Maybe it’s nostalgia, remembering Soul Train on a Saturday morning, followed by G.L.O.W. ($10 to the first person who can tell me what that acronym stands for). I distinctly remember sitting in front of the television with a bowl of Captain Crunch or Fruity Pebbles completely hypnotized by Soul Train. I wanted to be every girl on there, and wanted to dance with every guy.  I would create my own Soul Train Scramble Board on the refrigerator with my magnetic alphabet. And of course, my bowl of cereal was finished, and I was out of my seat for that Soul Train Line.

On this Friday, I’d like to share a few classic dance clips from the show – no special performances or guests – but just a glimpse at the folks who got almost every Saturday of my childhood off to a good start. And as always we want to wish love, peace, and soul to Don Cornelius for being the ultimate black entrepreneur. Enjoy!

(This last one is oh so 80′s)

Not only will you be sharing household bills and probably setting up joint bank account, but you’ll also get up close and personal with your partner’s money demons for the first time.

“A husband or wife,  even a boyfriend or a girlfriend, is not a financial plan,” says Dr. Taffy Wagner, CEO of  Money Talk Matters. “We’ve seen  enough drama on Court TV shows.”

As a certified personal finance educator and author of Bride and Groom Money Talk FAQ, Wagner’s an expert on all things relationships and finances.

Before you start building a bigger closet, make sure you’re both ready to merge your finances by checking for these six signs:

1. You can talk money without arguing. Per Wagner: “When you can openly discuss finances without arguing and blaming the other person when there is a financial issue,” you’re on the right track. “The people in this situation would also be able to discuss a financial issue and reach a viable solution that is best for the overall relationship.”

2. You don’t feel controlled. So long as your partner isn’t peering over your shoulder each time you whip out the checkbook and you feel like you have equal ownership of your shared finances, you should be in good shape. “In some relationships money is used to control the other person,” Wagner says. “People do not like to be controlled, let alone using money to do it.” (It’s also a great way to wreck your relationship.)

3. You’ve both taken a good look at the other’s credit report. Forget sharing toothbrushes—forking over your credit history is a huge sign of financial trust in a relationship. It’s unavoidable, especially if you’re looking to buy or rent a home together, and a good place to get equal footing. “T he  couple has to decide whether or not their place of residence will be in  the name of both or just one person,” Wagner says. “Sharing the credit reports will  remove the ‘hidden element’ of potentially one person not having good  credit and that impacting the other person.”

4. You’re both paying the bills on time. If you don’t have to worry about your partner missing the cable bill, it’s a good sign he or she would make a great roommate. “If  one person is not paying their bills on time; have the discussion as to  why they are not and what is their game plan for getting back on track,” Wagner says. “If  they do not have a game plan for getting on track – that should be seen as a red flag and you should delay moving in together.

5. You don’t break out in a cold sweat when talking about the future. ” Knowing for  sure if you are compatible requires taking time to get to know each other  with friends, family and away from them,” Wagner says. “You need to make sure that the  other person is not just pretending. What do you both think about saving  money? What are each other’s plan for retirement?”

6. When you both know how to handle the worst. “ Ask the  person how they handled their last financial challenge. Did they run to  their parents? Did they get an advance at their job? Or did they  re-evaluate their spending, make adjustments and get it cleared up?” Wagner says. The answer will clue you into what kind of support you can expect if you ever run into a tight spot and need a partner to lean on.

Source: Yahoo

Once we connected, I quickly learned that Mr. Harper has a passion for helping others that goes beyond the books he has written and the foundation, Manifest Your Destiny, that he has established to empower at-risk youth. Listen in, as he shares with me his thoughts on education, President Obama, the good and bad of social media, and what plans he has for 2012.

I decided to start experimenting with soups since one-pot meals are easy and the weather is cold. I searched for soups that include two of my favorite foods – black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes – and came across a few recipes. However, when I found one from the Gluten-Free Goddess website that included natural peanut butter, I got excited. Peanut butter is another favorite of mine since its flavor satisfies both a sweet and savory craving. I made a big pot of this, and my meat-eating hubby tasted it and went back for seconds, in spite of me tempting him with my famous turkey burgers. Try this with a good cornbread muffin – you just might like it.

African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter, Black-Eyed Peas and Beans

1 tablespoon red or green Thai Kitchen curry paste- hot or mild, to taste (start with less if you prefer it mild)

1 14-oz. can white beans, rinsed, drained

1 14-oz. can black beans, rinsed, drained

“Our military will be leaner,” Obama told reporters, “but the world must know – the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats.”

