The show opens with Lawrence performing "Closet Freak," a song Kandi wrote for him. The performance was good. Ne Ne started out talking about not having anything to do with Kim. All of the ladies were fierce at the show. (There was an unidentified lady in the audience that had half-blonde and half-black bob--that was cute.)
All the drama was quietly at Cynthia's house. She is short on money and the bridesmaid dresses ain't even thought of since the bride's dress comes first. Cynthia said she doesn't do broke well. It's two days before the wedding.
Then her sister put it out there: How is Peter contributing to the relationship? Cynthia can still work. Peter says he is born to be a restaurant. (since closing the restaurant)
She asked her dad to help her out financially with the wedding. He said he can't swing it.
Mini-cliffhanger!
Phaedra's baby Aden is sooooo cute with the fattest, sweetest cheeks. Momma is going back to work after an eight-week maternity leave and she cried. It's tough leaving baby for work. Every mom knows that.
Kim is so thin. Kandi announces she is touring with Fantasia. She addressed the issue of Kim once again, going around Kandi on the money tip over one of the songs she wrote and details of their business relationship.
They decided to let Kandi's manager and Kim's attorney handle the business end so that they could remain cool. Kandi said distribution for "The Ring Didn't Mean A Thing," will not happen if the details aren't worked out because as it stands, Kandi and her people own the rights to the song.
Whoo. Good girl Kandi--handle it!
Sheree is auditioning for a film, "If These Hips Could Talk."
Sheree is learning to take direction well. Terri Vaughn was on the panel. (secretary on Steve Harvey Show) She seemed to express frustration. Sheree was supposed to portray an angry black woman. She seemed to deliver that. Ms Vaughn seemed to sit up and notice.
Ne Ne, Ne Ne, Ne Ne. Whoooooooo. The list of things-to-do for her son Bryson was involved (for a teen). Teens don't understand. Being momma is tough. You end up saying the same thing over and over and over again. She said Bri-Bri needs a job.
Comes the nuptial countdown. Cynthia's mom paid the last minute, down-to-the wire $3,000 for the open bar at the venue. Phew.
Cynthia's sister questions why the sadness and stress from sister Cynthia. Duh, money problems. Mal, Cynthia's sister, is worried about her sister and the stress made Mal cry! Her mom broke it down: she thinks Peter is financially abusing Cynthia and that he lies.
"Allow him to give," she tells her daughter, because a man will do whatever you allow him to do, she said.
Back to Ne Ne. She and Greg talked over glasses of wine. Greg essentially apologized but Ne Ne said he is always apologizing, so she didn't care.
"It doesn't change anything," she said, adding he needs to change his behavior. They still plan to put parenting first.
Reason number one why Cynthia should not marry Peter:
OK DAMN--PETER DIDN'T GET THE WEDDING BANDS AND IT WAS ON HIS LIST OF THINGS TO DO.
What does that say about the wedding?
Anyway, Cynthia’s dress was amazing in platinum silver. It was an original and it was everything.
Kim is bringing to the wedding, Kroy Biermann, of the Atlanta Falcons football team--who she met at one of the many functions they attend. She said it’s serious but she has been keeping it quiet so that it can last. The big reveal will be at Cyndi’s wedding.
Peter shows to his wedding up full tilt asking for vodka and cranberry.
Last wedding cliffhanger: they forgot the marriage license and are not sure where it is.
It’s official: mom and sis do not want Cynthia to marry. They hijacked the marriage license so when she does marry it won’t legal? Dunno about that one, she does have a license but it just not presented to the pastor. I know he does have to sign the thing.
Anyway.
All the ladies looked fab at the wedding. Kim brought her own bottle because she said Cynthia couldn’t afford good wine if she was, “whining about the honeymoon.”
Ne Ne said Kim is invisible to her.
Well, Sheree said she could see where “they cut corners.” (no abundance of flowers)
Meow. Dang. Kim, Sheree and Phaedra had the claws out for this one!
Anyway, Cynthia was beautiful--like a work of art in that dress--and the ceremony went forth Peter in spite of his imperfections. Ahhh, love. (remember that her mom and sis hid the license so I am not clear if it is legal or not--whooo--because Mal was visibly upset as if she felt guilty about her involvement in the whole thing. Whooo.
