(Photo: Baltimore Police)Phylicia Barnes went missing after visiting Baltimore. She was later found dead.

Baltimore police said they have arrested a man in the death of a North Carolina teenager whose body was found in a river after she vanished in 2010 while visiting relatives in the area.

A man he identified as Michael Johnson has been arrested in the death of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes, of Monroe, N.C., police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Associated Press early Thursday.

He has been charged with first degree murder.

Guglielmi said prosecutors would release more information later Thursday on the arrest.

Barnes was visiting her older half-siblings in Baltimore when she disappeared Dec. 28, 2010.

Workers at the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River found her body the following April in northeast Maryland. Medical examiners later ruled the death a homicide.

Soon after the teen vanished, Baltimore police alerted local media saying her disappearance was unusual because she had no history of disputes with her family or trouble with the law.

Police called it one of the strangest and most vexing missing persons cases they had investigated.

At one point, Guglielmi described it as "Baltimore's Natalee Holloway case," referring to the Alabama teen who disappeared during a trip to Aruba.

SOURCE

***** More of Phylicia's Law: SOURCE<

If you feel your “rear view” needs a makeover, the right fitness routine can provide a natural lift. Achieving  the “perfect” backside depends partly on your body type and genetics, but most everyone can shape up to look better in jeans. Ready? Get started with these butt busting moves.

Behind It All

The Gluteal Muscles

The shape of the buttocks is defined by muscles known as the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus (hidden under other muscles), as well as the overlying fat. Walking, running, and climbing all work the glutes. Strength training that targets these muscles can help develop a tighter, more rounded look. Adding a few butt-busting moves to your routine may be enough to see a difference.

Side Leg Raises

This move targets the two smaller muscle groups in the buttocks, the gluteus medius and minimus. Raising the leg just a few inches will work these muscles.

Form: Lie down on the floor. Lift the top leg while lying on your side. Keep the hips stacked and the torso still; both knees facing forward. For a variation that works slightly different muscles, you can turn the top leg out from the hip.

Katrina Darrell -- the girl who infamously auditioned for "American Idol" back in 2009 wearing just a bikini -- has been charged with hit-and-run while driving under the influence ... TMZ has learned

According to the charging docs, obtained by TMZ, Katrina has been charged with one count of DUI, and two counts of misdemeanor hit and run.

If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 2 years behind bars.

TMZ broke the story -- Katrina was arrested last month after allegedly running a red light and smashing into another car. According to police, Katrina attempted to flee the scene ... but was pulled over down the street by a cop who heard the crash.

Back at the police station, an officer administered a breathalyzer -- and Katrina blew a .15 and a .17 ... roughly double the legal limit in California.

Katrina has adamantly denied both driving drunk and fleeing the scene.<

Some of you know her as Kellz Grammar, while others know her as Kelligraphy Pens. Whatever name she goes by you can best believe she's spitting some of the hottest poetry out there.

A lover of words, Kellz Grammar started writing poetry one year and three months ago, beginning with a freestyle. Since then, she has become well-known for her erotic stylings. although she can tackle all poetry genres.

This 47-year old Cleveland, Ohio native, and mother of a college-bound 17-year old son, also co-hosts Unmuted Ink Radio Show on POET Radio. This multi-talented lady is also a painter, dancer, and singer.

Join us Friday at 8 pm EST as we get to know the woman behind the pen. Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend about us, and we will see you all Friday night.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/28/poet-spotlight-kellz-grammar<

It's a sad, sad day in my world. One of my favorite actors is not going to return for Transformers 4 according to media sources. 

While the news that Shia LaBeouf is not returning for Michael Bay's next "Transformers" film it not entirely surprising, it still helps clarify some of the elements of the upcoming fourth entry in the franchise. The Hollywood Reporter (via The Playlist), recently sat down with Paramount president Adam Goodman, and the interview yielded all sorts of information about upcoming Paramount films, including the next "Transformers."

Yesterday Tamera Mowry-Housley made a big announcement, she's expecting! and below is a picture of the glowing mommy-to-be with her cute baby bump. Congrats to Tamera, you can check them out this summer when they come back to the style network with season two of Tia & Tamera.  Also earlier this week was the forth year anniversary of Tia Mowry-Hardrict and husband Cory Hardrict.  The ladies are doing it big! 

See pictures of Tamera's baby bump below:

It's not our fault it's those other people's fault is the classic line used for those whom do not want to take ownership in the part they play in the game called life.  Supposedly Tami Roman of Basketball wives (i.e. chicks who use to be married to basketball stars or dated them) is not pointing blame at the bigwigs of Vh1 and it's producers, since the recent protests of the show and their ratchet over the top behavior.

According to Clutch, Tami stated that,

... it’s not the women throwing ‘bows fans should be angry with, it’s the show’s producers.

“I think that the opposition to call for the show to be cancelled will end the employment of several African-American women who have no creative control. Why not call out the people who make the decisions about what is aired. Call out Shed Media. Call out VH1 because I will join that battle. Why call for several people to be unemployed that really have nothing to do with the creative process?”

Roman says she and the other women have tried to introduce more positive stories to the show, but the producers (and perhaps even the fans?) don’t want to let the ladies show their more positive sides.

“I come with my storyline and things that I want to introduce and lo and behold what they want to show are those dramatic moments. There is more to us.”

If you have no date, forget about prom. This is the case with a teen who was banned from her prom due to not having a date.  17 teen year old Amanda Dougherty spent nearly 1,000 on the event, from her prom dress to her tickets.  When her date decided not to go, she was left to go by herself and eventually told that she could not attend.  To add insult to injury the teen was then told that if she really wanted to go , she could bring her father or another male relative...*super side eye* 

According to Madamenoire a commentor pointed out that, 

“Prom is an occasion where a date is required. If everyone started coming without a date, it would just be a dress up school dance. It’s a learning experience too – how to go about socializing with a partner. If everyone stood around without a date, then it would not be ‘prom like,’

“Kids need to learn that there are social norms and rules that should be followed, this is why our kids think that they should be able to do anything they want. It does not cut it in the real world, they get fired and cannot understand why…..even though they fought the companies rules.”

I swear people have it twisted and as MN pointed out if Amanda brought her father, would that not then make it a father-daughter dance? #fail! 

What's your thoughts on this?<

Motherhood Makes Beyoncé Feel 'More Beautiful Than Ever'

She's an entertainment force of nature, 16-time Grammy winner, and beauty and style icon. But Beyoncé is proudest of one title that also happens to be her most recent: mommy to little Blue Ivy Carter.

