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Michael Vick, Humane Society Say Android App Glorifies Dogfighting

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Michael Vick and the Humane Society said on Monday that an application built to run on Google Inc.'s Android software glorifies dogfighting.

The cellphone app is called "Dog Wars" and lets players feed, water, train and fight their virtual dogs against others.

"I've come to learn the hard way that dogfighting is a dead-end street," Vick said in a statement posted on the Humane Society's website. "Now, I am on the right side of this issue, and I think it's important to send the smart message to kids, and not glorify this form of animal cruelty, even in an Android app."

The app is by Kage Games, whose website features an illustration of a pit bull with a bloody muzzle next to the 'Dog Wars' logo.

Read more at The Huffington Post

 

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A Generation's Vanity, Heard Through Lyrics

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By John Tierney for The New York Times: A couple of years ago, as his fellow psychologists debated whether narcissism was increasing, Nathan DeWall heard Rivers Cuomo singing to a familiar 19th-century melody. Mr. Cuomo, the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Weezer, billed the song as "Variations on a Shaker Hymn."

Where 19th-century Shakers had sung " 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free," Mr. Cuomo offered his own lyrics: "I'm the meanest in the place, step up, I'll mess with your face." Instead of the Shaker message of love and humility, Mr. Cuomo sang over and over, "I'm the greatest man that ever lived."

The refrain got Dr. DeWall wondering: "Who would actually sing that aloud?" Mr. Cuomo may have been parodying the grandiosity of other singers - but then, why was there so much grandiosity to parody? Did the change from "Simple Gifts" to "Greatest Man That Ever Lived" exemplify a broader trend?

Now, after a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs, Dr. DeWall and other psychologists report finding what they were looking for: a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music. As they hypothesized, the words "I" and "me" appear more frequently along with anger-related words, while there's been a corresponding decline in "we" and "us" and the expression of positive emotions.

"Late adolescents and college students love themselves more today than ever before," Dr. DeWall, a psychologist at the University of Kentucky, says. His study covered song lyrics from 1980 to 2007 and controlled for genre to prevent the results from being skewed by the growing popularity of, say, rap and hip-hop.

Defining the personality of a generation with song lyrics may seem a bit of a reach, but Dr. DeWall points to research done by his co-authors that showed people of the same age scoring higher in measures of narcissism on some personality tests. The extent and meaning of this trend have been hotly debated by psychologists, some of whom question the tests' usefulness and say that young people today aren't any more self-centered than those of earlier generations.

The new study of song lyrics certainly won't end the debate, but it does offer another way to gauge self-absorption: the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The researchers find that hit songs in the 1980s were more likely to emphasize happy togetherness, like the racial harmony sought by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder in "Ebony and Ivory" and the group exuberance promoted by Kool & the Gang: "Let's all celebrate and have a good time." Diana Ross and Lionel Richie sang of "two hearts that beat as one," and John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" emphasized the preciousness of "our life together."

Read more at The New York Times

 

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Trump: How Did Obama Get into Ivy League?

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Trump: How Did Obama Get into Ivy League?

In potential GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's (pictured) latest brain fart, Trump says he doesn't believe that President Barack Obama was qualified to go to Ivy League institutions Harvard and Columbia."I heard he was a terrible student, terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?" Trump said in an interview with the Associated Press. "I'm thinking about it, I'm certainly looking into it. Let him show his records."

In a dialogue better suited as part of an SNL skit rather than a presidential election, Trump is now attempting to tie his illegitimate Birther Movement claims (despite a live birth certificate that proves he was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961) to President Obama's stellar education, adding:

"I have friends who have smart sons with great marks, great boards, great everything and they can't get in to Harvard," Trump said. "We don't know a thing about this guy. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about our president."

What he really means to say is that he had great boards but still couldn't get in to Harvard.

Trump attended Fordham University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania but perhaps when he applied to both Columbia and Harvard, he didn't get in. I hate to pull the race card here, but is he a little saucy that a black man got in to an institution he couldn't get in to?

I mean, President Obama graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. Jealous much?

Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain even publicly dismissed Trump's ambitions for president as a publicity stunt on NBC's "Meet the Press" this past Sunday, saying:

"I think that Mr. Trump is having the time of his life. I congratulate him for getting the attention that he's getting."

