Tips For Black Love

Introduction

This paper is designed to provide practical tips and advice for Afrikan (Black) people seeking to build a new relationship or maintain and strengthen an existing relationship. It is the author’s belief that the current widespread disillusionment, frustration and sense of resignation that so many Black people express in relation to the current state of Black male/female relations (both sexual and non-sexual) is simply a sad symptom of how many of us feel about the ‘state of the Race’.

If you keep on doing the same thing you will always get the same result, therefore since most of us; whatever our perspective, would agree that too many of our relationships are not working, we can at least agree as a starting point that Black men and women are going to need to change their values, attitudes and behaviours if we are to heal this growing divide. Family is the basis of community and male/female relations are the basis of family, therefore if we do not repair our relationships everything else we seek to address e.g. education, economics etc. will end in failure.

TOP TIPS

• If you keep on doing the same thing…. – Most people subconsciously are drawn to a particular type of person. We have the tendency to repeat cycles of behaviour, which is fine for productive behaviours but not so good for dysfunctional behaviours. Assess your past partners, what they were like and why you got involved with them. If it hasn’t been working, do and choose something different.

• ‘The List’ – Everyone has heard of sisters’ list. Well, brothers have a list as well. It is a trueism that men focus on looks and women on money/status, but like most trueisms there is some truth to it, only now the sisters want the looks and the wealth! Sisters, reduce the list by half, then burn it! Brothers, get mental as well as physical!

• ‘Birds of a feather….’ – Your (prospective) partner’s friends will tell you a lot about who they really are. Check them out before you get too deeply involved.

• Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it - It is another trueism that we often know more about what we want than what we really need and the two are often some distance apart.

• What is your relationship model – How did you come to your ideas of what a good relationship is? Are there good Black relationships that you have experience of that you are seeking to emulate?

• Respect – You can have Respect without Love but not Love without Respect. If s/he routinely disrespects you; get outta there.

• Physical Violence – Once is once too many. They get help or they get out.

• Power – Brothers, you don’t need to have ‘power over’ your woman. Sisters, you don’t need to ‘outman’ your man. We both need Black Power!

• Sex - Sisters, don’t give up the tings too quick! Almost invariably it is the woman who decides when sex first takes place in a relationship. Don’t make him wait for the sake of it, make him wait so that you can get to know each other emotionally, psychologically, intellectually … and then physically.

• Infidelity – infidelity usually ends up destroying relationships because it destroys trust.

• Money - It may be the root of all evil however it is also the cause of many broken relationships (more than are due to sexual issues). Get financially literate, set joint financial objectives and discuss your finances regularly with your partner.

• Marriage – Brothers, if you seriously love her and she loves you, then get married. Marriage is good. It doesn’t have to be big, fancy and expensive, just a public declaration of Black on Black Love.

• Extended Family – Relationships are a buy one get several (dozen) relatives for free. Check them out early on since you can choose your friends but not your partner’s relatives!

• Religion/Spirituality – One can be religious without being spiritual, spiritual without being religious and religious and spiritual. In general; people committed to a religion, particularly a proselytising religion (e.g. Christianity and Islam), are best off with someone from the same religion.

• Children - ‘Children are the gift of Life…’. Both of you need to be in the same ballpark when it comes to having children i.e. how many and when. Get this issue sorted out before you commit or it will return to haunt you.

• Some People Change and some don’t – Often Men think that their woman won’t change and Women think that they can change their man.

• Progressive Compromise – The writer Haki Madhubuti coined this term. It is about growing together and being able to differentiate between negotiable and non-negotiable issues. If you both share the same values you will find that most issues are negotiable.

• Taking your partner for granted – Bad habits are easily formed and hard to break. Taking your partner for granted is one of the worst relationship habits. Always remember how you treated each other in the early days.

• Seeking Help – An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Don’t be afraid to seek help from people you both respect and trust.

Tips for Organizing Your Wardrobe

Your wardrobe is where you start your day. If it's organized, you can get going quickly. If it's not, finding the right outfit could be the start to a rushed, confused day. When trying to organize your life, the closet can be a great place to start. By taking just a few steps, you'll be able to start your day knowing you can find everything you need to get dressed.

