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This publication is dedicated to my mom whose courage, strength, tenacity and love has been a rock for me in the production of this magazine. There are so many people who are instrumental in the production of this publication, and I could not possibly name them all in this writing but I just want to thank all of you and you know who you are for assisting me with this issue. Many thanks to all of the wonderful and talented models, photographers, MUA’s, and Hair Stylists. Reproduction of any material within this publication in whole or in part is, prohibted without expressed consent of publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility to any party of the information, claims or ads herein to include errors, inaccuracies or omissions. By advertising the advertisers agree to indemnify the Publisher against all claims relating to or resulting from said advertisements and or promotional material.
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Does a ‘Strong’ Immune System Ward Off Colds and Flu? What makes people sick is a combination of bad luck — exposures to viruses or other pathogens — and the state of their immune system, said Dr. Talia Swartz, an assistant professor and infectious disease expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Someone with a weakened immune system is likely to be more vulnerable to passing bugs than someone with a healthy one. “There are definitely different types of patients who are more resistant to infections or who have slower progression of infectious diseases based on certain immune features we recognize that make them have a stronger immune system,” she said. The difference may be genetic, though the specifics aren’t well understood, said Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Someone might have a particular genetic ability to generate antibodies against certain types of viruses like the flu, for instance, he said. A healthful lifestyle clearly boosts the immune system, Dr. Tosh said, while the opposite is also true: Practicing unhealthy habits like not getting enough sleep, a poor diet and lack of exercise can weaken the immune system. The immune system’s responsiveness typically declines with age, making older people more vulnerable to many pathogens than they were in their
younger days. The bottom line, Dr. Tosh said, is that a baseline of good health helps keep the immune system strong. “If someone is eating well, exercising, getting a good amount of sleep and avoiding unnecessary stresses, they are less likely to get ill, and if they do get ill, have better outcomes,” that being said. A healthful lifestyle clearly boosts the immune system, Dr. Tosh said, while the opposite is also true: Practicing unhealthy habits like not getting enough sleep, a poor diet and lack of exercise can weaken the immune system. Smoking, or even living with a smoker, can also cause structural damage to the lungs, and could make someone more vulnerable to certain infectious diseases, he said. People with unhealthy habits may also be hurting their ability to recover from illness, Dr. Tosh said. Obesity is a predictor of complications from the flu, for instance. Frequent hand washing is also crucial for keeping bugs from entering the mouth, nose and eyes, where they can spread infections, Dr. Swartz said. She also recommends annual flu shots to attempt to prevent flu or reduce its severity. Other vaccinations, like the new shingles vaccine, which is now recommended for people 50 and older, are also a good idea to help the immune system. The immune system’s responsiveness typically declines with age, making older people more vulnerable to many pathogens than they were in their younger days. The bottom line, Dr. Tosh said, is that a baseline of good health helps keep the immune system strong. “If someone is eating well, exercising, getting a good amount of sleep and avoiding unnecessary stresses, they are less likely to get ill, and if they do get ill, have better outcomes,” he said.
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An Incomplete List of Things Black People Should Avoid Doing So They Won’t Be Killed by Police On Sunday, March 18, police in Sacramento, Calif., fired 20 shots at
Stephon Clark, killing him. Clark was unarmed and in his own backyard, leading many to ask what black people must do to escape the indiscriminate killing of black people. A 2015 study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, showed that there is no relationship between criminality and race in police killings. A study by the Center for Policing Equity concluded (pdf) that police use more force against black suspects even when the data was adjusted for whether the person was a violent criminal. To combat this deadly epidemic, we put together a handy guide to help black people end this trend that disproportionately affects black people. Here are the things you should avoid doing when police are around: Running: Stephon Clark was unarmed, but he ran. We learned from the deaths of Walter Scott and Freddie Gray that running away from police is both a criminal offense and an act of aggression. Walking: Amadou Diallo was simply walking to his apartment. When Chicago Police Detective Dante Servin shot Rekia Boyd, she was not involved in any crime or altercation. She just happened to be walking by. Terence Crutcher was shot in the back when he was killed by Tulsa, Okla., Police Officer Betty Shelby. All three victims were unarmed. Driving: Officer Ray Tensing was recently awarded nearly $350,000 in the aftermath of his fatal shooting of Sam DuBose during a 2015 traffic stop. Sandra Bland was stopped for changing lanes without a signal and ended up dead. The Washington Post reports that federal statistics show that black drivers are more likely than white drivers to be stopped by police. Turning your back to police: Stephon Clark, Walter Scott, Dominique White and Aaron Bailey were all shot in the back, facing away from police officers. Facing police: When Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown Jr., Wilson testified that Brown turned toward him after Brown had already been shot at least once. Philando Castile was facing Officer Jeronimo Yanez when Yanez shot him. Apparently, police “fear for their lives” no matter in which direction you turn. Not complying with police orders: One of the biggest things you must learn is how to “stop resisting.” Do not try to breathe like Eric Garner. Do not smoke a cigarette like Sandra Bland. Open the door when cops have their guns out, unlike Korryn Gaines. Do not try to plead your case like Oscar Grant. Complying with police orders: Officers Christopher DiPashquale and Kirk Dodd pulled over 17-year-old Donta Dawson and told him to put his hands up. When he did, they shot him for “sudden movements.” South Carolina State Trooper Sean Groubert asked Levar Jones for his driver’s license. When Hones reached for it, Groubert shot him. Carrying an
