communicated to Congressional leaders in meetings on Wednesday night and Thursday, represented a shift in emphasis.
Meeting with the Democratic leadership on Wednesday night, Mr. Obama said a special inquiry would steal time and energy from his policy agenda, and could mushroom into a wider distraction looking back at the Bush years, people briefed on the discussion said. Mr. Obama, they said, repeated much the same message on Thursday at a bipartisan meeting with Congressional leaders.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Black Money: Credit Card Companies Get Harsh Words from the President
Ramping up his campaign to crack down on credit cards, President Obama met Thursday with more than a dozen executives of card-issuing companies to press his case for new consumer protections.
Obama, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and others met with executives of leading financial institutions like Visa (V, Fortune 500), American Express (AXP, Fortune 500), Mastercard (MA, Fortune 500),
Technorati Tags: barack obama,black money,african american money,black wealth,african american wealth
Black News: Black Prof Sues Columbia for $200M
A professor who gained national attention when a noose was found on her office door and was later fired for alleged plagiarism has filed a defamation lawsuit against her former school.
A former professor is suing Columbia University's Teachers College for defamation.
Madonna Constantine, formerly of the Teachers College of Columbia University, is seeking $200 million in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court.
Constantine contends her scholarly reputation was ruined when the school in February 2008 released the results of what it said was an 18-month investigation into the plagiarism allegations. The school at the time said it found "numerous instances in which she used others' work without attribution in papers she published in academic journals over the past five years."
She was immediately suspended and later fired in June 2008.
"This was a scheme cooked up between the head of the department and former faculty," said Paul J. Giacomo Jr., the lawyer representing Constantine. "We had evidence of her original writing that dates back to the 1990s, but it was altered or dismissed."
A spokeswoman for the Teachers College said, "This case is totally without merit and (the college) intends to defend against it vigorously."
Giacomo said the "baseless" charges of plagiarism, coming on the heels of the October 2007 noose incident, made some members of the media question that incident.
Howard Stern Embarrasses Beyonce Big Time
Howard Stern plays a horrible tape of Beyonce singing. Turns out that it was a hoax, but damn….she sounds as bad as she did in Dream Girls!
Beyonce sounds worse than you’ve ever heard her. Turns out that the tape is not real.Click the image to watch.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Playwright Lynn Nottage Wins the 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.
Technorati Tags: lynn nottage,black news,african american news,black writers,african american writers
William “The Refrigerator” Perry in the Hospital
Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman William “The Refrigerator” Perry is in serious condition at a South Carolina hospital, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Perry, 46, was hospitalized to deal with complications from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a chronic inflammation disorder of the peripheral nerves, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune reported.
Aiken Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Melissa Summer declined to give additional details Tuesday.
Perry’s nephew, Purnell Perry, told the Sun-Times his uncle was admitted more than a week ago but was expected to recover.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Black Celebrity News: Oprah Winfrey Cancels
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.
Technorati Tags: oprah winfrey,black news,african american news,black politics,african american politics
Black Celebrity News: Lady Drama Breaks down Nick and Mariah’s Baby Situation
Lady Drama breaks down the major fights between the Real Housewives, Nick and Mariah’s Baby mission, why Cassie needs half a weave, and why Solange should not be teaching safe sex to nobody!
Click the image to watch the latest episode! Visit our Black Celebrity Gossip Channel to see the rest!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Your Black Politics: Barack Obama Boycotts Meeting on Racism
The Obama administration will boycott "with regret" a U.N. conference on racism next week over objectionable language in the meeting's final document that could single out Israel for criticism and restrict free speech, the State Department said Saturday.
The decision follows weeks of furious internal debate and will likely please Israel and Jewish groups that lobbied against U.S. participation. But the move upset human rights advocates and some in the African-American community who had hoped that President Obama, the nation's first black president, would send an official delegation.
The administration had wanted to attend the April 20-25 meeting in Geneva, although it warned in late February it would not go unless significant changes were made to the draft text.
Technorati Tags: racism,barack obama,black news,african american news,black politics,african american politics
Friday, April 17, 2009
Black Money: Michigan, DC Other cities hit hard by unemployment
Unemployment rose in 46 states and Washington, D.C., in March, with Michigan leading the way at 12.6%, the government said Friday.
The most dramatic increase was in Oregon, which went from 10.7% to 12.1% - the second-highest among the states.
Oregon was followed by South Carolina, at 11.4% in March, and California, at 11.2%.
