Conventional wisdom questioned how stocks could be so high when the economy was still widely perceived to be in a funk. In my opinion, the real wonder was why stocks hadn’t already gone to new highs—because the economy was already well on its way.

You read that statement correctly. Despite all the headlines and the real problems we have—unemployment, the European debt debacle, the housing crisis—the U.S. produced more wealth last year than ever before. First we’ll put numbers to the story and then examine why stocks and the economy aren’t always in sync.

Let’s focus on the economy and stocks over the last five years. The size of an economy is measured by its gross domestic product—the market value of all the goods and services it produces in a year. In 2006, the GDP of the United States was $13.3 trillion. Last year it set a record, an estimated $14.8 trillion. Over that five-year period, GDP cumulatively grew approximately 11%, but it never changed more than 5% in any one of those years and fell only once—a 1.7% drop in 2009. The stock market, represented by the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, told a very different story. Since the end of 2006, the S&P 500 has been flat for the whole period, but made massive shifts in-between. In three of the five years, it posted double-digit moves, losing 37.0% in 2008, gaining 26.5% in 2009, and rising 15.1% in 2010.

So that’s the conundrum: If the economy and stock market are connected, how can one go up fairly smoothly more than 10% over a half-decade, while the other jumps all over the place but ends up going nowhere? After all, when you buy stock in a company you hold the right to the profits the business generates. And the S&P 500 Index does contain 500 of America’s biggest businesses—so if the economy is doing well, those companies are, too.

But as legendary value investor Ben Graham wrote in The Intelligent Investor (Collins Business; $21.99): “The stock market is a voting machine rather than a weighing machine. It responds to factual data not directly, but only as they affect the decisions of buyers and sellers.” His point is not that the market only tracks sentiment—fundamentals will win out over the long term. In the short term, however, stocks are heavily influenced by emotion, opinion, and so forth. So while a mature economy like ours rarely grows or shrinks more than a few percentage points a year, the stock market often makes double-digit moves.

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We can clearly see this relationship in the 2007–2009 bear market and subsequent recovery. During the Great Recession the economy contracted 5% while the bear market saw the S&P 500 Index fall 10 times that. Yes, some of that fall resulted from rational investors adjusting their estimates of business growth. But a lot of the drop was simply the result of panic—people selling falling stocks out of fear that they would fall further. In recovering from this overdone fall, stocks have more than doubled.

What does this mean to you, the individual investor? First, when you invest, stay focused.  If you’re buying a piece of a business, concentrate on whether the business continues to be profitable and grow—not on whether the stock is up or down over a week, month, or year.  Second, keep your emotions from being influenced by market behavior. If the market is up or down a lot, take a peek at GDP. If the national economy has only gone down 2%, does a market drop of 25% say more about the economy or about the psychology of the typical investor? And, as always, remember the long term. Over decades businesses tend to grow and the economy tends to expand, so for most investors it makes more sense to buy than sell when the business cycle temporarily contracts.

(Image: Getty)

While the rest of America may have Presidents’ Day off, Barack Obama has no time to sit back and celebrate the historic achievement of being elected as the United States’ first African-American President in 2008 at the age of 47. Instead, he is in the throes of a highly competitive and intense reelection campaign. Therefore it is essential to assess how he can most effectively advance the nation concerning issues of healthcare, the economy, education, foreign aid and more. To help in this mission, BlackEnteprise.com called upon the expertise, insight and wisdom of a select few who can relate to being a Black President. Drawing from the worlds of social justice, technology, the environment, media and the arts, we picked the brains of 11 of the nation’s foremost corporate and nonprofit African American Presidents aged 50 and under to share their thoughts on what President Obama needs to do next to truly cement his legacy and make a difference.

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Name: LaVar Young
Organization: Newark Now
Title: President and CEO
Age: 33

What makes him an effective President:

When Newark, NJ Mayor Cory A. Booker wanted to launch a program to empower Newark residents with skills, resources and community support he enlisted, LaVar Young. Young is the former Director of Fathers Now at the Newark Comprehensive Center for Fathers. His achievements have been recognized with an invitation to the White House for a discussion on fatherhood programs with President Obama.