1. Separate your clothes by season. It's much harder to find the right outfit if you're constantly rummaging through December's sweaters. You don't have to pack your out-of-season clothes away, unless there are space concerns. Just make sure they're out of the way in the back of the closet.

2. Don't cram everything in! Hangers should fit easily between other garments. If you're having trouble getting everything into your closet, it's time to take something out. You can either put the excess clothes in storage, or get rid of them entirely.

3. Make every garment worth it. This includes special occasion outfits, everyday wear, and even socks and underwear. Get rid of clothes that are out of fashion, even if they have sentimental value. Give away anything that doesn't fit – and no planning to diet until you can wear it again! Many of us have sworn to lose ten pounds and fit that pair of jeans again, but they almost always just clutter up our wardrobes. If a garment is too worn for anything but wear around the house, save it for rags or get rid of it. You only need a few “scrungy” outfits.

4. Organize your wardrobe in small bursts. This can be a big project for a lot of us. Clothes accumulate over the years, and without a regular closet cleanup, organizing them can be a daunting task. That's why you should just work on a little bit at a time. Consider having a friend over to help you choose what should stay and what should go.

5. Cull your shoe collection. Over time, we collect more shoes than we can wear, especially as they go in and out of style. A few basics are all you really need to accessorize most outfits.

6. If you haven't worn it in a year, let it go. Sure, some clothes are seasonal or special occasion. However, if it's been sitting in your closet for a year, the chances are good that you won't wear the garment again before it goes out of style. While it's always good to have some basics for special occasions, holding on to old bridesmaids' dresses, “date night” outfits, and clothes you just don't like uses up valuable space and forces you to spend time searching through clothes you'll never wear to find the ones you do.

Organizing your wardrobe is one important step to getting your whole life organized. If you don't have to spend valuable time trying to figure out what to wear, you can get on with your morning. Don't spend your days in a rush because you couldn't find the right shoes or jacket. Instead, pare your wardrobe down to just what you need, and take time to enjoy yourself. Organizing your wardrobe is the first step to coordinating everything in your life.

Stock Market Strategies For Investors

Investors can use a number of strategies to invest in the stock market. To begin with, they need to analyze market trends, learn about the market in which the companies they are interested in operate, and purchase shares at an appropriate time.

Usually, good companies announce their profits, or their status in the market, at certain times of the year. The prices of their shares tend to increase before such announcements are made. Therefore, investors need to watch out for these periods, and not purchase shares at this time. In other words, it is important to wait for the right ‘Market Timing’ for trading in shares. Some basic stock market strategies for investors are listed below: -

Make a well-planned investment portfolio that satisfies a particular level of risk tolerance.

Keep reviewing and updating the investment portfolio to keep up with market trends.

The technical analysis of stocks helps in gaining better knowledge about a company: its profits, its market capitalization, and its future growth prospects. Equally important is to be able to understand and apply the quantitative measures of the stock market.

Since investing in the stock market is complex, inexperienced investors should always seek help from financial advisors and stock market analysts before committing themselves and their money.

The motto being “Buy Low and Sell High”, always buy shares when their prices are low, and sell them when the price goes up.

Invest intelligently. A sharp sense of the market, along with a good knowledge of the company you plan to invest in, helps in making better investment decisions. Investors should thoroughly research the market in which the chosen company operates.

Long-term vision and planning is vital. Investors should evaluate their capital strength, and set their tolerance limits, before investing in a company. This means, knowing when to hold on to the shares, and when to quit.

It is generally advised to devise and apply an exit strategy cautiously. Investors can make their exit when they have gained good returns over a certain period.

The returns gained from selling the shares of a company can be re-invested in some other, promising higher profits.

Investors should also set their tolerance limit for the amount of loss that they are ready to bear when the market is down. They can exit when their losses approach or cross this predetermined limit. This strategy of limiting the amount of loss an investor can withstand is commonly known as “Stop Loss Limit”.

Another strategy investors can follow is to ‘Buy and Change Frequently’. Market research shows that every company has some limit on the expected gains from their shares. Investors can therefore move out of a stock when they have achieved maximum returns from shares accordingly. It is important to invest in a variety of companies to withstand the losses of a few.