"I feel more beautiful than I've ever felt because I've given birth," says PEOPLE's 2012 World's Most Beautiful Woman. "I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth."

The "Crazy in Love" singer, 30, and her husband of four years, Jay-Z, 42, have gone gaga for Blue, born Jan. 7 in New York City. "She's just the cutest thing," gushes Beyoncé, who croons one-of-a-kind tunes to her daughter and professes to "love" changing diapers.

So who does her daughter most resemble? "She looks like Blue," says Beyoncé, who is back to her pre-pregnancy weight and gearing up for her first post-baby concerts, Memorial Day weekend at the Revel Atlantic City. "She's her own person."

"The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy," she adds. "The word 'love' means something completely different now."

SOURCE

Amazon.com - Beyoncé MP3s<

Hundreds are expected to turn out for President Barack Obama's visit to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's campus Tuesday.

Students and Chapel Hill residents camped out overnight Sunday just to get tickets to Obama's anticipated speech about student debt at Carmichael Arena -- the university's former basketball auditorium.

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer has said the president would use the school as the location for his appearance on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show where he will talk about preventing interest rates from doubling on student loans.

The interest rate on a popular federally subsidized student loan will double in July unless Congress acts.  The rate hike affects new subsidized Stafford loans, which are issued to low and middle income undergraduates.

Obama will visit similar colleges in Colorado and Iowa as he woos young voters by taking about student loans and the rising cost of education. All three are in states Obama won in 2008 but are expected to be closely contested with likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

It’s well known that blacks are at greater risk for developing high blood pressure than whites are, but new research now suggests they also progress more rapidly from a pre-hypertension state to full-blown high blood pressure.

The findings, published online and in the October print issue of Hypertension, suggest that intervening earlier with medication, as well as lifestyle changes, may help prevent high blood pressure and some of its consequences among people who are at the greatest risk.

Pre-hypertension is defined as a systolic (pumping) pressure between 120 and 139, and a diastolic (resting) reading between 80 and 89. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is a blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher. A blood pressure reading of less than 120/80 is considered ideal.

Researchers analyzed electronic medical records of 18,865 adults aged 18 to 85 from 197 health clinics in the southeastern United States between 2003 and 2009. Thirty percent of the study participants were black.

SOURCE

Drama over at Essence Magazine and Facebook takes another victim! The white guy who happened to be the managing editor of Essence, the leading magazine for black women, was fired after the content on his Facebook was brought to the magazine’s attention.

You may remember, the hiring of Michael Bullerdick was already a controversial move, being a white man in charge of a black woman’s magazine. But the drama escalated when he posted some right wing political message on his social media page.

A reader took screen shots of his Facebook page (seen below), which read on April 10: “No Voter Fraud, Mr. Attorney General?” touting a video by James O’Keefe, the conservative activist who worked with right-wing trickster Andrew Breitbart.

The same day, Bullerdick shared a photo illustration, seen above, of Al Sharpton headlined, “MSNBC Race Pimp.”

***** I know everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, but for all of you in positions of authority, you need to take heed to what happened here. Think about what you post before you post it, otherwise it can get you canned. 'Nuff said...

SOURCE<

Believe it or not, fat-free foods may cause more problems than they are supposed to solve. Grocery stores are full of “fat-free” products these days — everything from cookies to bread, from juices to half-and-half for your coffee. But if your aim is to create a low-fat diet to keep cholesterol levels down, “fat free” isn’t necessarily the magic trick.

What’s In A “Fat Free” Label?

The problem is not one of definition. Foods labeled “fat-free” really do have to be fat free. According to the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), foods advertised as “fat free” must have less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving.

“Low-fat” foods, meanwhile, must have 3 grams of fat or less per serving. “Reduced-fat” foods have to have at least 25% less fat than their traditional counterparts. And “light” foods must have either 1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat.

The problem is that sometimes “fat free” is also, well, taste free. And to make up for that lack of taste, food manufacturers tend to pour other ingredients — especially sugar, flour, thickeners and salt — into the products. That may boost the calorie content.

Plus, if the foods aren’t that appealing, they may lead to overeating to make up for the lack of satisfaction.

NIKKI TRUE LIVE is going to be a show filled with grown and sexy conversations, entertaining topics, and of course Nikki True giving advice and talking about everything from love,life and yes sex! The Masturbation Show!!!!! It's Self love at it's finest. I'll be giving you the facts and some fun ways to make your solo love session better than ever! Get your lotion ready this show will get you excited.

So save the date April 22, 2012 call 347-989-0573, then go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual

Listen to NIKKI TRUE LIVE on air and tune in and get ready.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/23/seriouslysensual-presents-nikki-true-the-self-pleasure-show<

J. A. Busfield started writing the Love Letters blog in early 2009. She wanted to express love and appreciation for the people who added value to her life, which meant considering more than just romantic relationships. She wanted to cherish each moment that challenged her to become a better, more positive person. Join us as we get to know the woman behing the love and the pen. Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend about us and we will see you all Saturday at 8:00 pm EST.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/22/author-interview-ja-busfield<

Where are all my poets? We would like for you to join us this Friday for an open mic session. If you have any poetry that you would like to spit live and on the air please feel free to stop in and join us. Even if you are a closet poet or if this is your first time we want you to join us as well. Join us Friday for a night of fun filled listening and enjoying pleasures. There is nothing like spoken word to start your weekend smoothly. Tell a friend to tell a friend about us! See you all Friday!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/21/open-mic-night<

What if I told you the most passionate Heat fan when it comes to heckling, needling, and annoying players just happens to be the girlfriend of the team's franchise player?

It's a fact.

Gabrielle Union is her name, and irritating NBA players is her game -- when not dating her longtime boyfriend Dwyane Wade.

Union appeared this week as a guest on Conan O'Brien's late-night TBS show, and confessed that her badgering of players has gotten a bit out of control. For this reason, she's been given the boot from the front row. "I'm bad. ... I don't sit courtside, that got killed when I became as vocal," Union said.

Wade advised his woman to take her talents away from the floor.

"He said, 'We're gonna need you a few rows back 'cause I can hear everything'," Gabrielle explained to O'Brien.

Miami fans have a well-earned reputation when it comes to being apathetic toward professional sports, but not this actress, model and girlfriend.

"I'm like dance mom. ... I've become like Bobby Knight and like the Great Fettucini, it's bad. I scream like 'brick!' and 'air ball!'" she said.

