Photos: Reality star Laura Govan suffers wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet, nips pop out
Former Basketball Wives LA star Laura Govan suffered major wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet at 'The Wedding Ringers' movie premiere in LA on January 6th. While posing for pics with her more famous sister, Gloria Govan, on the red carpet, Laura's strapless Michael Costello gown slipped down and her nipples were set free. See the pics after the cut...18+
Doctors explore health benefits of avocado
The age-old saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' could be replaced in favour of 'an avocado a day', following the publication of new research that shows the vegetable could help to prevent the development of heart disease.
Doctors from the US and Australia drew on the results of previous studies showing that avocados can assist in lowering cholesterol to analyse exactly how the high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids present in them can have this effect.
The team monitored 45 healthy, but overweight adults aged between 21 and 70 as they followed three diets over a five-week period. One of these consisted of 24 per cent fat, so was deemed as 'low-fat', while the other two were based around the consumption of 34 per cent of fats and were labelled 'moderate' for the purpose of the study.
These two higher-fat diets were almost identical, except one contained a Hass avocado each day. This form of the vegetable is smaller and darker, with bumpier green skin than the arguably more popular Florida varieties.
Participants were given a two-week break between the different diets, with blood samples being taken at the start and end of each.
It was found that all three of the diets resulted in levels of bad cholesterol being lowered, but this appeared to be much more significant among those eating the daily avocado.
Overall, participants following the avocado diet saw their bad cholesterol levels reduced by 13.5 mg, in comparison to the 8.3 mg and 7.4 mg decreases of those on the moderate and low-fat diets respectively.
Therefore, this indicates that eating an avocado each day could help to prevent heart disease, as this is often the result of high levels of bad cholesterol.
Distinguished professor of nutrition at University Park in Pennsylvania Penny M Kris-Etherton commented: 'This was a controlled feeding study, but that is not the real world, so it is more of a proof-of-concept investigation.
'We need to focus on getting people to eat a healthy diet that includes avocados and other food sources of better fats.'
She suggested a number of ways in which avocados could be incorporated into a person's diet, including as a sandwich filling, as part of a salad or as an accompaniment to vegetables.
David Oyelowo covers Variety magazine with Oprah Winfrey
You know you are going to the top when Brad Pitt sings your name and you know that you're made when you share a magazine cover with legendary talkshow host, Oprah Winfrey. That's exactly what's happening with Nigerian-born British actor David Oyelowo, who is getting a lot of Oscar buzz for his role as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the history making film, Selma. He shares the February cover of Variety magazine with the film's director Ava DuVernay (left) and star, Oprah Winfrey.
8 Ways Facebook Can Destroy Your Marriage
Facebook was once a place to post how you were feeling and where you were going to spend your Saturdays.
Now, it’s sucking so much time from people’s lives and it may have a profound effect on marriages.
According to a study cited by the Christian Post, Facebook has been linked to an increase in divorce. As the Facebook population has risen, the divorce rate has also increased, the study found. This isn’t all that surprising, given that one-third of divorce filings in 2011 named Facebook as the reason for their divorce, New York Daily News reported.
But that’s not the whole story. Time’s Eliana Dockterman noted in July that the study linking divorce with Facebook fails to consider that the people joining Facebook aren’t necessarily the ones getting divorced, and that the social network’s not necessarily correlated to the divorce rate.
Still, Facebook could be hurting your marriage. Here are eight and a half things you’re doing on or because of Facebook that could potentially damage your marriage.
1. You’re checking Facebook on your phone, instead of talking to your spouse
According to the Daily Mail, new research has found people spend more time on their smartphones than with their marriage partners. People tend to use their smartphones for about 119 minutes a day, whereas they spend about 97 minutes with their loved one, the research found.
2. You care more about what other people post than what your spouse does
Some would call this “the Instagram effect,” but the idea is simple: You care more about what your friends and family are posting on Facebook than you do what your wife or husband is doing right in front of you. Instagram does have more than 150 million users (many of whom post their stuff to Facebook, too), so people are bound to see some things on there that can grab them and take their attention away from their spouses.
3. You’re not liking your loved one’s status
This may seem simple, but it’s an important one. Much has been written by bloggers and dating websites about the effects of liking someone’s statuses, mostly because a large number of likes implies that the liker is interested in the likee. By avoiding the like button for your loved one, you may be giving off a colder impression about how you feel about them.
4. You like someone else’s statuses way too much
According to data from Facebook, Facebook interactions are heavy between soon-to-be couples, with post sharing and likes increasing within the 100 days before a relationship starts. By liking someone else’s statuses and photos too much, you may be giving off the wrong impression that you’re not tied down into a relationship and that you’re looking for a way to leave it.
