Get Started Writing Your Novel Workshop - Philadelphia

Hello All . . .


I'm writing to notify you that I will be holding a 5 1/2-hour "Get Started Writing Your Novel" workshop in Philadelphia on Saturday, January 29, 2011 . . .

For those who are not quite familiar with me, my name is Karen E. Quinones Miller, and I'm the author of seven novels published by major publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Kensington Books, Warner Books, and Grand Central Books. All of my novels have been Essence bestsellers, and I've also been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary - Fiction.

In addition, I'm a nationally known literary consultant, and I head Eveningstar Writer's Group. I'm also CEO of Oshun Publishing Company.. Please feel free to visit my website at www.karenequinonesmiller.com  to find out more about me.

Topics for the Get Started Writing Your Novel seminar include:

Getting Started

Story Structure
Point of View
Character Development
Showing Versus Telling
Writing Realistic Dialogue
Setting a Scene
Self-Editing
Overcoming Writer’s Block


Admission to each seminar is limited to 15 people so that everyone has time to ask questions, and have them answered to their satisfaction.

The cost for this 5 1/2-hour seminar is only $90.00 -- although the information is given is worth MUCH more, I try too keep my prices low so that more people have the opportunity to attend (I KNOW what's it like to be a struggling writer!).

You can obtain information about registering for this seminar by contacting me at authorkeqm@aol.com.


If you're a writer, and you're serious about improving your writing, and getting your work published . . . then this is the seminars for you! And if you're not a writer, but you know someone who is . . . be a true friend and pass this message on to them!


Karen 

Testimonials from others (ALL ON FB) who've attended the Get Started Writing Your Novel seminar

  
In June of 2010 I attended the Philadelphia Writers Workshop and took a class with Miss Karen E. Quinones Miller. I don't think I've ever had a religious experience as a writer until that day. Karen spoke to a packed house and dealt with the tricky issue of character development, passive voice, and a few other topics. I had to take a good look at my writing, and myself. Karen explained to me the very building blocks of a great story and how to use them. For the first time, I had a glimmer of an idea of what development was really about.</span>

Ciuinin Ferrin 

Karen E. Quinones-Miller is full of information, experience, and knowledge and I am so happy to have attended her writing workshop and cannot wait to see all she has taught me put into action! Thanks, Karen!</span>
Dennis Maurice

The Get Writing Starting Seminar was conducted in a small close knit setting, opportune for questions and answers, we discussed staying true to your character, showing vs. telling and the difference between active and passive writing.  Attending the seminar not only provided priceless information but meeting with Karen herself was invaluable as she has remained a consistent resource in my writing career.  Since our meeting Karen has continued to be unselfish with the knowledge she has gained.   An old adage I once heard that says, “When you climb the ladder of success don’t forget to reach behind.” Karen Quinones Miller has embodied that mantra and used it as a selfless practice in her encouragement and advancement of new writers.
Sharai Rucker


 Thank you for your invitation to your writing semiar back in July. My experience was enlightening and knowledgable. The backwards check mark made so much sense. My ah ha bells rang like sunday morning catholic church bells....loud and clear. Connecting with other writers near and far was a plus as well. Because of you I have a few more people in my circle who understand me as a writer.


Kendall Prophet

Scrooge of the Year Award!

National Jobs with Justice's annual

Scrooge of the Year Award -
And the winner is . . . .





Each year, national Jobs with Justice gives an “award” to the greediest, most cold-hearted company or person of the year.  Nominations for the 2010 Scrooge of the Year are in, and it's time to vote. Please read about the candidates below and then VOTE for your favorite greedy Scrooge! We'll announce the winner on December 20th.

This year's nominees are:

Ku Klux Klan Snowman Built as Holiday Decoration by Iowa Man

 10-foot Ku Klux Klan snowman

Mark Eliseuson  decided he wanted something different in his frontyard this winter. Something to reflect his political/social commentary tastes, perhaps. Whatever the reason, the Hayden, Iowa resident decided to use the snow dropped by the latest storm to erect a 10-foot Ku Klux Klan snowman --  complete with a noose dangling from his arm --  as a way to entertain his neighbors.

His neighbors, however, were not amused. They complained to deputy officials, and the Eliseuson was told that he could possibly be charged with creating a public nuisance. Notice I wrote COULD BE CHARGED since no charges have yet been filed. I guess they offiicials had to go get an okay to file the charges.

Top TEN Companies With Job Openings This Week!