My advice for President Obama:

“The U.S. ranks 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math, according to the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment, behind South Korea, Finland and Singapore. The lack of quality education across the board puts America’s next generation at a steep disadvantage in the global economy, and leads to employment and social issues that impede the development of adults. Economic opportunity specifically employment is an issue that many of the families we serve are dealing with. The rates of joblessness for minorities are much higher than for the general population. This is an issue that President Obama and the Democratic Party cannot afford to back down on.”

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Name: Dean Garfield
Organization: Information Technology Industry Council
Title: President and CEO
Age: 43

What makes him an effective President:

Before joining ITI, Garfield has served in high-level positions for organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). For the latter he aided in the development of their intellectual property policy and oversaw several landmark United States intellectual property cases, including the Grokster/Kazaa case. At ITIC he has established public-private sector partnerships and was awarded with the first REACH Breaking Barriers Award in May of 2010, for his success in the technology industry and efforts to support youth to develop essential science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.

My advice for President Obama:

“Our education policies are rooted in the 1800′s; our immigration policies date back to the 1930′s; our tax policies hail from the 1980′s; and our telecommunications and trade policies descend from the 1990′s. I would encourage President Obama to work with the tech sector to update and upgrade these policies in a fashion that will drive investment to the U.S. ‘Smart’ energy, transportation and buildings, cloud-computing, machine-to-machine communication, and molecular-level manufacturing will likely create millions of new jobs and trillions in revenue. To achieve our potential we can’t work around the edges, but need whole new strategies and bold leadership aimed at attacking our structural challenges.”

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Name: Majora Carter
Organization: Majora Carter Group
Title: President
Age: 45

What makes her an effective leader:

In one of the nation’s most environmentally and economically challenged areas, Carter successfully founded the nonprofit, Sustainable South Bronx. She ran the organization from 2001 to 2008 and helped establish a local model in the Bronx for green-collar job training and placement systems. Now with her own economic consulting firm she offers her invaluable expertise to a range of clients. Plus, she is a Peabody Award winning public radio producer and host of “The Promised Land.”

My advice for President Obama:

“We can use green infrastructure projects to provide accessible jobs for people with significant barriers to employment such as the generationally impoverished, formerly incarcerated and many of our nation’s veterans. Jobs in green infrastructure include urban forestry, urban agribusiness and green roofing. These jobs help adapt our cities to climate change and numerous studies have shown that working with plants provides therapeutic benefits to people who work with them. Furthermore, the most efficient and cost-effective form of crime prevention and social service is a job; so this strategy has the benefit of reducing social service expenses as it improves public health, lowers law enforcement costs and improves quality of life.”

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Name: William S. Parrish, Jr.
Organization: NobleStratgey
Title: President and CEO
Age: 44

What makes him an effective President:

All it took was one bold move for Parrish to expand his firm from a one-person consultancy to a 25-person company. NobleStrategy has spearheaded a host of high-profile projects including a $60 million New York City School Construction Authority management/mentor training program and a $140 million program for the Cicely Tyson School of Performing & Fine Arts in New Jersey. Parrish also has an environmentally conscious approach to his business as an official Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional and serving as sustainability consultant for the $1.8 billion 1 World Trade Center (formerly called the “Freedom Tower”) project. This entrepreneur and author also mentors at-risk youth on entrepreneurship.

My advice for President Obama:

“I think President Obama has done a fantastic job in placing energy efficiency and the green economy at the center of a very meaningful discussion; however, there is a tremendous opportunity to incentivize emerging businesses to participate on a larger scale. We all know small businesses drive the economy, but highlighting the market opportunities and speaking directly to minority and women-owned businesses about tax incentives and the green investment this country is making would be extremely attractive. Any opportunity to advance this discussion, inclusive of minority businesses, is critical for job creation and to avoid a ‘green’ divide, similar to the digital divide we encountered several years ago.”

