Achieving Dreams by Finishing What You Start

Source: Litman Live 

Achieving one’s dreams is like rolling a huge rock uphill. It’s an uphill battle that takes energy, drive and momentum. Realizing this, each day, ask yourself the question, what have I done to achieve my ultimate goal today? Keep in mind that each day’s accomplishments build on the next; so you must keep your momentum up to get to the finish line. Do what you can at your own pace, even if that means slowly, but do it passionately and regularly in a much focused manner. This will help you to slowly but surely climb the learning curve and build your "muscles" over time.

There’s no point in starting something and not finishing it. That’s wasted time and effort you could have invested in something else. So many excellent ideas die before they are implemented because people are often not focused. Anything you want to do, begin doing it, no matter how small or how crude it appears. The world's greatest inventions started out looking cruder than yours and no product’s first version is its best or last because ideas and versions grow and evolve often. Keep your focus on your dream as much as you can for as long as you can, but when you see yourself putting in double the effort, but producing only half the normal results, realize it's time for a break.

Take well deserved short breaks, but never lose sight of your ultimate vision. Don’t let your breaks, derail or distract you from realizing your long term goal of working on and refining your product till it becomes a success. Keeping in mind that everything has it's time and some things take much longer than planned, as much as it is within your power, finish what you start because that's the only road to true success, and others will be encouraged by your path and your success.

A word is enough for the wise….

Kindness

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

- Aesop

African American Festival July 2nd & 3rd 2011!

The African American Festival is Baltimore's annual festival of African American music and culture. This family-oriented event has been a regional tradition for more than 30 years. It is the ultimate destination for the July 4th weekend and hosts as many as 500 thousand visitors enjoying world class entertainment including celebrity artists, celebrity challenges, the Baltimore Super Star, the African American Film Festival, dynamic exhibits of arts, financial literacy, children's activities, history, health & wellness, education and heritage events.

WHEN:

Saturday - July 2, 2011 (noon - 10pm)

Sunday - July 3, 2011 (noon - 9pm)

WHERE:

M&T Bank Stadium

on Lots B and C between Oriole Park at Camden Yards

1101 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

View driving directions.

WHO:

The festival is presented by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and produced by greiBO Entertainment with the support of a Festival Advisory Board and Steering Committee. And for the first time in history, the African American Festival will feature Radio One's Stone Soul Picnic - making it the signature event for the summer.

COST:

Free

For more information, visit http://www.africanamericanfestival.net/

Michelle Obama's African Tour

Debbie Yazbek/Nelson Mandela Foundation via AP

American First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama recently finished her African tour where she met with many young Africans, African leaders and dignitaries from across Africa including the Young African Women Leaders Forum. She took the trip because she knows that Africa is a fundamental part our interconnected world and must be embraced as a vital partner and to meet the challenges of our time.

She gave the keynote address at the Young African Women Leaders Forum whose objectives include:


• Using activities as a platform for young Africans to express their aspirations and values.

• Helping empower young African women.

• Learning how to become better partners in building a more just, democratic and prosperous future for all of Africa’s peoples.

76 young women gathered from 24 African countries to attend the forum. Activities included breakout sessions on education, entrepreneurship and health along with community service projects. They also met with local leaders to discuss community needs and challenges.

During her trip, she visited Pretoria, Johannesburg Cape Town, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana. For the full coverage of her trip, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/YoungAfrica

Your Environment Matters!

Just like a plant is only as good as the soil it’s in...

People are only as good as the environment they are in.

Notable Cartoon - Obama’s Audacity of Reality

Walt Carr
Source - The Washington Informer Newspaper

6 - Figure Jobs Anyone Can Get

Everybody wants to make money. Ideally, we'd all be rolling in millions from working at our dream jobs, but it's pretty clear that's not going to happen.

These days especially, working has become less about having the job of our dreams and more about paying the bills. You might not want to – or be able to – put in the time and effort to take classes or commit to years of schooling to earn a high salary. Can you make the big bucks without that education?