Union later disclosed that Wade doesn't escape the wrath of her zingers. "Oh sure, I feel like who's gonna tell him if not me?"

Above all else, Gabrielle enjoys heckling players on opposing teams, and particularly the officials, including a rather famous 72-year-old referee.

"Recently, like maybe last week, there was an older ref, perhaps it was Dick Bavetta, and I said, 'You'll get your Viagra if you just make a call,'" Union said.

Union was appearing on Conan O'Brien's show to promote her move, "Think Like a Man."

Source<

Silver haired and sweet faced, Darlene Mayes looks like many grannies but according to police, she is one of Oklahoma’s biggest drug kingpins.

Her operation went up in smoke this week, when police entered her home and found 4 pounds of pot and $276,000 cash.

Police found $15,000 bundles of cash stashed away in the home.

Mayes initially told police the money was part of her retirement fund.

Police also say she was packing a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver.

Investigators say her alleged pot-dealing network spanned four states, from Tulsa, Okla., to Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri.

Police believe she supplied up to 40 percent of the marijuana in that area.

As the mastermind, police believe she had a network of dealers, including her son Jerry who was also arrested.

Law enforcement expert Brad Garrett says harmless looking seniors can sometimes be the most efficient drug dealers.

“It doesn’t surprise me that someone this age would be actively involved in marijuana distribution because there’s just too much money to be made. If they keep a low profile, they don’t talk to many people, and they don’t get greedy, they can go on for years.”

Mayes is not the first grandmother accused of ditching retirement for a second career in drug dealing.

In the United Kingdom, 68-year-old Patricia Tabram—dubbed the cannabis grandma—was charged with intent to supply after authorities say they found a marijuana farm in her home.

In Tennessee, an elderly couple was busted for selling prescription drugs.

But the granddaddy of all drug dealers may be  Francis Cook, 83, also known as Britain’s oldest drug dealer.<

Caroline McGill is the bestselling author of the highly acclaimed, award winning “A Dollar Outta Fifteen Cent” series. The prolific Virgo also penned the rave, controversial novel, “Sex As a Weapon”, a steamy, eye-opening tale about AIDS awareness. Caroline McGill’s writing career spawned from a lifelong infatuation with words. She started out writing poetry when she was a kid, but after leading a life you could write a book on, she did just that. Join us Friday night at 8:00 pm EST as we get to know the woman behind the pen. Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend about us and we will see you all Friday night.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/21/author-interview-caroline-mcgill<

The Seriously Sensual Massage Part 1 (For Men)

First off, let it be known that in no way should this massage be compared to a Tantric Massage. I can no way compare to the sheer bliss and pleasure that massage brings with your significant other. However, the Seriously Sensual Massage will come in a close second. This massage will be used to do something similar to the Tantric massage. It will be used to bring you sexual arousal as well. While the Tantric method is used to do so much more, such as bringing you and mate closer, the Seriously Sensual massage is strictly to enhance or achieve a greater sexual climax. You both should already be showered and cleansed so you can be ready to get down to the good stuff. Make sure to have some nice soft relaxing music playing and it’s important to make sure the room is warm so he will not get cold in the process. Now ladies you can do this in the nude or you can do this is some lingerie.

Start off by asking your mate to lie on their stomach. Have them to lie completely still while you proceed to light some candles. Personally, I love the candles from EdenFantasys.com. They have the Dona massage candle (it’s soy based for all you health gurus and earth lovers) and they also have the Kama Sutra massage candle (this has coconut oil, shea butter, and vitamin E which I love). So while you massage them, their senses will be tickled and relaxed with the beautiful and hypnotizing scents that float around the room. Let me just say you should already have the massage oils warming. Now for those of you who look to get the whole massage kit, Edenfantasys.com has those available for you too. They come with everything you need already prepared to go, including the candles and the massage oils.

Mel has lost his Xanax everyone. Be warned, he is running around, spitting out insults and throwing cell phones for kicks and giggles. Mel was recently in Costa Rica at his home presumably to relax and read over a script when all ish hit the fan and was recorded by Joe Eszterhas. 

Someone cue Azealia Bank's '212' and add it to the video recording of his rant, I'm sure it'll be hilarity.

Eszterhaz released the recording because “Gibson called me a liar. And I also have some reason to believe he's creating a PR blitz questioning my truthfulness.”

According to The Wrap,

During the rampage, Gibson shouts at Eszterhas for not having delivered a script of “The Maccabees,” their joint movie project:

“Why don't I have a first draft of 'The Maccabees'? What the f--- have you been doing?” he bellows.

About his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, Gibson shouts, “I am earning money for a filthy little c-------- who takes advantage of me!”  

But mostly the recording captures an unhinged, angry Gibson storming around his Costa Rica property, knocking over a totem pole. According to Eszterhas and his family, Gibson also threw a cellphone.

Man, I loved him in Braveheart but why did he have to go cray? Can Mel not act like he's three please and thanks? Or hey can the man act a donk in his own home without being judged for it? I'm going with the first question.

You can read more at the full article. <

Remember Lil Scrappy? You know the southern rapper with that one song...*blinks* Well it looks like he forgot who the heck he was himself as he drowned himself and his career (he's currently working with 50, Three 6 Mafia and Lil John) in booze which may have triggered a reactionary asthma attack.  

According to sources, the 28 year old rapper had been taking to the bottle and partying it up this past Monday.  Scrappy later that night found himself waking up to a severe asthma attack that required him being rushed to Emory University Hospital. Scrappy stated that, "I damn near died ... if it weren’t for my driver, mom, and rap artist I would have been dead."  and that he could barely breath and couldn't talk, "I felt like I was dying."

Scrappy now owns a breathing machine one  that  he says that he will never go anywhere without it.  

I'm thinking dude needs to ease up on the drink and any weed or smokes he's been putting to his mouth.  Take this as a lesson dude and take care of yourself. 

(source)

Amazon.com - Lil Scrappy Mp3s<

This is JeeJa's sophomore movie.  Her first movie was Chocolate. 

I really enjoyed her previous movie and had very high hopes for her career.  She didn't disappoint me.  With that being said, this movie doesn't have the strongest story line.  It’s almost like someone choreographed the fight sequences first and thought about how to link them together into a movie afterwards.  Luckily the backstories of some of the characters are nicely fleshed out. The flashback scenes tell a better story then the present day scenes.  Without the flashback scenes the movie would be little more than just a fighting compilation movie with mostly uninteresting skits linking the scenes.