So far so good right? Obama kept his promise of ending the Iraq war. Troop drawdown in Afghanistan is already under way and the United States is shifting its policy away from long-term nation building. And these things are good since everyone witnessed how the cost for both wars drained the economy. The media reported this as the unveiling of a new strategy as America goes into a new direction post the Iraq War. What the media didn’t report was the provisions in the bill, which allow for the indefinite military detention of Americans without trial; and Obama just signed that into law. Remember the Patriot Act? Remember who passed it? The fuss behind the Patriot Act still continues and now there is fuss behind Obama’s new legislation.

Obama expressed reservations about the bill, but still signed it. The Senate tried on two occasions to amend the bill that specifically forbids the indefinite military detention of Americans. Senator Mark Udall introduced an amendment intended to forbid the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens that got rejected by a vote of 37–61 and also Senator Dianee Feinstein attempted to add an amendment to instead say that Americans are exempt from detention under the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists act of 2001, which was signed by President George W Bush. That also was rejected by a 55 to 45 vote. Senator and Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin and ranking Republican committee member Sen. John McCain supported the original bill in its entirety and unchanged. It was passed unchanged by the senate and signed unchanged by the President.

The criticism drawn from other politicians, government watch groups, and media outlets about the bill is because of the text in sections 1021 and 1022 as they have been called a violation of constitutional principles and the Bill of Rights. Section 1021 (c-1) allows “Detention under the law of war without trial until the end of hostilities.” A President can declare that he is in a war without an end and justify any actions taken under this text.  It also states in section (b-2) states that the law applies not just to members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, but to any person who has “substantially supported” “associated forces.” The language is loose and is only left up to interpretation by Obama or any other future president.

Obama’s official statement  states that his administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. If Obama really wanted to he could ask Congress to amend the controversial sections listed, but there is no intention of him doing that as his administration and supporters of the bill continue to dismiss the contention that American citizens can be detained indefinitely. But the bill does not dismiss the AUMF act of 2001, plus the language causes alarm for groups like the ACLU and Human Rights Watch.

“The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States” is stated in section 1022 (b-1) of the bill. Notice the word “requirement”. It is not “required” to detain Americans, but the President can still do so. Remember what happened to Japanese Americans in World War 2? Remember the McCarthyism and the Red Scare, which blacklisted many innocent Americans because of alleged ties to communism? Keep in mind Guantanamo Bay is still open for business and one of Obama’s campaign promises was to close Guantanamo Bay. No detainee has left Guantanamo Bay in a year because of restrictions on transfers. Now we see a law passed condoning the indefinite military detention without trial, it makes you wonder if we are indeed moving forward post the Bush Presidency,

Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), called Obama’s action “a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law. Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back the constitutional excesses of George Bush in the war on terror was extinguished today.”

As a result of our nomadic lifestyle, I can honestly say that I did not know any obese children. How could I? My life was so full of activity and adventure that every day, I was bound to lose more calories than I was putting into my body, and everyone who hung out with me exhibited the same mindset. Our parents assisted in this low calorie intake by limiting the amount of junk food that we were eating weekly. Going to a fast food restaurant was an event seen as a gift by my parents. Perhaps it was due to the income that my parent possessed that would not permit them to feed us what we thought we wanted, but we ate at McDonalds so infrequently that I never truly developed a love of their food, and can now avoid it thoroughly.

Unfortunately, that was then, and this is now. As the children of the 80’s grew up to be new millennium parents, we brought with us some truly bad habits, habits that we are now impressing upon our children. As a result, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years (Childhood Obesity – DASH/HealthyYouth). Obesity amongst children aged 6 to 11 increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008 (Childhood Obesity – DASH/HealthyYouth). The reason for this epidemic, in my eyes, is quite simple. Parents have allowed our bad habits to flourish, and in doing so, have regulated our children to a sedentary lifestyle.

According to Grabstats.com, the average video game player is 35 years old and has been playing for 13 years (Video Game Statistics, Industry Figures, and Information – GrabStats.com). That means that the generation that is now raising children grew up playing video games, and are now passing the trend on to their children. The problem with passing that love on is that the older video game player does not set the boundaries that their parents did. Since my mother and father did not play video games at all as children, the idea of allowing me and my brother to play video games all day was foreign to them. They would much rather had seen us running around outside for hours at a time, getting into fights and playing war. As a result, video game players in the 80’s and 90’s tended to feel like they were deprived of the time that they spent with their first true love, and like many children do when they are not given what they want as often as they want it, decided that when they had children, they would let them play video games as much as they wanted. Unfortunately, they kept that promise.