I disagree with McCain on that one, though. I think Trump is dead serious about running, but because he doesn't have the political (or thinks he doesn't have the real educational) chops, all he can think to do is seize the most irrelevant topics to discuss and harp on them over and over again.

In other words, he's pulling a Sarah Palin or should I say, a George Dubya Bush? Remember when Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry was turned from a war hero into a flip-flopper back in 1994? Now President Obama is going from a top-educated president, to what, an educational charlatan -- the GOP has been pulling these shenanigans for years.

Here are some questions I have:

Has Trump provided even one solution to the high rate of foreclosures in this country? Has he provided a strategy to facilitate the millions of Americans who are out of work? Is he interested in coming up with ways to improve our public school system so that more children in this country can get an education that will make them competitive with the world?

You already know the answer to all of these questions: No.

Instead, Trump wants to make his entire "campaign" about low blows and faux scandals. He should keep it up. After all, Palin was wildly popular at one point, but now, she's no longer taken seriously by anyone in politics, irrespective of what side of the aisle they sit on.

But really, someone needs to tell the big Donald, "You're fired!"

 

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Carol's Daughter's New Monoi Products Promise 96 % Less Breakage

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Anyone who's experienced problems with breakage and damaged hair can get super excited to try the new Monoi hair products from Carol's Daughter. Made from Tahitian Monoi Oil - "Monoi" is the Tahitian word meaning scented - the line features a repairing shampoo, conditioner and hair mask specifically created to reduce breakage by 96 percent after just one use.


The shampoo, which retails for $18, the conditioner for $20 and the repairing mask for $28, are all currently available exclusively at Sephora, and will be available on the Carol's Daughter website and stores after May 1.

The products contain a combination of coconut, hibiscus extract, bamboo water, hydrolyzed silk and panthenol, which produces an intoxicating smell and will almost certainly improve the condition of your hair.

Test out the new line, with a shampoo and conditioner that now comes in a squeezable tube for easy shower handling, to see if less hair ends up in your comb or brush the next pass through.

 

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Eminem, Nas, Cee Lo Green and Others Featured at Lollapalooza 2011

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The ink on the 2011 lineup for Lollapalooza dried early this morning, and in grand tradition, this year's three-day festival is casting as wide a net as possible on the music loving community. Eminem is the headliner for this year's festival, but far from the lone hip-hop act on the bill.

Nas and Damian Marley will march through Chicago's Grant Park, ground zero for the festival, and continue to promote their collaborative work, 'Distant Relatives.' Cee Lo Green is also a highlight on the card, and is sure to give festival-goers a reason to shout the "F" word at the top of their lungs without disturbing the peace.

Other performers include Ryan Leslie, who always delivers a superior live performance. Kid Cudi, Jay Electronica, and Grouplove - a group recently celebrated by Huffington Post music writer Theo Spielberg - are also slated to perform.

Regular three day passes are priced at $215, but for those who are looking to splurge on what might be one of the premier music festivals of the summer, they can opt for the VIP experience, which will run you $850 for all three days. To see the full lineup, clickhere.

 

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Snapped: Beyonce's Harper's Bazaar Photo Shoot

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We don't know whether or not Beyonce was giving the black power salute, but her stance is certainly commanding and mirrors the tone of her latest single "Run the World". At a recent photo shoot at the the Ritz Hotel, Vendome's Place in Paris for Harper's Bazzar, the pop diva looked stunning with a dramatic smokey eye makeup, sleek ponytail and pink petal Gucci chiffon gown.


Full Length



All Smiles

 

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Elvis Mitchell Terminated As Chief Film Critic of Movieline Over Review Mystery

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EXCLUSIVE By Nikki Finke for Deadline.com: I've just been told that Penske Media Corp has terminated Elvis Mitchell after more than 3 months as Movieline.com's chief film critic. The early end to his contract follows a company investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mitchell's recent review of Summit Entertainment's Source Code for the site.

The company is making no formal announcement. But here is what I've been able to find out. [Full Disclosure: PMC also owns Deadline.com, but all its media properties are managed separately.)

A Summit rep tells me that Mitchell was shown a final cut of the film Source Code on February 24th in NYC. His review of the movie appeared on Movieline.com on March 31st. That same day, the pic's director Duncan Jones tweeted, "Find it odd Movieline choose to complain about Jeffrey Wright smoking a pipe, something in an old draft of the script thats not in the film."

