SIX PACKED TO THE MAX....DAYYYYUUUMMMM

BETTING ON ATLANTA....

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/betting-on-atlanta/

Atlanta has been one of the biggest boomtowns of the past decade but, like other such places, its housing market has received such a severe drubbing that its future seems far less secure.

Atlanta added 1.13 million people from 2000 to 2008, more than any other in the country except Dallas. But from 2005 to 2009, the number of annual building permits fell by 66,352, the biggest decline in any metropolitan area.

Will Atlanta continue to emerge as a mighty metropolitan economy, or will the housing downturn turn the area into a place that might have been?

The present and future of cities always reflect their past, so I’ll begin by sketching the arc of the city’s growth.

While America’s older cities were located on major waterways, Atlanta’s location was determined by the happenstance of railroad lines.

It was the eastern terminus of the state-subsidized Western and Atlantic Railroad, and the city’s name honors that line. During the 1860s, the city was first burned by the Union Army and then turned into a military capital during Reconstruction. In 1868, Atlanta became the state’s capital, and in the two decades after the war, Atlanta became an educational hub with the opening of Clark College and Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta), Spelman College, Morehouse College and Georgia Tech, and the reopening of nearby Emory.

From 1870 to 1930, the population of Atlanta surged from 22,000 to 270,000 as its rail access and proximity to cotton country made it a natural location for factories like the giant Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill. Atlanta’s growth attracted entrepreneurs, like John Pemberton and Asa Griggs Candler, who would turn an erstwhile patent medicine, Coca-Cola, into a global mega-brand.

In the 20th century, Atlanta grew along with the rest of the Sun Belt, but the city’s education, politics and scale made its success an exception even for the South.

The broader economic success of the old Confederacy reflects political improvements and regional convergence, the tendency for poor places to grow more quickly, which was documented by Robert Barro and others. The figure shows the negative correlation (minus 0.70) between median income in 1950 and growth in the logarithm of median income between 1950 and 2000.

The South was poor and it grew more quickly, supported by an accompanying improvement in political institutions.

While the pre-World War II South was famous for single-party corruption that could scare off any industrialist, the post-Civil Rights Era South became known for being pro-business.

Right-to-work laws — laws, disproportionately enacted in the South and West, that generally bar requiring employees to join unions as a condition of employment — had a deep impact on manufacturing growth, as shown by Thomas Holmes. Before World War I, Atlanta experienced its immense 1906 Race Riot and the lynching of Leo Frank in 1913; in later years, Atlanta sold itself as the “City Too Busy To Hate.”

Heat-biased technological change bolstered the economic emergence of Atlanta and the South. Advances, like the air conditioner and cleaner water, made life easier and less deadly in hot places.

But the growth of the Sun Belt was not driven primarily by quality-of-life issues.

A core insight of spatial economics is that wages and prices and quality of life offset each other across space. Places with wonderful climates, like coastal California, have low real wages since people are willing to pay for the pleasant location. If the Sun Belt rose because people increasingly valued its amenities, then real wages in the region should be falling, but they are not. Incomes there are rising and prices are falling.

Housing supply, not quality of life, has been the crucial helpmate of economic convergence. Atlanta has kept housing prices low, despite a vast increase in its size, because there are few natural or legislative limits to new construction.

The city was built in the middle of the state with neither mountains nor an ocean to block its growth. The dominant political players have long been pro-growth, and as a result, much of suburban Atlanta is a paradise for builders. The resulting low home prices have helped bring millions to the region.

What about Atlanta today? Surely, a city that depended so much on building should be poised for collapse. Certainly, Atlanta’s 10.1 percent unemployment rate reflects its eviscerated construction industry. Certainly, like many other places, Atlanta is in for a rough few years.
Yet there are three key reasons to think that Atlanta will weather this storm and continue to thrive.

First, Atlanta benefits from the fact that it is the dominant agglomeration in the region. The continuing vitality of large cities is a remarkable feature of our age and Atlanta benefits from that fact.

Atlanta also benefits from its business-friendly politics, which will continue to attract plenty of companies.

Finally, Atlanta also benefits from being highly skilled — something that outsiders too often forget.

Nearly 43 percent of adults in the city of Atlanta have college degrees, as opposed to 27 percent in the nation as a whole, and 41 percent in Boston. The figure is even higher in surrounding Fulton County.

Skills have long led to urban success, especially when mixed with large urban size.

Smart money never bets against the ability of a huge concentration of smart people to weather an economic storm. Don’t count Atlanta out.

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW...DUMB HIGH MEANS...

Blazing so much weed that you forget simple things (i.e. name, address, phone number, etc).

extremely under the influence of drugs, particularly marijuana, cannibus, herb, weed, sticky-icky, etc..

WORD OF THE DAY....NIGGARDLY

Pulitzer prize winning author Karen Hunter is using the N WORD to describe P Diddy and Tiger Woods' behavior. Here is a quote from the book:

That’s niggardly! Hip hop stars see millions go through their hands and they waste it on yachts, parties and one even bought a $300,000 Maybach for his son’s birthday...and the kid didn't even have a license. Niggardly! A third of NBA players are bankrupt three years after leaving the league. Antoine Walker, how do you blow a $100 million? Niggardly!