Like most movies there are three acts and additionally it follows the standard hero(ine) sequence.

• Act 1 our hero(ine) is a victim/innocent
• Act 2 our hero(ine) is trained/transformed
• Act 3 our hero(ine) is a champion/protector

Cliff notes:

A promising lead about the whereabouts of Phoenix Coldon turned out to be a cruel hoax, causing the missing Missouri woman's family additional pain, their entire life savings and their home.

"Unfortunately, we will now be losing our family home," the missing woman's mother, Goldia Coldon, told The Huffington Post. "We have tried to explain the situation to our mortgage company but they don't care."

A tip that led the family to Texas came from a man who claimed to know Coldon's whereabouts and provided her family with very convincing details, Goldia Coldon said. The family already had invested much of their money to search for Phoenix, she said, but spent the remainder of their savings on private investigators to follow up on the lead. It was not until after the family's money was gone that the man who provided the tip admitted he fabricated the story, Coldon said.

"They said he made it up to get attention," she said. "It cost us dearly and it led absolutely nowhere. It was just his idea of a joke."

Texas is a crazy state. Outside of everything being big in Texas, it appears the insanity is just as big.  

According to Good Morning America,

A registered nurse arrested for gunning down and killing a new mother and snatching her 3-day-old baby in the parking lot of a Texas pediatrician's office will face capital murder charges, according to the Montgomery County district attorney.

The newborn, Keegan Schuchardt, was found alive and well six hours after his 28-year-old mother Kayla Marie Golden was killed Tuesday, according to police. The suspect in the killing, Verna Deann McClain, a 30-year-old mother of three, is in police custody.

It’s a very sad day in the world of Barbz and Kenz.

Nicki Minaj vanished from the twitter verse leaving 11 million followers behind.

Apparently, The twitter drama started after Nicki found out that her biggest fan site, Nicki Daily, posted songs from her ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded‘ album before the album’s release date.  She blocked the site’s twitter which resulted in a war between the Barbz (are you keeping up? I know it sounds crazy, but follow me now…) with some taking Nicki’s side and the others taking the fan site’s side. Nicki was bombarded with some not-so-nice tweets from her Barbz before she tweeted these last words and vanished for good:

And that’s exactly why I’m paying the barbz DUST right now! And deleting my twitter. Smdh – don’t cry 4 me Argentina”

On 2nd thought I’ll justfollow a new set of barbz. The ones I follow r very mean and ratchet. *side eyes them*

Exactly. Posted leaked music! *deletin twttr* RT @NickiBarbPink: @NickiDaily kno why they got blocked.

Like seriously, its but so much a person can take. Good f-cking bye

Okay, ladies. Now I need those of you who are apart of things like this to tell me why? Why is it when a man tells you he has NINE other kids do you still open your legs to him and allow yourself to become baby mama number 10? I just don't get it. Ladies, why is that you would want to be on the list of so many other women who are simply baby mamas? With Antonio Cromartie, is it because he gets a fat NFL check and you feel as if you and your child will be set for life? I mean, I just don't get it. Do you ladies even inquire about these things before jumping in the sheets? I just don't get these kinds of mindsets. 10 dang kids by 8 different women in 6 different states? What the what? Anyway, peep the deets of this sperm slinger down below:

Written source via TMZ: Tupac came back to life this weekend ... as a hologram ... and it was frickin' AMAZING!!!.

Pac was resurrected for the Coachella music festival in California ... and "performed" a couple of his greatest hits ... including "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with Snoop Dogg.

We're told the crowd went INSANE ... especially when 2pac first appeared to the crowd ... rising up from the ground until he was standing on the stage.

The movements were remarkably lifelike ... grabbing his crotch and pointing his mic to the crowd like the good ole days.

During a recent study, a group of over 40,000 business professionals was asked whether or not they could burn fat by only doing weight training.

About 85% responded that strength training alone was a sufficient way to burn fat.

This is not the correct answer – while yes, increasing lean muscle mass is a vital step in maintaining a healthy, calorie-burning metabolism, there is no way to avoid getting in some cardio if you want to burn fat (and help keep your cardiovascular system strong).

But this answer inevitably leads to yet another popular question: exactly how much cardio do you even have to do?

Q: I’ve read so much conflicting information about just how much cardio I need, and exactly how hard my heart needs to be working to meet my goals. Now I’m confused. Help!

A: Cardiovascular endurance, or aerobic endurance, is a vital component of a complete fitness program. This training makes the heart (cardio), lungs, and system of blood vessels and capillaries (vascular) transport nutrients more efficiently. Knowing how much cardio you need starts with a basic understanding of what these systems do for the body.

A well-trained heart will pump more blood in a single stroke than a poorly trained heart. So let’s suppose your resting heart rate (RHR) is 78 bpm. That means your heart beats 75 times in a minute to move a certain amount of blood. Your neighbor, Fitt Trainer, has a RHR of 68 bpm. That means his heart beats 10 times less in a minute to move the same amount of blood. This efficiency of moving blood with fewer strokes is one of the benefits of cardiovascular training.

A second benefit is the greater exchange of fuel for working muscles. Working muscles need important nutrients like oxygen and glucose in order to perform necessary tasks. A stronger heart will not only beat fewer times in a minute but, as a result of cardio training, will move a greater volume of blood with each stroke. So when you are exercising, more nutrients reach the muscles and the heart doesn’t need to beat as many times.

How Do We Get To A Better Cardio Workout?

There are four essential keys to effective cardio training:

Mark DeBarge (from DeBarge) was arrested for drug possession this week in a Hollywood hotel ... TMZ has learned. 

Law enforcement sources tell us, Mark was in his hotel room with some woman early Wednesday morning -- when the woman's parole officer stopped by for a routine check-up. 

We're told the officer searched the room and discovered narcotics -- it's unclear exactly what. 

Once the drugs were found, we're told Mark and his female companion were placed under arrest. Mark was booked for narcotics possession and has since been released.

Calls to Mark's camp were not returned.

Source<

Diddy might wanna wash the bed sheets at his Hamptons mansion ... 'cause cops arrested a guy who allegedly broke into his place, slept in his bed and then ate a bunch of his food.

It all went down on April 1st -- but this was no joke -- cops say a caretaker found 30-year-old Quamine Taylor in an upstairs bedroom and called police.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Taylor told cops he snuck into the place through an unlocked basement door and proceeded to eat food, drink Diddy's soda and liquor and then got into a bed for nearly 24 hours. 

