Month: February 2016

Five Reasons to Run the Electric Run 5K in San Diego

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Fire up your workout with help from Electric Run, the premier 5K nightlife run, and bring out your inner creativity at the launch of their 2016 Electric Run Recharged Season, kicking off in San Diego at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 26. Experience unique elements including crazy light shows, glow in the dark face painting, ELECTROBANDs – an illuminating LED bracelet that automatically syncs with the music – and an epic after party to make sure you enjoy breaking a sweat with every step you take.  
Sound too fun to be a real race? Think again! Check out the top five reasons below on why you should run the Electric Run 5K and take in the adrenaline of a 5K remixed with a dance party you won’t want to miss:
1. Party and Workout at the Same Time: When do you ever get to bust out your dance moves with friends, workout AND look awesome all for a great cause? It is the perfect excuse to party with besties and shake your tail feather for some fun.

2. A Memorable Sensory Experience: You get to experience the hottest music scattered along the entire course and jam out to five different music zones that bump to the rhythm of hundreds of LED lights.

3. Run For A Cause: A portion of the proceeds from Electric Run benefits Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence, a non-profit that works to educate communities on the dangers of domestic violence, connect victims and survivors, and assist in the transformation of those affected by domestic violence.

4. Perfect Excuse to Get Dressed Up: Have the chance to get dressed up in illuminating gear and it’s not even Halloween. Channel your festive art side and get charged with an array of neon gear.

5. Tons of Photo-Ops: Show off your face painting and electrified gear including glow in the dark tanks, hats, glow shades, bling rings and LED shades for some cool Instagram photo-ops by using the hashtags #ElectricRun #RunTheNight. 

The Green Planet Festival Brings Education on Sustainability to Fort Lauderdale

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 If you’re a huge fan of everything-organic, yoga pants and poses, or understand what centering your chakras means, then don’t make the mistake of missing The Green Planet Festival. Set to take over the Broward County Convention Center on Feb 27th from 11am to 6pm, it is filled with positive vibes, over 150 exhibitors, live music, speakers, movie screenings, a wine & beer garden, food, workshops, children’s activities, yoga, fitness demonstrations and more. The Green Planet Festival is all about sustainability, empowering and educating local consumers on eco-friendly choices in the community. Launched by Kyle Michaud, the event began as a means to spread awareness towards the preservation of our resources. Giving back to the community is an effort that Kyle believes we all must contribute to. Educating his attendees on sustainability is key in obtaining success in his new endeavor. He believes in bringing people together by connecting them with other like-minded individuals and introducing them to healthy activities.

 

This year the festival is back for a second round, featuring large national brands as well as local businesses in the Fort Lauderdale area, seeking to level the playing field between public and privately owned businesses. The first Green Planet Festival attracted more than 6,000 attendees in Fort Lauderdale last February. The event provides community members with an accurate portrayal of what is available in their very own city, aiding in the support of small companies and further investing in a better tomorrow. All ages are welcome to attend the exciting event and meet other like-minded individuals in hopes of promoting the three core principals of the festival: education, choice and co-creation.

   

Kyle Michaud was born in Detchess County, New York, with eyes on the prize and a knack for launching successful businesses. Kyle received his Bachelor’s of Science from SUNY University of Albany as a complement to his entrepreneurial spirit. Equipped with great ideas for sensing trends before they’ve gone mainstream, Kyle began his career by launching an event planning company in between his homework assignments and booking exclusive headliners like Steve Aoki, Showtek and Adventure Club. His drive to succeed helped him garner large sums of money before he could even legally drink. After quickly rising to success, Kyle sold his business and launched the Green Planet Festival which he felt was a better fit for his lifestyle. Kyle had a goal to create a business platform that addressed society’s lack of awareness towards the preservation of our resources while giving back to the community. Today the Green Planet Festival features yoga, fitness, workshops, children’s activities and games, lectures, demonstrations, and over 100 green and sustainable South Florida companies. The event will be held on Saturday, February 27, from 11a.m. – 6p.m. at the Broward Convention Center. Tickets are $14.95 each, available online at http://www.greenplanetfestival.com.

 

 

 

 

THE FIGHT FOR OBAMA’S LEGACY GETS COMLICATED

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2016 presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

2016 presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

Who is the rightful successor of the Obama Legacy? The fight to become the President’s standard bearer became the central theme of last night’s Democratic Townhall on MSNBC. 