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Name: Cheryl Duncan
Organization: Cheryl Duncan & Company Public Relations
Title: President and CEO
Age: 44

What makes her an effective leader:

Duncan possesses a keen understanding of the media’s power to influence society, which is why she focuses on generating increased awareness for social betterment projects. Her company’s past and present clients range from the New York African Film Festival (Lincoln Center) to Surgeons of Hope medical mission to Cambodia. Duncan was also the lead consultant for the Congressional Black Caucus’s “State of the African American Male Conference” and executes an ongoing campaign to promote foster parenting for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Further demonstrating her dedication to positive causes, Duncan has provided pro bono work for organizations such as the World Literacy Crusade, The Stay Strong Foundation, and The New York Rescue Workers’ Detoxification Project.

My advice for President Obama:

“Non-profits are under siege in this economy. I’m hoping that the health of nonprofit organizations will be top of mind for President Obama as these organizations are key partners in his work to bring back America. As such I’m hoping that his efforts to stimulate the economy will also address the nonprofit sector through direct federal funding. I remember the very inspirational speeches of candidate Obama in 2008. While we do need him to continue to work on the solutions to the many pressing issues facing the country, I’m hoping that President Obama doesn’t forget his unique talent of inspiring people. By constantly painting the picture of the America that people desire and by continually pointing to the big picture and not just the tactical, he can inspire his party and the country overall.”

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Name: Sheena Wright
Organization: Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC)
Title: President and CEO
Age: 42

What makes her an effective President:

Under Wright’s leadership, ADC has created a permanent site for the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change, which is the first high school built in Harlem in over 50 years. Wright also manages a Displacement Prevention campaign to address the needs of low and moderate-income families through civic engagement and preservation purchases of at-risk buildings.

My advice for President Obama:

“The key elements necessary to rebuild and restore America are the same keys needed to rebuild and restore community. Instead of a ‘race to the top,’ we have to build a collaborative community approach where everyone is invested in creating better educational and developmental opportunities for all of our children. While we are rightly focused and invested on job creation we need to be equally focused and invested on making sure our workforce is skilled and prepared for the jobs that are being created, particularly in the Black community. By 2020 only 50 million Americans will be qualified to fill 123 million highly skilled jobs, according to the Institute for a Competitive Workforce. Also the collapse of the housing market is at the root of much of the problems in the economy today. The way to correct this precarious situation is to provide more access to affordable, quality housing with responsible financial products. Regulation is needed in order to hold banks to higher standards to prevent the predatory lending practices that plagued our communities recently.”

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Name: Shannon Nash
Organization: Nash Management Group, Inc.
Title: President
Age: 41

What makes her an effective President:

Nash isn’t content to just hold one title. In addition to being the president of Nash Management Group, Inc. she is also an attorney, business manager, author and a Certified Public Accountant. Through her entertainment and business management firm she has represented past and current clients, including Terri J. Vaughn, Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Carmelo Anthony and more. She is also co-owner of The Green Room Actor’s Lounge along with Vaughn and producer Roger Bobb.

My advice for President Obama:

“I would advise him to support more public/private partnerships in the arts as a way to build our youth, as well as strengthen our communities and provide jobs. We have to come up with creative solutions to help cities and schools with a lack of funding to get the private sector involved in these solutions. Cites like Pasadena, CA have implemented these programs as a way to keep arts education in the school curriculum when money was tight or nonexistent. Through their innovative program called ‘My Masterpieces: Discovering Art in My Community,’ they partner with local art institutions and students take field trips in the community specifically co-designed with the K-6 visual art curriculum.”

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Name: Arva Rice
Organization: New York Urban League (NYUL)
Title: President and CEO
Age: 43

What makes her an effective leader:

Rice has wasted no time advancing the NYUL’s agenda. She has managed to launch several initiatives for the 91-year-old civil rights organization, including establishing the Girls Empowerment Day and a four-year $50,000 college scholarship in partnership with music icon, Mary J. Blige’s Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN).

