I’m such a pushover when it comes to punishing my son Trey. What can I say, I’ll threaten to take away video games, make him do extra chores, go to bed early…BUT it NEVER happens!

Parents would you ever use a form of public humiliation as punishment for your kids. Read how a Utah mom taught her daughter a lesson on bullying with a very unique punishment.

When a Utah mother learned her fourth-grade daughter was making fun of a classmate’s low-dollar wardrobe, she came up with a creative way to teach a lesson: She required her daughter to wear outdated thrift store clothes to school.

“If she chooses to be a bully after this, then at some point in her life, she’s going to be on the other side and she’ll know what it really feels like,” said the mother, Ally, during an interview with Fox 13 in Salt Lake City. ”And I think now that she knows what it feels like, and she doesn’t want to be that person anymore because she knows how hurtful it is.”

Ally, who is technically the stepmother to 10-year-old Kaylee, said she learned about her daughter’s bullying through the young girls’ teacher.

“She would take her out on the playground and call her names, and tell her she was a slob and tell her she dressed like a sleaze,” said Ally, who withheld her name to prevent further embarrassing Kaylee. “Someone not wanting to go to school anymore based off of something that one other little person said to them. I mean, that’s huge, that’s damaging.”

To see the photos and read the rest of the story, click here.

Sound off: What’s the craziest form of public punishment you’ve witnessed/heard of?

This morning, I got a quick and brutally honest lesson from my 9 year old son, Trey.

While dropping him off at school here’s how the conversation went.

He say’s, “mom, I want you to look in the mirror…do you notice how your teeth are not so white, they’re sorta that off white color. Almost yellow, ya know? Well that’s because you drink wayyyyy too much wine. You should stop, because soon your teeth will become black, eventually they’ll fall out and you’ll die!”

He then goes on to say, “I love you and I don’t want that to happen to you, so I’m just telling you what I learned. Please don’t be upset with me.”

Seriously, how could I get upset? What he said was so profoundly true. At that point I really had no words at all. Only, a shout out and BIG Thanks to the “Drug Prevention Program” that he’s as been taking this week at school!

Good job!

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Country star Brad Paisley’s new single “Accidental Racist,” a duet with LL Cool J on his new album “Wheelhouse,” out today, is making headlines for its lyrical conversation between a white Southerner and black New Yorker about racism.

The song caused a flurry of reaction across social media, which exactly what Paisley intended with the song – to spark a national conversation on race.

“I felt like when we were writing this song it wasn’t necessarily up to the media … or talk radio or anything like that to deal with that anymore,” Paisley, 40, says in an interview airing Tuesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I think it’s music’s turn to have the conversation.”

The song features Paisley’s character walking into a coffee shop wearing a shirt with a Confederate flag on it. Paisley sings, “[I'm] just a proud rebel son with an ol’ can of worms/Lookin’ like I got a lot to learn.” LL Cool J, 45, replies. “If you don’t judge my do-rag … I won’t judge your red flag/If you don’t judge my gold chains … I’ll forget the iron chains.”

Critics of the song accuse Paisley of glossing over the history of racism in the South. Actor/comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted: “I can’t wait for Brad Paisley & LL Cool J’s next single: ‘Whoopsy Daisy, Holocaust, My Bad.’ ”

But Paisley tells Entertainment Weekly he’s just trying to address the topic honestly.

“I just think art has a responsibility to lead the way,” he says. “I don’t know the answers, but I feel like asking the question is the first step, and we’re asking the question in a big way.”

“How do I show my Southern pride? What is offensive to you? And he kind of replies, and his summation is really that whole ‘Let’s bygones be bygones’ and ‘If you don’t judge my do rag, I won’t judge your red flag.’ We don’t solve anything, but it’s two guys that believe in who they are and where they’re from very honestly having a conversation and trying to reconcile.”

Listen to the song by clicking here.

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A new Australian study published in the journal “Biology Letters” on Wednesday contends that women can tell whether a man is faithful or not by simply staring him in the face, according to reporting Reuters. Men, however, do not possess the same skills as their counterparts with regards to spotting a potential female cheater, the article states.

Findings from the student found that women formulated their opinions about men who stray based on their degree of masculinity and not on how attractive they are physically. “Women’s ratings of unfaithfulness showed small-moderate, significant correlations with measures of actual infidelity,” wrote the team, led by Gillian Rhodes at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders at the University of Western Australia in Perth. “More masculine-looking men (were) rated as more probable to be unfaithful and having a sexual history of being more unfaithful.”

The study consisted of 34 men and 34 women who were shown 189 color photographs of adults. The subjects were asked to determine whether each person depicted in the photo was faithful or not. The scientists then compared the biographical data supplied by each person’s photo to the participant’s responses.  The researchers then concluded that the women participants were better able to tell whether someone was a cheater or not.

“We provide the first evidence that faithfulness judgments, based solely on facial appearance, have a kernel of truth,” they wrote in the paper.

Click Here Are You Detroit’s Cutest Couple?

Click Here: Michael Baisden’s Jam of the Day: Oran Juice Jones “The Rain”

Click Here: Michael Baisden’s Jam of the Day: Oran Juice Jones “The Rain”

It is reported that the major advertising agency Campbell Ewald will be moving its headquarters from Warren to Downtown Detroit.

News conference is scheduled for tomorrow at 1:45 p.m. to discuss specifics of the plan.

Click Here for Local News: Detroit News: Four teens charged in carjacking of 88-year-old Tuskegee airman

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Why do you think more couples are divorcing when the woman earns more money?

Who’s wearing the pants? Are some men insecure if their woman earns more money? Or are some women bossy and disrespectful when they are the breadwinners?

Reports: Ice-T Files For Divorce In Wake Of Coco Cheating Scandal

Kiss Contest: Win Tickets To All Star Comedy Festival All Week!

It starts at home! What do we as parents teach our children about dating and money, I especially want to know what fathers teach their daughters? I also need young adults to call in to find out if they were taught that money is or isn’t important when choosing a partner.

Get your answer ready and make sure you call in to be live on air at 1-877-6badboy that’s 1877-622-3269

Celebrity Divorces

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These minor changes in your daily routine will make a major difference in your life and career.

Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it’s almost impossible to make others happy if you’re not happy yourself.

With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that, if you’re like most people, will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:
1. Start each day with expectation.

If there’s any big truth about life, it’s that it usually lives up to (or down to) your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: “something wonderful is going to happen today.” Guess what? You’re probably right.
2. Take time to plan and prioritize.

The most common source of stress is the perception that you’ve got too much work to do. Rather than obsess about it, pick one thing that, if you get it done today, will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.
3. Give a gift to everyone you meet.

I’m not talking about a formal, wrapped-up present. Your gift can be your smile, a word of thanks or encouragement, a gesture of politeness, even a friendly nod. And never pass beggars without leaving them something. Peace of mind is worth the spare change.
4. Deflect partisan conversations.

Arguments about politics and religion never have a “right” answer but they definitely get people all riled up over things they can’t control. When such topics surface, bow out by saying something like: “Thinking about that stuff makes my head hurt.”
5. Assume people have good intentions.

Since you can’t read minds, you don’t really know the “why” behind the “what” that people do. Imputing evil motives to other people’s weird behaviors adds extra misery to life, while assuming good intentions leaves you open to reconciliation.
6. Eat high quality food slowly.

Sometimes we can’t avoid scarfing something quick to keep us up and running. Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Focus on it; taste it; savor it.
7. Let go of your results.

The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you’ve taken action, there’s usually nothing more you can do. Focus on the job at hand rather than some weird fantasy of what might happen.
8. Turn off “background” TV.

Many households leave their TVs on as “background noise” while they’re doing other things. The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you’ll buy more stuff. Why subliminally program yourself to be a mindless consumer?
9. End each day with gratitude.

Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as a making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.

Although he hasn’t seen the movie, director Spike Lee tells Vibe that Quentin Tarantino’s new Civil War-era Western Django Unchained is “disrespectful to my ancestors.”

Lee, whose latest film Red Hook Summer deals with race and class in the South Brooklyn neighborhood, said he has no plans to see Django Unchained. He elaborated on his dissatisfaction on Twitter, writing, “American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them.”

The Best Movies of 2012: ‘Django Unchained’

This isn’t the first time Lee has taken issue with Tarantino’s films, particularly when it comes to the use of a racial epithet that is used myriad times in Django and appeared frequently in Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown.

