Articles I read today and my one sentence commentary..or not.

In my silent effort to rededicate myself to Reason to Believe, I wanted to share with you some articles that I read today...Just in case you were interested ...

The StayOver
This one discusses this "new" relationship, where couples stay over at each other's places 3 to 4 nights a week, even though they each have their own place... lol. This one made me laugh, because I thought this was normal. ::shrug::

Black Scientists Less Likely to Win Federal Research Grants
Surprise, surprise.. ok not really. But I hate to be pessimistic, but it's hard to see things as ever really changing

Is Natural Hair Dangerous...TSA seems to think so..
Aaah...ok, I read this article yesterday and I almost died at work. Thank you!! Finally someone has acknowledged this.. THis same thing happened to me, I always joke around, but its always something new when I go through security. But I remember this one particular time, I was going through TSA and even AFTER I went through the body scanners, this lady put on some gloves and "searched" my hair. I had some cute bobby pin do, and she completely messed it up. I was just ocnfused, b/c I was like if there was anything in my hair, they would have seen it in the body scanner. SMH.. (Ok that explanation was more than a sentence...eek)

::sidenote:: Yes I've been through the body scanners numerous times... do I feel violated? Umm the fact that they can see my nude body doesn't bother me..what bothers me is I have to spread my legs and put my hands up while all the other passengers watch for that thing to whirl around..lol. anyways.. :sidenote over::

Until Next Time...

It's Official... NY Times is my new home page...

So as you know, I'm a recovering CNN junkie.. CNN has been my homepage for as long as I can remember, 4+ years now, but as of late, their journalists just haven't been making the cut.

If you have ever had an extended conversation/debate with me, I'm sure to bring up some "article" that I read. Mostly it's because I am constantly reading articles on the internet, this was even before I didn't have cable. lol. So it's basically really important to me to keep abreast on news and pop culture. I will admit, I haven't been doing as well with all of the news this summer, ie debt ceiling crisis, stuff in Syria, famine in Somalia, etc.. Yes I know about it, but not as many details that I would have normally known.

I say all that to say, it was time for another news source. I haven't gotten rid of CNN altogether, but I've decided to make NY Times my new home page. A home page is just that... "a home".. When I log onto my itsy bitsy cute netbook, it's my gateway to connect with the rest of the world, before I do things like check my email and twitter.

I've been a long visitor of NY Times, so we will see how it pans out as a homepage. Yall wish me luck.

Until Next Time...

Is it getting warmer or colder??

First off, let me start by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Secondly, so I was on twitter earlier, and for some reason, the idea of global warming popped into my head. I have been thinking a lot about temperatures and climate. Given that it actually SNOWED on christmas...like semi-real snow (not just flurries) and it actually stuck to the ground. Anyways, I remember hearing a couple places that due to "global warming" we are expected to have Colder Winters...

So I was just curious about why is this the case. So I started looking up random articles, and each and everyone seemed to contradict each other.Some articles in fact did not want to acknowledge that the colder temperatures we are experiencing is even significant or related to global warming.

Something that I think is interesting is when this global warming is being discussed, in my mind I was thinking things are warming up by 5 or 6 degree's. But we are talking about approximately 1.33 degree increase in a century. Ok...so that definitely wasnt as alarming as I thought it would be. But then again, I guess it is an issue, because the polar ice caps are "apparently" melting at alarming rates.

The reason I think this has also been on my mind, because I was watching Parker and Spitzer the other day and this guy, Bjorn Lomborg, he is a climate change skeptic and has a documentary out that is called "Cool It". He says that Al Gore has people so worried about climate change and what not, but instead of focusing on that, we should be more worried about the people that are dying every single day because of war, poverty, etc... It is so true. He also says that we shouldnt necessarily focus on the here and now, but we as a society/world won't be able to make it another century if we dont change what we are doing right now!

