I do not define myself by how many roadblocks have appeared in my path. I define myself by the courage I’ve found to forge new roads. I do not define myself by how many disappointments I’ve faced. I define myself by the forgiveness and the faith I have found to begin again. I do not define myself by how long a relationship lasted. I define myself by how much I have loved, and been willing to love again. I do not define myself by how many times I have been knocked down. I define myself by how many times I have struggled to my feet. I am not my pain. I am not my past. I am that which has emerged from the fire.
Rihanna Plays Bridesmaid in Hawaii for Her Assistant
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Rihanna, some bridesmaids, and a blunt (Instagram)
It takes a very good friend for Rihanna to sacrifice 4/20, the very highest of holy days for our IDGAF Queen. So it's good for Jennifer Rosales that Rihanna is not just her boss, but her BFF. Rihanna threw on a lilac Badgley Mischka gown and played bridesmaid for her assistant Jennifer Rosales's April 20 wedding in Hawaii.
But don't think for a second that means she wasn't celebrating the holiday as well.
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Married... With Style (Instagram)
Rih posted several snaps from the wedding festivities, including a couple shots of herself and Melissa Forde, who is also on Rihanna's team, in pink bridesmaids' robes with Rosales in her own special white, bridal one. The musician has a blunt clenched between her lips, purple sunglasses, a bucket hat, and the general aura of someone having a damn good time.
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Rihanna (AKM-GSI)
After the ceremony, Rihannashared a photo of the new Mr. and Mrs., calling the event, "Perfection."
Rosales has been working with the singer since Good Girl Gone Bad, which is basically the album that splits B.C. Rihanna from A.D. Rihanna.
Rosales — as well as Forde — travels everywhere with Rihanna; the two frequently pop up in pictures on Rihanna's Instagram. This trip to Hawaii, however, was all about Rosales, who was marrying her fiancé, Aaron Davis.
Earlier in the day, Rihanna shared a video tribute to Rosales and Davis. "I can't believe this day is finally upon us!!!!!" she wrote in the caption. "I'm so happy and so proud to see my big sis [Rosales] and my big bro [Davis] become one today!!! A wedding is a celebration of a marriage!!! That's what we gon do!!! Celebrate the marriage that we've been lucky enough to witness grow and evolve for all these years!!!! #420 will never be the same again!!! God bless you both!!!"
They aren’t pretty. Fortunately, there’s a way out.(Photo: Getty Images)
Toxic people are like vampires. They drain your energy and joy. When you’re with them, you feel stressed. And when you leave them, you’re exhausted.
Take it from me: Toxic relationships are not worth it, whether they are romantic, professional, or involve family or friends. But it can be really really hard to end them if you don’t know how. After all, we fall into habits in our relationships. People become part of our comfort zone.
But do you want to be more committed to your comfort zone? Or do you want to be more committed to joy, happiness, and freedom?
Transformation coach Chris Lee has a series of steps you can take to cut these toxic relationships out of your life, that will empower you and make you feel free.
The 10 Steps:
Step 1: Identify if you’re in a toxic relationship.
Step 2: Keep a record of the ways the other person has let you down or pulled you away from your vision.
Step 3: Identify the rewards of being in this toxic relationship.
Step 4: Give up the excuses.
Step 5: Get clear on your vision for your relationship. (Fill in the blank: My vision for my relationship with _____________ is…)
Step 6: Have a conversation: Be firm and clear that the relationship is over.
Step 7: Grieve and mourn the loss of the relationship.
Step 8: Fill the emptiness with positive people and activities.
Step 9: Write down the lessons learned.
Step 10: Practice self-love.
We all deserve to have the happiest and fullest life possible. If someone is standing in the way of that, if someone is holding you back, then you have to remove him or her from your life. Replace this person with someone or something that lifts you up and makes you feel great.
Jealous, negative, and stressful relationships beware.
Now’s a good time to spring clean your life. You might be looking forward to re-organizing your closet, opening up your windows to let in some fresh air, and re-committing to those New Year’s resolutions. But have you given any thought to making over your social circle?
While research shows that our friendships are super important for our health and well-being, not all relationships are created equal. “Negative friendships can cause stress, frustration, and even put you in harm’s way if their behavior puts you in situations that could jeopardize you and your loved ones,” says sociologist and friendship coach Jan Yager, PhD, author of When Friendship Hurts
Investing time and energy into people who don’t pay it back—or who only have toxic contributions to offer—can have a negative effect on both your physical and mental health. In fact, a recent University of College London study found that close relationships that cause stress or worrying may even contribute to faster cognitive decline as you age
On that note, here are five types of friends you may want to sweep out of your life.
The negative Nancy Moods—both good and bad ones—are contagious: Research has shown this to be true in both real life and online social networks. And while there’s nothing wrong with venting to coworkers or crying to your BFF when you’re feeling low, it’s still important to balance those lows by sharing happy experiences, too.
