Sound-Off: Why Black Love (Still) Matters

By Jamilah-Asali I. Lemieux



There is no universal code or standard for Black behavior; we think, walk, talk and exist in many different ways across the United States and the Diaspora-at-large. Yet we often hear people talking about sticking together, looking out for one another and embracing the concept of “Black love." Why is this so important to us?

When it comes to African-Americans, love is a very complicated and often evasive concept. Our enslaved ancestors had to fight for love and sneak it in when our captors were not looking. As Bell Hooks says in "Salvation: Black People and Love," post-slavery movements to secure true freedom often made our men feel like they needed to be “fighters, not lovers." They did not always see that it was possible to be tender and romantic with love in the home, at the same time that they were strong and battle-ready when dealing with the enemy outside of it. And while women contributed a great deal of nurturing, they also struggled with balancing the demands of work and love. We have often experienced forced separation from our partners and our families that has made love an even more traumatic concept.  Read more

School of laugh therapy

The world laughter record holder, Belachew Girma, is going to open a laughter therapy school in Addis Ababa this month. Belachew got the title “World Laughter Master” and a new world record holder with a continuous laughter that lasted for 3 hours and six minutes at the 14th Genius Impossibility Challenger Competition which was held last year.

He strongly believes that laughter releases endorphins which change the metabolites of the body and that this affects the physical, social and spiritual well being of the body. Human life is often filled with stress, fear, depression and hopelessness caused by many factors. Especially in countries like Ethiopia where the economic situation has place people in destitution, according to Belachew. This schools aim is to find a relief for that stress through laughter.

He says, in many countries there are  numerous centres which deal with issues of the mind but in Ethiopia, there is only one major hospital, Amanuel Hospital.

“When the mind is not working properly, everything else fails to function. It’s worse than HIV/ AIDS. We have to treat these cases during the early stages,” Belachew explains.

The school will give its courses in two parts; the first part is the theoretical and the second is the practical.

The first part lasts a month with a total of 8 hours. In this course, children who are older than seven years are eligible. Students taking this course are not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs. Apart from that, the ability to read and write, have a clear hearing and mind is also mandatory to take classes.

The class is also enhanced with DVDs that guide students on the art of laughing. Belachew will teach the science of laughing and also different guest lecturers like Doctor Abush and Master Abdi will also take part in covering courses that are related to psychology.

“Taking this class will enable them to practice laughing and to understand the use of laughter,” explains Belachew.

Even though Belachew worked in the past with people with impaired hearing, in this program, the school will not include the hearing impaired. He however, says that there will be a special session for such students in the future.

This class is not for those with mental disorders and in case there are students who inhibit such symptoms, the school will provide private consultations to help them.

The second part is a six-month program for people who want to be professional laughter therapists.

Completing high school and having the ability to make people laugh are the qualifications needed in order to qualifyfor the second half of the classes.

“We are trying to find a solution for stress related problems and to do that we need professional therapists. I can’t do all it by myself,” explains Belachew.

Belachew’s laughing career started when he lost his music shop and the property he owned in a fire. Even though he was able to revive, he again lost it in a flood. He was devastated so he started drinking which contributed to him losing his wife. But after a while, he started to make things right and started reading books which turned his life around.  He found the purpose in life through laughter and it has been a decade since he started laughing and teaching about laughter.

Currently he is preparing to participate in the 6th annual Laughter and Yoga Seminar to be held in September. During the meantime he attends different peace conferences and seminars to pass his message.

UN says more midwives could save millions of lives

JOHANNESBURG (AP) —In Ethiopia, only 6 percent of births are attended by a doctor, nurse or midwife, the study said. In Niger, many women have more pregnancies than is safe. In Botswana, the AIDS virus is linked to almost 80 percent of maternal deaths.

Midwives should be looked to in countries that need to increase the number of births attended by trained professionals if there is a shortage of doctors and nurses, Fauveau said. Midwives, often particularly trusted among women in their communities, can also offer birth control counseling and services, he said. read more...

Top 10 reasons why sleep is good for you.

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep, Are you sleepy? person who sleeps between 7 and 9 hours each night has less risk of developing diseases vs a person who sleeps 6 and 7 hours of sleep each night. 

1. Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy
Heart attacks and strokes are more common during the early morning hours. This fact may be explained by the way sleep interacts with the blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.

2. Sleep May Prevent Cancer
People working the late shift have a higher risk for breast and colon cancer. Researchers believe this link is caused by differing levels of melatonin in people who are exposed to light at night. Light exposure reduces the level of melatonin, a hormone that both makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Melatonin appears to suppress the growth of tumors. Be sure that your bedroom is dark to help your body produce the melatonin it needs.

3. Sleep Reduces Stress
When your body is sleep deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body's functions are put on high alert which causes an increase in blood pressure and a production of stress hormones. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart attacks and strokes. The stress hormones also, unfortunately, make it harder for you to sleep. Learn relaxation techniques to counter the effects of stress. There are also stress reduction techniques for sleep.

4. Sleep Reduces Inflammation
The increase in stress hormones raises the level of inflammation in your body, also creating more risk for heart-related conditions, as well as cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is thought to one of the causes of the deterioration of your body as you age.

5. Sleep Makes You More Alert
Of course, a good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night's sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, use that energy to get out into the daylight, do active things, and be engaged in your world. You'll sleep better the next night and increase your daily energy level.

6. Sleep Bolsters Your Memory
Researchers do not fully understand why we sleep and dream, but a process called memory consolidation occurs during sleep. While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Your dreams and deep sleep are an important time for your brain to make memories and links. Getting more quality sleep will help you remember and process things better.

7. Sleep May Help You Lose Weight
Researchers have also found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It is thought that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep. So if you are interested in controlling or losing weight, don't forget to pay attention to getting a good night's sleep.

8. Naps Make You Smarter
Napping during the day is not only an effective and refreshing alternative to caffeine, it can also protect your health and make you more productive. A study of 24,000 Greek adults showed that people who napped several times a week had a lower risk for dying from heart disease. People who nap at work have much lower levels of stress. Napping also improves memory, cognitive function and mood.

9. Sleep May Reduce Your Risk for Depression
Sleep impacts many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with a deficiency in serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. You can help to prevent depression by making sure you are getting the right amount of sleep, between 7 and 9 hours each night.

10. Sleep Helps the Body Make Repairs
Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures. Your cells produce more protein while you are sleeping. These protein molecules form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.

Gaining weight? Stress may not be main culprit
 (Reuters)

Stressed and gaining weight? The stress — and the exercise-slacking or chocolate-munching it breeds — may actually not be the main culprit.

Despite the common belief that stress causes people to pack on weight by reaching for junk food or avoiding exercise, on average it appears to have only small long-term impact at most, according to a study.

A review of 36 previously published studies on stress and weight gain led by Jane Wardle, at University College London, found that the majority showed no association between people’s stress levels and their weight gain over several years.

When the study, which appeared in “Obesity,” combined the results of the research, there was only a modest association overall between stress and weight gain.

“We assumed that there would be a substantial association between stress and obesity, since the popular view is that stress contributes to weight gain,” said Andrew Steptoe, who took part in the study.

“But when we looked carefully at well-controlled scientific studies, effects were surprisingly small.” The study analysed 32 international studies conducted mainly in the 1990s and 2000s.  All assessed the participants’ stress levels, and then followed the subjects over time to see whether there was a relationship between stress and subsequent weight gain.

Most followed participants for one to seven years, but a few were longer term projects that followed people for up to 38 years. Some focused on work stress, while others covered general life stress — anything from major traumas like a serious illness or a divorce, to feeling overwhelmed by daily issues.

Overall, 69 per cent of the studies found no clear association between stress levels and weight gain, while 25 per cent linked higher stress levels to greater weight gain.

The remaining six per cent found that greater stress was related to less weight gain over time. Once all the results were pooled, there was a modest association between higher stress levels and greater weight gain — a connection stronger among men than among women.

Steptoe warned that while the impact of stress on weight may be small on average, there was the possibility of wide individual variations. The type of stress, whether work, care giving or specific life events, might also have different effects on weight gain.

But measuring both was beyond the scope of the data they had.

“The general message is that, based on the best current scientific research, stress is not likely to play a major role in increasing body weight or obesity for most people,” he said.

“It could be that some people are more affected than others, but little is known about this at present.”