illegal firearm: Alton Sterling shouldn’t have had a gun, even though it was tucked in his waistband. No witnesses even saw Anthony Lamar Smith’s weapon. Forensic scientists only found the DNA of St. Louis Police Officer Jason Shockley on the .38 revolver they said belonged to Smith. Before shooting Smith, Shockley was even recorded saying, “I’m going to kill this motherfucker, don’t you know it!” Shockley was found not guilty in Smith’s death. Carrying a legal firearm: Philando Castile was carrying a legally registered firearm when Jeronimo Yanez shot him. He never pointed it at Yanez. He informed Yanez that he was carrying a gun. But still ... I’m just giving you the rules. Carrying a fake firearm: Like Tamir Rice, John Crawford was carrying a BB gun when Crawford was shot and killed in an Ohio Walmart. Crawford’s killer said he felt an “imminent threat.” Officer Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed Tamir Rice, said, “The threat to my partner and myself was real and active.” Toy guns are strictly forbidden if you want to live. Carrying no firearm at all: The aforementioned rules also apply to perceived guns. Police say they mistook Stephon Clark’s iPhone for a gun, a common mistake. Rumain Brisbon was carrying a prescription bottle that police assumed was a firearm. Cops allegedly thought Amadou Diallo’s wallet was a gun. Walking around empty-handed doesn’t matter. Baltimore police officers admitted that they kept toy guns to plant in case they shot a suspect. Although black people make up only 13 percent of the population, 35 percent of the unarmed people killed by police in 2017 were black. Standing up: Brendon Glenn was on the ground trying to stand up when he was shot in the back by Los Angeles Police Officer Clifford Proctor. Even the police chief said the shooting was unwarranted. Lying down: Natasha McKenna was handcuffed and immobilized when she was tased to death. When you are asleep, like 7-year-old Aiyana Jones was when Officer Joseph Weekley shot her dead, you are still a threat. Being too big: Mike Brown Jr. was described as a “hulk,” even though he was the same height as Darren Wilson. Eric Garner was so big that Officer Daniel Pantaleo had to use an outlawed choke hold. Being too small: Charleena Lyles was barely 100 pounds, which is why her body couldn’t ward off the bullets from Seattle cops when they killed her in her apartment. Natasha McKenna was 5 feet 3 inches tall and so thin that a restraint belt couldn’t hold her. So even though she was handcuffed with her hands behind her back, shackled around the legs, a hobble strap connected to both restraints and a spit mask placed over her face, Fairfax County, Va., police still had to use a Taser on her with 50,000 volts of electricity until she died. Looking: Tommy Sanders, a Baltimore police officer, approached Lamont Hunt because Hunt was “staring at him.” Sanders said that Hunt attacked him, but every witness in the trial said that Hunt did not assault him but walked away. Sanders shot Hunt in the back of the head.He was found not guilty. Breathing: Eric Garner said, “I can’t breathe,” which Daniel Pantaleo translated as resisting arrest. Tashii Brown was already on the ground after Las Vegas cop Kenneth Lopera used a Taser on him and punched him repeatedly. Not satisfied, Lopera put Brown in a choke hold until Brown stopped breathing. Being black: If all else fails, simply stop being black. I’ve never seen anyone do it, but it’s worth a try. After all, it’s what they want anyway.
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The Cities Where African-Americans Are Doing The Best Economically 2018 The 2007 housing crisis was particularly tough on African-Americans, as well as Hispanics, extinguishing much of their already miniscule wealth. Industrial layoffs, particularly in the Midwest, made things worse. However the rising economic tide of the past few years has started to lift more boats. The African-American unemployment rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government started keeping tabs in 1972. Although that’s 3.1 percentage points worse than whites, the gap is the slimmest on record. A tightening labor market since 2015 has also driven up wages of black workers, many of whom are employed in manufacturing and other historically middle and lower-wage service industries. There's still much room for economic improvement for the nation's black community -- the income gap with whites remains considerably higher than it was in 2000, with the median black household earning 35.5% less -- but as we pay homage to Martin Luther King this week, the record low unemployment rate is a cause for celebration. President Trump has predictably taken credit for the good news, but kudos more likely should go to those states and metropolitan areas that have created the conditions for black progress. The gains have not been evenly spread. To determine where African-Americans are faring the best economically, we evaluated America’s 53 largest metropolitan statistical areas based on three critical factors that we believe are indicators of middle-class success: the home ownership rate as of 2016; entrepreneurship, as measured by the self-employment rate in 2017; and 2016 median household income. In addition, we added a fourth category, demographic trends, measuring the change in the African-American population from 2010 to 2016 in these metro areas, to judge how the community is “voting with its feet.” Each factor was given equal weight.