Quamine was eventually arrested for trespassing ... and later told the NY Post he had been "going to the house from time to time since 2001 ... I stay there a lot, but Sean gets funny sometimes about me staying there."

Taylor's mom told the paper her son suffers from mental illness and recently went off his meds. He was arraigned on trespassing and petit-larceny charges and is currently still in custody.

Source<

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Velda Simmons, as known as "Poetic Pisces", is a poet and a writer. As a child, Velda was very bright, shy, and quiet.  At the age of 11, Velda started writing short stories in her notebook.

A few years later in the late 2009, poetry came and knocked on Velda’s door. She began to write poetry in her online journal.

Velda is still new to the poetry world, and she has performed a few spoken word pieces on a couple of online shows. In her spare time, Velda enjoys reading novels, writing poetry, and spending time with family and friends. She is currently working on her first book of love poems.

Join us Saturday at 8:00 pm EST as we get into the mind of the woman behind the pen. Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend about us, and we'll see you all Saturday night.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/15/poet-spotlight-velda-simmons-aka-poetic-pisces<

For three years, Trent Richardson has inflicted pain onto those that have attempted to bring him down. His physical running style coinciding with legs constructed with tree trunk dimensions and Photoshop-like arms have wreaked havoc on defensive coordinators and defensive backs tasked with stopping his forward progress.

He won two national championships carrying the ball for Alabama and then decided he was ready for the NFL. The entire SEC nation outside of Tuscaloosa was happy to pack his bags for him.

Before Richardson heads off to the NFL draft and learns his future destination, however, he has unfinished business to tend to in his home state.

Courtney Alvis, a senior at Hueytown (Ala.) High School, was diagnosed with leukemia last year. In need of a date for her senior prom, Courtney’s uncle—who has ties to the school—spread the word about Courtney. It appears he did a good job in getting the word out.

Richardson caught word of the situation and will be accompanying young Courtney to her high school prom this weekend, just before he heads out to New York City.

Yes, this is incredibly awesome on so many levels, and kudos to Richardson for showing off yet another fantastic character trait.

Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi will be shooting for two at the London Olympics.

The Malaysian shooter will be eight months pregnant when she's scheduled to participate in the 10m air rifle event this summer. Her doctors have given her the tentative OK to compete, as has her husband and Malaysian Olympic officials. Most importantly, Suryani feels she'll be ready.

"My aim is to compete," she told Reuters. "Maybe, at the end of June or whatsoever, if I have some problem that would jeopardize the baby inside me, I will reconsider whether I am going or not. But I feel I am strong and my husband says 'as long as you feel like that, energized to do that, it seems like that is your baby talking to you so you go.'"

Suryani qualified for the Games at the Asian Shooting Championships in January, days after finding out she was pregnant. She recognizes that some people will question her decision to compete -- family members and some in Malaysia already have -- but with the doctor's blessings, Suryani doesn't expect any problems.

"I will talk to the baby before I compete... 'no kicking, stay calm for one hour and 15 minutes only please,'" she said.

Click on the thumbnail below:

Amazon.com - Beyoncé MP3s<

Like any state legislature dealing with 8 percent unemployment and thousands of its residents facing disenfranchisement, the Tennessee Senate is targeting the menace of underage hand-holding.

Last week, the Senate passed SB 3310, a bill to update the state’s abstinence-based sex education curriculum to define holding hands and kissing as “gateway sexual activities.” Just one senator voted against the legislation; 28 voted in favor.

Since the bill specifically bans teachers from “demonstrating gateway sexual activity”, educators would be prohibited from even demonstrating what hand-holding is. Breaking these laws could result in a lawsuit, as Hunter from Daily Kos notes:

If your teacher teaches you anything about sex that isn’t specifically on the approved curriculum, like demonstrating “holding hands” for the class instead of quietly tsking about the dangers it poses, they can be sued.

Still, this anti-hand-holding push may only be the second-worst bill passed in Tennessee this month. Nearly a century after the Volunteer State played host to the Scopes Monkey Trial, the legislature has now enacted a new law allowing educators to teach creationism alongside evolution.<

It is a story that has even drawn controversy in the hard-to-shock world of Hollywood.

And Morgan Freeman spoke out today to shoot down claims he is set to marry his step-granddaughter.

The 74-year-old Unforgiven star said he has never had a romantic relationship with E'Dena Hines, 27, who is a descendant of his first wife Jeanette Adair Bradshaw.

There have been rumours about the pair being together for years, but he had never spoken about the claims until now.

He said: 'The recent reports of any pending marriage or romantic relationship of me to anyone are defamatory fabrications from the tabloid media designed to sell papers. 

'What is even more alarming is that these fabrications are now being picked up by the legitimate press as well.'

Morgan was fuming when reports emerged claiming he and Hines were going to marry.

It had been claimed they have been dating for around 10 years and were planning to tie the knot in the near future. 

The father-of-four's stance has been backed up by E'Dena, who issued a statement of her own.

Old flame: E'Dena is the granddaughter of Morgan's first wife Jeanette Adair Bradshaw, seen here with the star in 1978

She said: 'These stories about me and my grandfather are not only untrue, they are also hurtful to me and my family.'

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – especially, it seems, one unceremoniously dumped via the internet.

So upset was Claire Holley when her boyfriend changed his relationship status to ‘single’ on Facebook that she took his beloved car and crashed it into the bowling alley where he worked. 

 A court heard how Holley, 31, downed several glasses of wine and vodka before driving Davy Jones’s silver Ford Focus to the Hollywood Bowl in Horwich, near Bolton.

She smashed the car through two security bollards and a set of glass double doors, sending customers diving for cover, before coming to rest at a customer service counter inside the bowling alley. She caused £14,000 of damage.

Soon afterwards Mr Jones was seen running towards the car, saying: ‘You have wrecked my car.’

Yesterday the mother-of-three narrowly escaped jail after admitting dangerous driving and drink-driving.

Bolton Crown Court heard that Holley and Mr Jones had been in a relationship for two years and had a child together.

On the day of the incident in January, the couple had been arguing before Holley dropped Mr Jones off at work at 5pm.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2128586/Woman-smashes-boyfriends-car-bowling-alley-worked-changed-Facebook-status-SINGLE.html<

Michelle Obama has banned actress Kerry Washington from the White House because she it 'too flirty' with the President, it was sensationally claimed today. 