During the Townhall Hillary Clinton launched a series of attacks on Senator Bernie Sanders, alleging that he once encouraged disenchanted democrats to launch a primary challenge to President Obama’s second term in 2012. The attack while effective is also tactically blind to Clinton’s own previous actions.

Clinton has been informally running for President longer than any other candidate. One of the early narratives of her campaign was a direct rebuke of the Obama foreign policy.  The Washington Post wrote  that “there is little precedent for a secretary of state preparing a presidential campaign in part by criticizing the foreign policy being carried out by the administration she helped lead.” In the earliest moments of 2014 Clinton began a very public critique of President Obama’s Foreign Policy, highlighting moments when the President failed to heed her sage advice and the disastrous consequences of his naivete. At one point Clinton mocked the President (and his famous phrase) declaring that “Don’t Do Stupid Stuff is not an organizing principle” effectively attacking his reluctance to get the U.S. bogged down in long engagements.

While Clinton attempts to position Sanders as a disloyal soldier in the democratic ranks, her attacks on the President came at a much more precarious time for the President, while he was bogged down in the tumult of new complications in Iraq and the Ukraine. Clinton went even further, outpacing even right wing critics of the President becoming among the first to blame the President and the failure of his policies for the rise of Isis. Clinton stated in The Atlantic that “The failure to help build up a credible fighting force of the people who were the originators of the Protests against Bashar al Assad-there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was everything in the middle-the failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled”. The public spat evolved into a very embarrassing verbal joust, leaving a sitting President to publicly debate his former Secretary of State in the pages of the New York Times, in which he declared that the postulated scenario of success from Clinton’s recommendations had “always been a fantasy” (Washington Post 8/11/14).

Clinton’s early campaign was positioned to seek political benefits by distancing herself from the President. The Atlantic noted that Clinton repeatedly referred to the President’s policy as a “Failure” a remark she now assaults Sanders for making. As one who now seeks the mantle of the Obama Presidency, the inconvenient truth is that in the early months of 2014, Hillary Clinton was tacking right, praising President Bush and attacking President Obama as a failure (to summarize TheWeek.com 7/28/14).

The most costly charge for the Sanders team is the claim that Sanders once sought “someone” as a primary challenger for President Obama in 2012, however it is worth noting that the challenger most speculated about was Hillary Clinton. Team Clinton supporters, were the most vocal proponents of a Primary challenge for the President. In an article posted to TheHill.com frustrated democrats like Peter DeFazio suggested that a primary challenge might salve the wounds of disappointment he and other democrats felt about the President. A primary challenge he stated would “push the president and his advisers a bit……to give us back the candidate we had three years ago”. An unnamed lawmaker told TheHill.Com that Clinton was the only candidate that could “crystallize the issues”.  The same liberal lawmaker told The Hill that “She could do the job and hopefully lead us to a better place”. The clamor culminated with articles like the Daily Beast’s “Hillary Told You So” in which numerous democratic acolytes loyal to Clinton asserted that the disappointment voters felt in Obama could have been avoided had voters made the wiser choice of electing Clinton. Redemption they argued could be earned by supporting a Clinton in 2012 primary challenge. While Clinton vociferously denied interest, fuel was given to fire by Clinton attacking her own Commander In Chief while serving as his Secretary of State, suggesting that Obama’s “Failure” economically was making her job harder as early as 2010.

Macy’s Celebrates Black History Month With All-Star Panel

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MacyÕs welcomed actors Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Taye Diggs, plus illustrator Shane Evans, to MacyÕs at Aventura Mall in Miami, FL on Saturday, February 13, for a discussion on culture, career and influences in honor of Black History Month. (Jesus Aranguren / AP Images for Macy's)

Macy’s welcomed actors Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Taye Diggs, plus illustrator Shane Evans, to MacyÕs at Aventura Mall in Miami, FL on Saturday, February 13, for a discussion on culture, career and influences in honor of Black History Month. (Jesus Aranguren / AP Images for Macy’s)

Macy’s welcomed actors Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Taye Diggs, plus illustrator Shane Evans, to Macy’s at Aventura Mall  for a discussion on culture, career and influences in honor of Black History Month. These and other African American cultural luminaries and taste-makers are on a nationwide tour with Macy’s in celebration of Black History Month, aiming to spotlight African American culture, entertainment and inspirations.

 

After the discussion, customers got a chance to meet the panelists and receive Diggs’ and Evans’ newest book, “Chocolate Me,” which they signed. They also enjoyed a performance by local musicians Sons of Mystro, plus got a preview of Ankara Miami 2016, Florida’s Premier African Fashion Week.

