MORE THAN STICKS & STONES

 

If you grew up in the company of other children, there is a good chance you were privy to playground name-calling and the subsequent motherly advice that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. This well-meaning retort never really did much to disarm bullies. Even as young children, we understood that the little ditty was no more than a coping mechanism. Words really can hurt us because they yield more power than sticks and stones could ever possess.

BOOK REVIEW: “IN OUR HOUSE” BY MARALA SCOTT

GLEAM MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE: This is the first of the many book reviews to come. Gleam Magazine was fortunate enough to bring you an exclusive in depth interview with Author Marala Scott and co-author Tre Parker of the highly anticipated memoir In our house.   

 

 

In our house far surpasses the quintessential descriptive words commonly used to review a memoir. Nonetheless, Marala Scott has blazed a trail of her own by quickly establishing an extreme following of people who are ready to experience something real. By contrasting perception vs. reality, and confronting abuse, neglect and emotional distress Marala takes you on a journey through her childhood eyes, which witnessed abuse in every form, along with witnessing the effects of a demonically possessed parent. “For starters this is indeed and extremely emotional book, but there are a series of emotions you’ll feel when you read this book, you will laugh and cry” Marala says.  

MOVER & SHAKER

GLEAM PROFILE:  Entrepreneur Joshua Parker

His accomplishments range from being a motivational speaker and award winning scholar all the way to becoming a co-owner of a multi-million dollar business before he turns 24. The Kent State alumnus, graduated with his degree in Business Management and finance in 2007. Originally from California, the ambitious 23-year-old was the three time Ebony Achievement award winner inducted into the Alpha Kappa Mu organization  which is the highest scholastic award that is offered to African Americans. He is presently the co-founder of Constant Image, a digital advertising company that is projected to gross 1.5 million within the next year. To the less ambitious, his array of accomplishments may exude the makings of an overachiever, but to Joshua, it’s all about becoming a successful groundbreaking businessman, all the while using his resources to touch as many lives as possible

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Life in Transition

 

 

By Kate Crimisino

The end of August means more than the impending close of another summer. For students across the country, it means the beginning of a new semester. It means change and adjustment—whether with classes, goals or relationships. For freshmen or transfers, the transition to a new campus presents an exhilarating yet daunting season of life in a new and unfamiliar town.

Gleam Artist Spotlight: JAZMINE SULLIVAN

                                   GLEAM ARTIST  SPOTLIGHT

Who: Jazmine Sullivan
Album: ‘Fearless’
Video: ‘Need U Bad’
Hails From: Philadelphia, PA
For Fans Of: Rihanna and Ashanti
SOUNDS LIKE: A cross between Kim Burrell & Sara Vaughn

Why She’s About to Pop: As a young child, Jazmine Sullivan developed her vocal roots in her church choir. At age 11, the talented Philadelphia native appeared on national television when she sang ‘Accept What God Allows’ on ‘Showtime at the Apollo.’ Just two years after her television debut, Sullivan was presented with the opportunity to sing with the legendary Stevie Wonder before eventually signing her first recording contract at age 15 with Jive Records. The partnership with the label dissolved, but now this 21-year-old R&B singer is releasing a new album on September 23 on J Records, aptly called ‘Fearless.’ Catch Sullivan on select dates around the country this August. For tour dates, visit MySpace.com/jazminesullivan.

[CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN]
http://www.last.fm/music/Jazmine+Sullivan

COMPLETELY BURNED OUT

All fires burn out. Even the greatest of forest fires eventually gives way to nothing. Though it may at one time be blazing with heat, wildly untamed and raging with fury, a fire will die. Sure, it leaves its mark. There are scars everywhere. Blackened earth. Naked trees. Vast emptiness that once consisted of lush vegetation. Ashes everywhere. Yet the fire is gone, its life is over, forever.

FACES OF AFRICA

The Blooming Flower HouseOne morning, an American nurse visiting South Africa decided to take a new side road home from the AIDS hospice where she had been volunteering. She had heard rumors of a woman, very sick, possibly abandoned, living down that road. Carefully steering her car over potholes and ruts as deep as her axels, she hoped to avoid what would be a third flat tire this month. Little did she know, God was protecting more than her car that day.

 

THE TRAP OF MORE

Acceptable materials to start a fire: wood, old newspaper, twigs, gasoline and matches. Untraditional, but equally good, materials to start a fire: love notes from past relationships, written evidence of personal secrets, old journals and money.

The last one should grab your attention. Can you imagine a fire started by a pile of 100 dollar bills? Hardly. How would you react if I asked you to give me all of the money you had to start a fire? I’m guessing a punch in the face. Even if you let me, I would say you were a couple of crazies short of Tom Cruise. Too soon?

CONFRONTING CAREER DECISIONS

With summer more than halfway over, and college graduation but a fading memory, many people in their twenties are faced with a grim reality: They’re going to have to find a real job. Twentysomethings are at the difficult transition between allowing life to happen and learning to take charge of life. Understandably, it is a frustrating and frightening time, but also a potentially rewarding one.