The objective of any investment is to maximize returns while minimizing risks. Diversification helps in maximizing returns from investments in stocks and bonds by managing risks better. Investors ought to distribute their investments across several categories like foreign securities and mutual funds to be on the safe side, and in the process enjoy good returns.

How to Properly Use Housesitting Agencies

So, you're thinking about a new job and are considering using housesitting agencies to help you land one. This is a great idea because as house sitter you'll be able to help someone out as well as a good job for yourself. Read on to learn some reasons to use these agencies
If you are considering house sitting jobs, then it's very likely that you may need some help in landing a job and this is where agencies can offer you the most help to fulfill your dream of becoming a housesitter.

One of the great things about using an agency to help you land a job is that this will make it much easier for you. It's so much easier to get help from others to allow you the benefits of the many house sitting opportunities.

Listed below are some of the advantages to using housesitting agencies to aid you in finding a job:

• When you enroll with agencies, they will then have all your contact information on file. When a job arises in an area you're interested in, then they will be able to get hold of you. If you didn't use this service, then you'd never know about the house sitting job.
• Housesitting agencies have lots of resources to aid them in finding jobs. Not only do they have the use of the Internet, but they also have use of Job Banks, that is a great source for them to aid you in locating a position.
• There is usually no fee or a small fee for the use of this service. This is great when you can get all the advantages of using an agecncy with little or no cash to spend up front.
• You'll have someone to partner up with. Anytime you're trying to find a job, it can be difficult, so if you use an agency this will also allow you someone to talk to and partner up with well.

Once you see all the advantages that are available to anyone who wishes to use an agency, you most likely will want to do so as well. The house sitting opportunities will certainly multiply as well, when you use this great service to aid you in your job search.

Finally, one of the best way to locate housesitting agencies to help you land great jobs is most likely the yellow pages, or if you have assess to the Internet, you can easily use that as well. The Internet is a great to aid you in locating many things and can aid you with your endeavor to be a house sitter also.

If you are considering using housesitting agencies to help you find a great job or you are looking for a house sitter yourself, click here for all then information you will ever need!

Fast Credit Repair Secrets

Particularly in today's economy, taking a couple extra steps to use fast credit repair methods before applying for a loan or credit is not only a good idea, it is necessary. In the past, just about any credit score in the 700 range would get you preferred treatment, but since the credit crisis, banks have tightened their requirements and ask for more.

These days a 760 credit score is needed to obtain the same treatment that a 720 would have given you in the past. That may not seem like much of a difference, but in the eyes of a lender it is what determines whether or not you get approved for the loan you need.

Your effort in using fast credit repair techniques to boost your score is well worth the effort too. Not only will you receive that preferred treatment, but you have the power to do the negotiating. You'll be able to demand lower rates, refinance your home or auto and save hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and your higher credit score could even reduce your insurance rates.

By taking the time to raise your credit score, you'll be able to keep more of your hard earned money. Over the course of the life of the loan, that could be amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

How is this done? Fast credit repair is easy, and you do not need to higher expensive attorneys to help you. These are things you can do completely on your own. You simply remove the negative information on your credit report and quickly build positive information.

While a belief exists that having things removed from your credit file is difficult, it is really a very simple process. In fact, the law is in your favor and it is much more difficult for creditors to prove that the items should remain on your file. It is their obligation to prove you were in the wrong.

Online Desi Games - The Indigenous Delight

We Indians have always been quite keen on everything related to entertainment. Be it cinema, music or games. Our parents spent their leisure time playing cards (rummy being the most popular of all), Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Carrom and chess.

India is a country where fun at home increases manifold when friends and relatives gather. On a holiday or at the weekends, the whole family rejoices by playing some cool indoor games. A child grows up learning Ludo and Snakes and Ladders. Times have changed now but Indians still crave for captivating games. When PCs gained entry into every Indian home, solitaire and freecell kept every one hooked. With the advent of Internet along with social networking sites and chat messengers, the gaming portals have also gripped the masses.

