Preventive Cardiology Experts: Governor Perry Can Save Thousands of Lives, Reduce Healthcare Costs

Preventive Cardiology Experts: Governor Perry Can Save Thousands of Lives, Reduce Healthcare Costs

The State of Texas is the first in the United States to mandate healthcare providers to reimburse certain heart attack and stroke preventive screening tests for early detection of hidden heart disease through a healthcare bill. The bill, which passed out of the Texas Legislature with 26 to 5 votes, is on its way to the Office of Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) May 28, 2009

Distinguished preventive cardiologists and academic cardiovascular specialists from the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE (http://www. shapesociety. org)), a leading non-profit organization advocating for early detection of future heart attack victims, today estimated significant health advances for Texans if Governor Rick Perry signs a preventive heart screening bill into law. The bill passed by Texas lawmakers would require reimbursement of up to $200 for certain approved screening tests for men between ages 45 and 75, and women between ages 55 and 75, who are at intermediate risk of a heart attack according to their Framingham Risk Score.

According to an analysis extrapolated from the SHAPE Task Force Report (published in the American Journal of Cardiology July 2006), the preventive screening of asymptomatic men and women could have the following outcomes:
Prevent more than 4,300 deaths from cardiovascular disease each year in Texas. Reduce the history of heart attack - currently estimated to be 1.4 million - by as much as 25 percent in the Texas Population. Save approximately $1.6 billion in healthcare costs annually.

"The passage of the first preventive cardiovascular screening bill is a great opportunity for Governor Rick Perry to help save the lives of thousands of Texans whose hidden heart disease goes undetected and hence untreated, partly because non-invasive screening for hidden plaque in the arteries is not covered by healthcare providers," said Dr. P. K. Shah, Director of Cardiology at Cedars Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, a principal member of the SHAPE Task Force and an active member of the American Heart Association. "It can open a new path in preventive cardiovascular care, the implications of which go beyond Texas."

"At one time, using imaging technologies, like mammography and colonoscopy, to screen for cancer seemed like an impractical idea, but after reimbursement approval, they have become part of everyday medicine and have saved countless lives," said Dr. Harvey Hecht, a prominent preventive cardiologist at the Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute in New York, who is also a member of the SHAPE Task Force.

Heart disease has been the number one killer in the U. S. since 1902 (except during the pandemic flu of 1918). According to Texas Department of State Health Services, 32% of all deaths in Texas are caused by cardiovascular disease. In 2007, over 1,441,000 people in Texas reported that they have had heart disease or stroke. With increasing Hispanic population in Texas, obesity, diabetes and heart disease is weighing on Texas more than other states.

"This is a monumental legislation that can become a bold milestone in the history of eradicating heart attacks in decades to come," said Dr. Morteza Naghavi, founder of SHAPE, and Chairman of the SHAPE Task Force who testified at the Texas House of Representative. "We are proud that Texas is poised to be the first to take this pioneering step towards a true cardiovascular healthcare beyond the existing cardiovascular sick-care," added Naghavi, whose invention at the University of Texas in Houston was funded by the State of Texas Emerging Technology initiative for commercialization.

The Texas legislation is the first in the United States to mandate the careful and responsible implementation of a comprehensive heart attack risk assessment and reduction strategy. It closely follows the SHAPE Guideline for identification of apparently healthy individuals who have a high risk of a near future heart attack but are unaware of their risk. Approved screening procedures include: 1) the measurement of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) by CT; and 2) the measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaque by ultrasonography.

These two non-invasive screening tests have proven by the National Health Institute studies to be strong predictors of those who are vulnerable to a heart attack or stroke.