Lee spoke out about the film after apparently telling Django star Jamie Foxx that he wasn’t going to. In a separate interview with Vibe, Foxx recalled an encounter with Lee at the BET awards saying, “You know Spike, he’ll let you have it whether it’s good, bad or ugly. And he said, ‘I’m not going to say anything bad about this film. It looks like y’all are getting it.’”

Also weighing in on Django’s use of the term is Sarah Silverman who told TMZ, “Doesn’t it take place like during slavery? Wouldn’t it be odd if they didn’t have that horrific word in it?” The comic added that Lee has “got a lot of mishegas with a lot of art. I think you can’t really tell art what to do.”

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/spike-lee-calls-django-unchained-disrespectful-20121227#ixzz2GqOZ8Ijn
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How do I know? Because in the past 10 years, experts have learned a lot about how we make and break habits, and nine times out of ten we go about it the wrong way. Here are a few of the most common New Year’s resolutions that get made year after year – and that are forgotten just as often.

1. Go on a Diet.

Some weight loss experts will tell you flat out, diets don’t work. For many people, unfortunately this is very true. For other people, particularly those whose eating habits are super unhealthy in the first place or who find it easier to cede control over what they eat, they aren’t a bad option. But typically diets only work for awhile – usually for as long as you stick to the carefully regulated plan. And studies show, after awhile, most people get tired of following such a strict regimen and go back to eating pretty much what they ate before. Sadly, diets actually make many people gain weight, which a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine attributed to the boomerang action of hormones that control appetite and fat metabolism.

What Does Work: Making small changes to your eating habits. Here are a few small changes that pack a big calorie punch. Giving up that daily soda habit: 150 calories saved a day. Switching from your daily bakery muffin (400-600 calories) to a bowl of oatmeal at your desk (150 calories): 250 – 450 calories saved a day. Swap your latte (180 calories) for a cup of house java with half and half (80 calories): 100 calories saved. Better yet, switch from half and half (3 tablespoons = 80 calories) to nonfat milk (3 tablespoons = 15 calories and save an extra 65 calories per cup. Total for making all three changes: as many as 765 calories a day. And that’s without eating any more veggies!

2. Stop Smoking.

Well, it’s not that you can’t stop smoking. You can, and you should. Sooner, rather than later. But if you’re waiting for that perfect day when you’ll just be able to stop because you promised yourself you would (likely after a few too many New Year’s Eve toasts), it’s not going to happen.

What Does Work: Rather than list the techniques that work best (there are a number of really successful ones), I’m going to defer to Stanford University internist Kelly Traver, MD, author of The Program: The Brain-Smart Approach to the Healthiest You. Traver has written an entire book about how to use current neurological understanding to make healthy lifestyle changes and can tell you exactly why you should quit and how to quit and stay quit. (There’s even a website and iPhone app based on The Program to help you get started.) Add these 10 extra tricks and you’re even more likely to succeed. And while you’re at it, you might want to quit smoking pot, too, since recent science shows it’s not much better for you than tobacco.

3. Get More Exercise (Related Resolution: Join a Gym)

The problem with this one is, it’s too vague. In other words, it’s too easy to make a stab at, and then let yourself slide because it’s cold outside, or it’s too dark when you get home, or your muscles hurt, or the gym’s too crowded and the equipment smells sweaty.

What Does Work: To make a significant lifestyle change and make it stick, you need to replace an old habit (being a couch potato or workaholic) with a new one. You also need to make it pleasant, or at least not too unpleasant. A few ways to do this are to start a new sport, one you actually like, or join forces with a workout buddy you actually like and want to spend time with. What’s worked best for me, though, is to change my thinking to make exercise a no-matter-what priority, the same way I do any medical need, such as taking my prescription blood pressure medication. For more detail on this approach and others, Dr Traver has lots of ideas about how to turn yourself into someone who exercises without even questioning it.

4. Lose 20 Pounds

Like quitting smoking, it’s not that you shouldn’t lose weight. If your body-mass index is over 25, you qualify as overweight and you want to tip the scales downwards. But the typical promise, “I’m going to lose 20 pounds by June so I can wear a bathing suit,” is not going to be kept. Just ask anyone who made this resolution last year.

What Does Work: Not attaching a number to your goal. That’s not to say you shouldn’t watch the scale. While this used to be controversial (and is an absolute no-no for anyone who’s struggled with an eating disorder) recent studies suggest that regular weight checks are important for keeping any weight loss program on track. But what really works: calories in < calories out. Despite all our efforts to develop new weight loss pills (two of which, Qnexa and lorcaserin, came on the market this year) and come up with new diets, it’s pretty simple says Harvard School of Public Health, summarizing the last five years of weight loss trials. Cut out 500 calories a day (see above for ideas) and up your exercise to burn an extra 250 calories a day — and keep at it, month in and month out – and you’re on track for significant weight loss you can sustain for the rest of your life.

5. Stop Biting My Nails, or Twirling My Hair, or

It’s almost impossible to break a physical habit with willpower alone, experts say. That’s because we’ve been doing it so long (hence the name habit…) that we’re no longer aware of it.

What Does Work: Becoming aware of the cues that trigger our habits, even when we’re not paying attention. According to Psychology Today, “habit reversal therapy” can target even the toughest habits (procrastination, anyone?). I’m going to leave it up to the experts to explain this concept in detail, but suffice to say it’s based on the idea that you have to understand the “cravings underlying behaviors” before you can eliminate them.

For a more fun read on this subject, read The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business by New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg.

Since 1999 academic proficiency guidelines (followed up by testing) has made the issue of public education in California a back burner subject. It has been reported that recent test scores show gradual but consistent growth.

But do elevations in student test scores prove kids are getting a better education or are smarter? Maybe schools have just become more apt at teaching students to perform better on tests? I would rather my son develop street smarts as opposed to book smarts. This is indicative of critical thinking. Academic success shows an ability to recite lessons learned, but not intelligence raised.

Many studies done under the color of authority are just as likely to be biased and misleading as studies conducted and paid for by special interests. For instance, the American Dental Association has concluded that ‘silver’ fillings (an amalgam of silver and mercury) poses no threat to the patient. The statement contradicts what it known about mercury. A fact about mercury from three federal websites:

1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (www.fda.gov) “Dental amalgam contains elemental mercury. It releases low levels of mercury vapor that can be inhaled. High levels of mercury vapor exposure are associated with adverse
effects in the brain and the kidneys.”

2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov) “When amalgam fillings are placed in or removed from teeth, they can release a small amount of mercury vapor. Amalgam can also release small amounts of mercury vapor during chewing,
inhaling or ingesting. High levels of mercury vapor exposure are associated with adverse effects in the brain and the kidneys.”

3. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (www.nih.gov) “Mercury as an amalgam can be toxic if it is mishandled during placement or removal.”

The federal agencies do not implicitly state that mercury fillings are a health risk. The explanation I have found is that the FDA, influenced by the lobby of the ADA, has categorized mercury amalgam fillings as a ‘prosthetic device’ rather than a hazardous substance. Taking into consideration the procedures the EPA gives for cleaning up a broken fluorescent light bulb (clear the room, wear gloves, cover mouth, no vacuuming and disposal at EPA approved waste site), how could it be safe to put this stuff in one’s mouth? A CFL bulb has only a tiny fraction of the amount of mercury as an amalgam filling.

To arrive at the truth about the effectiveness of standardized testing means believing in the results given by the state. Thus, one has to take their word for it and believe it or not.

We can trust ourselves and show faith towards the political system but we should always question the motivations of the participants. My point is, and it is a recurring theme with my articles; do not trust any institution, public or private, without first knowing who and what kind of person your child will be under the care of.

The mission statement of an institution (church, scouts, sports league, etc.) may be noble, but the representative not.

Inform yourself. Inform your child.

This is called being street smart.

“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey didn’t get off to a good start with Kenya Moore on the show, since she acted out when she was asked to help at the Bailey Agency. However, things are not getting better between the women according to Cynthia’s new Bravo blog released on Dec. 13, and she was a put turned off by the way Kenya Moore was acting with the husbands on their trip to Anguilla. “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey definitely thinks that Kenya Moore crossed some serious boundaries.