Top 10 Companies Hiring This Week

Text Size A A A

(((It's not often that I just copy and paste an article from another site, but I thought this one too important to pass up on just because I didn't write it. I KNOW there's so MANY people on the job hunt these days. I hope you'll find this article of some help. In the air of full disclosure, it came from AOL.COM. Enjoy! - KEQM)

December 6 - 12

We know that your job search can get quite frustrating these days with more people trying to find a job and less employment opportunities available.
To ease the burden, we've tracked down 10 top companies with the most job openings this week -- from sales jobs to finance jobs, full-time jobs to part-time jobs. We hope you find a job that's perfect for you.
Good luck job hunting!

01. UPS

As the world's largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services, UPS continues to develop the frontiers of logistics, supply chain management, and e-Commerce... combining the flows of goods, information, and funds.
Top Job Categories:

• Distribution/Shipping Jobs
• Warehouse Jobs
• Manufacturing Jobs
• Transportation Jobs
• See all UPS jobs

02. IBM

Working at IBM provides opportunities you may not experience anywhere else. It gives you the chance to change the way the world works. The chance to help the world learn, to make education more available, knowledge more attainable and information more accessible. The chance to participate in research and development projects that facilitate technological and medical breakthroughs. These are the kinds of opportunities you'll find throughout our company. Opportunities that could certainly make a difference--in ways that are exciting, demanding and perhaps even unimaginable.
Top Job Categories:

• Information Technology Jobs
• Management Jobs
• Consultant Jobs
• See all IBM jobs

Justin Walker, Convicted Murderer, Posting on FB from Prison Cell

Convicted Murderer, Justin Walker,  Posting on FB from Prison Cell

The mother of an Oklahoma man who was shot to death is furious that Justin Walker, her son’s killer, was able to get a Blackberry in his cell and has been corresponding with friends and posting photos on Facebook.

Cathy Lawrence, the mother of slain Sheriff Dwight Woodrell Jr., told ABCNews.com that Justin Walker, the man serving a 30-year sentence for her son's murder, doesn't deserve to be alive, let alone to be updating his Facebook status.

"It probably wouldn't be printable what I think about Justin Walker having a cell phone in prison," said Lawrence from her home in Bristow, Okla. "I feel like he's allowed to keep on living his life and he deprived my son of his life and his four children of a father."

Walker would do something like that," said Lawrence.

Yet Another Facebook Scam!

'OMG' Facebook Scam Doesn't Let You See Who Viewed Your Profile

by Amar Toor on November 29, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. (from AOL)

• 

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Yet another scam is making its way around Facebook, and it's affecting a disturbingly high number of users. As Sophos explains, the scam is spreading via Wall posts that read: "OMG OMG OMG... I cant believe this actually works! Now you really can see who viewed your profile!" Once the attached link is clicked, you're redirected to a rogue application that requests access to your Facebook pages. If you grant access to the app, however, you'll inadvertently spam all your other Facebook friends with the exact same message. (And you'll never find out who's looking at your Facebook profile.)

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson - The Two Mr. Johnsons

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson outside courthouse - 1953

I can remember when the name Bumpy Johnson first meant anything to me. I was ten years old, and still upset that my family moved from Harlem to the Bronx the year before. I found it hard to make friends and would often convince my mother to let me to take the number 2 train to Harlem to visit my pals from the old neighborhood. On this particular bright sunny day in July 1968, and I happily trotted up the subway stairs, grasping the two shiny quarters – my weekly allowance which I planned on using to buy a hamburger and a chocolate milkshake at the Rexall Drugstore on the corner of 125^th Street and Lenox Avenue.

            As soon as I walked up the steps from the station I could see something was going on. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the shoe repair store, which doubled as the neighborhood gambling spot, was closed. There were no shiny –faced Nation of Islam brothers hawking copies of Muhammad Speaks on the corner. Missing too were the winos who usually sprawled on the steps of brownstones, drinking brown-bag wrapped pints of Wild Irish Rose and Swiss Up. Something was up, and it had to be something big. A large group of people was milling through the streets – not a crowd or a mob, like I had seen during the Harlem riots just months before, but something gentler.  It seemed like a stream of swaying black faces, all pointing in one direction – east toward Central Park.

Kanye West discusses Taylor Swift (again) at 'Fantasy' release party

Kanye West Still Ranting About Taylor Swift

Sure, the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block may have set hearts a-flutter closing out last week's American Music Awards, but the real music news this week is that Kanye's back, alright!

Everyone's favorite opinionated rapper took the stage in a not-so-secret New York concert Tuesday night to celebrate the successful release of new album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," and after rocking a packed Bowery Ballroom, took it upon himself to slam country crooner Taylor Swift - again.

"Taylor never came to my defense in any interview," West, 33, shouted into the mic. "And [she] rode the wave and rode it and rode it."

Time Insurance

Time insurance . . . I need time insurance!

They have insurance for everything else that's precious:  Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Car Insurance, Homeowner's Insurance, Travel Insurance . . .

Well what about time insurance? I mean it!

Honey, I don't know about you; but my time is valuable. And I'm tired of it being abused, so I want it insured.

When someone makes an appointment at my office and shows up an hour late or not at all, I want to be compensated for my time. If I cancelled other important business with this guy, and lost out on a whole lot of money, I should be able to put in a claim against my policy. I need time insurance!

Diamond Dust - in Jewelry, Beauty Products, Art, Weather, Construction!

Diamond dust is the residue that is left behind when a jeweler cuts a large diamond into smaller pieces -- but believe me it's not left behind long because that residue can be used in a variety of ways.

Diamond Dust in Jewelry - Diamond dust is somtimes used as a coating for jewelry, to add sparkle to high-end gold, silver, or platinum pieces. Many jewelers carry various types of pendants filled with diamond dust.

Diamond Dust in Beauty Products  - Beauty icons such as Madonna has been known to use makeup products that contain diamond dust. For instance, eye shadow mixed with diamond dust for extra shimmer and glitter to her eyes and eye brows.  “The resulting brightness and glow from Madonna’s eyes captivate the audience and reinforces the fact that there are always new possibilities with makeup — and no rules,” explains Gina Brooke, artistic director for Shu Uemura.   

photo courtesy of Shu Uemrua

Ropa Vieja Recipe - Old Clothes Never Tasted So Good!

  Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja actually means "old clothes" in Spanish. Ugh! Why would anyone want to eat something called old clothes? Well, if you let the name stop you, you're going to miss out on a real treat! I've never met anyone who's tasted ropa vieja who doesn't like it!

Below is my ropa vieja recipe. I hope you enjoy!

*4 pounds of pot roast or beef chuck (get the toughest -- i.e. cheapest -- piece of beef here. For ropa vieja, it won't matter!)
*3 large onions (1 sliced, 2 chopped)
*Salt
*Black pepper
*1 large bell pepper (sliced)
*1 large red pepper (sliced)
*1/4 cup of olive oil
*3 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed) or 4 teaspoons of minced garlic
*1 large can of crushed tomatoes
*3 bay leaves
*1/2 cup dry sherry
*1/2 cup capers

1.  Season beef with salt and pepper, and let sit for an hour.

2.  Place beef in iron skillet with enough water to cover, add sliced onion, cover skillet, and put on low heat. Let cook for three hours (keep adding water as needed) then remove beef from pan, and let cool.

Catya Washington from Bad Girl Club Season 5 in Jail on Drug and Gun Charges

Catya Washington, the DDD buxon beauty from Season 5 of the Bad Girls Club, was arrested in Philadelphia on November 5th on drug and firearm charges.

According to police, Catya was found to be in possession of mushrooms, ecstacy, cocaine, and one gun. Bail has been set at $500,000, and sources say that her family has set up an online fundraiser to raise the ten percent of that figure ($50,000) to get her out of jail. They've allegedly already raised $20,000 in just a week.

But it seems that this is not the only time the Bad Girl Club vixen has been in trouble. Sources say that she was arrested a few weeks before the drugs bust on charges that she beat up the wife of the guy she was dating.

Catya allegedly rear-ended a car that was driven by the woman, and when she and Catya got out of their vehicles, Catya repeatedly hit the woman in the face with a chain, and sprayed her with mace.

Yeah, so okay . . . I believe it. Catya is a REALLY bad girl.
UPDATE----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, for those who want to make a donation to get your favorite Bad Girl out of jail (and Catya was my favorite Bad Girl on the show . . . too bad she left early!), you can go to http://www.touchpaydirect.com/ and put in the password cat2010. Also, according to her twitter account (which is now locked!), there was a Fish & Chicken Fry for her on November 12th (we missed it!!!!!!!!!!!!), and tickets were going for $15.00

Cat vs. Alligator

Now I know what they mean when they say the power of the . . . um . . . the kitty. <smile>

SAMPLE QUERY LETTER - NON-FICTION

SAMPLE QUERY LETTER - NON-FICTION


(((Go back to look at my previous posting about how to write a query letter, than use this post as a sample of what to say. Good luck!))))


Dear Ms. ___________

Al Capone may have ruled Chicago. Lucky Luciano may have run most of New York City. But from the 1930s to the late 1960s, when it came to Harlem, the undisputed king of the underworld was Bumpy Johnson.

He was called an old-fashioned gentleman. He was called a pimp. A philanthropist and a thief. A scholar and a thug. A man who admonished children to stay in school, and a man who some say introduced heroin into Harlem.

Bumpy was a man whose contradictions are still the root of many an argument in Harlem. But there is one thing on which both his supporters and detractors agree in his lifetime, Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson was the man in Harlem. People best remember him as the hot youngblood who fought to keep the notorious and murderous Dutch Schultz from taking over the Harlem numbers racket. In reality he was so much more.

Divorce Proceedings of Actress Deitra Hicks - SHE LIKES TO HUM AND FIGHT!

Okay, this is TOO funny! Okay, perhaps funny in a . . . well . . . in a tragic way. But funny nevertheless!

I don't know when it was originally taped, but I'm assuming it was before she started acting (she was Jackie in Tyler Perry's "Madea's Family Reunion) because they never mention her acting career during the proceedings.

Beyonce Too Hot for British TV?

Beyonce Promoting Her New Fragrance - Heat

We all love Beyonce, and think she's sexy as hell. Well, it seems the censors in Great Britain thinks she's a little TOO sexy. At least in the commercial she did for her new perfume, Heat. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has banned the commercial from daytime television.

“Beyonce’s body movements and the camera’s prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts created a sexually provocative ad that was unsuitable to be seen by young children,” the ASA said in a statement. “We considered that the ad should not have been shown before 7.30pm due to the sexually provocative nature of the imagery.”

Ethics Hearing Goes Ahead After Rangel Walks Out

Ethics Hearing Goes Ahead After Rangel Walks Out

By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI

Published: November 15, 2010 - New York Times

Members of the House ethics committee began deliberating charges Monday that Representative Charles B. Rangel violated Congressional rules, after an unusual public hearing that was abbreviated by the longtime congressman’s dramatic exit from the proceedings.
Mr. Rangel, who appeared at the inquiry alone, stunned the packed hearing room by walking out after complaining that he had no lawyer because he could not afford the millions of dollars in legal fees he had racked up during the two-year investigation.

Ten Top Grossing Films for Weekend of Nov 12-14

Ten Top Grossing Films for Weekend of Nov 12-14

(Information retrieved from Box Office Report)



1. 'Megamind,' $30.1 million (3,949 screens), $89.8 million total

2. 'Unstoppable,' $23.5 million (3,207), new release

3. 'Due Date,' $15.5 million (3,365), $59.0 million

4. 'Skyline,' $11.7 million (2,880), new release

5. 'Morning Glory,' $9.6 million (2,518), $12.2 million

6. 'For Colored Girls,' $6.8 million (2,127), $30.9 million

7. 'Red,' $5.1 million (2,878), $79.8 million

8. 'Paranormal Activity 2,' $3.1 million (2,403), $82.0 million

9. 'Saw 3D,' $2.8 million (1,976), $43.5 million

10. 'Jackass 3D,' $2.3 million (1,607), $114.7 million

Philadelphia Writer Sues Oprah for Plagarizing

 

 

 

Phila. writer sues Oprah for ‘plagiarizing’ book

(All I can say is "Wow!" I know there's a producer at Oprah who may be in danger of losing his/her job!)

By Sam Wood

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Most writers would sell their souls to have their work spotlighted by Oprah Winfrey.
After all, Winfrey's endorsement can make stars out of unknowns. When featured on her syndicated talk show, books rocket to the top of the best seller lists.
So it comes as a bit of surprise to learn that one Philadelphia writer is suing Oprah, claiming that she read selections from a booklet he penned a decade ago.
Charles Harris, in a suit filed this week in U.S. District Court, says Oprah recited selections from his work last year without permission.
He also claims Winfrey - who is widely regarded as having more power to increase sales than any other media personality - neglected to credit him or mention the booklet's title.
Harris says Winfrey's unauthorized use was "deliberate, willful, malicious, oppressive and without regard to [his] property rights."

Grandmother Arrested For Attempting to Sell Infant for $30,000.00

GRANDMOTHER ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO SELL INFANT GRANDSON








(mugshot of Patty Bigbee)



A Florida woman was arrested earlier this week for trying to sell her 8-week-old grandson. Ironically, the person she was trying to sell the baby to was a biological daughter of hers whom she had given up for adoption.

Patty Bigbee, 44, was arrested in a Dayton Beach parking lot where she and her boyfriend, Lawrence Works, went to complete the transaction and turnover the infant baby boy. Works was also arrested and charged with being a principal in the illegal sale of a child.

The child's mother knew about the attempted sale, and was supposed to get part of the illegal adoption money in order to buy a car, according to investigators.

Getting A Literary Agent

Getting A Literary Agent

First of all, what is a literary agent?

