Looks like the fight between for LeBron continues.

Yesterday members of the Shaker Dance Academy along with the Boys and Girls of Akron and Cleveland mingled near the fountain at Tower City Center in downtown Cleveland. Just minutes later the music starting blaring “Holding Out for Hero” and the flash mob began.

Dancers appeared from the crowd, joining in several at a time until the group totaled almost 200. Passersby stopped to watch and snap photos as the dance rolled into Usher’s “More.”

Why? The kids are hopeful that LeBron James will catch wind of their efforts and stay in Cleveland.

Thelonious Monk is considered one of the giants in American music. He is the second most recorded jazz composer and regarded as the founder of bebop, style of jazz characterized by fast tempo, instrumental virtuosity and improvisation based on the combination of harmonic structure and melody.

John Coltrane is one of the best American jazz saxophonist and composers. He helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz, a style not defined by traditional jazz techniques.

What do the two have in common besides their love for jazz and notable accomplishments as it relates to the music?

Both are from North Carolina.

Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He and his family moved to Manhattan when he was four. John Coltrane on the other hand was born in Hamlet, North Carolina and spent most of his childhood in High Point. He moved to Philadelphia at age sixteen.

North Carolina’s jazz roots don’t stop with these two. There were others:

spent most of his childhood in High Point, NC, before moving to Philadelphia when he was sixteen.

And he’s from North Carolina. Monk was born on October 10 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and moved to Manhattan when he was four.

• Bebop pioneer Max Roach was born in Newland, North Carolina, but like Monk, moved with his family to New York City when he was four.
• Tal Farlow is considered one of the top players during the 1950s. He was born in Greensboro.
• Hard-bop saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Tina Brooks are also from North Carolina. Donaldson from Badin and Brooks from Fayetteville.
• Hard-bop trumpeter Woody Shaw was born in Larinburg, pianist Billy Taylor is from Greenville (NC); and bassist Percy Heath from Wilmington.
• South Carolinian Dizzy Gillespie grew up just over the state line and attended school at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina.
• Billy Strayhorn spent some of his summers in Hillsborough, NC with his grandparents.

VIA: Newsone.com

We’ve been hitting up the Spendaholic’s Guide to Managing your Money here on NewsOne.com. In part I of the series, we started the conversation regarding how to budget your money. I am currently shooting a financial planning series for MSNBC, so this topic is heavy on my mind these days. One thing you have to understand is that you don’t have to be perfect or completely disciplined when it comes to learning how to get ahead financially. The reason I refer to the recovering spendaholic is because I am a recovering spendaholic myself. I’ve always loved spending money and I never stopped, even as I started to put together a little dough. The difference, however, is that I learned the art of moderation, and I also took baby steps to overcome my own weaknesses, which were keeping me from reaching my personal objectives. It’s a day-to-day process, and baby steps are the way to go. So, I am not speaking on this as a finance professor, I am speaking to you as someone who understands what it feels like to have serious financial weaknesses. I do believe, however, that if you want something bad enough, you will be willing to sacrifice in order to get it.

In part II, we’ll dig a little deeper into two specific steps you can take to start reaching your financial goals:

1) Create a list of financial goals for yourself and your family

• Your goals should be specific, not general. For example, a bad goal is “I want to save more money”. A good one is “I want to save $5,000 by the end of the year.” The more precise you are with your goal, the easier it is to see the vision that lies in front of you.

Read more.

VIA: Elev8.com

You’ve heard all the talks about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the media over the past year. There are the food companies who say that high fructose corn syrup is natural because it’s derived from corn, a natural vegetable. Then there are the natural food advocates are saying that this substance (which is engineered from corn and not natural at all) is a lethal weapon in our food system.

Getting to the core of the issue can be confusing, but there are studies on how high fructose corn syrup affects us and there are the actual bodies out there to prove that this substance is definitely harmful to our bodies. Here’s a breakdown on some of the dangerous effects of high fructose corn syrup:

All Sugars Are Not Created Equal
There’s a huge debate between table sugar and high fructose corn syrup. The truth is that these sugars are not the same. HFCS contains twice as many molecules of sweetener than table sugar because of the way HFCS is processed. America has some of the sweetest sodas and candies in the world because of HFCS and no wonder people have an increased desire to consume these products more than regular table sugar.

Two US officials are reporting that Sheik Sa’id al-Masri, al Qaeda’s chief operating officer, was killed a little more than a week ago. Sa’id al-Masri is the third in charge in the organization.

His death is said to be the result of a drone attack in Pakistan.

“Word is spreading in extremist circles of the death of Sheikh Sa’id al-Masri, widely viewed as the number three figure in al-Qaeda,” a US official told ABC News. “We have strong reason to believe that’s true, and that al-Masri was killed recently in Pakistan’s tribal areas.  In terms of counterterrorism, this would be a big victory.”

Read more.

VIA: Elev8.com

Many people view Memorial Day as a vacation weekend, but it is really much more. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service in the Armed forces.

At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

VIA: Elev8.com

Will and Jada Smith told Oprah that they talk to their kids about the responsibility of being an artist.

Says the Smiths:

“We talk about the idea [that] you create something that is illustrating some aspect of the human spirit,” Will says. “It can be funny and it can be exciting. It can be scary. But what you’re trying to do, as artists, is to elevate humanity. When you’re choosing your work and you’re choosing the material that you’re putting into the world, you have to understand that somebody else’s kids are going to see that. Somebody’s grandmother is going to see it. Are they going to be better or worse after they have contact with your material?”

Read more.

VIA: Elev8.com

When most people speak of spiritual fear they quote 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). One of my favorite quotes is the spirit of fear and faith cannot occupy the same space, but can it? Can fear be beneficial? Can you use it to your benefit?

Robin Downes believes you can.

Any person who has come close to encountering their spiritual selves knows that sooner or later, fear becomes a wall that is seemingly impossible to break through.

Embarking on the spiritual journey is like sailing alone out on the ocean to explore the unknown. Like all explorers we are drawn to discover what is waiting out there without knowing if we have the courage to face it; for all we know there could be monsters or tidal waves lurking in our near future.

Fear is omnipresent and universal. Even plants and tiny insects feel fear. It is a natural part of being alive; fearing the unknown. We fear loneliness and death and the end. Our fear becomes more and more heightened as we realize the truth about life.

VIA: Elev8.com

Relaxing can sometimes be a tedious and difficult task, here is a much more simple and straight forward way to get the job done.

Take in a deep breath. As you breath in your diaphragm expands and massages all the internal organs in the abdominal area aiding your digestion.

Now breath in through your nose and sigh out through your mouth. Let the air stay out of your lungs as long as it is comfortable, and then take another breath.

Let your breath return to its normal and natural pace. Continue to breath in slowly, smoothly, and deeply…Your breathing is steady, easy, silent.

Each time you exhale…allow yourself to feel peaceful…calm…and completely relaxed…if your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath.

Stretch and open your eyes feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, alert, and fully alive.

VIA: TheUrbandaily.com

Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter may be having a rough time on the court during the playoffs but that’s nothing compared to his real life family issues.

His younger brother Chris Carter is a recovering cocaine addict and has been convicted on drug charges nine times. In this segment from ESPN Vince, Chris and their mother talk about their efforts to heal their wounds and others like them in need.