Think Pink...!!!

It's the beautiful month of October! And, I feel so lady...so pink. Though blessed, to not have been stricken with this life changing disease "Breast Cancer", I have always been aware of it.

This month is dedicated to the survivors and those who were lost. Take time out this month to think about what it means to you, Educate yourself think ahead "Think Pink"...

All Hail The Queen!!!

...truly one of a kind and definitely worthy of her name, "Queen Latifah". From U.N.I.T.Y...to Living Single...to Chicago, the Queen has been bankable. Queen Latifah is truly a role model for young women all over the world. Once in a lifetime, someone of her kind comes along.

Queen Latifah has recently launched her new line by Covergirl called "The Queen Collection". I am not a make-up person but I must say it looks fabulous on "The Queen"...you can check it out at www.everywomanisaqueen.com.

If that isn't enough, Queen Latifah has also recently graced the cover of Ebony magazine for the month of October.

Ebony magazine is featuring an article on the the black biker culture by focusing on the National Bikers Roundup, an annual rally for African-American motorcyclists. Entertainer Queen Latifah is photographed for the cover sitting on a custom bobber motorcycle. The 37-year-old actress/singer, who's real name is Dana E. Owens, is shown on custom bobber motorcycle exhibiting her adventurous dressed in a cat suit and patent leather.

She also has a new album out titled "Trav'lin Light" (Of course, available at Hot Waxx, www.myspace.com/hotwaxx161 for more info=0.)

The Essense of Mary J. Blige!!!

You gotta love Mary!!! She graces this cover like no other. If she's truly happy, then I'm happy for her. Mary has been through the storm (Not that she has told me personally.) Lyrically, she's told me the 411, her life (My Life), she's shared her world, how she didn't want any more drama, about love & life to now breaking through. Personally, I don't really care about Mary J. and Kendu's romantic situations.That is NOT my business!!!

Mary J. says "Success is nothing without someone you love to share it with." In the beginning of her career, Mary J. Blige wore relationship abuse and heartbreak on her sleeve. Today, after 15 years in the game, she prides herself on being free from all that drama. Here, in an intimate portrait inspired by scenes from the movie Mahogany, Mary J. and her husband, Kendu Isaacs, open up about their courtship and marriage and how breaking through Mary's pain brought them to love.

Sounds good to me, M.J.B.!!! To read more, pick up this months issue of Essence...Talk to me...

Tips for growing wealth, Essence talks finances...

10 Easy Tips to Save More Than $5,000 in Just One Day, When you thought you didnt have it.

1. Slash cell bills!!!
Pull out your last three cell phone bills and check your usage. If you’re wasting minutes, call your provider and switch plans, or go to lowermybills.com to comparison-shop. American consumers pay an average of $60.53 for cell phone service, according to TNS Telecoms. By switching to a 450-minute plan for $39.99, you can save $20 a month.

Annual savings: Up to $200-plus by changing wireless plans

2. Lower credit card charges!!!
Gather your statements for credit cards that carry a balance. Call each company and ask for a lower rate. The average household carries $9,159 in credit card debt with an average APR of 16.55 percent, according to CardWeb.com. By getting the APR lowered 2 percentage points to 14.55 percent, the average household will save nearly $200 a year.

Annual savings: $183 (lowering APR to 14.55 percent from 16.55 percent on a $9,159 balance)

3. Spend less on entertainment!!!
Get a library card. You can check out books, audiobooks, videotapes and DVDs, saving between $7.95 and $24.94 for books—as well as the $4-plus charge to rent a DVD at Blockbuster. Lots of late fees? Subscribe to a service like Netflix (netflix.com). Plans start at $4.99 per month. You keep the DVD for as long as you want to with no late fees. When you return it, you get the next one.

Annual savings: About $400 a year

4. Find cash stashed in your closets!!!
Go through your closets and gather any clothes you haven’t worn in the past two years. Separate the best pieces and take them to a consignment shop. Consignment shops will sell your goods and then give you a percentage of the profits, which can range anywhere from 25 to 75 percent. If clothes aren’t sold in a specified amount of time, they will return them to you. For selling tips, go online to powerhomebiz.com /vol58/consignment.htm, or search ehow.com for tips. Then look in the Yellow Pages for shops near you.