5. Careful with some of those Facebook friends
It’s no question that you and your spouse are going to have some mutual friends. But be wary of them because they may cause you strife. According to the Pew Research Center, half of Facebook’s users have more than 200 friends in their network, so a shared friend is bound to pop up among married couples. Just make sure those 200 friends aren’t going to comment something off-putting or discouraging on your loved one’s status. It may raise problems within the marriage and friend circles, too.
6. You quit Facebook, but you still ask questions about it
According to research cited by the Daily Mail, more people are saying their goodbye to the social network, as they’re worried about privacy and getting addicted to the website. But when you’re done with Facebook, you may start asking your loved one some questions about it — who your spouse is interacting with, what they’ve been posting and what they recently saw on the website, for example — and that could raise arguments and complications regarding trust.
7. You didn’t do a good job with your privacy settings
Marriage should involve trust and being able to open up to someone. But Facebook creates the possibility for many other people to see what you’re all about. NBC News reported that privacy is a major concern for Facebook users, as it leaves them open to review and judgment by their friends and possibly the public. Conversations that should happen first between husband and wife are posted for the public to see. For example, one source told Deseret News National that his wife shared that he and his wife’s kid started on walking on Facebook before sharing it with him. That was not an easy conversation to have. Facebook may also lead to people finding out things about you before your spouse knows about them, which is another sign of failing trust.
8. Your Facebook photo isn’t right
That’s right. What you display as a profile picture says a lot about you. In fact, The Atlantic reported that what makes a profile picture look good is the amount of engagement it gets — such as likes, shares and comments. But if you keep something unattractive up — like a photo no one likes — your spouse may feel the pressure to ask you to take it down.
There are other problems. But what are they?
Of course, Facebook is filled with a variety of users interacting with a vast number of people every day, so there are bound to be problems we didn’t think of.
3 Ways The Strong Black Woman Syndrome Can Ruin Your Relationship
Can we talk? Sister to sister?
No, I’m not about to tell you that the reason why you’re still single (or unhappy in your relationship) is because you’re too independent and no man wants you. (That kind of advice is played out in my opinion, and doesn’t serve you well.) I am, however, going to tell you that the Strong Black Woman Syndrome is killing you and your relationships. And I am going to tell you that it’s time to make a change.
What is the Strong Black Woman Syndrome?
Michelle Wallace, in her groundbreaking book, Black Macho And The Myth of The Superwoman first brought awareness to this problem in 1978. She shared that Black women are thought to have “Inordinate strength,” so much so that we are superwomen. The Strong Black Woman doesn’t have “the same fears, weaknesses, and insecurities as other women, and she believes herself to be and is, in fact, stronger emotionally than most men.”
In other words, because we have survived so much historically, socially and personally, we’ve been admired for our strength. In many ways, this legacy of strength has helped us deal with the stresses of living and loving in this world.
But there’s a huge price to “being strong,” and it’s affecting your relationships in 3 big ways:
1) Silence
The SBW Syndrome can cause silence. Yes, you may know how to be sassy and read people when they need it. But, when it comes to communicating how you really feel and what you really need, you haven’t been rewarded for doing that. In fact, you’ve probably been punished when you do speak up, with labels like “angry black woman” or at the very least, you’ve been accused of having a bad attitude.
In your relationships, you probably say things like, “I didn’t want to create any drama, so I just didn’t say anything.” But silence can kill your relationship. As Audre Lorde said, “Your silence will not protect you. What are the words you do not yet have. What do you need to say?”
2) Sacrifice
Not only do you sacrifice your voice and your needs for the sake of others, but you also sacrifice your health, your future and your dreams.
I’ve talked with many sisters, who tell me they put their dreams of getting married and starting a family on hold so they could raise somebody else’s kids. They’re now in their 40s and 50s and are faced with the reality that having kids of their own probably won’t happen.
Other women never have the money to invest into themselves because they’re always giving it away to everyone else. (Mama ‘nem, cousins, baby’s daddy, sisters, you name it). They don’t see themselves as an asset, so they don’t put themselves first. Sometimes saying, “No’ feels like a cuss word. If they do, they experience tremendous guilt!
This kind of sacrifice affects your health spiritually, emotionally & physically. Its time to put an end to it.
3) Supportive
Whether you call it being a helpmeet or a “ride or die chick,” you’re loyal to a fault.
You have no boundaries on what you give. You end up pouring into the wrong people who take advantage of you and now you’ve vowed to NEVER give to anyone again. You also don’t know how to receive from others. In other words, vulnerability scares you, so when the right person does come along, you don’t know how to open up.
So what’s the alternative to the Strong Black Woman Syndrome? Honestly, this conversation we’re having is just scratching the surface when it comes to dealing with this historical baggage. You must deal with this syndrome, so you can heal and experience real love where you feel respected, heard and understood. The first step is to give yourself permission to be fully human. You’re more than your strength. You are also silly, scared, soft, sensual, spiritual and so much more!
Celebrate every part of who you are!
Your future happiness depends on it.
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