The Michigan job market has been hit hard by the battered auto industry. The Big Three carmakers have shed tens of thousands of jobs because of giant corporate losses and waning demand for vehicles.
In Oregon, employment is heavily reliant on the lumber industry, which has suffered from the decline in homebuilding in California and elsewhere.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Black News: Jamie Foxx Gets Heat for his Words About Miley Cirus
Jamie Foxx Might be in trouuuuuble!
The 41-year-old’s foul outburst was prompted by a caller to the show who brought up a month-old story in which Cyrus pledged to “ruin” Radiohead after the rockers rejected a request to meet with the Disney star backstage at the Grammys.
“Who is Miley Cyrus?” an incredulous Foxx, who has a teenage daughter of his own, said. “The one with all the gums? She gotta get a gum transplant…S–t.”
The insults didn’t stop there. Or get less personal.
“She’s gonna ruin Radiohead’s career? The same Radiohead that gets paid a million dollars just to sample their songs?
“Make a sex tape and grow up,” he continued. “Get like Britney Spears and do some heroin. Do like Lindsay Lohan and start seeing a lesbian and get some crack in your pipe. Catch chlamydia on a bicycle seat.
“That’s what I want.” E Online
Miley’s dad, Billy Ray, is particularly upset, according to the source.
“He thinks Jamie was out of line and didn’t find any humor in it,” the source told me this afternoon. “He doesn’t understand why he would do that to Miley, especially since he has teenage daughter himself.” E Online
Foxx noted to Jay Leno that he was doing a routine, saying: “Sometimes as comedians, you know, we go a little too far.”
Technorati Tags: jamie foxx,black celebrity gossip,black news,african american news,black celebrities
Black news: Drop in Black Male Drug incarcerations
For the first time since the war on drugs became a national law enforcement obsession in the mid-1980s, the number of African-Americans in state prisons for drug offenses has declined, a criminal justice reform organization said.
The number of whites in state prison for drugs rose 42.6 percent since 1999, while blacks dropped 21.6 percent.
A study released Tuesday by the Sentencing Project found a 21.6 percent drop in the number of blacks incarcerated for drug offenses, a decline of 31,000 people, from 1999 to 2005.
The corresponding number of whites in state prisons for drug offenses rose 42.6 percent, or by more than 21,000 people, while the number of Hispanics was virtually unchanged, according to "The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs."
The study, authored by Executive Director Marc Mauer, found that the differences between black and white imprisonments for drug crimes are partly because of how police target suspects and court sentencing guidelines, which vary by state.
Also, there has been a decrease in the use of crack cocaine in predominantly minority urban neighborhoods and an increase in methamphetamine abuse in many primarily white rural areas, Mauer said Wednesday.
Black Celebrities: Does Allen Iverson Have a Gambling Problem?
Allen Iverson has gone from being a one-man economic stimulus plan for the city's downtown casinos to persona non grata. He has spent a ton of money down there, but recently he's been banned from both MGM and Greektown casinos.
The NBA is looking into a disturbance at Greektown that involved one of Iverson's body guards. Iverson may have been trying to act as a peacemaker but his body guard was involved in some kind of tussle.
Your Black News: Queen Latifah’s Legal Problems with her Stylists
Hip Hop star turned actress Queen Latifah is being hit with two separate lawsuits from former stylists for a total of roughly $1M dollars. In both cases, the women claim that Latifah owes them back fees for consulting with her on her Covergirl and Curvations lines.
What’s worse for Latifah is that the suits threaten to expose her lifestyle “whatever that may be……” Should be interesting to see what the cases expose. This could be even worse for the Queen’s bottom line.
Dr Boyce Watkins speaks on Russell Simmons, the RushCard and Predatory Lending
After writing his commentary on the Rushcard issued by Russell Simmons, Dr. Boyce appears on BBC World News again to discuss the card, predatory lending and whether Simmons is doing a good or bad thing for the Black community.
Dr Watkins is one of the world’s leading financial experts and a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and also a financial writer for America Online. For more information, visit www.BoyceWatkins.com. Click the image to listen!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Hip Hop News: Officer Rick Ross Tries to Defend His Corrections Officer Past
When MTV News had the chance to listen to Rick Ross' Deeper Than Rap on Monday, two things stood out to us immediately about the much-discussed track"Valley of Death": It does not feature Lil Wayne as advertised, at least not on the album, which is due out on April 21. But Ross does speak briefly on his controversial stint as a prison guard.
"N---a never had a gun and badge," he stresses, dismissing the word that he was indeed an officer of the law. "Can't criticize n---as trying to get a job."