About SHAPE
Originated from the Texas Medical Center in Houston, the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE) is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Morteza Naghavi, a former faculty of the Texas Heart Institute and the University of Texas in Houston. The mission of SHAPE is to promote education and research related to mechanism, prevention, detection, and treatment of heart attacks. The organization is committed to raising public awareness about recent revolutionary discoveries that opened exciting new avenues to prevent heart attack. SHAPE's mission is to eradicate heart attacks in the 21st century. Additional information is available on the organization's Web site at www. shapesociety. org or call 1-877-SHAPE11

About SHAPE Task Force
Chairman: Morteza Naghavi, M. D. Editorial Committee: Prediman K. Shah, M. D. (Chief); (alphabetic order): Raymond Bahr, M. D., Daniel Berman, M. D., Roger Blumenthal, M. D., Matthew J. Budoff, M. D., Jay Cohn, M. D., Erling Falk, M. D., Ph. D., Ole Faergeman, M. D., Zahi Fayad, Ph. D., Harvey S. Hecht, M. D., Wolfgang Koenig, M. D., Ph. D., Daniel Lane, M. D., Ph. D., Morteza Naghavi, M. D., John Rumberger, M. D., Ph. D., Allen J. Taylor, M. D. Writing Group: Erling Falk, M. D., Ph. D. (Coordinator); (alphabetic order): Juhani Airaksinen, M. D., Dan Arking, Ph. D., Juan Badimon, Ph. D., Raymond Bahr, M. D., Daniel Berman, M. D., Matthew J. Budoff, M. D., Jay Cohn, M. D., Jasenka Demirovic, M. D., Ph. D., Pamela Douglas, M. D., Ole Faergeman, M. D., Zahi Fayad, Ph. D., James A. Goldstein, M. D., Harvey S. Hecht, M. D., Victoria L. M. Herrera, M. D., Sanjay Kaul, M. D., M. P.H., Wolfgang Koenig, M. D., Ph. D., Robert A. Mendes, M. D., Morteza Naghavi, M. D.; Tasneem Z. Naqvi, M. D., Ward A. Riley, Ph. D., Yoram Rudy, PhD, John Rumberger, M. D., Ph. D., Leslee Shaw, Ph. D., Robert S. Schwartz, M. D., Arturo G. Touchard, M. D. Advisors (alphabetic order): Arthur Agagston, M. D., Stephane Carlier, M. D., Ph. D., Raimund Erbel, M. D., Chris deKorte, Ph. D., Craig Hartley, Ph. D., Ioannis Kakadiaris, Ph. D., Roxana Mehran, M. D., Ralph Metcalfe, Ph. D., Daniel O'Leary, M. D., Jan Nilsson, M. D., Gerard Pasterkamp, M. D., Ph. D., Paul Schoenhagen, M. D., Henrik Sillesen, M. D., Ph. D.

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ON Networks Introduces New Comedy Lineup, with All-New Shows Sure to Make Viewers Double over with Laughter

ON Networks Introduces New Comedy Lineup, with All-New Shows Sure to Make Viewers Double over with Laughter

Sketch comedy zaniness, stand-up instruction and game show-style cooking share a virtual stage at ONnetworks. com. The newly launched comedy line-up boasts quirky, original shows that offer something for everyone -- from satire enthusiasts looking for fresh desktop distractions to wannabe comedians eager to be the next Kathy Griffin or Jerry Seinfeld.

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB) July 10, 2007

 The 3-10 minute weekly shows are part of ON Networks' collection of smart, short-form entertainment which can be watched anytime, anywhere and on any device. ON Networks is one of the largest providers of original, high-definition content that is compatible with all Apple platforms, including the iPhone, iPod and Apple TV.

The ON comedy lineup includes:

-- Comedy Insider (www. comedyinsider. tv) - A virtual primer on how to be a stand-up comic. Viewers learn the ins, outs, ups and downs of engaging in the world's only art form with a two drink minimum. Filmed at the famed Gotham Comedy Club in New York City, Comedy Insider is hosted by Christian Thom and features a different guest comic each week. With topics ranging from, "Crafting your Onstage Persona" to "Stand-Up Economics 101," each episode features interviews juxtaposed with performance clips of the guest's live stand-up.