“I’m with Phaedra on this one,” “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey writes in her blog, referring to Phaedra’s rules about flirting with married men. And it wasn’t just innocent flirting. Kenya was asking Phaedra about lending her husband out for sex, and about the men donating sperm so she could have a baby. “The “let’s throw other people’s husbands and wives in the pool game” is a no-no. As married folks, there have to be some boundaries that need to be respected. Also I can’t say I am a fan of the “who would swing with whose spouse” game either,” Cynthia points out.

And while “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Cynthia Bailey may not have agreed with the way Kenya was acting with Phaedra and Apollo, she didn’t find Kenya’s dancing with Peter offensive. “I was not really bothered by Kenya dancing with Peter. We were all dancing and having a good time. Yes, the little “bend over booty shake part” was a little extra, but overall I thought it was pretty harmless. I am a really secure woman, and the only booty that shook Peter that night was mine,” Cynthia concludes.

Do you think Kenya Moore was out of line?

One gift that can be for just about anyone is cookies. Younger children will need a little help from parents for oven use, but all can mix the ingredients, shape the cookies and decorate them. Cookies can be made from scratch using a favorite recipe, or mix packets can be purchased at the grocery store.

Once the cookies are completed, kids can even make their own packaging using paper lunch bags. Kids can decorate the bags any way they’d like, then place the cookies inside. For a decorative finish, fold the top down twice, punch a couple of holes and tie a ribbon through the holes.

Other gifts kids can make are:

Friendship bracelets are great gifts for friends, especially when made using the friend’s favorite colors. If the child doesn’t already have a supply of lanyard or embroidery floss to knot into bracelets, the items can be purchased at a craft store.

Memory books can be made for either friends or grandparents. Kids simply print out their favorite photos and place them in the book like a scrapbook. To make the book, simply take the desired amount of construction paper and staple one side to make a book. To attach the pages, kids can also punch holes along one side and string a ribbon through the holes, making sure to knot each end.

Handprint art is something parents and grandparents will treasure. The art can be made using paint or construction paper to form several hand prints into a wreath or a snowflake. For the paint version of the project, use an old, light-colored tablecloth, sheet or shirt and cut it into about a yard long and two feet wide. Try to center the hand print design as much as possible, and be sure to paint or write with permanent marker somewhere whose hands made the art and the year. So it can be hung, find a stick or a dowel just longer than two feet, fold and glue the top portion of the fabric around it and add a ribbon by tying it on each end of the stick.

Toy buildings can be a great addition to a cousin’s train set. A child can create a village of buildings to give after a dive into the recycling. Different shaped boxes can easily be transformed into houses, barns and even skyscrapers using a variety of mediums from paint to paper to fabric. Plastic bottles can even be transformed into silos and trees.

Scarves can be easy to make, especially if the child knows how to knit or crochet. If not, a child can still make a simple scarf using a long piece of felt (at least yard) cut to about six inches wide. Slits can be cut across the two ends, and adjacent tabs can be knotted for a more finished look. Infinity scarves can also be made using the bottom half of an old t-shirt. Just cut below the arm and above the hem. For a stringy scarf, cut long slits from one side, not quite reaching the other side. Then, pull on both sides, stretching it out to an original infinity scarf.

Craft stores have a great selection of holiday-themed crafts under $5, and many under $2. All kids have to do is assemble and paint or color with markers or crayons.

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated the world over as a visionary who made the ultimate sacrifice for the advancement of civil rights for all.

King’s speeches, sermons and unyielding pursuit of justice and human dignity continue to inspire and uplift. Dr. King gave voice to the principle that civil rights and worker rights are inseparable, that to deny one is to do injury to the other.

His social commentary speaks directly to the motives of today’s anti-worker movement, which cloaks itself in words designed to mislead.

About so-called right to work laws, Dr. King said this in 1961:

In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. . . Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone. Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.

Dr. King’s words are especially relevant today as thousands of workers have descended on the Indiana statehouse for the past two weeks to protest Governor Mitch Daniels’ and extreme Republican legislators’ attempt to ram through right-to-work legislation. Last week, the House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee ignored voter sentiment and research and approved the bill on a party-line vote after a six-minute hearing, allowing no amendments and no debate.

A new survey by VoucherCodesPro has found that one in 10 parents, struggling to cope with the financial demands and pressures of raising a child, said that they regretted having children

Many new parents will recognise the financial challenges faced when preparing to welcome their new-born into the world. However, it seems that some mums and dads are underestimating the difficult role of being a first-time parent, especially when it comes to money.

Respondents were initially asked, ‘How do you feel about your choice to have children?’ and according to the results, 68 per cent of the parents taking part stated that they love their choice and ‘wouldn’t have changed their decision for the world.’ In contrast, 11 per cent of the parents taking part stated that they ‘regretted’ their choice to have children; whilst the remaining 21 per cent simply claimed to feel ‘indifferent’ about their choice.

Those who claimed to regret their choice were asked to state why. According to the results, the main reasons for regretting having children were as follows:

1. Negative impact on finances – 76%

2. Negative impact on working life – 58%

3. Negative impact on relationship with partner – 37%

4. Negative impact on sex life – 24%

5. Negative impact on social life – 18%

Money came at the top of the list; with just over three qarters of those who regretted having kids saying that it was because of the financial aspect. Of those that felt their sex life was affected, 79 per cent said that they had sex less frequently, whereas 19 per cent claimed that having children had put paid to sex all together.

George Charles of VoucherCodesPro said: “All parents go through stressful stages, but to say that you regret having children is quite a big claim! Bringing children into the world creates a lot of joy for parents, yet it also creates a lot of stress. The impact of parenthood is profound. But is this impact always a good thing? Judging by our poll, it would suggest that some parents think not.”

Those that selected the impact on ‘working life’ as being one of the reasons why they regretted having children were asked why this was the case, to which 67 per cent said it was because they regretted having to give up their job to look after their children.

Of those that selected their relationship with their partner as a reason, 49 per cent said that they felt having children had put increased strain on their relationship with their partner. One person even said that having children was the cause of their divorce.

George added: “The majority of parents would agree that children are expensive, but most would accept the burdens in order to experience the benefits. However it seems that this is isn’t always the case, as some would be willing to turn back the clock if they could.”

Gotta love Cyber Monday. You sit in the comfort of your own home (or office? Shhh, we won’t tell!), browse through online stores and choose delightful deals for you and your loved ones. And to fuel yourself, you nibble on a few pieces of cheese-topped crackers, gulp down some energy drinks and treat yourself to milk and Twinkies (love that cream filling). All good, right? Until you weigh yourself and discover that although your bank account got lighter, your waistline got bigger. Oops.

Avoid that recipe for weight gain by taking time out during your shopping to burn 100 calories in just 10 minutes. Take six breaks and you’ll have burned an extra 600 calories! Now that’s a deal that won’t cost anything! (Bonus tip: Get the skinny on seven snacks with 25 calories or less by clicking here.)

Put an aerobic step or a box that’s one foot high in front of the TV. Do aerobic step-ups for 10 minutes and burn 110 calories.
Bike for 10 minutes to burn 120 calories.
Got a rowing machine or belong to a gym? Just 10 minutes on that rower burns 100 calories.
Run for 10 minutes at 5.5 miles per hour.
Do vigorous laps or breaststroke for 10 minutes to burn 110 calories.
Climb on a stair-stepper machine and step away for 10 minutes to burn 100 calories.

If you’re going to a concert this weekend, Spinner.com has some tips for how to enjoy the show without making the people around you hate your GUTS. Here are their top five concert etiquette tips.

#1.) Shut Up. That means no loud conversations during the show, and don’t sing along to every song at the top of your lungs.

#2.) Go Easy on the PDA. It’s fine in small doses. Just don’t be the people who hang on each other for three hours straight. If you ARE that couple, at least stand in the BACK of the crowd.

#3.) Put Your Camera-Phone Away. It’s okay if you take it out to snap a picture or shoot a few minutes of video. But some people stand there and record basically the whole time . . . and the people standing behind them HATE them for it.

#4.) Don’t Stand Up If Everyone Else Is Sitting Down. It depends on what concert you’re going to: Sometimes the crowd stands for the whole thing. Other times they don’t. So just be considerate about it.–That means if you’re the only one standing for more than about 30 seconds, sit down. Or if everyone’s standing and only YOU feel like sitting down, don’t moan about how you can’t see. Also, don’t bring a huge sign and hold it up all night.