The South Also Rises
One of the great ironies of our time is that the best opportunities for African-Americans now lie in the South, from which so many fled throughout much of the 20th century. In the past few decades, many good jobs have moved South and blacks, like many whites and Hispanics, have followed. The South dominated the previous version of this ranking, developed through the Center for Opportunity Urbanism, three years ago, and still does. All of the top 10 metro areas are in the South, led in a tie for the No. 1 spot by Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV and Atlanta, which was our previous leader. Washington, with its ample supply of well-paid federal jobs, is the metro area where blacks have the highest median household income in the nation: $69,246. Amid rising home prices, the black home ownership rate has dipped to 48.3% from 49.2%, but that’s still fourth highest among the largest metro areas. Atlanta, with its historically black universities and strong middle class, has long been described as the black capital of America, and its thriving entertainment scene has given rise to claims that it’s become a cultural capital as well.
Atlanta and Washington are followed in our ranking by Austin, Texas, Baltimore and Raleigh, N.C., with the rest of the top 20 rounded out exclusively by Southern cities, except for Boston in 19th place.
The New Great Migration
Perhaps the most persuasive indicator of African-American trends lies in population growth. During the period of the Great Migration out of the south in the early 20th century, an estimated 6 million blacks headed north and west to cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and St. Louis. But now the tide is reversing, with the African-American population dropping in the latter three over the past six years, as well as in San Francisco and cities with fading industrial cores like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. In contrast the metro areas whose African-American populations have expanded the most since 2010 are the South and Sun Belt: Las Vegas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Phoenix. In some cases it’s clear that blacks are leaving for better economic opportunities. In others, high housing prices may play a role: In Los Angeles and San Francisco the black homeownership rate is about 9 percentage points lower than the major metro average. In San Francisco the black community seems headed toward irrelevance and extinction as tech workers have driven up home prices to unprecedented levels; the metropolitan area's African-American population has dropped 6.3% from 2010. The situation is particularly dire in California where strict land-use and housing regulations have been associated with increases in home prices relative to income of 3.5 times the rest of the nation since 1995. In coastal California, African-Americans face prices from more than two to nine times their annual incomes than non-Hispanic whites. African-American homeownership rates in California are down 17% in the Golden State compared to a decline of 11% for Hispanics and 6% for non-Hispanic whites. Asian homeownership rates have stayed the same. Blacks, like many other Americans, are likely to continue to move, as Pete Saunders notes, to cities that are both high growth and relatively low cost. In these cities, housing and land use policies generally allow the market to function, resulting in lower home prices and greater housing choice. Business investment and job creation are also strongly backed. Blacks, like others, are moving to these places for opportunity. In many cases this means a reversal of the Great Migration and a return trip to parts of the country now far more accommodating to black aspirations than those places which once provided the greatest opportunities.
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Entrepreneurship is strong, with some 20% of the metro area’s black working population self-employed, the highest proportion in the nation, and though median black household income is quite a bit lower than in the D.C. area at $48,161, costs are lower too. In-migration has slowed since the financial crisis, but the black population is still up 14.7% since 2010.
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Proposed census question on citizenship
could cost blue states billions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s plan to ask everyone in America whether they are U.S. citizens as part of the 2020 census could cost California billions of dollars and a seat in Congress, state officials warn. Whether California and other big, urban states that face similar effects can do anything about it remains to be seen. The decision to ask a citizenship question on the census, which the administration announced late Monday night, may seem an obscure matter, but it could give the Trump administration another level to shift power and federal resources away from blue states toward red ones, much as happened with the recent tax law changes that disproportionately favored voters in Republican regions. The census, which takes place every 10 years, hasn’t asked about citizenship since 1950. That’s in large part because of the concern that asking the question would discourage not just noncitizens but also their families from participating. !
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The result could be a significant undercount of the population in states with large numbers of immigrants, such as California. Most of those states have Democratic majorities, while most of the nation’s majority-Republican states have relatively smaller immigrant populations. The main purpose of the $12.5 billion census effort is to get an accurate count of population for divvying up House seats among the states. The count also drives how the government distributes money from some of its biggest programs, such as Medicaid. The Constitution provides for an “actual enumeration” of population every 10 years and provides that “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state.” That clause has been interpreted throughout U.S. history as referring to a state’s entire population, including both citizens and noncitizens, although some conservatives in recent years have challenged that. California wasted no time launching a fight against the administration’s announcement, taking the administration to court Monday night. “The state of California, in particular, stands to lose if the citizenship question is included,” said the complaint filed by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra in federal district court in San Francisco. “Undercounting the sizable number of Californian noncitizens and their citizen relatives will imperil the State’s fair share of congressional seats and Electoral College electors and will cost the State billions of dollars in federal funding over the next decade.” “It is long settled that all persons residing in the United States — citizens and noncitizens alike — must be counted to fulfill the Constitution’s ‘actual Enumeration’ mandate,” the complaint says. Trump’s Department of Justice had asked to have the citizenship question included, saying the information was critical to its enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The agency said the information was needed to get an accurate tally of the voting populations in regions where violations of the law were alleged. That request was immediately confronted with protest by lawmakers and activists, who questioned the timing and the motivation. “Asking the citizenship question on the census is not critical to enforcing the Voting Rights Act,” said a statement from former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. “Make no mistake — this decision is motivated purely by politics. In deciding to add this question without even testing its effects, the administration is departing from decades of census policy and ignoring the warnings of census experts.” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, who oversees the Census Bureau, wrote in a letter to his agency Monday that adding the question would enable the federal government to get more accurate data, “which is of greater importance than any adverse effect that may result from people violating their legal duty to respond.”