E! Science News.com did a study of time spent viewing television and playing video games by children in 2010. The average time spent per child was a staggering 4.26 hours a day (Study Finds TV Viewing, Video Game Play Contribute to Kids’ Attention Problems | E! Science News). A child goes to school for seven hours a day, five days a week. If they get out of school at 3:15 pm, and get home at 3:30 pm, that gives them roughly 2-3 hours of sunlight in the fall to go outside and play. Factor in an hour of homework, and that leaves them time from 4:30 pm until 6:30 pm to play with friends before it is time for dinner, bath, some time with the family and bed. But if the child plays video games, they get out of school and sit down in front of the television, and do not move until dinner is ready four hours later. If the only activity the child has outside is during a 20 minute recess at school, they are not burning enough calories to counteract the food that they have eaten that day. Especially if they are like the 33 percent of American children who eat fast food every day.

In 2003, CBS News reported that 1/3 of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day. That amounts to six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity (Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity – CBS News). When you eat fast food daily, but only go outside weekly, you are bound to be unable to eliminate the massive amount of fat that your body is taking in, which will lead to dramatic health issues. Dr. Gary Plotnick, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine was asked by the University of Maryland Medical Center paper if the results of a 30 day McDonald’s diet was surprising to him. He responded by stating the following:

‘…They should have expected those responses. We know that a high-fat meal has multiple effects. It increases a fat in the bloodstream called triglyceride. When the triglyceride levels are high, there may be acute detrimental effects on blood vessels that result. In addition, the metabolism of LDL, which is the bad cholesterol, is affected. That’s probably why, over time, the cholesterol went up (Effects of High Fat Meals).

As a child, I was unable to eat fast food on a consistent basis. Although both of my parents worked 8 hour shifts at their respective jobs, they made sure that our family was able to eat a home cooked meal the majority of the year. Every once in a while, we would go to a fast food restaurant and eat. It was looked upon as a gift, or an event akin to a birthday gift. When I asked my mother how much fast food we ate, she responded by saying, “Not much. I did not have the money to buy fast food, and it was easier to make a large pot of stew that lasted for the week than to go purchase fast food all the time. Plus, I did not like the greasy taste that it left in my mouth, and you and your brother would always seem different after you ate it. You two were whinier, and always seemed more tired. It was worth the extra time cooking to ensure that the two of you were not in my ear whining all day long, or sleeping all the time”(A Talk with Melna Jones).

Personally, I take no issue with my mom withholding fast food from my brother and me. It gave my body an opportunity to appreciate other foods, and it instilled a blueprint for my life that I now use with my own children. My wife and I allow our children to eat fast food two to four times a month. While that may be more than my mother did, we counteract that by ensuring that the other food that is prepared in our house is as healthy as possible. We cook with brown rice instead of white rice, and we utilize ground turkey meat in substitution of ground beef. We feel that this allows our children to eat a healthy, filling meal with the family. It also gives us a chance to talk with our children about any issues that they may be having at school, or in the neighborhood.

Stranger Danger. It is a term that got its start in 1963 according to the Idiom Dictionary. It was a statement that was used in various campaigns in the United States, and largely confused children into thinking that all people that they knew were safe. (Stranger Danger). As a child, I knew not to talk to strangers, but I was still allowed to travel the neighborhood, even the surrounding area, with my friends and without an adult present. As a child, it was a regular occurrence for my friends and me to leave our homes at 9:00 am, and not be seen again until 5:00 pm. I know that there was still a fear of kidnappings, child molesters and every other demon that parents fear now, but our parents still wanted us to enjoy life, so we were never truly told the terrifying truth about the outside world. We were advised to not talk to creepy looking adults, and to stick together. With those rules, we hit the streets, and none of us ever experienced any issues. But in the latter part of 1998, things began to change. Kidnappings and brutalization of children began to be reported almost daily on news shows such as CNN’s ‘Nancy Grace’. Shows such as ‘NBC Dateline: To Catch a Predator’ began to show on television, introducing people to hosts of sexual predators who would prey upon our children, if given the chance. A website was opened that would allow people to see how many sex offenders lived in their neighborhood, or within a radius of their neighborhood, and we all tuned in at least once, and were suitably horrified by the amount of molesters living so near to our precious children. As a result of this new information, we declared martial law on our children, and would not allow them to leave the front of our lawns without our supervision. Children would only be allowed to play in their backyards, or on their driveways. As a result of our vigilance, children in the neighborhood never met one another, and what used to be the number one exercise for a child, playing with friends, never came about, as children simply got tired of playing alone and went back inside the home. We as parents were happy, because our children were safe and where we could monitor them at all times, but without the friendships outside the home, children made friendships online in video games, or in chat rooms, and became enmeshed in relationships that do not require them to leave the home at all.

