Breast Cancer

To be checked for breast cancer means to examine the breast before there are signs of disease. The mammogram method of examination is most effective compared to clinical and self breast examinations. Many doctors agree to have this exam done once a year after the age of 40. Breast Cancer Action suggest women make their own decision to have a mammogram or take advantage of technology. Although guidelines by breast cancer screenings may lead to a loss in mammogram coverage, insurance companies will still pay an annual fee. Experts appointed by the government can not change federal policies. . The U.S Preventive Services Task Force believes women under 50 do not need screening and women over 50 only need them every other year.  Once done in the past by the Preventive Services Task Force,  the age of Cervical Cancer Screenings when from the age of 20 to 25 only being screened every 3-5 years. Britain’s National Health System sees this pushback in age as the government health care system trying to save money. The American Cancer Society reported that 80% of breast cancer appears in women over the age of 50 and in women over 65, one to two people are killed.

http://wizbangblog.com

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/screening.htm

What is Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, means " porous bones ", this causes bones to become weak and brittle. Bones may become so weak that it becomes complicated to bend over, pick up objects or even cough. A major cause of this disease is weakened bones, which is caused by low levels of calcium,phosphorus

or other minerals in your body.Eventually fractures occur, mostly in the spine, hip or wrist.There are many risk factors that may increase your chance of having Osteoporosis.Fractures from this disease are twice as common in women because their bone mass is lower and women tend to live longer.

Women also experience a drop of estrogen at menopause that accelerates bone loss. Another risk factor is age, the older you become the weaker your bones become.Race is also an risk factor, your have a greater chance of having Osteoporosis if your white or of Southeast Asian descent. Black and Hispanic people have a lower chance, but still significant risk. Other risk are family history and tobacco use. Researcher do not know exactly what tobacco does,but it does play a role in the strength of your bones.

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia are at high risk of lower bone density in their lower backs and hips. Medications that thin your blood are also risk factors . Other factors are sedentary lifestyles, excess soda consumptions, chronic alcoholism, depression, breast cancer, low calcium intake and long term use of Corticosteroidmedications.

Symptoms of Osteoporosis are back pain, that may become severe if you have a fractured or collapsed vertebra. Also, a loss of height over time, with an accompanying stooped posture.Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is an important factor in reducing your chance in developing this disease. In some cases you may even be able to replace bones you have lost. The amount of calcium you need may change over time. Your body needs more calcium as a child, when your skeleton is growing rapidly and also during pregnancy. As you age, your body becomes less efficient at absorbing calcium, and your more likely to take medications that interfere with calcium absorption. To relieve symptoms, make sure

you maintain correct posture, this includes having your head held high, chin in, shoulders back, upper back flat and lower spine arched, this helps avoid stress in the spine. Prevent falls by wearing lower heeled shoes, keeping rooms brightly lit and grabbing bars when they are around. If you are a women, it is best to seek medical advice before starting your stage of menopause. Early detection is important in Osteoporosis, you should consider your risk factors.

A Little About Myself

My name is Jamesia Leonard and I would like to share a little information on my life and how I got to this day. It all started as a thought that my mom and dad had of creating something beautiful, well, I’ll fast forward a little. I was born in a small town called Jonesboro-Hodge, Louisiana. Very small and quaint place, Jonesboro was a nice place to grow up in. As time progressed, different things in my life started to happen and before you knew it, my mother and I packed up and moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, home of the mighty Ragun Cajuns.

Once we were established in Lafayette I began to meet a lot of people as well as friends. I attended Northside High School were I took a turn for the better. In high school you learn many things and go through many experiences and this is exactly what I did. My freshman year I didn’t take part in to many things, I decided to look around and observe my environment to see what was most fit for me. My sophomore year I took part in softball, track, participated in the band got involved with student council and many other organizations. I slowly took notice in the fact that I could do anything that I put my mind to. Even though this wonderful high school offered many things to do, I felt that I wasn’t apart of the best thing.