He or she is a person who presents a writer's work to a publishing house, negotiates the writer's contract, and acts as an advocate for the writer and a go-between for the writer and the publishing house.

An agent normally gets a 15 percent commission of the writer's contract. If an agent is asking for more than 15 percent they should give you a damn good reason why!

And please remember, no reputable agent will EVER ask you for money out of your pocket. The agent should not get paid unless they get you a contract, and then they get their money off the top. The publisher does not send you royalty checks, they send the checks to the agent. The agent then cashes the check, and cuts you a check for the amount of the royalty minus their commission. No reputable agent will ever require a reading fee, a retainer fee, or any other kind of fee. They get their commission, and that's it!

Kanye West Upset With Today Show Interview About George Bush

Kanye West Upset With Today Show Interview About George Bush





(Story Written by Aliyah Shahid of the New York Daily News)

Kanye West is mad about a "Today Show" interview of him apologizing for calling George W. Bush a racist.

But the show's host, Matt Lauer, isn't sorry at all for showing it.

Lauer played more of the interview with the Grammy-award winning rapper on Thursday, after West went on a Twitter rampage declaring Lauer tried to force his answers.

West was also upset the network replayed footage while he was being interviewed on Tuesday, showing the star storming onto the MTV's Video Music Awards' stage to interrupt Taylor Swift's acceptance speech last September.

"There was nothing improper about it, nothing unusual about it," Lauer said, arguing the network often plays correlating footage during the interview.

Trailer For "What's His Mine," The New Novel by Best Selling Author Daaimah S. Poole

TRAILER FOR "WHAT'S HIS IS MINE," THE NEW NOVEL BY ESSENCE BESTSELLING AUTHOR, DAAIMAH S. POOLE


Essence® bestselling author Daaimah S. Poole delivers an outrageously sexy tale of three women out to marry rich. And they don’t just want half—they want it all …
Life as a pro athlete’s baby mama isn’t bringing in the big money Adrienne Sheppard expected. Now she’s determined to get wifed… Young Zakiya Lee will do anything to escape living with her troubled sister… Tanisha Butler needs to redeem her one mistake—and reclaim her man… And sports reporter Cherise Long has a “no athletes” romance rule. But as different as these women are, they can’t resist the same temptation: to win the ultimate gold ring…

AMAZON SELLING "HOW-TO BOOK" FOR PEDOPHILES!




Most writers ardently oppose censorship, and are defenders of the U. S. Constitution's First Amendment, which allows for free speech.

However, should there be exceptions? For instance, should there be a ban on books which promote pedophillia? According to Amazon -- the Internet's largest book retailer -- the answer is a resounding NO! Read the AP article below, and let's see what YOU think!

(and thanks to FB Friend, Angela Nicky Wright for bringing this subject to my attention!)

--------------------------
NEW YORK -- Amazon.com is selling a self-published guide that offers advice to pedophiles, and that has generated outrage on the Internet and threats to boycott the retailer.

Toni Morrison Awarded the French Legion of Honor

Toni Morrison Awarded the French Legion of Honor




PARIS — Toni Morrison is "beloved" in France, the country's culture minister said Wednesday, November 3rd, as he inducted the celebrated U.S. novelist into the elite Legion of Honor society.

In a ceremony in a gilded hall in the ministry, Frederic Mitterrand pinned a red and gold medal onto the celebrated author's jacket as a scrum of photographers snapped away.

Mitterrand called Morrison – a Nobel laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize – "the greatest American novelist of her time."

Lil Wayne Hit with Paternity Suit!

Lil Wayne Hit With Paternity Suit!



The Grammy-winning rapper was just released from a New York jail on November 4th, but it turns out that he has to make a return – In order to take a paternity test!

A Missouri woman filed the suit in August, stating that Wayne is the father of her 8-year-old grandchild, and the court has ordered the rapper to submit to a DNA test by December 9th. And the test has to be taken at Riker’s Island . . . Lil Wayne’s home for the last eight months.

Sample Query Letter - Fiction

SAMPLE QUERY LETTER - FICTION



(SAMPLE QUERY LETTER -- Remember the best query letters are NEVER more than two pages long. Try to stick to one page. Letter should be single-spaced, and you should try to hook the agent from the very beginning. Remember to focus on your manuscript, what it's about, why it's unique, and what makes it worth publishing. You should also compare to other books on the market so the agent can quickly get a feel for what kind of book you've written so as to decide if they want to read it. Also, let them know how long the manuscript is -- not how many pages but how many words. That's how manuscripts are measured. And finally, tell them something about you, and why you're qualified to write this book. If you've never written anything before, don't bother mentioning that . . . just say that you love to write and completing your novel has been an enjoyable endeavor or something. Oh! And one more important thing . . . most agents now accept query letters via email. THE RULE IS, THOUGH; SEND THE QUERY IN THE BODY OF THE EMAIL, AND NOT AS AN ATTACHMENT!!!!!!!!!)


