According to ‘Human Barbie’ Valeria Lukyanova’s interview for GQ magazine, ‘Ethnicities are mixing now, so there’s degeneration, and it didn’t used to be like that.’

She has claimed that interracial couples are making the human race uglier and sparking a rise in plastic surgery. ‘The very idea of having children brings out this deep revulsion in me,’ she said. ‘I’d rather die from torture because the worst thing in the world is to have a family lifestyle.’
She told GQ : ‘Everyone wants a slim figure. Everyone gets breasts done. Everyone fixes up their face if it’s not ideal, you know? Everyone strives for the golden mean. It’s global now.’

She admitted in 2013 that she believes she is from another planet – possibly Venus, but she isn’t quite sure – but is adamant she isn’t human. 

‘I come from a place where only love and joy exist,’ she told Vice. ‘But I noticed the media is only interested in negativity: show someone in a bad light, show someone’s mistakes.

‘Perhaps at some point I was an energy vampire, because I constantly received their negative reactions and enjoyed it. Specifically for them I created posts that would make them angry.’

Ms Lukyanova’s construction worker husband is also her manager.

In August she told The Daily Beast: ‘My husband has known me for more than ten years. He is used to me being the beauty queen at all the parties, from back when we were in school together and now at his corporate parties.’

When asked if her husband is human, she said: ‘I prefer not to talk about that, as I do not want to damage his reputation.’

Pictured below is her and real life Ken doll. I have to honestly say that I am lost for words. Sigh…

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Clearly the United States Army has a lot of time on their hands with no imminent war or biological warfare to sink their teeth into. They are now muscling military women by setting up rules and regulations on how to wear their hair!

The U.S. Army has released new guidelines for female soldiers’ hair, which some African-American troops are calling racially insensitive and biased.

The new rules (a.k.a. Army Regulation 670-1) designate the appropriate sizes of braids and cornrows and ban dreadlocks of any kind.

They also state that no “bulk of hair” exceed 2 inches from the scalp.

Thousands of people have already signed a White House petition decrying the new hair regulations. It reads in part: “These new changes are racially biased and the lack of regard for ethnic hair is apparent. This policy needs to be reviewed prior to publishing to allow for neat and maintained natural hairstyles.”

“I’ve been in the military six years, I’ve had my hair natural four years, and it’s never been out of regulation. It’s never interfered with my head gear,” Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs of the Georgia National Guard, who started the petition, told the Army Times.

For many African-American soldiers wearing their hair longer and natural is a matter of necessity, not style. Women serving abroad often don’t have access to the chemicals needed to straighten or relax their hair.

Meanwhile, many have pointed out the fact that the new standards, without mentioning race specifically, clearly have racial connotations.

“It’s very targeted because we all know who they’re talking about even though they never explicitly say the world ‘black’ or ‘African-American.’ We all know who typically wears these types of hairstyles and then they went as far as to include pictures of black women in the PowerPoint,” an Army veteran who chose to remain unidentified told Al Jazeera America.

Still the military establishment is not backing down and have included new restrictions on tattoos and grooming alongside the hair provisions.

“The Army is a profession, and one of the ways our leaders and the American people measure our professionalism is by our appearance,” Sgt. Maj. Ray Chandler wrote. “Wearing of the uniform, as well as our overall military appearance, should be a matter of personal pride for all soldiers.”

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Source TheGrio

Gymnastics just got a little bit more hip-hop and funkier. I think legends like Godfather of Soul, James Brown et. al. would be proud. Please meet the Serena and Venus Williams of floor gymnastics! Words can’t describe it. You have to see the video footage to believe it.

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As a woman with deep African origin and culture, I’m a sucker for traditions. Kate Middleton was well composed despite being greeted by a scantily clad performer in New Zealand. And so did Prince William. Very Admirable. Bravo!

The Duchess also took the opportunity to pay homage to her late mother-in-law, Prince Diana by choosing the wear the regal red ensemble she wore in 1984 on a similar royal tour.

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On April 7, the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) will embark on a 3-week long journey down under with Prince William and baby George. She’s scheduled to see several children’s hospices while there. It’s interesting to see through the series of images below how well she’s mastered the endearing moments of her mother-in-law, Princess Diana. Kate is no doubt making her own mark as the “queen of hearts” taking off where Princess Diana, the Princess of the people left off. Kate has been doing a great job studying pictures of Princess Diana’s memorable moments captured in time decades ago. Why not! It’s a winning formula –from the heart. She’s learnt from the best. We wish them safe journey and God’s speed!