The short answer is yes -- but not in very many fields. We looked for six-figure salaries that don't require a four-year degree. While we found some that pay an annual mean salary of more than $100,000, most of these positions require you to be in the top 10 percent of earners. It's not impossible, but it will definitely take a lot of hard work.

And it goes without saying that all of these positions require some degree of skill and experience. You can't become fashion designer if you have no fashion sense, for example, and it's not likely that you'll walk away from high school graduation and into a firehouse as the fire chief.

If you're looking to earn those big bucks, but don't have a college degree, here are a few fields to consider:

1. Air traffic controller

90th percentile income: $161,650

75th percentile income: $142,430

Median annual salary: $109,850

You can become an air traffic controller a couple of different ways without a degree. The first is to have experience through the Federal Aviation Administration or the Defense Department, as a civilian or veteran. The second is to complete an FAA-approved education program.

2. Chief executives

Median annual salary: $160,720

If you've worked your way up to become the CEO, you may be earning $160,000 a year. It's difficult to get to this stage of your career without a college education, but it can be done. Just look at Bill Gates and Michael Dell, both of whom were college dropouts.

3. Fashion designer

90th percentile income: $130,900

75th percentile income: $90,020

Median annual salary: $64,260

This is one career where you've either got it or you don't. About 25 percent of fashion designers are self-employed. If you're a real creative genius, you might be able to get by with only a high school education. But if you're smart, you'll at least get an associate degree. It also behooves you to get training in color, textiles, pattern making and computer-aided design.

4. Fire chief

90th percentile income: $109,750

75th percentile income: $87,190

Median annual salary: $68,250

Most firefighters have a high school diploma. In some cases, community college courses or an associate degree might be a better option for you. Once you're accepted into a fire department, you'll train at the department's academy, where you'll obtain classroom and practical training. To get to fire chief status, you'll definitely have to work your way through the ranks.

5. Network systems and data communications analysts

90th percentile income: $116,120

75th percentile income: $55,900

Median annual salary: $73,250

Training requirements for network systems and data communications analysts vary. Some organizations require a bachelor's degree, but often an associate degree, professional certification and work experience can do the trick.

6. Police and detective supervisor

90th percentile income: $116,340

75th percentile income: $94,560

Median annual salary: $76,500

It's not likely you'll join your local police squad as the supervisor unless you have a few years of experience under your belt. A few squads may require a year or two of college-level course work, but in most places you just need a high school education plus experience. Much of this career is learned on the job or in a training academy

7. Radiation therapists

90th percentile income: $107,230

75th percentile income: $90,650

Median annual salary: $74,170

At the very least, an associate degree or certificate in radiation therapy is required for this position. Many states also require radiation therapists to be licensed. There is also the option of completing an associate degree in radiological imaging and then finishing a 12-month certificate program in radiation therapy.

Written by Rachel Farrell for CareerBuilder.com.

HIV/AIDS is 30 Years Old!

Can you believe that HIV/AIDS is 30 years old already? This disease that followed the lifecycle of initially being unwelcome, unknown, misunderstood and shrouded in mystery, and then becoming better known, and now relatively well known, understood and out in the open, has come a long way.

HIV/AIDS victims who were once stigmatized and marginalized and met with hatred and disapproval are now being widely accepted. In the US, the nation’s capital, Washington DC is said to have the highest rate at 3.2%. This is high considering that the World Health Organization considers a 1.0% infection rate to be an epidemic.

Anniversaries are a time to reflect and propose ways to move forward and many are doing just that at the disease’s 30th birthday. According to a staff member of the Whitman Walker Clinic, the HIV/AIDS timeline is as follows:

The first 10 years: People didn’t know much about it or what to do about it. This means people were being infected with the disease and dying rampantly.

The second 10 years: Thanks to research, people started to figure it out and develop drugs which were hard to take and had major side effects. This means there were fewer deaths, but victims still led very difficult lives.

The third 10 years: Treatment was refined and easier to take drugs with low side effects were developed and administered, and now infected people are living somewhat healthy and normal lives.

This is a time for serious reflection on HIV/AIDS. If you don’t have the disease, do everything humanly possible to stay away from getting it. If you have already contracted the disease, keep keeping your head up, love and respect yourself and live your life to the fullest.