The reference was to what Mitchell had written in his review: "It's up to Jeffrey Wright, as the administrator supervising the Source Code - the machine that keeps firing Colter back, back, back to the recent past - and his eccentric brio to keep the silliness from piling up like ash from his pipe. That's how you know this film is science fiction - someone is smoking indoors in the United States - and that Wright is a martinet whose malevolence must be checked."

After the director's tweet was brought to Movieline's attention, I questioned an editor there who emailed, "We've indeed been working hard for a week to ascertain exactly what happened..." When Movieline asked for a formal explanation, Mitchell told editors that he was at the screening and that it was all a misunderstanding and that he would provide a written explanation. Now Mitchell's contract has been terminated early.

Read more at Deadline.com

 

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Bishop Long Delivers Ballsy Speech Targeting Accusers

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While the media has moved on to to other matters and most of the cameras have been put away, Bishop Eddie Long has returned to a relatively routine life as the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Bishop Long delivered a rousing sermon on Easter Sunday, even targeting the four men who alleged that he sexually abused them. Seemingly emboldened by the news that a settlement, regarding the allegations, will be reached soon, Bishop Long proclaimed:

"You ain't messin' with me. I shall rise again and I ain't going through this. You have to go down there and let the devil know that what they thought was gonna kill you, didn't kill you. What they thought was gonna bring terror to you, didn't bring terror to you and you made the enemies public spectacle."

Local news channel WSBTV2 of Atlanta even went so far as asking a few attendees how they felt now that it seems Bishop Long is out of the woods:

Reporter: "Are you now relieved that this settlement is now going to be over?"

Church Congregant: "Yes, I am."

Second Congregant: "I love my church, I love my pastor and I love the service."

And it gets better.

The judge, Johnny Panos, overseeing the settlement had this to say about the closing of the case:

"Why wait till the summer? Why wait to the fall? Get it done now, and what better time to do it but holy week."

Are they serious?

I really hope that for everyone's sake, Bishop Long is innocent, innocent of every allegation that has been laid at his feet, because the thought of him being guilty and actually taking part in raping any one of these accusers while they were minors and then getting off scott-free is horrifying.

It is horrifying because that would mean that his family, his congregation and even the named judge who was so eager to get Long off before the end of Easter weekend were all complicit in protecting and delivering a pedophile.

Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg, Jamal Parris and Spencer LeGrande each accused Long of abusing his position as an esteemed father figure and sexually assaulting them repeatedly.

According to the lawsuit, Long alleged:

"Long shared a bedroom and engaged in intimate sexual contact with plaintiff Flagg, including kissing, massaging, masturbating of plaintiff Flagg by defendant Long and oral sexual contact."

But Parris said the most publicly when he spoke with MyFox5, saying:

"This man turned his back on us when he had no more need for us," Parris said. "That's not a father, that's a predator.

"We would have to be the craziest kids in the world to want to come out and admit to another man touching on us publicly. To really believe this is about money would be absolutely ludicrous.

"But that man cannot look me in my eye and tell me we did not live this pain. Why you can sit in front of the church and tell them that you categorically deny it. You can't say that to our face. And you know this. You are not a man, you are a monster."

The black church needs to take a look at itself. Our pastors are not God; they are human just like everyone else. Our desire, though, to see them as holier than the rest surely blurs the truth and could mean that we have allowed a ruthless abuser to have his way with our children, making us the only ones to blame.

Watch part of the sermon here.


 

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VIDEO: Vy Higginsen Brings 'Mama, I Want to Sing' To A New Generation

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It's no secret that New York radio personality and theater producer Vy Higginsen is on a mission to save today's teens. Not only is Higginsen concerned with educating America's youth, she is also determined to redeem the art and history of Gospel music through her Harlem organization 'Gospel for Teens.'

Each fall, Higginsen, who also serves as the Executive Director of The Mama Foundation for the Arts, recruits teens ranging from the ages of 13 to 19 to join her upbeat Gospel crew. In addition to the programs and many initiatives to formally train aspiring singers, Higginsen and her team are also adamant about developing mechanical skills in each student.



In the midst of a recent Saturday session, the seasoned theater vet noticed that many of her students were soft spoken and appeared self-doubting about where they were raised. Their behavior struck a cord with Higginsen, which led to an exercise featuring each student shouting their name along with the town that they resided in.

