Daily News Feed 7.17.2009/Vocab: leitmotif

‘Vixen Manual’ Bares Tricks to Snare a Man
Former music video performer Karrine Steffans — also the author of two tell-all books about her life and career — offers tips and tricks for man-hunting in her latest book, “The Vixen Manual: How to Find, Seduce & Keep the Man You Want.” Here is an excerpt from chapter one. Chapter one: Single vs. singular So you’re a single girl. You’re Mary Tyler Moore, throwing your hat up into the air, thinking you’re gonna make it after all. Maybe you’re Laverne (or Shirley), skipping down the sidewalk, determined to make your dreams come true … doing it your way. Hell, maybe you’re even Samantha Jones, the outspoken PR maven and sexual libertine from “Sex and the City,” sleeping with every available man, and occasional woman, who crosses your path. Whatever the case, honey, you’re single, and no matter what your theme song is, it has the potential to suck. (Continue Reading…)

Blacks Are Most Obese Group, Study Finds
Nearly 36 percent of black Americans are obese — much more than other major racial or ethnic groups — and that gap exists in most states, a new federal study finds. About 29 percent of Hispanics and 24 percent of whites are obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. Overall, about 26 percent of U.S. adults are obese. Racial differences in obesity rates have been reported before, and health officials were not surprised to see larger proportions of blacks tipping the scales. But the new CDC report is the first to look at the gap state-by-state, finding blacks had significantly higher obesity rates in 21 states and somewhat higher rates in many others. Experts believe there are several reasons for the differences. People with lower incomes often have less access to medical care, exercise facilities and more expensive, healthier food. In many places, minorities are disproportionately poor. (Continue Reading…)

Continental Divide Separates Africans, African-Americans
Africa is not a country, and Africans generally do not live in trees or hunt game with spears. Nor do they all walk around in the nude among lions and zebras. African immigrants to the United States say cartoonish caricatures and a Western media penchant for reporting on Africa’s disease, hunger and war — rather than the continent’s successes — trivialize their cultures. They complain they have trouble dispelling the stereotypes once they arrive in the States. They concede, though, the myths run both ways and some say they were surprised to find their values more often aligned with those of white Americans than African-Americans. “I have been laughed at because of my accent and asked all the ignorant questions,” said iReporter Ajah-Aminata N’daw, 25, of Fall River, Massachusetts. “Questions like: Did I live on a tree? Roam the jungles naked? Have wild animals at home?” (Continue Reading…)

leitmotif\LYT-moh-teef\ , noun: