APRIL 28—The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host their Business Program Series at 12:15-1 p.m. at the Downtown & Business branch, 612 Smithfield St. The topic is “How Feng Shui Can Positively Influence Your Business and Your Home.” Yvonne Phillips of Creative Color and Design will share color and design principles that will create a peaceful and profitable work environment. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-281-7141.

So when she introduced URA Executive Director Rob Stephany she told him to relax because he’d be preaching to the choir.

“He’s probably the most engaging director we’ve had,” she said. “We see him out in the community, and he’s been a big supporter of the August Wilson Center.”

SEEING WHAT DEVELOPS—Urban Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Rob Stephany discusses new development strategies with members of the African American Chamber of Commerce as chamber president and CEO Doris Carson Williams looks on.

History was made in the Pittsburgh community when Donna M. Baxter, CEO and founder of Soul Pitt Media and her team unveiled and circulated the first issue of the Soul Pitt Quarterly Magazine.

“The Soul Pitt Quarterly is the first of its kind in the community,” said Baxter. “It’s more than a magazine; it is designed to provide a colorful interactive experience for the reader.” A quarterly publication showcasing Pittsburgh’s minority arts and entertainment scene, Baxter describes the compact size publication as being designed for the reader to be able to talk, text, listen or log on to the Internet to engage. She says the vision and mission of the magazine is to focus on positive people, organizations, businesses and opportunities within the region.

AND HERE IT IS—Unveiling the Soul Pitt Quarterly in front of Dana’s Styling Salon in East Liberty is Mimi Gray, Ron Atkins, Donna Baxter, Craig Dawson, Dana Ramsey and Missy Murrell.

Some time ago, I read an article in “O,” the Oprah Magazine entitled “Debt Diet.” You’d have to be living in a cave under a rock if you’re not familiar with “The Debt Diet” given the fact that an entire week of “The Oprah Show” was centered on this very subject. It comes as no surprise to me that most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, hand to mouth, struggling to make ends meet. What caught my attention as I was reading this article is the fact that all the families they profiled in the article made more than $100,000 per year. Over the next couple of months, similar articles appeared in Black Enterprise, Smart Money, Kiplingers and Consumer Reports. All these articles shared a similar story—high-income people struggling to get by financially. In a Money Magazine publication, the lead story on the cover was “Scraping by on $150,000 per year.” Each article shared some helpful ideas on how to regain control of your money. However, all of them fell short of illustrating what I’m about to point out in this column.