"They were mumbling and they were saying it under their breath," she explained during an episode of '60 Minutes' earlier this month. "And I was like, 'this is terrible' [It's like their saying] 'I'm ashamed of who I am and where I come from."

The demonstration was nothing new for Higginsen, who has broken down barriers throughout her career, including becoming the first woman in advertising sales at Ebony magazine and the first black female writer, producer, and director of the Off-Broadway musical 'Mama, I Want to Sing.'

Higginsen's track record has helped to fund 'Gospel for Teens' solely from grants, small donations, and ticket sales from 'Mama, I Want to Sing.' Implementing a non-profit business model for the organization allows the participating teens to focus on their talents and not worry about tuition.

"Any worry, any pain, any problem with your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, the dog, the boyfriend. I want that out now of your consciousness," Higginsen declared to the class later in the '60 Minutes' episode. "That's your baggage; leave the bags outside, because this time is for you."

Check out an exclusive excerpt of 'Mama, I Want to Sing' featuring the students of 'Gospel for Teens.'

PRODUCTION PLAYER! DO NOT DELETE.



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Stars of Broadway

Phylicia Rashad, who warmed millions of TV viewers' hearts in the 1980s as Clair Huxtable on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom 'The Cosby Show,' has taken on a role like none other. Making a triumphant return to Broadway in the spring of 2009, the Tony Award-winning star of plays such as 'A Raisin in the Sun,' 'Gem of the Ocean' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' exposed an emotional depth and acting range that is unparalleled. In the Pulitzer prize-winning play 'August: Osage County,' Rashad portrayed Violet Weston, the pill-popping, acid-tongued, no-holds-barred central figure of a dysfunctional clan experiencing the sudden loss of its patriarch.

Stars of Broadway

Hip-hop superstar Sean "Diddy" Combs won rave reviews as Walter Lee Younger in the 2002 revival of the classic play 'A Raisin in the Sun.'

Stars of Broadway

On the big screen, he's best known for voicing the character of Darth Vader in the 'Star Wars' franchise, but Mississippi-born James Earl Jones is an accomplished stage actor. Over his career, he's won seven Tony Awards since his 1969 breakout role in 'The Great White Hope.' Some of his notable performances include Oberon in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' and more recently as Big Daddy in the 2008 revival of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' In October of 2010, he returned to the stage in 'Driving Miss Daisy' opposite Vanessa Redgrave.

Stars of Broadway

It takes some serious vocal chops to be the youngest winner of 'American Idol.' Given that's how Jordin Sparks got her start, it would come as no surprise that the 'No Air' singer would nail the role of Nina in the musical about growing up in Washington Heights, 'In the Heights.' Sparks made her Broadway debut late summer of 2010.

Stars of Broadway

After years of toiling on TV shows and films, acclaimed actors Ernie Hudson (of 'Oz' fame) and LaTanya Richardson Jackson (previously seen in 'The Fighting Temptations') made their Broadway debuts in the critically acclaimed revival of the August Wilson play 'Joe Turner's Come And Gone,' which opened at the Belasco Theatre on April 16, 2009. The story is set in a Pittsburgh boarding house circa 1911 and features a colorful cast of characters played by Chad L. Coleman, Roger Robinson, Aunjanue Ellis, Andre Holland, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Arliss Howard, Danai Gurira, Michael Cummings and Amari Rose Leigh.

Stars of Broadway

Fans of Disney's 'High School Musical' franchise headed to Broadway to check out Corbin Bleu's Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical 'In the Heights.' The 21 year-old thespian, who is a native of Brooklyn, New York and trained under Debbie Allen's tutelage, took over the lead role of Usnavi in the spring of 2010.

Stars of Broadway

Hollywood heavyweight Cedric The Entertainer joined Tony Award nominee John Leguizamo and Academy Award nominee Hayley Joel Osment in a November 2008 revival of David Mamet's classic play, 'American Buffalo,' which played a short riun at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway. Following three small-time crooks who wax philosophically about society while conspiring to steal a rare and valuable coin from a neighborhood collector, the Oscar Joyner produced production marked the funnyman's debut on The Great White Way.

Stars of Broadway

'American Idol' Season 1 finalist Tamyra Gray blazed a new trail on Broadway when she revamped the look of lead character Mimi, a drug addicted HIV positive spitfire in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical 'Rent.' It wasn't the first time around the track for the former Georgia pageant queen; she previously starred in the Indian inspired outing, 'Bombay Dreams.'