My advice for President Obama:

“President Obama needs to create a jobs bill that is as sweeping, and maybe controversial, as healthcare. At this time we need a bill that ensures non-profits, trade schools and colleges can make relevant training and certificates available to meet the needs of our economy based on up-to date analysis of market trends. This bill must include growth in areas such as technology, energy, and green jobs, but also must challenge banks to free up capital for small businesses while ensuring consumer protection.”

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Name: Richard Buery
Organization: The Children’s Aid Society
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Age: 40

What makes him an effective President:

Mr. Buery is not only the first African-American leader of the Children’s Aid Society but he also holds the distinction of being the youngest since Charles Loring Brace founded the agency in 1853. Prior to joining the organization, Buery graduated from Harvard College and the Yale Law School. From there he co-founded three nonprofit organizations, including Groundwork, Inc., Mission Hill Summer Program and iMentor, which are all focused on enriching the education and quality of life of children in disadvantaged communities. Buery’s honors include the Extraordinary Black Man Award for Humanitarianism from the United Negro College Fund and the inaugural outstanding alumnus award from the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard University.

My advice for President Obama:

“I would recommend a strategy that eradicates the educational achievement gap between rich and poor. First, we need to develop a national indicator to measure the educational, economic, physical and social-emotional health of our children—a Children’s Index. Next, I would urge President Obama to propose a massive expansion of head start programs. Each and every child in America should have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education. And finally, we must make every school in America a community school. The community school model is a proven strategy that ensures the academic success of children by developing schools with three building blocks required: strong teaching and school leadership, expanded learning opportunities through quality partnerships and student and family supports to reinforce learning and eliminate barriers to success.”

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Name: Christine Carter
Organization: Against All Odds Foundation
Title: Founder, President and CEO
Age: 30

What makes her an effective President:

As a direct product of the New Jersey foster care system, Carter brings passion to her role as an advocate for children. Her organization focuses on a slew of programs designed to enrich the education of children and provide social services for underserved families. Most recently, Carter was featured on The Wendy Williams Show kicking off their “My Black Is Beautiful” initiative.

My advice for President Obama:

“In order to effectively address the complex issues affecting underserved families and at-risk populations, I would strongly recommend that [Obama] assess, identify and respond to the holistic needs of these families by first and foremost connecting directly with them. Their responses will give [him] and [his] administration invaluable insight that will reshape the Human Services arena. I have five suggestions as [he] continues in [his] leadership role. One, remain true to the established platform on which [he] was elected. Two, continue to maintain a close circle of objective advisors. Three, consistently rise above the challenges of partisanship and negative criticism. Four, strengthen [his] legacy by developing the next generation of world leaders and public servants through educational and community development investments. Five, continue to not only have the ‘audacity of hope’ but the audacity to serve.”

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Name: Chef Kone Abdoulaye
Organization: International Agro-Alliance, Inc. (IAA)
Title: President and Founder
Age: 45

What makes him an effective leader:

Looking back on the environment of his upbringing inspired Chef Abdoulaye, a native of Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), to found his organization in 2008. Chef Abdoulaye’s mission has been to address issues of hunger and malnutrition by promoting rural social and rural economic development through sustainable agriculture. Prior to IAA, he trained and employed several local citizens to create a source of food security for local villages by operating and managing 92 acres of farmland in Yamoussoukro (government capital of Cote D’Ivoire).

My advice for President Obama:

“[Obama] has also done great focusing on democracy in Africa by putting African leaders on notice. However, the US development strategies in Africa should be focused on agricultural development to strengthen food security. People really do not care much about democracy or education as long they are hungry. Because they are hungry, their learning capacities are considerably reduced and their contributions to the society are insignificant. But people can change the governing process if they can overcome that fundamental basic necessity. From a leadership perspective, I know compromise is the key for moving the country forward. But compromise cannot happen with those determined to make him fail. So he needs to come closer to base, take advantage of the majority we will give him and accomplish something.”

(Image:Thinkstock)

The U.S. economy didn’t close on such a bad note in 2011.

A forceful 200,000 new jobs were added to the economy in December, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday.