Later he implies that while he was working as a corrections officer, he was also on the streets, declaring that he had "two jobs."
"I'll C.O. so we could bow our head and pray over the meatloaf," Ross rhymes. "You can label me the biggest label in the game."
Monday, April 13, 2009
African Americans Less Likely to get Proper Cancer Treatment
Black patients with lung cancer are less likely than white patients to receive recommended chemotherapy and surgery, a new study finds.
Disparities in lung cancer treatments were as large in 2002 as they were back in the early 1990s, even though there have been efforts to decrease those inequalities in treatment, the study said.
"This study shows what most of the previous research has shown -- that disparities in treatment patterns [still exist] between blacks and whites," said Katherine S. Virgo, director of health services research the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in the study.
The findings were published online April 13 in the journalCancer.
For the study, Dale Hardy, of the University of Texas School of Public Health, and colleagues collected data on 83,101 people 65 and older with non-small cell lung cancer -- the most common form of lung cancer -- between 1991 and 2002.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Your Black Money: Tax Mistakes You Want to Avoid
Gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines. Tax Day is less than a week away.
But as you race toward the finish line, be mindful of common tax-filing errors. Some mistakes could cost you money. Others could raise red flags at the IRS. Tax software will do math and point out tax breaks you might overlook, but these programs are only as good as the information you enter.
Here are some common last-minute blunders, and how to avoid them:
Automatically not itemizing.
A 2002 study by the Government Accountability Office found that more than 2 million taxpayers who claimed the standard deduction could have lowered their tax bills by itemizing.
Deductible expenses include interest on your mortgage, property taxes, charitable contributions and unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjustable gross income.
Ordinarily, that threshold puts the medical-expense deduction out of reach for most taxpayers who have employer-provided health care.
But the economic downturn has led employers to shift more of the cost of health care to their workers in the form of higher deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance. That means more taxpayers could rack up enough unreimbursed expenses to claim the deduction, says Mary Canning, dean of the schools of taxation and accounting at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Automatically itemizing.
Black News: Barack and Michelle Finally Pick their Puppy
Who let the dog out?
That's the Washington mystery du jour.
The identity of the first puppy — the one that the Washington press corps has been yelping about for months, the one President Obama has seemed to delight in dropping hints about -- leaked out yesterday. This despite White House efforts to delay the news until the big debut planned for Tuesday afternoon.
The little guy is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog given to the Obama girls as a gift by that Portuguese water dog-lovin' senator himself, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. The girls named it Bo — and let it be noted that you learned that here first. Malia and Sasha chose the name, because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because first lady Michelle Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley, a source said. (Get it? Bo . . . Diddley?)
Our Broken Prisons and How They Affect Black Men
Harry C. Alford
There is one serious fault that America has yet to actually address: the medieval prison system that we have implemented and have actually enlarged over the last few decades.
No other nation imprisons its citizens the way America does. For a free democratic nation we have a system that belongs with some sort of tyranny or oppressive order. It is oppressive and targets people of color – particularly African-Americans.
There are more African-American males in prisons than in college institutions. That is not the stuff that makes a nation great.
I have a degree in Correctional Administration from the University of Wisconsin. It was during internships that I noticed the actual prison systems did not match the scholarly material I was studying.
There was no direct attempt to address recidivism or actually rehabilitate offenders. The prisons were warehouses that eventually developed into “cash cows” by the manipulative and greedy. US prisons for the most part have become predators on the general population.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Would You Try to Pull Off This Look?
Nope your eyes aren't playing tricks on you that's Diddy's chick Cassie all half shaved. Now I am not sure what the hell she was thinking maybe she was trying to be like Amber Rose or maybe she just got bored, but then again what else is a girl to do when she is irrelevant. Peep some more pics of her new look below.
I ain't even gonna hate on her she is definitely pretty enough to rock this look 
Someone needs to tell her that the "Partying Like a Rockstar" trend is over
Friday, April 10, 2009
Black Professor Says Black Athletes are Driving Ms. Daisy
Dr. Billy Hawkins, University of Georgia
Excerpts from the forthcoming book – The New Plantation: The Internal Colonization of Black Male Athletes
It should not take a long stretch of the imagination to see how Black male athletes contribute significantly to the athletic labor class at predominantly White National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Institutions (PWI’s); thus, to the overall bottom-line of the revenue generated. Their presence as starters and their representation on the top football and basketball programs in the country speak volumes to PWI’s need for Black male athletes. Tables 1 &2 illustrate the contribution Black male athletes make for some of the top athletic programs in the nation.