Stars of Broadway

Patti LaBelle joined the cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical 'Fela!' on Sept. 14, 2010. The Grammy Award-winning diva took over for Lillias White, who originated the Broadway role of the African musical pioneer's mother. The musical's big-name producers, Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith came out to cheer on Patti for her first performance.

Stars of Broadway

Having already criss-crossed the world as a member of the most successful girl group of all-time, Destiny's Child, and appeared on Broadway replacing Toni Braxton as the title character in 'Aida,' in 2003, Michelle Williams took her return to The Great White Way seriously. She first played the lead role of Roxie Hart across the pond in the West End production of 'Chicago' in July of 2009 before shaking it up on Broadway.

Stars of Broadway

 

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President Obama Publicly Releases Birth Certificate

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Obama Birth Certificate


According to the Associated Press
, on Wednesday morning President Barack Obama released his birth certificate.



The birth certificate (pictured below) shows that President Obama was born on August, 4, 1961, at 7:41 p.m. Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital. It shows signatures by Mother, Stanley Ann Dunham Obama, and the doctor. It also states that Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama, was African and born in Kenya.


Obviously, the President had to have shown his birth certificate to officials when he was running for the presidency back in 2008. At the time, he released his short form birth certificate. This latest release is the long form birth certificate.

On why he released his birth certificate, President Obama said:

"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."

White House Spokesman Jay Carney added:

"The president feels this [birth certificate controversy] was bad for the country, that it's not healthy for our political debate."

I really wonder what Donald Trump, the Birther Movement and some of the Tea Partiers of these United States are going to do with their time now. Since it has been publicly released, their bogus discussions, non-news and faux scandals have just been made consummately irrelevant.

Some of these people have made a career off of claiming that the President isn't a true citizen of this country.

What now? What do Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin talk about now?

But let's be real, just as with Trump's foolish assertion that Obama didn't deserve to attend Ivy League institutions Columbia and Harvard, the real issue is people's inability to accept that a black man has the top job in this country.

It's always been about racists and their racism, point blank:

How can a black man, with an African Father and a homegrown white bread Mother no less, have attended and graduated magna cum laude from the top-two universities in the country?

How can a black man marry another black woman who also attended and graduated from the top universities in the country?

How can that same black man run a successful campaign and beat out one of the top political families as the Democrat's nominee (does anyone remember how crazy the Clintons became at not being the nominee of choice?
)?

And finally, how can that same black man actually win the presidency and be the first black commander-in-chief of this nation -- and bring with him the first black family in to the White House?

It would be nice if all of these people who have stood on their soap boxes and infected our ears with their ridiculous and hateful propaganda would be silent for awhile, but many of these people are so sick with prejudice and bias that you can bet on all of your debt that they'll create another faux-scandal for all the haters and racists to cling to by the end of the week.

What losers.


Either way, it's Obama who's having the last laugh.

Laugh on, Mr. President, laugh on.

 

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Black Unemployment At Depression Level Highs In Some Cities

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By Janell Ross for The Huffington Post: CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In the decade leading up to the Great Recession, Wanda Nolan grew accustomed to steady progress.

From an entry-level job as a fill-in bank teller, she forged a career as a commercial banking assistant, earning enough to become a homeowner. She finished college and then got an MBA. Even after the recession unfolded in late 2007, her degrees and her familiarity with the business world lent her a sense of immunity to the forces ravaging much of the American economy. Nolan was an exemplar of the African American middle class and the increasingly professional ranks of the so-called New South.


But in September 2008, everything changed.

A bank human resources officer called her into a private conference room. "All I heard was, 'Your position has been eliminated,'" says Nolan, 37, who, despite being one of the more than 13 million officially unemployed Americans, still spends most days in her self-styled banker's uniform of pearls and pants and practical flats. "My mind started racing."

More than two years later, Nolan is still looking for a job and feeling increasingly anxious about a future that once felt assured. Her life has devolved from a model of middle class African American upward mobility into an example of a disturbing trend: She is among the 15.5 percent of African Americans out of work and still looking for a job.