Tiger Woods wants to be anything but black and that’s fine with me. I don't want to claim him. But his behavior with disrespecting his home, his wife and his children has certainly been niggardly! What message is P. Diddy sending to these youth he inspires with having all of these babies out of wedlock? What message is he sending to his kids about their mothers? Niggardly.

The author defines "niggardly" as "stingy, selfish, and not generous (not just with money, but spirit, knowledge and time)."

URBAN STARS THAT NEED TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET....(HOW ACCURATE IS SHE?)

http://sandrarose.com/2010/03/30/urban-stars-who-need-to-come-out-of-the-closet/#more-7008

Yesterday, Latin singer Ricky Martin came stumbling out of the closet much to no one’s surprise. He said that announcing his gay status gave him courage and strength.

Jarrett Barrios, president of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) applauded Martin’s move, saying “His decision to model this kind of openness and honesty can lead to greater acceptance for countless gay people in U.S., in Latin America and worldwide.”

That may be so, but Martin waited until he was 38 to finally come out. For two decades, Martin repeatedly denied being gay when pressed about his sexual orientation. In a December 2000 interview with The Mirror, Martin said:

“I guess these rumours were started by people who don’t have a life, or perhaps it’s because they want me to be like them and I’m not. I try not to pay attention to any of these allegations. I could have been married with kids for years or have 27 girlfriends, and if people still want to go around saying that I’m gay, they will.”

Martin was 28 when he made that statement. So is it okay to live your entire life as a lie and then expect to be rewarded when you finally come out and tell the truth?

Being gay and proud has been socially acceptable for at least the past two decades. Gays run the music industry, and 95% of celebrity bloggers are gay. So in 2010, why is anyone sitting up in the closet anymore? The only explanation is cowardice. Plain and simple. If I can come out at the age of 5, then these grown folks who I’m about to name can come out as well.

Here’s a list of urban celebs who are believed to be either gay or bi who should come out of the closet to help make this a better world for younger gays who feel alienated in their communities.

FROM:SANDRAROSE.COM

SISTERS WITH VOICES STILL BANGING....(I'M FEELING BETTER ABOUT GETTING OLDER)

WHEN THE TRUTH FINALLY COMES OUT....OUT THE CLOSET...

Latin heartthrob Ricky Martin ended years of speculation today when he came out of the closet in a letter on his personal website. The singer, who used the services of a surrogate mother to birth his twin boys, wrote that finally coming out filled him with “strength and courage.”

“At this moment I’m feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share,” he wrote.

Hopefully, those of you who refused to believe Ricky was gay (just as some of you still refuse to believe Tyler Perry and Bow Wow are gay) — will remember all the denials he made and the string of women he paraded in front of the media while hiding his true sexual orientation.

Yes, Virginia, more than half of your male singers, actors and rappers are either gay or bisexual, and they don’t want you.

NICE AND TIGHT...SHORT SHORTS....

JILL SCOTT'S VIEW ON INTERRACIAL DATING...

You know the moment when you realize that fine, accomplished brother is with a White woman? Let's call it "the wince." Three-time Grammy Award-winning artist, writer, actress, philanthropist, mother and all-around Renaissance woman, Jill Scott gets to the root of our feelings on the matter.

My new friend is handsome, African-American, intelligent and seemingly wealthy. He is an athlete, loves his momma, and is happily married to a White woman. I admit when I saw his wedding ring, I privately hoped. But something in me just knew he didn't marry a sister. Although my guess hit the mark, when my friend told me his wife was indeed Caucasian, I felt my spirit...wince. I didn't immediately understand it. My face read happy for you. My body showed no reaction to my inner pinch, but the sting was there, quiet like a mosquito under a summer dress.

Was I jealous? Did the reality of his relationship somehow diminish his soul's credibility? The answer is not simple. One could easily dispel the wince as racist or separatist, but that's not how I was brought up. I was reared in a Jehovah's Witness household. I was taught that every man should be judged by his deeds and not his color, and I firmly stand where my grandmother left me. African people worldwide are known to be welcoming and open-minded. We share our culture sometimes to our own peril and most of us love the very notion of love. My position is that for women of color, this very common "wince" has solely to do with the African story in America.

When our people were enslaved, "Massa" placed his Caucasian woman on a pedestal. She was spoiled, revered and angelic, while the Black slave woman was overworked, beaten, raped and farmed out like cattle to be mated. She was nothing and neither was our Black man. As slavery died for the greater good of America, and the movement for equality sputtered to life, the White woman was on the cover of every American magazine. She was the dazzling jewel on every movie screen, the glory of every commercial and television show. She was unequivocally the standard of beauty for this country, firmly unattainable to anyone not of her race. We daughters of the dust were seen as ugly, nappy mammies, good for day work and unwanted children, while our men were thought to be thieving, sex-hungry animals with limited brain capacity.

We reflect on this awful past and recall that if a Black man even looked at a White woman, he would have been lynched, beaten, jailed or shot to death. In the midst of this, Black women and Black men struggled together, mourned together, starved together, braved the hoses and vicious police dogs and died untimely on southern back roads together. These harsh truths lead to what we really feel when we see a seemingly together brother with a Caucasian woman and their children. That feeling is betrayed. While we exert efforts to raise our sons and daughters to appreciate themselves and respect others, most of us end up doing this important work alone, with no fathers or like representatives, limited financial support (often court-enforced) and, on top of everything else, an empty bed. It's frustrating and it hurts!