5. Take a lunch break!!!
Hungry? Instead of buying lunch, make it. If you normally spend $5 each workday eating out, taking your lunch can save you as much as $1,200 a year. Even when you add the costs of making lunch, you still come out ahead. To save time, store dinner leftovers immediately in portable plastic containers.

6. Scale back on grocery shopping!!!
Sign up for a membership to a warehouse club such as Costco (costco.com), BJ’s (bjs.com) or Sam’s Club (samsclub.com). You’ll pay between $35 and $100 to join, but according to industry estimates, on certain items, the clubs have prices up to 88 percent less than those at grocery stores and 24 percent less than supercenters like Wal-Mart. Still buy perishables and smaller family portions from the grocery store, says Tawra Kellam, cofounder of livingonadime.com. But those looking for big-ticket items and home-business products can make out quite well.

Annual savings: Approximately $1,400 if you only realize 30 percent savings from a warehouse club, minus the membership fee.

7. Get more out of banking!!!
Try Internet banks such as ING Direct (ingdirect.com) and Etrade (etrade.com), which offer yields of between 4 and 5 percent on savings accounts compared with a 0.76 percent national average. By moving $1,000 from an account earning 0.76 percent to one earning 5.05 percent, you’ll go from making $7.60 to $50.50 per year in interest.

Annual savings: $42.90 in interest by moving money from a 0.76 percent yield savings account to a 5.05 percent yield account

8. Adjust your insurance policies!!!
Compare auto and home insurance rates at lowermybills.com and insweb.com. Keep your home and auto insurance with the same provider to save 5 to 15 percent. Or raise your deductible—the amount you pay first—to save between 15 and 30 percent. With the average annual auto policy at $847, a 25 percent savings could net you $211 per year.

Annual savings: Approximately $200 on auto and home insurance premiums

9. Conserve energy—and cash!!!
Change the filter on your air-conditioning/heating system. A clean filter will cause the system to work more efficiently and use less energy. Then run to the store to pick up fluorescent lightbulbs. By changing all your incandescent lightbulbs to fluorescent ones, you’ll save 30 to 38 percent on lighting costs.

Annual savings: $260 with 20 percent energy savings

10. Cut back on personal-care costs!!!
Get the Yellow Pages and find local beauty schools. You can get the same services of a trendy salon at half the price. The Hair Academy in New Carrollton, Maryland, for example, charges clients in the Washington, D.C., area only $13 for a wash, blow-dry and curl, and $32 for a relaxer and set. “I was skeptical at first about getting a touch-up, but the stylist was closely watched by a licensed professional, and she did a great job,” says Katrina Ruiz, 38, an event planner in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and one of the women who took our challenge. Ruiz will save $320 a year using this hair-care option.

Annual savings: $648 if you get a $40 wash, blow-dry and curl twice a month

For more information about this, check out www.essence.com

Whitney Houston - Who can hold the torch?

Even though there was a previous post about Whitney Houston (http://loosetonguez.blogspot.com/2007/03/whitneyyoure-my-addiction-we-need-you.html, for those who didn't have a chance to read it.), I had to do another one. When it comes down to thinking where to begin, I'm at a lost for words. Over the years, our attention started to sway more towards the personal lives of the Singer/Rapper or Actor/Actress, and less towards the talent that they were known for in the first place. And when it comes Whitney Houston, she is a prime example of what I mean. From "Drug Abuse" to "Anorexia" to the "Dispute with her father" to "Financial Problems" to the latest, which is her "Divorce and getting full custody of her daughter." Now let's be realistic, are these (if not one, all) things that any ol' body can or experience on a everyday basis??

I don't see too many post about her accomplishments, if it's not a biography or fan site. I believe that the slander and criticism about her in the media, took over the fact that there's not ONE single or song that she's dropped that anyone can say, "She's lost it." After really giving it some thought, she's been in the music industry for over 20 years now. And after going through my "Music B.I.B.L.E (Bangers I Bump Loud Everyday)", I confirmed it. Going back from "You Give Good Love" in 1985 (Fast Forward) to "My Name Is Not Susan" in 1991 to "I Will Always Love You (From "The Bodyguard")" in 1992 (Fast Forward) to "My Love Is Your Love" and "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" in 1999 to (Damn, I'm still going)....need I say more???