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Before you pucker up and swipe that beautiful ruby red lipstick you might want to read this. I’m still having doubts about the findings but figured it wouldn’t hurt to share it. You never know!

Sharima Rasanayagam of CNN says, every day millions of women apply lipstick without a second thought. What many don’t know is that lipsticks may contain lead, the notorious metal that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems. Lead is a neurotoxin and can be dangerous even at small doses.

So what’s lead doing in lipsticks?

Not all lipsticks contain lead, but a number of studies in recent years show that the metal is more prevalent than previously thought.

In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics conducted a study — “A Poison Kiss” — that detected lead in 61% of the 33 lipsticks tested, with levels ranging from 0.03 ppm to 0.65 ppm. Parts per million (ppm) is the measurement of lead in the environment.

Medical experts say there is no safe level of lead in the blood. The FDA says it doesn’t consider the lead levels it found in lipsticks to be a safety issue.

No lipstick lists lead as an ingredient. The amounts are small, but the presence of lead in lipstick, which is ingested and absorbed through the skin, raises concerns about the safety of a cosmetic product that is wildly popular among women.

Urged on by both consumers and the cosmetics industry, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted its own testing in 2010. The FDA’s results were even more astonishing: The agency detected lead in all 400 lipsticks tested, ranging from 0.9 to 3.06 ppm — four times higher than the levels observed in the study done by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

And lead isn’t the only toxic metal you may be applying to your lips. In a recent study, University of California researchers tested eight lipsticks and 24 lip glosses and detected nine toxic heavy metals, including chromium, cadmium, manganese, aluminum and lead.

The FDA said, “We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern.”

Likewise, the cosmetics industry also doesn’t see this as an issue, saying that the dose makes the poison — in other words, the trace amounts of heavy metals in lipsticks are not harmful.

But the FDA noted, “Although we do not believe that the lead content found in our recent lipstick analyses poses a safety concern, we are evaluating whether there may be a need to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick in order to further protect the health and welfare of consumers. ”

Indeed, what the FDA and the cosmetics industry have been ignoring is cumulative exposure and potential long-term adverse effects.

It’s true that a single lipstick application will not lead to harm. And the good news is that not all lipsticks contain detectable levels of lead or other heavy metals. (And by the way, cost doesn’t seem to be a factor; a cheap or expensive lipstick isn’t the determinant of how much lead is present.)

The problem is when women who wear lipstick apply it two to 14 times a day, according to the University of California study. The result is that they are ingesting and absorbing through their lips as much as 87 milligrams of product a day, the study says.

Women are not only applying their lipsticks several times a day, but they also are doing this in the span of a whole lifetime, which means that exposure to lead and other heavy metals adds up and can potentially affect their health.

One challenge for people wanting to avoid exposure is that none of the metals, with the exception of aluminum, are deliberately added to lipsticks and lip glosses. The metals are contaminants that are present in the pigments and base materials used to make the products. Because the metals are not ingredients, cosmetics companies are not required to list them on products’ ingredient labels.

The law regulating cosmetics passed Congress in 1938 and has never been updated. The FDA possesses no legal authority to make sure products are safe before they are sold. Nor is the agency empowered to pull dangerous products from store shelves. It’s the Wild West for cosmetics companies, which have very few rules restricting chemical ingredients used in everything from shampoos to lotions to lipsticks.

As the contamination of lip products with heavy metals makes it clear, allowing the industry to police itself is not the best idea.

We need the FDA to be empowered by Congress and to take action so women won’t face any health risks when they put on makeup. Cosmetics companies should be required to adhere to a standard for best manufacturing processes to limit metal contamination.

For now, consumers should take precautions to protect themselves from heavy metal exposure from lip products. First, use less. If you find yourself reapplying lipstick 14 times a day, consider cutting back. Second, don’t let children use lipstick, as their young bodies are especially vulnerable to toxic metals. Then let’s get to work to make sure that by the time they’ve grown up, we have solved the problem of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.

Yikes! Looking for lipstick that’s lead-free? Here are five to try, click on the underlined text to see where you can get them. You can thank me later!

