Mar/100
10 friends you need by age 30
(The Frisky) — From the time you were in pre-school and your mom picked your play dates, you’ve been building relationships with people. And sometimes, when you have things in common and get along with one another, you become friends. You might think that you have enough friends in your life, but really, can you ever have too many? Plus, you never know when you’re going to need a hand saw, so you better have someone in your cell phone who owns one.
Before you turn 30, these are some friends that would be handy to have around.
1. The Style Guru: Everyone needs someone who can help them figure out which dress is appropriate for “black-tie optional” weddings, and whether you can get away with wearing a green sweater with a red belt. (The answer to the latter is “probably not,” unless you are a Christmas Elf.)
2. The Mr./Ms. Fix-it: You bought a new bike online, but the instructions for putting it together appear to be written in a language you do not speak. It’s time to call the friend who has a knack for building things and owns all the right tools.
3. The Good-Time Gal: If you’re feeling antsy with nothing to do on a Friday night, call this friend, who is generally up for doing anything at any time. She’ll cook up plans that involve dancing on banquets or singing Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” in the time it takes you to change out of your work clothes and slap on a fresh coat of mascara.
4. The Health Nut: During the times when you suddenly decide to start working out or eating food other than take-out and delicacies from the frozen-food aisle, it’s good to have someone who reads every health and fitness magazine and loves to dispense instructions on the proper squat form and to pass along recipes for protein-rich meals.
5. The Ear: You had a sucky day at work and hate everything in your closet. What do you do? Call the friend who will calmly listen to all of your problems and then, at the appropriate time, give you a few pearls of wisdom.
6. The Do-It-Herselfer: Hemming vintage dresses or whipping up a crème brûlée might not come naturally to you, but with the help of a skillful friend, you’ll develop new talents in no time.
7. The Culture Guru: If you like the idea of going to see that new up-and-coming band perform, befriend someone who knows who’s playing and what exhibits are on display.
8. The Healthcare Professional: Make friends with a doctor or nurse. Then, when you wake up with ginormous swollen glands, you won’t have to wait for an appointment to get medicine to cure what ails you.
9. The Legal Adviser: We all make mistakes. A need for speed can lead to you getting pulled over, and a lively party might end with a noise violation. If you have a friend who’s a lawyer, at least you won’t be alone when you have to appear in front of a judge.
10. The Travel Buddy: There are those who like to stay in the same place and find solace in their homes. And there are others who need to get out and explore the world. If you’ve caught the travel bug, find a friend who has it too. It’s way more fun (and much safer) when you share adventures with someone else.
TM & © 2009 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved
Feb/100
Response to McDonnell
What I see happening from this is with less money going to the education system we will not be able to recruit and keep the best and brightest educators. This will lead to an inferior education experience for most students. There will be an increase in drop out rates. Based on a 2009 Washington Post article VA has a 9.9% drop out rate for high school students. Now lets compound this issue with the fact that our police departments will be hit by cuts. So we will have more individuals without proper education in our population. That can lead to an increase in crime. Let’s say it doesn’t what jobs can these individuals afford? Some of the statistics I found for Hampton Roads cities with the highest poverty levels is Norfolk (19.4%) and Portsmouth (16.2%). We are also cutting pregnancy prevention funding so one could extrapolate an increased rate of broken families and juvenile child birth.
I will personalize my thoughts. My family was not poor but due to brain cancer in my baby brother’s brain medical bills were extreme and my mother could not work as she normally would have. My father was in the Navy. My brother and I both participated in a school lunch program when my mother was able to work and became involved after school to save money on after school programs. We even both served as Student Body President of our respective schools in the same year. We both lettered in over 4 sports each in high school. We also both were in the Gifted and Talented Program. Every single one of these programs are going to be affected by these budget cuts. I wonder if I would truly be who I am today if these cuts had gone into effect when I was in school.