Within this current economic configuration, another area to consider is the contribution Black male athletes are making towards “Title IX sports”[1]: those sports that are added to meet gender equity requirements, which undoubtedly are played mostly by White women (e.g. rifle, golf, equestrian, rowing, bowling, and lacrosse). According to Welch Suggs:
…Only 2.7 percent of women receiving scholarships to play all other sports at predominantly white colleges in Division I are black. Yet those are precisely the sports – golf, lacrosse, and soccer, as well as rowing – that colleges have been adding to comply with Title IX.[2]
Therefore, since Title IX has provided very limited opportunity for Black females but additional opportunities for White women to compete and Black male athletes make-up the greater percentage of the revenue generating sports that contribute to athletic departments’ revenue, and thus their ability to support these additional sports, a reoccurring historical relationship between the White female and Black male has been resurrected. I refer to this contribution and connection as the “Driving Miss Daisy” syndrome.
Finally: Roland Martin Gets His Own CNN Gig
People have asked me what I think about Roland Martin getting his new gig on CNN. I can only say that IT’S ABOUT TIME! I’ve been waiting and hoping that CNN would choose a Black personality to brand that matches all the other personalities they’ve chosen to back financially. Their original choice of DL Hughley as the first African American personality to grace their airwaves was incredibly disrespectful, as he turned the historic election of President Obama into a modern day minstrel show.
When I first met Roland, he rubbed me the wrong way, in large part because I secretly wondered if he would ever stop talking to me (I tend to go to a quiet space when making media appearances, to help me focus on seeking truth in my commentary). But I eventually learned that Roland is a righteous Black man who believes in what he is saying, and like my other homeboy Marc Lamont Hill, Roland has made tremendous sacrifices in order to get to where he is today (you have no idea how much sacrifice is made behind the scenes). I’ve appeared on shows with Roland and I find him to be the most intriguing media personality to hit the national airwaves in quite a while. Roland sent me supportive text messages during my feud with Bill O’Reilly and he has always shown me love when I’ve stopped through WVON, his home radio station.
I respect Roland Martin and I am damn glad to see him finally get his shot. It is my greatest hope that this temporary filler will turn into a show of his own. He is a helluva lot better than Glenn Beck!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Your Black Love: Giving Your Ex Another Chance
This week I take on the challenging decision on whether to give an ex another chance and how to make friends when you’re the new kid on the block.
Should you give an ex a second chance? Or third chance or etc…? – One More Chance in NYC
Dear One More Chance,
Only you can decide whether an ex is worthy of another shot at love, but there are a few things you should ask yourself. First, are you revisiting this relationship because you genuinely believe this is the love of your life or due to loneliness? The single scenes can be fun, but really taxing and dating an ex is a quick fix because of the instant gratification-but as time passes you’ll start to remember why things tanked. Secondly, has this person improved on the issues that caused the split? If they’re still lazy, unfaithful or just plain ugly— in their ways— why will it work this time around? Lastly, what’s different about you? Hopefully you’ve worked on any issues that you had that contributed to the demise of the relationship. After pondering these questions you’ll be able to conclude whether rekindling this romance or keeping the flames doused is best.
How do you make ‘girlfriends’ in a new city? Male friends are easy to make or come-by. As I have moved a couple of times since college, I have found it challenging to create sincere girlfriend relationships. I have met women that I like and have clicked with, but what do you say…can I get your number? – In Search of Sisterhood
Dear In Search of Sisterhood,
Instead of focusing on making new friendships try putting more energy into strengthening the ones you have. Whether it’s bi-weekly calls or weekly emails, communicating with someone who “gets you” will help take the sting off of being galpal-less in a new place. Sadly, as people get older they can become more cliquish and settled in their routines, so many tend to be less welcoming - but that doesn’t mean you’ll be downing Cosmos solo forever. Try joining organizations, classes or activities that pique your interest. Your new membership will be personally fulfilling and allow you to meet other ladies who share similar hobbies. If you meet someone you hit it off with don’t be afraid to make the first move – get those digits! Set up a time to meet her for coffee, dinner or exercise class to get to know each other better. If the person brushes you aside more than twice let it go, she’s just not that into you. Move on to the next galpal of your dreams. True friendship isn’t something that can be forced; it’s either there or isn’t.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Great George Kilpatrick Interviews Iyanla Vanzant
Click the image below to hear Your Black World's George Kilpatrick interview the amazing Iyanla Vanzant. Iyanla Vanzant is a well-known spiritual leader and life coach. You've seen her appear with Oprah Winfrey, Essence Magazine and in many other venues across America. Iyanla Vanzant is considered by many to be one of the great speakers and motivators in America.