The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 % in December, from 8.7% in November, the government said. The Labor Department revised the number of new jobs added in November to 100,000, from 120,000.

December was the sixth consecutive month that the economy added at least 100,000 new jobs, but the Japan earthquake and debt ceiling crisis of the spring and summer slowed progress significantly.

“People were very much thinking that the sky was falling,” said Tom Porcelli, an economist at RBC Capital Markets. “It’s no small victory that we’re up here, even with all these headwinds.”

Read more at the New York Times…

(Image: ThinkStock)

In this season of giving—and taking time off from work—I’ve had occasion to focus on the important things in life, like quality time with my family, reaching out to old friends, and catching up on my reading and reality TV. It’s amazing how much longer the days feel when you’re not trying to jam too much into them.

With time to spare, I’m more fully engaged and as a result, each moment takes on a sense of heightened intensity. Maybe that’s why when I sat leisurely reading my Sunday paper on Monday, dog at my feet, big mug of tea in hand, I was moved by a line of all green capital letters above The New York Times banner. It said: TODAY IS CHRISTMAS REMEMBER THE NEEDIEST!

Ironically, the paper wasn’t packed with stories about the needy. Despite the holiday, there was the usual mix of headlines from around the world and big-city news with a few musings on Christmas tossed in for good measure. But it was the story about the latest “biggest apartment sale ever” in my hometown of New York that impressed me most. I was stunned when I read it, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since.

It reported the closing of the closely-tracked sale of a three-bedroom apartment in a building overlooking Central Park on Manhattan’s west side. Final price: $24 million. The price is eye-popping, and so is the profit when you consider that the previous owner, described in The New York Times as a shipping magnate, bought the place for just under half that only three years ago—in 2008, the year the bottom fell out of our once robust economy.

But that’s not the part of the story that nearly made me choke on my tea. It might have, if not for a penthouse apartment in the very same building going to contract last week with an agreed upon price of $88 million. Yes, I said $88 million… for an apartment. Not a house with miles of acreage, not a sprawling gated mansion on a private lake with its own zip code, nor an entire building full of grand apartments, but one single dwelling in a building parceled into many—202 to be exact: $88 million.

What does an $88 million apartment look like? Hard to say, but its 6,774 square feet is terraced and bright with lots of windows and a heart-stopping view from atop a building that’s 19 stories high. The place is currently owned by former Citigroup CEO Sanford I. Weill and his wife, Joan, who have publicly claimed they plan to donate proceeds from the property to charity. Their philanthropic arms have a wide reach that’s already left an indelible mark on New York institutions from major hospitals to the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

But that’s still not the part of the story that stopped me cold. After all, this is New York where very little about Manhattan real estate—from how small an actual living space can be to how much one can also cost—surprises anymore.

What I wanted to know was who buys an $88 million dollar apartment and it’s the answer that got me: A Russian billionaire, Dmitriy Rybolovlev, who is picking it up for his 22-year-old daughter, Ekaterina, a college student in the US. If your head’s not already swimming, get this: She doesn’t even go to school in New York, she just needs a place to crash when she visits!

Rybolovlev, who made much of his money in pesticides, is ranked by Forbes as the world’s 93rd richest person. He first made a name for himself in US real estate in 2008 when he purchased a 33,000-square-foot Palm Beach estate from Donald Trump for $100 million. This latest purchase, paying a mere $12 million more for a property a quarter of that size, easily trumps the Trump deal (to Don’s great displeasure, no doubt). I imagine it comes with at least one parking space but a hefty monthly maintenance fee (to maintain the building’s private health club, pool, wine cellar, and grand residents dining room) is additional, for sure. As is the private apartment staff that will keep the floors gleaming and the pillows fluffed. Welcome to New York.

Why do I care who lives at 15 Central Park West or what those grand apartments cost? Because it’s always fascinating to imagine how other people—especially the insanely wealthy—live. Because from a business standpoint, it’s wild to consider how during the most devastating financial era in a generation, two already exorbitantly expensive apartments could each double in value. And because the week between Christmas and New Years—Kwanzaa week—is always a time for reflection.