Our minds do understand that people of all races find genuine love in many places. We dig that the world is full of amazing options. But underneath, there is a bite, no matter the ointment, that has yet to stop burning. Some may find these thoughts to be hurtful. That is not my intent. I'm just sayin'.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE MIDDLE CLASS....

Assessing Your Middle-Class Status

Despite the so-called recovery, many families continue to struggle, with income and other living standards slipping below thresholds that typically represent middle-class quality of life. We've assembled a variety of metrics to help determine whether you're getting ahead, holding steady, or slipping further than most.

Income

For the 50 percent of families in the middle of the scale, household income ranges from $51,000 to $123,000 for a typical four-person, two-parent family. The median is about $81,000. Those numbers are from 2008, and have probably fallen 5 to 7 percent since then, on account of the recession. Median income for a single-parent, two-child family is about $25,000.

Housing Costs

For two-parent families, the typical home is worth about $231,000, accounting for $17,600 in mortgage payments and other costs per year. Housing costs have risen by more than twice as much as income since 1990, a trend that may finally be reversing thanks to the housing bust.

Home Size

The housing bubble was one factor that boosted housing costs, but the typical family also lives in a much bigger home. The median size of a new, single-family home jumped by 40 percent between 1979 and 2007, to about 2,300 square feet. That may now be declining, as families downsize and some get booted from homes they can't afford.

Medical Expenses

You've probably heard — healthcare costs are going through the roof. A study by the middle-class task force headed by Vice President Joe Biden says the median two-parent family spends $5,100 per year on health insurance and non-covered expenses—assuming an employer provides health insurance. Healthcare costs have risen far more than any other aspect of the family budget since 1990, with no end in sight.

Cars

They provide mobility and represent freedom, one reason the typical family spends about $12,400 per year on two medium-sized sedans or the equivalent, with a new-car value of $45,000. The recession may have dampened our love of the road, however: Americans are driving less and car sales are off about 40 percent.

College Savings

The typical family puts aside $4,100 for college expenses for two kids, estimated to cover about 75 percent of expenses at a state university. Financial aid helps with the rest. But if possible, toss more into the college fund: As states face budget crunches, tuition and fees are going up.

Vacations

One week at the beach or another destination is standard, at a cost of $3,000 or so for four. More affluent families can afford two weeks, at a typical cost of $6,100.

Retirement Savings

A median-income family that saved 3.2 percent of its income—roughly equivalent to the national saving rate—would sock away nearly $2,600 per year for retirement. Of course many families don't hit even that modest goal, and stock-market losses over the last several years have further shrunk the national nest egg.

Everyday Spending

Clothes, food, utilities, entertainment and other living expenses amount to $14,200 a year for a median-income family. Not surprisingly, this is one set expenses many families are trying to reduce, by buying more discount brands, using less or doing without.

Number of Earners

In 76 percent of two-parent families, both parents work. The higher the household income, the more likely it is that both parents are contributing.

Hours Worked

Few parents will be surprised to hear that Moms and Dads are working more than they used to. The total number of hours worked in a two-parent family is 3,747 per year, up 5 percent since 1990. The increased hours add up to more than four 40-hour weeks of additional work per family.

Education

The typical household head has a high school degree plus about two years of college education, up by more than a full year of college since 1990. Good thing—education is a key factor in lifetime earnings, and high school dropouts face a dim future by nearly every measure.

Free Time

What's your top priority? In a 2008 poll by the Pew Research Center, it wasn't healthy kids, a strong marriage or a great career; 68 percent of respondents said it was free time. (And just 12 percent said it was being wealthy.)

Household Net Worth

The typical household has a net worth of about $84,000, according to the Federal Reserve. That's down 30 percent since 2007, thanks to losses in stock portfolios and home values.

Debt

About 18 percent of disposable income, on average, goes toward mortgage payments, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of household debt. That's a bit higher than it was in the '70s and '80s. But since debt payments peaked at the beginning of 2008, at 18.9 percent of income, they've been steadily falling.

BIGGEST TO SMALLEST MALE SIZES...(NOT SURE HOW ACCURATE SINCE I'M IN ATL, WE SHOULD HAVE PLACED HIGHER)

Condomania have created a list of which city’s men have the LARGEST THANGS!!

According to them the cities - from BIGGEST to SMALLEST are as follows:

1. New Orleans
2. Washington DC
3. San Diego
4. New York
5. Phoenix
6. Portland
7. Atlanta
8. San Francisco
9. Chicago
10. St. Louis
11. Seattle
12. Miami
13. Indianapolis
14. Columbus
15. Boston

WORD OF THE DAY....TRADE

Trade is a gay slang term originating from Polari and refers to the (usually) casual partner of a gay man or to the genre of such partners. Historically the motivations may at times include a desire for emotional fulfillment and admiration, but the term often refers to a straight man who partners with a gay man for economic benefit, either through a direct cash payment or through other, more subtle means (gifts, tuition payments, etc.).