“When you talk on the phone with your friend, exchange e-mails or text messages, or get together in person, do you feel positive and optimistic—or does a particular friend make you feel bad about yourself, agitated, or even physically ill?” asks Yager. If that friend is going through an especially trying time, it’s normal to feel pulled into the drama. But ask yourself, she says: “Is this an occasional thing, or a chronic pattern that’s making it too difficult for you to handle your emotions or your own life?”
A large-scale study has shown that over-supplementation could be very bad for our health.
Could it be possible that too many vitamins and minerals can bring about various forms of cancer? Yes,according to a large-scale study delivered during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015.
The research presented at this conference dates back 20 years, when scientists discovered that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables was shown to keep cancer at bay. Then study experts shifted their focus to over-the-counter supplements, assuming that consuming extra vitamins and minerals would also produce anti-cancer benefits.
First came the testing on animals and the results were encouraging. Scientists then studied thousands of patients—over 300,000—who were given either dietary supplements or a placebo over a 10-year period.
And their findings were alarming.
“We show that not only is supplementing your diet with vitamins that are found in a healthy diet unlikely to decrease your risk of developing cancer, but in some cases, taking more than the recommended daily allowance of these supplements can increase cancer risk,” lead investigator Tim Byers, MD, MPH from the University of Colorado Cancer Center tells Yahoo Health. “More specifically, taking more than the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene were all shown to increase cancer risk.”
One trial showed that taking more than the required amounts of beta-carotene— which is known for its ability to improve immunity and enhance vision — in supplement form increased the risk for developing both lung cancer and heart disease by 20 percent. Men who took an excess of vitamin E were at a higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. And while folic acid — a B vitamin— was considered a possible remedy for reducing the number of polyps in the colon, it increased the number in another trial.
After Bobby Brown told concertgoers in Dallas Saturday night that his daughter, Bobbi Kristina, "is awake," Brown's lawyer Christopher Brown is scaling back the singer's exuberant claim that Bobbi "is watching me."
"Bobbi Kristina’s condition has changed since moving from Emory University Hospital and there has been improvement," Brown said in a statement to The Insider With Yahoo. "Doctors have indicated that she will have a long life. However, Bobbi Kristina is presently embarking on a rehabilitation process and the quality of her life will not be known for years to come."
Bobbi Kristina, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's only child, has been hospitalized since January, when she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in an incident eerily similar to the one which caused her mother's death. In February, she was placed in a medically induced coma in order to treat brain swelling.
She was initially hospitalized at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, though she was released last month and moved to an undisclosed rehab facility.
Bobby's wife Alicia Etheredge-Brown also issued a statement to clarify her husband's remarks, which many interpreted to mean that Bobbi Kristina had made a full recovery, saying Bobby was in "an emotional state."
"My husband made an attempt to correct the negative comments he must endure on a daily basis from both family and the public regarding his daughter’s medical condition," Etheredge-Brown said. "He is encouraged by the steps that Bobbi Kristina has made since her hospitalization on January 31, 2015. She has made it out of ICU, opened her eyes, and started a rehabilitation that will be long and hard."
If Bobbi Kristina has opened her eyes, it does not mean she's out of the woods. Though she's no longer in a coma, a family source told CNN that she doesn't respond to familiar voices and her eyes do not follow a person around a room. She still relies on a tracheostomy to breathe.
Bobbi Kristina's grandmother, Cissy Houston, corroborated the report while speaking with TMZ. "Meeting with the doctors and understanding that she can live in this condition for a lifetime truly saddens me," she said. "I have just returned from visiting my granddaughter Bobbi Kristina in the hospital and while she is no longer in a medically induced coma she has a tracheotomy and according to the doctors she has global and irreversible brain damage and remains unresponsive. We can only trust in God for a miracle at this time. Keep us in your prayers."
Though the full circumstances surrounding Bobbi Kristina's near death have not been uncovered, police are treating the case as a criminal investigation.
President Goodluck Jonathan has fired Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba.
The sack was announced by the president’s spokesperson, Reuben Abati, in a statement on Tuesday.
No reason was given for the sack.
A Deputy Inspector General of police, Solomon Arase, was appointed to act in his stead.
Mr. Abba’s removal and the assumption of office of his replacement is with immediate effect.
Mr. Abati’s statement read in full, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba of his appointment and duties with immediate effect.
“President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect.
“Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.
“Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies.
“He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.”
Mr. Abba, 56, became acting Inspector General on August 1, 2014 following the retirement of his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar after 35 years of public service.
He was confirmed substantive IGP on November 4, 2014.
Mr. Abba, was until that appointment an Assistant Inspector General, AIG, in charge of Zone 7 command, a position he occupied since May 25, 2012. He was also a former Aide-De-Camp, ADC, to the wife of a former military Head of State, Maryam Abacha.
With his removal, Mr. Abba will proceed of forced retirement four years before he attains retirement age.
He enlisted in the Nigerian police as cadet inspector on December 31, 1984 and is actually due for retirement on March 22, 2019.