The First Lady was said to have a 'watch list' of women that were to be kept away from her 50-year-old husband - but it's a story one White House official claims it totally false.

According to an article in the National Enquirer, Mrs Obama, 48, planned to keep the actress at arm's length - despite Miss Washington's honorary post on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

An White House official told MailOnline that the story is '100 per cent false'. 

Kerry Washington, 35, is a keen Democrat and campaigned for Obama in the 2008 president race.

There were striking parallels between the explosive claims and Miss Washington's latest role in a new ABC series called Scandal.

Coming in the next few weeks Glee is going Whitney!  It has been buzzing around the webdom if Glee will even do a tribute after having already coincidently featured, "I will always love you" during the same time the lovely Ms. Houston had past.  Well now the news is out and it's going down.

According to Huffington Post,

Something in my gut always said people of color were also aboard the fated ship Titanic and that their voices were not being told.  Thanks to a great article on Huffington Post we were able to learn the brief story of two families of color on board, Haitian born Joseph Laroche and Italian-Egyptian Victor Giglio.

Giglio and Laroche are actually believed to be the only men of color aboard the ill-fated ship, which carried 2,224 people on its route to New York.

According to the Chicago Tribune, who talked with a descendent of Laroche, the engineer and his family were never meant to board the Titanic to begin with.

Laroche's mother had sent the family first-class tickets to travel on the French liner France. But just before departure, the Laroches learned that the ship wouldn't allow them to dine with their children. Out of concern about the younger daughter, who was sickly, they traded their tickets for second-class tickets on the Titanic.(read more bel

For those of you who loved Sex in the City, when (in my case) your Girlfriends evenings with Joan and the lady's ended to fast, and you needed that extra spice to the mix by flipping over to HBO and watching Blair Underwood pop up on the show.

Yes.

That Sex in the City.  Well for you SITC fans Mr. Big, well the actor Chris Noth is finally walking down that aisle, and sealing the deal with his long-time love, mother of his child and Canadian-born sepia beauty Tara Wilson (oo-wee she's young).  Go girl.

According to OMG Now,

This is breaking news (source):

 A law enforcement official says that the shooter in the Trayvon Martin case will becharged with second-degree murder and is in custody.

The official with knowledge of the case says that the charge against 28-year-old George Zimmerman will be announced at a news conference at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The official says he's in custody in Florida but wouldn't say where. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to disclose the information.

An arrest had been delayed because of Florida's so-called stand your ground law, which gives people wide latitude to claim self-defense in a killing and other altercations.

The lack of an arrest in the 17-year-old's death had sparked outrage and rallies for justice in the Orlando suburb and across the country.

It's about time that Zimmerman has been obtained. Justice for Trayvon is here! 

Amazon.com - Trayvon Martin Inspired MP3s<

According to several news sources: 

George Zimmerman's attorneys said in a press conference this afternoon that they will no longer be representing him, because they have not been able to locate him and because he has rebuffed their counsel.

As I sat here and listened to this, all I could do is shake my head. I don't even know how to formulate an intelligent answer so not to sound angry. Actually, all I could do was shake my head. I'm not even offended by this video. You know why? Because all she's doing is repeating what she's heard black men say. The poor child really doesn't know any better. Her vocabulary leaves something to be desired. She sounds like she didn't finish high school. The whole time listening to her, I wanted to pat her head and condescendingly tell her, 'it's alright, baby. It's alright'. Can we really be mad at her? No, because she honestly has no idea what it's like to be a black woman dealing with black men, such as the one in her video. He even has the gall to say that most black women don't have father figures. That is true, but then his cave b*tch says something to the affect of, 'well, wouldn't that make you want to act a little better and not have an attitude' or some sh*t like that. I mean....she just doesn't get it. I pity the fool that she is. She goes on to say, 'you rarely see a white woman with five or six kids'. Female dog, fug do you mean? I know white women right now with five or six kids by five or six different men.  Then she says, 'white girls don't wear weave. It's our own hair. When black men pull our hair they don't have to worry about tracks slipping out'. Girl, are you crazy? What bubble do you leave in? Every white woman I see on TV and some I've seen in my everyday life has extensions in their hair. However, they do have to worry about pulling out the white woman's clip-on, huh? Anyway, I'm going to shut up and let you all watch the video yourselves.....

Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don't. Or something like that. Anyway, I know most of us have lied in relationships and if you say you haven't, you're LYING! Have you ever lied to spare someone's feelings? What made you think you had the right to decide whether or not they could handle the truth? How do you know that the truth wouldn't have been easier for them to swallow? Lying only makes the situation worse, in my humble opinion. The one thing I hate is for someone to tell me they lied to spare my feelings. No, you lied to cover your own arse. You were feeling guilty and couldn't be man or woman enough to tell the truth. Plain and simple. Anyway, let me hush before I get on my soapbox knowing I may be guilty of the same sh*t. MadameNoire.com has come up with a list- Wait, that's another thing I hate. I hate for a person to accuse me of something they're guilty of themselves. Anyway, there I go again. Let me get to this list though....

Andy Cohen hosts a three-part reunion special for The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The ladies tear into each other about brewing issues during the fourth season. A couple of the husbands show up at the reunion, as well. This reunion looks to be live and full of foolishness.

SOURCE 

According to sources, Rihanna could barely keep focused while working along side the Swedish Battleship co-star. Alexander Skarsgard (Eric from True Blood) worked along side Rihanna closely as they filmed the summer action flick. 

The 24-year-old singer, who has recently been romantically linked with actor Ashton Kutcher and her former boyfriend Chris Brown, was ‘intimidated’ by some of her co-stars on new movie ‘Battleship’ but was particularly fascinated by the hunky actor.

A guest at an Ohio wedding wound up in jail charged with assault and intoxicated disorderly conduct. It all began when she  refused to stop slow dancing with the groom, which escalated into a brawl with the bride and an attack on an off-duty police officer.

Dan Kuack was patrolling the St. Clarence Church Pavilion in North Olmsted, Ohio, on Saturday when he heard a woman  "yelling and screaming at two unknown males," according to the  police report.

Kuack approached the group in the parking lot and found that the two men were trying to keep the woman, Brooke Burke, from driving off in her car because she was allegedly drunk. She was yelling because they'd taken her keys, the police report stated.

The police officer calmed Burke down and took  her back into the reception hall.

At that point the bride, Margaret Burke, told Kuack that Brooke  had tried to assault her earlier in the evening, according to the report.