Dear Ms. ________,
It wasn't that Regina Harris wanted to be a Harlem street woman, she simply had no choice. Orphaned at 13, and with an infant niece to support, she becomes a shoplifter and a "professional girlfriend" to make ends meet. But when she's shot, and almost killed, while hanging out with a cocaine dealer, Regina turns her life around. She goes back to school, graduates from college, and begins a successful journalism career.

How To Write A Query Letter

How To Write A Query Letter
First of all . . . What is a query letter?

It's a letter sent to agents letting them know about your manuscript, and asking them for representation. Nowadays almost no publisher will take a manuscript directly from a writer -- they want the writer to have an agent. It's sort of a filtering out process for the publisher.

The problem is agents are inundated with query letters . . . so make sure yours stands out from the pack. Below are some tips for writing query letters:

Why You Should Join a Writing Group

Writing Groups

First off, let me explain what a writing group is . . .it's simply a group of writers who get together on a regular basis (once a week or twice a month) to read and critique each other's work.

The group doesn't have to consist of "professional" writers, simply people who write, are serious about their writing, and want to get feedback on what they write.
My writing group started in 1999, and at the time none of had a book published. Since then we've had four published writers emerge from the group.

Face Book Scam!!!!!!!

OMG, guys! Justin Bieber punched a girl!

No, he didn't. But -- from distracting beach babes to 'Dislike' buttons -- every Facebook scam targets our deepest desires, and this latest one is no different. Whether you're a tween 'Tiger Beat' fan or a gentleman who takes his teen pop with a side of schadenfreude, you would probably not be able to resist a link that promises to show you Bieber smacking a girl around. And that's exactly why the newest con making its way around the 'book is exploiting people's insatiable appetite for the boy, his bangs and the possibility of some adolescent blood.

The most common version is being passed around as a wall post that reads, "OH MY GOD!...Justin BIEBER Hits Girl For NO Reason! OMG! This Is So Badd!" Clicking the post's link leads to an image of a young girl with a Fox News logo in one corner, and a giant invitation for you to "click here" in another. Clicking the picture then attempts to install a piece of Facebook malware, and asks you to grant it permission to send you e-mail, pilfer your friends list and post updates to your Wall. If you're foolish enough to give it these permissions, you're then presented with the all-too-familiar scam survey that earns revenue for the hucksters behind the app. While you're busy answering questions to win a free iPad or an Ikea gift card, the app begins re-posting a link to itself on your wall, and messaging your friends with slight variations on the original theme.

But don't worry; if you've been trapped, removing the app is simple. Go to the Applications and Websites page (under Privacy Settings), and remove the app along with any unfamiliar "likes or interests." (It's probably good form to post a message to your friends, apologizing for your Bieber Fever, and telling them not to click on the link you posted earlier.) Scams spreading through social networks are nothing new, but the fact that this is masquerading as a legitimate Facebook app highlights the problems that Zuckerberg and crew have had with serving as gatekeeper to applications and with keeping users and their data safe

Book Review of "When The Cake is Made"

Book Review of "When The Cake is Made" by Miasha and Lisa Wu Hartwell.





Review by Olivia Cooper
I didn't buy the book because of Lisa Wu Hartwell, I'd never even watched those Housewives series, I bought it because I'm a Miasha fan. But I can tell you one thing for sure . . . this was a collaboration that really worked.

When the Cake is Made (I HATE the title, by the way!) is about three women on the brink of marriage whose weddings have been ruined, either because of outside forces, or because of their own personal demons.

Angie is a movie producer who lives in a fabulous house, has a fabulous life, but decides she needs a fabulous husband. But when she gets to the altar, she begins to have a change of heart.

Sheryl is a timid, battered, and almost broken divorced woman. When she meets the man of her dreams and is walking down the aisle toward him and a life of happiness tragedy occurs.

Leslie is a diva personified. When the man she's been fooling around with and has finally roped into marrying her delivers a shock at their wedding, she goes totally off!

All three realize they need psychiatric help in order to go with their lives, and seek that help from a woman psychiatrist who sponsors an annual Caribbean retreat for her patients. They meet when they go to the retreat for women which features a "Burn Your Wedding Dress" ceremony, and become roommates at the resort, and later remain friends when they get back to the States.

While they know they're drawn to each other, what they don't know is that they are all connected in ways that will affect each other's lives.