Trade originally referred to casual sex partners, regardless of sexuality as many gay and bisexual men were closeted, but evolved to imply the gay partner is comparatively wealthy and the partner who is trade is economically deprived.[1] Examples of this include wealthy Englishmen finding partners among deprived Cockneys in 1930s London; traveling men finding partners in places such as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Bangkok, Thailand and locals picking up military personnel who are generally seen as being physically appealing and eager for extra income or benefits.

More modern usage has centered on any casual sexual encounter between men

5 CREDIT SCORE KILLERS...

As banks shy away from making risky consumer loans, a mediocre credit history just won't cut it anymore. To get the best rates on mortgages, credit cards and auto loans, you need a killer score.

Your FICO score is a numerical measure of your creditworthiness that ranges from 300 to 850. While there are a few different credit scoring systems available, it's the FICO score, created by the Fair Isaac Corporation, that most lenders look at when they check your credit.

Lenders have already raised their standards by about 20 to 40 points this year, according to Barry Paperno, consumer operations manager at FICO. So while a score in the 720 to 740 range would have gotten you the best rates on a mortgage in the past, you now need a score of at least 760 to snag the best loans.

"Requirements are higher than in the past so you're going to have to be more diligent this year," said Paperno.

FICO focuses on five categories when calculating your score: How much debt you have, your payment history, your debt utilization ratio (how much you owe in relation to your credit limits), how far back your credit history goes and your mix of various types of credit.

Here are a few things that can wreak havoc on your score and wreck your chances of getting an affordable loan:

1. Making late payments

A single late payment on a credit card or other loan could ding your score by as much as 110 points if you already had a great score and 80 points for someone with an average score. So the best thing you can do to improve your score is make payments on time.

"This continues to be the number one reason scores are lower," said Paperno. "In addition to being a heavily weighted part of your score, if you're late on a payment, it's going to continue to appear on your credit report for about seven years."

If you've made mistakes in the past, you can't change them, but you can outlive them. The longer it's been since you were late on a payment, the less of an impact it will have on your score, but "your history does follow you," said Paperno.

Since payment history accounts for about 35% of your total score, it's really important to start paying on time.

2. Carrying a big balance

Your debt utilization ratio accounts for almost 30% of your score. So carrying too much debt will not only cost you a fortune in interest, it can also destroy your credit rating.

"The best thing to do is pay your bills on time and pay as much of the balance as possible to try to keep your debt utilization ratio down and raise your credit score," said Bill Hardekopf of Lowcards.com.

As part of the CARD Act that went into effect last month, credit card issuers must now include a chart with your bills that shows how long it will take to pay off your balance if you only make the minimum payments. The chart will also display how much you need to pay each billing cycle in order to completely pay off your balance in three years.

Hardekopf thinks the new information will be a huge wake-up call for most consumers, and even he was alarmed by the calculations on his own statement.

"It was shocking," he said. "This is going to have a dramatic effect on how much people are paying when they see it in black and white, and will be a positive move for their credit score."

3. Closing a credit line

As credit card companies jack up interest rates and add inactivity fees to compensate for lost revenues, it's tempting to just close your accounts.

But closing a line of credit could impact your debt to utilization ratio, said Hardekopf.

For example, if you have two credit cards with a limit of $1,000 each and a $400 balance on one card, closing the other account will immediately double your debt to utilization ratio from 20% to 40%.

But the negative effect varies greatly. Closing one card could have a very small impact if you have lots of other high-limit cards.

You can also counteract some of the impact by opening up a new line of credit. But beware: that can also impact your score.

4. Opening a credit line

"When you open a new account, you'll knock some points off your score," said Paperno. "The reason why is that the people who open new accounts tend to be of a higher risk level immediately after opening a new account."

In order to open a new account, a credit card company will need to check your credit, and a typical "hard" inquiry like this will lower your score by about five points, plus the cost of opening a new line of credit typically ranges from five to 15 points.

But the temporary ding only lasts about six months, so if you're in a stable financial situation, the score reduction could be worth it, said Paperno.

"You can look at it as a long-term strategy and go in with the idea that you might lose a few points now but in the long run you might be better off because you'll have more credit available," he said.

5. Defaulting

Defaulting on a loan is the single worst thing you can do for your credit, said Rex Johnson, founder of credit union consulting firm Lending Solutions Consulting. And given the down economy, more people are damaging their credit scores through foreclosures, credit card charge offs and bankruptcies.

A home foreclosure, for example, might dock about 200 points off your score and a short sale could cost you around 80 to 90 points, said Johnson. Declaring bankruptcy could lower a good score of 750 by up to about 250 points, Johnson said.

While most negative information stays on your report for seven years (bankruptcies can stay on for 10 years), it's never too late to start rebuilding your credit.

"People have been hit hard by the economy and those who had really good scores now have scores in the 500s and want to just give up," Johnson said.

But certain good behaviors like making on-time payments, taking out a small loan and paying it off and keeping a low balance, can get your score back up in the mid-600s or low 700s in a little over 2 years, said Johnson.

STILL LOOKING GOOD AT 60...THOSE DAMN JACKSONS.....

MONDAY WTF...THIS SHIT HAS GOT TO STOP....