#5.) Chill Out with the Requests. If you’re up front where the band can actually hear you, don’t scream the name of the same song all night. If it’s a big song, they’ll probably get to it.–If your seats SUCK, don’t even bother yelling out requests. The band probably can’t hear you, so you’re just annoying the people nearby. (Spinner)

A handful of restaurants, retail stores and companies across the country are ramping up their Election Day gimmicks and promotions—offering free food, a trip out of the country and flu vaccinations.

Some of these promotions have been going on for a few weeks now, leading up to Election Day, but others are only available TODAY on Nov. 6.

White Castle – On November 6th, showing up at White Castle with your “I Voted” sticker will earn you a free small Sweet Potato Waffle Fry with any purchase.

7-Eleven is offering its customers a way to show how they’ll vote with special red (for Mitt Romney) and blue (for President Obama) coffee cups through midnight on Nov. 6.

Car-sharing company Zipcar (ZIP) is offering a 50% discount on rates nationwide with a program called Zip to the Polls. The discount is available on Election Day only, from 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. (local time). Zipcar also partnered with Rock the Vote to make voter registration available on its Facebook page.

Tim Horton’s – At this coffee chain, you can purchase any beverage, show your “I Voted” sticker, and get a free donut. Plus: Some voters will also get free coffee and donuts while they wait in line at local polls in some cities, including Detroit, MI, Columbus, OH, and Buffalo, NY.

Boston Market – Through November 6th, head here to vote for your favorite Market Bowl. On November 7, a national Boston Market offer for everyone who voted will be announced along with the winning bowl.

Ben & Jerry’s – All over the country, the ice cream hot spots are serving the Americone Dream sundae, which includes Americone Dream ice cream, caramel, whipped cream, and a selection of toppings. Um, wow.

JetBlue is offering an Election Promotion campaign: If the candidate you voted for loses, you’ll be in a drawing for a chance to win a trip abroad. The airline will offer 1,006 travel certificates to redeem on a round-trip base fare to any of JetBlue’s Caribbean or Mexico destinations.

Einstein Bros. Bagels – On November 6th, Einstein Bros. Bagels will give you a FREE Bagel and Shmear if you come in wearing your “I Voted” sticker. Check out the Einstein Bros. Bagels Facebook page for more details.

On the Border – If you “like” the Mexican restaurant chain’s Facebook page and click the “Get Offer” link, you can get a coupon for free Sopapillas on November 6th (when you purchase one or more entrees at regular price).

Starbucks – Starbucks is giving customer a free Indivisible wristband on November 6th at participating locations — just ask for it!

M&M’s: M&M’s are offering a personalization discount on their orders for election parties until Nov. 5. You can receive $10 off orders of $65 or more with the code CHOOSE10 and 15% off orders of $100 or more with code CHOOSE15.

Uber: On Election Day, this car-service company will be offering customers a free ride to or from a national polling place, up to $20.12. Any amount above $20.12 will be charged, and the offer is only available during the city’s voting hours.

ARE THERE ANY DEALS OUT THERE NOT LISTED? LEAVE THEM IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!

SCOOP: YAHOO

How about this for a birth story: We used potato chip clips to clamp the umbilical cord! New mother reveals how she gave birth in the midst of Hurricane Sandy…see below

A new mother has told how she gave birth in the midst of Hurricane Sandy, with no electricity or running water.

Abby Wellington, 34, from Fort Lee, New Jersey, went into labor at 10pm last Monday evening, as the category one storm battered the East Coast.

And with no medical equipment to hand, her husband, Stephen Olefson, told The Huffington Post that he was forced to improvise by candlelight, digging out ‘gloves and a potato chip clip to clamp the
Ms Wellington’s due date was Tuesday, October 30, but she started experiencing contractions the evening before, and, unlike her previous pregnancy, her labor lasted just half an hour.

Mr Olefson, 35, explained: ‘In medical terms it’s called a precipitous delivery. You’ll hear about it every once in a while, but it’s very rare.

No light, no heat, literally by candlelight. We used the same candles we used for my mother-in-law’s 70th birthday party.’

To make his wife comfortable, Mr Olefson used hot water left in the pipes to make a shallow bath.

He then created a soft covering on the tiled bathroom floor using towels and pillows, and lined up some candles in front of the toilet.

‘It wasn’t romantic… The whole thing was crazy. ‘ he recalled.

His wife added: ‘There wasn’t a lot of room in the bathroom. There’s a bathtub on the left, and then the sink, the toilet and a small square space.

‘But we didn’t have anywhere else to go. There was no power in the living room, and our son was in the bedroom.’

They attempted to find an obstetrician in their building, but with no phone signal they were unable to make a connection.

A neighbor stayed with the couple, lending them a box of gloves, and Ms Wellington described the woman as a ‘calming presence’.

She said: ‘Once the baby was out, I became my neonatologist self and told them what to do: “Clamp the cord! Get towels! Get a hat!”

‘I felt totally fine the second the baby came out. Before that, I was in another world.’

She gave birth to a girl named Henley, weighing a healthy 8 pounds, just after 10.30pm.

Fifteen minutes later an obstetrician from upstairs arrived, along with police and an ambulance crew.

Describing the scenario, Mr Olefson said: ‘We’re sitting in the bathroom with two potato chip clamps on each end of the umbilical cord. The baby’s great. Happy, crying, warm.
‘The medics and the police say, “This is so cool! We never get calls like this, especially on a day like today when we’ve only had bad news.” Everyone [who] was there was joyous and celebrating. It was a very cool moment.’

Despite the drama, the couple’s two-year-old son, Oliver, slept through the storm and his sister’s birth.

Ms Wellington, who works as a pediatrician and training to become a neonatal nurse, admitted: ‘It took me a good 24 hours to process it. I felt bad, because at first I could barely focus on the fact that I had the baby, that Henley was here,

‘I was so focused on the experience. But now I feel like everything has sunk in.’

Source: dailymail

Women’s Day magazine put together a list of the most unhealthy Halloween candies for kids (based on caloric intake and how bad they are for your teeth). It’s also basically a list of the most delicious Halloween candies. It’s probably the stuff you eat when you pick through the candy they bring home.

Here are the Top 7 worst candies for your kids, according to Women’s Day:

Snickers – The main reason they’re bad is the caramel, which gets stuck in your teeth and causes cavities. They’re also high in calories.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins – One of them has as many calories as two normal Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (one regular cup has 88 calories, one Peanut Butter Pumpkin has 180).

Candy Corn – Made with nothing but bad stuff for you and your kids (sugar, artificial coloring, and artificial flavors).

Tootsie Pops – Tootsie Pops (and any kind of lollipop) are really bad for your teeth, simply because they take so long to eat. Lollipops usually stay in your mouth for five to ten minutes.

Starburst – Just like caramel, Starburst tend to stick to your teeth longer than other types of candy. They are also loaded with fat and sugar. In fact, ten Starbursts have about the same amount of sugar as 5 1/2 sugar packets!

Sour Patch Kids – These also stick to your teeth and cause cavities. They also have high levels of acid in them, which breaks down your enamel and cause even more cavaties!

Fun Dip – If you don’t remember, it’s basically a white stick of sugar that you dip into more sugar (pretty obvious why it’s bad for you). One serving has 50 calories, and sometimes one package has three servings in it.

There ya go, Happy Halloween!

Whitney Houston died eight and a half months ago this past February. By May, her family was filming a reality TV show. The simultaneously low-key but exploitative series that has resulted, “The Houstons: On Our Own,” began airing last night on Lifetime. The premiere episode ended with the family gathered beside Houston’s grave on Mother’s Day, sobbing. The series doesn’t gloss over the grief: It puts cameras on it. And even when they’re standing back, filming the family from a “non-invasive” distance, the whole thing feels pretty wretched.

“The Houstons” features Bobbi Kristina, Whitney’s daughter with Bobbi Kristina Brown; Whitney’s brother Gary; his wife, Pat; their 14-year-old daughter Rayah; Bobbi Kristina’s controversial 23-year-old boyfriend and formerly adopted brother, Nick; and occasional appearances by Whitney’s mother, Cissy. The 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina — who goes by Krissi — introduces herself to the camera as the daughter of the “infamous badass” Bobby Brown and the “beautiful princess” Whitney Houston, which sums up the strange frequency the show’s participants are all operating on: both hyperaware of what “the world” thinks, and unaware ov how strange and removed describing one’s father as an “infamous badass” sounds.

