AA Boomers

Did you Know?

Recording artists Melanie Fiona, Eric Benet, others perform during the star-studded ceremony

By Robert Compitello, Burrell Communications

Entertainers, professional athletes, political figures and hundreds of citizens from across the nation packed the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans recently, during the Essence Music Festival for the 2012 McDonald's^® 365Black^® Awards, an annual event honoring outstanding African-Americans who are making positive contributions to the community. Hundreds of guests attended the ninth annual ceremony honoring multi-platinum and 10-time GRAMMY^® winning recording artist AABoomer  Chaka Khan; global humanitarian, best-selling inspirational author/entrepreneur AABoomer  Bishop T.D. Jakes; GRAMMY-nominated R&B singer/songwriter Tamia and husband, All-Star NBA^® player, Grant Hill; teenage medical innovator Tony Hansberry, II; youth empowerment activist Mary-Pat Hector; and McDonald's owner/operators

Entrepreneurship

By AABoomers.com Staff Writer

With the flip of a ceremonial “switch”, as the crowd counted down, NBA Hall of Famer, sportscaster, entrepreneur, and AABoomer, Magic Johnson’s new cable network, “ASPIRE” recently “went live,”

"We have a big platform for African-American work," Johnson told those who attended the event launching the network. . "Family driven content, positive images of African Americans — that's what we want that platform for!"

Initially, Aspire is available in about 7 million homes and in 16 of the top 25 African-American markets (including New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington). It can be seen by some customers served by Time Warner Cable and by Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, which is introducing the minority-oriented Aspire as part of an agreement struck with the Federal Communications Commission when Comcast purchased NBC Universal.

Travel

By Aubrey Williams

When reflecting on some of your most memorable moments, chances are that many of those moments involved family. Whether it’s moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, kids, or cousins that stir memories for you, it’s almost certain that good times and togetherness are common themes. Family reunions are one of the most popular forms of good times and togetherness for black families, but we’ve come a long way from having them at Big Momma’s house or the recreation center. Where are we having them now?

Now more than ever, black families are selecting cruises as the setting of choice for their family reunions, and for good reason. Cruise ships have all the necessary elements of a good black family reunion, including accommodations, food, music, games, entertainment, and great weather.  Cruises offer all the same comforts of a typical get together, plus open ocean and some of the most beautiful islands and beaches in the world.

Politics

By Keesha Gaskins, New America Media

With the 2012 election just a few months away, organizers and voters are working in earnest to support ballot issues, community concerns, and political campaigns.

This year there is a great deal of chaos and confusion regarding what is happening with the unprecedented wave of restrictive voting laws that has swept the nation since 2010. Understanding which laws are in effect and what it will mean for the November 2012 election is crucial.

One category of restrictive voting law that is especially important to navigate is voter ID requirements.

Since 2010, 10 states passed voter ID laws (Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin). Although each law is restrictive they are each unique. They have varying enactment dates, some are waiting for pre-clearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, and others are in litigation. In addition, some voters will vote on ballot measures to decide the fate of voter ID in their state.

Did you Know?

By Ellen Shultz, Wall Street Journal

A few years ago I had to hack a couple of family email accounts after the passwords were lost. It took a few weeks, but I finally guessed the password of one and the answer to the security question of the other, which enabled me to change the password and recover years of vacation photos.

This exercise showed me that when it comes to the security of online accounts, the biggest threats aren't necessarily viruses and spyware, but poorly chosen passwords, user names and security questions that can make accounts crackable by familiar people—and hackable by bad guys using common software.