-- Backpack Picnic (www. backpackpicnic. tv) - Redefining how weird and hilarious sketch comedy can be. Viewers are treated to absurdist sketch comedy at its very best, served up by comedy troupe veterans Mitch Baker and Dave Bewley and their band of merry men. With a combination of one-off skits and recurring character pieces, the show creates a nonsensical world reminiscent of Kids in the Hall and Fox's Family Guy. One recent Backpack episode, titled "Spin," sees a corporate spin-doctor's press conference take a turn for the tasty worst while another, called "Suppression Bakery," features inane cross-dressing bakers who answer the hypothetical question, "what ingredients are in a cake?" with the answer: "eggs, sugar, chocolate and RAGE" and then set about demonstrating how, to a murderous crescendo.

-- Stump the Chef (www. stumpthechef. tv) - One seasoned chef, three random ingredients, and three tough judges. A punchy cooking show with the flair of early TV game shows, Stump the Chef is reminiscent of the Price is Right with a dash of Iron Chef thrown in. In each episode, award-winning Chef Matt Weaver is presented with three random ingredients -- such as liver, day-old French fries and olives -- and challenged to create an edible dish with the addition of only a few pantry items. All the while, two "wannabe foodie" announcers provide hilarious running commentary, questioning whether Matt will succeed at winning a "thumbs up" from the judges. No matter what crazy ingredients he's faced with, Matt gets creative and reminds viewers, "don't be afraid of the kitchen."

"Comedy is an important content category across all forms of media," said Kip McClanahan, ON Networks' CEO. "We're excited to be among the first new media companies offering original, short-form comedies, produced in high-definition and available for multiple digital platforms including the Internet, digital cable, IPTV and various mobile and gaming devices."

In addition to adding new weekly episodes to its existing comedy lineup, ON is continuously adding new shows to its roster. Shows can be watched anytime, anywhere by going to www. onnetworks. com and clicking on the desired icon. Viewers can then subscribe to receive email updates about new episodes, as well as get other program information. Other shows available at www. onnetworks. com are: Austin Connoisseur, Budget Health Nut, Cocktails on the Fly, Dinner with the Band, ON Dating, Golf Tips, Lust for Looks and Zen Living.

To share an episode of any ON program, simply visit www. onnetworks. com and select the desired show and episode. Next, click on the "chain" icon in the player control bar. There, you can view the embedded HTML player code, which can be copied and then pasted onto any web page.

About ON Networks, Inc.

ON Networks is changing the way television shows are created, distributed, consumed and monetized. It's a new media company for the digital generation, delivering high-definition content on-demand across the Internet and new networks like IPTV, digital cable and iTunes. ON's short-form, weekly videos satisfy the growing demand for relevant, smart and entertaining programming that is available when, where and how viewers want to watch it. Join the growing ON community at www. onnetworks. com.

ThinkVillage® Launches Innovation Center

ThinkVillage® Launches Innovation Center

ThinkVillage, LLC announced its web-based Innovation Center that assists institutions and individual inventors in bringing inventions to market.

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) August 3, 2007

ThinkVillage, LLC announced its web-based Innovation Center that assists institutions and individual inventors in bringing inventions to market. The on-line Innovation Center provides an easy avenue for innovators and tech transfer offices to refine and protect concepts, and to also see finished patents marketed to prospective buyers in the commercial arena.

Since its inception in 2006, ThinkVillage has reduced the ‘barriers of entry’ that often frustrate inventors. Founder/inventor Curtis Vock conceived of ThinkVillage while struggling with red tape that inhibited getting his innovations to the market. Vock said, “First there are the confidentiality agreements (which often do not really protect you) and then there are the extensive costs of getting a patent filed and sold. Finally, very few companies are set up to incorporate new ideas from outside the company. We founded ThinkVillage to help bridge the gap between conception and licensing.”

Vock has over forty issued patents and has sold or licensed over 30 of them in the last twelve years, and yet still tires of the patent/commercialization process. Vock added, “It is often more preferable, and successful, for inventors to create, innovate and then put ideas into capable hands that take care of the rest of the process. What I love about this approach is that inventors become free to invent and society gains quicker access to innovative solutions, all in an open forum.”

ThinkVillage’s Innovation Center website accepts IP in all stages, from undisclosed ideas to issued patents. A unique feature of ThinkVillage is its ever-growing network of specialists that help evaluate the feasibility of technologies and introduce those that make the grade to end-users that purchase or license the underlying IP. For patents or patent concepts that have merit, ThinkVillage provides the investment required to develop and market them to the highest bidder.

Currently, ThinkVillage is focused on four industry segments: computer sciences, life sciences, physical sciences and consumer goods.

“It's amazing how many first-class technologies we have had submitted at this point,” says principal Rod Thomas. “We have received DNA sequencing technologies, digital communications algorithms and even pulmonary medication technologies. We also have a fair number of consumer product innovations and enhancements. Many sophisticated inventors have great ideas but just do not want to contend with patenting technicalities. Another thing we strive to do is speed up the commercialization process. Most of the universities and experienced inventors we deal with know how long commercialization can take if not approached correctly.”

Inventor David Kumhyr (Master Inventor for IBM) and his brother Paul (emergency health care expert) have already submitted seven inventions between them. Kumhyr said, “We are pleased that ThinkVillage has been able to advance our ideas so that we can remain focused on what we do best – coming up with the next best things.” ThinkVillage has already filed patents for three of the brothers’ seven submissions, with others still in the evaluation pipeline.

ThinkVillage is based in Boulder, Colorado. It is recognized as a leading resource for universities, research institutions and independent inventors. To explore the Innovation Center website and learn more about ThinkVillage, go to www. thinkvillage. com.

Contact:
Tom Thompson
ThinkVillage
303-439-9100

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Salmon Creek Public Relations Inc. Focuses on Television & Print Advertising and Signs Veteran LA AD Agency Executive Dave Bourne as Creative Director & Vice President

Salmon Creek Public Relations Inc. Focuses on Television & Print Advertising and Signs Veteran LA AD Agency Executive Dave Bourne as Creative Director & Vice President

Vancouver Washington - Portland Oregon based Salmon Creek Public Relations Inc. Signs Veteran LA Advertising Executive Dave Bourne to the post of Creative Director & Vice President

Portland, OR (PRWEB) June 2, 2004

Salmon Creek announced today the addition of veteran advertising executive Dave Bourne as Creative Director & Vice President of Salmon Creek Public Relations Inc. According to Loran Hickton, President of Salmon Creek, "Dave Bourne is an incredibly talented creative person who will increase the quality and value of our work for our clients. We look forward to Dave leading us to new levels in our business that would not be possible without his talent and expertise."

In his role as a principal in a LA creative firm, Ignite Advertising Inc. Dave conceived, created and developed ads and communications that provided high-value and return. Dave Bourne has an excellent reputation and has represented business segment leaders with thoughtful and creative campaigns that include print, internet, radio and television.

"The addition of Dave Bourne will help us to achieve growth in the important segment of television and print advertising as well as world-class and market tested creative concepts," Hickton continued.

Salmon Creek Public Relations Inc. now will have offices in Los Angeles, Portland, Vancouver and Pittsburgh.

Salmon Creek is a full - service creative ad and public relations agency with focus on consumer communications, animal health and welfare issues. Salmon Creek Clients include leading pharmaceutical, humane and service animal organizations. Services provided by Salmon Creek Public Relations Inc. include; Comprehensive analysis of issues and market conditions, Business and branding strategies, Marketing strategies and creative communications plans, Consumer public relations, Press & analyst tours, Talent representation, Community relations, Trade & industry relations, Network grade commercials - VNRÂ’s - DVDÂ’s and video advertising concepts, print ad development and placement, and other promotional related collateral materials.

You can contact Loran Hickton at lhickton@salmoncreekpr. com or Phone 360-571-5560

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T3i Group Predicts Healthy Growth In IVR Market Driven By the Synergy of New Applications and Technology

T3i Group Predicts Healthy Growth In IVR Market Driven By the Synergy of New Applications and Technology

According to a new T3i Group report, the top three IVR applications that could boost revenues are incoming call handling for contact centers; inbound self-service transactions; and outbound calling, such as appointment confirmations, collections reminders and repair notifications.

Parsippany, NJ (PRWEB) July 14, 2009

According to T3i Group's latest research, the global interactive voice response (IVR) market, which includes speech recognition, will grow to $514 million by 2013, up from an estimated $431 million this year, due in part to the growth in voice XML (VXML) technology.

The new "InfoTrack for Converged Applications 2008 IVR Market Report" found global IVR shipments from the top 11 vendors exceeded 625,000 ports in 2008. The top three vendors based on ports shipped were Nortel, Genesys and Convergys; and the revenue leaders were Avaya, Nortel and Genesys. T3i Group said North America led all regions but with considerably less than 50% of the market, followed by the Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions, respectively.

T3i Group segmented the analysis in this report by technology, applications and vertical industry.

Among the key findings:
95% of IVR ports shipped in 2013 will support VXML, compared with less than 75% today. VXML enables Web sites to offer the same text-based applications, such as order entry, with speech recognition. The top three IVR applications are incoming call handling for contact centers; inbound self-service transactions; and outbound calling, such as appointment confirmations, collections reminders and repair notifications. As vendors and enterprises integrate IVR into more comprehensive customer-care solutions, IVR ports shipped specifically for inbound calls to contact centers will decrease nearly 10% each year to 2013. In comparison, IVR port growth will be driven by outbound applications at a rate of almost 12% annually through 2013. DTMF (analog voice) port shipments are declining, while shipments of speech ports, which recognize speech or convert text to speech, will hold an almost 2:1 advantage by 2013. IP/SIP port shipments are growing strongly year over year; by 2013, only 10% of all IVR ports shipped will be TDM, compared with 42% today. "The market for IVR is gaining new life due to a resurgence of self-service applications; the power of VXML to link Web applications to voice; and increasingly sophisticated outbound applications, including video on cellphones," noted Ken Dolsky, Program Director for T3i Group's "InfoTrack for Converged Applications" program. "Every vertical segment has some unique opportunities, and vendors are providing both solutions and guidance as to how IVR can improve the total customer experience with customer-pleasing applications to replace the stereotypical perception of IVR as only an endless loop menu."

For more information about the "InfoTrack for Converged Applications 2008 IVR Market Report," go to http://www. telecomweb. com/marketresearch/convergedapps/ (http://www. telecomweb. com/marketresearch/convergedapps/) or contact Bonnie Fairbrother at 973/602-0181.

About T3i Group LLC:
T3i Group LLC provides market research, data, analysis, and consulting and advisory services to the telecommunications industry. It has clients in 46 countries and conducts its business through four operating units: InfoTrack publishes reports that analyze shipment, revenue, market share and other pertinent data of importance to telecommunications equipment manufacturers; TelecomTactics maintains a database of the features and functionality of major telephony systems; Tarifica maintains a database of pricing-related information covering 400 telecommunications carriers operating in 130 countries; and TelecomWeb (www. t3igroup. com) serves as T3i Group's primary delivery mechanism for distributing its reports, analyses and data to subscribers.

T3i Group LLC is headquartered in Parsippany, N. J., with additional offices in New York City; London, England; and Cherry Hill, N. J.

Press Contact: Debra Baker, 301/905-7703

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Infohrm Releases Packaged Workforce Analytics Reports to Jump Start Organizations' 2009 Planning Processes

Infohrm Releases Packaged Workforce Analytics Reports to Jump Start Organizations' 2009 Planning Processes

New Issue-Focused Reports Provide Detailed Analysis of Organizations' Human Capital Risks

Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 13, 2008

Infohrm (http://www. infohrm. com/about/), the global leader in workforce planning, reporting and analytics solutions, today announced the release of a set of packaged workforce analytics reports that significantly improve how business leaders investigate critical workforce issues. The new reports reduce the time needed to aggregate, analyze, and publish trend data, increase the depth of insights on current challenges, and enable faster decision-making.

Business questions addressed by Infohrm's Issue-Focused Reports include:

1. Low Tenure Termination Report—Which business units suffer from excessive new hire turnover? What are the financial costs of turnover within each tenure band?

2. Aging Workforce Report—Does my organization risk losing skills, knowledge, and leadership due to an aging workforce? Which business units or job families face the greatest potential loss?

3. Workforce Generation Report—How are Generation X, Generation Y, Early Boomer, Late Boomer, and Silent employees represented across key workforce segments? Does the organization face costly churn (high numbers of hires and departures) within specific generations?

4. Workforce Diversity Report—What proportion of the workforce is of a gender or ethnic minority? Are minority employees developed, promoted, and retained at the same rate as the overall workforce?

5. Loss of Knowledge Report—Who are our “Most Valuable Employees”? What is the risk of them leaving the organization?

6. Internal Mobility Report—Are we providing adequate career paths for our high performers? What is the link between lack of internal movement and turnover?

7. Workforce Planning Supply Report—What is the age, tenure, diversity, and retirement-eligibility profile of our current workforce? Which business areas have staff with the highest workforce age and tenure?

"Infohrm's new reports have been developed to address the key questions posed by today's business leaders: 'Which workforce issues do I need to focus on?' and 'Can you aggregate and publish the results of your analysis in an easy-to-read report?'", said Brian Kelly, President of Infohrm North America. "Equipped with these reports, senior executives around the world can obtain a quick snapshot of the important information they need to run their businesses – and have this analysis updated on ongoing basis without making any additional investments."

Addressing a challenge common to most data-intensive workforce scorecards, the new reports combine metrics with text-based explanations of important trends and potential implications for business executives. Effectively delivering automated workforce reports to internal audiences is crucial for end-user adoption. As such, the reports contain:
Issue overviews or linkage models Glossaries of key terms Internal and external benchmarking data Real-time drill down by business unit and location Analysis of workforce demographics, experiences, and performance Role-based security

"The new Issue-Focused Reports have significantly reduced the amount of time my team spends analyzing the data, and helped us quickly and easily identify hot spots within Health Net's workforce", said Regan Klein, Workforce Planning Analyst at Health Net. "These reports are now readily available to our entire user population and have proved to be a valuable tool in terms of highlighting important issues for our leadership team. We are able to educate our users on emerging HR trends, demonstrate the value of visually depicting data, and provide them with a tool to share with the business on an ongoing basis."

"The beauty of working with Infohrm is that everyone is looking at same set of data", said Dawn Pickett, Senior Systems Analyst with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. "We are really excited about how Infohrm’s capabilities are helping to support our workforce reporting and workforce planning initiatives."

In order to learn how Infohrm’s Issue-Focused Reports can add value to your organization, visit Infohrm's homepage to download a copy of the Low Tenure Termination Report or contact Brian DeGroodt at 202-589-2063 to arrange for a more in-depth demonstration of the power of packaged analytics.

About Infohrm

Infohrm is the global leader in on-demand workforce planning, reporting, and human capital analytics solutions. With over 25 years of experience, and a strong customer base consisting of Fortune 1000, non-profit, and government clients, Infohrm has paved the way for organizations to measure the impact of human capital initiatives and drive business results. The Infohrm solutions couple a leading edge on-demand technology platform with strategic consulting and HR professional development services that focus on the analysis of data to help organizations make informed decisions around human capital practices.

In April 2008, Gartner named Infohrm to its "Cool Vendors for Human Capital Management Software" report.

Learn more at www. infohrm. com

Contact Information:

Mick Collins
Vice President of Marketing
202-589-2660

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www. HRmarketer. com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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THE REBRANDING OF MARY J. BLIGE: HER NEW IMAGE, NEW ATTITUDE & NEW APPROACH TO BUSINESS THE FEATURED COVER STORY FOR OCTOBERÂ’S SISTER 2 SISTER MAGAZINE

THE REBRANDING OF MARY J. BLIGE: HER NEW IMAGE, NEW ATTITUDE & NEW APPROACH TO BUSINESS THE FEATURED COVER STORY FOR OCTOBERÂ’S SISTER 2 SISTER MAGAZINE.

