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The blog includes Tavis' Take 2 video blog, answers to your personal finance questions from Michelle Singletary, news and opinion by young writers and commentary from guests and staff.

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Guest Blog

Biking for Obama: One-Year Reflection
Posted by Guest Blogger, December 6, 2009 10:30 PM

RyanBowen-RS.jpgA version of this post was first published at BikingforObama.com

BY RYAN BOWEN

This week marks the one-year anniversary of that fateful Tuesday last December when I took off on my bicycle from Los Angeles en route to see President Obama's inauguration in Washington D.C. to document this historic moment in our nation's history.

I gained so many positive things from that 3,000-mile trip: new friends, a passion for cycling, a belief in the American people, optimism ...


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Photos by Danielle Helm.

Photos by Danielle Helm.

In 2005, The New York Times published an article called "Blacks Join the Eating-Disorder Mainstream." The article explained that "more blacks and other minorities have been seeking help from eating disorder clinics" and that "[n]o reliable numbers exist for how many minority women suffer from eating problems, but experts suspect that cases are increasing."

Yesterday, I shared my conversation with Stephanie Covington Armstrong, author of Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat, whose story of struggle to overcome childhood trauma, as well as an eating disorder that she developed in adulthood, serves as a cautionary ...


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Q: What is the best product available for someone looking to lower their monthly payment and get into a fixed-rate loan?

@bandre1906 via Twitter

A: There isn't one product for every homeowner. Obviously, to lower your payment from what you have now, you need to lower the interest rate. The tried and true 15-year mortgage and 30-year mortgage with a fixed rate is what people are after now.

But, what you can get these days, in terms of a better mortgage product, depends greatly on your individual financial situation.

Lenders are looking hard--finally--at people's financials. So, to qualify for the best ...


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Author Stephanie Covington Armstrong signs copies of her book

Author Stephanie Covington Armstrong signs copies of her book "Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat."

"I thought I was supposed to be a strong Black woman at every moment of my life," author Stephanie Covington Armstrong tells an audience at a reading and signing of her memoir in Pasadena, CA. "I didn't know I could get time off."

Armstrong is a Los Angeles-based writer whose childhood in Brooklyn, NY was marked by poverty, hunger and sexual abuse. Her memoir -- Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat -- describes her struggle to overcome childhood trauma as well as an eating disorder that she developed in adulthood -- Bulimia nervosa.

You ...


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Tiger Woods is keeping quiet as State Troopers and members of the media seek information regarding his Nov 27 accident

Tiger Woods is keeping quiet as State Troopers and members of the media seek information regarding his Nov 27 accident

On Friday this past week, famed PGA golfer Tiger Woods found himself in a car accident near his Florida home.

After going to the hospital to get medical attention, Woods had yet to make any statement publicly as to what happened.

As a result of neither Woods nor anyone from his camp releasing much information to the public, what ensued was a storm of reporters, media buzz and a host of unanswered questions leading to rumors and other speculation

What ...


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8 comments

Staff Blog

World AIDS Day 2009
Posted by Staff, December 1, 2009 11:57 AM

Since 1988, December 1st has been World AIDS Day -- the day to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS around the world. The theme this year -- HIV: Reality -- focuses on real accounts of life with HIV and AIDS.

And at a White House event on the eve of World AIDS Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the 2012 International AIDS Conference will be held in Washington, DC.

That announcement is significant, as the United States only recently lifted the entry ban for HIV-positive travelers. The ban will be ...


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Q: For people who live on a budget and are now unemployed, what can they do, other than look for a job and cut unnecessary expenses, to make it through this horrible economy?

Los Angeles, CA

A: I've been working with a few folks who are unemployed, and it's tough. It's tough to watch them struggle. It's tough having to advise them to cut out anything and everything that makes life comfortable and fun, such as eating out, watching cable or going out to catch the latest star-studded blockbuster movie.

I've consoled people when they didn't get a job that ...


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1 comment


 

Staff Blog

To Tweet or Not to Tweet ...
Posted by Staff, November 30, 2009 11:49 AM

Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire during the Nov. 25th game that led to his fine.

Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire during the Nov. 25th game that led to his fine.

Social Media Rule #18,526: Don't tweet while playing in an NBA game.

If you do tweet while playing in an NBA game, Amar'e Stoudemire (@amareisreal) and Tyson Chandler (@tysonchandler), the NBA will fine you $7,500 each.


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Young Voices

Has Dubai's Bubble Burst?
Posted by Jeremy Freed, November 29, 2009 11:08 AM

Back when I was in Dubai last spring, despite my gracious hosts' fervent, consistent and unerringly gracious denials that everything was A-okay in the Middle-Eastern emirate, something smelled a little fishy. And no, it wasn't the raw sewage that had been fouling the coastline around some of its nicer resorts (this was the reason, I found out after coming home, that our itinerary kept us well away from the beach).

The very notion of the place is, at best, fantastical; at worst, suspect. A glittering metropolis in the desert, built on a foundation of sand and ...


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Young Voices

A Final Farewell for Audiences
Posted by Sean Nixon, November 28, 2009 12:25 PM

The King of Pop delivers once again in the documentary

The King of Pop delivers once again in the documentary "This Is It."

If you're looking for something good to watch this holiday season and have a thing for music, one suggestion is to check out Michael Jackson in the documentary This Is It. The film serves as a final goodbye and an inside look into arguably one of the country's greatest entertainers of all time.

Fans and audiences waited eagerly this year to see the King of Pop return to stage on his farewell tour, which was scheduled to begin earlier this summer. When tragedy struck and news of Jackson's death hit ...


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5 comments

Staff Blog

While You Were Shopping ...
Posted by Staff, November 27, 2009 5:41 PM

Black Friday shoppers carrying bags up Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Black Friday shoppers carrying bags up Fifth Avenue in New York City.

If you were among the throngs of Americans out shopping and buying a bunch of items marked down from their original marked-up prices, then you might have missed these news items that are (arguably) interesting but have little-to-no impact on your life.

1) The FAA released the recordings from Northwest Flight 188. If you recall, the pilots of that flight were out of radio contact with air traffic controllers for more than an hour and flew 150 miles past their destination, all because of "cockpit distraction."

2) Some schools are encouraging students to use their ...


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1 comment


 

Young Voices

Okay, It's Enough Now
Posted by Jeremy Freed, November 27, 2009 6:00 AM

Rather than focusing on the fact that the Secret Service allowed two randoms to attend a White House dinner honoring the Prime Minister of India as part of their reality TV show pitch, I'd like to state for the record that reality TV is officially making the world a much worse place. We'll always have the crazies among us, the dysfunctionals, the narcissists; but why on earth should we give them TV shows? Not only that, why should we encourage them to pull stunts like this to get producers' attention?

Exhibit A: Jon and Kate Plus ...


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A Wealth of Knowledge

Retirement Strategies
Posted by Michelle Singletary, November 26, 2009 7:41 AM

Q: I have an IRA, but I am not putting anything in it, because I changed jobs. The current job does not have an IRA or anything. What can I do to still continue to save for retirement? Are there any types of IRA plans that I can get? Please help me, because my husband has a 401(k) plan, and he may be all right when he retires, but I will not be.

Macon, GA

A: Just because you can't continue contributing to a former employer's plan does not mean you can't continue to invest for retirement.

You might ...


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Young Voices

Coming Out of the Food Closet
Posted by Tamika Thompson, November 25, 2009 4:25 PM

Thursday will be my second Thanksgiving without meat. Last year, I made the mistake of not informing my family before the big day that I had made the decision to give up meat and seafood (but for the time being to still eat dairy).

And, because I hadn't let everyone in on my decision, I couldn't explain to them what that really meant for food preparation.

I ended up eating salad, cranberry sauce and bread. A lot of bread.

"Oh, Tamika. I didn't know! I can scoop those neck bones out of the greens before ...


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UNAIDS Exec. Dir. Michael Sidibé shows the annual report during a November press conference.

UNAIDS Exec. Dir. Michael Sidibé shows the annual report during a November press conference.

