---MAGICCash Card---
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, spokesperson for the MAGICCash Card, and Anthony De Meo, CEO/President of Celebrity Cards International, Inc. and its subsidiary, Magic Cards International, Inc., were joined by some of the partners in the MAGICCash Prepaid Visa Card venture -- Todd Brockman, Vice President, Prepaid Products, VISA USA, Gary Palmer, COO, WildCard Systems, Inc., and Joseph Gray, President, REVShare and AMN Television Marketing. MAGICCash, the newest prepaid card on the market, is a feature rich card targeted toward the under-banked and credit challenged in America, estimated at 70 million to 100 million underserved consumers.Magic Cards(TM) International, Inc., a subsidiary of Celebrity Cards International, Inc., has been created to serve as a pioneering model for 21st century purchasing, payroll and consumer transactions. With Earvin "Magic" Johnson as the "face" of the card, Celebrity Cards feels it has found the perfect spokesperson. MAGICCash will provide:
-- In general, MAGICCash is a money-saving convenient alternative to carrying cash, paying bills by money order and cashing payroll checks.
-- MAGICCash helps people to manage their finances, pay bills and gain credit worthiness, allowing Magic Card(TM) holders to participate in mainstream financial services.
-- There are no interest charges since no debt is incurred.
-- Unlike credit cards, the MAGICCash Card requires no credit approval or credit history, making MAGICCash available to virtually anyone with a valid U.S. address and appropriate ID.
-- For the first time, those without a bank account or credit will be able to shop on the Internet, rent a car, hotel room and use an ATM machine.

---How well do you know your tax preparer?---
Despite yearly warnings from the Internal Revenue Service, only half (52%) of all Americans are taking steps to protect themselves from fraudulent tax preparers.That's the finding of a new survey from lawyers.com, the free online attorney directory for individuals and small businesses, from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell."This time of year, unscrupulous tax preparers rip off Americans by promising phony tax programs that they claim get big returns, or relieve Americans of their obligation to pay taxes altogether," observed attorney Alan Kopit, lawyers.com's legal editor."The IRS has reported that common tax scams include phony tax preparers' promises of special slavery reparations for African Americans, refunds for Social Security taxes paid during one's lifetime, or illegal offshore transactions to hide or underreport earnings. Some fraudulent tax preparers are simply identity thieves, looking for people's personally-identifying information so they can run up bills in other people's names," he continued."This survey shows that many Americans need to do a better job checking their tax preparers' track records and professional backgrounds, to avoid becoming victims."

---New York: National Black Justice Coalition and Gay Men of African Descent---The National Black Justice Coalition, Gay Men of African Descent and New York City Councilman Philip Reed will lead a press conference and rally at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2004 on the steps of New York's City Hall. This will be the first African American event to focus on the issue of same-sex marriage in New York. The National Black Justice Coalition is an ad hoc coalition of black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered leaders who have come together to fight against discrimination in our communities. The goal of the organization in 2004 is to build black support for marriage equality and to educate the community on the dangers of the proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

---Network Journal honors top Black women achievers---
The Network Journal (TNJ) a black professionals and small business magazine based in New York City will hold the sixth annual achievement awards program to coincide with Women's History Month and recognize "25 Influential Black Women in Business" on March 19 from 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the New York Hilton Hotel & Towers located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas (at 53rd Street) in New York City. Themed, "Women Expanding The Horizon," the select group of honorees will be saluted for achieving significant levels of success in their businesses and professional careers. Byron E. Lewis, Founder, Chairman and CEO of UniWorld Group, Inc. will present the afternoon address. The event annually attracts the 'Who's Who' of prominent business executives. Tickets are $125 if purchased before March 12 and $150 thereafter.For more information call 212-962-9448 or visit
the Website: www.tnj.com.

---Record Number of African Americans Leave the Labor Market---
Discouraged by the continued dismal performance of the Bush economy, a record 230,000 African Americans dropped out of the labor market in February * totaling more than half of those who gave up looking for a job. The economy created just 21,000 jobs last month, with no new jobs created in the private sector. "The number of African Americans who have became so discouraged that they stopped looking for work is disheartening," said Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe. "President Bush's economic plan has clearly been a disaster for all segments of the African American community. Educated and skilled African Americans workers are suffering more under Bush than during any previous recession, and unemployment among African American college graduates remains high. With no private sector jobs created, it is clear that President Bush does not have the economic vision needed to put this country on the right track."

---The Black Public Relations Society of Greater New York--
The Black Public Relations Society of Greater New York will host the following event on March 11, 2004 (6-8 pm) at Burson Marstellar, 230 Park Avenue South@19th Street: "Successful Relationship Building For Public Relations & Communications Professionals." What does it take to effectively network in today's marketplace? How can you network best to secure a new position or move up the corporate ladder? How can you build relationships that guarantee new business? Join the Black Public Relations Society of Greater New York as we present two top experts-an executive coach and training/development consultant-who will provide one of the most interesting and interactive evenings on networking and relationship building. The Special Guest Facilitators are STEVE CHERCHES Training & Development Consultant (Certified Instructor - Dale Carnegie) and TODD CHERCHES Management Consultant & Executive Coach (Certified Instructor - Dale Carnegie). Cost: Members: $15 And Non- Members: $20 RSVP REQUIRED (212) 614 - 4599. For additional information, contact (516) 377 - 6146.

---Women's History Month in New York---
In celebration of Women's History Month, WBLS personality DeDe McGuire and New York Daily News Reporter Chrisena Coleman in conjunction with Just Between Girlfriends Inc. will host the first annual Girlfriends Night Out, on Thursday, March 18, 2004 from 7:00-10:30pm at Amy Ruth's Restaurant, located at 113 West 116th Street in Manhattan. This memorable evening of entertainment is a fundraiser for animation, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence in New York City. Professional women from all walks of life will celebrate their success while helping women less fortune change their lives. The evening will include a fashion show presented by Hergame2, book signing featuring Jenyne Raines, author of Beautylicious: A Black Girls Guide to the Fabulous Life, comedy performance by Nikki Carr, of BET-TV's Comic View, a raffle featuring donations from (Bobbi Brown cosmetics, Warm Spirit, Grey Goose Vodka, Target, Random House, Ferragamo USA, Pampered Chef) as well as individual donations). The donation for the Girlfriends Night Out is $10.00. For more information about this year's Just Between Girls Friends Getaway Weekend call (201) 457-1635 .

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