(Akiit.com) Louisiana, LA - New study says rich African Americans are a largely untapped market.

The Louisiana Weekly reports of a new study that finds wealthy African Americans have been virtually ignored as a demographic despite having $29.8 billion in disposable income.

The study, titled “Marketing to Affluent African Americans: Strategic Insights for Reaching an Untapped Market,” consisted of online interviews with affluent African Americans as well as a series of regional focus groups held in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami and Washington, DC.

It features the results of insights on the behaviors, attitudes, opinions and spending patterns of affluent African Americans, defined as individuals earning at least $75,000 annually.

“This study provides marketers with insights, case studies, interviews with executives and data to help them more effectively target this growing audience of consumers,” said Andrea Hoffman, CEO of Diversity Affluence (diversityaffluence.com), a consultancy that specializes in providing marketing insights on affluent ethnic consumers.

“Marketers will benefit immeasurably from engaging these influential consumers who have been waiting to be acknowledged for years, but have been largely ignored by most luxury brands,” she told the Louisiana Weekly.

Hoffman came up with the term “Royaltons” in reference to American affluent ethnic consumers. African American Royaltons (AARs) refer to a small but wealthy group of influential people who purchase items such as Rolex watches, luxury cars and who frequently travel internationally.
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(Akiit.com) Watching the first presidential debate involving the first African American major party nominee was historic. But the aftermath was less than euphoric.

By all accounts, Barack Obama won the debate. He was more “presidential,” whatever that means. To me, it means he was more confident, more detailed in his answers, more exacting in his critique and more optimistic in his resolve to change our current dilemma.

Obama spoke to the issues and he spoke to the people. McCain tried to dodge the debate by hiding behind the Wall Street collapse, then he dodged the issues by being non-responsive to questions while trying to blast Barack.

When the smoke cleared, many of the post debate (immediate) analysis tried to say that neither candidate clearly distinguished himself and that the debate was a tie. Well, given that the debate was on McCain’s home court (Oxford, Mississippi – a red state that historically voted Republican or Dixiecrat [any party that was against civil or equal rights]) and the topic was supposed to McCain’s strong suit, foreign policy, it would appear to me that a tie would mean Barack held his own and thus was the winner.

In baseball, America’s past-time, when the runner and the ball gets to the base at the same time, because the fielders have more time to react to the play, a tie goes to the runner. Why should politics be any different. McCain was the pitcher in this debate, it was his field (foreign policy). Barack was the batter, trying to prove he could hit the foreign pitch. He did, and beat McCain to the base. The pundits want to call it a tie. Barack is still safe. Tie goes to the runner.

We have since seen in the daily Gallup polling how far off the pundits were. Obama has gotten a big bounce in polls. Anywhere from five to ten points, depending on the poll you watch. Some want to tie it to the lack of confidence in the President’s bailout proposal. It also could be a lack of confidence that McCain had any sort of impact on the bailout (passing or failing).

From my perspective, it’s the American public being dismissed as so unintelligent and naïve that they can’t tell the difference between who won and who lost. Despite a race that’s closer than it should be because a Stanford study finally confirmed what black people knew six months ago, that race is a larger than previously acknowledged factor in this Presidential race, there is still something to be said about continuing to tell people—regardless who they support—not to believe what they see.
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(Akiit.com) October is National Dental Hygiene Month, a time for all consumers to reconsider their oral health habits, and to consider enhancing their smiles through cosmetic dentistry by visiting their dentist.

Today’s dental hygienists no longer solely clean patients’ teeth. A contemporary hygienist is responsible for detecting oral cancer, examining cracked crowns, and promoting the benefits of cosmetic dentistry to the patient before the dentist ever looks in the mouth. Dr. Catrise Austin of VIP Smiles located in New York City has a trained staff that goes the extra mile when it comes to dental hygiene and is always ready to serve not only her clients, but the community at large by speaking to the public about oral health and the importance of a beautiful smile. Dr. Austin says, “One of secrets to having a smile like the stars is to have a clean, healthy looking smile.”

Regular professional visits are important because gingivitis, the early stage of periodontal disease, is usually painless and patients may not be able to detect it on their own. “Don’t ignore the warning signs of gum disease,” says Dr. Austin. “Red, swollen or tender gums; Gums that bleed with brushing; and recurring bad breath are all key signs of gum disease. In my practice, 75% of my new patients have gum disease and didn’t have a clue until we assessed the health of their gums!”

