Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Out!

That was a surprise. The Secretary of Labor is going to need a replacement, the first Latina woman to serve this cabinet is resigning.

Under her leadership, Secretary Hilda Solis managed to pull unemployment from 10.9% to 7.8% as it currently stands. Her leadership lead to President Barack Obama bringing over 5.3 million jobs.

Conservatives were hammering on her over the unemployment numbers because they believe that she fixed the numbers to make the president look good. But so far, more Americans feel comfortable about the economy. Although it's still a long way to go, but the nation can return the right path to pre-recession rates.

Hilda Lucia Solis (/sɵˈliːs/; born October 20, 1957) is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.

Solis was raised in La Puente, California, by immigrant parents from Nicaragua and Mexico. She gained degrees from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) and the University of Southern California (USC) and worked for two federal agencies in Washington, D.C. Returning to her native state, she was elected to the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees in 1985, the California State Assembly in 1992, and the California State Senate in 1994. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the State Senate, and was reelected there in 1998. Solis sought to pass environmental justice legislation. She was the first female recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000.

President-elect Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Solis as the next U.S. Secretary of Labor. She took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate in February 2009, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet.

In a message to colleagues Wednesday, Solis said she made the decision after discussing it with family and close friends.

President Barack Obama address nation about monthly jobs report. Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis are resigning from the Obama Administration. Chief of Staff Jack Lew will replace Geithner if confirmed.

One of the highest-ranking Hispanics in Obama's administration, Solis has won praise from labor unions for aggressive enforcement of wage and hour laws and job safety regulations. But business groups have criticized her as not taking a more cooperative approach.

President Barack Obama calls Solis "a tireless champion for working families."

Separately, the White House says that Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will remain in their posts.

The White House confirmed the development in a statement:

Over her long career in public service - as an advocate for environmental justice in California, state legislator, member of Congress and Secretary of Labor - Hilda Solis has been a tireless champion for working families. Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class. Her efforts have helped train workers for the jobs of the future, protect workers' health and safety and put millions of Americans back to work. I am grateful to Secretary Solis for her steadfast commitment and service not only to the Administration, but on behalf of the American people. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

We here at Journal de la Reyna wish Ms. Solis the very best in her endeavors!

Fontella Bass Passes Away!

Fontella Bass passes away. Her famous single Rescue Me hit the charts in 1960s.

You may of heard of the famous song, Rescue Me and wondered who sung that one?

Well today, you'll get an opportunity to know who the singer was! Today she passed away at the age of 72.

Fontella Bass, a St. Louis-born soul singer died Wednesday night at a St. Louis hospice of complications from a heart attack suffered three weeks ago, her daughter, Neuka Mitchell, said. Bass had also suffered a series of strokes over the past seven years.

"She was an outgoing person," Mitchell said of her mother. "She had a very big personality. Any room she entered she just lit the room up, whether she was on stage or just going out to eat."

Bass was born into a family with deep musical roots. Her mother was gospel singer Martha Bass, one of the Clara Ward Singers. Her younger brother, David Peaston, had a string of R&B hits in the 1980s and 1990s. Peaston died in February at age 54.

Bass began performing at a young age, singing in her church's choir at age 6. She was surrounded by music, often traveling on national tours with her mother and her gospel group.

Her interest turned from gospel to R&B when she was a teenager and she began her professional career at the Showboat Club in north St. Louis at age 17. She eventually auditioned for Chess Records and landed a recording contract, first as a duet artist. Her duet with Bobby McClure, "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing," reached No. 5 on the R&B charts and No. 33 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1965.

She co-wrote and later that year recorded "Rescue Me," reaching No. 1 on the R&B charts and No. 4 on the Billboard pop singles chart. Bass's powerful voice bore a striking resemblance to that of Aretha Franklin, who is often misidentified as the singer of that chart-topping hit.

Bass had a few other modest hits but by her own accounts developed a reputation as a troublemaker because she demanded more artistic control, and more money for her songs. She haggled over royalty rights to "Rescue Me" for years before reaching a settlement in the late 1980s, Mitchell said. She sued American Express over the use of "Rescue Me" in a commercial, settling for an undisclosed amount in 1993.

"Rescue Me" has been covered by many top artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Melissa Manchester and Pat Benatar. Franklin eventually sang a form of it too – as "Deliver Me" in a Pizza Hut TV ad in 1991.

Bass lived briefly in Europe before returning to St. Louis in the early 1970s, where she and husband jazz musician Lester Bowie raised their family. She recorded occasionally, including a 1995 gospel album, "No Ways Tired," that earned a Grammy nomination.

Bass was inducted into the St. Louis Hall of Fame in 2000.

Funeral arrangements for Bass were incomplete. She is survived by four children. Bowie died in 1999.

Susan Rice Drops Bid For State Department! Cites Constant GOP Ignorance!

Republicans pissed off one serious Black woman. Susan Rice is dropping her bid as the Secretary of State replacement for Hillary Clinton. Rice will continue to serve as United Nations Ambassador.

Dr. Susan Rice will likely stay on as the United Nations Ambassador but the bid to become the next female Secretary of State is over. Rice handed the president a bid of withdrawal citing partisan politics as the reason for her dropping her consideration.

The Huffington Post broke the news this afternoon. Portions of the letter sent to President Barack Obama include the one where she nails down Republicans for obstruction.

Susan Rice Withdraws


With Rice out of the running, Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) is widely believed to be the frontrunner to replace current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Kerry was the 2004 Democratic nominee for president.

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) defended the ambassador and managed to get one thing right!

How do you say that a person such as Susan Rice is unqualified? She's a Rhodes Scholar! One was at the bottom of his class! And he picked the worst vice presidential nominee to ever run with him.

Hint: He is from Arizona and he has track record of sticking his foot in his mouth. He was a perennial candidate for president. He lost to Barack Obama in 2008. He lost the GOP primary in 2000 against George W. Bush. He has a daughter who scream fire when there's no smoke. He talk about his service in the military whenever he strips veterans of their benefits. He drives seven cars. He hangs with a guy who is most considered a closeted Republican. He stuck his tongue out when he was caught on camera during the third presidential debate. He has a habit of twitching his eye. He also has wife who probably cheats on him when he's not in town!

Obama May Nominate Susan Rice! | GOP Threaten To Derail!

President Barack Obama and Dr. Susan Rice, the United Nations Ambassador.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is likely to resign after the end of the president's term. President Barack Obama has to establish a new cabinet of people. His second term will be marred with obstruction from the very same members of the Republican Party who are willing to take this country into fiscal crisis for political gamesmanship!

Dr. Susan Rice, the United Nations ambassador is thought to replace Clinton. The Republicans are playing politics on Benghazi and they're going to stall the nomination if the president should choose Rice as a successor.

Republicans are going overboard on the controversy at the United States consulate in Libya. The controversy with David Petraeus also comes to head. His mistress Paula Broadwell may have leaked out the consulate being a secret torture prison. The CIA is facing some heavy criticism over the handling of the intelligence. The president and his team are at odds with the Republicans over issues that such as the timing of the September 11, 2012 event and the FBI's investigation into Broadwell and the other woman Jill Kelley, a socialite who tipped the affair.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) are threatening to block the nomination progress of Rice.

They got their stories wrong on who was the reckless ones! Look at Condoleezza Rice, the former National Security Adviser who later became the Secretary of State. She dropped the ball on giving then president George W. Bush the warning that an attack was imminent on home soil. The September 11, 2001 attacks was the worst incident in the history of America.

The Democrats didn't go into a tirade over the Republicans failure of leadership when it comes to terrorism.

They stood firm with the rest of America to condemn the terrorist.

The Republicans are playing political charades with this! They don't condemn the terrorists. They attack the president and the first African American woman who was nominated to be the United Nations ambassador.

The Republicans are not learning the lesson from the 2012 U.S. presidential elections.

We all agree that the deaths of J. Christopher Stevens and three others was callous and inhumane. We all want justice. But how far and how dirty politics will go in the name of those slained?