Considering the huge demand and popularity of online games, the Indian entertainment industry has decided to give them an indigenous touch. The aim is to attract the masses. For that. themes based on Indian day-to-day lifestyle are adopted. You can see busy streets, unpretentious villages or intense traffic serving as a backdrop in these games. Bollywood superstars, politicians, sports persons playing the role of the main protagonists in the games. The gamers can relate to the environment easily. Obviously, it is exciting to make Amitabh Bachchan follow your instructions.

Consequently, the gamers remain glued to the game.

The idea to give the games a desi transformation is highly acclaimed throughout the country. The average count of the online gamers in India is comparable to most of the developed countries where online gaming initially evolved.

Some of the games that wrote their success stories are Babul game (with Amitabh Bachchan playing the lead), Laloo Ki Laadli (quite obviously, Laloo Prasad Yadav shines here), Meter down racing (an auto rickshaw race), Bipasha's Beach blaze (Bipasha sizzles on skates in a beach), Salman Safe Mode (Salman behind the steering on Mumbai streets which is not at all safe) are just few of the online desi games created exclusively for our Indian game lovers. People get immense delight watching and controlling their favourite icons with a few keystrokes.

These days, the automobile brands have made their way into the gaming industry to gain publicity amongst the Indians. Logan from Mahindra has launched itself with a racing game. Same goes for Ford, which displays its models through a very popular game.

The dimensions of indoor gaming have changed a lot. But the fun remains the same. The Indian game lovers have come out of the addiction of the usual games board games and now find their niche in the world of online gaming. Online Indian games are scaling new heights with every new innovation and passing day.

Meet Your Personal Needs with Secured Personal Loans

A Secured Personal Loan is taken against collateral. It can be availed with favourable terms and used for a number of personal needs. A secured personal loan generally carries lower rate of interest. This is because the lender’s risk becomes less as you keep security for the loan. He has a better chance to recover his money in case the loan is not paid off.

In addition to that a Secured Personal Loan will provide you with other facilities like higher loan amount, short monthly repayment and loan period stretched over a long duration. However, the amount you want to take out through secured personal loan will depend on the value of the collateral you offer.

Like other kind of personal loans Secured Personal Loan also can be used for a number of purposes. You can make an improvement of your house or you can go to a holiday with a secured personal loan. Further, to buy a car or to consolidate your debts it can be used. Even a secured personal loan can be used to finance your education or to sponsor your ward to pursue higher education.

You can apply for a Secured Personal Loan with your bad credit record also. A secured personal loan can be availed by you even if you have CCJ’s, arrears, default, bankruptcy etc. As the loan market is flooded with lenders it is recommendable to make enough research and make comparisons so that you can find out the best suitable secured personal loan for you. Searching through Internet will make your task easy.

Tips For Finding Jobs In The Middle East

Middle East Careers




Jobs in the Middle Eastern countries continue to be highly sought by people of various backgrounds. Jobs in certain countries such as Saud-Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Bahrain and other neighboring countries are still high in demand. Unfortunately, the channels and infrastructure to look and apply for Middle East careers are limited and not as easy as finding jobs in certain markets such as the North American job market.

The following provides certain trips for candidates to pursue job opportunities in the Middle Eastern countries.

• Although you can use the services of web based agencies that claim to help you find jobs in the Middle East, be very careful. There are a large number of companies that are simply scams. The best way to approach Internet based career firms is to look up their name through search engines and try to look for news articles that may have discussed those companies.
• Be very wary and careful in paying firms any type of money to help you get a job. You should be able to simply list your job on a job board as opposed to paying someone to look for a job.
• Try your personal connections, if possible and pass on your resume through those connections. Depending on your social networking, you may have better luck in finding Middle East Jobs.
• Never forget refining your resume to make your resume attractive to Middle East employers. Ensure that all relevant skills that may help make you a better suited candidate than the others.
• Highlighting language skills is one of the very essential elements in helping you find a job in the Middle Eastern countries. This is even more important if you have any type of Arabic skills, as Arabic / English combination is highly sought in those countries.
• If you get the opportunity to learn Arabic, you should, especially if you are planning to spend a few years working in Middle Eastern countries.

In short, although looking for jobs in the Middle East may require different channels but you should use good old common sense before falling into traps, especially laid out by many agencies.