Another reason that it has been on my mind is because I watched 2012 the other day. Yes the movie was over the top, and quite ridiculous (because the main character and his family should have died, within the first 20 minutes of the movie starting), but their whole premise was on the earth's crust suddenly heated up within like 48 hours,and melted everything. So there was just so much wrong scientific information, that I am not even going to start in on it, but one of the things I was wondering is whether the temperature outside stayed the same? While the earth was opening up and people were falling into molten lava (gosh so unrealistic)...

One of the few concise articles, that did not manage to contradict itself by the end is one that I found from foxnews... Yes we all know how Right Wing / Ridiculously Radical Fox News and it's news can't be trusted, so keep that in mind, but they basically said we were going to go into a mini-age for about 30 years. Ok first of all, a mini ice age... do they not understand the ice ages lasted for supposedly millions of years, so 30 years would actually be a very tiny miniscule microscopic of a fraction ice age. But anyways, here is the brief article..it still doesn't quite all add up to me. But one person did mention that it is actually a "blip" and is not explained at all by the "supposed" global warming that is allegedly going to happen.

I dont know what to believe. I don't want it to get warmer or colder, just stay the same... You know.

Until Next Time...

America's healthiest Pleasures: 10 vices that are good for you

So just to show much I have been slacking on my blog... I have had this CNN article for the longest that I have been meaning to post on here for some time (since August), but I just haven't.. anywhere here is the 10 top vices that are good for you.

1. Getting your zzz's

Our experts unanimously agreed: Sleep is free and has virtually zero health drawbacks, making it the one treat no one should skimp on. Pillow time gives you energy, bolsters your immune system, boosts your memory, and even helps you get (or stay) slim.

2. Playing Hooky

Studies confirm that time off -- whether on a trip out of Dodge or a 24-hour staycation -- relieves stress, lowering your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease.

3. Sexual Healing

Getting frisky is, hands-down, the most pleasurable form of physical activity there is. Having sex releases feel-good endorphins and oxytocin, the hormone that promotes attachment.

4. A daily chocolate fix

Dark chocolate and cocoa may help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, and provide other cardiovascular benefits, multiple studies have shown.

5. A girl's night out

But there's little question that strong social ties can bring a host of benefits: fewer colds, better brain health, and a longer life, to name a few.  

6. Full fat dressing

For years we were trained to reach for low-fat everything, but there's no need to deprive yourself of the real deal. Full-fat foods not only taste better but also serve a real health purpose, as long as you get the right amounts of the right kinds.

7. Your morning java

A wealth of research suggests that coffee doesn't just pick you up -- it fights heart disease and some cancers, and it may even help you push through harder, longer workouts.

8. Getting a rub down

Women in a 2008 study noted less pain, depression, anxiety, and anger when they were massaged twice a week by their partners -- and (bonus!) their partners reported better mental health, too.

9. Basking in the Sun

Bright days really do lift our moods -- sunshine is the ultimate natural antidepressant, triggering our bodies to nip production of the sleep-stimulating hormone melatonin so we're alert, energized, and ready to face the day.

10. Wine with Dinner

Its antioxidants may keep blood vessels flexible, or alcohol could boost HDL (good) cholesterol.
They have a great explanation for all 10, I tried to provide a quick one sentence excerpt check it out here or click the article subject for the link! I completely agree with each and every one.

Until Next Time...

Screen on the Green=Fail

So anyone that knows me, knows that I like to be outside... I just like fresh air and sunshine and what not. So it's only natural that I enjoy parks. So every summer, Atl has Screen on the Green in which they show a movie outside. Last year it was moved to Centennial park because of the drought in Piedmont Park, but finally it was back to Piedmont this year and boy was I excited... So my friends and I even planned on going to see the movie this Thursday and things just kinda fell through...In fact last summer I think I went to almost every movie.. So of course it is weird when I wake up and check my twitter timeline to read about the "debauchery" that occurred last night...

Some of the lines from the article I read was just crazy...no where did they mention the teens were black, but they might as well have. They also mention that there was over 10,000 people at Screen on the Green... 10,000? I know it is usually a lot, but dang.... So here is the full link to the article...and below are the lines that I thought were hilarious, random, or just plain sad.