A word is enough for the wise...

RE: Safer Sex? Some Parents Allow Their Teens to Have Sex Inside Family Home

Source: Getty Images

Teenagers having sex their parents don’t know about is almost like a rite of passage. The normal scenario goes something like this. Parents awkwardly tell teenager about the birds and the bees. Then they ask if the teenager has been doing it. The teenager, usually lying through his/her teeth, says no. The parents then tells the teenager not to. The teenager says, OK. The parents then say, "Great!" Case closed.

However, that's not how things are anymore. My, oh my, how times have changed. It really is a different world. Long gone are the days of no sex till after marriage. Or in more recent times, the time of the movie, Grease, where teenagers had sex in cars. Now it’s the days of the movie, Mean Girls, with teenage sex scenes where the mother/Amy Poehler character is asking if they  need anything as the two teenagers go at it.

Teenagers having sex in the home is the latest issue to spark off debate in cyber world triggered by blogger, Heather Blackmore. The internet has been set ablaze with this topic and some people including a “responsible” mother of an 18 year old boy said she’d prefer her son to have sex at home because the environment is safe and clean, and condoms are readily available. Instead of him having sex at a motel, a park, or in a car.

Some say teenagers will do it anyway, so they might as well do it where you can see them, so if something goes wrong, they have people to turn to. Their logic is senseless to me, but to each his own. Many would say, only mothers of boys would allow this, but that's not true. Another mother of a 17 year old girl said she allows her daughter to have sex in her home by allowing her boyfriend to stay overnight once a week because of the relationship her daughter and her boyfriend share. Absurd as it sounds, this isn't new to me. Many years ago, a friend of mind named Patrice who had gotten pregnant as a teenager while in high school had a child out of wedlock. About a year later, she met another guy and had the guy move into the house she lived in with her single mother. Although this was incredible to me, I know it is done. However, I believe this is prevalent in single mother led homes because most normal men can't embrace the thought of their young daughter having sex at all, let alone under their own roof.

A man complained that the decency and sanctity of what you call home is threatened when teenagers are given such privileges. Oddly enough, to some parents, hidden sex = less safe sex and sex with different partners. How they came to that conclusion is mind boggling to me. However, teenage girls complain that if they don’t have the, “My parents will kill me” excuse when boys ask them to have sex, that leaves them vulnerable and raises the chance that they’ll give in to boys' requests.

All this shows is that sexual immorality is on the rise. When sex is openly promoted by parents, this takes the stigma off premarital sex, which is one of the causes of the moral decay in this country. One psychologist said as long as the teenagers are of legal consent age everything is fine. To me, that’s a dumb assertion because a teenager who is emotionally and socially immature and whose brain has been scientifically proven to still be growing till the age 26, who is learning the rules of engagement in the world, legal age or not, isn’t good at making decisions, especially a decision which can lead to the creation of another life and dramatically alter his or her life permanently. Most of them can't drive correctly and cause so many unnecessary accidents as it is, and they should be allowed to have sex in the home? That's just another accident waiting to happen. Aren’t there enough children born out of wedlock in this country already?

I maybe old fashioned, but the words of fickle human beings who think this is fine will fail any one taking them seriously. Remember the Woodstock free love hippies? Where are they now? Didn’t they all pack it in after a while? Teenagers should be taught to manage their sexual desires from early on. If not, we will have a world in chaos. Granted that it appears that by the human design's puberty time line we are all meant to get married and start having sex much earlier than our societies currently allow, but this isn’t the right way to solve that problem. Nothing good comes from two teenagers who probably won’t marry each other having sex. It only leads to emotional trauma and even sometimes physical trauma because two immature people are trying to play grown up without full understanding of the consequences.

The word of God always stands the test of time. Songs of Solomon 2:7 states, “Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the swift gazelles and the deer of the wild, not to awaken love until the time is right.” (NLT) In another translation, Song of Solomon 8:4 also states, “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.” Here the word of God is telling people not to engage in sexual activity till they are ready for the responsibilities and consequences.