 

Prior to the panel, Taylor the Chef treated customers to brunch while Miami Urban Contemporary Experience shared some of their favorite artists. Plus, the first 50 children in attendance received a doll fromThe Black Doll Affair, a self-esteem movement and philanthropic social club with the mission to change the way black girls are perceived and, more importantly, perceive themselves.

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TRULYonSafari

Culture, Editor's Journal, Editorial, Featured

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Lion Country Safari warmly welcomed a few of South Florida’s well-known bloggers for a VIP tour of the property and its wild residents. The bloggers were escorted in a one-of-a-kind 27-foot mouse limo (the latest limo is one of three limos) from Truly Nolen. The driver for the event, Jack Martin, has visited over 20 states since last March making people aware of the company.

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Both companies came together to showcase the magic that is beyond the gates of Lion Country Safari. As a family owned company, Truly Nolen, has developed a reputation for getting involved in  their local communities through events, school presentations, buying lunch for neighborhood cookouts.

 

More information on Truly Nolen

Founded in 1938, Tucson, Arizona-based Truly Nolen of America is the largest family-owned pest control company in the United States. Truly Nolen has over 80 branch offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The company also has independently owned and operated franchises in an ever-growing number of territories including Kentucky, Georgia, New Jersey, Canada, Puerto Rico and over 60 countries. Truly Nolen, To learn more about

visit www.trulynolen.com

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More about Lion Country Safari

Lion Country Safari, Florida opened in 1967, in rural Western Palm Beach County.
At the time it was the first drive-through safari park in the country and introduced a new concept to animal lovers, “The Cageless Zoo.” The opening generated enormous interest on the part of residents, visitors to South Florida, and the media. The park developed into a popular and successful attraction.Today, Lion Country Safari is home to over 900 animals in the drive-through preserve and in the Safari World exhibit area. Among the more notable species on display at the park are lions, white rhino, chimpanzees, zebra, and giraffe  

 

visit  www.lioncountrysafari.com

The Keys To A Lasting Relationship According To Jurnee Smollett Bell

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Jurnee HeadshotThe leading lady of the upcoming TV series Underground, Jurnee Smollett Bell, shared with Worthy Magazine the keys to a lasting relationship. The beautiful and talented actress has been enjoying the married life since 2010.

Be Honest And Open

“Your partner is not always going to know what you need. They are not mind readers. Sometimes as women we are afraid to ask for what we want, what pleases us. I think it is very important to communicate that with your partner.”

 

Continue To Date

“Continue to explore each other and find out things you didn’t know about the person. You two are forever growing and changing.”

Jurnee also shared with the magazine her plans for Valentine’s Day since she is currently traveling while celebrating Black History Month with Macy’s

“We have the day off. So we are going to spend it here in Miami.”

 

Her husband recently wrote a love song to celebrate Jurnee’s birthday (October 1st). Take a look at the music video, which was just released this month on the 12th.

“It’s a happy love song but the video explores the different sides of love. It shows the moments when you feel so apart,” Jurnee said.

 

BERNIE SANDERS IS NOT OFFERING FREE STUFF

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The most common quip, used to discredit the proposals of Bernie Sanders as pie-in-the sky fantasies is that he is offering FREE STUFF. The refrain is designed to caricature his ideas as impractical, poorly conceived and insincere. His primary opponent alleges that the admitted socialist is simply making empty promises to misguided youths that are naive in their belief that anything in life could ever be free. While we should take issue with the lack of a detailed financial manifesto from the rising Presidential powerhouse, we should also lay waste to the notion that Bernie Sanders is offering Americans FREE STUFF.

In reality, Bernie Sanders is uncommonly honest in the level of sacrifice he calls upon from every American. It is common practice for Republicans to propose cuts to the federal budget without paying due deference to the pain that will result as a consequence of those cuts. During the last government shut down, Republicans even suggested that closing the government and it’s associated agencies would be without any inconvenience to Americans. Democrats too are often fond of proposing new government programs without reconciling the costs of those programs and yet these are the voices that are most critical of Sanders and his proposed FREE STUFF.