Check out these stats released Tuesday in Shanghai by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization:
- Globally 33.4 million people are living with H.I.V.

- In 2008, 2.7 million people were newly infected with the virus and 2 million people died from AIDS-related deaths.

- The total number of people living with H.I.V. in 2008 was 20% higher than the 2000 number.

The report -- "AIDS Epidemic Update 2009" -- attributes the continued rise in the H.I.V.-positive population to high rates of new infections and to the "beneficial impact of anti-retroviral therapy."

The ...


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1 comment


 

Take 2 with Tavis

The Recession Equalizer
Posted by Tavis Smiley, November 24, 2009 2:12 PM

Tavis discusses whether the recession is a racial equalizer and responds to viewer comments.


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A Wealth of Knowledge

Too Much Debt
Posted by Michelle Singletary, November 23, 2009 6:38 PM

Q: We have 15 to 25-year-old credit card debt now totaling $135,000. We are approaching retirement with five marriages between us (we have been married 20 years), but see no hope of eliminating this debt. We have closed all but one of 10 cards because we chose to opt-out rather than accept higher rates. Is bankruptcy our only choice, as we can no longer survive without the cards? Debt resolution does not seem to be a workable choice. What should we do?

New York

A: The first thing you need to do is close the remaining 10 ...


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KARENCHILTON-RS.jpgBY KAREN CHILTON

While the introduction of three new voices to talk TV--all African-American and all women--is historically significant, what is equally relevant is the relative ease with which they've been acknowledged and accepted by viewers across the demographic spectrum. 

Whether it is the shoot-from-the-hip style of Mo'Nique, the bawdy comedy of Wanda Sykes (pictured below), or the girlfriend-next-door gossip of former on-air radio personality Wendy Williams, television networks now offer audiences a choice of Black female ...


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1 comment


 

Young Voices

A Call for Sanity on Black Friday
Posted by Jeremy Freed, November 22, 2009 11:41 AM

As fellow blogger Sean pointed out recently, Black Friday is upon us. So-called because it's the first day of the year in which many retailers attain profitability, it's become synonymous with giant sales on everything from electronics to toys. Lately, however, it has also become infamous for the lengths people will go to get to said bargains.

Last year, at around this time, I blogged about the death of a Wal-Mart staffer in Long Island, who made the mistake of putting himself between the store's discounted merchandise and an hysterical crowd of bargain hunters who had ...


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Young Voices

Holiday Buyer Beware
Posted by Sean Nixon, November 21, 2009 9:49 AM

Holiday shoppers should take a careful look at store's availability of Black Friday merchandise

Holiday shoppers should take a careful look at store's availability of Black Friday merchandise

Look out Black Friday shoppers. There is a deal that you may not be expecting that could leave many singing the holiday blues.

CNN Money.com
reports that while some retailers are luring customers into their stores this holiday season with teaser ads for great products, these too good to pass up bargains may be virtually gone before you ever get to the store.

Ads like these usually employ subtle words such as "limited quantities" or "while supplies last."

To the casual listener, that doesn't sound so bad, right? Well, what if there are only ...


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Young Voices

Twilight: A Primer for Adults
Posted by Jeremy Freed, November 20, 2009 6:08 AM

It's been impossible to ignore the hype surrounding this weekend's release of the second installment in the Twilight franchise, a story about abstinence and being a teenage vampire.

Call me curmudgeonly, but I really don't get it. I don't get the current vampire zeitgeist, and I don't get why so many people are so crazy about these Twilight books. Virtually every single publication in existence has had an article about what this whole trend means and, after reading a lot of them, it's still not really clear.

The good ...


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A Wealth of Knowledge

Are You a Millionaire?
Posted by Michelle Singletary, November 19, 2009 11:41 AM

Q: How do you determine if you are a millionaire? What items do you include in your analysis?

A: What you are asking is what's your net worth. That's how you determine if you're a millionaire.

Interestingly, most people have no idea what their net worth is or even how to figure it out. The Consumer Federation of America and the Financial Planning Association sponsored a survey a few years ago and found that only about half (49%) of adults know what personal net worth is. Even after survey participants were given the definition of personal net worth, ...