Unlike a lot of dentists, Dr. Austin performs a 4-step gum evaluation on each and every patient in her practice.

Step 1, Dr. Austin does a thorough evaluation of each tooth checking for cavities, defective fillings, and tooth mobility.

Step 2, she checks the gum tissues for redness, swelling, abscesses, as well as for oral cancer lesions.

Step 3, x-rays are taken to detect hidden tartar and bone loss due to gum disease.

Step 4, Dr. Austin measures the spaces between your teeth and gums (these are called “pockets”) to see if the pockets are shallow, cleansable, and do not bleed upon touch (healthy) or if the pockets are deep, traps food/bacteria, and bleed upon touch (unhealthy). Based on the results of her examination, Dr. Austin is then able to make an accurate diagnosis of her patients’ gums and customize a professional gum therapy plan for that individual patient.

Fortunately, early gum disease such as gingivitis is completely reversible with professional treatment and oral home care. “Brushing frequently and most importantly flossing are the habits that I teach my patients to do at home between visits,” says Dr. Austin. “Once my patients are educated on the importance of keeping their pockets cleaned by flossing at home, I usually see a major improvement when they return for check up visits.” Visiting a dental hygienist and dentist team, every six months or as scheduled, is vital in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. If left untreated, early gum disease can lead to a more serious form of gum disease called periodontitis which can result in tooth loss and other life threatening health problems!
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(Akiit.com) The improper handling of Emotion does not allow us to grow beyond Self.” — The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

The intrinsic problem with many people in this land of plenty is selfishness.

We can trace nearly every difficulty in every arena to someone’s selfishness or self-centeredness.

Society’s racism, for example, is based on the white privileged class wanting to hold on to what they believe is their birthright. In order to justify that, they must make the lower economic whites believe that Blacks are inferior and somehow to blame for their condition.

Of course anyone with a working brain realizes that racism is a manufactured construct and that the difficulties are created more by divergences in economy rather than divergences in races.

And our own internal racism, manifest in sellout House Niggers, is based on selfish Negroes who have decided that they will pander to racist ideologies to further their own interests. For example, coon comedians who tell Nigger jokes to entertain whites and buck dancing rappers all sell their own souls and the image of their people for a couple of coins.

Another glaring example of the pathology of selfishness can be found in politics. Why anyone would join the Republican Party based on the party’s protection of the wealthy and still claim to be connected to God is beyond me. My position is and has always been that I am willing to pay more than those below my economic status when it comes to sustaining our society.

However, there are a number of selfish assholes proclaiming that they oppose Barack Obama for president for no other reason than he plans to cut taxes for everyone below $200,000. Well, dammit if you earn above $200,000, why wouldn’t you want those below you to be better off? That goes directly against the lies America tells other nations about how it gets down here and against the lies Americans tell each other about believing in God.

And, speaking of God where religion is concerned, it is pure selfishness for people to believe that everyone has to be on the same page. If you believe one thing and I believe another, you are being self-centered to imagine that you are right and I am wrong.

We could both be wrong or both right, but that is God’s decision, not yours.

The selfish are afraid to stand alone and unable to grow beyond pre-adolescent status.
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(Akiit.com) It’s always hard when one of us falls from the height of power to the pit of shame. Actually it’s pretty devastating on a number of levels.

And when that bough breaks, it becomes a spiraling public spectacle, as layer after layer is pried away from a highly polished veneer.

The semblance of what was gathers a new velocity and swirls like a funnel cloud out of control. We all know what happens when a funnel cloud touches the ground – it becomes a tornado. The devastation that remains in its aftermath can be incalculable.

In Detroit, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has become part of that spiraling public spectacle. In Los Angeles it’s Service Employees International Union (SEIU) chapter president Tyrone Freeman.

Both are young, gifted, black and bright lights in their respective jurisdictions. They are individuals who held great promise as leaders. Both made real advances in improving the quality of life for their constituents.

Kwame has pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstructing justice by committing perjury for attempting to hide his extramarital relationship with a staffer. He will spend four months in jail, pay up to $1 million in restitution, and serve five years’ probation.

Freeman is currently being investigated by the SEIU national office and the U.S. Labor Department for alleged ethics violations and questionable expenditures on the union’s dole. As a result both are no longer in their posts serving their constituents.

It’s a sad day for both cities. It’s fodder for the press who in both cases were all in the mix of the investigations through their brand of watchdog and whistleblower journalism. We can’t blame the press for their fall. They simply shined a light on their incendiary choices and manipulation of power.
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