The Washington Post reports that the Republican senators’ angry criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice over her initial account of the deadly Sept. 11 attack in Libya smacks of sexism and racism, a dozen female members of the House said Friday.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) (right), Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) (left) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) (center) are playing politics as usual.

In unusually personal terms, the Democratic women lashed out at Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham who earlier this week called Rice unqualified and untrustworthy and promised to scuttle her nomination if President Barack Obama nominates her to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.


“All of the things they have disliked about things that have gone on in the administration, they have never called a male unqualified, not bright, not trustworthy,” said Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, the next chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “There is a clear sexism and racism that goes with these comments being made by unfortunately Sen. McCain and others.”

At a Capitol Hill news conference, the female lawmakers, the majority of them African American like Rice, suggested that the Republicans are bitter about Obama’s re-election and taking it out on U.N. ambassador.

“To batter this woman because they don’t feel they have the ability to batter President Obama is something we the women are not going to stand by and watch,” said Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis. “Their feckless and reckless speculation is unworthy of their offices as senators.”

For weeks, the criticism of Rice has focused on her comments about the Libya attack. The lawmakers’ contention that the ambassador’s race and sex are factors come just over a week after an election when women and minorities heavily favored Obama and Democrats.

The Democratic women directed particular ire against McCain, who said Rice was “not being very bright” in her comments. The women pointed out that Rice was a Rhodes scholar who graduated tops in her Stanford University class whereas McCain was in the bottom of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy.

McCain, who was attending the Halifax International Security Forum, was questioned about the lawmakers’ criticism. “I think they are entitled to their opinions,” he said.

A spokesman for Graham had no immediate reaction to the remarks.

In a separate appearance after a briefing on Libya, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the growing criticism of Rice “is almost as if the attempt is to assassinate her character.”

McCain, Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., also have been pressing for a Watergate-style special congressional committee to investigate the Libyan raid. On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., rejected the idea, saying the ongoing investigations by House and Senate committees are sufficient and should be allowed to proceed.

“The elections are over; it is time to put an end to the partisan politicization of national security and begin working together to strengthen our efforts to dismantle and destroy the terrorist networks that threaten us,” Reid wrote in a letter to McCain.


At issue are Rice’s statements in a series of television interviews five days after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Republicans insist that she should have labeled the incident an act of terrorism rather than cite a protest over an anti-Muslim video that had roiled cities in the Middle East.

Rice said at the time she was providing the “best information and the best assessment we have today.”


“In fact this was not a preplanned, premeditated attack. That what happened initially was that it was a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo as a consequence of the video,” she said. “People gathered outside the embassy, and then it grew very violent. Those with extremist ties joined the fray and came with heavy weapons, which unfortunately are quite common in post-revolutionary Libya, and that then spun out of control.”

CIA acting director Mike Morell has told congressional committees this week that Rice was relying on an initial intelligence assessment that eventually proved incorrect. Former CIA Director David Petraeus told congressional committees Friday that Rice’s comments “reflected the best intelligence at the time that could be released publicly,” according to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a lawmaker who attended the session.

The female House members argued that Rice would have no motivation to mislead the American people.

The Democratic women also contrasted McCain and Graham’s criticism with their defense of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who had warned of weapons of mass destruction in pressing for war in Iraq that killed more than 4,400 Americans. No weapons of mass destruction were found.

“It’s interesting to me that we’re not discussing another Rice who went before all of the Sunday talk shows some years ago,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

The Democratic women demanded that McCain and Graham retract their criticism.

“It is a shame that anytime something goes wrong, they pick on women and minorities,” Fudge said.

Said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.: “We will not allow a brilliant public servant’s record to be mugged to cut off her consideration to be secretary of state.”

Bounce!

Good news for president means anger for the conservatives and Mitt Romney.

This week leads into the jobs report, with unemployment for the month of September. It ticks down to 7.8%.

Oh, the conservatives are going to cry foul about this one!

They're caught in disbelief that the economy is improving and the policies by the president has helped the country. The Republican governors of Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Wisconsin can brag about their state's putting things together but devoid themselves of crediting the federal level for allowing this to happen. And even though these fools are still going to push this narrative that the president didn't create jobs, those in the media will dismiss this as political desperation.

