Thursday, December 31, 2015

Cut The Cord Thursday 12/31: Small Garden, Video Game High School...


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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Hump Day Music 12/30: Diliot2k, Mymy, Charlie Black...


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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Think Tank Tuesday 12/29: Are You Prepared For A Financial Emergency?


When it comes to managing your personal finances and your household budget do you include planning for emergencies? Unfortunately, when it comes to unexpected emergencies many households take a reactive approach (acting after a disaster has hit) instead of proactive approach (planning to deal with a disaster long before one hits). The difference in these two approaches is like night and day and in regards to your finances can determine whether you add more debt to your current bills.

Every household should take proactive measures to help mitigate the amount of debt they incur due to emergencies. This is one reason you should include an emergency fund in their budget. What is an emergency fund? I'm so glad you asked.

According to Miranda Marquit's article Emergency Fund vs. Rainy Day Fund: What's the Difference?  an emergency fund is "...what you’ll need to cover expenses if you are unemployed for a few months. It may also be used if you get sick and have unexpected medical bills.”

You'd think being prepared for future emergencies would be common knowledge but you may be shocked to know that nearly half of Americans wouldn't be prepared to handle an emergency with a significant expense attached to it:

 [According to the Federal Reserve's 2014 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, 47% of Americans say that they wouldn't be able to cover a $400 emergency expense. That lack of preparedness could lead to maxing out credit cards, taking out expensive short-term loans, or worse.source

What are your thoughts? Have you included an emergency fund in your household budget? Would you be prepared to handle unseen emergency with a hefty expense?

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Monday, December 28, 2015

Motivational Monday 12/28: Rid Your Life of Fake Friends

 

One of the most important bits of information you can get is to pay close attention to who you have in your circle of friends. Personally I take a three ring approach to categorizing people I know and have dealings with. I don't believe in the use of the term friend lightly. To me it's a term of honor that only those who have put in the time and dedication deserve to hold. 

The three ring approach is how I categorize groups of people. The first -- my associates. These are people I know of, that know of me but have limited trust invested in our relationship. Information given to them is typically general and on a need to know basis. The next ring is a little bit tighter and has a little less people then the first ring. This is my buddy circle. These are people I may hang out with (even on a regular basis) and be a little more forthcoming with information because they've invested a certain amount of time in our relationship and gained a small amount of trust. The final circle is what I refer to as my inner circle of friends. This is the smallest and tightest group of people of all the circles; they've earned a spot here and are viewed as priceless in my eyes. 9 times out of 10 we've been through hell and back together. These are individuals I have the most trust in; they have not betrayed my trust nor have I betrayed theirs and they've put in the time and effort to establish a true friendship. In essence, they are as close to family as one can get without being my family and that carries a lot of weight because I highly value family. 

In life you'll need friends like those in my inner circle who you can share your darkest moments with without receiving harsh judgement and with the comfort knowing that what you discuss won't be shared with anyone else. These are the people who you can freely share your fears, dreams and aspirations with and they'll listen no matter how far reaching your dreams may sound which brings me to this week's motivational message -- how to spot fake friends. The journey to success is filled with peaks and valleys and there will be times when you need the encouragement of friends to carry you through tough times. That's why you want to be sure the people you call your friend really are you friend and have your best interests at heart. I you've had problems with having people betray your friendship, then you may want to adjust your screening process according to this video. Check it out:




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Friday, December 25, 2015

Foodies Friday 12/25: Chicken & Quinoa w/ Chimichurri Dressing...

Recipe of the Week: Chicken & Quinoa w/ Chimichurri Dressing


picture source: bodyandsoul.com.au
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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Cut The Cord Thursday 12/24: Batz, The Entertainment Beatdown...


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Batz



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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Hump Day Music 12/23: K.B.G, Dru Bex, Turkman Souljah...


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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Think Tank Tuesday 12/22: Cost of Childcare Skyrockets, Number of Who Can Afford It Plummets

A recent study has determined that increases in the cost of childcare has in some states surpassed the cost of college tuition:

[Key findings include:
  • Child care costs account for a significant portion of family budgets.
    • EPI’s basic family budget threshold for a two-parent, two-child family ranges from $49,114 (Morristown, Tennessee) to $106,493 (Washington, D.C.). In the median family budget area for this family type (Des Moines, Iowa), a two-parent, two-child family needs $63,741 to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living.
    • Across regions and family types, child care costs account for the greatest variability in family budgets. Monthly child care costs for a household with one child (a 4-year-old) range from $344 in rural South Carolina to $1,472 in Washington, D.C.
    • As a share of total family budgets, center-based child care for single-parent families with two children (ages 4 and 8) ranges from 11.7 percent in New Orleans to 33.7 percent in Buffalo, New York.
    • Among families with two children (a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old), child care costs exceed rent in 500 out of 618 family budget areas. For two-child families, child care costs range from about half as much as rent in San Francisco to nearly three times rent in Binghamton, New York.
  • Child care is particularly unaffordable for minimum-wage workers.
    • The high cost of child care means that a full-time, full-year minimum-wage worker with one child falls far below the family budget threshold in all 618 family budget areas—even after adjusting for higher state and city minimum wages.
    • Among families with young children, child care costs constitute a large share of annual earnings for families living off one full-time, full-year minimum-wage income. For example, to meet the demands of infant care costs for a year, a minimum-wage worker in Hawaii—the state with the median state minimum wage ($7.75)—would have to devote his or her entire earnings from working full time (40 hours a week) from January until September.
  • Other salient benchmarks highlight the extremely high costs of child care.
    • In 33 states and the District of Columbia, infant care costs exceed the average cost of in-state college tuition at public 4-year institutions.
    • In terms of child care costs’ share of total family budgets, only in a handful of EPI’s 618 family budget areas are child care costs close to the 10 percent affordability threshold established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
    • Child care costs are particularly high for younger children. When 10 family budgets in various areas are reconstructed to include two-parent, two-child families with an infant and a 4-year-old (instead of a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old), child care ranges from 19.3 percent to 28.7 percent of total family budgets. This compares with a range of 11.8 percent to 21.6 percent for families with a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old.
    • In these 10 areas, child care costs for an infant and a 4-year-old constitute between approximately 20 percent and 31 percent of median family income—far above the HHS’s 10 percent affordability standard.source
Read more here!