“Undercounting the sizable number of Californian noncitizens and their citizen relatives will imperil the State’s fair share of congressional seats and Electoral College electors and will cost the State billions of dollars in federal funding over the next decade.” Ross wrote that he is unpersuaded by warnings the question will discourage participation. He said there is no “definitive, empirical support for that belief.” “No one provided evidence that there are residents who would respond accurately to a decennial census that did not contain a citizenship question but would respond if it did,” Ross wrote. If the question does lead to an undercount, the effects could be profound. The census is used to allocate nearly $700 billion in federal money. As many as 16 states are positioned to either lose or gain a congressional seat, depending on the census results. Before Ross even announced his decision, 19 attorneys general had urged him to reject the citizenship question. All the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have written the Justice Department questioning its motivation, saying they are “deeply troubled” by the request and the impact it would have. California is among those that could be hurt most. The state has 53 seats in the House, the largest delegation of any state. But it is at risk of losing one of them to states whose populations have grown faster over the last decade. The census results also factor into how political districts are drawn within California. The state’s population is already one of the most difficult to count, according to the Public Policy institute of California. About 75 percent of Californians belong to groups that the census historically undercounts, including Latinos, African Americans and renters. “Make no mistake — this decision is motivated purely by politics. In deciding to add this question without even testing its effects, the administration is departing from decades of census policy and ignoring the warnings of census experts.”
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Here’s the good news about the announcement this week that Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase are forming a new company to cover health care for their employees: If you’re one of the million-plus people who work at these companies, or a family member of one, you’re likely to get cheaper, better health care pretty soon. Here’s the bad news: If you’re one of the approximately 300 million other Americans, you might not see savings for a long time, if ever. And in the short term at least, you could be hit by bigger medical bills. Together, these three behemoth corporations will be able to wrest great deals and discounts in their negotiations from hospital systems, drug manufacturers, medical device makers and doctors’ groups. These are likely to be better deals than what lesser companies can wrangle. The health care industry has become a land of giants. Health care systems are gobbling up smaller hospitals at a record pace, and now many places have a monopoly provider. In the device industry, there have been two major mergers and acquisitions in the past seven years, leaving only four companies that supply virtually all of America’s hip and knee replacements. There are also just a handful of health insurers in the United States, compared with more than 100 in Germany. Now, with Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon forming a new health care company, employers will have an intimidating proxy warrior in their battles over the $3 trillion United States health care market. Medicare, by law, is not allowed to negotiate discounts on drug prices. But you can bet Amazon-JPMorgan-Berkshire will. Millions of American companies do not have the power, knowledge or data to drive down prices charged by labs or hospitals. But this new company most likely will. Recent history shows that when the medical system loses income from one sector (in this case, three huge corporations), it is adept at making up for it in another. As the Goliaths wrestle over how much they should pay or be paid, the Davids — small companies, individuals who purchase their own insurance and the uninsured — are often left footing the bill.
Those bills can be astronomical, like $5,000 for an M.R.I. scan or $100,000 for knee replacement surgery. Hospital systems argue that they have to charge such prices because government insurers — Medicare and Medicaid — don’t pay enough to cover their costs. Medicare disputes that. And “covering their costs” is a fungible calculation that can include multimillion-dollar executive salaries. Commercial insurers negotiate down from those high prices. But while good negotiators can get great deals, others will miss out. And the uninsured often get bills — and collection notices — asking them to pay the highest prices of all. Some big companies have made efforts to curb prices, with some effect. The supermarket chain Safeway has deployed a technique called “reference pricing,” in which it calculates a price sufficient to pay for a high-quality lab test and radiology test. Employees must select a provider that comes in under that bar or pay the difference. Providers have an incentive to drop prices for this big pool of employees. With reference pricing, Safeway saved $2.6 million on lab tests over three years. Boeing also contracts directly with health systems in Washington and California for some employee care, bypassing insurers. But neither Boeing nor Safeway is likely to have the fearsome arm-twisting clout of this new conglomerate.
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A Good Health Care Deal, but Only for Some
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COLIN KAEPERNICK TAKING A KNEE: WHY ARE NFL PLAYERS PROTESTING AND WHEN DID THEY START TO KNEEL?
