Yasmin Shiraz

Lady Gaga

I love People Magazine. I’ve been a subscriber for YEARS!!!! I love the lists that they do and since its the end of 2009, they put out a list of the Top Ten most googled celebrities. I like Top Ten lists because it lets me know if I’m out the loop or not. A couple of these people I would not have thought were most googled of ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE in the world.

1. Michael Jackson (of course, the King of Pop died this year. We’re still  saddened by it.)
2. Lady Gaga (Really? She’s THAT popular. I must admit I googled her a couple of times to check out her outfits, but dag apparently I wasn’t alone.)
3. Robert Pattinson (I’m a Twilight fan so I get it. But if Rob’s on here, Taylor Lautner aka Jacob should be on this list too and he’s not. What’s up with team Jacob?)
4. Taylor Swift (Everyone who didn’t love Taylor at least knows who she is. She’s a sweet girl and a talented artist.)
5. Miley Cyrus (Really? People are still checking for Miley like that? I had no clue. I don’t hear anybody hardly talking about her.)
6. Kim Kardashian (Seriously? I had no idea. I have never googled Kim Kardashian for anything. I don’t see the point.)
7. Susan Boyle (I guess I get it. This lady can sing and she doesn’t look like your average pop star.)
8. Rihanna( Of course, she has Top Ten singles, had a hot but abusive boyfriend, takes topless magazine photos and bottomless cd artwork. People are going to google her.)
9. Lil’ Wayne (I’m scratching my head a lil. I guess I thought I was the only one who REALLY was intrigued by Lil’ Wayne. I guess more people love him than I thought.)
10. Adam Lambert (He must have gotten on this list AFTER the AMA performance. Otherwise, how did he make this list? I have no idea)

SOME PEOPLE WHO I THINK SHOULD HAVE MADE THE LIST:

Amber Rose & boyfriend, Kanye West

1. Tiger Woods – I know the scandal came at the end of 2009 – but dag on everyone who didn’t know a thing about him knows more than they want to now!
2. Elin Woods – Same as above and plus we know she has a twin sister now.
3. Shaquille O’Neal - His sexual exploits are making a lot of headlines where I live, plus he’s getting divorced. Maybe he’s 11 and google hasn’t told us.
4. Chris Brown – I mean come on, Are people googling Rihanna but not Chris Brown? Apparently, they are.
5. Katherine Jackson - I think she’s an awesome lady and I’d like to know how she’s handling the grandkids and Michael’s estate. She got paid. Am I alone in my wonderment?
6. Barack Obama – He’s the President of the United States. Shouldn’t we google him?
7. Beyonce’ – How could Kim K. be on a googled top 10 and not Beyonce’? If I have to explain to you why Beyonce’ should be on this list, you’ve been living under a rock!
8. Kanye West – Hey, same as #7.
9. Amber Rose - If Kim K can be on the top ten, so should Amber Rose! Kanye is wayyyyy more popular than Reggie Bush!

Anyway, if you think anyone else should be added to the top ten Googled people of 2009, let me know. I’d love your feedback.

Where are you gonna live?

At my new favorite hangout, www.digg.com, I came across a story that listed the 5 Worst Cities for Urban Youth. The list was compiled by ScoopDaily.  High school graduation rates, infant mortality rates, juvenile incarceration rates, and unemployment rates all played an important factor in the ranking. I’m gonna summarize some of the bigger points, but look for the link at the end of this story, so that you can see this abomination in full.

5. Cleveland Ohio – High School graduation rate= 34% (What the $#@%?) African American youth made up for 64% of individual offenders. (LOCK DOWN)

4. Baltimore, MD – High School graduation rate= 41% ( *Sigh*) African American youth made up for 43% of those put in juvenile detention facilities and 80% of those put in shelters. (SMH)

3. Atlanta, GA – High School graduation rate = 44% (Gee, that’s sad) African American youth made up for over 93% of total intake for unique youth served criminal offenses and over 96% of the average daily population for criminal offenses. (I’m crying on the inside!)

2. Detroit, MI – High School graduation rate = 38% (Dismal) The city’s unemployment rate = 17.3%

1. Chicago, IL – High School graduation rate = 55.7% (Better than the others, but…) 300,000 youth live in poverty in Chicago’s Cook County and of the 31,000 youth who’ve been arrested in Cook County, 72% are African American.

President "We need you to save these cities" Obama

Only thing I can say to this is, “I’m surprised Washington, DC didn’t make the list.” What is the Obama administration doing to improve these cities.

To read the full story, please visit: 5 Worst Cities

If you would like to comment on this, please feel free.

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Its quite an honor and deserving of the peace that he’s inspired throughout the world. The Norwegian Nobel Committee says U.S. President Barack Obama won for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Here’s a excerpt of the his Inauguration speech:

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.”