Currently my wife is a state employee. She has not seen a pay raise in three years I believe. Though she has a college degree she makes under 30K a year working for our alma mater. Now she is being required to take furlough days as well. In her office as well as many others there are state employees who have been working for years making much more than they deserve. We have individuals who are not proficient at computer usage, even the basics, yet they have ballooned salaries due to experience. We need to force retirements and cut back on benefits for seniors. We need our next generation to succeed where our last generations failed.
So quickly we state it is because our Governor is a Republican. He should be a Virginian first. Personally I could care less about party affiliation. Vote them all out and start from scratch. My generation could do no worse.
Jan/100
Portion Size, Then Vs. Now
By: Liz Monte
Over the past few decades, portion sizes of everything from muffins to sandwiches have grown considerably. Unfortunately, America’s waistbands have reacted accordingly. In the 1970s, around 47 percent of Americans were overweight or obese; now 66 percent of us are. In addition, the number of just obese people has doubled, from 15 percent of our population to 30 percent.
While increased sizes haven’t been the sole contributor to our obesity epidemic, large quantities of cheap food have distorted our perceptions of what a typical meal is supposed to look like. These portion comparisons, adapted from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Portion Distortion Quiz, give a visual representation of what sizes used to be compared to what they are today.
Two Slices of Pizza
Twenty years ago Today
500 calories 850 calories
Those extra 350 calories, if eaten a two times a month, would put on two extra pounds a year, or forty pounds in the next two decades.
Dec/090
Urban League Breakfast
This morning I had the pleasure to attend the Urban League of Hampton Roads. It was titled the Changing Lives Breakfast. It was an amazing event. It showcased some of the great events and feats of the organization. Highlights of the speakers included a very talented young lady who though successful, was on the verge of losing her home. It included the parents of a young lady who through the mentoring programs of Urban League, was able to gain entrance to William & Mary and has become very successful in the mass communications field. The final highlight was on a young man who was left alone after his mother unexpectedly died of cancer. Though he was nearly homeless, the Urban League assisted him on getting on the right path with his life. There was a who’s who of community involved individuals. I attended with Curt Anderson, founder of Mygoodlyfe.com, Norfolk commissioner for Redevelopment and Housing Administration and owner of the Palace on Plume. Also in attendance was Jummy Olabnji, the attractive young reporter from the local CBS affiliate WTKR. My good friends and proprietors of Posh Retro, Amber Ivey and Tomeria Allen were in attendance. I had the pleasure of sitting with the men from Best Kept Secret. This group desires to lower inner city violence by mentoring young men and providing free hair cuts to them.
The Urban League was established nearly 100 years ago. It was made to assist rural African-Americans who were transitioning urban cities. Today Urban League has become an outlet for aiding those facing foreclosure and those seeking home ownership. Urban League also works closely with small business to aid them in reaching a move level playing field through technology and education.
I encourage everyone to check out your local Urban League. In my area it is the Urban League of Hampton Roads www.ulhr.com. Nationally you can go to www.urbanleague.org
Nov/090
Purity Party
As the Republican Party basks in the glow on Honolulu for their winter meeting one major piece of business they will be handling is a resolution that has been signed by 10 leaders of the party. The purpose of this resolution would be to determine whether a candidate qualifies to receive campaign funds from the Party. Any candidate who seeks their funding yet has broke from Party lines on three or more of the aft-mentioned guidelines. The following are the guidelines and the litmus test.
Nov/090
Doing The Deeds
Every poll showed that Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Creigh Deeds is set to get blown out the water in the race for Virginia Governor by GOP candidate Bob McDonnell. All political spinsters can talk about is how this defeat is a reflection of the Obama administration. The cloud of idealist partisan politics blinds so many from writing presenting objectionable analysis. The entire Virginia election was lost during a small 60 day window starting of August until October 21st when the Washington Post ran its article showing a thesis written by McDonnell in 1989 for a master of arts in public policy and juris doctorate in law from Regent University in my home town of Virginia Beach. The Deeds campaign put a huge thrust in advertising around this essay and it seems to their own demise. This factor became to defining factor of the entire Deeds campaign though to the amazement of them. Their amazement is based on data from TNS Media Intelligence, an independent company tracking campaign advertising, show that in the Washington market for that 60-day period, Deeds aired 1,783 ads mentioning McDonnell. Now in contrast McDonnell and the RGA aired 2,177 ads focused on Deeds. To McDonnell’s credits many of the statements were usually made in defense of the Deeds ads.