TURN THE VOLUME WAY DOWN AND JUST WATCH....MOUTH WIDE OPEN

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A SISSY AND A LESBIAN....FUNNY AS HELL

10 WAYS TO AVOID A LOVER'S FIGHT....DO THESE WORK?

1.) Soften Your Approach - who hates that already aggressive toned “we need to talk.” Ugh. The other person is already gearing up for battle … not a good starting point. Pose a question, “hey babe, can we talk?” Or, “I’ve got a few things I’ve been wanting to talk to you about, you got a minute?” This is setting the stage for equal engagement and the likelihood of getting a productive response is greater.

2.) Don’t Devalue - patience is key! When you’re pouring your heart out, expressing your feelings or stating your position, the last thing you want to hear is, “that is SO stupid,” or “what you’re saying makes NO sense,” or “what are you talking about?” Phrases like these make for an immediate shut down. Never make your loved one feel as though their thoughts and feelings are trivial and invalid. Try this instead, “help me understand where you’re coming from,” or “please explain further.” Yea, it’s like pulling teeth, but you want your loved one to feel comfortable expressing themselves to you. Again, patience.

3.) Take a Breather - in the heat of the moment it is so easy to be combative, fly off at the mouth and say mean-spirited things you don’t mean. It’s okay to have a problem and it’s okay to let it be known, but hollering with your arms folded, eye-rolling and not letting your partner get a word in edgewise is not communicating! It’s a turn off … a COMPLETE turn off. Back off and breathe for a few, let your loved one know, “I’m hot right now. Give me moment to collect my thoughts.” What you’re displaying without saying it is, “I don’t want to fight.”

4.) Listen – when your partner says, “can I finish? Will you let me finish please?” This is no bueno. Let your lady/man speak his/her mind. Who cares how long it takes! Allow the venting process to take place and perhaps when he/she is finished you won’t have to say much at all. Listening to your partner is just as much a part of the communication process as speaking. Sometimes just hearing him/her out is all it takes to quell a dispute.

5.) Drop the Defense -Team Us is ideal but when there’s a dispute, there are two teams: Team Me and Team You. The both of you cannot be in defense mode if you want resolution. Somebody has to play offense. Somebody has to be “the bigger person.” It’s easy to react and take part in the emotional whirlwind that suddenly came sweeping through the room, what sense does it make to go a-whirling with it? Try for this in a soothing tone “hey, whoa! Baby, calm down. Relax, have a seat. Let’s talk about this.”

6.) Find the Root of the Problem - the fact that you left your socks in the middle of the floor or forgot to flush the toilet is not the real reason that you’re in the throws of a battle. Get to the root of the issue by refusing to participate in the trivial bickering. It’s not the socks or the gift in the toilet that’s got him/her on tilt! Ask your partner or yourself, “what’s the real problem?” “Is there a deeper issue that needs to be confronted?” Once you figure it out, apply the measures listed above.

7.) Agree to Disagree Respectfully - in a perfect world we would see eye to eye all the time, but we all know that’s not the case. Instead of approaching the situation expecting compliance, just shoot for understanding. You simply cannot convince someone to see it your way. It’s okay to disagree, explain why you do and find a happy medium. You can save yourself the exhaustion by looking for ways to work together to reach a hub of solid communication. After a while it becomes effortless.

8.) Take Ownership - if you’re wrong, admit it. Don’t blame your partner or his or her actions for your behaving like a child or being irrational and immature. “I did that because you do xyz.” Why do we have to duck and dodge the b.s. BEFORE addressing the real issue? Be responsible and say, ” hey, you know what? I was wrong for that. This is why I did it. I understand why you’re mad right now. I’m listening.” If it’s warranted, take that verbal lashing! If you effed up, you effed up! And now, by default, you have to listen to your lady/man fuss about it. It happens to the best of us, we all have to sit in the hot seat from time to time. It’s okay.

9.) Ask Questions - a good Q & A can be really helpful and eye-opening. Ask simple and candid questions. As corny as it sounds ask your partner, “how did that make you feel?” “Why are you crying?” “What can I do to help us move past this?” This will give him/her a chance to verbalize specific needs and wants and it gives you a chance to make it clear how you plan to deliver.

10.) Sex - self explanatory. Nothing like some good lovin’ to quiet a storm in the making. But here’s the deal, just because you had a good session doesn’t mean the problem is fixed! Sex is just a leeway to better communication! Sex is a stress reliever and once you’ve relieved some tension, talking things out is all but effortless!

SEXY ASS SAGGIN....

EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT OR VITAMIN D MAY HELP COMBAT PROSTATE CANCER IN BLACK MEN....

Vitamin D deficiencies—especially in African-Americans and people with darker skin tones—could raise the risk for developing conditions that include cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to several new studies. 



As many as 36 percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. That number could be more than double for African-Americans, according to geneticist Rick Kittles, associate professor at the University of Chicago in the Biological Sciences Division.
“Individuals who have moderate to high dark skin color make much less vitamin D,” Kittles said. “There have been some interesting studies recently which suggest that almost 75 percent of African Americans are vitamin D insufficient, which has a lot of implications as it relates to health of African-Americans.”