Senator Sanders has proposed tuition free community colleges and fully paid for Public Universities but he has never suggested that this would be free. Instead he has suggested that this perk of citizenship be covered by the taxes that we all currently pay. We may quibble with the precise cost of the proposal but we cannot say that Bernie Sanders is offering FREE STUFF. He is simply suggesting that instead of borrowing thousands of dollars per semester and carrying with each loan significant interest, students should be permitted to pay for their educations over the course of their entire life-times, in small regularly paid installments also known as TAXES! Far from offering FREE STUFF Mr. Sanders is uncharacteristically honest in confessing that he will raise the taxes of middle class and wealthy citizens. We may as individuals assess if the benefits of collectively purchased amenities to our culture outweigh the proposed increase in taxes but again, He hasn’t offered anything for free!

Despite Mr. Sanders marketing himself as an avowed socialist, I question sincerely why his proposal is derided with such intense cold war heat. In the minds of most Americans we are a Democratic Republic despite offering fully paid for K-12 educations for all. This begs the question of why critics assert that we would suddenly morph into a soviet commune for simply extending our publicly paid for offering from K-12 to K-16? Mr. Sanders is simply suggesting that the term Public have meaning for Public Universities. He is suggesting that Community Colleges should be affordable for those in the community. And he is making provision for each individual to pay for his or her education by obligating them to pay into an admittedly collectivized pool for the entirety of their lives. In some sense Sanders is propheting the conservative notion that every individual has the personal responsibility to pay for an education.

Those that are puzzled by the attraction Americans have to Sander’s proposal should consider that many Americans pay significant portions of their incomes in taxes and feel very little benefit. They drive along roads that are unsightly, transit in Airports that are unworthy of a great nation and protest the expenditure of their tax dollars on wars with which they disagree. The success of Sanders can be seen as the triumph of the notion that Americans want to see a tangible value for the taxes they are currently paying in ways that directly benefit them.

The Sanders proposal for Universal Healthcare is socialized medicine but the notion that socialized or collectively bargained and paid for services are free is a gross misnomer. When citizens pay taxes for services, they have paid for them. They have not been “given” anything. Public Schools are not free. When the government contracts with a private company to pave roads near your home, this service was not free. The term handout cannot be used to characterize services for which an individual has paid her/his fair share of taxes. To do so would be like characterizing a paid buffet as a free meal. They have in fact, paid for their portion. If we are going to criticize the proposals of Presidential hopefuls we should do so with accuracy and an appreciation for nuance.

 

 

You Should Know About Lilac And Lilies’ New Blog

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 The insanely stylish, Michelle Dimarco, co-founder of Lilac and Lilies shares why she has started a blog celebrating women who like herself are making a difference in their community and pursuing their dreams.  
I had no idea I wanted to be an entrepreneur. After college, I struggled finding a career I was madly passionate about. I sought refuge in keeping up on the latest trends in fashion magazines and designer blogs while dressing my friends for fun. My style muses ranged from Bridget Bardot to Diane Kruger and Carine Roitfeld.
When a retail space opened up near my house, my mom encouraged me to take a leap of (fashionable) faith. Over the next couple weeks, I listened closely to my heart which encouraged me to create that which did not exist. As a result, I surrendered to the universe and gave birth to a new brand – Lilac And Lilies boutique.
However, a career in fashion isn’t ALL glamour, ALL the time. After seven years in business, I began to feel the itch. The seven year “business” itch. I realized that the women who were shopping my fashion boutique Lilac & Lilies weren’t just trendy and well-dressed fashionistas.
These women balanced an equally sophisticated head on their designer heels. For them, style was just one of many creative expressions in their everyday arsenal. They were leaders too in their own right – Women to Watch!
Every week, I meet amazing women doing amazing things in their community, at work and in the home. The fabric of their identities is so intriguing and inspiring that it led me to ponder… how I can connect these women beyond the clothes on their back and an affinity for black.
My intuition, which has served me well as a boot strapping woman entrepreneur, told me that I could unite these amazing women online by creating a free and universal platform for them to hangout, share stories, discover music, learn new things and feel inspired!
It was within this spark of enlightenment that this BLOG was born. My dream is to create a fun and creative community where like-minded women around the world team up to take center stage. As an entrepreneur mentor who learned many lessons the hard way, I want to share my personal and professional trials and tribulations with other woman while I learn from their individual journeys and perseverance. I want to give back while paying it forward with knowledge, encouragement and inspiration and showcase incredible people who are redefining roles and doing amazing things.
This blog represents a new frontier in fashion and I truly hope you join me on this incredible journey!