The full-skirted, tucked dress (with toile petticoat beneath) had a crease-pleat, choker-collar and huge side bow, also at the neck. Accompanied by large drop earrings, an up do and evening makeup, Cynthia glowed.
Okay, the wrap-up: Dwight and Ne Ne made up at the reception and danced after he presented her with some of the flowers from the wedding arrangements.
P.S. Ne Ne will be on the Apprentice in March. Looks fun! And Kim is preggers, due in June! Whooo!
Source: Atlanta Housewives, Bravo Channel
Site: http://ping.fm/v7p5t
Read the blogs: http://ping.fm/WzAMW/blogs
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Why men act out against women - CNN.com
Why men act out against women - CNN.com
CNN.com explains that "TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to 'Ideas worth spreading,' which it distributes through talks posted on its website. Anthony Porter is co-founder of "A Call to Men," a national organization addressing domestic and sexual violence prevention and the promotion of healthy manhood. "
CNN.com explains that "TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to 'Ideas worth spreading,' which it distributes through talks posted on its website. Anthony Porter is co-founder of "A Call to Men," a national organization addressing domestic and sexual violence prevention and the promotion of healthy manhood. "
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
President Obama Signs Critical Legislation to Prevent Child Abuse and Domestic Violence | The White House
In 2008, 772,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect. Nearly 2,000 of those children died. By providing states and local communities with new tools to identify and treat abuse and neglect, CAPTA-funded services will continue to protect children across the country. Prevention efforts will help parents by addressing high risk-factors like substance abuse, mental illness and domestic violence.
Domestic violence still affects 1 in 4 women in states and territories across the country.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
How leaks affect you :: Local News :: Post-Tribune
How leaks affect you :: Local News :: Post-Tribune
Leaking underground containers can cause cancer and poison groundwater. Click to read the article.
Leaking underground containers can cause cancer and poison groundwater. Click to read the article.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
101210-tax-relief-african-americans.pdf (application/pdf Object)
101210-tax-relief-african-americans.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Commentary: imadeamesss.com
The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010:
A Win for African American Families
The agreement announced by the President not only secures vital tax relief and investments in
our workers that will create jobs and accelerate economic growth, it contains specific policies
that provide targeted support for African Americans. In addition to extending unemployment
insurance for 13 months, the bill builds off the gains made in the Recovery Act. The agreement
will extend key provisions such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax
Credit (CTC) that disproportionately help African American families and children.
• An estimated 2.2 million African American families will benefit from the expansion
in the EITC and CTC that are extended in this agreement. These credits help roughly
4.7 million African American children or almost half (44%) of all African American
children.
• The extension of Unemployment Insurance will benefit 1.1 million African
Americans. That is why the National Congress of Black Women praised the President
for giving the unemployed a “new lease on life” and a “survival line” through the next 13
months.
Illustrative Example: Working African American mother with three children making $20,000.
This family will:
• Receive a tax cut of more than $2,100 from extending recent expansions in the EITC and
Child Tax Credit as part of this agreement.
• Receive a $400 tax cut from the new payroll tax cut.
• Compared to the Republican alternative, this family will receive a total tax benefit of
$2,500 next year.
HIGH IMPACT, JOB CREATING TAX CUTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES
Economic studies consistently find that lower-income households are the most likely to spend
additional money, creating jobs and helping overall growth. That’s why the Congressional
Budget Office has concluded that “policies aimed at lower-income households tend to have
greater stimulative effects.”
Beginning in the Recovery Act, the President has demonstrated his commitment to extend
benefits and tax cuts to struggling families as the right thing to do for family security and our
economy. According to a study released last year by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
seven policies included in the Recovery Act have kept 1.4 million African-Americans above the
poverty line.
1
1
Sherman, Arloc “Stimulus Keeping 6 Million Americans Out of Poverty in 2009, Estimates Show.” Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities, September 2009.
Page 2
Three of these policies are continued in the current bill, including Unemployment Insurance, the
EITC and the Child Tax Credit.
Earned Income Tax Credit
The EITC in the Recovery Act:
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) supplements the wages of low income workers, lifting
more children out of poverty than any other single program or category of programs.
Under the Recovery Act, the EITC was expanded to reduce the marriage penalty and to create a
“third tier” of the EITC for families with three or more children. This means larger families now
receive up to $1,040 more than they would have under the old system.