Bobbi Kristina is the object of interest here, but not exactly the focus. The soft-spoken, steel-willed Pat, who was also Houston’s manager — or so says her chyron – is actually running the show. The cameras operate out of Pat and Gary’s big house in Atlanta, never filming Krissi and Nick at Whitney’s home, where they still live. (One of the most interesting subtexts of “The Houstons” is the implicit comparison between Pat and Gary’s stable marriage and their sweet, energetic daughter and the much more unstable family that produced the much more unstable Bobbi Kristina. In the show’s most interesting non-Whitney related moment, Gary and Rayah have a jovial yet bracing conversation in which Gary, totally serious, tells his daughter “she better not bring no white boys home.” “My dad is being so ratchet and overprotective! I’m in high school. Hello!” is Rayah’s on-camera reply.) Pat is the one setting up all the typical “spontaneous” events that are a reality show’s bread and butter: the acting lessons, the swim meets, the family gatherings. Krissi is supposed to attend many of these. Sometimes she does not. The show’s credits end with all the participants’ faces in picture frames on a piano. Coming back from commercial breaks, Pat’s frame is the largest, her image the one the camera lingers on. The producers know who they have to flatter.

Pat talks to anyone who will listen — her husband Gary is an acting teacher who has never met Krissi — about how concerned she is about her niece, but her sugary-sweet patter has a rank self-serving streak. “It’s difficult to deal with [Krissi] because the world is so involved,” she complains to her husband, in front of a bank of cameras. Pat is convinced that Krissi and Nick are moving too fast and so she actively schemes to separate them to get Krissi on “the right track” and to “focus on her career.” But what track? What career? Krissi is 19 and her mother has been dead for just three months. If she wants to hang out with her first love all day, what’s so bad about that? Maybe I’m biased: No one with a voice as nerdy as Nick’s — we’re talking Urkel territory — comes across as threatening. (Krissi, for all her makeup and sass seems like an undercover nerd too. She describes herself, Whitney and Nick as the three musketeers turned to two. “D’Artagnan has left us!” she pronounces with a flourish at a family brunch.)

By the end of the second episode, it seems Pat and Gary have more to worry about than just Nick anyway. Krissi shows up for dinner wasted. The intimation from the edit is that she’s been sneaking wine at Pat and Gary’s house, but for the amount of messed up she is — slurring, wobbly — she must have arrived half in the bag (or on something else). Nick seems unconcerned. This isn’t beyond the pale for a grieving 19-year-old, but it’s especially alarming in a grieving 19-year-old who is the daughter of two adults with substance abuse problems. This scene pinpoints the grotesque bargain underlying “The Houstons”: Audience sympathy and family distress are in lock-step. The more grief-stricken or traumatized Houston’s survivors appear, the more we feel for them. The moments that make the best TV are exactly the same moments that demonstrate this family shouldn’t be on a TV at all.

It’s not even Halloween yet and some of the most popular holiday toys are already selling out. The reason behind the early start: the growing popularity of layaway plans.

Holiday layaway programs are pretty much a win-win for consumers and retailers. In a touch economy, shoppers need time to pay off their purchases and brick-and-mortar stores need to find ways to compete with online retailers. Layaway plans are especially popular this year at stores like Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, Kmart, and Sears because the programs are starting earlier—giving consumers more time to pay—and because many have dropped service fees.

Additionally, for the first time, Toys “R” Us is allowing shoppers to reserve any of the 50 toys on its hot list. As a result, the company has already had to stop taking reservations for the Wii U gaming console and certain kids electronic tablets until it receives additional shipments. And come December, some children will have to make do with the “plum fairy” Furby doll because all the available “pink puff” and “voodoo purple” models have been claimed.

What about you? We know it’s really early, but have you started buying your holiday gifts?

After a controversial officials’ ruling left the Seattle Seahawks winning in a bizarre finish over the Green Bay Packers on “Monday Night Football,” many on Twitter agreed that it’s time for the NFL to do something about the officiating, which has been at issue this season after the league locked out its regular game officials in a contract dispute.
Check out what celebs on Twitter had to say…

GameTimeGirl

When people think of Starbucks, they usually think of Venti-sized Frappucinos topped with whipped cream and slathered in chocolate syrup — which isn’t exactly the most healthy thing to have if you want to shed some pounds. But one woman says she actually lost 76 pounds with her self-prescribed “Starbucks” diet.

Christine Hall started eating (and drinking) all her meals at Starbucks because it was conveniently located near two of her jobs (aren’t they always?) On a typical day, the 66-year-old law librarian would have a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, grab a bistro box of fruit and cheese for lunch and devour a panini for dinner. And evidently it worked! Because two years later, she’s almost 80 pounds lighter! Do you think grabbing grub from the uber-popular coffee shop every day would help you lose weight?

SHINE.YAHOO.COM reports:
“Christine Hall went from a size Grande to a size Tall. That’s Starbucks-speak for a dramatic weight loss. The Virginia-based law librarian has spent the past two years buying almost all of her meals from the coffee chain. On Thursday, in an interview with The Today Show, Hall claimed to have lost 76 pounds by sticking to a self-designed Starbucks-only diet. That’s some serious brand-commitment.”

According to MyFoxDC.com, Gaithersburg Elementary Principal Stephanie Brant got the OK from her school to eliminate traditional homework [i.e. worksheets] and substitute those assignments with required reading. The principal’s goal is to get about 30 minutes of reading a night from each student. Another unique approach by Gaithersburg Elementary is that students are allowed to go to the library every day, giving them the opportunity to read more books–with a hall pass of course.

While Principal Brant is taking a big risk in this reading only homework policy, the school has seen solid standardized test scores. The old saying is “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?” Principal Brant’s seems to be “Why not try something different?” So far, so good for Gaithersburg Elementary–and its students.

Share your Michael Jackson memories with us! Do you remember the first time you saw the “Thriller” video? The first time you moonwalked (or at least tried to)? Did you have a Michael Jackson theme birthday party as a child? We want to hear all about it.
You can share your #MJMemories either below in the comments or you can tweet your memories using the #MJMemories hashtag. We’ll find it and keep updating the round up we’ve started below of memories our Twitter family has already started sending us. Let’s focus on all the things we loved about Michael today and remember the things that made him so great to us.

1. That you’re having sex.right.at.this.moment.

2. That you’re concerned your period is late.

3. That you’re disappointed in his penis size. Really anything about his penis size.

4. Speaking of penises, there’s no need to tweet pictures of your goodies ever.

5. Child birth. Earlier this week a woman live-tweeted her labor. The internet was not impressed. Or kind.

6. Weddings. A simple “congrats to @Mr and @Mrs on tying the knot!” after the love birds say “I do” can be sweet. But tweeting during actual the ceremony? Not so much.

7. Your phone number or email address. Speaking from experience here; my spam folder is out of control!

8. Announcing that you’re angry with (and therefore trash-talking) your boyfriend, best friend, mom, boss or dog.

9. That you’re stuck in traffic. Put the phone down and concentrate on the (slow) moving road ahead!

10. Anything you’d hesitate saying in person. If you’re unsure about saying it to someone’s face or to a group of people, it’s probably not the best idea to broadcast it in 140 characters.

70% of women worry that they are fat three times a day.

Must Read: Stop Making A Big Deal Out Of A Kiss!

And according to a survey, women say Cameron Diaz’s legs, Kim Kardashian’s bottom, Gisele Bundchen’s flat stomach and Jessica Simpson’s bust are “ideal.”

They also found that 61% of men worry about their weight three times a day.

Men want athletic legs like David Beckham, the bottom of Channing Tatum and the abs like Mark Wahlberg and Matthew McConaughey.

If you’re thinking about changing careers, this MIGHT just be the most valuable information we’ve ever passed on. It’s not about salary or the future growth of the field or job satisfaction. No . . . it’s about keeping you from GOING BALD.

–According to a new survey, here are the three jobs with the MOST BALD MALES.
#1.) Sales. 60% of the men surveyed in sales are bald or have lost a significant amount of hair since they started working.