Everything is permissible, but not everything is good. This means that you can pretty much do anything, but that doesn’t mean that it is good, beneficial or will result in a positive situation. Having teenagers engaging in sexual activity in their parents' homes without the attached feelings of guilt or shame may be permissible, but that doesn’t mean it is good.

A word is enough for the wise….

For more on the ABC story, visit http://abcnews.go.com/US/parents-teens-sex-family-home/story?id=13898548

Pan-Africanism: A Viable Ideology to Address Africa’s Rape Redux/Euro-American 21st Century Neo-Colonial Re-Conquest & Scramble for Africa

We invite you to attend a Pan-African conference on current events in Africa.

 THE REVIVAL OF PAN-AFRICANISM FORUM

Pan-Africanism:  A Viable Ideology to Address Africa’s Rape Redux/Euro-American 21st Century Neo-Colonial Re-Conquest & Scramble for Africa

When:             3:45 PM, Saturday, July 16, 2011

Where:           Hilton Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 

                        (Across from the Twinbrook Metro station (Red Line) Rockville, MD)

Who:               Molefi Asante, Ph.D., (Keynote speaker) Professor and author,                       

                        Samar-Al-Bulushi, Activist and journalist,

                        Maurice Carney, Director of Friends of the Congo and human rights activist, and
                        
                        Peter Bailey, Activist and journalist.

On the anniversary of the Coalition Forces’ invasion of Iraq, Africa witnessed overt imperialist aggression by former European colonial oppressors and the US.  Civil unrest in nations across Africa is partially caused by hegemonic Western influence, which few mainstream media outlets address as an important factor.  In Egypt and Tunisia, popular movements have appeared to have extinguished their Western-backed dictatorial regimes.  However, oil and resource rich nations including Ivory Coast and Libya face imperialistic machinations of a cabal of Western nations and Arab monarchial states fomenting illegal neo-colonial wars to drive nationalist governments from power.  A third category of African nations in crisis is comprised of countries, such as Burkina Faso, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda, where proxy resource conflicts or unpopular geopolitical Western-backed regimes struggle to hold state power.

 While some applaud the progress of democracy on the continent, others denounce the re-conquest of Africa.  The US supported military intervention of NATO, France, and the UN in Africa “in the name of democracy” demonstrates the desire of Western powers to reassert their hegemony by nullifying independent nationalistic leaders and replacing them with subservient proxies willing to perpetuate super-exploitative and neo-liberal polices set forth by the Washington Consensus.  The West hegemonic project over Africa is also a reaction to China’s meteoric 21st Century rise and grand entrance into the African scene, and an attempt to deny it and other rising powers such as India, Brazil the right to commerce with Africa and alter Africa’s intra-trade and self-determination.  The US and Europe’s plans to make Africa terra nostrum is best demonstrated by the perfidious actions of the French forces, the planned imposition of AFRICOM, and the militarization of the UN.

The speakers will discuss the US, NATO, UN, and France led illegal and naked aggression in Africa, particularly in Libya and Ivory Coast, and the current trends in the African scene, highlighted by the regime change, in Tunisia, Egypt, and Ivory Coast with the capture of Gbagbo by the French troops, the overlooked movement of Burkinabe to remove the Compaore regime, the emergence of Southern Sudan and the ongoing crises in the Democratic Republic in Congo, Uganda, and Somalia.

Renowned Pan-Africanist activist and philosophical founder of concept of Afrocentricity, Dr. Molefi Asante is the keynote speaker to discuss the Anglo-European agenda to re-colonize Africa.

About Us: The Revival of Pan-Africanism Forum’s purpose is to rekindle the spirit of the African collective consciousness consolidated by an awakening of the African masses in the face of current forceful Western engagement in Africa.

Contacts:

Dr. Randy Short (731) 394-7217; Delmas Irigale (240) 550-4349; Makhaya Sibongile (225) 361-5417; Coti Chapo (240) 476-1791; or send an email to panafrica.now@gmail.com

Spotlight - Social Documentary.net



SocialDocumentary.net is a socially responsible website that is using the power of photography to promote global awareness.

Create on line exhibits of your documentary photography work.

Join a community that has a passion to educate the world about the world.