One movie-goer said free chicken sandwiches may had contributed to the brawl.

"It was an absolute mob scene, from the Chick-fil-A girls getting mobbed trying to hand out free sandwiches to the complete lack of respect for the people watching the movie," said Marc Freund.

"After enduring the first 30 minutes of the movie with people walking around and screaming, we decided to leave," Freund told the AJC. 

Midtown resident Jeff Keesee said there were "gangs of kids roaming the aisles, doing stunts to get crowd reactions. People just standing around talking, yelling -- disrespect, rudeness, unruliness -- a total disaster."

Sweatland wrote that as his group headed to their cars, he saw a group of "high school-aged kids" throwing rocks at passing vehicles. One of the rocks "completely shattered the back window" of one of the cars, he said.

Josh Hice, 26, of Newnan, was driving by Piedmont Park Thursday night with a friend when he said he was attacked by a group of high school-age people.

"There was a car stopped in front of me and a car stopped behind me, and there was this crowd of about 30 high school kids parading down the street," said Hice, who was driving an open-top Jeep.

First, a girl came up and spat in his face, Hice said, then he was punched in the face by another teen.

"It split my lip, then they start climbing all over my Jeep, and I turn around and my buddy is getting punched in the face and has blood pouring out of his nose," Hice said. "It was ridiculous. We were definitely victims of a hate crime."

Traffic ahead of Hice finally moved "and I just peeled out of there. I peeled out even with one of the dudes still hanging on the back of the Jeep, and he just jumped off."

Until Next Time...

Conscious Capitalism: Buy a shoe, help a child

So today I saw an email from one of my line sisters... She enclosed a link to an interview by CNN Money with the founder and Chief shoe giver of TOM's shoes, Blake Mycoskie. She said it made her think of one of the blogposts that I did on TOM's shoes a month ago, check it out here.. Well below is the video, its only ~3 mins:



There is a lot I can say about this. First off, I love when I get feedback from people on my blogposts. It reminds me that people are actually reading my blog and semi-care about what I have to say. (That is one thing I want to thank my oldest sister for...she often comments on my posts when we talk on the phone.) It ALWAYS warms my heart. It is just weird, because I find it hard to believe that people actually read the randomness that I write/that flows out of my head. So feel free to leave me a comment on here, drop an email, or just check off the reaction thingy.. (Yes I do read/see every comment)

Secondly, the title of the video on CNN money was "Conscious Capitalism"...wow that is actually very powerful. How many people can say they are conscious consumers, let alone capitalists. Basically do you know where the goods come from that you buy? How they got there? Who manufactured them? Roughly how much they costs to make? Why they are marked up almost 500% before they are even sold to you in the store? Anyways...I think as consumers we are blind consumers...we should be more in control of what we buy and why.

It seems as though the media/fashion industry markets certain labels that will make us look and feel better about ourselves if we spend over a certain amount of money on a particular clothing item. Don't get me wrong, I like certain labels..but a lot of time things can get a little excessive especially if you can't afford it. Oh well...I got one of the first things off my list, I'll cross it off...woohoo.

1. Toms Shoes follow up
2. 1 year blogaversary (Recap)
3. First Year of Opt school (Looking Back)
4. Diversity/ Janelle Monae
5. St. Louis/Midwest

Until Next Time...

Top 10 cities for New Grads

So immediately opening this article I was like hmm...i know that beautiful skyline...that I can't wait to see in 4 days. Anyways... Thanks again to CNN for another article.When I am a new grad again 3 years...I will definitely be moving back home. lol. Check out the whole article here! There is a lot of valuable info!