#2.) Web developers.

#3.) Software engineers.

–25% of the men surveyed with thinning hair blamed the stress from their job. The average man said he was working at a stressful job for four-and-a-half years before he started losing hair . . . but once it started going, it went quickly.

(Daily Express)

1. Get a body wrap
2. Throw out the first pitch at a Tiger’s game
3. Go fishing
4. Grill for the first time
5. Fit into a bikini for the first time EVER!
6. Drive a classic car in the Woodward Dream Cruise
7. Ride in a hot air balloon
8. Get a bikini wax
9. Go skinny dipping
10. Go horse back riding
11. Paint ball fight
12. Have a water balloon fight
13. Adult vs. Kids baseball game
14. Sleep outside in the backyard (in a tent of course).
15. Find SUMMER LOVE!

In honor of this day, I can’t help but to think about how this disease, HIV/AIDS has affected me and my family. It was the summer of my graduating year from high school. The year was 1992 to be exact, my Grandmother called the entire family into the living room. Coming from a close knit family, her need to talk to us and have a family was nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until I heard her say, my aunt has AIDS.  Knowing what the outcome would be, I was devastated hearing those words. My aunt was in her 30′s, recently married, with two young babies and had contracted AIDS from her husband who was living a down-low lifestyle.  She wasn’t sleeping around. She wasn’t using drugs. She wasn’t all those things I knew AIDS/HIV to be. Awareness and knowledge of the disease, HIV/AIDS at that time was “it’s a white gay male disease.” We knew very little because know one wanted to talk about it. Currently today, African American women are 2.3 times more likely to be HIV positive than a white male.

Get tested. Know your status.  TODAY. FREE testing sites and information below.

In recognition of and raising awareness to National HIV Testing Day, S.T.A.R. Foundation along with celebrities/public figures and the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office will host a day of events including a community collaboration of HIV testing partnering with Wayne State University Physicians Group, Sinai Grace Specialty Care, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Youthville Detroit, and Horizon’s Project from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the following locations:

At all testing locations, on a first-come-first-serve basis, incentives such as gift cards and bags filled with wonderful goodies will be provided to those who get tested, and this is all being sponsored by MedCart Specialty Pharmacy and BET Rap-It-Up. 

I’ve cheated – not because it was the cool thing to do, but mainly for three reasons: it was new, it gave me something my boyfriend couldn’t, and simply because I could. That sounds awful, but it’s the truth. I think it is unrealistic to think it’s possible to have all your wants and needs fulfilled by one person. I had one person who was mentally stimulating, and one who was very physically stimulating, so, seemingly, I had the best of both worlds. Mind you, this is coming from a very odd and embittered girl, but still, there it is.

The key slip-ups? Eating out…and grabbing lunch from the vending machine.

Jobs That Make You Gain the Most Weight
Social worker

Teacher

Artist/designer/architect

Administrative assistant

Physician

Protective services (police, firefighter)

Marketing/public relations professional

Information technology professional

Tips for Not Gaining Weight at Work

Walk More: (Duh, right?) Take the stairs instead of the elevator or stop by a co-worker’s desk instead of sending an email.

Snack Healthy: Keep plenty of veggies and fruits in the office fridge so you have a healthier choice on hand.

Bring Lunch: Bringing a lunch to work helps to better control portions. Bonus: it also saves money.

Choose Water: Drink water throughout the day instead of caffeinated drinks or juices.

Sneak in Exercise: Taking daily walks with a co-worker, replacing a chair with an exercise ball for part of the day, and using free weights at your desk.

Women Think Men Want Tickets to Sports For Father’s Day . . . but Dads Would Rather Have Electronics and Food:

Bad news, dads: It doesn’t look like you’re getting what you want for Father’s Day this year.

–There’s a website for coupons and rebates called Ebates.com, and according to their new survey, women have NO idea what men want for Father’s Day.

–The gift that women THOUGHT men wanted most was tickets to a sporting event. Power tools came in second. Over half of all women had both of those items on their list.

–But only one in three men actually WANTED tickets or tools. The number-one item men want for Father’s Day is . . . a smartphone, iPad, or other tablet.

–In second place was . . . a home-cooked meal.

When you start off any venture with that sentence at the forefront, you’re usually in for an adventure at best and an emotional roller coaster at worst. When my co-host and I decided to do a “Mamas Gone Wild” episode about sex with your ex, we knew on some levels what the verdict would be – that in most cases, it should be avoided.

Sex with an old seems simple, but is actually very complicated. Samantha Jones from “Sex and The City” summed it up when she said: “Sex with an ex can be depressing. If it’s good, you can’t get it anymore. If it’s bad, you just had sex with an ex.”

After all, the point in becoming exes, for whatever reason it ended up that way, is to move on. If you’re still willing to swap bodily fluids, there are clearly some kinds of ties, whether purely emotional of purely physical, that you keep you coming back for more. So, check your motives. Sometimes people – usually men – go back into old relationships because it’s an easy way of affirming that they are still attractive. The problem is that it sends mixed messages to you and is likely to leave you feeling very confused too. And women, you’re not off the hook either. We rarely revisit a sexual relationship with an ex with the express intention of keeping it casual. If you find yourself using either rationale, then it’s time for a reality check.

Factor children into the equation, and that adds another layer. And if your ex is dating or has remarried, you’re heading for a drama worthy of your own reality show.

Yet, it happens a lot.

We’re not experts on the subject, but here’s one thing I know for sure: When exes get together, one of them is more emotionally vested, wants more and believes that it means more than it does.

If you’re sleeping with your ex, and you are NOT the person in the equation I just described, then you’re the one in control, and you’re the one who probably should put a stop to it. If you aren’t sure which person you are in the relationship, we’ve come with some ways to help you figure it out.

You have plans to go to a Jill Scott concert with two of your girlfriends. He calls an hour before you’re to leave and asks you to meet him for a “drink.” You:

A. Tell him you’ll meet him after the concert.

B. Cancel the plans with your girls.

C. Thank him for the invitation and ask him to catch you next time.

Your son is having trouble with his science project. You:

A. Have your son call him and explain his dilemma.

B. Put on a low cut blouse and invite him over to discuss the project.

C. Make arrangements for your son and him to meet at the library to work it out.

You run into him and his new woman at a party. You:

A. Leave the party shortly after you see him, even if you’re having a good time with friends.

B. Slip him a sexy note.

C. Make sure he notices that you’re doing just fine without him.

You’re home alone on a Saturday night. You:

A. Make a pros-and-cons list of why you should NOT call your ex.

B. Call him, text him, write on his Facebook Wall, follow him on Twitter.

C. Join an online dating service and try to meet someone new.

It’s his birthday. You:

A. Write a birthday wish on his Facebook wall.

B. Leave him a voice message reminding him of what you all did on his birthday when you were together.

C. Keep it moving like it’s any other day.

If you answered B to two or more of the questions, you are still consumed by the past and until you come to terms with it, you’ll never be able to have the healthy, happy relationship that you deserve.

If you answered A to most of the questions, you’re still attached, but you know what you’re doing.

If you answered mostly C, it’s a wrap, its done, deuces – next!

If you are thinking about having sex with your ex or trying to resurrect the relationship, it would be worth it to figure out what went wrong the first time around or you may find yourself crashing and burning for a second time. And speaking of crashing and burning – sexually transmitted diseases are a very real thing. Make sure you discuss with your ex what he or she has been doing while you’ve been apart, and seriously consider using a condom no matter what you’re sexual practices were when you were together.

Protecting your heart AND your other important assets are the name of the game. The prize is your emotional and physical well-being. As the lyrics to the old Kenny Rogers song says, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.” And sometimes it’s just not worth the gamble.

Source: BlackAmericaWeb

I caught this tip from TheYBF:

VH1 has announced the much-anticipated (we think) air dates of both the “BBW” Season 4 Finale and the “BBW” Reunion Special…

After a season filled with bottle-throwing, bullying, legal press conferences, name-calling and petition-writing, VH1 is ready to bring season four of “BBW” to a close with their finale and reunion specials.

According to the press release, the finale airs on Monday, May 28th at 8 PM, where we see the conclusion of the anti-vacation trip to Tahiti and what plays out between Jen and Evelyn.

Details on TheYBF.

Now, here’s the real question, what will replace “Basketball Wives”?