What are your thoughts? Do you think the hike in childcare costs will curb the number of children born to middle class households or will these hikes force would-be parents to be more resourceful and find other means of reliable low cost childcare (family members, babysitters, etc.)?

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Monday, December 21, 2015

Motivation Mondays 12/21: Rules To Success Featuring Tupac Shakur

 

This week's motivation and inspiration comes from none other than the late great Tupac Shakur. Check out this video of 10 rules for success compiled from footage of various Tupac interviews:



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Friday, December 18, 2015

Foodies Friday 12/18: Raspberry Coconut Smoothie Bowl...

Recipe of the Week: 
Raspberry Coconut Smoothie Bowl

picture source: foodgays.com
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Cheesy Bread Bowl For Breakfast


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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Cut The Cord Thursday 12/17: Choir Tour, Vengeance, Entertainment Beatdown...


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Choir Tour



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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Hump Day Music 12/16: Tony Succar, Cayene, Turkman Souljah...


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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Think Tank Tuesday 12/15: The Marva Collins Formula For Success

Marva Collins was a legendary educator who took it upon herself to take on the enormous task of teaching children who were previously thought to be unteachable. Through love, compassion and a strict teaching style this incredible woman was able to take children society gave up on and help them to graduate school, go on to college and lead exceptional lives:

[In 1961 Marva Collins returned to teaching in Chicago schools, because she missed helping youngsters discover the joy of learning. She became annoyed with the many other teachers who did not share her enthusiasm for the job. With her pension money and the support of her husband, Collins opened the Westside Preparatory School in the basement of Daniel Hale Williams University. She welcomed students who had been rejected by other schools and were labeled "unteachable." She planned to give them the time and attention they needed.

Collins decided not to accept funds from the federal government because she did not want to follow all the regulations that came with such backing. She soon moved the school into the second floor of her home, which she and her husband remodeled to handle approximately twenty children ranging in age from four to fourteen years old. The school was eventually moved to its own building near Collins's home, and enrollment increased to over two hundred students. By offering a great deal of individual attention, strict discipline (enforcing obedience and order), as well as focusing on reading, math, and language skills, Collins was able to raise the test scores of her students, many of whom went on to college and did well. "It takes an investment of time to help your children mature and develop successfully," declared Collins in Ebony.]source

If you've never seen the Marva Collins story starring Cicely Tyson check out the video below:


What are your thoughts? Could the method Marva Collins developed to educate at-risk children be the formula the black community needs to successfully teach black children?

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Monday, December 14, 2015

Motivational Mondays 12/14: Know Your Core

 

What does success mean to you? What part do your core values play in how you perceive success? This week Dr. Eric Thomas points out why focusing on material gain is a sure fire way to end up unsuccessful and how establishing and adhering to core values always helps people make it to the next level. Watch the video below and have a great week as you continue your journey to success.



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Friday, December 11, 2015

Foodies Friday 12/11: Roast Shoulder of Lamb Stuffed w/ Saffron Rice...

Recipe of the Week: All-American Beef Stew

picture source: seriouseats.com
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Super Deluxe Steak Nachos



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Thursday, December 10, 2015

Cut The Cord Thursday 12/10: CaptureLand, MyMusic, Other Space...


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CaptureLand



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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Hump Day Music 12/9: James Wright, MyVerse, Mryat...


Mission: Our primary focus is to provide our readers with music created by talented artists, producers and DJs across the globe to balance out the monotony of today's mainstream music. The secondary focus is to provide a means for these talented individuals to discover and work with likeminded individuals.

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Think Tank Tuesday 12/8: Black Video Game Character, White Voice Actor?

In the video below Neil Druckmann discusses why he chose a white voice actor for a black character in his video game Uncharted, check it out:



What are your thoughts? Should black voice actors play black characters in video games or should a person of any race be able to play characters of different races without backlash?

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Monday, December 7, 2015

Motivational Mondays 12/7: Why Winners Win and Losers Lose

 

What really separates winners from losers? This week Dr. Eric Thomas discusses why winners win and why losers lose, and how if you're losing what you can do to turn the tables and start winning. Watch the video: 



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Friday, December 4, 2015

Foodies Friday 12/4: Chicken-Fried Chicken w/ Cream Gravy...

Recipe of the Week: Chicken-Fried Chicken w/ Cream Gravy
source: seriouseats.com
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Toys in the Kitchen



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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Cut The Cord Thursday 12/3: Captureland, MyMusic, Other Space...


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CaptureLand



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HP.com (Hewlett-Packard Home Store)



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