There's PLENTY of drama in this book, and a lots of unexpected twists and turns. I couldn't wait to find out how the authors were going to tie everything together, and they did a wonderful tie job!

I'm already a Miasha fan, I'm now a Lisa Wu Hartwell fan! And I hope they'll be collaborating on more books!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can buy your own copy of When The Cake is Made from Amazon by clicking here!

This was one grandma who had enough!

58-year-old Cordelia Chisolm boarded a bus at the 69th Street Bus Terminal in Upper Darby(just outside of Philadelphia) with about 20 other people, including a young woman talking on her cell phone.

Chisolm sits in a seat, and the young woman, still talking on the phone, sits down next to her. Chisolm waits a few minutes, mumbles something about the girl's language and that there are little children on the bus, then gets up to move to another seat.

The 22-year-old woman rolls her eyes, and says something to the person on the phone about "Some old lady . . . "

Chisolm turns back and says "This old lady will put a bullet in your mouth."

The teen says something else . . . Chisolm pulls out a .38 revolver!. . . and walks back over to the girl.

Tragedy was prevented when a good samiratan jumped between them and calmed Chisolm down, and even escorted her off the bus. Chisholm was later arrested. Though sheh's never been in trouble with the law before, she's been given $50,000 bail, and changed with but she was not licensed to carry a gun.

Now, you know I don't condone gun violence, but look . . . don't YOU hate it when someone get on the bus, enters a restaurant, or sits down next to you in any public place and is in their cell phone AND STARTS CURSING LOUDLY!!!!!

I mean, I'm not one of those folks who say people shouldn't talk on the cell phone at all in public spaces (except the movies!), but I don't think I should be bombarded with nasty filthy language simply because some jerk has enough money to buy a cell phone.

And I get even more upset with the verbal bombardment when there are young kids in the area.

So I don't believe Chisholm should have pulled a gun on the chick, but I sure know there are time when I would have liked to have done the same!

Check out the video . . . courtesy of ABC News, Channel 6 in Philadelphia!

Rapper T.I. talks man down from hotel roof in Atlanta


T.I., who lives in Atlanta, was in his car listening to V-103 yesterday afternoon when he heard a report that man was threatening to jump off a hotel roof in downtown Atlanta.

T.I. (aka Clifford Harris) called the radio station and talked to DJs Ryan Cameron and Rashan Ali to get more details and drove to the location where he asked police negotiators -- who were trying to talk the man down -- if he could get a shot at the megaphone.

Perhaps the potential jumper -- who still has not been identified -- is a T.I. fan. T.I. quickly shot a phone video which police brought up to the rooftop and showed to the man saying that he understood what the man was going through, and wanted to talk to the man. After viewing with video, the man agreed to come down from the 22-story Colony Square Hotel and talk to the rapper up (down?) close and personal.

After a few minutes of talking to T.I. the man -- who has only been identified as Joshua, aged 22 -- was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for a psych eval.

So yeah, our boy T.I. can be a bad boy at times -- arrests for buying machine guns in the parking lot of an Atlanta grocery store; smoking weed and popping E while driving down Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills, CA for instance. In fact, he's going in front of a federal judge tomorrow (Friday 10/15) to face parole violation charges that can send him back to prison.

But yesterday's incident shows he can be a good guy, too. Nothing makes you feel better than knowing you may have saved a man's life.

Bet T.I. slept real good last night!

Kim Kardashian Gets Drink Thrown in Her Face

Kim Kardashian – she with the big butt and the (self?) leaked porn tape – had one drink too many at a NYC night club last night; namely a drink that was thrown in her face by an unidentified woman.

According to TMZ, the reality star was at Juliet’s, on West 21st Street in Manhattan (which is Rihanna threw the release party for her most recent album, Rated R)
Rihanna at Release Party at Juliet

when a guy came up and asked if he could take a picture with her. Kim, of course, graciously complied.

The guy’s girlfriend went off.

She threw her drink in Kim’s face.

Kim’s younger sister, Khloe, then went after the girlfriend,

Kim Kardashian

and in the fray her wedding ring skid across the floor. At that point, Khloe abandoned her sister and dove across the floor after the ring. She eventually recovered it.

And good thing, too! The ring is reportedly 9 carats, and cost about $850,000.

The 9 carat, $850,000 ring!

Of course hubby Lamar Odom, the NBA star she married after knowing him a month, can afford it.

Lamar Odom

Hmmmm . . . I wonder how much child support he has to pay for the two children he had with ex-girlfriend Lisa Morales; whom he knew a bit longer than a month I would speculate . . . seeing as their kids were aged 10 and 7 when he married Khloe.

Lisa Morales and Lamar Odom

Oh well!

All in all I say it’s safe to say the drink-in-the-face incident was just part of a good night’s fun for the Kardashian clan. In fact, though, it may have been more business than fun. After all, the Kardashian’s were in town filming for their reality series.

I’m not saying the dramatic incident was staged.

But then again, I’m not.

Because, as they say, it’s hard Keeping Up with The Kardashians.

Forbes Magazine Release List of 10 Most Powerful Women in the World

Beyonce - number 9 on the list

The Ten Most Powerful Women in the World -- According to Forbes Magazine

1. Michelle Obama - First Lady of the United States

2. Irene Rosenfeld - Kraft Food Chief Executive

3. Oprah Winfrey - Television Talk Show Host

4. Angela Merkel - German Chancellor

5. Hilary Clinton - U. S. Secretary of State

6. Indra Nooyi - PepsiCo, Chief Executive

7. Lady Gaga - American Pop Star

8. Gail Kelly - Westpac Banking Corp (Austrailia), Chief Executive

9. Beyonce Knowles - American Pop Star

10. Ellen DeGeneres - Television Talk Show Host

Rapper Beanie Sigel On His Way "Back Home " Behind Bars?











Seems like Gangsta Rapper Beanie Sigel just can't get enough of the Feds.

Or it could it be that the Feds just can't get enough of Sigel?

Whatever way you slice it, though, Sigel is under federal indictment -- AGAIN -- and this time for tax evasion. An indictment released earlier this week accuses Siegel of not paying federal income tax on about $1.54 million he earned 2004, 2005, and 2006.

If convicted, Sigel -- who starred in the 2002 movie, State Property -- faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $300,000.





But it won't be like Sigel would necessarily find himself in unfamiliar surroundings.

In 2004 Sigel, whose goverment name is Dwight Grant, was convicted on a federal weapons charge and spent a year behind bars.



Don't cry, though, it could have been worse.



He was orginally arrested for attempted murder after shooting a man in front of a Philadelphia nightclub. But the man and another witness changed their testimony, saying they couldn't say for sure it was Sigel who fired the shots.



As an aside, both men earlier told police they received death threats. So Sigel was acquitted of the attempted murder charges, but got stuck with that old nasty illegal guns charge.

Soon after his release in 2005, Sigel was once again in trouble. Seems that the feds had the nerve to tell Sigel to stay away from from drugs as part of his parole agreement. Like that was going to stop a real gangsta rapper? Not our Beanie! Sigel was thrown in the clinker again after failing -- not one, but FIVE drug tests.

Then Sigel was arrested again in 2008 after traveling to Atlantic City without prior permission from his parole officer. He actually only had to do one day behind bars for the violation, although he then had to spend six months in a half-way house.

Sigel's attorney, Fortunato N. Perri, Jr., pointed out that Sigel was incarcerated during part of the period he's accused of not paying his taxes, and said that other people were supposed to be handling the rapper's finances during that time.

"I don't think he's being targeted," Perri said,"he just needs to get his personal business and tax affairs cleaned up."

Sigel, who hails from Philadelphia, was once closely associated with Jay-Z, but released a diss record against the music mogul late last year. He later said he was hurt that Jay-Z had not visited or written him letters while he was doing his time.

Breaking News - White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to Resign on Friday





White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is expected to step down tomorrow, and the resignation is expected to be announced by President Barak Obama at a press conference at 11:05 EST.

Emanuel is a longtime friend and supporter of Obama, but has caught a lot of flack because of his caustic nature and snappy way of talking to people. At a closed-door meeting in the White House with liberal activists, he called them "fucking retarded" for planning to run TV ads attacking conservative Democrats who didn't support Obama's health-care overhaul. You want feely-feely? You don't want Emanuel.

But that's not why Rahm is going on his merrily away . . .

As soon as Chicago Mayor Richard Daly III announced he wouldn't be running for re-election, Emanuel has been making google eyes at that position.

It's a known fact that Emanuel -- who had to resign his seat in the U. S. Senate representing the 5th Seat in Illinois -- was reluctanct to taking the White House Chief of Staff position was that he would have to leave his beloved Chicago.

Still no one can deny that Emanuel has done his job effectively, and has become known as one of the most effective White House Chief of Staff's in a decade. He will definitely be missed.

There's still speculation as to who will take Emanuel's place permanently, but it seems that White House Senior Adivsor, Peter Rouse will hold the position until a permanent Chief of Staff can be named.



Rouse was an advisor to former senator Tom Dachle, but when Daschle lost his relection bid, Rouse joined Obama's camp in 2004.