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Juan Enriquez: Your online life, permanent as a tattoo

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

Enlightening presentation on privacy and sharing in a digital world.

Posted in Soul Brother Presents | Tagged digital life, Juan Enriquez, online, privacy, social media, technology, TED, video | Leave a comment

U.S. Jobless Claims Fall To 324,000, The Lowest Level In Five Years

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

By Christopher S. Rugaber

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to seasonally adjusted 324,000, the lowest since January 2008. The drop points to fewer layoffs and possibly more hiring.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications fell 18,000, the second straight sharp drop. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, plummeted 16,000 to 342,250, close to a five-year low.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. When they fall below 350,000, it is generally consistent with moderate hiring.

But layoffs are only half the equation: Companies also need to be confident enough to add workers for job growth to pick up and lower the unemployment rate. Many have held off adding new workers in recent months, possibly because of concerns about the impact of federal spending cuts and tax increases.

Economists forecast that the economy added 160,000 jobs last month. That’s much better than the 88,000 added in March, but below last year’s pace of nearly 185,000 per month. The unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 7.6 percent.

But many have lowered their estimates this week, some as low as 120,000, after several reports suggested that slower growth is dragging down hiring. The government will release the April employment report Friday.

***I guess you can call this good news but, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also concedes that the unemployment rate among African-Americans continues to hover around 13%. Until there’s a solution to that problem the “so-called” economic recovery will continue to stall. ~ SB***

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged economy, employment, Friday, Jobless claims, jobs, labor department, Layoff, Seasonal adjustment, unemployment, United States, United States Department of Labor | Leave a comment

9 Things You Can Do When The Boss Takes Credit For Your Work

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

By Jacquelyn Smith

Here are 9 things you should (and shouldn’t) do when the boss takes credit for your work:

Don’t assume the worst. “Avoid assuming that the boss did in fact take credit for your work intentionally,” Hockett says. Sometimes bosses will speak in such a way that they take ownership, but in fact it’s just part of how they encompass all aspects of their team when sharing feedback with others.

Alexander Kjerulf, an international author and speaker on happiness at work, says, “It may be an honest mistake or a misunderstanding or a bad habit–and if so, the only way to fix it is to talk about it. Some bosses can learn if you talk to them.”

Have a heart to heart. Approach your boss sooner rather than later. “Waiting will make resentment fester,” Taylor explains. “Start and end the conversation on a positive note and discuss various projects. After your positive comments about the job, say something like, ‘I wanted to mention something that has been on my mind, if this is a good time…It set me back a bit when you mentioned earlier to Joe that you just secured the Smith account. I worked for three months to bring the account in, and it was discouraging.

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged boss, business, career, employment, ethical behavior, idea, job tips, leadership, work | Leave a comment

Commissioner Kelly says almost 75% of violent crime committed by African-Americans

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly credited the controversial stop-and-frisk tactic for helping to push New York’s crime rate to record lows.

In a television interview, New York’s top cop defended his department’s use of the crimefighting tool and blasted critics who say it targets a disproportionate number of blacks and Latinos.

“The stark reality is that crime happens in communities of color,” Kelly told “Nightline” co-anchor Bill Weir Wednesday.

“About 70% to 75% of the people described as committing violent crimes — assault, robbery, shootings, grand larceny — are described as being African-American.

“The percentage of people who are stopped is 53% African-American,” he continued. “So really, African-Americans are being understopped in relation to the percentage of people being described as being the perpetrators of violent crime.”

The commissioner also countered allegations by a Brooklyn teenager that aggressive “proactive policing” like stop-and-frisk creates divisions between communities and police.

***Stop and Frisk in various incarnations has been going on since I was a teen growing up in the Bronx. The policy targets any “brown” youth whether or not they are behaving in any suspicious or illegal way. The comments made by Commissioner Kelly are incendiary and prejudicial by nature. We have become such a metric driven culture that we have forgotten that statistics can be interpreted to support any conclusion anyone wishes to make. ~ SB***

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged african american, Bill Weir, Bronx, Brooklyn, latino, New York, New York Police Department, NYPD, police, race, racism, Raymond Kelly, stop & frisk, Violent crime | 2 Comments

Black Voter Turnout Rate Passes Whites In 2012 Election

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

By Hope Yen

America’s blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and by most measures surpassed the white turnout for the first time, reflecting a deeply polarized presidential election in which blacks strongly supported Barack Obama while many whites stayed home.

Had people voted last November at the same rates they did in 2004, when black turnout was below its current historic levels, Republican Mitt Romney would have won narrowly, according to an analysis conducted for The Associated Press.

Census data and exit polling show that whites and blacks will remain the two largest racial groups of eligible voters for the next decade. Last year’s heavy black turnout came despite concerns about the effect of new voter-identification laws on minority voting, outweighed by the desire to re-elect the first black president.

William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, analyzed the 2012 elections for the AP using census data on eligible voters and turnout, along with November’s exit polling. He estimated total votes for Obama and Romney under a scenario where 2012 turnout rates for all racial groups matched those in 2004. Overall, 2012 voter turnout was roughly 58 percent, down from 62 percent in 2008 and 60 percent in 2004.

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged Associated Press, Barack Obama, Brookings Institution, Mitt Romney, Obama, race, Republicans, Romney, United States, Voter turnout, voting | Leave a comment

16-Year-Old Girl Arrested and Charged With a Felony For Science Project Mistake

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

By Steven Hsieh

No one was hurt. Nothing was damaged. The criminalization of school kids has gone too far.

A Florida teen with an exemplary record is facing federal charges after conducting what a classmate calls “a science project gone bad.”

Kiera Wilmot is accused of mixing housing chemicals in a small water bottle at Bartow High School, causing the cap to fly off and produce a bit of smoke. The experiment was conducted outdoors, no property was damaged, and no one was injured.

Not long after Wilmot’s experiment, authorities arrested her and charged her with “possession/discharge of a weapon on school property and discharging a destructive device,” according to WTSP-TV.

The school district proceeded to expel Wilmot for handling the “dangerous weapon,” also known as a water bottle. She will have to complete her high school education through an expulsion program.

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged Bartow High School, Deadly weapon, Destructive device, education, Florida, over-reaction, School district, science experiment gone wrong, science project, technology, Water bottle | 2 Comments

You

Posted on May 2, 2013 by The Soul Brother

Posted in Soul Brother Presents | Tagged inspiration, life, message, motivation, self-care, self-esteem | 1 Comment

Stacy Barthe (ft. Rick Ross) – Hell Yeah!

Posted on May 1, 2013 by The Soul Brother

Brooklyn’s in the house!! Stacy has been on the scene for a while now, especially in our hometown-New York City. She’s finally beginning to get some nationwide love. Stacy is a fantastic talent. Get to know her sound with this track featuring Rick Ross.