The “drama-free” diva talks about life after death (Aaliyah’s), life after debt, life after alcohol and Puffy too.

(PRWEB) September 5, 2003

Takoma Park, MD, September 3, 2003—Mary J. Blige says she’s done a complete turnaround in her life and has a brand new business savvy to boot. From a new positive attitude, to a new outlook on what it takes to maintain amicable relationships with the media and business constituents, Mary J. Blige tells Sister 2 Sister magazine that she’s put the bottle down and the extravagant spending aside for a smarter, healthier and more whole lifestyle. Blige is featured on the October cover of Sister 2 Sister which hits newsstands on September 9, 2003.

Sister 2 Sister publisher, “the Barbara Walters of Print,” Jamie Foster Brown sat down for the revealing conversation with the new, upbeat and admittedly happy Blige.

“I like me and I love myself,” said Blige. “That’s the way you keep anything good in your life—by not worrying about what other people think about you. It’s about what you think of yourself.”

Blige also talks about how she went to the brink with alcohol and debt, but managed to dig herself out of the hole with the help of God, her fiancé Kindu and the death of friend Aaliyah.

“Right, I was like, I can’t lose him. I went home sober and he was happy,” Blige recalls. “That same night Aaliyah got killed. That really messed me up because the first thing that came to mind after that was that I wanted to have a drink, but I didn’t because I saw the pattern.”

Confessing to having a bad attitude before and a bad reputation to match, Blige went on to talk about her image turnaround, and how her new approach to business has meant a boost to her career. She credits her turnaround mostly to her manager and fiancé. 

“They [The corporate world] wants to see you doing business properly,” Blige said. “The bottom line is that they need to see a change in Mary, not someone that heard I was a bad person. We’re just showing them that we’re ready to do this right”

Also within the October edition, Jamie Foster Brown has a one-on-one chat with Kobe BryantÂ’s high school sweetheart, Jocelyn Ebron. Introduced to Kobe by a couple of his cousins, the young woman talks about what it was like to be the basketball phenomÂ’s girlfriend, how their prom night changed when Brandy came into the picture, and what she and her family felt when they heard the news through the media that he was engaged to Vanessa Laine. According to Ebron, Kobe didnÂ’t call to break up with her or tell her the news.

“I didn’t have to tell my parents. We were sitting in the room and I think we all heard it together,” said Ebron. “What was really shocking is that his cousins didn’t know. It was a shock to everyone.”

As for the charges of sexual assault against the basketball star, Ebron gave insights on KobeÂ’s character.

“I can see if someone says he acted foul towards them,” Ebron said. “Rape just seems really harsh. That’s not in his character.”

Also within the pages of the September S2S, R. L. of Next explains why he thinks his new marriage went south in less than three months. Sister 2 Sister included wedding photos of the happy couple in the September edition; however, in the October edition, he tells why the couple is calling it quits. 

“We still love each other, but in the end we knew that this is what was best because we would argue all the time about stuff that we couldn’t change,” said R. L.

Jamie Foster Brown is available for interviews on all of these topics and more. For insights, reactions and opinions on the latest topics contact Michelle Starr at 469.948.0119 for booking.

Sister 2 Sister (S2S) is the fastest growing audited entertainment and lifestyle magazine for African American women. It has been in existence for 15 years and is wholly owned by Jamie Foster Brown, “The Barbara Walters of Print,” who built her career in the entertainment industry. Since its modest beginnings as a newsletter for women in the entertainment industry back in 1988, the magazine has developed into one of the most powerful and respected voices in entertainment, focusing on Black celebrity news. Currently distributed in the U. S. and abroad, S2S has achieved phenomenal growth, nearly quadrupling circulation in the last five years. For more information on Sister 2 Sister, log on to http://www. s2smagazine. com (http://www. s2smagazine. com).

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