After a wave of players joined in on American football player ’s protest movement against police brutality last year — morphing the protest into something of direct resistance to after the president weighed in on the issue — the has now announced that teams will be fined if players take a knee during the national anthem. The contentious move to take a knee during the national anthem before a game, or stand with arms locked in silent protest, follows in a long tradition of sports stars standing up for what they believe to be right — but some charge that it is unpatriotic and that politics should be kept out of sports. Kaepernick’s protest first occurred 21 months ago but was not immediately noticed. At that point, he simply sat on the benches during the US national anthem during a preseason game, just next to some giant Gatorade jugs. But, he later transitioned to taking a knee in protest — saying he was doing so to show more respect for military veterans — which turned out to be a much more iconic pose. Several other players joined his protest, even though they received a lot of criticism from football fans who said that it was disrespectful to the United States. Still, the movement did not gain huge traction that year. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people, and people of color," Kaepernick said in a press conference after first sitting out during the anthem. "To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave, and getting away with murder." What was the context surrounding those first protests? Police brutality has become an incredibly polarizing and contentious issue in American life. This has come as a result of repeated videos showing police shooting and killing unarmed black men, which have been posted online and gone viral — illustrating the brutality that black people in America must contend with when dealing with some police officers, who often do not serve any prison time for pulling the trigger. Mr. Trump became a catalyst for the protest in September when he said during a campaign rally in Alabama that he wished that NFL players would be fired for kneeling during the national anthem. “Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired,'” Mr. Trump said. “You know, some owner is going to do that. He's going to say, 'That guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired.' And that owner, they don't know it [but] they'll be the most popular person in this country.” Who is protesting? Some football teams chose not to come out onto the field at all after Mr Trump’s comments, while other teams allowed their players to protest at their own discretion. In addition to most, if not all, of the NFL teams seeing some players protesting the weekend after Mr. Trump's September remarks, baseball professionals and basketball professionals also joined in. Notably, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady called Mr. Trump’s comments “divisive”, and locked arms with his teammates during his game following the president's remarks. Brady has remained mostly silent about Mr. Trump, whom he has called a friend in the past.
But is it abnormal for sports stars to make their political opinions known during events? No, not really. There’s a pretty rich history of American sports stars wading into the political sphere. For instance, John Carlos and Tommie Smith made headlines across the world when they raised the black power salute on the podium after winning in the 1968 Olympics. That protest brought them death threats, and they were expelled from the games. Muhammad Ali is perhaps one of the best known American athletes to take a major political stand. While not a direct stand against racism, Ali refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War — a refusal that involved jail time. He did so on the basis of his faith, he said, but did note the cruel irony of asking black men to fight in Vietnam for a country that has treated them as subhuman. More recently, NBA players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and others, helped the Black Lives Matter movement pick up steam by wearing supportive shirts following the death of Eric Garner, who was choked to death in New York What is the new NFL rule? NFL owners unanimously approved the new national anthem policy this week, requiring players to stand if they are on the field during the performance of the song. Players have the option to remain in the locker room during the anthem if they prefer. If a player or other employee of a team kneels or sits during the anthem, the teams themselves are fined. The teams then have the option to fine the individual players or personnel for the infraction. The vote was unanimous, but the owner of the San Francisco 49ers — the team Kaepernick played for when he started the protest — abstained from the vote. The rule will be added to the NFLs game operations manual, and therefore will no be subject to collective bargaining. The NFL Players Association has said it will review the policy and "challenge any aspect" of the rule that is violates the collective bargaining agreement between players and their employers. What has happened to Kaepernick? Kaepernick is not currently on any NFL team, even though many of his supporters argue that he is good enough to be picked up by a team. He said himself last year that he was ready to play if any team was willing to hire him. But, while Kaepernick is out of an NFL job, he has remained busy with charity work. That includes a $1m pledge he made to charitable organizations, which has included support for a variety of groups. Kaepernick has largely refused to comment on the most recent NFL protests, and has refrained from responding to Mr. Trump's criticism of the protest movement he started as "unpatriotic".
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Why exactly is this such a big deal for people? Mr. Trump charges that kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful to American servicemen and women, as do many of his supporters. The White House has repeatedly attempted to rebrand the protest as a protest of the American flag instead of against police brutality and racism in the US. After Kaepernick first started the protest, he was criticized for introducing politics into sports. Many said that football was somehow sacrosanct, and that it should be a place where people can rise above politics.
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ART CULTURE MUSIC FASHION LIFESTYLE MUSIC
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Free the Weed: A New Bill Could End Federal Prohibition of Marijuana