For economists, that number may sound awful, but it's not surprising. The nation's overall unemployment rate sits at 8.8 percent and the rate among white Americans is at 7.9 percent. For a variety of reasons -- ranging from levels of education and continuing discrimination to the relatively young age of black workers -- black unemployment tends to run twice the rate for whites. Yet since the Great Recession, joblessness has remained so critically elevated among African Americans that it is challenging longstanding ideas about what it takes to find work in the modern-day economy.

Millions of people like Nolan, who have precisely followed the oft-dictated recipe for economic success -- work hard, get an education, seek advancement -- are slipping backward. Even as they apply for jobs and accept the prospect of a future with less job security and lower pay, they remain stalled in unemployment.

Trading down has become a painful truth for much of working America, but this truth becomes particularly stark when seen through the prism of race. Only 12 percent of all Americans are black, but working-age black Americans comprise nearly 21 percent of the nation's unemployed, according to federal data. The growing contrast between prospects for white and black job-seekers challenges a cherished American notion: the availability of opportunity and upward mobility for all.

"Over the course of the recession, the unemployment disparity between college educated blacks and whites actually widened," says economist Algernon Austin, director of the Race, Ethnicity, and Economy program at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington. "If black workers who are the most prepared to compete and work in the new economy can't find jobs, that's something that we as a country have to take seriously."


Read more at The Huffington Post

 

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Design Your Home With Lighting

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Consider the window, the light bulb, the lamp.

These light sources are the key to presenting your spaces. They're not merely decorative.

Light is as crucial a design element as any, so be sure to think about how it affects your other choices. Here are some suggestions to maximize its beautifying potential.According to ShelterPop, decorating isn't just about decor, it's about smart lighting choices. Here's how to set the mood and maximize natural light in your home. In other words, you might want to consider building your room around its lighting.

While few of us have rooms with oversized windows and a steady stream of natural light, we all do have rooms with different light "personalities." And you can maximize a room's natural light by making smart lighting choices.

Artificial lighting plays three roles in design: ambient light, task light and decorative lighting. The fourth -- and sometimes most important -- element is natural light.

Michael Ferzoco of Boston-based design firm Eleven Interiors said that when he begins working on a new room, he studies the light. He looks at the room's elements in natural light and revisits them again in artificial light in the evening. Only then does he get a sense of what kind of lighting a room needs.

To help you tackle the lighting needs of your room, Ferzoco suggests a few steps for improving the look and feel of your dim space. You can read more detailed suggestions on ShelterPop.

Devise a lighting strategy
Whether designing a blank canvas or working with an existing space, Ferzoco says it's important to think about how you use the space you're attempting to light. Are you working in the room? Reading there? Watching TV or entertaining? Where in the room do you plan to sit?

Design around natural light
Next, he always checks to see which direction the natural light is coming from. "Most people are away during the day and are more concerned with artificial light," he says. However, knowing if light comes in directly all day or only in the afternoon will help you figure out answers to a number of design questions.

Create mood and drama with lighting
Ferzoco says that "the brighter the light, the more serious the mood." Very bright lighting can be extremely important in certain spaces, such as work spaces or task-oriented spaces like kitchens. He suggests using bright halogen lighting and a dimmer switch so that the mood in your living space can change as needed.

Bottom line: A simple way to change the mood of your room is to change light bulbs and lampshades. The type of lampshade you choose has a considerable effect on mood. Choose something darker for a more relaxed mood or a bright white shade to make it feel a little more serious. Ferzoco always suggests that you opt for a dimmer or a three-way lamp so that you have the option to "turn up the volume" when needed.

To create drama with lighting, try adding sconces above a fireplace or a spotlight on a piece of artwork. Overhead lighting like chandeliers should be on a dimmer to create a romantic mood when low lit.

But watch out. There is such a thing as too much lighting, as ShelterPop notes.

Recessed lighting is meant to exude luxury, and when done right, it certainly does. Offering a clean, streamlined look in a home, recessed lighting can increase the amount of light in a room, highlight artwork and open up a space. When done wrong, however, it can make a million dollar home look like a planetarium.

When placing recessed lighting, it's important to light a focal point like a fireplace or artwork from two different angles. Two. Not twenty-two, unless of course, you're an airport runway. In that case, light away.

Otherwise, if you like a lot of lighting, apply for a job at Lamp's Plus. Don't create the Big Dipper on your ceiling. Capiche?