Who gives a damn that she's going through a divorce??? That's their Prerogative. Bobby Brown in my opinion, was never on Whitney Houston's level...but only they understood the love they had for one another. Was her career based on her marriage when she was introduced to the world in 1985??? Nope, sure wasn't. So please people I ask, why kick someone when they're down?? I know that's a trait that many carry, and "they can't help it". But damn, you don't think Whitney knows how she looks??? Or how she acts in public (whether she was on drugs or not)??? She doesn't need it to be reinforced over and over. Besides, that's none of our business anyway.

Where's the tribute to Whitney Houston?? I know she receive a lifetime achivement award from B.E.T. on their first annual award show. And I'm sorry, but that didn't really do anything for me. A lifetime achievement award from B.E.T...UmM...I said UmM... Vocally, the chicks in the game right now, couldn't hold the match to strike the torch in comparison to Whitney Houston. And you can't say it's not a comparison, but who are we suppose to compare the chicks in the game to??? Check her record...this chick is no joke.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=4849&model.vnuAlbumId=607708

Oprah's On!!!!

Oprah Winfrey
Born: 29 January 1954
Birthplace: Kosciusko, Mississippi
Best Known As: Host of TV's Oprah
For all those "Politically Correct" people.

As for everyone else, she's the bomb!! I'm sure if I looked a little harder, I could have found a better picture but...OoH well, Oprah, it is what it is. People don't have a clue what she goes through in one day, I respect real and she is the truth. Oprah Winfrey has been in the "Game" for a while now (where our players are out-numbered) and still she managed to stay real to herself and her people.

I think she needs to be commended for all her many years of positive influence and reminding me of who I am (I can't relate to Tyra Banks), I would love to shake her hand and pick her brain. She has accomplished so many things (Do your own research) that have meaning, she is a fine example for young women today. Talk to me...

Life and Times of Marvin Gaye/April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984

One of the most gifted, visionary, and enduring talents ever launched into orbit by the Motown hit machine, Marvin Gaye blazed the trail for the continued evolution of popular black music. Moving from lean, powerful R&B to stylish, sophisticated soul to finally arrive at an intensely political and personal form of artistic self-expression, his work not only redefined soul music as a creative force but also expanded its impact as an agent for social change.

I was one of the children brought up on Marvin Gaye's music. I loved him then, and I love him even more now. His music was appealing to me as a youngin...his voice, the beats, everything about him. As I got older, I not only "HEARD" his music and lyrics, I "LISTENED" and started to understand what he was talking about. It amazes me how his words STILL relates to what's actually going on in the world right now.

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (in the style of his hero Sam Cooke, he added the "e" to his surname as an adult) was born April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C. The second of three children born to the Reverend Marvin Gay, Sr., an ordained minister in the House of God -- a conservative Christian sect that fuses elements of orthodox Judaism and Pentecostalism, imposes strict codes of conduct, and observes no holidays -- he began singing in church at the age of three, quickly becoming a soloist in the choir. Gaye later took up piano and drums, and music became his escape from the nightmarish realities of his home life -- throughout his childhood, his father beat him on an almost daily basis.

Gaye's career resurgence brought with it an increased reliance on cocaine; finally, his personal demons forced him back to the U.S., where he moved in with his parents in an attempt to regain control of his life. Tragically, the return home only exacerbated his spiral into depression; he and his father quarrelled bitterly, and Gaye threatened suicide on a number of occasions. Finally, on the afternoon of April 1, 1984 -- one day before his 45th birthday -- Gaye was shot and killed by Marvin Sr. in the aftermath of a heated argument. In the wake of his death, Motown and Columbia teamed up to issue two 1985 collections of outtakes, Dream of a Lifetime -- a compilation of erotic funk workouts teamed with spiritual ballads -- and the big band-inspired Romantically Yours. (Vulnerable, a collection of ballads that took over 12 years to complete, finally saw release in 1996.) With Gaye's death also came a critical re-evaluation of his work, which deemed What's Going On to be one of the landmark albums in pop history, and his 1987 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame permanently enshrined him among the pantheon of musical greats. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide