Fall 2013: Hottest Television Drama Series

Wall Street Journal Cheat Sheet's Thomas Mentel shared his view of the five best dramas currently running on television. Most of the shows have been favored by critics and viewers alike over multiple seasons. These shows have been nominated and have won multiple awards and are usually the focus of the water cooler gossip each week....

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Exercising with Urban Line Dancing: See You On the Wood

The year rolls on and I’m continuing my weight loss efforts. Controlling my food intake, watching my portions and following healthy eating guidelines are important to my success. But, all serious weight loss efforts include exercise. Over the past several years my exercise of choice was aqua aerobics, but recently thanks to my youngest daughter,...

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The Millennials: Understanding "Generation Me"

I know that I'm old and I accept that. Luckily, I have a family that is very close, who work and play together, and who lead me to look at things in a variety of ways. In addition to family input, I thank God for the Internet which allows me to research and better understand many things including this younger generation. As...

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41 Years in Solitary Confinement: Prisoner Found Innocent

Herman Wallace, a 71-year-old Louisiana prisoner who spent 41 years in solitary confinement and is now dying of cancer was released late Tuesday from prison, his attorneys said. Late Tuesday, U.S. District Chief Judge Brian Jackson in Baton Rouge denied the state's motion seeking to block his earlier order overturning Herman Wallace's 1974...

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What's Your Brand of Fatigue?

You hear yourself constantly saying, "I'm tired." You feel overworked, chronically fatigued, harried and stressed. Well, you aren't alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that nearly a third of all Americans are sleep deprived. If you have a case of the "yawns", it doesn't mean that you're not getting enough rest. To sort...

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Memories of Summertime Fun in Chicago

As a transplant from Chicago to Las Vegas, I seem to miss the Windy City the most in the summer. Don't get me wrong-I love Las Vegas, but I have so many memories of Chicago through the years from childhood to becoming an adult. Then I got to relive fun in the summer with my children and grandchildren. Let’s walk and take a nostalgic tour of places...

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Millionaire at 15: Jaylen Bledsoe

Today's media market makes you think that young black men are behind bars, victims of fatal shootings, or unemployed baby daddies. Here's one of the big secrets that the media doesn't readily share. It's the story of Jaylen Bledsoe, a young, black entrepreneur who has assured his future at the tender age of 1...

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Blair Underwood's "Ironside" Re-boot

  Most of you won't remember Raymond Burr's distinctive series "Ironside" highlighted in the '60s and '70s. Burr played a San Francisco chief of detectives forced to retire when a sniper's bullet paralyzes him from the waist down, leaving him wheelchair bound. He gets himself appointed as a "special department consultant. "Ironside"...

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On The Record: Samuel L. Jackson Revealed

While researching for an article on long lasting Celebrity marriages, I learned two things about actor, producer Samuel L. Jackson: first, I learned about his marriage to his college sweetheart La Tanya Richardson and second, I found that Jackson has lead the kind of interesting life worth writing about. After further...

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In For the Long Haul: Lasting Celebrity Marriages

Some Celebrity Couples make news by rushing in and out of marriage. Some vows last just weeks, or days or even hours. Yet there are Celebrity Couples who have weathered the challenges and appear to be "in for the long haul". Short marriages may be the norm in Hollywood, but here are some couples who have managed to make their union...

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Quick, Fast and In a Hurry: Short Lived Hollywood Marriages

Marriage is a tough business in the modern age, especially in Hollywood. The marriage vows say "in sickness and in health" and " until death do us part", but folks in Tinsel Town are racing one another to see who can call it quits the fastest. Here are some of Hollywood's famous pairs that ended it all, almost before the ink...

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Will the Border Ever Be Secure?

In 1986, 3 million undocumented immigrants gained citizenship. Eleven million crossed the border since then. In 1986, there were 3,222 U. S. Border Patrol agents and 18,500 agents today. (There are 34,500 police in New York City alone.) In 1986, the border was wide-open; today, barriers are built along 700 miles of the border. The U. S.-Mexico...

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Iconic Video Game Characters

Just as we love our favorite television characters, video gamers are estatic about their beloved video characters. Longevity is the word when talking about fortunes that owe their existence to a plumber, a sports franchise, or even a quirky animal. Each is a master of design and has inspired the loyalty of  gamers throughout the years....

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Seeing Double: Twin Vaedictorians Headed to Stanford

Marcos and Malcolm Allen were busy signing autographs to middle schoolers on Friday morning. The Centennial High School graduates and 18 year-old twins are anything but average. Both have been named class valedictorians, graduating with 4.8 grade point averages. In the fall, they'll be heading to Stanford University with basketball scholarships...

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Kevin Hart Sentenced for DUI

Unlike his recent film "Let Me Explain", 33 year old actor-comedian Kevin Hart faced the music, stood up for his mistakes, and pleaded no contes...

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Scandal and the " Mystery Man"

Loyal fans anxiously await the return of Shonda Rimes' award winning political thriller "Scandal". If you haven't been watching, now is a good time to catch up on the series....

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Paying for your Pay Check: Prepaid cards-Caution!

Some consumers have embraced the prepaid card as an alternative to traditional bank accounts and credit cards. Some have bad credit and can’t get a credit card or open a bank account.  Some are trying to avoid credit card debt and bank fees. But, Consumer Reports recently outlined the dangers of prepaid cards and revealed that the industry...

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Seeing Double: Twins-Co-Valedictorians Achieve Success

  Kristie and Kirstie Bronner, Class of 2013, have always done everything together — from dressing alike in elementary school to double dating in high school. On May 19, the music majors from Atlanta graduated from Spelman College as co-valedictorians with perfect 4.0 GPAs.  “I definitely do not feel like I came to school perfect,” said...