Explore documentary exhibits about themes critical to our world.

Login to SocialDocumentary.net and start creating online exhibits of your work or start.

Exploring the work of documentary photographers from around the world. Professional and amateur photographers, NGO, students – anyone with a story to tell and a s collection of good photographs - create websites about social issues affecting our world. Global warming, international justice, post conflict reconstruction, HIV/AIDS, or life in Afghanistan are just a few of the themes that you can find SocialDocumentary.net http://www.socialdocumentary.net/

Comparing The 1st Ladies of the US & SA

Michelle Obama & Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma

The First Ladies of the United States & South Africa

It’s not news that Mrs. Michelle Obama is in South Africa. When I saw the picture of her and one of South Africa’s First Ladies, NompumeleloNtuli-Zuma who is one of the three or four South African first ladies, all wives of polygamous South African president, Jacob Zuma, who is receiving her on this visit, I couldn’t help noticing the difference in size between the two. Michelle is very svelte while Mrs. NompumeleloNtuli-Zuma is really overweight.

I personally think Michelle works hard to keep in such great shape and thanks to her height, she has a larger frame to spread her weight over, but it appears Mrs. NompumeleloNtuli-Zuma doesn’t bother herself with staying in shape. Michelle, whose mission is eliminating childhood obesity in America’s youth, will be answering questions posed by students at University of Cape Town. She has already received many questions ahead of time such as, "What is the legacy you and President Obama want to leave?" and "What’s your favorite food? You’re in such great shape!”

The question isn’t surprising as I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed the difference in the two first ladies’ sizes. Far be it from me to think that Mrs. NompumeleloNtuli-Zuma should be stick thin, she is entitled to some curves. As a matter of fact in many African countries, the size of a man's wife is directly attributed to his wealth and care of her. However, such thinking is a thing of the past. We are all more knowledgeable now and well aware of the negative health implications of being overweight.

As first lady, Mrs. NompumeleloNtuli-Zuma would be wise to pick up some weight loss tips from Michelle because she should set a good example for the women of South Africa by managing her weight better. Not only that, her face is really pretty. Her beauty would be so much more obvious if she lost some weight.

I know losing weight is hard work, but possible. So I would advice her to take her time and enroll in a natural weight loss program where she can lose weight safely over time and not engage in the get slim quick liposuction scheme many people including Nigeria’s former first lady, Stella Obasanjo did, which led to her untimely death.

A word is enough for the wise…Below are more pictures of both first ladies. Enjoy!


Featured Artist - Marcia Wolfson Ray - Out of Context

As part of the Columbia Festival of Arts, Columbia Art Center Galleries presented, Art Reinvention - an exhibition featuring art created with collected natural materials featuring artist, Marcia Wolfson Ray works titled, Out of Context.

The sense of mystery at the center of life is echoed in the forms, rythms and patterns represented in nature. She is influenced not only beauty, but by the physical manifestation--the geography of place, the season, the temperature, and the light. She collects all the materials used in her work in fields, marshes, by the side of the highway and in vacant city lots. After collecting the materials which include bamboo, hibiscus, dog fennel, corn, reeds, grasses, and various other plants, she allows them to sit in her studio for years, so she is able to study them and their presence over time. She tries to minimally impose herself on the materials in her art, so that it becomes a true collaboration with nature.

Earlier today, she had a discussion at Howard Community College's Rouse Compoany Foundation Gallery about her path to becoming an artist. Below is some of what she shared.

"I did a lot of figurative sculptures like clay or casting. I was very influenced by Paul Clay because I fell in love with his work. I did water color, with sand on the surface. After a while I applied to Towson and Maryland Institute, thinking I would get accepted into Towson and rejected by the Maryland Institute. I was rejected at Towson and accepted at the Maryland Institute and given a fellowship. So, you see that you never know. I did water color with acrylic and sand on the surface. My works got more three dimensional and I began tearing and weaving paper.

I had a tree cut down and I thought I'd get a couple of car loads of twig, but I got a lot more and I built a 5ft twig spiral. I use some materials I know and some I don't know, but I don't let that stop me.  Some of the materials I use include corn husk, dog fennel, straw and phragmites.

