Members of the 2009 class of TNJ’s “40 Under Forty Dynamic Achievers” can boast that their class — the twelfth in the history of the “TNJ 40 Under Forty” — comes in the first year of the first Black presidency of the United States, a year when the bar in Black achievement was hoisted to historic heights.

What is inflation? What is deflation? We’re hearing more about inflation and deflation these days. It’s as if the economy were balanced on a seesaw, tilting one way and then the other. But what are the true definitions — and consequences — of these terms?

If there is any doubt that Africa and its people are hot topics in U.S. business circles, two recent developments should put those doubts to rest.

Most companies aren’t currently looking to hire new employees. Employers hope to maintain their existing staff members while trying to stay afloat during this difficult economy, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com and USA Today, which questioned 2,500 hiring managers/human resources professionals and more than 4,400 workers.

Clearly, the past several months have not been kind to small businesses. There is a growing consensus that we are looking at “hard times” in the world economy for at least the next several business quarters and possibly longer. Here is a “checklist” of questions you should be asking yourself right now.

One doesn’t have to be a professional musician to have a deep connection to music. Music is everywhere. It is an inherent part of the human experience. Music is inside all of us with the rhythm of our heartbeats and the melodies we dream up in our own imaginations.

The allure of gold is nothing new. Throughout the centuries, gold has held a fascination that comes not only from its beauty (hold a gold coin in your hand, and you’ll see what I mean), but also from its truly limited supply.

Doing business in the global arena can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you are physically traveling abroad. Approach your global experience as you would a final exam — if you prepare, you will feel comfortable and will exude confidence and poise.

In January, the nation witnessed the inauguration of Barack Obama amid one of the worst economic crises it has ever seen, making today the best of times and the worst of times for Black America, the National Urban League says in its 2009 State of Black America report.

June is Black Music Month in Britain, as it is in the United States. Britain’s Black Music Month is an initiative of Black Music Congress (BMC), whose founders wanted to create an oppor-tunity to “focus on and celebrate British Black music through performances and talks-based programs.”

Your company wants to create an informational video explaining its marketing techniques, but you can’t wait weeks for the finished product. Instant Video Presenter, from ej4, a video-making company, comes to the rescue with a professional newsroom-style video in minutes.

It’s one thing to bump into your favorite music artists as they slip backstage for a concert or sprint from their limos. But a chance meeting in a hot tub? Or at the breakfast buffet? Or on a horseback riding trail?

In Part 2 (“Fit + Fabulous”) of their book The Black Woman’s Guide to Healthy Living (Time Inc. Home Entertainment, 2008), the editors of Essence magazine present top fitness strategies for women in their 20s, 30s 40s, and in their 50s and beyond.

When the original Tavern on Nostrand closed last October, local residents Michael Pratts, M.D., and Niles Stewart lamented the “void” in the community.

The cost of bad behaviour: how incivility is damaging your business and what to do about it by Christine Pearson and Christine Porath, The Challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai, The long fall: The first Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley