17 Feb 12 Conference unifies black community
The Office of Minority Student Life (OMSL) is hosting its 7th Annual Black Issues Conference Friday at the UC, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The theme for this year’s event will be “Black in America: one Campus … one Community … Unified for one cause.” “every year I have been a UT student I’ve looked forward to this event,” Jeremy Donald, junior in journalism and electronic media, said. Since its start in 2005, the Black Issues Conference (BIC) has aimed to unite the campus and community by reflecting on the concerns of African-Americans. The conference’s main purpose is to present a forum of discussions on issues that affect the African-American culture. although the conference will focus on overcoming African-American conflicts, the forum is open to everyone. The conference and lunch are free to all UT students, faculty, staff and registered participants. “All races are welcomed,” said Christian Donaldson, senior in political science and member of the BIC planning committee. “although the forum focuses on the issues of African-Americans, the committee feels it’s important for other cultures to come so that others can see just how important it is for us to find solutions, and just how relative these issues can be to them as well.” The itinerary for the students includes attending three sessions followed by lunch and a keynote speaker. although the students will only attend three, there will be several sessions to choose from. The speaker will be political activist and writer Kevin Powell. The topic of his speech will be “The Leadership we are Waiting for Is Us: how to Become an Effective Leader.” Powell is the author or editor of 11 books and is widely considered one of America’s leading political and cultural voices of the 21st century. Powell’s writings have appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Post, Newsweek, Essence, Ebony, Esquire, Rolling Stone and Vibe. “The Black Issues Conference is by far one of the greatest events I have ever attended,” X-Zaviana Boddie, recent graduate of UT, said. “I am amazed at how far this tradition has come and hope that it continues to grow as it helped me to do.” Several organizations have come together to ensure that this year’s conference is a success. The planning committee consists of members from organizations such as the National Advancement of Colored People (NACP), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), Black Cultural Programming Committee (BCPC), Student Government Association (SGA), Student Services Center (SSC), Central Program Council (CPC) and Diva Opals. Anderson Olds is president of UT’s branch of NAACP and co-chair of the event, along with Tanisha Jenkins, senior associate director of OMSL. Both Olds and Jenkins have been co-chairs of the event for two years. “I am very pleased with the amount of time and hard work this year’s planning committee has put into the program,” Olds said. “our main goal was to make sure this year’s issues were more local so that the students and community could better relate, and I commend everyone involved in the planning committee for making sure that will happen.” Sponsors of the BIC include the Office of Minority Student Life, NAACP, Charlie Lemmons Foundation, Black Cultural Programming Committee, Commission for Blacks, Black Alumni Council, Office of Equity and Diversity, Office of Disability Services, College of Business and Administration, UT Book Supply stores and the Division of Student Life. to register for the conference go to omsa.utk.edu/bic/index.php. For more information, contact Multicultural Student Life at (865) 974-6861, or e-mail .
17 Feb 12 Wedding planner Mindy Weiss never saw Heidi Klum’s divorce coming
“I always say I’m responsible for the wedding, not the marriage.’’ That’s Mindy Weiss’ motto. the Los Angeles-based wedding planner to the stars has seen her fair share of happy endings — and ugly divorces.
But that doesn’t mean Weiss has given up hope. she recently came out with a new book, the Wedding Planner & Organizer (Workman, $28.95), helping brides keep it together on their big day. Literally. It’s a three-ring binder with tons of advice on budget, locations, the dress, guests and more. with features like a pouch for fabric swatches, the Wedding Planner can turn into a scrapbook and hand-me-down when the honeymoon is over.
We spoke to the happily married mother of three from her home in L.A. before her planned trip to David’s Bridal in Hialeah on Thursday evening, but unfortunately she came down with “a really bad flu,’’ and had to cancel. Still, Weiss did give us dirt on major Hollywood couples she helped down the aisle, and we wouldn’t want it to go to waste:
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden: “Nicole had a Marie Antoinette theme at her father Lionel Richie’s house. we actually built kind of a structure over the pool, and it looked like it was part of the house. nobody could tell they were in a tent. we tufted the ceiling in blue and did a whole kind of black-and-white checked marbled floor, so the contrast between the two was amazing. she had torn out pictures she’d seen of what she wanted, so it made it really easy on me.’’
Backstreet Boy AJ McLean and Rochelle Karidis: “they wanted a Goth theme. we hand-painted blood coming down the cocktail linens. the centerpieces were red rose hearts with a dagger in them. It was colorful and full of personality. I always tell couples to personalize it. at the end of that one, there wasn’t anyone wondering whose wedding they were at.’’
Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi: “It was a small dinner party, only 22 people. Portia loves flowers, and Ellen’s taste is impeccable. There was one long table of beautiful flowers going all the way down the middle.’’
Fergie and Josh Duhamel: “they did it at a private home with around 300 guests. her dream was an indoor garden, with a forest feeling. I made a custom graffiti wall with little symbols of what they like: Fergie’s music and Josh loves fishing, so we painted a fishing pole.’’
Heidi Klum and Seal: “I did their original wedding in 2005 and remember, they renewed their vows every year. Everyone always dressed up; the funniest was a trailer-trash party. last year, we went Venetian ball. Their split was a big shock to me. I didn’t know about it, and she’s a close friend. I think she was dreaming about the fairy tale. She’s strong, and they’re friendly. I know they’ll figure out a way to raise the children.’’
Russell Brand and Katy Perry: “It was amazing. we went to India, where I probably never would have gone. I am with people during the best time of their lives, or what they think is the best time, so it’s always sad. Divorce happens all the time, you just hear about it more frequently when people are famous. Marriage is another job; you have to work on it. It’s not you in the apron singing in the kitchen. It’s bringing two completely different people together. you have to have a strong foundation or else you’re not going to make it.’’
17 Feb 12 Architects unveil preliminary drawings for new library
claudiaminerva wrote on Feb 9, 2012 10:50 AM:" Here are some interesting quotes from a report called: Public Libraries in the Priorities of Canadacollectionscanada.gc.ca/6/7/s7-3000-e.html"Community viability: The small local public library is a lynchpin in maintaining community viability where many banks, schools, and other public institutions have closed. as a huge country, where rural and remote communities account for approximately two-thirds of the land mass but only one-fifth of the people, Canada aspires to ensure the viability of its smaller, remote, and Aboriginal communities and to occupy its territory securely. a continuing financial and policy investment in public libraries and the infrastructure of connectivity is therefore a continuing investment in small, rural, and remote community viability.Local economic development: On the local economic development front, most current and expected job growth is in small business. Canada’s public libraries support job creation and enhancement. They are among the most accessible and successful of business incubators. The integrated resources of public libraries are ideal for the small business, home-based business, and business start-up niche. for example, a small business in landscaping requires not only business finance and administration resources, but also specialized information about plants, soils, safety, equipment, and insects. Public libraries work effectively with advisory (e.g., business planning) services to deliver the combination of information, training, and advice that is key to successful business start-up. They are also popular destinations for tourists, now that all provide Internet access, assisting visitors with travel plans and email updates "
17 Feb 12 Leave a Comment!
This is time of year when many Canadians start to think about their RRSP. if you’re like me you’re also giving some thought to how much money you’re prepared to lose investing in Mutual Funds. I received an email this week from a financial planner at my bank reminding me that the deadline to contribute is February 29th. That was very thoughtful of him, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he didn’t remind about how much I’ve lost in the last couple years. I guess they figure I should be happy because I’m only this far away (thumb and first finger about an inch apart) from breaking even. It’s gotten to the point today where breaking even is a reason to celebrate.
I came across some statistics today that I found stunning, and it should give tax payers and the Federal Government pause for concern. According to Statistics Canada, 93% of Canadians have the ability to make RRSP contributions. yet only 26% of those eligible made a contribution in 2010. in real dollars a total of $34 billion was contributed by those who made a contribution in 2010. yet there was room for $665 billion in total contributions. Ouch, that’s a wee bit of a gap. The reason this could be painful for all is that our society is aging. There is no way that Fed’s will be able to meet the financial burden required to provide retirees a pension which could translate into a decent standard of living. therefore, if the issue isn’t addressed today the Canadian tax payer will have to make even greater contributions then they do today.
The reason given for the unused contributions is that low income Canadians cannot afford to make contributions. According to a report in the Financial Post, “Someone earning under $40,000 or so annually would generally be better off saving through Tax Free Savings Accounts than RRSP’s to avoid losing various income-tested government benefits such as Guarantees Income Supplement, which is clawed back based on net income, including RSSP or RIFF withdrawals. TFSA withdrawals are not considered income and thus do not effect income tested benefits”. well that makes perfect sense…if I’m a freakin’ accountant. How on earth can lower income Canadians possibly understand what’s available to them when the tax code is written in a way that only graduates from M.I.T can understand? for those in the middle or upper income class, they hire an accountant to figure it out. yet those who need the council the most have no place to turn.
There’s really a bigger issue here – it’s financial literacy. I’m of the opinion that our education system has failed in this regard. Learning trigonometry is important but if kids don’t know what it means to balance a cheque book f(x) = aò + ? [(n=1) aÕ cos=n?? / ?] +Œ = FLAT BROKE. Financial literacy has to become a part of the curriculum. If we don’t want future generation to become a financial burden on society, we have to teach them to take care of themselves financially. As for my own RRSP contribution, if the financial planner at my bank can figure out a way to make the money I’m about to put under my mattress an RRSP contribution, he’ll get my business. if not, I like my chances of getting a better return under my mattress. At least I’ll break even, well, not when I factor in cost of living and inflation. but at least I’ll feel a little better.
Until next time,
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