So what are the best steps to take to combat childhood obesity? The solutions are simple, but involve such a radical change of mind by adults that it is difficult to believe that they will be undertaken wholesale. The average parent will look at their child and tell others that their child is not obese, when, in fact, their child is overweight and often pressing into a dangerous level of obesity for a child. According to the Canadian Family Physician, in a study of 770 pairs of children and parents in 2007, in which 487 children and 406 parents participated in the study, 22 percent of parents wrongly classified their normal-weight children as underweight, 63 percent considered their overweight children to be normal weight, and 63 percent considered their obese children to be overweight. About 26 percent of parents of overweight children and 15 percent of parents of obese children were not concerned about their children’s weight (Are Parents Aware That Their Children Are Overweight or Obese?: Do They Care?).

We as parents need to realize that we have failed our children. As an adult, it is our jobs to guide our children’s lives in regards to everything, including the friends they hang out with, the amount of time they spend indoors, and what they eat. We have gotten into a mindset of wanting dual roles in our children’s lives, both being their friend and their parent. We need to cease that desire immediately, because what it leads to is a population where we are afraid to tell our children no, afraid that if we deny them the slightest treat, we will send them spiraling down a path that will lead to their destruction. By being afraid to fail them in one aspect, we are failing them in others. Our children have become accustomed to eating fast food when they want to, and as fast food restaurants have lowered their prices, we have become accustomed to stopping at those restaurants more often to speed up the amount of time we spend with our children on a nightly basis, so that we can spend more time doing what we want to do, whether that is playing video games or watching television. We need to tell our children that we are willing to turn off whatever our addiction may be, be it videogames or television, poker or talking on the phone, and we are going to spend time with them outdoors. Our children need to see us maintaining a healthy lifestyle that involves them, so that they will grow up willing to maintain a healthy lifestyle with their children.

We as parents need to realize that it is highly unlikely that our children will get kidnapped if they walk down the street, or go to a friend’s home. According to Mark Gado, only 100-130 cases of stranger abduction occur per year in the United States (Child Abduction, Analysis of This Crime and Major Cases — The Facts — Crime Library on TruTV.com.) Our children cannot be afraid to talk to strangers, or to exhibit outgoing personalities with strangers, because if we allow our children to become scared of the outside world, they will be unable to interact with strangers throughout their lives, and will instead continue to barricade themselves indoors, buttressed by online friends who they can interact with from a distance.

We as parents need to limit, if not eliminate completely, the intake of fast food by ourselves, and as a result, our children. It is widely acknowledged by groups such as KidsHealth magazine that the best way to improve nutrition and encourage smart eating habits is to be a role model by eating healthy foods with and without your children, and to involve your children in the planning and preparation of meals (Healthy Eating). If your children enjoy eating pizza, have a make your own pizza night with turkey sausage, low fat cheese, and wheat pizza crust. If they are asking for cheeseburgers and fries, peel the potatoes yourself, and bake them in the oven instead of frying them. Use ground chicken or turkey instead of beef, limit mayonnaise usage, and use wheat buns and low fat cheese. During the meal, be sure to compliment the chef for a magnificent job, and the children will eat the food with relish, and likely ask for more. Children follow our lead, and if we eat all the healthy things on our plate, children are likely to enjoy those foods as well. As a child, it was rare for me to encounter an obese child, and I never wondered why. It was just a part of my childhood that all the kids I knew were active thrill seekers. As an adult, however, it is rare for me to encounter a child that is a healthy weight, and I often wonder if that is because the children that I knew grew up to be overprotective helicopter parents, hovering over their kids at every moment, and stifling their growth. We as parents need to learn to embrace the ideologies of our parents, and intersperse them with our own. Only then can we truly combat and control childhood obesity.

Works Cited

“Are Parents Aware That Their Children Are Overweight or Obese?: Do They Care? — He and Evans 53 (9): 1493.” Canadian Family Physician. 9 Sept. 2007. Web. 17 July 2010.http://www.cfp.ca/cgi/content/full/53/9/1493.

“Childhood Obesity – DASH/HealthyYouth.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 20 Oct. 2008. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/.

Fruits, Eating. “Healthy Eating.” KidsHealth – the Web’s Most Visited Site about Children’s Health. Web. 18 July 2010. http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/habits.html.

Gado, Mark. “Child Abduction, Analysis of This Crime and Major Cases — The Facts — Crime Library on TruTV.com.” TruTV.com: Not Reality. Actuality. Web. 18 July 2010.