The Associated Press reports that unemployment has ticked down.

U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. The rate fell because more people found work, a trend that could impact the presidential election.

The Labor Department says employers added 114,000 jobs in September. The economy also created 86,000 more jobs in July and August than first estimated. Wages rose in September and more people started looking for work.

One last chance to win the narrative. 

The revisions show employers added 146,000 jobs per month from July through September, up from 67,000 in the previous three months. The unemployment rate fell from 8.1 percent in August, matching its level in January 2009 when President Barack Obama took office.

The decline could help Obama, who is coming off a disappointing debate against Mitt Romney.

Before you go through the books, we know that millions of Americans are still trying to find work. But so far, the spending has increased and companies are hiring for season work.

The seasonal work means people will obtain dollars in their pockets meaning the companies in retail and industrial are expecting heavy demand. That will be quite helpful to President Barack Obama against Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

Republicans are still trying to sabotage the economy to hurt the president. But this argument of unemployment being at 8% or higher for the long haul during Obama's term ends.

The barrage of political ads will continue all the way to November. And don't except these ads to change anytime soon.

This comes as no surprise that mainstream media isn't really mentioning the jobs report. I've watched CBS The Morning and the host Charlie Rose, Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King covered the final hour avoiding the mention of the job numbers. They were talking about celebrity stories.

This also deflates the great night Mitt Romney had on Wednesday when he brought his Fox News talking points to the debate. Mitt Romney came under attack this week from angry Sesame Street supporters after he declared that he loves character Big Bird but will still cut funding to PBS (by severing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting).

After November 6, 2012, say if President Barack Obama wins the election. We'll look back at the key players to why Mitt Romney lost this election. I entitled this "The Reason For The Loss!" Each chronicles the key players of the election and those who made President Barack Obama win.

If Mitt Romney should win the presidency, we'll look back at why President Barack Obama was defeated and look forward to the next chapter in the presidency. We'll focus on how Mitt Romney could win the support of an angry electorate who felt that Obama's race contributed to his lost!

Next postings may include:

Rush Limbaugh declared that he hopes the president fails! - I Hope [Limbaugh] Retires!

Mitt Romney stated he promised to bring forth 12 millions jobs, but one includes cutting federal funding to PBS which could cost thousands of employees their jobs. - Mitt Romney: Birdbrain Politician!

The Drudge Report splashes controversial stories about the president to dog whistle White supremacists. - Drudge Blowing The Whistle Straight Outta Anal!

Sean Hannity obsesses with President Barack Obama by constantly name dropping him or his political allies. The controversial agitator is desperate and he's launching videos with racial themes now! - Give It Up Sean Hannity!

Michelle Obama: A Naked Slave?

Freedom of speech or just another offensive caricature of First Lady Michelle Obama?

La Reyna covered this earlier today. 

A Spanish magazine cover is getting buzz across the ocean. The Fuera de Serie depicts the First Lady of the United States as a naked slave woman.

The Toronto Sun reports the first lady's face superimposed over the famous 1800 painting "Portrait d'une Negresse" by French feminist artist Marie-Guillemine Benoist.

The doctored image is not the magazine's creation. It was taken from the "Famous Nudes" series by artist Karine Percheron-Daniels, who describes her work as trying "to offer an alternative unexpected reality to allow the viewer to re-examine his unique subjective experience and general understanding and view the world and people in a different way."

The description of the article, titled "Michelle: Great-great-granddaughter of a Slave, Owner of America," on the magazine's website  appears to describe a positive profile of the former lawyer and first African-American first lady.

"In the shadow of the U.S. president is a person whose popularity ratings exceed those of Barack. This person is none other than his wife Michelle, who stars in the cover of the magazine this week," reads the description as roughly translated from Spanish.

It continues, "To find out how Michelle has managed to seduce the American people, the journalist Paul Scarpellini details the secrets of women who not only won the heart of Barack Obama."

But many Americans are offended by the controversial depiction of their first lady.

"Let's be clear: This image has nothing to do with acknowledging Obama's enslaved foremothers, and everything to do with reinforcing and extending the historical denial of black women's individuality and agency," wrote Clutch Magazine 's Althea Legal-Miller.