Steve Harvey‘s ”Think Like A Man” may have slaughtered the competition in American box offices with $73 million made since its debut in April, but over in France, it’s not doing a thing. Why? Because the powers that be have banned it from theatres because there’s just too many black folks in it! Or to let them tell it–”a lack of diversity.” *insert n*ggas in Paris joke here*

According to Global Voices, “French cinema is often pointed at for not fairly displaying all components of the country’s multiethnic population. Although the recent success of the movie “Les Intouchables,” which earned French African actor Omar Sy the Cesar award for Best Actor in 2012, caused great pride and hope among French nationals from Africa and the Caribbean, it was not to be the turning point for a deep and lasting change.” Well, how’s that for reverse racism?

Mother of the year Stephanie Ann Broten, 38, and her husband, 34-year-old Darnell Alan Landrum, of Fridley, Minnesota were arrested on Monday after they shaved the woman’s 12-year-old daughter’s head and forced her to run up and down the street in a diaper.
According to a criminal complaint, Fridley Police were called at about 7:16 p.m. Monday to a townhome on 68th Avenue on a report of a juvenile female with her head shaved being forced to run outside while wearing a diaper. The 12-year-old girl was observed standing outside for more than 30 minutes wearing a diaper and tank top. The girl’s mother, identified as Broten, told police she was being disciplined for getting an “F” on her report card and that Broten and her husband, Landrum, had shaved her head. When authorities arrived, the girl was crying hysterically as she was among 30 to 50 teenage and young adult men who had gathered to watch her outside, the complaint states. Her mother, Broten, told police she was disciplining her child by embarrassing her. Landrum said he had warned the girl that is she didn’t start listening in school and getting better grades, she would be forced to wear a diaper and have her head shaved. When the girl didn’t bring her homework home with her, Landrum told her he would be shaving her head and putting her on “diaper duty,” according to the complaint. If Broten and Landrum are convicted of the charges, they each face up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.
shame on those 30-50 watching this spectacle without intervening of calling police. And this lady gets an “F” for her parenting skills. We’re calling DYFS!

source: WCCO

On the way back to their rooms, Tami decides that she’s going to go through Kesha’s phone while Shaunie, Ev and Suzie just sit back and watch her do it. Sure, they think that Tami’s actions are wrong but none of them are brave enough to say anything to her.

Once they make it back to the room, Kesha is shown crying hysterically and only wants her purse back. Tami barges into Kesha’s room with Shaunie and Ev by her side and demands an apology from her and tells her that if she wants her purse back that she needs to say “please” and “thank you”. Watching this scene totally hurt my heart , as Tami was shown towering over Kesha as she’s crying with most confused look on her face and Shaunie and Ev just standing around watching. Clearly, Kesha is “not about this life” and for Tami to just take advantage of Kesha in this situation was more than disgusting, it was embarrassing!
Eventually, Kesha “politely” asks for her purse back from Tami, and after a few more “b****” out of Tami’s mouth, she finally throws it at her and walks out the room, leaving Shaunie and Ev to talk to Kesha.

They try to explain to Kesha that Tami doesn’t like to be talked about behind her back in no way shape or form, and all she wanted was for Kesha to talk to her in her face about her problems. My issue with this is, who doesn’t talk? Everybody does, and everytime someone says something bad about someone else, I wouldn’t expect them to have to apologize for their words! Maybe it’s just me, but everybody is entitled to their opinion, even if it’s about someone else!

Kesha explains to the girls that all her life she’s felt like she didn’t fit in and was too white for the black girls and too black for the white girls, and while Tami doesn’t understand that her comments to Kesha were offensive, they were and struck a nerve with her. Kesha also says that she wants to go home (smart decision) because she has no reason to be there anymore. Sigh.

You would think that this was enough bullying to go around for one episode, but nope, these girls aren’t done. As promised, they gather up a bunch of dead fish to plant around Kenya’s room so that upon her arrival, her room smells a little “fishy”. SMH, they know Kenya is a little off her rocker so I’m curious to see what will happen when Kenya finally arrives.

What do you think about Tami and the other girls’ behavior on this episode? Is Tami a bully or is Kesha too sensitive?

Do you think that Tami is wrong for bullying Keisha? Let’s chat on Twitter! @xoxoSHAR

It shows a three-year old boy sucking on his mother’s breast while standing on a chair.

The image accompanies an article about “attachment parenting”. It is an approach whereby parents breastfeed and co-sleep with their children, in addition to wearing their children in slings.Jamie Lynne Grumet, the woman featured on the cover with her son, is a real mother who subscribes to the philosophy. Photographer Martin Schoeller shot her and three other mothers breastfeeding their children.

“When you think of breast-feeding, you think of mothers holding their children, which was impossible with some of these older kids,” Scholler said. “I liked the idea of having the kids standing up to underline the point that this was an uncommon situation.”

1. Awkward, stays pretty uncomfortable and uneventful, date ends in an awkward way.

2. Awkward, a few beers helps loosen things up and make it comfortable, date ends a little better.

3. Awkward, chugging mixed drinks makes things even more awkward, and date just… ends.

Everyone has had their share of first date horror stories, and alcohol seems to be a big factor that affects the turnout. Although mixing some buzz into a first date can be a risk, the pressure of the night might require some booze:

From the “met at a local restaurant that didn’t have a liquor license” first date: We had no clue that we wouldn’t be able to start the date off with a few stiff drinks. Although we were both clearly taken aback with the menu of solely sodas and juices, neither of us wanted to suggest going somewhere with alcohol and risk a bad/alcoholic first impression. We struggled through the date, asking the usual questions: Where do you work? What kinds of things do you like to do? We were both clearly interesting people, but we were also both extremely shy. Each of us could have definitely used an ice cold beer (or 3) by the time he was signing the check. Our date ended with a kiss on the cheek and “It was nice meeting you,” which was a total waste of my shaved legs and high heels.

From the “got a good wine buzz and loosened up a little” first date: It was definitely awkward while we both stood in the crowded front area of the restaurant waiting to be seated. As soon as we sat down and had a glass of wine, however, I felt a lot more comfortable about being on a blind date. We discussed the usual getting to know each other things, but I also found myself making jokes as he did the occasional “hand on my hand.” We called it a night after we finished a bottle of wine but we made plans to see each other again- I remember being satisfied with the turnout, but I definitely wished that we had hung out more after dinner.

From the “it turned into a shot challenge” first date: I was on a date after trying out online dating for the first time. We picked this new up-scale restaurant and had a pretty great time over some tapas and wine. After he signed the ridiculously expensive bill, I suggested that I buy him a drink at the cheap local bar next door. Needless to say, one beer turned into 3, which eventually turned into who can drink more shots? I found myself getting extremely wasted while he seemed to have control of himself, talking about my exes and how I want to have 3 kids, going to the bathroom and getting sick (partially on my new shoes), then laying on my bed an hour later sending him the tenth apology text message.

So our question to you is, what is the perfect mix of alcohol with a first date? It’s clear that not enough alcohol can keep both people on edge, while too much alcohol can give off the worst possible first impression. What drinks do you stick to when you’re going out with someone?

Mother’s Day alert! Neglected moms are more likely to cheat on their mates the day after Mother’s Day.

Ashley Madison, the infamous online dating site for married people looking to cheat, reports that on the Monday after Mother’s Day, they experience a colossal surge in female memberships.

It’s their 2nd busiest day of the year. (The day after the Valentine’s Day is the first.)

Post-Mother’s Day Infidelity Statistics

On a typical Monday, Ashley Madison averages between 2500 and 3000 new female memberships.

However, in 2009, more than 24,000 new women signed up the day after Mother’s Day.

Last year, in 2010, there were over 30,000 new post-Mother’s Day sign ups – 31,427 to be exact.

67% of those new female sign-ups identified themselves as stay-at-home-moms.

Over 2/3 of these stay-at-home-moms had been considering an affair before Mother’s Day What Made Mother’s Day the Turning Point

Noel Biderman, founder and CEO of Ashley Madison, has a theory as to why post-Mother’s Day female sign-ups at Ashley Madison traditionally exceed new female memberships on all but one other day of the year.

Biderman says, “On Mother’s Day women in general expect to be celebrated by their partners. However, for many already suffering from a lack of appreciation, this day represents a continuation of neglect and disappointment.”