Holguin, Jaime. “Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity – CBS News.” Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News – CBS News. 5 Jan. 2003. Web. 17 July 2010.

Murray, Michelle W. “Effects of High Fat Meals.” University of Maryland Medical Center. 11 May 2007. Web. 17 July 2010.

“Stranger Danger.” The Meanings and Origins of Sayings and Phrases | List of Sayings | English Sayings | Idiom Definitions | Idiom Examples | Idiom Origins | List of Idioms | Idiom Dictionary | Meaning of Idioms. Web. 17 July 2010.http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/stranger-danger.html.

“Study Finds TV Viewing, Video Game Play Contribute to Kids’ Attention Problems | E! Science News.” E! Science News | Latest Science News Articles. 6 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010.http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/07/06/study.finds.tv.viewing…..

“A Talk with Melna Jones.” Personal interview. 14 July 2010.

“Video Game Statistics, Industry Figures, and Information – GrabStats.com.” GrabStats.com – Directory of Industry Statistics, Facts, Figures, and Information. Web. 17 July 2010.

Rashanii is the host of Single Simulcast and Sin and Solace. He is also a husband and father of four. You can listen to his shows at http://www.singlesimulcast.com or on iTunes.

I say ideological bigotry because that, for far too many black liberals and democrats, is what their opposition to conservatism and Republicans generally, amounts to. You see it expressed in film, stand up comedy and on the street level. Republicans and black Republicans particularly are portrayed as greedy, naive, uncle Toms, etc. That’s no way to characterize people we disagree with. But furthermore this ignores the broader history of the Republican party and the historical relationship it has had with the black community.

Let’s begin with the origins of black animosity towards the Republican party, for which there is a legitimate cause. Only a minority of black people nowadays seem to know or remember the fact that the vast majority of black Americans were Republicans all the way until the late sixties. That ended with the polarizing divisions wrought by the battles of the Civil Rights Movement and then with the adoption of the “Southern Strategy,” a term then popularized by prominent GOP strategist Kevin Phillips, who described it thusly:

“From now on, the Republicans are never going to get more than 10 to 20 percent of the Negro vote and they don’t need any more than that… but Republicans would be shortsighted if they weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That’s where the votes are. Without that prodding from the blacks, the whites will backslide into their old comfortable arrangement with the local Democrats.”

There was then in the late sixties a vast constituency swap, whereupon black Republicans almost en masse became Democrats and southern (mostly middle class) white Democrats became Republicans. Given that this were the case one might be tempted to think that the Republican party must have fought tooth and nail against the Civil Rights Act and the movement towards integration, but the truth is far more mixed. The greatest political opposition to the movement came from southern white Democrats, who would eventually become Republicans. At the same time western, mid-western and northern Democrats like John Kennedy, and some southern Democrats (particularly President Lyndon Johnson) were on the side of racial progress and President Johnson in particular showed great courage in pushing the Civil Rights Act through congress. (Johnson knew that to sign the bill would be to, in his own words, “sign away the south for fifty years,” but he did it anyway.) The support of Democrats like Kennedy, Johnson and others in congress and across the country gives Democrats a viable claim to much of the success of the Civil Rights era. Still, in congress roughly 80% of Republicans voted for passage of the bill in both the House and Senate, as opposed to roughly 60% of Democrats in the House and a little less than 70% in the Senate. The triumph of civil rights was a bipartisan triumph therefore, but in congress there was more unified support for these landmark changes among Republicans than Democrats.

There are other positive things to be said about the Democratic Party and it’s historical relationship to African-Americans. Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court Justice and a champion of civil liberties, was a black Democrat. Adam Clayton Powell, the first black congressman in New York’s history and the first from any northern state outside Illinois since reconstruction, was a Democrat (served 1945-1971). But Martin Luther King, Jr., the single most important figure in the Civil Rights Movement, was a Republican and an active one at that. He endorsed Richard Nixon for the governorship of California in 1964, something that is not widely known. Furthermore, he encouraged the presidential candidacy of the anti-segregationist Republican governor of Michigan, Governor George Romney, who was of course the father of Mitt Romney, ironically the man who is favored to carry the GOP banner against Barack Obama this year.

Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, and although some  have cast doubt upon the legacy of Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator,” the fact remains that he legally freed the slaves and that he  was always an abolitionist, as most Republicans were. Frederick Douglass, (to whom Lincoln bequeathed his iconic walking stick upon his death), was a Republican and even received a vote in the electoral college for the presidency (obviously the first for a black American). Every black elected politician and appointed official was almost certainly Republican during the reconstruction era. That changed after the Civil Rights Movement reached it’s zenith in the sixties of course, and after that a strong faction of segregationists did emerge in the Republican Party because they came from the Democratic party (invited in by cynical GOP strategists and political elites). Even so, it was Ronald Reagan who signed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day into law, and while he probably did not really wish to do so, then Vice-President George H.W. Bush fought hard behind the scenes to see its passage and ultimately both parties voted for it by wide margins.