By extending the EITC in the agreement:
• About 4.1 million African American children will benefit from an expanded EITC tax
credit. Without this agreement, their families could lose up to $1,040.
Child Tax Credit
The Child Tax Credit in the Recovery Act:
The Child Tax Credit helps low-and moderate-income families with children. The credit allows
families to reduce their federal income tax by a certain amount for each qualifying child under
the age of 17 in a household. In 2001, the Child Tax Credit was expanded to $1,000 per child,
but was unavailable to millions of low income families because the minimum amount of earned
income used to calculate the credit was set at about $12,500 in today’s dollars.
In the Recovery Act, the Administration and Congress secured an important expansion in the
Child Tax Credit for lower income families by lowering the minimum amount from about
$12,500 to $3,000.
By extending the CTC with the $3,000 minimum threshold in the agreement:
• 2.7 African American children will benefit from a larger CTC.
• For many families, extending the minimum threshold in the CTC will result in thousands
of dollars in additional tax benefits that would have otherwise been lost. For example:
o A married couple with three children making $23,000 will receive $3,000 in child
tax credits compared to about $1,540 if only the 2001/2003 tax cuts were
extended – an increase of about $1,460.
Page 3
o A single mother with two children making $17,000 will receive $2,000 in child
tax credits compared to about $640 if only the 2001/2003 tax cuts were extended
– an increase of about $1,360.
American Opportunity Tax Credit
The American Opportunity Tax Credit in the Recovery Act:
• The Recovery Act expanded the AOTC so that it now provides up to three times more
relief than was previously available under the Hope Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit
and is refundable for low-income students for the first time.
• The AOTC gives working families and students a $2,500 per year partially refundable tax
credit to help students and their families cover the cost of college tuition.
The American Opportunity Tax Credit in the agreement:
• This deal fully extends AOTC for two years, ensuring that more than 8 million students
will continue to receive this tax benefit to help them afford college.
Unemployment Insurance
Extension of Unemployment Insurance is especially helpful for African Americans
• The unemployment rate among African Americans was 16% in November 2010. It has
increased 7 percentage points since the beginning of the recession in December 2007.
• Young African Americans face extremely high rates on unemployment, with 28% of
those ages 16-24 in unemployment in November 2010.
• African Americans also face longer durations of unemployment. For example, 47% of
unemployed African Americans have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more, compared
to 43.8% for all unemployed (not seasonally adjusted). The median African American
unemployed worker has been unemployed for almost a month longer than the median
unemployed worker.
The agreement secures an extension of unemployment insurance for an additional 13 months.
Without this extension, 330,600 African Americans looking for work would have lost their
benefits this month alone, and through the end of next year over 1.1 million unemployed African
Americans would have lost their benefits.
• Extending unemployment benefits provides crucial economic security to American
families. A recent report by the Council of Economic Advisers found that while 14
million people received federally supported unemployment insurance benefits through
Page 4
October 2010, an additional 26 million people living in their households benefitted
indirectly.
• About 42 percent of these recipients have, or live with, children. As of October, 2010
10.5 million children had benefitted from this provision.
Commentary: imadeamesss.com
The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010:
A Win for African American Families
The agreement announced by the President not only secures vital tax relief and investments in
our workers that will create jobs and accelerate economic growth, it contains specific policies
that provide targeted support for African Americans. In addition to extending unemployment
insurance for 13 months, the bill builds off the gains made in the Recovery Act. The agreement
will extend key provisions such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax
Credit (CTC) that disproportionately help African American families and children.
• An estimated 2.2 million African American families will benefit from the expansion
in the EITC and CTC that are extended in this agreement. These credits help roughly
4.7 million African American children or almost half (44%) of all African American
children.
• The extension of Unemployment Insurance will benefit 1.1 million African
Americans. That is why the National Congress of Black Women praised the President
for giving the unemployed a “new lease on life” and a “survival line” through the next 13
months.
Illustrative Example: Working African American mother with three children making $20,000.
This family will:
• Receive a tax cut of more than $2,100 from extending recent expansions in the EITC and
Child Tax Credit as part of this agreement.
• Receive a $400 tax cut from the new payroll tax cut.
• Compared to the Republican alternative, this family will receive a total tax benefit of
$2,500 next year.