He points out that women have affairs for different reasons than men, saying, “Whereas men are usually looking for sex, women tend to seek attention that they’re not getting at home. This lack of attention often makes them feel undesirable — and feeds their need for validation.”Infidelity studies prove Biderman’s statements to be true. See Study on Mothers Who Cheat.

Research indicates that men tend to cheat for sexual reasons, while women cheat primarily because of emotional dissatisfaction. See Why Women Cheat vs Why Men Cheat- They Cheat for Different Reasons.

A woman who feels ignored, neglected, unappreciated, devalued, or taken for granted is more inclined to give serious consideration to cheating on her mate. See 14 Kinds Of Women Most Likely To Cheat On Their Mate.

Mother’s Day is one of the few times of the year when a woman with children expects to receive some type of acknowledgement or special attention – especially from her mate.

If the day falls short of her expectations, for many women, it may just be the last straw. See Will She Cheat on You?

Is Your Relationship at Risk?

Tomorrow, Biderman and his staff at Ashley Madison are expecting the usual onslaught of female sign-ups from disillusioned mothers who have decided to have an affair.

To the men who are reading this, ask yourself if your relationship is at risk. See Men Who are Victims of Female Infidelity are Usually the Last to Know.

If there’s any doubt in your mind, you might want to take steps to make sure that your wife or girlfriend is not among the thousands of neglected moms who will sign up with Ashley Madison tomorrow so they can begin cheating on their mates.

For articles with practical advice for on dealing with all types of infidelity, from discovery to recovery, visit http://www.NationalInfidelity.com, or see the list below.

“The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has worked hard to share best practices,” said Dr. Julius Few, director of the Few Institute for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “This educational initiative combined with wider acceptance abroad has led to an increased acceptance in some cultures over others.”

Taiwan rounded out the Top 7 List with a total of 221,116 total procedures performed in 2010. Wrinkle reducers like Botox were the most popular among all surgeries performed.

Not only does economy likely play into the Taiwan’s demand for surgery, but trends play a heavy role in the nip/tuck game as well, said Dr. Garry Brody, professor of plastic surgery at USC Medical Center.

“It is more likely how in any given society the local fashion develops in different ways,” said Brody.

“For people to be able to sit down together and have a conversation, that’s the power of love. Love is what sometimes holds us and binds us when we’re not so happy. My belief is that communication is the best way to create strong relationships,” Pinkett-Smith says.

A new study reveals that African Americans are given sub-par treatment by more than a third of waiters at dining establishments because they are bad tippers, according to a North Carolina State University study.

“Many people believe that race is no longer a significant issue in the United States,” says Sarah Rusche, a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study. “But the fact that a third of servers admit to varying their quality of service based on customers’ race, often giving African-Americans inferior service, shows that race continues to be an issue in our society.”

The survey also found that 52.8 percent of servers reported seeing other wait staff discriminate against African-American customers by giving them poor service at least some of the time.

Racism is even more pervasive behind the scenes at restaurants as the study also indicated that anti-Black perceptions about their patrons was thoroughly discussed among waiters.  Only a mere 10.5 percent reported never engaging in or observing racial discourse.

The study’s findings indicate that many servers perceive  African Americans as being rude and/or poor tippers, suggesting that black patrons, in particular, are likely targets of servers’ self-professed discriminatory actions.

“’Tableside racism’ is yet another example where African Americans are stereotyped and subsequently treated poorly in everyday situations,” says Rusche. “Race continues to be a significant barrier to equal treatment in restaurants and other areas of social life.”

Source: NewsOne.com

I recently told my son that I was about to start dating again…his response? He started to cry like a big baby! Seriously!!! big crocodile tears, screaming NOOOOO, don’t do it mom! At first I felt guilty, but then I asked him why? He said, he wanted it to be just us. Okay, seeing that he’s eight years old, I thought this would be a good time to start dating again. Guess I was wrong.

I’m just curious, from one single parent to another, what advice did you receive when you started dating again?

American families with teenagers say they plan to spend an average of $1,078 on prom clothes, transportation, food, tickets and incidentals, a 33.6 percent increase over the $807 they spent last year, Visa reports. The company broke out expenditures by region, and the West (including Colorado) comes in at $744; the Midwest, $696; the South, $1,047 and the Northeast, $1,944.

The survey also found that parents who fell into the lower income brackets (under $50,000) plan to spend $1,307 — more than the national average. (Parents who makeover $75,000 will spend on average of $842. ) What’s more, parents are covering a greater share of the costs than the kids are. Parents said they’re planning to pay for 61 percent of the prom expenses.

The trend “is clearly fueled by the burning passion among high-school students to outspend and one-up each other,” according to Jason Alderman, director of financial education for Visa Inc. While some families are feeling fewer ill effects from the economy than they might have in 2011, it “by no means” accounts for such a big hike in prom spending, Alderman says.

“Prom might be a good time, but it shouldn’t be a family’s top financial priority,” he says .”You have to ask yourself: Are the kids’ college accounts fully funded? How about your retirement fund? Do you have a six-month emergency fund?”

He attributes some of the big spending on prom to reality TV. “The shows present all kinds of parties and that fuels their desire to spend inordinate sums of money. It’s OK for kids to want to do that, but it’s the parents’ responsibility to set limits,” he says.

“They should say, ‘Here’s what I’ve budgeted and you can save or work for the rest.” And have the conversation six months or a year in advance, rather than right before prom, Alderman advises.

“It’s a great teachable moment,” Alderman adds. “If they care about the clothes they wear, harness that passion” into helping them understand how expensive those clothes are. Suzanne S. Brown

Smiling can lift your spirits. A study conducted by the British Dental Health Foundation showed the act of smiling to dramatically improve one’s mood. Dr. Nigel Carter, foundation CEO, stated “We have long been drawing attention to the fact that smiling increases happiness both in yourself and those around you, so it is good to receive the backing of this scientific research. A healthy smile can improve your confidence, help you make friends and help you to succeed in your career.”

Affect on Others

People who smile more often have a more positive effect on their environment, and are better received by others ( Abel, MH, Hester, R. (2002). The therapeutic effects of smiling). Feeling “in place” with your surroundings may be essential to physical and emotional well-being. The Canadian Statistics Office reports that “Individuals who felt very strongly connected [in their society] had nearly twice the odds of reporting excellent or very good health, compared with those who reported a weak sense of community belonging.” A more pragmatic benefit is that restaraunt workers who serve customers with a smile are observed to receive larger tips (Tidd & Lockard, 1978) and repeat business (Tsai, 2001). Smiling can even affect the way one person is recieved by another over the phone. A study, conducted by Amy Drahota, examined how smiling affects how people speak and are heard. From her research, she ascertained that “When we listen to people speaking, we may be picking up on all sorts of cues, even unconsciously, which help us to interpret the speaker.”

Stress Relief

Smiling may help to reduce symptoms associated with anxiety. Mark Stibich, PhD, consultant at Columbia University, believes that “If you can slow your breathing down and change your expression, you may be able to turn around the stress cascade.” Chronic stress does significant damage to to the body and mind. Reducing stress may lower blood pressure, improve digestion, regulate blood sugar and curb neurotic reactions brought on by prolonged anxiety.

#1.) Sucking Up to the Boss. Especially if it’s at the expense of someone else. For example, if someone makes a mistake, you don’t always have to go over their head. You can tell THEM about it, and let THEM tell the boss.–Also, don’t take sole credit for something when other people worked on it too. It makes you seem untrustworthy.

#2.) Negativity. Yes, even when you’re complaining about your boss. It’s okay in small amounts . . . because EVERYONE likes dumping on the boss every now and then. But after a while it makes you seem negative in general.–Constantly shooting down ideas is something else to avoid. And a Monster.com survey from last year showed that too much gossiping can also make your co-workers think of you as overly negative.

#3.) Messiness. In your own work area, it’s not such a big deal. A recent survey showed that some people view a messy desk as a sign you’ve been busy. While other people think it just means you’re lazy.–But NO ONE appreciates it when you leave a mess in communal areas, like the kitchen.

#4.) Bad Cubicle Etiquette. Two of the biggest offenders are talking too loud, and eating something that stinks up the whole office. Even if no one says anything when you re-heat your fish dinner from last night . . . they definitely aren’t happy about it.
(MarketWatch.com)