According to Apartments.com and CBcampus.com, the top 10 cities for new grads are:
1. Atlanta, Georgia
Average rent:* $723
Popular entry-level categories: sales, marketing, customer service
2. Phoenix, Arizona
Average rent: $669
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, training
3. Denver, Colorado
Average rent: $779
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, health care
4. Dallas, Texas
Average rent: $740
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, health care
5. Boston, Massachusetts
Average rent: $1275
Popular entry-level categories: sales, marketing, training
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Average rent: $938
Popular entry-level categories: sales, marketing, health care
7. New York
Average rent: $1,366
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, marketing
8. Cincinnati, Ohio
Average rent: $613
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, management
9. Baltimore, Maryland
Average rent: $1,041
Popular entry-level categories: sales, customer service, management
10. Los Angeles, California
Average rent: $1319
Popular entry-level categories: sales, training, health care

Ok I am going to the library for real...before I mess around and fail a final..lol. Until Next Time...

Stressed? Study Says Calling Mom Helps

So I am currently taking an extended study break before I head to the library because the final I had this morning drained me. I decided to check out CNN and they had this interesting article about how calling your mom actually lowers your stress level and releases oxytocin,"the bonding hormone", (which I can go on and on about because I learned about it in A & P).... Anyways, just thought it was interesting. I generally call my mom a lot, lol..but since it is finals week, and I am stressed out of my mind. A whole lot of mom calling has been going on. lol. Well here is the link to the article...and some excerpts that I thought were particularly interesting...

It's a situation every mother has been through: Your child is stressed out or upset, but she's at school or summer camp--too far away for you to give her a hug.

That doesn't mean she can't be comforted, however. According to a new study, talking on the phone with Mom is nearly as good as getting a hug for helping stressed-out kids calm down.

At least for young girls, talking on the phone with their mothers reduces a key stress hormone and also releases oxytocin, a feel-good brain chemical that is believed to play a key role in forming bonds, the study found.

"Mothers know without being instructed how to soothe a child," Campbell says. "They know because they come from a long line of women whose genes remained in the gene pool because they kept their kids alive. The challenge is for scientists to illuminate how mothering works--and that's where oxytocin comes in."

Even though Pollak's study was conducted on young girls, the findings are relevant for older children and even adults, Dr. Strathearn says.

Oh and I love the fact that CNN decided to include a picture of a black female with a fro on the phone...lol. CUTE! Until Next Time...

For Freedom Not For Beauty

I am in the library about to jet off to a review session, but I just wanted to make a quick post. So breaking news on the natural hair blog circuit, Chrisette Michele has decided to BC.. and a few noted bloggers have had the chance to interview her. I am not that big into interviews of celebrities and what not, but her interview (the parts I read) was insightful. I'll post a few excerpts below, also the poem that she wrote, "For Freedom Not for Beauty" is beautiful. (And yes that is Chrisette in the picture) Enjoy!

For Freedom Not For Beauty

There’s a beauty that lives so deep inside each of us.

There’s a fickle eye that doesn’t believe anything it sees.

There’s a benefit in love that erases all doubt and believes good intentions.

There’s an ear that isn’t free enough to give the honest man the benefit of the doubt cluttered by lies not-mentioned.

Since when is creativity subject to criticism?

When is honesty subject to a jury of fears who wouldn’t believe rain if it fell, or sun if it shined?

Sometimes a flower grows when no ones watching.

Sometimes a bird sings and no one hears.

There’s a meadow no one runs on and a cloud no one names

And what would the sky be with out the sun?

What would the earth be with out its rose?

They’d still be the sky and the Earth.

So perhaps there is a peace in becoming.

Perhaps the meaning is in the experience and not the sight.

Maybe a flower grows because it suffocates under ground.

Whether or not she is always noticed, beauty must become.

She doesn’t look for an eye.

She doesn’t listen for a voice.

She just becomes,

For Freedom Not For Beauty

-Chrisette Michele

Thanks to CurlyNikki...the interview was great, here are two ques/answers that I particularly liked!

CN: What would you tell someone toying with the idea of transitioning or Big Chopping?
Chrisette: Do what’s best for you. What is your heart saying? Follow it. We are incredibly beautiful, us curly girls. Let’s be proud and supportive of each other. To be quite honest I’d have to say...are you ready for what I’m about to say? Ok... Don’t be one of those girls out there who have our beautiful curls but wear no smile, head is down, ain’t got no presence! Give it! Cat walk down the street! Rock that hair with the fiercest of outfits. This is not just a spiritual journey, it’s an incredible fashion statement that not everyone can wear! Treat it like a manicure or a new Prada bag and be the most amazing diva on your block. This beauty is fierce and it’s ours naturally! Let’s make each other proud! Amen?!

CN: Anything else you'd like to add?
Chrisette: I am so grateful for the bold acceptance I’ve received from my sisters. I think together we are breaking down barriers in the main stream and I’m excited about our journey ahead. There is a new integrity and honesty that we are experiencing that says “Take us as we are, or don’t take us at all”. There is a new pride rising from our community reminiscent of the times when we knew each others poetry, and held our fists in the air. We are going to support each others new business ventures, we are going to see each other in graduate schools, we will see each other in government and we will lift each other out of this depression. It starts in the heart and I pray I’ve inspired many of my sisters to follow theirs.

Until Next Time...

Only 3%..

So as I have griped about at an earlier time, only 3% of Optometrists are black. Let me say it again...3%...so there are a little over 35,000 current optometrist (people with O.D.s), so there are ~1,000 "Black-American" optometrists in the U.S...ok that is sad on so many levels...Sometimes I don't think people realize how little 1,000 people really is, spread that out over 50 states...Anyways... So the AOA (American Optometric Association) sends frequent e-mails, just to update AOA/AOSA members on the current state of optometry and what is going on...I opened today's message with the subject line of "A Special Message from AOA President on the Passage of National Health Care Legislation" with some hesitancy. After reading the first sentence, I just started to shake my head slowly... Why is the first line so biased? Ugh..So it reads:

Dear Colleague:
Regardless of how we may feel personally about the massive health care overhaul bill
Congress approved and the President just signed into law, we can be very proud of the
AOA's role in fighting and winning key battles to expand access to optometric care.

 I can see the good intentions of the e-mail, but that is not how you start off an email sent on behalf of the AOA President. I just don't get it..What the heck? He didn't even write out President's Obama's name..."these people" refuse to say his name, it is as though if they say his name they are acknowledging he is president or something.The rest of the email addresses "key issues" in optometry that are actually COVERED under the new health care bill...and how there are benefits to Optometrists...

::deep sigh:: Well I just had to share that quickly...I am in this cold library..they seemed to have turned off the heat because it warmed up for a few days last week,. now it ~36 degrees and raining..and no heat is on. GA-REAT!! Well I'm going to go back to studying/cramming/stressing for this test. Until Next Time...

It Must Suck to Be a Black Woman | Clutch Magazine: The Digital Magazine for the Young, Contemporary Woman of Color

It Must Suck to Be a Black Woman | Clutch Magazine: The Digital Magazine for the Young, Contemporary Woman of Color

OMG...this is exactly how I feel. Thank you Clarissa Matthews...I am tired of hearing all the news specials, magazine articles, radio interviews, talk shows, research studies, etc.. About how black women will pretty much be single forever because of the shortage of black men and how they are mostly in jail, gay, or underqualified...ugh. So tired of it... Oh yeah and then if they do find someone they are going to end up being a single mother on welfare...what the heck is that about. I'm over it...

If you have a spare minute, just browse through the article...quick read. Interesting..

Until Next Time...

African-American youths account for half of new HIV infections; CDC launches "i know" campaign to reach them | ajc.com

African-American youths account for half of new HIV infections; CDC launches "i know" campaign to reach them  | ajc.com

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I have so much to say about many of the articles I read, and I rarely have time to provide my commentary, so I am just going to post/share when I read something particularly intriguing...I have been saying I am going to do it later and I just never get around to it...Also on many of the websites they have Blogger feature so all it takes is me entering my username/password and it automatically posts to my blog, which is cool..

However this article is personally VERY scary... WE (definition: Young Black Americans) really need to address this and do something about this...this pandemic that seems to be infecting Blacks, including young Americans at alarming rates has got to be stopped...

Until Next Time...