So, I can’t help but reflect…on our notions of charity and capitalism, on gratitude and materialism, and on that green banner about the need to remember the neediest occupying space in a paper alongside news of an $88 million crash pad for a college kid. I can’t help but reflect on what $88 million could do for the needy at a time when the depth of need in our country is so great. I can’t help but reflect on when and how we know that enough is enough and too much is just too much.

(Image:Thinkstock)

• Fewest Layoffs Since 2008

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to its lowest level since April 2008, the government said. The report suggested that layoffs are slowing further and that employers may be ready to hire more aggressively in the new year.

Reports show a clear upswing in the US economy. It is thought to be growing in the current quarter much faster than the 1.8% annual rate that the government now estimates for last summer.

“The economy is carrying some clear momentum into 2012,” said economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors.

“The consistent decline in the weekly lines at the unemployment offices is pointing to a firming in the labor markets, fewer layoffs, more jobs being added and most importantly, a decline in the unemployment rate.”

Read more at Yahoo! News…

• Congressman Calls Michelle Obama’s Posterior ‘Large’

Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner was overheard on his cell phone at Reagan National Airport talking about what he said about First Lady Michelle Obama several weeks ago, Fishbowl D.C. reported.

Sensenbrenner reportedly said, “[Michelle Obama] lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself.”

This isn’t the first time Obama has been accused of being too curvy.  Others have commented on her physique and role as leader of the healthy living initiative Let’s Move!

Radio host Rush Limbaugh said February: “The problem is, and dare I say this, it doesn’t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice…I’m trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue or of a woman Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you.”

The Congressman has agreed to issue an apology for his offensive comments.

Read more at the Huffington Post…

• Congressman Paul’s Racial Writings Raise Questions About His Winning Potential

Polls show Texas Congressman Ron Paul emerging as the new Republican presidential nomination front-runner in Iowa, despite the resurgence of his past, offensive writings about African Americans in his newsletter.

They are projecting that Rep. Paul is now the most likely Republican candidate to win the Jan. 3, 2012 Iowa Caucus, slightly ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

In the latest CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday, 45 % of those polled said they would vote for Paul, compared to 52 % for President Barack Obama, if the two ran head-to-head in the presidential election. That makes Paul and Romney tied for the lead among registered and overall voters.

Additionally, a breakdown of the poll reveals that the 12-term congressman would receive 25% of the “non-white” vote, ahead of Romney’s 20%.

Paul maintains he did not write the racially offensive comments published in his newsletter.

Read more at The Grio…

(Image: ThinkStock)

Before the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers have even been gobbled up, the big announcement came that retailers just enjoyed their “biggest Black Friday ever!” Rather than hit the gym to work off those yummy candied yams and pies (pecan, apple, sweet potato… Oh, my!), Americans raced to…. the malls! Or, they just sat back at home, scratched their full bellies, and chugged antacids as they shopped online, getting their Cyber Monday fix on early. The final tally? More than $50 billion in total sales for the “holiday” weekend, up from $45 billion last year!

Major network news correspondents, otherwise credible financial analysts, and so-called money-honeys of all genders, sizes and hues, treated this bit of shopping trivia like it was a great big Christmas present! Despite still outsized unemployment, foreclosure, homelessness, and national debt statistics, legitimate journalists actually posed the question: “Does this mean our economy is finally turning around?”

I love Christmas (and a killer sale) as much as anybody, and I hate to be a Scrooge, but bah, humbug, and let’s be serious, folks! The fact that 227 million of us opted to go out and shop the day after Thanksgiving (and the day after that, and the day after that…) is an indicator of little else other than the fact that it’s what we’ve been successfully conditioned to do—even in the face of crisis. In fact, especially in the face of a crisis!

After all, isn’t that exactly what we were urged to do by none other than then-president George W. Bush in the immediate aftermath of 9/11? He didn’t suggest that we batten down our financial hatches in preparation for the colossal war bill we’d be facing, or that we collect goods from our already overflowing closets and cupboards to help sustain those with less in our communities, or to send to troops and their families. No. He said, go out and shop!