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Message to Zimmerman: Black Like Me

In case you missed it, Jonathan Capehart shared a letter to George Zimmerman from a Facebook post from Alex Fraser. Jonathan said he heard about the letter when Steve Harvey read it on his show and he wrote a column in the Washington Post about it. Here's Alex Fraser's "Message to Zimmerman": Dear George Zimmerman, For the rest...

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Meet Morehouse Medical School's New President

Macon, Georgia native Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice has made history. The natural born leader has been appointed the new president of Morehouse School of Medicine – the nation’s first African-American woman to lead a free-standing medical school.  When you consider the under-representation of black women in science, technology, engineering,...

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The Man at the Door: Lee Daniels' The Butler

  "Lee Daniels' The Butler" tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and his family. &nbs...

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New Year-A Day Too Late: Fruitvale Station

Writer/Director Ryan Coogle's debut film "Fruitvale Station" hits the theatres on Friday, July 26, 2013. The film's Producer is Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker. It's the true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, as he crosses paths with his friends, enemies,family and strangers on the last day of 2008, his last day...

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Reviving "Inspector Morse" Mysteries: Meet "Endeavour"

"Inspector Morse" is one of the most popular PBS Masterpiece Mysteries and after years of reruns, a new series, "Endeavour", introduces a young, 20 something Morse to his devoted fans. The new mystery series, a prequel to the long running adaptation of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse novels, premiered on July ...

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Wisconsin Man Guilty of Killing Teen Neighbor

A Milwaukee man knew exactly what he was doing when he accused his teenage neighbor of burglary and then fired a bullet into the boy's chest, jurors decided Friday. The verdict essentially guarantees that 76-year-old John Henry Spooner will die behind bars. The same jury decided two days earlier that Spooner was guilty of first-degree intentional...

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Sen. Rand Paul and the "Southern Avenger"

  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says he’s standing by longtime aide Jack Hunter whom he appointed as his Media Director.   “Sen. Paul holds his staff to a standard that includes treating every individual with equal protection and respect, without exception,” spokeswoman Moira Bagley said in a statement.   Jack Hunter has for years...

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State Prison Phone Companies Charge Outrageous Rates and Give Jails Kickbacks

A recent article by Andrew Kaufman in the International Business Times reports that Telephone companies are operating unfair monopolies in state prisons, charging inmates exorbitant prices of more than $1-per-minute calls and giving kickbacks to the jails, according to a report released in June. Researchers at the Prison Policy Initiative found...

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Mass Incarceration: "The New Jim Crow"

In her new book "The New Jim Crow", Michelle Alexander argues vigorously and persuasively that "[w]e have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." Jim Crow and legal racial segregation has been replaced by mass incarceration as "a system of social control". She reviews American racial history from the colonies to the...

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Lessons From the Zimmerman Verdict

The killing of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent verdict of not guilty has thrown the nation into turmoil. We, the American public, must learn from this tragic situation and take action to ensure changes in our laws and in the public understanding of our racial views, assumptions and beliefs. Last year in New York City, police stopped 532,911...

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"Border Surge": Boon For Defense Contractors

The border security plan the Senate approved last week includes unusual language mandating the purchase of specific models of helicopters and radar equipment for deployment along the U.S.-Mexican border, providing a potential windfall worth tens of millions of dollars to top defense contractors. The legislation would require the U.S. Border Patrol to...

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Honoring Trayvon Martin: Do All You Can

President Obama weighed in on the George Zimmerman verdict on Sunday, calling on Americans to “respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son.” Zimmerman was acquitted Saturday on second degree murder and manslaughter charges in the shooting death of  17-year-old Trayvon Martin. ...

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Foyle's War Returns to MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!

I was delighted to learn that Foyle's War is returning to MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! Three new episodes of the popular detective series will air on PBS in the summer of 2013.   The British detective drama television series,created by screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, was originally set during and shortly after World War...

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CA Inmates Illegally Sterilized

The Center for Investigative Reporting reports its findings that doctors under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation illegally sterilized nearly 150 female inmates from 2006 to 2010 without required state approvals. At least 148 women received tubal ligations in violation of prison rules during those five years...

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Beauty Tips: Add The "Extras" To Your Makeup Kit

Okay, so you've gone through the mounds of makeup in your bathroom, your makeup bag and your purse. You've covered the basics, discarded out of date products and you're ready for the next step. Still feeling as if somethings missing? Time to explore the "extras", those little things that give you added oomph. Take a look at these possibilities: EXFOLIATE If...

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The Tale of Three Popes: Pope Francis To Canonize New Saints

Pope Francis I Pope Francis on Friday cleared two of the 20th century's most influential popes to become saints, approving a miracle needed to canonize Pope John Paul II and waiving Vatican rules to honor Pope John XXIII. In a major demonstration of his papal authority, Francis decided that John XXIII could be declared a saint even though...

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Scam Alert: Ways to Foil ID Thieves

Last year, as many as 16 million households fell victim to identify theft. Don't join them this year. Fear of identity theft has spawned an entire industry offering protection against this fraud. But, there are a number of things you can do yourself. Here are some tips on reducing your risk: Get off mailing lists for preapproved credit card offers,...

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Violence Against Women Abounds World Wide

Rapper and actor 50 Cent has been charged with attacking his ex-girlfriend and trashing her Los Angeles condo. During an argument, the woman told police, Jackson began destroying her property before she locked herself into her bedroom. The woman who had a baby with him said Jackson kicked open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing injury. Police...

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