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Young Voices

Small Victory for Katrina Survivors
Posted by Sean Nixon, November 19, 2009 5:15 AM

A judge ruled that negligent oversight played a role in the instability of New Orleans levees during Hurricane Katrina

A judge ruled that negligent oversight played a role in the instability of New Orleans levees during Hurricane Katrina

For years, many have speculated that the disasters that took place along the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina were more than just a catastrophic occurrence.

While many agree that Hurricane Katrina was indeed horrific, some believe part of the wreckage and destruction resulted from man-made errors.

According to a recent ruling by a court judge, it appears that the government did in fact make some mistakes.

An article in The New York Times reports that a federal circuit court judge ruled Wednesday evening that the Army Corps of Engineers ...


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Staff Blog

Is the Recession a Racial Equalizer?
Posted by Staff, November 18, 2009 9:26 AM

Job seekers at an employment fair in Southern Florida.

Job seekers at an employment fair in Southern Florida.

There have been Op-Eds in The New York Times saying that "blacks are the ones who are taking the brunt of the recession, with disproportionately high levels of foreclosures and unemployment."

But a recent article in the paper asserts that the recession is helping bridge the racial divide in a suburb of Atlanta. The article quotes an African American woman, Keasha Taylor, who is seeking help at the Division of Family and Children Services:

"Right now, a lot of white people are in this situation," Ms. ...


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7 comments


 

As the three-day World Summit on Food Security in Rome began addressing the more than one billion people worldwide who are going hungry Monday, an annual report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed that 17 million American households (14.6%) had "difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year" in 2008.

Looking for a way to help? Donate or volunteer at one of Feeding America's more than 200 food banks.


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Take 2 with Tavis

Healthcare in this Economy
Posted by Tavis Smiley, November 16, 2009 3:29 PM

Tavis discusses the need for healthcare reform in the wake of the economic recession. On the site last week we asked, "Have you lost healthcare coverage because of the recession?" Viewers shared their stories and Tavis includes some of them in the video blog.


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2 comments


 

Q: I need ideas on how to develop a retirement budget. Do you have recommended Web sites people can go to and get information for developing one?

Dumfries, VA

A: One of the best retirement calculators is the Ballpark E$timate, created by the Choose to Save Program. This nonprofit aims to help people become better money managers.

The retirement calculator is an easy-to-use, two-page worksheet that helps you figure out how much you need to save to fund a comfortable retirement. You have to complete several fields of information, including about your expected Social Security benefits and assumptions ...


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Young Voices

The Lighter Side of Bankruptcy
Posted by Jeremy Freed, November 14, 2009 8:41 AM

Bill Cotter, McSweeney's contributor and author of the book, Fever Chart, put some money on some credit cards to start a business. The business didn't take off. He ended up in debt. The story, give or take a few details, is common enough in America these days. Cotter's account of his ordeal, however, is something different.

Published in seven parts on the McSweeney's Website, Cotter's story of his situation not only details the bizarre world of debt collection and bankruptcy law, but does so in a way that makes those things far more interesting to read about ...


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A Wealth of Knowledge

Getting to the Root
Posted by Michelle Singletary, November 12, 2009 4:25 PM

Q: Here's my situation (deep breath). Due to surviving domestic violence during spring 2006, I made an emotional purchase two years after bankruptcy. I leased a gas-guzzling SUV and, by September 2007, I had to give it back, because I fell behind in my payments and could no longer afford it due to the gas prices being $4 a gallon. Well, since I broke the contract, I now owe $17,000, and I'm thinking about filing bankruptcy again. I also have $46,000 in student loans I'm repaying and about $3,000 in credit card debt, along with the usual household expenses--rent, ...


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BrandyHagelstein.jpgBY BRANDY HAGELSTEIN

Each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation that sets aside November as National Adoption Month. In addition to the presidential proclamation, many state governors also issue proclamations, in an effort to raise awareness of the need for loving and permanent homes for children in their states.

National Adoption Month, which was originally put in place to make adoption from the foster care system an important social issue, has now become the ...


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