And we did.

Then, we kept on doing it. For the last decade, we have spent money and racked up debt at record levels—and why wouldn’t we when at every turn, when the economy has stalled, disaster has loomed, and the so-called great financial minds of the world are thoroughly stumped, they say the same thing: Go shopping.

Click here to continue reading…

(Image: ThinkStock)

This message has been so consistent and all-consuming, that holidays from the most pedantic (President’s Days) to the most frivolous (Halloween) to the once most holy (Easter) have become little more than consumer-fests. And technology has taken this all over the top. Forget store catalogs and paper sales circulars; retailers begin their constant assault of sales promos in October and they don’t stop until the holiday clearance racks have been emptied in mid-January. My email inbox overflows with them, as does my phone, which delivers no fewer than three texts a day with “special” sales codes and “exclusive” deals. There is no avoiding it, or the mark it leaves on you whether in the time it takes to view and delete items, or the I’ve-gotta-have-it desire to not miss a grand shopping opportunity. For better or worse, the retailers approach works!

So, I got to thinking, what if we were able to duplicate their very successful strategies in the areas of our lives that truly need improvement? Those areas that wouldn’t just benefit us individually, but collectively, as communities and as a nation? Here are a few ideas that quickly came to mind:

• Education: What if all private schools from nursery through college offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal so that if you pay full price for one child to attend, the next child goes for nothing? You’d get four diplomas for the price of two, six for the price of three and so on. It would encourage family unity and institutional loyalty, and it would enable more families to educate multiple children without breaking the bank.
• Volunteerism: The point of volunteering is, of course, to give of your time for giving’s sake. But what if we incentivized things like teaching prison inmates to read, leading fun activities at eldercare centers, or maintaining community gardens and parks? What if for every 20 hours a month you spent donating your time and talents to the betterment of your community you received an income tax rebate or a post-graduate tuition discount or a gift card for a free checkup that you could use yourself or re-gift to someone who has no healthcare insurance?
• Health: Ever watch The Biggest Loser? It’s incredibly inspiring to witness the morbidly obese overcome years (in some cases, lifetimes) of poor eating and exercise choices and towering self-doubt in a 13-week television season. But let’s be clear about their motivation: Cold, hard cash. One of the greatest cripplers of our economy are our nation’s healthcare costs and they keep climbing higher, as all that ails us keeps getting worse, even as we live longer. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to actually pay people to get healthy? The looming threat of stroke, heart disease, disability and premature death if you don’t get healthy has made little impact. But what if you received a text today guaranteeing you an actual cash prize if you did get healthy? How much would it take for you to make some key changes in your lifestyle? Probably less than you think.

I could go on, but you get the idea. A great education accessible to the masses, stronger, more interactive communities, better physical and emotional health, these are truly the gifts that keep on giving. We just need a better marketing plan—and maybe a few cash incentives—to get the message across. We could start by putting the Thanks back in Thanksgiving. Clearly, we’ve got the giving—and getting at a bargain—part down.

(Image: Getty)

• Dr. Conrad Murray Found Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter

A jury decided Michael Jackson’s doctor was guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

The 58-year-old could face up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license. Dr. Conrad Murray is to be sentenced November 29.

Read more at the New York Times…

• Sharon Bialek Says Herman Cain Put ‘Hand Under My Skirt’

Defense attorney Gloria Allred and her client Sharon Bialek, the fourth woman to come forward with sexual harassment allegations towards Herman Cain, held a news conference Monday to address harassment accusations against the Republican front-runner.

Bialek alleges the former president of the National Restaurant Association reached under her skirt in 1997 as she sought employment advice from him. “He suddenly reached over and put his hand on my leg…under my skirt and reached for my genitals,” she said. “He also pushed my head toward his crotch,” she said.

His campaign released a statement saying that Allred is bringing forth “false accusations against the character” of Cain.