Vitamin D deficiency is called a “hidden epidemic” for darker-skinned people who have more melanin in the skin. High levels of melanin reduce the body’s ability to make vitamin D from sunlight exposure. In African-Americans it is called eumelanin.

“The brown-black pigment which is in our skin and gives us eye color and hair color is a protector of our skin cells from too much ultraviolet radiation. So it protects the skin from damage, DNA damage for the most part. The wavelength that melanin absorbs is the same wavelength that is needed to produce vitamin D,” Kittles said. “Those individuals with darker skin block that wavelength and so there’s less synthesis of vitamin D occurring.”


With a grant from the National Cancer Institute, Kittles is currently studying serum vitamin D and its effect on prostate cancer risk with respect to genes, UV exposure, skin color and diet.

Vitamin D is primarily produced by exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In the second layer of the skin, previtamin D is activated and transformed into vitamin D when exposed to UV rays. It is estimated that 15 minutes of daily sun could provide adequate vitamin D, although research is still being conducted.

Vitamin D appears to interact with virtually every tissue in the body. People living in areas such as Chicago, with limited sun exposure several months of the year, often are not manufacturing enough of the vitamin to sustain healthy living.

Kittles, as a dark-skinned African-American, said he takes 3,000 international units daily. He recommends people who live gloomy climates take upwards of 1,000 international units.

As of yet, there are no official recommended doses of vitamin D. But many scientists are trying to determine just how much people should get daily, either by taking supplements, eating more vitamin D-rich foods or from sun exposure. Studies published in the December 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recommended 600 international units of daily vitamin D intake. This is higher than the 400 international units generally found in multivitamins.

Kittles is in favor of supplements. He said taking the vitamin in pill form is as good as sun exposure.

“The supplement is actually vitamin D3 and that’s the form that is converted to the active form in the body. From the time we take it, it’s absorbed and it’s converted,” Kittles said. “It’s pretty much similar to the equivalent of the vitamin D that you would make from sunlight exposure.”

Dr. Rohit Arora, a cardiologist and professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, addressed the issue of vitamin D insufficiency and the correlation with cardiac problems in a 2009 article featured in the American Journal of Therapeutics. After compiling a series of studies and controlled trials, Arora said location can make a big difference.

“In some cases, people must rely on diet and supplements to get the necessary amount of vitamin D as exposure to sunlight just may not be adequate, particularly in the Northern part of North America for example,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of investigative work done on this area,” he said. “Basically, it boils down to the transference of calcium from the bones into the vascular system, which can be detrimental. Build up of that calcium increases the risk of rupture, heart attack and death.”

Arora points out that more research is necessary “to come to a clear conclusion addressing serum vitamin D levels with overall and cardiovascular mortality.”

Deficiencies could also be linked to genetics.

“Risk of deficiencies is pertinent to multiple factors such as genes —particularly in certain racial or ethnic mixes—the oral intake of vitamin D, and the exposure to sunlight,” he said.

Some experts believe that adults should take between 800 and 1,000 international units a day to adequately prevent bone loss and protect against chronic disorders.

Suggestions of increased sun exposure have sparked an intense debate about skin cancer risks.

“You want people to have higher levels of vitamin D so you say the natural way of doing it is just going outside and exposing yourself. However individuals with fair skin color are more prone to skin cancer because of the increased exposures,” Kittles said.

In addition to supplements, the Mayo Clinic suggests fatty fish, egg yolks and other fortified foods as good dietary sources of vitamin D.

Experts, including Arora and Kittles, recommend patients consult with their doctors to see if they are deficient and learn what they can do about it.

“We can do a laboratory test and can look at the various breakdowns of vitamin D, which can tell us if the patient is deficient,” Arora said.

OLD SCHOOL CLASSIC TO GO WITH WEDNESDAY INSPIRATION....

WEDNESDAY INSPIRATION....

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY

Matthew 26:14-16

“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said [unto them], What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. “

After reading this scripture, I was prompted to consider if there was anything that I had sold out Jesus for. It’s a hard question for believer’s to ask themselves. Judas couldn’t handle the guilt of his betrayal so he committed suicide (Matt 27:5). Can we say beyond a shadow of doubt considering all things that we have not betrayed the Father? We often times think of what’s important to us and label those things as a priority in our lives. But are they really? Is money enough to drive us to betrayal? Keeping God first and the right perspective will assure us of not betraying the One who died for our sins, Christ Jesus. We won’t have to make choices but just make one choice. Choose Christ! The scripture declares “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt 6:33). Even money…………….

JUSTICE FINALLY SERVED ON KLANMAN....

A group of federal judges have sealed the fate of a refuted member of the Klu Klux Klan, throwing out his appeal for a 2007 conviction and sentencing him to three life sentences.

74-year-old James Ford Seale will never see the light of day again 43 years after he kidnapped and killed two Black men in Mississippi in 1964.

Based on his conviction, Seale and a group of his fellow Klansmen captured 19-year-old Charles Eddie Moore and 19-year-old Henry Hezekiah Dee in southwest Mississippi and took them to the backwoods.

Following that they tossed the two young men in the trunk of a car before tying them up, weighing them down and throwing them into the Mississippi River, possibly while they were still alive.

The bodies of Dee and Moore were recovered weeks later, identifiable only by personal objects found with them.