HIGH IMPACT, JOB CREATING TAX CUTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES
Economic studies consistently find that lower-income households are the most likely to spend
additional money, creating jobs and helping overall growth. That’s why the Congressional
Budget Office has concluded that “policies aimed at lower-income households tend to have
greater stimulative effects.”
Beginning in the Recovery Act, the President has demonstrated his commitment to extend
benefits and tax cuts to struggling families as the right thing to do for family security and our
economy. According to a study released last year by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
seven policies included in the Recovery Act have kept 1.4 million African-Americans above the
poverty line.
1
1
Sherman, Arloc “Stimulus Keeping 6 Million Americans Out of Poverty in 2009, Estimates Show.” Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities, September 2009.
Page 2
Three of these policies are continued in the current bill, including Unemployment Insurance, the
EITC and the Child Tax Credit.
Earned Income Tax Credit
The EITC in the Recovery Act:
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) supplements the wages of low income workers, lifting
more children out of poverty than any other single program or category of programs.
Under the Recovery Act, the EITC was expanded to reduce the marriage penalty and to create a
“third tier” of the EITC for families with three or more children. This means larger families now
receive up to $1,040 more than they would have under the old system.
By extending the EITC in the agreement:
• About 4.1 million African American children will benefit from an expanded EITC tax
credit. Without this agreement, their families could lose up to $1,040.
Child Tax Credit
The Child Tax Credit in the Recovery Act:
The Child Tax Credit helps low-and moderate-income families with children. The credit allows
families to reduce their federal income tax by a certain amount for each qualifying child under
the age of 17 in a household. In 2001, the Child Tax Credit was expanded to $1,000 per child,
but was unavailable to millions of low income families because the minimum amount of earned
income used to calculate the credit was set at about $12,500 in today’s dollars.
In the Recovery Act, the Administration and Congress secured an important expansion in the
Child Tax Credit for lower income families by lowering the minimum amount from about
$12,500 to $3,000.
By extending the CTC with the $3,000 minimum threshold in the agreement:
• 2.7 African American children will benefit from a larger CTC.
• For many families, extending the minimum threshold in the CTC will result in thousands
of dollars in additional tax benefits that would have otherwise been lost. For example:
o A married couple with three children making $23,000 will receive $3,000 in child
tax credits compared to about $1,540 if only the 2001/2003 tax cuts were
extended – an increase of about $1,460.
Page 3
o A single mother with two children making $17,000 will receive $2,000 in child
tax credits compared to about $640 if only the 2001/2003 tax cuts were extended
– an increase of about $1,360.
American Opportunity Tax Credit
The American Opportunity Tax Credit in the Recovery Act:
• The Recovery Act expanded the AOTC so that it now provides up to three times more
relief than was previously available under the Hope Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit
and is refundable for low-income students for the first time.
• The AOTC gives working families and students a $2,500 per year partially refundable tax
credit to help students and their families cover the cost of college tuition.
The American Opportunity Tax Credit in the agreement:
• This deal fully extends AOTC for two years, ensuring that more than 8 million students
will continue to receive this tax benefit to help them afford college.
Unemployment Insurance
Extension of Unemployment Insurance is especially helpful for African Americans
• The unemployment rate among African Americans was 16% in November 2010. It has
increased 7 percentage points since the beginning of the recession in December 2007.
• Young African Americans face extremely high rates on unemployment, with 28% of
those ages 16-24 in unemployment in November 2010.
• African Americans also face longer durations of unemployment. For example, 47% of
unemployed African Americans have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more, compared
to 43.8% for all unemployed (not seasonally adjusted). The median African American
unemployed worker has been unemployed for almost a month longer than the median
unemployed worker.
The agreement secures an extension of unemployment insurance for an additional 13 months.
Without this extension, 330,600 African Americans looking for work would have lost their
benefits this month alone, and through the end of next year over 1.1 million unemployed African
Americans would have lost their benefits.
• Extending unemployment benefits provides crucial economic security to American
families. A recent report by the Council of Economic Advisers found that while 14
million people received federally supported unemployment insurance benefits through
Page 4
October 2010, an additional 26 million people living in their households benefitted
indirectly.
• About 42 percent of these recipients have, or live with, children. As of October, 2010
10.5 million children had benefitted from this provision.
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