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced new legislation today that highlights the growing divisions within the Republican Party on the nation's current patchwork of marijuana laws. The effort to allow states to decide their own marijuana policy potentially pits President Trump, who has voiced support for the state's right to choose their own policy, against his own staunchly anti-marijuana attorney general. And it highlights the chasm between anti-marijuana GOP leaders in Congress and the growing number of rank-and-file Republicans who are demanding federal protections for their state's burgeoning marijuana businesses. If it passes, the STATES – Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States – Act would end the federal prohibition of marijuana and formally enshrine protections for the states that have decided to legalize either recreational or medicinal marijuana. Currently, marijuana is listed as a federally controlled substance, but this bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act – basically, it would remove marijuana from the schedule of illegal drugs in states that choose to legalize. Don Murphy, conservative outreach director of the Marijuana Policy Project, called the bill the "most significant piece of marijuana-related legislation ever introduced in Congress."Right now, most cannabis companies are forced to function as all-cash businesses, and they struggle to get capital investments and loans from banks, which remain wary of federal law enforcement officials. If the bill were to pass, banks and financial institutions would be free to work with any business that played by their state's rules. "Our founders intended the states to be laboratories of democracy and many states right now find themselves deep in the heart of that laboratory, but its created significant conflict between state law [and] federal law," Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) said at the Capitol as he introduced the bill alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Despite these big names from both sides of the aisle, the effort faces significant hurdles. While Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supports industrial hemp production, which the bill legalizes, last month he told Rolling Stone he remains opposed to attempts to legalize marijuana. And Attorney General Jeff Sessions is still marijuana's strongest opponent in Washington – he even overturned an Obama-era rule that directed the nation's prosecutors to no longer prioritize marijuana convictions. Still, supporters of the bill say Sessions' own desire to crack down on weed has attracted more support for their cause. "I think it's the attorney general who gave us the impetus to bring our colleagues together to change the law in this area," Warren tells Rolling Stone. "It's gotten a lot of people engaged in a way that they weren't six months ago. Thanks to the attorney general, more people feel the urgency of the moment in changing federal law on marijuana." During the last election, Trump told Colorado voters that he supported their decision to legalize marijuana, and Sen. Gardner says that the president has reassured him that he still holds that position. The Republican senator says the bill would simply put in federal law what the president has privately assured him. "I've talked to the president about this bill. I think in the previous conversation we had he talked about the need to solve this conflict between state and federal law," Gardner says. "He talked about his support for a state's rights approach during the campaign. He's talked about that in the days since with me." Having the president's support could prove crucial. But the bill's sponsors are also expecting an array of groups and state legislators from across the political spectrum to help them lobby for the proposal, which was also introduced in the House of Representatives today by Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). The legislation sets up minimal federal standards for states that legalize marijuana in one form or another, mandating one must be 18 or older to work for a marijuana business; that pot shops can't be set up at rest stops along interstate highways; and that recreational marijuana can only be sold to people 21 and over, though a doctor could still prescribe medicinal marijuana to minors. As the bill's sponsors try to drum up support for the effort inside the marble halls of the Capitol, they're highlighting one essential element of the bill as they make the pitch to any of their colleagues who remain skeptical. "This is not a bill that forces legalization on any state that doesn't want it," says Sen. Warren. "So part of the pitch here for getting a vote through Congress is to say 'This is for the states who want to act.'" —— ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
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“Allow me to reintroduce Alvester A whole new vibe� Contributor, Ron Fulcher
he path to discovering your true passion is rarely an easy road. Case in point: up-and-coming actor, dancer and musical artist Alvester. Before the African-American born performer realized his keen interest for the performing arts, Alvester says he is still a little boy at heart, to his detriment he says at times. But he is definitely self-assured. It's not a false self-assurance, not wrapped in arrogance, and cockiness, it's actually wrapped in humility and a calmness. He says he knows things are going to happen and it's God centered. I believe in myself and I have no self-doubt.
SDM: Who is Alvester AM: Alvester Martin is still a little boy at heart, almost to his own detriment at times. At this point in his career and his life, he says he is definitely self-assured. SDM: How do you feel about doing interviews AM: I have done a lot of interviews, with so much stuff coming out, I feel like I has a cult following and people don't really want know who Alvester is. They see past things I’ve done, like pictures, my Instagram feed, social media posts, and they assume so many things. He says with great emotion, I am totally the opposite of what is depicted in social media.
SDM: How did you get involved with Black Magic AM: He feels, society, the casting directors, and the gatekeepers in the industry have said to him when he walks into a room, "Oh I didn't think you were going to be that good." It used to bother me Alvester says, and subsequently, I went through a 4-year depression. I hated doing Black Magic, I felt they mislead me in the pitch and the script. I thought it was going be great exposure for me and an excellent opportunity to showcase my skills. They knew him as a background dancer for BeyoncĂŠ and his body of work to that point. I felt the transition has already been hard enough to transcend the title of just a dancer, it took a financial toll. My artistry took a hit, as well as my Psyche. I began to turn down jobs, but I needed to eat. I feel that there is already a lack of respect in Hollywood, for dancers generally, however I pressed on. Ultimately, the show was pitched and presented again, it took a few times before I said yes, once the final pitch was presented, he felt that this was going to be a great opportunity to move away from being a background dancer to a recording artist, which was always in the forefront of his journey, In his mind that was always his mindset that he didn't move to LA to be a background dancer, although he is grateful for what he has done its just he wanted more.
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SDM: How did you get started in the entertainment business SDM/AM: When I first spoke to Alvester about the shoot and what he wanted he surprised me by saying he wanted something basic, and not the "pretty boy" thing even though he is a pretty boy. He has been groomed since the age of 5, and has been trained in acting, singing, dancing etc. He feels it’s a gift and a curse. Now that social media is the norm, your judged on who people think you are, and rest on the fact you are good looking and literally, want to be paid for looking good. However, he wants people to know that he has much more to offer, than his good looks. When he auditions and books gigs, people are so surprised, that he has talent! He says he literally has people contacting him through his social media, and once they have connected they are astonished that he is well spoken. Alvester says he is sometimes bewildered, annoyed and frustrated. Because today's values place so much emphasis on the looks of person as opposed to their metal. They write you off, before they even find out who you are.