A Mississippi jury convicted Seale of two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in 2007 giving him three sentences.

He is currently in a federal prison in Indiana.

Proof that it's never too late for justice.

BEST DISS OF 2010 SO FAR....NICKI PLEASE WATCH YOUR BACK....

SIGNS IT'S ALMOST SUMMER...HAWT NEW MUSIC

SEXY BACKS 2010

SOME MONDAY GAGA AND BEYONCE....

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL....

DEDICATED TO ROCKO FROM MONICA...."IT'S A WRAP!"

Verse 1
Yet another early morning and you walking like its nothing
Hold up, hold up, hold up
Ain't no donuts ain't no coffee
See I, know ya see me calling and calling
I should crack ya right in ya forehead

Pre-Chorus
Let me take a breathe (Let me take a breathe)
And regain my composure
Told you one more time (Told you one more time)
If you f'd up its over.
When its gone, its gone, its gone, its gone, its gone
You dead wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong
So just scoo do do doot baby

Chorus
Its a wrap for you baby (It's A Wrap)
Its a wrap for you boy (It's A Wrap)
Oh baby

Verse 2
If I ever misrepresented my self-image
Then I'm sorry
I was oh so acquiescent
But I learn my lesson
Boy you sorry
Buh buh buh
All out in the open
Go make me go call Maury Porvich

Pre-Chorus
Mariah Carey It's A Wrap lyrics found on http://www.directlyrics.com.com/mariah-carey-its-a-wrap-lyrics.html
Let me take a breathe (Let me take a breathe)
And regain my composure
Told you one more time (Told you one more time)
If you f'd up its over.
When its gone, its gone, its gone, its gone, its gone
You dead wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong
So just scoo do do doot baby

Chorus
Its a wrap for you baby (It's A Wrap)
Its a wrap for you boy (It's A Wrap)
Oh baby

Bridge
Put all of your shit in the elevator
Its going down like a denominator
Trying to keep holding on, holding on
Boy let me go
You go wake my neighbors, get away from my door
That was your last shot you ain't coming back
Its the martini I mean it baby
It's wrap

When its gone, its gone, its gone, its gone
You dead wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong, so wrong (you dead wrong)
So just scoo do do doot baby
Boy I ain't playing a game.
I told you, I told you
If you f'd up one more time its over (It's wrap)
So get out of my face it's over
Been sitting here all night leave me alone.
Since 1 o'clock A.M. been drinking patron
Let the credits role, its a wrap

ONE SHOW I WILL DEFINITELY BE TUNED INTO....BASKETBALL WIVES....

As if the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” weren’t enough, who out there is interested in what the life of an NBA wife is like?

If that answer is you, then my friend you are in luck! VH1 has recently picked up the show “Basketball Wives”, a reality show about what else, the significant others of NBA stars. Production is about to start and will focus on six women from all walks of life: the baby mamas, the fiancees, and of course, the wives. The premiere will air March 15, 2010 (cue the Maury Povich intro music!) just in time for March Madness.

Here are the fine women this show will follow:

1. Jennifer Williams (wife of Eric Williams)

2. Evelyn Losada (ex-fiance of Antoine Walker)

3. Mesha O’ Neal (wife of Jermaine O’Neal)

4. Royce Reed (Dwight Howard’s baby mama. Fun fact: she can’t say Dwight’s name on the show for legal reasons)

5. Faith Rain (Udonis Haslem’s girlfriend)

6. Shaunie O’Neal (Shaq’s SOON TO BE EX-wife; also Executive Producer for the show).

THIS IT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE TWO KIDS AND NO RING....JUST ANOTHER STEREOTYPE...

In ATL news today, rumors are spreading that R&B singer Monica and her baby daddy, local rapper Rocko, are no more. Apparently, a jump off got Mo’s cell phone number and has been calling her phone and harassing her. Rumors about Rocko cheating on Monica are old news. Everyone in Atlanta has heard the rumors — including Mo. And that’s all they are: rumors. No one as proven anything.

But Monica does have some legal recourse if a jump off is calling her number constantly harassing her. I just got off the phone with my attorney who told me to advise Mo to get a TPO against the woman immediately — if, in fact, someone is harassing her. In the state of Georgia, it is legal to record a phone call (as long as one party knows) and use that as evidence to obtain a TPO.

I tried to reach Monica after receiving emails about the newest rumor. Here is what she said in a text message just a few minutes ago:

Hey sandra. Just waking up to the madness. I’m in la and worked with polow until 7 this morning. My phone is ringing off the hook and its all driving me a bit crazy because I didn’t askto be mixed in this. But that’s life. There’s always a rainstorm before rainbows. I’m going to call u once I get myself together some.
I finally spoke to R&B singer Monica. She was very emotional as she announced the separation from her fiance, Rocko. This is the only statement that Monica will give. She asks that the media (and bloggers) respect her privacy during these trying times.

I know there were many rumors. And Sandra, I appreciate that you never dug into them for the sake of both our families. I am going to rest today & go back to work tomorrow. I am going to do what I have always done. Focus on my children, my family & my career. Rock was put under a lot of harsh scrutiny during our entire relationship and I’m sure that was not easy.