Black Americans have always had a home in the Republican Party. Those of us who have remained in it or returned to it should be respected, I feel, for to us it is not just the party of Reagan, but the party of Lincoln, of Douglass, of Booker T. Washington, and of King.

A Raisin in the Sun is every bit as potent, poignant and intrepid in this triumphant revival directed by Phylicia Rashad.

A life insurance policy becomes a catalyst that will forever transform the lives of an African-American family living on the south side of Chicago, as they consider buying a house in Clybourne Park.

Their shared dream of a better life collides with conflicting aspirations, betrayal, and racism.

This classic shines an unflinching spotlight on America’s struggle to overcome its past. It pays tribute to those courageous enough to shape a future filled with an abiding faith in the fundamental decency and unlimited capacity of the human spirit.

In her Los Angeles directorial debut, Phylicia Rashad (who won the 2004 Tony Award® for Best Actress for A Raisin in the Sun) brings heart, soul and a flawless cast to a production the L.A. Times says “seems more timely with each passing decade.”

Details:

A Raisin in the Sun

January 19 – February 19th

2pm matinee/8pm evening shows

Ticket range: $20 – $50

Kirk Douglas Theatre
downtown Culver City

9820 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Directions and Parking

Since then I have committed to shopping and therefore eating organically. It has not been as hard as I imagined, but it demands that I organize my time well in order to cook more often. It also means more meatless meals, which is an adjustment for my family, but they are taking it all in stride.

Folks often associate an organic diet with a huge budget, and although  grocery store prices are marked up, I have found the best resource in my local farmer’s market. Buying it direct saves money and you will find tons of seasonal produce and other groceries, including eggs, breads and grains. For those things I can’t find at the farmer’s market, I’m leaning on Simply Wholesome, Sprouts and Trader Joe’s to provide.

I’m three days shy of making this diet change a 21-day habit and I’m looking forward to what I discover about myself, my body and the healing nature of the foods I’m eating. As for my skin? It’s on its way and I believe as long as I stay consistent, I’ll see the progress I want.

Here’s another new vlog series we are bringing you in 2012! Introducing the first installment of The Real Deal With Dino Black. Today’s topic is his answer to T Time!: 10 Things Women Do That Turn Men Off.

Check back in with us weekly for more Black Is TV and the 2012 podcast season coming soon!

Join the sister/brother duo, writers/producers Stacey Evans Morgan (The Parkers, One on One, Image Awards, Love that Girl) and Bentley Kyle Evans (Martin, Jamie Foxx Show, A Thin Line Between Love & Hate, Love that Girl) “IN THE WRITER’S ROOM” for an exciting, informative weekend workshop designed to give aspiring television writers a true, “room” experience and knowledge on how to write and develop a situation comedy series.

Special surprise industry guests and a “game changing” opportunity for a few talented writers…. could be YOU! Space is limited so reserve YOUR seat in “the ROOM” today!

The cost for this event is only $175.00 and a non-refundable deposit of $50.00 will reserve seats for 115 guests.

When: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 9:00am until Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 6:00pm

Where: Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Sherman Oaks 15433 Ventura Boulevard Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Register now to reserve your space!

Thousands gathered at the National Mall last August for this historic event and to celebrate the greatest posthumous tribute to Dr. King’s life and legacy. Here are a few highlights from that glorious weekend:

Stevie Wonder performs at the MLK Dedication.

Stevie Wonder discusses his visit to the monument.

India Arie performs at the MLK Memorial.

Patti LaBelle performs at the MLK Dedication.

Bernice King speaks during the dedication.

Julian Bond at the MLK Dedication.

Eddie Levert performs at the dedication concert.

Cicely Tyson discusses the unveiling of the memorial.

Al Sharpton at the MLK Memorial.

Diahann Carroll Reflects on the life of Dr. King.

Andrew Young at the MLK Dedication.

President Obama’s speech at the MLK Memorial Dedication.

Thank you Dr. King for your tireless sacrifices! You remain in our hearts and minds every day, for we know we would not have come as far as we have without your efforts!

I have two beautiful sons and instilling a healthy work ethic in them has become my life’s obsession. Both of my boys, like most children, are real active and love sports. They have played t-ball, baseball and basketball. A couple of years ago, they decided that they wanted to start Taekwondo. Many of their friends were taking lessons and it intrigued them. The difference between most sports and karate is that most sports are played during a finite season, with a beginning and clearly visible and reachable finish.