The bride said it all started when she'd asked Burke  to stop slow dancing with her new husband. She said Burke became   upset and started yelling at her, and at one point tried to hit her.

"Brooke turned around and started to approach the bride and began to yell at her and attempted to grab her,"  the police report stated.

Last year, a Chinese teen sold his kidney to raise money to buy an Apple iPad and iPhone. Now, five people, including the surgeon who conducted the operation, are being charged with "intentional injury."

According to prosecutors, the boy, who was 17 at the time of the operation, has suffered from renal deficiency, a serious medical condition in which the kidney fails to filter toxins and waste from the blood stream.

The story is steeped in both tragedy and intrigue. The boy, who has not been publicly identified, hails from one of China's poorest provinces. When his mother saw her son with a new iPad and iPhone, both highly sought in China, the son admitted that he sold his kidney to pay for them.

News of the illegal surgery first broke last year. The boy spoke to a Chinese TV station. "I wanted to buy an iPad 2, but I didn't have the money," the boy said. "When I surfed the internet I found an advert posted online by agent saying they were able to pay RMB 20,000 to buy a kidney." That's the equivalent of about $3,100.

According to reports, the boy received only about 10% of what the kidney buyer paid. The rest went to the surgeon and others involved in arranging the operation. The operation was conducted in a hospital room that had been rented out.

Though China has banned the selling and trading of organs, the practice still occurs on the black market. According to a report from the Health Ministry, "1.5 million patients need transplants each year, but only 10,000 organs are available." Many of those seeking organs come from other countries.

Source<

You know when it happens. You get that feeling in your gut that says, “There’s no going back from this” but then, out of fear, you do go back. But there is no denying it after reading this list. You might want to rethink your relationship status if any of these things happen. Join us Friday night at 10:30 pm EST to find out what those things are. Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend about us and we'll see you all Friday night.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/07/a-few-signs-that-your-relationship-may-be-over<

Future NFL Hall-of-Famer Warren Sapp has filed for bankruptcy ... claiming he's racked up millions of dollars in debts ... but worst of all, dude claims he LOST his 2002 Super Bowl ring.

Sapp -- who played in the NFL for 12 years -- just filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Florida ... and in the papers he gives a full rundown of his dire financial situation.

According to the docs, Sapp owes more than $6.7 million to various creditors ... including hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support payments and alimony to at least 4 different baby mamas.

Among the debts, Sapp says he owes $853k to the IRS for 2006 and another $89k for 2010. Sapp says he also owes $2,858 in medical bills for "Corrective Speech and Language Therapy."

Sapp says he only has $6.45 million to his name ... and lists all of his assets in the documents ... which include: 

• 240 pairs of Jordan sneakers and sandals
• Large Nude women painting
• Lion skin rug (female - lioness) 
• Nike golf clubs
• De Grisogono watch (scratch on crystal, nicks and scratches on band)
• A boxing glove signed by Muhammad Ali

Jacqueline Tarrant is recognized as a beauty expert, author, consultant, columnist, salon owner, and founder of the Hair Trauma Center in downtown Chicago. As a 3rd generation beauty professional, International platform artist and former Director of Education and Product Development Specialist with L’Oreal USA, Jacqueline continues to add layers to her beauty expertise. Join us Friday night at 8:00 pm EST as we get to know the woman behind the pen and business. Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend about us and we will see you all Friday night at 8!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriously-sensual/2012/04/07/entrepreneur-spotlight-jacqueline-tarrant<

Amanda Bynes was arrested for DUI in West Hollywood early this morning ... TMZ has learned. 

Law enforcement sources tell us, Bynes was attempting to pass a cop car in her black BMW ... when she sideswiped the right rear panel of the vehicle. She was pulled over and cops determined she was not fit to be behind the wheel. 

We're told the 26-year-old actress was busted at 3 AM ... she's still behind bars. 

According to her booking sheet, Bynes is 5'7" and 125 lbs. Her bail has been set at $5,000. 

Bynes has been frequenting the Hollywood party scene recently, hitting up several clubs over the last few weeks.

Just last month -- on St. Patrick's Day -- TMZ cameras saw Bynes leaving Greystone Manor, and thought she appeared to be extremely intoxicated. One of our cameramen even warned the valet not to let Amanda drive, but she got into the driver's seat anyway ... and took off (below).

A week before that, Amanda bolted from a cop while he was writing her a ticket. She was pulled over for talking on a cell phone, and while the cop was writing her up ... she drove away. 

Amanda later swung by the police station and signed the ticket. So far, she hasn't faced additional charges stemming from that incident.

Source<

According to "People" magazine, after weeks of speculation, sources close to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have confirmed that the couple is dating. Even as Kardashian, 31, is still dealing with a very public divorce from her ex, Kris Humphries, she has already moved on to a romance with her friend, West, 34.  

According to "TMZ," the pair were seen leaving a showing of "The Hunger Games" in New York City on Wednesday, April 4, 2012.

Although the coupling comes as a bit of a surprise to some, this may have been a long time coming. West recently confessed his feelings for Kardashian in his song, "Theraflu" where he rapped, "I admit I fell in love with Kim, 'Round the same time she fell in love with him."

In an interview held on "The Today Show" on Friday, April 6, 2012, Kardashian addressed rumors about "Kimye" saying, "you never know what the future holds." 

We want to know what you think about this new pairing - is this just a flash in the pan, or can their relationship stand the test of time?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/imag/Love/Couple+Alert%3A+Kim+Kardashian+and+Kanye+West+-+Will+It+Last%3F<

A group of Colorado brothers flee from a road rage incident, only to be sent back by 911 dispatchers.  Now one of them is dead, shot and killed by the men they tried to flee from in the first place.

(Victim’s Brother) “They were calling us the “N-word,” even though we were trying to avoid the problem.”

So the group of Sudanese refugees drove away, calling 911.  But a Denver Police dispatcher reportedly told Jimma Reat and his brothers they needed to return to the city if they wanted help.

(Franssen) “Not to the same location that the altercation occurred, but inside the city boundaries of Denver.”

They reluctantly did, but encountered the original assailants, who opened fire, killing the 24-year-old Reat.  Denver 911 Operations Manager Ernest Franssen says proper procedures weren’t followed.

(Franssen) “We have policies in place for these types of situations.  Some of the policies do not appear to have been followed.”

The dispatcher has been placed on paid leave.

Source<

Rumor has it Sheree Whitfield’s days as aReal Housewife of Atlanta are numbered, and she’s been told exactly how many days she has left—zero.