WHO CAN BEAT THE APPLE WATCH

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Who can conquer the Apple Watch? Pebble, Sony, Microsoft, Casio, and Tag Heuer all have new editions planned or recent editions released as responses to the Apple Watch. But there is one company that could make a truly compelling competitor to the Apple Watch. The company best positioned for combat with Apple is AMAZON! The online-store has released a failed smartphone which may have tainted it’s appetite for the mobile space but the company has also released an incredible new offering that is getting rave reviews from the only people that really matter: it’ USERS!
The Amazon Echo is essentially a bluetooth speaker that is tied to a smart-virtual assistant. Think Siri-for your house. You can ask it questions, order it to compile lists, ask it to read the news- etc. When it was announced, the world of tech journalists collectively chuckled! They laughed at Amazon’s echo as if the company spray-painted a pringles can and put it on the market. It was the products early adopters that proved how useful the echo could be. Now you can order echo to turn on your home’s lights and it seems poised to become the living embodiment of IRON MAN’s Jarvis!

Despite it’s potential, Echo has one limitation, the speaker is stationary. You must be in the same room as JARVIS (I mean Echo) to use it. You can’t use it in other rooms without carrying around a Remote Control that sinks with Echo (which is clearly not an elegant solution). There are no satellite speakers for use in other rooms and once you leave your house Echo doesn’t exist. But what if Amazon released a smartwatch with a simple app that allowed you to interface with JARVIS- (I mean Echo) in other rooms or even away from home. A Wifi-enabled smartwatch seems like an obvious solution. Rumors have suggested for a long-time that Amazon wanted to release a free iphone competitor or something close to free that could be offered with Prime Memberships. A Free phone was never realized but at less than a quarter of the size, and only $83.70 to make, the Apple Watch or hopefully AMAZON WATCH could be cheaper to manufacture and bundle with prime memberships than the FIRE TABLET (currently offered with Prime Memberships). Most importantly, Echo would go everywhere it’s users go, giving Amazon the kind of access you would need to a user’s life to build the world’s first truly brilliant- smart assistant (JARVIS).

DEMOCRATS BEST DEBATE: A VIGOROUS AGREEMENT

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Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders were finally alone in their last debate before the New Hampshire Primary. The removal of former Governor Martin O’malley proved to be surprisingly impactful as the two hopefuls sparred in the best political match of the season. The event hosted by MSNBC stars Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow was undoubtedly the best of innumerable debates on a multitude of channels. There were no attempts at mockery in this debate and no allusions to the marital status of any other candidates, instead the two politicians engaged in substantive exchanges aimed squarely at the nation’s most pressing issues. Emerging from the debate were fewer distinctions in values and instead a display of the Democratic Party’s struggle between pragmatism and idealism. Hillary Clinton emphasized that she is a battle tested acolyte and a known quantity. Voters, she humorously quipped know just about everything there is to know about her life. Clinton argued with Sanders that she too is a believer in Universal Healthcare but her idealism has been tempered by the political realities of her decades long struggle with America’s most powerful political interests. Sanders positioned himself as the unapologetic advocate for the truest aims of the Democratic base and the ideals of the Great Society. Sanders painted himself as untarnished by Wall-street’s bribery and Clinton struggled to explain how she was not left compromised by her acceptance of speaking fees that soared above a half-a million dollars per hour of speaking. Sanders scored significantly in the domestic discussion, nestled comfortably in his wheel-house as he continued to promote campaign finance reform, wrenching the big banks apart to prevent another “Too Big To Fail” crisis, Universal Healthcare and even his most controversial Free College movement. Sanders was summarily dismissed from the stage once the conversation turned to Foreign Policy which has become the sole dominion of Hillary Clinton. Sanders was visibly out of his element when discussing world affairs and Clinton made her most impressive rational for her candidacy which stands firmly on her level of expertise.

The debate was notable for the sharp tonal edge of what Clinton herself described as a “Vigorous Agreement”. Sanders successfully portrayed Clinton as the spouse of Wall Street while Clinton successfully portrayed herself as the pragmatic advocate of incremental progress. Clinton suggested that she represents competent administration and a plausible means to progressive ends. The debate landed squarely on Sanders as representative of democratic idealism and Clinton effectively arguing that Sanders is well intention-ed but delusional regarding the likelihood of his success.

The New Hampshire Debate was quite simply, spectacular. Who Won the exchange depends simply on the weight one gives toward the Heart or the Head, the Ego versus the Super-Ego and Idealism tempered by Pragmatism.