However, karate has many features different levels of achievement, which are denoted by belt color. The amount of time to attain a new level is dependent on the commitment and progress of the individual. So, when I gave my boys the go-ahead, it came with a stern caveat that they would not be allowed to quit until they’d reached highest level: the black belt.

In traditional karate, the belt and its color have significant meaning. The karate belt’s color indicates the rank of the person wearing it. Karate belt colors tend to progress from lightest to darkest, with white as the almost universal starting color, and either red or black being the final belt. In Taekwondo, a common belt progression is white, yellow, green, blue, red, and black, with different “degrees” marking achievements between belts.

So we explained to our sons that starting karate meant a pledge to earn a black belt-which is a minimum two-year commitment. At the age of five, two years is over 40% of your time on earth! But they both agreed and started their trek towards the black belt.

As karate became more physically intense, one of my sons became increasingly resistant about going to practice. He would say his stomach hurt, or that his head hurt, and he would ultimately shed tears. In spite of his antics, I reminded him of his commitment, and marched him out the door to practice. He would cry all the way to practice, but I did not allow him to quit!

Recently, on a Saturday morning, I awakened to the happiest little boy I had seen in a long time. He was signing, skipping and just plain giddy. I asked, “Son why are you so happy?”

“It’s my last day of karate, daddy! Today I test for my Black belt!”, he responded. He skipped into the gym and began testing: he punched and kicked his opponents and broke the board with his hand and foot. When he finished, he was absolutely elated. After the test, his instructor called us over and explained to us that the judges thought he could have done better and didn’t pass him.

I looked over as disappointment rolled over my little man’s face and tears filled his eyes. His mom tried to console him, told him that it would be okay, that other kids before him had failed a test, but they eventually received their black belts.

I approached my son and explained to him that although other people had failed in their quest to get their black belt, this was about him and that hehad failed. I said, “On Monday you know where you will be after school? He asked, “Where?” I said, “At karate, because Mackie men”, and he finished the statement, “Finish what they start!” I said, “Yes, Let’s Go Home!” Wiping his eyes, he walked alongside me and his mom, knowing that quitting was not an option!!

Many of us know people who are eager, energetic starters: folks who are always jumping from thing to thing, always claiming that whatever’s new is better… and that it’s going to stick. They start businesses, begin writing books, join clubs, quickly jump into relationships, or jump from job to job. As soon as they get down the road and the excitement wanes… they quit!

So many people these days seem to be looking for an exit-a new road means not having to drive all the way down the one you started on. People are quitting jobs without a backup plan, kids are dropping out of school, and teachers (especially within their first five years) are quitting the profession in record numbers.

We recently witnessed former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin quit her elected position of Governor. More people are getting divorced than are staying married. Most people quit their New Year’s resolution to lose weight every year, even after paying gym membership. Basketball fans have accused superstar Lebron James of quitting during the 4th quarter of big important games. And, if you can imagine this, according to the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, in August 2011, 2.03 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs-these are the highest figures since November 2008! And the US joblessness rate is still hovering over 9%!

As a people, we Americans are famous for taking the initiative-but we need to work on our follow-through.

As a young man, working on my doctorate, there were many nights I thought about quitting; I was tired, I was lonely, I cried, and wanted out. My friends were out there working, making money, partying, buying houses… and there I was, still broke, struggling and studying. Sometimes, on those long, tough nights, I would hear my dad and my other elders speak to me: they made it clear that I must continue, and I hope to make it clear to you that you must continue and commit to finishing what you start. They forged three nuggets into my psyche that I hope will help you reach the goals before you:

1. Your Word is your bond. Say what you mean and mean what you say. If you are not going to do it, then don’t say it. People will know you by the credibility of your word. Can I trust what you say?

2. It is always darkest right before dawn.Anything worth having will take you through challenges. It is when the challenges are the toughest that we must knuckle down and get through. It is often at these most difficult intervals that the reward is closest.

3. Quitting is a habit. Never say “it doesn’t matter”. I don’t care if it’s karate, high school football, being a candy striper or a boy scout… walking away from anything helps foster the mentality that it’s okay to walk away from everything. If you don’t care about giving up on these things now, what’s going to stop you from walking away from school, or your marriage, or your kids—or your dreams—later?