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“I went into a deep depression once again and felt I had hit rock bottom and committed career suicide. I had worked years and his parents had sacrificed their monies, and time to get me my training and go forward.” During the filming, it became quite apparent that it was not what he signed up for. The show was about being a stripper, which wasn't his world. People connected with the show and who were on the show were making him feel bad for having worked some many years in the industry and having a standard of expertise. As a result of this experience I went into a deep depression once again and felt I had hit rock bottom and committed career suicide. I have worked years and years and my parents have sacrificed their monies, and time to get my training and go forward. SDM: What is your mindset today and what are your future goals AM: In final, I'm in a whole different place, new music, moodier, it has an edge its more me. It what I like, how I feel, what I think, my music is my diary in life, I accept my acting career now I hate slashes, I can sing alone and rest on that, I can act alone, I can dance alone. It is a blessing to be able to stand on my two feet. My acting career is taking off and its great, I have self-discovery and at this point I feel I am walking into the unknown but in a positive way, and its ok to not always feel ok and be ok, but whatever I feel I put that shit in my work and art.
“My acting career is taking off and its great, I have self-discovery and at this point I feel I am is walking into the unknown but in a positive way, and its ok to not always feel ok and be ok, but whatever you feel and whatever I feel put that shit in your work and art.”
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The Art of Giving Good Oral – A Sex Expert Tells Us How
MEDIA
hether you’re diving under the sheets and between her legs on a cold winter’s night, or hungrily spreading them in the back of your car as she grabs your collar and pulls you into her body, there’s arguably no bad time to pleasure your woman. But how can you be a true winner at giving head? Start off slow with light touches, using your fingers first before your tongue. Don’t be too centralised with your approach; kiss all over her body rather than just focusing on her clitoris. The side of the tummy (just above the appendix) is highly erogenous for most women – brush your fingers there as you make out with her. Kiss her labia (the ‘lips’) and gently nibble them. Breathe her in and tell her how damn good she tastes. Slide your tongue up and down her clitoris and labia in a rhythmic motion, continuing the same pulse for some time and watch for her bodily responses. As her vagina starts to open up and self-lubricate, slide in your index finger and move it in a ‘come hither’ motion. (Don’t jab. Ever.) As she gets into it – and you’ll know because she’ll relax her body – increase your enthusiasm. Speed up, grab her arse, her thighs and her tits like you’re hungry for her entire being. Giving head is about admiring the woman, not admiring the vagina attached to the woman. Too often, men can approach going down as something to be done with trepidation – ‘it’s an unknown and if I just run my tongue around the area in the shape of the alphabet, she’ll get there’. She probably won’t. The biggest difference between a good oral sex experience and a bad one is attitude. Dive in there and worship her pussy, her legs, her body. Grab her arse by wrapping your arms under her and pulling her into your face. Smell her, look up at her with hungry eyes and moan when you’re really enjoying yourself. The more you relax her through (genuine) compliments that show your enthusiasm, the more she’ll ease into it and free her mind for orgasm. Say things like, ‘I love how your thighs tense up right when you’re about to come’, ‘you taste incredible’, ‘this part of you right here is my favourite’. We all have insecurities and making your girl feel good will make the experience better for the both of you.
When she starts to rhythmically pulse into your mouth and fingers, make your way up to the clitoris and stay there. Continue your up and down, rhythmic motion until you can feel it really swell under your tongue. Note that different women prefer different amounts of pressure on the clit – start lightly and if she pushes into, push your tongue further against her and then keep going until she comes. A good orgasm feels warm, fluid and all-encompassing for most women. We feel soft, relaxed and loving after we come, so use this time to continue the intimacy. Kiss her forehead, run your fingers up and down her back as she snuggles into that nook on your shoulder, and gently place her hand over your hard cock to show her how good pleasuring her made you feel – how much she turns you on. Ask for feedback in this moment, too. Learn what she really liked and put it into practice next time. But most of all, enjoy yourself. Don’t just give head to get head. The hottest thing in the whole world is when someone makes love to you because they adore you and are insatiably attracted to you. Give off that vibe and she’ll be putty in your hands (and mouth).
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Lightly bite her inner thighs, dragging your tongue along them and to her lips. Use your fingers to graze her arse and tease the area, and (hot tip) take a breather when your tongue’s getting a little sore. When a woman pushes herself into your face, ‘mmms’ and ‘ahhs’, smiles and runs her fingers through your hair, it means she likes what you’re doing. Keep doing it and don’t move away. If you’re unsure, though, ask. Communication is sexy as hell.
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Design: Lee Rickie Collection
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SUMMER
featuring Nathaniel Beeson
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BRING THE HEAT
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The N.F.L. Kneels to Trump
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he owners of the National Football League have concluded, with President Trump, that true patriotism is not about bravely standing up for democratic principle but about standing up, period. Rather than show a little backbone themselves and support the right of athletes to protest peacefully, the league capitulated to a president who relishes demonizing black athletes. The owners voted Wednesday to fine teams whose players do not stand for the national anthem while they are on the field. Let us hope that in keeping with the league’s pinched view of patriotism, the players choose to honor the letter but not the spirit of this insulting ban. It might be amusing, for example, to see the owners tied in knots by players who choose to abide by the injunction to “stand and show respect” — while holding black-gloved fists in the air. Or who choose to stand — while holding signs protesting police brutality. We look forward to many more meetings of fatootsed gazillionaires conducting many more votes on petty rules to ban creative new forms of player protest. Many players, African-American by and large, have been kneeling during the anthem since 2016, when the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began sitting, and later kneeling, during the ceremony to protest racism and police brutality. Many football fans and team owners thought Mr. Kaepernick was showing disrespect for the flag, or even for the military, as though the Stars and Stripes were a battle standard and the football field a hallowed battleground. The owners responded in the grand old American tradition of blackballing people you disagree with. Since Mr. Kaepernick became a free agent a little over a year ago, no team has offered him a contract, an odd thing given the less than distinguished roster of quarterbacks in the league last season. He filed a collusion grievance, which reportedly led to documents showing that some of the top coaches in the league said that he was not only good enough to be a backup quarterback, but to be a starter.