According to Talking with Tami’s sources, Sheree was flown out to NYC and that’s when Bravo broke the news that they would not be renewing her contract for next season. This news is surprising considering Sheree has been a part of the cast from the very beginning and her storyline isn’t exactly drama-free. Remember that fight in South Africa?

Beyond that, we have seen a softer side of Sheree this season. She seems to be more focused on being a mother, getting child support from her ex-husband, Bob Whitfield, and building that Chateau that probably won’t see the light of day if this rumor is true. Plus, we all know what happened to previous cast members who didn’t keep the drama going (moment of silence for DeShawn Snow and Lisa Wu-Hartwell).

Something seems foul herem, but Sheree was noticeably missing from Bravo’s Upfronts for 2012 event yesterday. Maybe they’re moving Sheree out so they can move Marlo in.

What you think?

Source<

Cash rules everything around me....a waitress is learning this very lesson hard, don't trust the po po! Jokes aside, a good deed has turned sour for a Minnesota waitress. Stacy Knutson was working her usual shift when she noticed that a patron she had served, left a box on the table. Being the concerned person she was, she quickly found the woman as she left and tried to return the box to her. That is when things took a turn.^*

From ABC News:

Knutson was working at the Fryn' Pan in Moorhead, Minn., when, according to her attorney, Craig Richie, a woman left a to-go box from another restaurant on the table. Knutson followed the woman to her car to return the box to her.

"No I am good, you keep it," the woman said, according to the lawsuit.

Knutson did not know the woman and has not seen her since, Richie said. Knutson thought it was "strange" that the woman told her to keep it but she took it inside. The box felt too heavy to be leftovers, Ritchie said, so she opened it -- only to find bundles of cash wrapped in rubber bands.

"Even though I desperately needed the money as my husband and I have five children, I feel I did the right thing by calling the Moorhead Police," Knutson said in the lawsuit.

Shaima Alawadi a Iraqi-American wife and mother was horribly beaten and killed last month in California.  Her death has been creating an outrage throws hate crimes against people of color and her death with that of Trayvon Martin has created a spark of "this is beyond enough".  Sadly, Shaima Alawadi's brutal murder is currently now being questions as a mercy killing and not a hate crime, now that more evidence and inconsistencies in the murder is coming to light.

According to Atlantic Wire:

Search warrants in the case of Iraqi-American woman who was beaten to death last month suggests that there may be more to the story than just a case of anti-Muslim violence. According to court records obtained by the San Diego Union Tribune, the victim, Shaima Alawadi, was looking to divorce her husband and move to another state, while her 17-year-old daughter, Fatima, was also distraught about being forced to marry her cousin. Fatima Alawadi also reportedly received a crytpic text message shortly after the attack saying, "The detective will find out tell them (can’t) talk."

Chocolate.  If you like movies like the Ong Bak series then run don't walk to get this movie.  This movie is a Thai language movie, but is do densely packed with action that you can fast forward (or not) through all of the Thai dialogue and still have over 60 minutes worth of martial arts action to enjoy.  In fact this movie is so action packed you want to fast forward/rewind through the dialogue to watch the action.  There is a plot and storyline that is pretty good so if you want to watch this movie with the closed caption on since it is not dubbed you may be pleasantly surprised with that as well.

Cliff notes:

Mirlande Wilson told The New York Post April 1 that she alone bought one of the three tickets nationwide that will split a record $656 million payout.  However, this is where the tangled web of intrigue begins;  apparently Wilson bought the alleged ticket as part of a pool with co-workers at a local McDonald’s. Her co-workers are angry at Wilson, who claims she won with a ticket she bought for herself and has no intention of sharing.

“We had a group plan, but I went and played by myself. [The winning ticket] wasn’t on the group plan. I was in the group, but this was separate.  The winning ticket was a separate ticket,” the single mother of seven said as she and her fiancé left her home in the Westport neighborhood to attend church.

Then, after continued questioning later the same day, Wilson changed her story. “I don’t know if I won. Some of the numbers were familiar. I recognized some of [them],’’ she said. “I don’t know why people are saying differently. I’m going to go to the lottery office on Monday. I bought some tickets separately.”

Now this is where things get even more twisted, Yohannes Michael, a clerk at the 7-Eleven where Wilson bought the tickets, expressed doubts about her story when he said yesterday that lottery officials have looked at the store’s video and believe that a man bought the winning ticket. Maryland Lottery representatives would not confirm that.

Former President Bill Clinton said the “tragedy” of the killing of Trayvon Martin should cause a re-thinking of the “Stand Your Ground” law.

“There are different stories being told,” the former president said, “so the first thing I have to say is that it’s important to find out the facts.”

Clinton continued “but to me, beyond the incredible personal tragedy- this young man was not armed, he clearly presented no threat to anybody’s life — is, the most important thing I’ve read was from the former police chief in Florida in the community, he was one of many law enforcement officers testifying against that Stand Your Ground law. And he said, you know this is going to create all kinds of problems. And it’s going to be almost impossible to prove what was in someone’s mind when a certain thing happened.”

Clinton said “people have always had a right to have a handgun in their home- to protect their homes- then we’ve seen this breathtaking expansion of the concealed weapons laws in America moving from the late 90′s into this decade, far — if you will — to the extreme that America had ever been on these.

“And now the Stand Your Ground law,” he continued. “I think the law is going to create real problems because anyone can — anyone who doesn’t have a criminal background, anyone not prohibited by the Brady Bill and caught by the checks — can basically be a part of a neighborhood watch where they have a concealed weapon whether they had proper law enforcement training or not. And whether they’ve had any experience in conflict situations with people or not.

Dry, irritiated skin can be particularly problematic for Black skin, which already tends to be more sensitive - and is more likely to show outward signs of trouble.

So what's the answer?

Staying very hydrated, eating well and getting enough rest are all excellent ways to start. You should also invest in a few essential oils.

What Are Essential Oils?

These nutrient rich skin savers are created in small cavities in the cellular structure of plants, either in the root, bark, seed, peel or petal (as in the case of roses). Essential oils can play a significant role in skin care. Fresh herbs and essential oils penetrate deeply into your skin tissues to nourish, repair and restore balance to damaged skin by accelerating cell rejuvenation.

Your skin will improve with time and will appear healthy while at the same time you will be supplying your skin with the natural essences it craves. Their therapeutic properties allow them to effectively assist in the treatment of everything from blemishes, burns, dry skin, and minor skin rashes.