Source: Calvin Mackie

Fela! On Tour

Friday, January 13th at 9 pm

Advance tickets: $18 ($20 at the door)

Troubadour
9081 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
http://www.troubadour.com/

This is a scary process, let me tell you. We live in LAUSD-zone and our local school options just don’t cut it. I am adamant that my child continue his foreign language studies but most public schools don’t even offer that anymore. The other options are schools that offer dual language learning which means they teach the child primarily in a second language. I’m all for that, but the waiting lists for these schools could wallpaper the Staples Center. When did education become so complicated?

When I was a child my mom filled out something called a Choices brochure. You picked the top three schools you would like your kid to attend and then were sent your selection in the mail. It was real simple. Now there is a point system to get into schools and the way points are given is complicated to understand, much less explain.

At this point LAUSD is completely transparent. Between the LA Times started schools report cards, putting both schools and individual teachers on blast, and having API scores be so easily accessible, it’s not hard to figure out where you don’t want your child to be. Education can’t be left to chance. Let’s face it: LAUSD is no longer setting a standard of excellence, other institutions have publicly been put on blast for miseducating kids, and then you have charter school options full of new teachers who don’t always know what their doing. The whole situation is convuluted and confusing, and the victims of this mess are our children.

If we decide to stay in LAUSD and put our son in a school outside of our neighborhood, we have to fill out an intra-district permit, woo the principal of another school to take our son and wish for the best. If we want to leave the district altogether, we have to fill out an inter-district permit and woo another school district to take our son, and again, wish for the best. Did I mention LAUSD has to be willing to sign off on these permits to let our son go?

There’s a part of me that wants to get a second job and just keep the boy in private school.

Parents, what have you experienced when choosing a school for your child?

Over 700 runners participated in last year’s event enabling Pepperdine to offer 200 hours of one-on-one counseling for children at the Union Rescue Mission’s residential facility for homeless mothers and children in Hope Gardens.  Funds also helped create a lunchtime, after-school, and summer science and technology lab at Holmes Avenue Elementary School.

“We were stunned at the amount of support we received for this endeavor and the amount of good we were able to do because of it,” said Dr. Margaret Weber, dean of GSEP. “This year, we are expecting an even larger turn out and with that, the ability to make a greater impact on our community.”

Several food trucks including Del’s Lemonade, Global Soul, Me So Hungry and Flying Pig will be on site until noon.  With activities set up for youth such as face painting by ExpressionS, Mural painting by the Young Artist Studio, a Kid’s Kraft Korner and the Kiddie K, participants are encouraged to bring children to this family friendly event.

The street of Vista Del Mar will be closed promptly at 7:30am, so participants need to arrive at 7:00am to park in the Dockweiler lot. The race begins at 8:00am.  Participants can walk or run along the beautiful shoreline street of Vista Del Mar, to finish in the beach parking lot. The course is considered fast for a great personal record.

1 in 5 children has a diagnosable mental illness. Nearly two-thirds of these kids receive little or no help, leading to a decline in school performance, depression, and persistent disobedience or aggression.  Proceeds from the COASTAL Walk/Run will go towards combatting this reality.

To register for COASTAL, please visit http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/coastal/.  Race packet pick-up and late registration will take place at Road Runner Sports, 25359 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505 on Saturday January 21, from 11:00am to 6:00 pm, and Friday January 27th at California Bank & Trust, Santa Monica Branch, 100 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 from noon to 6:00pm. Participants can also register on-site on race morning at Dockweiler State Beach, Playa del Rey, beginning at 6:30 am.

Over 1,000 participants are expected for this year’s run.

Time: 8:00am

Address: Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, at the west end of Imperial Highway at Vista del Mar

Fees (5K/10K): $30 for general public, $25 for Pepperdine students, and $15 for Kiddie-K run.

Parking: Please carpool as beach parking rates will be in place.

I know this week will present a greater challenge because I am back at work, but I am well prepared. I will take my juices and other raw fruits and vegetables to keep me sated during the day. I also have plenty to keep myself busy to avoid idle snacking. What’s interesting is that I usually am tempted by the food that exists near my workplace, primarily hamburger stands and liquor store treats. However, I watched three documentaries this week: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Forks Over Knives, and Food Matters. All three showcased how eating a plant-based diet helps alleviate any risks for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, two diseases that run rampant in our community. Even more, both show how the creation of supermarkets and mass production of food have brought unhealthy fast food into our communities that is low in nutrients and full of preservatives, which is why I could buy a cheeseburger with all the trimmings for a mere $0.99.

I know in order for me to see true change in my body, I cannot stop this way of life at day 15 of the fast, but continue to eat food that is alive and able to heal me from the inside out. I am committing myself to chronicling this experience for the next 90 days and sharing that with all of you. Feel free to join me.