In the interview, you get a chance to hear George Kilpatrick, one of the great radio show hosts in America, get direct inspiration from Vanzant, who has become a black woman that inspires the world. Iyanla is changing the world, Your Black World.
POSTED BY YOURBLACKWORLD STAFF AT 12:47 AM 0 COMMENTS
LABELS: BLACK AMERICA, BLACK WOMEN, GEORGE KILPATRICK, IYANLA VANZANT, OPRAH WINFREY
BBC World News Discusses Black Athletes
Dr Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University, tells BBC World News that the NCAA has done a terrible job of seeing to it that African American players graduate. He also explains the massive multi-billion dollar wealth extraction taking place via college sports. Finally, Watkins mentions that the NCAA does a poor job of allowing Black coaches the chance to coach the sport to which Black males give so much. Click the image to listen!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Michelle Obama Like You’ve Never Seen Her Before
Notice something different about Michelle Obama, she has a nice glow about her, doesn't she?
That's because you're looking at the first wax likeness of the first lady, which was unveiled at the Washington, D.C., branch of Madame Tussauds early Tuesday. Unlike some of the other stars in the museum who posed for their figure, this statue was created based entirely on images of Mrs. Obama. They even included her signature pearls and black flats. Mr. Obama's wax statue was unveiled here not too long ago as well. He is also the first commander-in-chief to be on display in all eight Madame Tussauds locations worldwide, which is quite an honor.
Mrs Obama is only the third first lady to receive such a tribute, the first two being Jacqueline Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.
Now hopefully Sasha and Malia will get the wax treatment as well.
--
Posted By Jazzie to Your Black Gossip at 4/07/2009 05:16:00 PM
Monday, April 6, 2009
How to Handle Tacky Comments from Relatives
Got issues? Well I have answers. My advice philosophy is simple:
Getting to our best self is easy if you take it one choice at a time.
This week I tackle a double-dose of trouble (and more). What is the best way to handle a situation when your own relatives are critical about the way you run your home and they also want to live with you rent-free?
I’m a happily married attorney with a loving husband and two adorable toddler-aged sons. My girlfriend complains about the state of my house – she thinks it’s too messy - but I am really content. I don’t see what she sees. What should I do? – Sloppy But Satisfied
Dear Sloppy But Satisfied:
Friends always have opinions but at the end of the day it is your life to live. Your biggest concerns shouldn’t be your friend’s perspective but whether you can function and whether your husband and young children are content and able to thrive in your home’s current state. If the answers to all of theses questions are yes, then tell your friend thanks, but no thanks, for his/her commentary. But if the answer is no, you should really take a look at how you can keep a more organized and aesthetically pleasing home. Since your schedule is definitely a hectic one you can start by making a cleaning schedule for larger duties, such as cleaning the bathroom or doing the laundry. Another great way to keep things tidy is to set aside 15 minutes at the end of the night after the kids are put to bed to make sure everything is put away. Ultimately, only you can determine what system works best for you.
Several of my family members live with me rent-free and contribute very little to the household finances. However, they are always making comments about the way I parent and run my house. I am very stressed and often feel upset when I’m home. What should I do? – Crowded and Confused
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Black News: The Obama’s Take Europe by Storm
Already a crazy crew, the European paparazzi must be out of their minds with anticipation: Michelle Obama has arrived for a visit.
Buoyed by positive reviews at home, the first lady embarked with her husband on their first overseas trip, virtually certain to attract as much klieg-light attention as President Obama on a five-day visit to Europe. The couple arrived in London on Tuesday.
What will she do, whom will she meet, what will she wear? When she accompanies her husband to Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday, will she be — gasp! — sleeveless?
And speaking of the money shot, imagine the roar of firing camera shutters when tall, chic ex-lawyer Michelle meets tall, chic ex-model Carla — that is, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, first lady of France. Galaxies colliding indeed.
But don't expect Obama to branch out on her own, make policy statements or be provocative. Her role on this trip, says her press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, will conform to traditional first lady parameters. She will join her husband at his events, going solo only twice, and won't give interviews. She will listen raptly to his speeches, charm the locals at glittery dinners and visit first lady-type places (an opera house, cancer clinic, girls' school, hospital, a cathedral) with her counterparts in Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.
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