speakout

Today is a very sad day for journalists, public relations practitioners and music fanatics. Vibe Magazine will no longer produce print issues or publish its Web site.What is more disturbing is that it was the only major publication covering mainstream Hip-Hop and R&B.Times are tough for journalists and it is very sad to see one more influential publication fall apart. sHere is what The New York Times reported:“The print advertising collapse hit Vibe hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business,” he wrote.The musician Quincy Jones and the company then called Time Warner created Vibe in 1992. The Wicks Group, a private equity firm, bought it in 2006. Vibe reported circulation of 818,000 in the second half of last year, a healthy figure, but like many magazines it suffered from falling advertising. It announced in February that in July, it would cut its rate base — the circulation promised to advertisers — from 800,000 to 600,000.”

                                                                                                                                                Despite the current economic climate, African Americans are more optimistic about the future outlook of the U.S. economy and their personal finances (59 percent believe it will be better in 2009 than 2008, compared with 41 percent of the general population). African Americans also have suggested that they would like to do more to prepare for a sound financial future.Roughly half of African Americans have expressed an interest in being more educated about financial topics (50% vs. 43% overall) and seeking the help of a financial professional (30% vs. 26% overall). This is important because regardless of the subjective nature of the American Dream, its achievement will require proper planning. Read more here 

Eva Longoria-Parker made a surprise appearance at Wendy’s to kick off their third annual Father’s Day Frosty Weekend in Selma, Texas on Thursday, June 11.

The Hispanic actress and former Wendy’s employee served Frosty’s to a group of foster children from the area. The event helped kick-off the third annual Father’s Day Frosty Weekend, June 20 and 21, in which participating Wendy’s stores across the country donate 50 cents of every Frosty product sold to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The goal is to raise more than 1.7 million dollars for the Foundation.

Today there are an estimated 510,000 children in foster care in the U.S. who are waiting for adoption. The average age of waiting child in the U.S. is nearly nine years old, and they spend an average of five years in the foster care system.

Check out the full story at LatinoLA.com here!