 The Northside High School Drill S.Q.U.A.D was the best organization that existed on this campus. The purpose of The Drill S.Q.U.A.D was to create strong and unique individuals through the art of stepping. I decided to tryout and to my surprise I didn’t make it. This taught me that everything in life is as easy as I thought but never give up. Later on in the year I decided to tryout again and I made it. As time passed this organization taught me many lessons and introduced me to new things in life. Through the Drill S.Q.U.A.D, I discovered my talent in speaking and became the sergeant of this organization. The responsibilities it carried was to speak on behalf of every member as well as my high school. Unfortunately, every good thing must come to an end and I had to graduate.

I decided to attend Grambling State University and after major thinking thought Mass Communication was the major for me. Just like my first year in college I decided to learn a little about everything before I indulged myself into everything. Black Dynasty Modeling Troup was something that I had to be involved in because it was something that seemed natural to me. My second semester a crossed and became a member of the Society of Distinguished Black Women. Although I was going through the transition from high school to college I still maintained a 3.8 grade point average.

Here I am today, a first semester sophomore involved and taking charge. I am not only a member of Black Dynast but I now am the walk tech of this organization and I play a vital role in the intake process. I’m still a member of The Society of Distinguished Black Women serving as the chair of the strut team, which is something I look forward to. I am currently the sophomore class president and a member of the Student Government Association. As you can see, I haven’t changed much as far as becoming in involved.

I haven’t quite decided what it is exactly in life that I want to do but I know that God has a plan for me. What ever my career maybe, I want it to involve interaction with people and the community. My career will help, serve and represent what ever the cause maybe that I choose to represent. I know that through God anything is possible and that I can do all things through Christ. Mass Communication is the major that is going to steer me in the right direction. My focus is Public Relations to use my talent in speaking to slowly make the world a better place.

Accept Yourself

Thought this poem was wonderful, not sure who wrote it but wanted to share it with you all anyway!!!

Accepting yourself

I give up! Lord knows I can't run as fast as you do
Nor can I sing even half as good; it's sad but true
When it comes to speaking, you are one up on me
My southern accent and my diction, they are the keys

When you're out in public, you are the center of attention
I stand alone within a crowd, my name is never mentioned
The ladies say you are smooth and possess great looks
I'll never be a ladies man, most of the time, I just got shook

You always had the money and drove the finest of cars
I've worked as hard as I could, I'm not mistaken for a star
Your overconfidence alway led you to think you were the best
If I did hangout with you, I always felt like I was less

It's taken all of my adult life to come out of your shadow
Now that I finally made it, I'm sorry I ever let it happen!
But now I am older and have had many experiences in life
I do not have to measure up to you, I can set my own sights!

I finally realized I had something that is so very, very great
I could not be just like you, I want to control my own fate!
With that being said, I will smile and continue to enjoy myself
My dear friends you too have much to offer, don't try to be
like someone else!

Success Runs in Our Race, George C. Frasier

Success Runs in our Race, written by George C. Fraser, was published in 1994 but revised by Amistad  in 2004. At this time, African Americans were dealing with the case of O.J Simpson and Michael Jackson being accused of molesting a 13 year old boy. America  witness the North American Free Trade go into effect but was devastated by an earthquake in Los Angeles causing 30 billion dollars in damage. This year like all other unit the books revising, America had its ups and downs.

George Fraser, writer of Success Runs in our Race, is the chairmen an CEO of FrasierNet,Inc. He founded this company with the goal of creating a global network for diverse human resources that would provide and increase opportunity for African American. George Fraser is considered the new voice of African Americans and a networking Guru. He has written numerous books including Success Runs in Our Race,2004; Journeys in the Canyon Land of Utah and Arizona 1914-1916,March 1,2005; Race For Success, Feb.1, 1999. Mr. Fraser has been written about in many magazines including the world renown Black Enterprise.

Through effective networking with all ethnic backgrounds and working together for the betterment of our race, African Americans can reach economic and social empowerment. Success Runs in Our Race was written to encourage and inform readers about the power that lies in networking. The key to success is in the willingness to ask for help. This book provides keynotes and tips on how to make networking a way of life. For African Americans, if effectively used, this can possibly be a movement in is our own generations civil rights. Its is said you go as far as your network.

The time span this book covers is from its publishing to now and forever. It speaks to all classes and encourages a connection amongst them. The topic of networking is a broad topic that touches all generations and carries itself to the next. No matter the time frame in which a person may dwell or their age factor, networking will be a topic that will forever present itself as important.