 

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Joe Perry, football star of the 1950s and first African American MVP, dies at 84

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By Matt Schudel for The Washington Post: Joe Perry, 84, one of the first African American stars of professional football, whose superb running for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s led him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died April 25 in Tempe, Ariz. He had dementia.

Mr. Perry, nicknamed "the Jet" for his power and explosive speed, was among the most dominating and electrifying runners of his time. When he led the National Football League in rushing in 1953 and 1954, he was the first player to gain 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.


In 1954, he became the first African American to be named the NFL's most valuable player, and he held the NFL's career rushing record for five years.

At 6 feet and about 200 pounds, Mr. Perry was small for a fullback, even during his era. When he didn't elude tacklers with his quickness and balance, he simply bowled them over with sheer strength.

A teammate on the 49ers, receiver R.C. Owens, once called him "the toughest running back you'd ever want to see. He didn't back off from anybody."

From 1954 through 1956, Mr. Perry was part of the 49ers' "Million Dollar Backfield," with quarterback Y.A. Tittle, halfback Hugh McElhenny and fullback John Henry Johnson. They are the only starting foursome from the same backfield to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"He was the fastest player off the ball in the history of the world," Tittle told the San Francisco Chronicle. "You'd take the ball from center and turn, and he was already gone through the hole."


Read more at The Washington Post

 

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Hoda in Love

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"We're in danger of losing our show," Kathie Lee Gifford cried at the Friars Club yesterday to a crowd including Liza Minnelli. Kotb, who's discussed her romance with a Manhattan lawyer on the show, shrank in her seat when a guest at the "Afternoon of Wit, Wisdom and Wine" asked if she'd consider remarrying.

Read more at the NY Post:

 

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Zoe's Very Good Year

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Zoe Kravitz has been in the limelight since she was born, but in 2011, it may finally be her own. The daughter of famous parents - actress Lisa Bonet, singer/actor Lenny Kravitz - Zoe is finally making a pitch for her own type of recognition this year.

Things kicked off with a re-occurring guest role in the Showtime series, 'Californication,' in which she played, Pearl, a tough rocker-girl who entices Becca (one of the show's lead characters) to play in the fictional band, Queens of Dogtown. For Zoe, the role wasn't too much of a departure from her real life role as the lead-singer in the rock band, Elevator Flight.


Two upcoming films in which Zoe does do a 180 from who she is in real life, are also drastically different from one another. The first and better-known role will be in this summer's expected blockbuster, 'X-Men: First Class.' Zoe plays an insect winged mutant named Angel (she appears in the film's trailer at 0:54). The other role is as Sweetness O'Hara in the film, 'Yelling To The Sky.'

The film, which is currently making the run on the film festival circuit, tells the story of Sweetness, a young girl in high school being bullied by Latonya Williams (played by Gabourey Sidibe). Check out Zoe in trailers for both films below.

Zoe Kravitz in X-Men: First Class

Zoe Kravitz in Yelling To The Sky

 

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On the Set of Alicia Keys' New Lifetime Film 'Project Five'

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Alicia Keys
is among five celebrity directors, including Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore, tapped to direct a short for Lifetime's upcoming original movie, 'Project Five,' which will sew together five personal narratives depicting the effects of breast cancer through survivor stories. Keys and her cast members Rosario Dawson, Tracee Ross and Jennifer Lewis took some time off their shoot to snap a couple of candid shots of them goofing around together. Think the film's gonna be a complete tear jerker? The network reports the shorts will be educational and enjoyable, with a mix of humor and drama to help raise breast cancer awareness.




The Cast


Director Alicia Keys

 

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Ron Artest Receives NBA's Citizenship Award

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Ron Artest Receives NBA's Citizenship Award


On Tuesday, LA Lakers forward Ron Artest received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the Professional Writer's Basketball Association. Talk about being on a roll.

Last August, he served as a guest editor for ESPN, and a few months later in October, Las Vegas celebrated "Ron Artest Day," giving him the key to the city and $10,000 due to his dedication to raising mental health awareness. Artest later donated the money to his charity, XCel University.

And if that wasn't enough, Artest raffled off his NBA championship ring in December and raised $650,000 for mental health charities.

But Artest wasn't always a media darling.

In 2004, after Artest, who at the time was an Indiana Pacer, got involved in a fight with another player, a Diet Coke was thrown at him from the stands. Artest, along with other players, began fighting with fans, resulting in nine players being suspended and $10 million being lost in salary.