LOSS OF A COMEDIC LEGEND

   

           COMEDIAN/ ACTOR BERNIE MAC DIES AT AGE OF 50

THE FUTURE OF YOUNG BLACK HOLLYWOOD

 

The celebrities we love to watch and listen to have done only what God intended by being fruitful and multiplying. Now, their offspring are following in their footsteps giving the future of young black hollywood a new batch of talent next in line to take the world of entertainment by storm.

          [CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS]

 

THE HARDEST LESSON IN LUST

Growing up in the Church I frequently heard lessons about the sin of fornication and the need for sexual purity. Yet, I never received any clarity as to why exactly purity was such a desired asset. I knew that God was entirely pure and holy and therefore that if I were not, we weren’t on the same page, but I did not know how to apply such a lesson in my life.

LITTLE GREEN MONSTER

 

Most of us stopped believing in monsters by the time we were out of elementary school. With our parents’ reassurance and a quick glance with a flashlight, it was easy to dismiss the notion that a monster could be living under our bed … or in our closet … or wherever it is monsters lurk.

However, it’s not so easy to rid ourselves of the one monster who follows us on to the paths of our adulthood. He emerges in many areas of our lives, affecting everything, including our pocketbooks. He’s subtle, unassuming and green.

EVERYDAY WAYS TO STAY AFLOAT

It’s no secret that with the economy the way it is in America, many are hurting right now. When one listens to the radio or watches television, economic issues are hardly escapable. Yes, financial matters are unavoidable—but money isn’t something that should to be feared. Here are some practical tips to help you intelligently, responsibly spend and save money in your everyday routine.

SURVIVING LIFE AFTER COLLEGE

 

 

 

To many people graduation is a time of happiness, accomplishment, and the successful end to 4-5 years of academic discipline. That may be true, but for many of those who will be putting on a cap and gown every spring, it is also a time of anxiety, uncertainty, fear, and self-doubt. How can this be? Many of these students understand that graduation does not represent the end, but rather the beginning. This is the beginning of a 40-60 year swim through and across the tumultuous rapids known as the adult workforce. They don’t call it a commencement ceremony for nothing!

LET IT BURN

 

BURNING THE BRIDGES TO A TOXIC PAST

There is a verse in a song by Erykah Badu that came out a few years back that goes “Bag lady, you gon hurt yo backdragging all them bags like that, I guess nobody every told you all you should hold onto, let it go, let it go, let it gol let it go. I’m not sure what faith Erykah is, but that song is a bit prophetic.

Looking back over my life and some of the mistakes that I made in the past, if there’s one dominating factor to the root of all my problems, it would be lacking the ability to let things go.

BLACK BOYS INTERRUPTED

A 2007 study of more than 105,000 students in Maryland’s Prince George’s County, where African Americans made up about 65 percent of the enrollment, showed that black male pupils performed comparably to boys and girls of all races on first- and second-grade standardized math and reading test. But by fourth grade, African American boys experienced a sharp decline in their scores. More recent national studies have shown similar findings: In 2008, fourth-grade reading scores of African American boys lagged behind those of all other groups at the same grade level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. It’s sobering to think that any group of kids as young as eight or nine years old can lose interest in school. But a number of experts have been making this observation about black boys for more than two decades. (Although the performance of black girls also declines around the same age, the dip isn’t nearly as pronounced and is often recouped in later years, researchers say.)

I’VE BEEN FIRED… NOW WHAT?

Okay, you’ve just been canned, given the boot, let go, sent packing, terminated, or whatever descriptive you may choose to use. We know that getting fired from your job aint a nice experience… yep; we said “aint.” With the economy taking a spiraling nose dive and gas prices soaring towards the inner galactic galaxies and beyond, the last thing anyone can stomach would be receiving the old ax from their job. According to Business Week the average employee has a one-in-three chance of getting fired. In order to supplement income, a number of families are finding themselves searching for a second job just to stay afloat, and even those are hard to come by. Nevertheless, the main question to your demise would be “what do I do now?” We’ve taken the time to construct a nice little repair kit to help you dust yourself off and go back at it again.

ADDICTED TO MYSPACE

      

 

 

I’ve been having trouble beating my addiction. I’ve tried and tried, but it seems like I will never be free. It’s the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I do before I go to bed. I do it at least 12 times a day, sometimes more. Curse you MySpace! I remember when I was the chick who wasn’t doing the MySpace thing. Not being much of a computer type, I just couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.

UP AGAINST ALL ODDS

                      THE STORY OF DE’ANDRE FORNEY

 

There is a future seat in congress with De Andre Forney’s name on it. With his second election under his belt,  the highly driven 26-year-old has overcome extreme obstacles to get to where he is right now. “My life story seems to make people cry every time tell it” said Forney. Like too many children these days, I grew up never knowing who my biological father was.