There are three parts of Success Runs in Our Race which include: Success Runs in Our Race, Party For a Purpose: The Power of Networking and Creating a Success Stereotype. Part one, Success Runs in Our Race discusses includes chapter 1’s Twenty Thousand Personal Guides to Success, chapter 2’s It takes a Village to Raise a Child and chapter 3’s Perceptions, Reality, and  Excellence. Next, part two consist of chapter 4 Entrepreneurship and Networking, chapter 5 Getting Together to Get Ahead, chapter 6 Make Networking Work for You, chapter 7 The Art of Network Conversation, and chapter 8 Networking for a Purpose. Part three or Creating a Success Stereotype is followed with chapter 9’s Networking as a Way of Life and chapter 10 with Network at Work. Through many of these chapters, I found answers to the many questions about effective networking.

The literary technique used in Success Runs in Our Race is writer’s voice. While using the writer’s voice technique a combination of the various structures aspects of the authors writing style are shown. This style made Success Runs in Our Race understandable as well as easy to read and retain. The pattern noticed in this book is three parts broken down into chapters while chapters are broken down into topics. I truly enjoyed reading such a well structured book.

Success Runs in Our Race includes numerous documents, quotes as well as tips from other sources. Quotes used from Marilyn French Hubbard, Willie Jolley, Teresa Hairston and many other leaders and net workers are all words directly form them also known as a primary source. This well structured book provided no misstatements of fact to my knowledge. George C. Fraser also provides readers with experiences he has had personally in order to give some information written in this book.

The purpose of this book is to provide a complete guide to effective networking. As a person who has read Success Runs in Our Race, it is my word that the purpose is for filled. Success Runs in Our Race answers many questions that may be raised and gives information that may not have been considered. I loved reading Success Runs in Our Race because it is a straight forward way to show, teach and inform all readers about networking. This book is read and applied by all who read it, it has the power to form the new Underground Railroad. I recommend this book to people of all ages and classes. There is no one to young or old to climb the latter of success through networking.

Tyler Perry

Due to the fact that Tyler Perry has release yet another fabulous movie, For Colored Girls, I've decided to give you all a little information about him. Here goes.......

Tyler Perry as we all know him, was born Emmitt Perry Jr on September 13, 1969. He grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana with both parents Emmitt Perry Sr. and Willie Maxine Perry. His parents were hard working people who instilled the same ethics into Tyler in hopes that he would become a great man. Though in the process of becoming that man, Tyler suffered with an irregular and abusive relationship with his father. His childhood with his father was something Tyler did not enjoy to look back on. A beating, physical harm or emotional damage was the only way his father knew how to handle situations. The abuse Tyler endured was so harmful and hurtful that he attempted suicide in hopes to escape all of the pain. With such a forceful father, it was a blessing to have a mother who truly cared. As hard as his mother tried she could not protect him from everything. Tyler was molested by a friend’s mother and another friend’s father all while his father molested a friend of his. To keep him away from the danger of his father and fear of being hurt, she kept him in church to physically protect him and spiritually strengthen him. At the age of 16 Tyler change his name from Emmitt to Tyler in the an effort to distance himself from his father. To forget the pain he used writing as a means of relaxation and a temporary comfort.

Tyler began to write a series of letters to himself which later was the foundation of the musical I Know I’ve Been Changed. At the age of 22, Tyler lost $12,000 in premiering this musical at a local theater in his community for the first time. Tyler may suffered a financial failure but he hope that people gained self-worth, forgiveness and dignity from watching his musical. He decided to rewrite the musical several times but they all too ended in failure. Not giving up, Tyler finally hit it big in 1998 at the age of 28. The musical was finally recognized and from then on his work was known to many. Tyler Perry’s live productions on averaged were filled with 35,000 people a week.

His career had taken flight and there was no stopping it. He produced and directed his first movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman with a budget of $5.5 million and hit a net gross of $50.6  million. On the opening week of February 24-26,2006 Madea’s Family Reunion open number one in the box office selling $30.3 million. His next project with Lionsgate Entertainment was Daddy’s Little Girls which started Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba followed by Why Did I Get Married also opening at number one. Due to his gift in writing and the appearance of Janet Jackson, Tasha Smith, Sharon Leal and Jill Scott, Meet the Browns opening on March 21 had sold $20,082,809 in a weekend. His next production was grossed over $37.1 million on Sept. 12,2008 was entitled The Family That Preys. The funny Madea Goes To Jail unsurprisengly opened at number one grossing $41 million, making Feb. 20,2009 his largest opening date. Tyler also directed I Can Do Bad All By Myself, his eight film also selling number on in the box office. In 2009 Tyler Perry collaborated withOprah Winfrey in presenting the movie Precious which was based off of the novel Push by Sapphire. Showing great consistency Tyler’s Why Did I Get Married Too opened in theatre featuring Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett, Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and Jill Scott. The most recent For Colored Girls realeased November 5, 2010 well on its way to becoming another successful movie by Tyler Perry himself.

Tyler Perry’s stage plays inlclude:

• I Know I’ve Been Changed (1998)
• I Can Do Bad All By Myself (1999)
• Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2001)
• Madea’s Family Reunion (2001)
• Madea’s Class Reunion (2003)
• Why Did I Get Married (2004)
• Meet the Browns (2004-2005)
• Madea Goes to Jail (2005-2006)
• What’s Done in the Dark (2006-2007)
• The Marriage Counselor (2008-2009)
• Laugh to Keep from Crying ( 2009)
• Madea’s Big Happy Family (2010)

Not only was Tyler a theatre producer, television director, film producer, screenwriter and actor, he was an author as well. His first novel was Don’t Make a Black Women Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life sold more than 25,000 copies. This voted book of the year reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list for 12 consecutive weeks. He was also granted Best Humor Book at the Quill Awards in 2006.

With consistent writing, the world is now very familiar with Tyler Perry as well as his work. He is well known for putting his name before his works such as Tyler Perry’s House of Pain. When you think of plays and movies he has written, the favored Madea comes to mind. Madea is a character in many of his films who is a combination of Tyler’s mother and grandmother. She is the symbol of strength and tuff love that most black families obtain. The name Madea means mother dear or is commonly referred to as great-grandmother. Many criticize this character, thinking that she is a symbol of a role that is vital to the black family and her role in Perry’s productions are unbecoming. Others embrace her and appreciate the message he is trying to portray. Overall Tyler always to get a positive message across to reach and teach those who choose to watch him.

A Thankful 2010 Thanksgiving

What am I Thankful For

As the Thanksgiving holiday’s approached many began to think of things they are thankful for. Wiser persons contemplated on the topic long before the conducive holiday arrived. Family, material objects and education are a few things that my ears heard from majority of my peers. Though they seem like the typical answer, they are very important to me as well and I couldn’t go a day without them.

           

Thanksgiving is usually a holiday that people spend with their family. This is apparent because of the love and gratefulness one may have and want to express. I am grateful for my family because of the love that they provide for me as well as the support I receive. As long as a person has family, friends aren’t a need as much as we think. I consider family the root and foundation of everyone life.  It because of my family that I receive an education today, participate in so many activities and life a life of accomplishment. With so much they’ve given me and I owe to them, my family has never asked for a dime back in return. For such love and generosity, I am most thankful for my family.

I am also thankful to my family as well as God for allowing me to receive and education. Being at an institution of higher learning is a key to developing skill, leadership and other rolls society has obligated me to possess. Education to not only blacks but black women has not always been given. I place myself in the shoes of young black women who lived 50 and 60 years ago and realize that I am most blessed to receive the gift of education. Some may take college for granted, not realizing the importance it will have on our live and impact the lives of our families. I confess that I am very thankful to one day be a college graduate; education is a key to the next step in life.

As a thank God in many of my prays, I cant help but to say thank you for the ones who care for me the most. This does include family but there are always people on the outside that would give the world to you if you ask for it; I am most blessed to have a few on them in mine. Gratefulness is the only word that can express how I feel about my sister back at home. It sometimes saddens my heart that I am not able to see them when I desire due to distance but I thank God that they are still apart of my life. I have a wonderful best friend who would do through the fire with me if I were too afraid to go alone. My boyfriend is my support system, my friend and an influential person in my life. I have friend that I've met while attending Grambling that will always be in my life. For the people I’ve listed and others that are always there I am most grateful and thankful to God that He has blessed me to live such a wonderful life.  I give thanks on everyday and everyone should too.