Even though it was a dark time for Artest, the athlete was able to rebound from the incident by getting a therapist and speaking out about his life's struggles and the importance of being mentally healthy.

And he hasn't looked back.

With hope, more celebrities will take some pointers (pun intended) from Artest and spend more time giving back.

Watch Artest talk about his award here:


View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

 

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'Winning the future' for Black Businesses

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By Rebecca S. Rivas for The St. Louis American:
What is the Obama administration doing for the African-American community? "That's a limiting question," said Michael Blake, deputy associate director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and an associate director for the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Blake spoke to about 75 African-American business and community organization leaders on April 20 to discuss some of the White House's new programs. He also heard the audience members' concerns that federal initiatives for minorities often don't play out on the local level.

The event, held at FUSE Advertising on the Landing, was one of 1,000 events in 100 cities that Blake will hold to get the word out about these initiatives and how people can access them.

"This is showing that you can organize even if you are not present," Blake said. "How do you identify people on the ground who do this every day? My job is to find the local leaders around the country."

First, Blake announced a new website, www.whitehouse.gov/africanamericans, which lists the federal programs benefiting the black community. From small-business lending programs to health care, Blake laid out the "Winning the Future" federal budget 2012. After an hour of discussion, Blake said he heard a continual theme.

"You have people who run businesses who are ready," he said. "All they want is a chance. They want access to the opportunities. One of the things I'll take back is we need to continue to find ways to make people aware of the opportunities and then concretely make the connection to the agency who can provide that help."

To help entrepreneurs in low-income and minority communities start businesses and create jobs in inner cities, the federal budget includes $13 million to continue the U.S. Small Business Administration's Emerging Leaders initiative (formerly Emerging 200). Overall, the budget supports $16.5 billion in 7(a) loan guarantees, helping small businesses operate and expand.

Read more here.

 

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Snapped: Kerry Washington at the Time 100 Gala

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Time recently held their annual Time 100 gala in New York City's Lincoln Center celebrating their picks for the "100 Most Influential People" in the world. Actress Kerry Washington was in attendance looking elegant and ready for spring in her watercolor silk Catherine Malandrino gown, gold peep toes, bejeweled cocktail ring and Jimmy Choo 'Latoya' envelope clutch.






Closeup



The Ring

 

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Obama, First Lady Talk Birth Certificate on 'Oprah'

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On Wednesday, President Barack Obama released his long form birth certificate in order to lay the "controversy" to rest that he isn't an American citizen.

Later that day, the President and First Lady Michelle Obama flew to Chicago and sat down with Oprah, who wanted to know why the President waited so long:

"Why did you wait so long, though? When it first came up, were you thinking, 'I hope I was born here?'"

Amid laughter from the audience and Mrs. Obama yelling, "He was born here!" the President replied he needed to get permission from the state of Hawaii to make the document public.

As for why he decided to release the document at all, President Obama -- echoing his press conference -- said that when he and fellow legislators were dealing with major issues such as the budget deficit a few weeks ago, seeing only the sensationalized Birther issue in the news made him decide it was time to meet the controversy head on:

"We are living in a very serious time, and America has huge potential and opportunity to seize the 21st century.

"We are only going to get there, though, if we have a serious conversation about the things that matter to people, jobs, gas prices, how do we bring down the deficit, how do we deal with all the changes that are going on in the world -- and we can't be distracted by sideshows, and as I said in my press conference, carnival barkers who are going around trying to get attention."

When the Birther Movement began rearing its ugly head about two years ago, I agreed with the school of thought that Obma shouldn't give in to these ridiculously racist individuals who wanted to focus on everything but what mattered.

Watching many in the public actually being swayed by this rhetoric, though, started to change my mind. According to a CBS poll taken last week, 45 percent of Republicans as well as 45 percent of Tea Partiers believe that the President was not born in the United States.

What started out as a laughable fringe group began dictating how and what the public thought.

And it wasn't funny anymore.

While many are still arguing that the President shouldn't have given in to these crack pot's claims, I think releasing the document took the wind out of the Birther's wings and chatting with Oprah afterward was the perfect nail in the coffin.

Good work, Mr. President.

Oprah's show with Obama and the First Lady will air on May 2nd, but you can watch the preview here:


 

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