1. BareMinerals Natural Lipcolor 
The brand touts the label “100 Percent Natural” on  because it’s just that. With its nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, and plant extracts, you won’t have to worry about any lead ingestion here. Lips remain hydrated and the color glides on smooth.

2. AvonUltra Color Rich Lipstick 
Not only does  provide a rich color pay-off, but it also creates a full lip look that lasts for hours.

3. The Body Shop 
Much like Bare Minerals,also contains various natural moisturizing ingredients like sesame seed oil, beeswax, and coconut oil for long-lasting intense color.

4. MAC Matte Lipstick Viva Glam 1 
Although most of the Estee Lauder brands were found to contain levels of lead,(which is owned by Estee Lauder) that contains none. So, you can bravely rock a red lip without the worry. (Instant diva attitude free with purchase.)

5. Tarte 
Known for its high-performing products, this brand uses only natural, good-for-you ingredients in its products.relies on a mix of amazonian clay, mango extract, shea butter, and avocado extract to nourish lips and keep them hydrated for hours.

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Source CNN & Shine Yahoo

I hope you are well aware of the show down that happened between Dencia and Lupita around the Oscars earlier this year. Lupita condemned Dencia’s skin bleaching cream in her famous thank you speech at the Essence Black Women In Hollywood. If not, then click here to catch up.

And here’s the twitter correspondence between one of her followers in response to Lupita Nyong’o becoming the first and only black female to represent Lancome.

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I know as a US citizen it is my obligation to serve when called for jury duty. But this is precisely the reason why I beg to differ for fear of being on a high profile case that could be life threatening where a convicted bitter criminal could have one of his goons take revenge on his/her behalf. It’s like a scene from a movie and it keeps playing over and over in my head! In this situation, I don’t even know how I would have been able to look at people in the face to know I was one of those who might have freed a man who could have been guilty!

The names of the six-member jury panel that acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin have been made public for the first time, after a new court order, records show.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson, who had previously ordered the jurors’ identifying information be kept confidential, granted access to the names in a ruling March 21.

Zimmerman’s defense asked the judge in June to keep the names secret until six months after the verdict. The judge set no timeline then, but noted in her new order they have been withheld more than eight months.

Attempts to reach the jurors by phone and in-person Thursday were unsuccessful.

In Florida, the names of jurors are typically public and are announced and used by the judge and attorneys during jury selection.

Nelson’s order follows an inquiry last month by the Sentinel.

In a letter, Sentinel attorneys asked Nelson for a specific ruling on how long she planned to maintain the jurors’ anonymity, noting it was already “well past the six month ‘cooling off’ period requested by the defense.”

The defense, in its motion, argued a delay was needed beyond the trial to allow “for any community passions to cool.”

The Sentinel and other media outlets opposed that delay.

On July 13, Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder in Trayvon’s death. The Feb. 26, 2012, shooting in Sanford renewed national debate on a range of issues, including profiling and self-defense.

The not-guilty verdict sparked protests across the country.

Prosecutors alleged Zimmerman profiled, pursued and killed the unarmed Miami Gardens teenager. Zimmerman, now 30, said he fired in self-defense while being pummeled by Trayvon during an unprovoked attack.

RIP Trayvon. God help us all.

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Source orlandosentinel

A VERY cute 3 year old Chinese boy wows the crowd at the Chinese version of Americas Got Talent. I literally cried and laughed at the same time, especially at the part where he describes what happiness means to him and how it makes his mother happy. I could watch this video over and over again and never get tired. Please feel free to share this video footage with your loved ones. Happiness is contagious!

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Now that gay marriage is legal in some states and fast becoming a stable in today’s media. Major fashion labels that would have once upon a time shied away from what they might have perceived as controversial are now embracing the notion full on. YSL released a new ad campaign starring fashion’s newest darling Cara Delevingne and Ondria Hardin, where they puckered up and assumed the position. Time sure has changed and I can only hope that other labels will catch on because these preference of sexuality is here to stay. If they want to stay in business, they will have to dance to the tunes of their customers. That’s just the bitter truth. And in case you haven’t heard, Cara is actually dating “Fast & Furious” actress Michelle Rodriguez in real life, seen pictured below. So there you have the art imitating life. Equality for all, onward we go! Hear! Hear!

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Michelle and Cara on vacation together.