Read more at USA Today…

• Young Men Are the Biggest Losers Amid Economic Downturn
  

The recession brought numerous men who moved out of their parents’ home with plans to start their own lives back home. There are fewer jobs with less pay, less hours, and more headaches.

The share of men age 25-34 living with their parents jumped to 18.6% this year.  That’s more than 4% higher than the rate four year ago and the highest level since at least 1960, according to the Census Bureau.

“We’re at risk of having a generation of young males who aren’t well-connected to the labor market and who don’t feel strong ownership of community or society because they haven’t benefited from it,” says Ralph Catalano, professor of public health at the University of California, Berkeley.

The unemployment rate for males within this age bracket with a high school diploma is 14.4% —up from 6.1% four years ago and well above today’s 9% national rate.

Read more at The Wall Street Journal…

• Obama Beefs Up Campaign Strategy as Election Draws Closer

With economic and electorate odds against him, President Barack Obama has focused on building an aggressive grassroots campaign in swing states. The commander in chief now has campaign offices in all 50 states – and an average of three new field offices each week, according to campaign manager Jim Messina.

The team’s electoral strategy is aimed at broadening the pool of voters, particularly in traditionally red states that have turned mixed because of recent demographic shifts.

Obama successfully flipped nine states that John Kerry lost to George W. Bush in 2004. Top Democrats believe he has a chance at holding nearly all of them again in 2012.

The president has raised more than $88 million for his re-election through September – quadruple the cash on hand of Republican front-runner Romney.

Read more at Yahoo! News…

• Magic Johnson Marks 20 Years Living With AIDS

Twenty years ago today, five-time NBA champion Magic Johnson announced he was retiring from the NBA. He was 32-years-old and HIV-positive.

“Because of the HIV virus that I have obtained, I will have to retire from the Lakers today,” Johnson said in a full room at the Forum in Inglewood, CA.  Johnson did return to the court, going on to win an MVP award at the 1992 NBA All-Star game, but later left for good after several players said they did not want to play alongside Johnson for fear they would catch the disease.

The ballplayer-turned-businessman took his prognosis and entered a new game—raising millions for HIV/AIDS research.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times…

Additional reporting by Janel Martinez

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A new analysis of census data by the Pew Research Center is showing that the wealth gap between Americans 35 and under and those 65 and over is more disparate than it has ever been. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your grandparents are rolling in the dough while you’re struggling to make rent but it does mean that our  troubled economy has made it harder for younger Americans to amass wealth the way that generations ahead of us have.

Click here to read more about the wealth gap at BlackEnterprise.com/BENext

Herman Cain, a Republican, has been more than vocal about wanting to see President Obama out of office. (Image: File)

They are the very interesting opponents of the Obama administration that we can never seem to forget— Chris Christie and Sarah Palin—yet for this upcoming election, they’re not so prominent on the political scene anymore. However, one very outspoken and unforgetable presidential hopeful remains: former Godfather’s Pizza CEO and radio talk show host Herman Cain.

He’s vying for President Obama’s seat and is known to have some eye-raising, controversial — and to some, even offensive —things to say about race and why Obama should step down.

The Atlanta Post compiled a list of Cain’s most outrageous statements, from the man who proclaimed “I left the Democratic plantation!”

Read more at The Atlanta Post …

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Steve Jobs and President Barack Obama are two of the most iconic and important figures of our time. The late founder of Apple, Jobs was a creative genius and captain of industry and Barack Obama is, of course, the dynamic politician who captivated the nation with a messages of hope and change in one of its darker hours.

Today the release of Walter Isaacson‘s book Steve Jobs: A Biography is giving the world a glimpse of what happened when these great minds connected. Representing the private sector and big business, it seems that Jobs had a few choice words of advice for the POTUS leading a country in the midst of economic crisis.

According to the Huffington Post Jobs offered to create political ads for Obama’s 2012 re-election bid despite his distaste for some of the Obama administrations economic  policies.

Click here to read more about Jobs and Obama’s meeting at BlackEnterprise.com/BENext