Brande Victorian of Madame Noire  said the image reinforces "the idea that Michelle Obama is and always will be a slave in far too many people's eyes, no matter how far we're removed from physical enslavement, and how high of a position she's climbed to in society."

TheFrisky.com called the cover "tasteless."

"Plenty of absurd things are 'artsy,' like crafting Jesus on the cross out of elephant feces or giving birth inside an art gallery as a live-action installation. But a drawing of Michelle Obama topless on the cover of Fuera de Serie is plain old tasteless," wrote Jessica Wakeman.

"In my opinion, they have every right to depict her artistically, even in poor taste. But that doesn't mean they should do it," wrote Wakeman.

I am going to honest. I never seen any depictions of former First Ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Roselynn Carter or Betty Ford.

How come it has to be the first African American woman to hold the title?

Why are White people so angry?

Why can't they look at President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as human beings first!

Why is the Republican Party stuck in the 20th Century?

Drake Will Produce New Aaliyah Album!

      

Aubrey Graham, known as Drake is a Canadian born rapper/singer and actor who signed to Cash Money Records under Lil' Wayne's sub label Young Money Entertainment. He along with Kevin Rudolf, Nicki Minaj and Tyga rolled out in 2009 as the rebirth of the once struggling label. 

He was born in Toronto, Ontario, to American father and Canadian Jewish mother. When his parent's divorce, Drake moved with his mother to Forest Hill, Toronto. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, but also began to rise to stardom with the release of multiple mixtapes that began to generate hype for his future career as a rapper.

Cash Money Records is based out of New Orleans was home to then multi-platinum rapper Juvenile, street rapper B.G., and the youngest rappers Lil' Wayne and Turk. They formed the Hot Boys. Co-founder Bryan "Baby (aka Birdman)" Williams and in-house producer Mannie Fresh formed the group The Big Tymers. They all released albums during their rise in 1998 to 2005. Mannie Fresh went on produce most of their solo albums at the time.

Aaliyah was killed August 25, 2001 in a tragic plane crash in The Bahamas.

According to Wikipedia, Cash Money's big break came in 1998 when the Hot Boys, B.G. and Juvenile in particular, caught the attention of Universal Records executives. In 1998, Cash Money signed a $30 million pressing and distribution with $3 million advance contract with Universal, entitling the label to 85% of its royalties, 50% of its publishing revenues and ownership of all masters.

Nowadays, Cash Money Records is mostly focused on the rising career of Lil' Wayne and his own record label Young Money. With the signing of Drake, the rap label went through a major overhaul from the bounce catchy Southern beats, to a sophisticated style of music that appeals to a more pop friendly audience.

Drake surpassed Jay-Z as the rapper with the most number one hits on the Billboard 200 hot singles list.

Drake declared his love for the late singer Aaliyah. Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming a music video. Her death in August 2001, came at the peak of the R & B singer's rising movie career.

                       
Aaliyah Dana Houghton broke into the music scene in 1994 as a protege of R. Kelly. Her album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number went on to sell over 3 million copies. After a bitter fallout with R. Kelly, the singer team up with up-and-coming producer Tim Mosley (aka Timbaland) and rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot to work on her albums. One In A Million, went on to be one of the singer's most critically acclaimed albums. Her final album Aaliyah was released in July 2001. Her smash single "Rock The Boat" and "We Need A Resolution" became instant hits.

It's been over a decade since Aaliyah's death. The singer's legacy continues to influence a new generation of singers and entertainers. Drake was one who felt her influence in the industry inspired him. He declared that his interest in working on a posthumous album.

Drake tattooed the late singer Aaliyah on his back and his start up label OVOXO. 

In an interview with SoulCulture TV, the rapper stated that R&B singer Aaliyah has had the biggest influence on his career:

Aaliyah has had probably the most impact on my career because when I made a choice to start singing it was because of something that my father had told me which was, ‘There’s no rapper out there that sings and raps and does both things well… and in order to be successful you’re gonna need something other than just what everyone else is doing.