I also teach in a public school part time. Some members of my Darwism class are here tonight. If you think about it, it all fits in together. You can't know the way, that's at the bottom of my belief . Sometimes, I have an idea. Sometimes I tie the sticks together and it grows on its own. When I started, I just put things together, some things are fragile and fall apart, while some get strong, but they are not designed for outside." 

About the Sculptur: I am a sculptor who uses organic materials such as wood, phragmites, dog fennel, straw, grasses etc. to construct my pieces. I received my BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In 1993 I received a fellowship to attend the Mount Royal School at the Maryland Institute and received my MFA in 1995. Some of the venues I have shown at include: Montpelier Arts Center, in Laurel, MD, Rockville Arts Place, the Chrysler Museum, in Norfolk,Virginia, Arlington Arts Center in Virginia, Loyola College, Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. In January, I will have a show at Greater Reston Arts Center in Reston Virginia. The inspiration for my work comes from nature, its forms, rhythms and patterns, including the physical manifestation of working outside including the light, temperature and season of the year, which all brings me to the sense of mystery at the center of life. I collect the materials myself from from places as varied as vacant lots in Baltimore to fields in the Eastern Shore of Maryland. - Source: Author's website 

For more on the artist, visit http://bakerartistawards.org/nomination/view/marcia_wolfsonray/3545 Below are some of her works which are also available for viewing at Howard Community College's Rouse Compoany Foundation Gallery at the Horowitz Center for the Arts. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gallery Patrons

 

 

 

Fairness

Win or lose, do it fairly.

- Knute Rockne

Happy Father’s Day!

A couple of days ago, I was in the Apple Store at Columbia Mall, when this middle aged man brought his young daughter to the store and asked her what special day was coming up. The girl of about 8 years old looked blank. He kept on pressing her for the significance of the special day, but she had no clue. Exasperated, he finally said , "It's father's day! That's why we're going out to dinner on Sunday and if you are thinking about what to get me, I'd really really like this new iPad." The young girl laughed and so did he. As I watched their interaction, I knew that it was clearly an indirect message to his wife to get him an iPad for father's day.

Although it’s father’s day, here in the US, the season isn’t celebrated as much as Mother’s Day is. There is good reason for this difference. It’s because too many people grow up without their fathers in their lives and even many times when fathers are present, it’s a very negative experience for the family. This is unfortunate because it shouldn’t be so, but that’s the reality of the fallen world we live in, a world which appears to keep losing its moral compass daily. To the fathers that hang in there by being the good providers and protectors they are designed to be, thank you! I know it's not easy and I really appreciate  and applaud you.

I don’t have a good relationship with my father, but growing up with him in the house, although I didn’t realize it at the time, helped me realize that hard work and being enterprising is a precursor to success. My dad is and isn’t a lot of things I’d like him to be, but he definitely wasn’t and still isn’t lazy, even though he is in his 70s. Seeing him being so hard working has had a profound effect on my life and laziness isn’t an option for me either.

Also, even though I may not appreciate the way he does things, another attribute I have come to appreciate about him is that he is a committed man who works doggedly, and doesn’t abandon anything including his family or projects. Comparing him to so many  men I encounter these days, he is definitely better than I used to think. 

Well, that’s enough about my father, some people who are fortunate to have their fathers in their lives shared the best advice their fathers ever gave them. I hope people without their fathers in their lives benefit from this advice. They are as follows:

Quit smoking.

Keep your elbows off the table.

Never let your car’s gas tank run below the quarter mark.

Look people in the eye when you talk to them.

You don’t need hundreds of friends, you only need 2 or 3 really good ones.

Persevere and never give up.

Experiment. Sometimes in life you have to take chances and risks, because if you never try things, then you never know what the outcome could have been.

If you’re going to do something, take your time, be patient and do it right.

Perseverance and hard work are required to achieve.

If you work hard enough for something in America, you’ll get it.

Study like you’ll live forever and live like you’ll die tomorrow.

Have street smarts, and read between the lines in every situation.

Be nice to everybody.

Pretend like you don’t know much and no one will ask you to do anything.