As time went on, and more cases of police brutality emerged, more players knelt in solidarity with Mr. Kaepernick and his cause. The president, smelling an issue sure to fire up his base, pounced. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these N.F.L. owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired,’” Mr. Trump said at a political rally in September.
59 SDM MAGAZINE SUMMER ISSUE That riled up players, owners and fans on both sides of the question. Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence continued to stir outrage. More players knelt. More conservatives became incensed and threatened to boycott the league. The fury that Mr. Trump ignited was so troubling that it brought players and team owners together in a meeting last October to discuss it. “The problem we have is, we have a president who will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interests of America,” Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner and a Trump supporter, said of the kneeling. “It’s divisive, and it’s horrible.” The league has now decided it will also override the best interests of America and try to substitute a phony pageant of solidarity for a powerful civics lesson.
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LIFESTYLE
The 15-minute Bodyweight Workout for Busy Guys
he best thing about building your fitness around a bodyweight workout: the more you weight you lose and the leaner you become, the easier they get. That’s good news for busy guys who might’ve acquired the proverbial “middle-age spread” from time-consuming demands of fatherhood and career. With a bodyweight workout, there’s no excuse for not having time to go to the gym or access to equipment. You can do bodyweight exercises anywhere at any time. It’s portable and free of charge.
Tired after a long day on the road and don’t want to hit the hotel gym? Do a bodyweight workout in your hotel room. Got time while watching your kid’s soccer practice? Put down the phone and train on the sidelines. Don’t want to feel like a slug lying on the beach all day during that rare vacation? Do this quick routine on a beach towel and then cool off in the water. The 15-minute Kettlebell Workout for Busy Guys — All you need is 15 minutes and some focus, and you’ll get a great bodyweight workout fast. The 15-minute Bodyweight Workout: How It Works This workout to alternate between lower-body and upper-body movements, or pushing and pulling exercises, so there’s no need for rest. That way you can make the most of your time. The 15-minute Dumbbell Workout for Busy Guys This workout is designed as a circuit. Perform two rounds of these six moves and you’ll find your bodyweight is a more than adequate substitute for iron—regardless of where you tip the scales.
2. Cat/Cow Why It Works: This familiar compound yoga move improves flexibility to the lumbar and cervical spine, while also strengthening and stabilizing your shoulders. How to Do It: Start on all fours with hands beneath your shoulders and knees on the ground. Inhale, dropping your chest as you push your hips and shoulder blades back into cow position. Lift your chin and chest and gaze forward. For cat, exhale as you draw your belly button to your spine and round your back toward the ceiling like a cat. Prescription: 10 reps of each per round 3. Glute Bridge Why It Works: It’s one of the best moves to improve the activation patterns of the glutes, which you’ve probably deactivated by sitting all day. How to Do It: Lie face-up on the floor with knees bent 90 degrees and feet on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and bridge your hips to the ceiling. Only your shoulders and hips should remain on the ground. Hold for two seconds and then lower your hips toward the ground without touching. Prescription: 10 reps per round 4. Plank-to-Pushup Why It Works: This classic exercise challenges your overall core stability by combining two effective moves in one. How to Do It: Begin in a forearm plank position. Push from your triceps, placing your right hand on the ground and then your left hand, gradually rising to pushup position. Return to forearm plank by placing your right forearm down and then your left. Prescription: 10 reps per round 5. Lateral Bound Why It Works: Bounds build lateral power in your legs and challenge the hamstrings differently than traditional stretching exercises. How to Do It: Stand on your right leg, with your left foot off the ground. Squat slightly on your right leg and use your leg and glute to jump laterally (to the left). Land on the opposite leg, maintaining balance. Hold for three seconds. Repeat to the other side. Prescription: 10 reps per round 6. Burpees Why It Works: This total-body exercise gives you all the benefits of pushups while also challenging your cardiovascular system and ratcheting up the intensity of your workout, which is especially important when you only have 15 minutes. How to Do It: From a standing position, squat, place you hands on the ground, and “jump” your feet out into a push-up position. Perform a pushup and then jump your feet to your hands. Then jump as high as you can, throwing your hands over your head. Prescription: 10 reps per round
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1. 90/90 Stretch Why It Works: This stretch opens up your middle and upper back, especially after hours of sitting, which is why it’s a perfect start to your routine. You’ll also get a great stretch of the pecs. How to Do It: Lie on the ground on your left side with legs tucked into the torso at a 90-degree angle. Keep both arms straight parallel to your knees. Keeping the knees together and on the ground, rotate your chest and right arm to the right, putting your back on the ground. Hold for two seconds and return to starting position. Prescription: 10 reps to each side per round
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