I was rapping already at the time so I had an identity in rap, but when I started singing I needed something to reference. I needed someone to be like, ‘I wanna be like that’. I didn’t want it ever to be a male because then I would sound like that person, so I just found comfort in all of Aaliyah’s music and her melody choices and the things that she talks about – and how she always conveyed these amazing emotions but never got too sappy, she always kept it G. That had the biggest influence on my music because – as much as my music may be geared towards women – I try not to make it so that only women can sing it.

The first single released is "Enough Said", and it's produced by Drake's long time producer Noah 40 Shebib.



The release of this single comes after Blackground Records founders Berry and Jomo Henderson allowed access to unreleased demos and outtakes. Drake, Missy Elliot and Timbaland are slated to work on this album and it's planned release in late 2012.

Drake appears under the banter of Universal-Republic Records under Cash Money Records.

Lauryn Hill Will Be Visiting The Iron College!

                         

The Grammy award winning singer/rapper is facing serious charges of tax evasion. She will be going to federal prison in November 2012.

The 37-year old entertainer is under the radar for not paying her 2005, 2006, and 2007 tax earnings. Her estimated value of taxes owed is nearly $1 million.

Again this is federal charges. If you're charged with a federal crime, you are required to serve the complete term. There's no exceptions.

According to The Rolling Stone Magazine and CNN, Hill pleaded guilty in a New Jersey courtroom on Friday to evading federal taxes on $1.8 million earned between 2005 and 2007, the Associated Press reports. The singer faces a maximum one-year sentence for each of the three counts.

Hill declined to speak after the hearing, but her attorney, Nathan Hochman, indicated that she plans on paying back the taxes owed. U.S. Magistrate Michael Shipp agreed to delay the sentencing from early

October to late November in order to give Hill time to make payment.

When Shipp asked Hill if anyone had directly or indirectly influenced her decision to plead guilty, Hill gave an enigmatic response that seemed to promise a future statement: "Indirectly, I've been advised my ability to speak out directly is for another time, at sentencing."

The income on which Hill did not pay taxes -- $818,000 collected in 2005, $222,000 in 2006 and $761,000 in 2007 -- was earned by four corporations that she owns.

Charges were brought against Hill earlier this month , after which the singer took to Tumblr to address her side of the situation  but focused on her time outside of the spotlight: "During this period of crisis, much was said about me both slanted and inaccurate, by those who had become dependent on my creative force, yet unwilling to fully acknowledge the importance of my contribution, nor compensate me equitably for it."

Hill added in the post that she felt her "potential to work" was in danger and thus said, "I did whatever needed to be done in order to insulate my family from the climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism that I was surrounded by.

"There were no exotic trips," she continued, "no fleet of cars, just an all out war for safety, integrity, wholeness and health, without mistreatment, denial, and/or exploitation."

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was the debut album that sold over 19 million copies. Hill hasn't released an album since 1998.

Lauryn Hill co-produced the commercially successful Supernatural for Carlos Santana, in 1999, for which she won another grammy for album of the year. This made her the only female artist to win two album of the year grammys consecutively, which set a record for most album of the year wins by a female artist (tied with Norah Jones). Shortly after this she mainly dropped out of public view, in part due to her displeasure with fame and the music industry. After a four-year hiatus, she released MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, a live recording of "deeply personal songs" performed mostly solo with an acoustic guitar.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of black women

Heart disease is the #1 killer of black women. Heart disease takes the lives of thousands of minority women every year. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, black women are 35 percent more likely than white. Read more here:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Some new black history. First black woman named to lead any states National Gaurd

On Feb. 1, 2010 Brigadier General Mary J. Kight was named as the first female adjutant African-American female National Guard adjutant general in the nation. She will be in charge of the California National Gaurd. Read more here:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

25 influential black women in business

The Network Journal, an award-winning business magazine providing news and commentaries on issues that affect the growth of businesses and the advancement of professionals in the workplace for an audience of predominantly African-American professionals, corporate executives and small-business owners, announces its 2010 list of “25 Influential Black Women in Business.”. Read the list by using the link below:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html