However at this point our focus is being great parents. He is a great father to his children and, continuing forward, that is my only concern. With every breath in our bodies we will make sure that they feel as little pain as possible And continue to have the lives they had before with no attention dedicated to our separation. I will not be speaking on the subject further unless it is with God whom I believe does everything with reason. I love my children and their father and I’m truly grateful for those that loved and supported us through the good and the bad throughout the years.

Source: Sandrarose.com

SAD BUT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL BABY MOMMA'S....EVER WONDER WHY DUDES END UP MARRYING A CHICK WITH NO KIDS BUT HE MAY HAVE 5 BABIES MOTHERS....

WE (MOST MEN) RESPECT WOMEN WHO DON'T PUT THEMSELVES IN IGNORANT, STUPID, STEREOTYPICAL SITUATIONS SUCH AS BECOMING MOTHER BEFORE YOU ARE A WIFE....

TRUE BANGER....

BEYONCE WHO?

CHICAGO'S PRIDE....ALL 107 MALE STUDENTS ARE COLLEGE BOUND....

Four years ago, Bryant Alexander watched his mother weep.

She stared down at a muddle of D's and F's on his eighth-grade report card and threatened to kick him out. He had barely passed elementary school, and high school wasn't even on his radar.

"Something just clicked," Alexander, now 18, said. "I knew I had to do something."

On Friday, Alexander proudly swapped his high school's red uniform tie for a striped red and gold one — the ritual at Englewood's Urban Prep Academy for Young Men that signifies a student has been accepted into college.

As the Roseland resident and 12 others tied their knots, Chicago's only public all-male, all-African-American high school fulfilled its mission: 100 percent of its first senior class had been accepted to four-year colleges.

Mayor Richard Daley and city schools chief Ron Huberman surprised students at the all-school assembly Friday morning with congratulations, and school leaders announced that as a reward, prom would be free.

The achievement might not merit a visit from top brass if it happened at one of the city's elite, selective enrollment high schools. But Urban Prep, a charter school that enrolls all comers in one of Chicago's most beleaguered neighborhoods, faced much more difficult odds.

Only 4 percent of this year's senior class read at grade level as freshmen, said Tim King, the school's founder and CEO.

"There were those who told me that you can't defy the data," King said. "Black boys are killed. Black boys drop out of high school. Black boys go to jail. Black boys don't go to college. Black boys don't graduate from college.

"They were wrong," he said.

Every day, before attending advanced placement biology classes and lectures on changing the world, students must first pass through the neighborhood, then metal detectors.

"Poverty, gangs, drugs, crime, low graduation rates, teen pregnancy — you name it, Englewood has it," said Kenneth Hutchinson, the school's director of college counseling, who was born and raised in Englewood.

He met the students the summer before they began their freshman year during a field trip to Northwestern University, the first time many of them had ever stepped foot on a college campus. At the time, Hutchinson was Northwestern's assistant director of undergraduate admissions. Inspired by what he'd seen, he started working for Urban Prep two months later.

"I'm them," he said Friday as he fought back tears. "Being accepted to college is the first step to changing their lives and their communities."

Hutchinson plays a major role in the school, where college is omnipresent. Students are assigned college counselors from day one. To prepare students for the next level, the school offers a longer than typical day — about 170,000 minutes longer, over four years, than other city schools — and more than double the usual number of English credits, King said

Even the school's voice-mail system has a student declaring "I am college-bound" before asking callers to dial an extension.

The rigorous academic environment and strict uniform policy of black blazers, red ties and khakis isn't for everyone. The first senior class began with 150 students. Of those who left, many moved out of the area and some moved into neighborhoods that were too dangerous to cross to get to the school, King said. Fewer than 10 were expelled or dropped out, he said.

At last count, the 107 seniors gained acceptance to a total of 72 different colleges, including Northwestern University, Morehouse College, Howard University, Rutgers University and University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Alexander was accepted to DePaul University.

While college acceptance is an enormous hurdle to jump, school leaders said they know their job isn't done; they want to make sure the students actually attend.

To that aim, King said, staff made sure that every student has completed the dreaded Free Application for Federal Student Aid, lest the red tape deter them.

Later in the year, the school plans to hold a college signing day where every student is to sign a promise to go to college, he said. Staff will stay in touch through the summer and hopefully in the first years of school.

"We don't want to send them off and say, ‘Call us when you're ready to make a donation to your alma mater,' " King said. "If we fulfill our mission, that means they not only are accepted to college, but graduate from it."

For now, students are enjoying the glow of reaching their immediate goal.

Normally, it takes 18-year-old Jerry Hinds two buses and 45 minutes to get home from school. On the day the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana was to post his admission decision online at 5 p.m., he asked a friend to drive him to his home in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

He went into his bedroom, told his well-wishing mother this was something he had to do alone, closed the door and logged in.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" he remembers screaming. His mother burst in and began crying.

That night he made more than 30 phone calls, at times shouting "I got in" on his cell phone and home phone at the same time.

"We're breaking barriers," he said. "And that feels great."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS....PAST AND PRESENT

GUESS WHO'S BACK....PAST AND PRESENT

MY FAVORITE IS THE WHITE CHICK ROCKING THE BALDIE...HOT!!!!