Sep/090
Game Over: The Rise and Fall of Black Shows on Television
Monday May 25, 2009 – By Sky Obercam
The cancellation of CW’s The Game, represents the final nail in the coffin for African American shows on network TV. Over the past decade, there were a handful of black shows, sitcoms to be particular, that saw the light of day. Once upon a time, there was a minor league network called The WB that gained it’s primary audience by airing these programs – The Jamie Foxx Show, The Wayan’s Brothers, The Parent ‘Hood, The Steve Harvey Show and Sister, Sister, (after being dropped from ABC) being prime examples.
Aug/090
DISNEY TO ACQUIRE MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT
August 31, 2009
Worldwide leader in family entertainment agrees to acquire Marvel and its portfolio of over 5,000 characters
Acquisition highlights Disney’s strategic focus on quality branded content, technological innovation and international expansion to build long-term shareholder value
Burbank, CA and New York, NY, August 31, 2009 —Building on its strategy of delivering quality branded content to people around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has agreed to acquire Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:MVL) in a stock and cash transaction, the companies announced today.
Aug/091
Rapper behind ‘Roxanne’s Revenge’ gets Warner Music to pay for Ph.D
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Updated Sunday, August 23rd 2009, 1:07 PM
Watts/NewsRoxanne Shante was a young rap star. When the music stopped, she didn’t miss a beat.Roxanne’s revenge was sweet indeed.
Twenty-five years after the first queen of hip-hop was stiffed on her royalty checks, Dr. Roxanne Shante boasts an Ivy League Ph.D. – financed by a forgotten clause in her first record deal.
“This is a story that needs to be told,” Shante said. “I’m an example that you can be a teenage mom, come from the projects, and be raised by a single parent, and you can still come out of it a doctor.”
Aug/090
Football & The Failure of American Prison System
Dogfighting Laws
Federal, state and local laws against animal fighting have toughened over 30 years, a result of society’s heightened sensitivity to animal cruelty:Federal Law
In 1976, Congress outlawed interstate promotion of animal fights and the transportation of animals across state lines for fighting, with penalties of up to a year in prison and a $5,000 fine. The fine was later increased to $100,000.In May, the punishment rose to three years and a $250,000 fine. Vick is charged under the older law because the accusations cover a period ending in April.
He also is accused of violating a federal law against interstate travel in aid of certain criminal activities. That law, with penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, does not list dogfighting but does include gambling.
Vick has agreed to plead guilty, his attorneys said. Sources said federal guidelines in his case call for a prison term in the 12-to-18-month range.
State Laws
Dogfighting is a felony in 48 states and the District and a misdemeanor in Idaho and Wyoming. Possessing a fighting dog is legal in Georgia, Idaho and Nevada, a misdemeanor in New York, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming, and a felony everywhere else.Being a spectator at a dogfight is legal in Georgia and Idaho, a felony in 22 states and a misdemeanor in 26 states and the District.
Washington Area Laws
Participating in a dogfight:
Maryland: Felony, up to three years, $5,000 fine.
Virginia: Felony, up to five years, $2,500 fine.
District: Felony, up to five years, $25,000 fine.Possessing a fighting dog:
Maryland: Felony, up to three years, $5,000 fine.
Virginia: Felony, up to five years, $2,500 fine.
District: Felony, up to five years, $25,000 fine.Being a spectator at a dogfight:
Maryland: Misdemeanor, up to 90 days, $1,000 fine.
Virginia: Misdemeanor, up to a year, $2,500 fine.
District: Misdemeanor, up to 180 days, $1,000 fine.SOURCE: Humane Society of the United States; Maryland, Virginia and D.C. criminal codes
I wanted to preface my comments with listing what the actual laws are for dog fighting. Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months. 23 months is more than 18 using the math I learned in public schools.