Be an admirable person

Do a lot and appreciate all you accomplish.

Happy Father's Day!

A Decision Not To Make A Decision

Wedding season is in full swing. I have attended three weddings already and although I enjoy all the festivities, I can't help but think that the smiles and laughter shared at the occasion will turn to frowns and quarrels soon. I'm not a spoil sport or Debbie Downer; however the 50% divorce rate is very real.

A lady who recently got divorced said most of the people who teach pre-marital classes aren't qualified to do so because they don't tell you what marriage is really like. She said it is often like the blind leading the blind when you have people who haven’t had at least 20 years of marital experience teaching the class because of the many scenarios and phases that occur during married life. Maybe she has huge and unrealistic expectations, but she might also have a point.

I was also privy to a conversation where two women were discussing marriage. One said she was depressed after her wedding, because she was so happy and riding high preparing for her wedding and marriage. She felt wonderful when she was princess for a day on her wedding day, however, once they got back from the honey moon she realized that there was no getting away from her husband and she felt suffocated. Then when the bills and regular grind of life added to the mix, she felt really depressed.

I don’t know what the problem is. Is it that people are being prepared for the reality of married life? Are we so misled by movies that we don't know that marriage is hard work and requires patience and commitment. If care isn't taken, soon things begin to change. The handwriting on the wall begins to form and people begin to do things they never thought they would, like emotionally abandoning the relationship and cheating.

So what does one do if one begins to see the writing on the wall or if one actually catches one’s spouse cheating? Should one begin breaking things, cause a scene and/or leave? Whether those responses are justified is debatable, but I would advise that one more response be added which is that one should make a decision not to make a decision, so one has time to think things through, so that when a decision is finally made, it is the right one.

A word is enough for the wise...

Celebrating Black Love

 Mr. & Mrs. Carson

I was recently at an event with Dr. Ben Carson. Prior to the event I had been a fan of his without knowing who his wife was. I was pleasantly surprised to meet his wife, Mrs. Lacena "Candy" Carson nee Rustin. They are a perfect match and look good together. Watching the two of them interact, it’s clear that the adage that behind every successful man is a woman is very true. Considering the many divorces all around, the Carsons are a shining example of what black love is all about. Is their longevity due to the fact that they are Seventh-day Adventists? Who knows, I just liked what I saw, which is black love that's oh so beautiful.

I wish them many more years of happy married life!

Summer 2011 - What’s In & Out?

It is summertime and are you a fashionista who wouldn’t be caught dead in last year’s trend pieces? Are you going through your clothes closet thinking, what should I keep and what should I toss? Well Sociable Susan will let you know what’s hot and what’s not.

Jeggings Are Out

Tight jeggings (a mix between leggings and jogging pants) which didn’t flatter everyone are out.

High Waist Wide Leg Flared Jeans Are In

High waist wide leg flared jeans pants which flatter most people are in.

Tie-Dye Is Out

The Tie-Dye look reminiscent of the Hippie Woodstock Free Love era is out.

 
 

Bold Colored Dresses With Stripes Are In

 

Beautiful, structured and unstructured bold colored stripes are in.

 

Bandage Fitted Dresses Are Out

The bandage fitted dress reminiscent of a bandaged Egyptian mummy, which didn't flatter many people as it had  viewers' eyes looking horizontally across a wearer's body is out.

Free Flowing Maxi Dresses Are In

Lloose fitting Bohemian maxi dresses which flatters most people's figures and works from day to night are in.

Gladiator Sandals Are Out

Gladiator shoes are out. Faux python pattern sandals and slippers are in.

Large Oversize Bags Are Out

Big oversized Mary Poppins style bags with your whole life in are out.

Clutches Are Out

Structured clutches that can hold a little more than a lip stick and keys are in.

Large Aviator Style Sun Glasses Are Out 

Aviator style sun glasses favored by celebrities like Halle Berry are out.

Cat Eye Sun Glasses Are In

Cat Eye 1950s style sun glasses are in

Necklace Clusters Are Out

Necklace clusters made up of many necklaces are out.

Simple Single Strands Are In

One or 2 bold statement pieces are in.