In This Issue of

X-Mag

Obsessed - Buy it Or Boot Leg it?

To Squat or Not? Foreclosures

Financial Fitness

Hollywood Hot Gossip!

President picks first Hispanic Judge

Outcry - Health Care Sucks

Place Your Ad Here.

Nikkea Smithers

This literary phenom is the best selling author that the world has been waiting on. Essence best seller & X-Mag honoree, Nikkea Smithers is nothing but the truth. Grab anyone of her many books, including her latest book ,Sweet Dream, and you will not be unsatisfied. Make sure you check her out and watch her tv commercial at www.NikkeaSmithers.com To contact Nikkea Smithers email: info@nikkeasmithers.com

Want Financial Freedom?

If you are one of the millions of Americans looking for financial overflow, yet don't have the income stream that you currently desire then Jaynee Sasso's common sense way to wealth is most likely your answer. Simply go to www.commonsensewaytowealth.com

Larry Skinner

U Wana Sing? Vocal Competiton

Young Tunez

New album coming soon as Tunez boggles away at his new club banger ,Rock Star, we , in the studio ponder exactly how large this young rap prodigy will become. So keep your eyes and ears open for this new bow wow, Mr. Young Tunez

To Squat or Not to Squat?

Do I stay in my home?

Article By: Felicia N. Winston, XR The Magazine Editor-In-Chief

You have 30 days to vacate your home due to bank foreclosure. You have no place to go, and the one place you know you can get shelter will be vacant with no one to call it home. So what do you do? Obey the law, vacate the premises, and live on the streets or let the red tape unravel on the foreclosure process while you seek shelter in your own or someone else’s foreclosed home? I know what I would do if I was in this situation. This reality is true for many people who, for whatever reason, have found themselves homeless, living on the streets in the neighborhoods they used to call home.

In many areas in the U.S., there are more vacant properties than there are homeless people. Yes, this fact is true believe it or not. For opportunistic minds, this creates a great opportunity to have a roof over one's head and a little bit of privacy. Many homes still have electricity and heat turned on, which makes foreclosed properties particularly attractive to folks looking for shelter.

Some people believe that if the houses aren't being used, then they might as well provide a temporary safe haven to those who have nowhere else to go. There are also a few lending institutions that don't mind when squatters stay in a vacant property because their presence can sometimes help deter worse criminal elements from taking over the place. Thieves will take anything they can sell, especially copper piping, which can wreak havoc on a home's property value. If it appears that someone is living in the house full-time, it can help prevent such activities from taking place.

Others argue that squatters lower a home's property value by them damaging the house either by carelessness or malice, and that they only serve to invite unsavory characters to the neighborhood. They see what the squatters are doing as criminal and immoral, and feel that they should not only be ousted from the property, but be charged with a crime as well.

Regardless of the type of squatter, being homeless is a dark reality for many people, especially right now with the downturn of the economy. While laws must be upheld and property respected, we also need to keep in mind that these are people who are simply trying to survive. They are cold and need shelter, and right or wrong, they are using the vacant homes to get it. Those who are taking advantage of system ineptitudes will have to move eventually, and in the meantime, a dialogue needs to begin between members of the community, lending institutions, real estate professionals, and the government. Everyone in the community is affected by this problem, so we need to work together to find a solution that we can all live with.

So here’s this months Editor’s Choice Poll Question:

Which side of the issue are you on? Do you agree with the homeless inhabiting vacant homes or not?

Send your feed back to editor@xandermagazine.com and we’ll publish your response in our

Our Contributors

Felicia Winston - Editor - In - Chief

Felicia, a Richmond, VA. native, has been writing her whole life. She has written several christian plays that have done numerous encores and that are highly sought after. She is not only X-Mags beloved Editor - In - Chief, but she also an accomplished poet that is in the studio currently working on her debute album. Check her out at www.NomegaTV.com Search: Transition

Johnny Nomega - Community Affairs

Johnny Nomega, a Baton Rouge, La native,  began writing at a young age and had opportunities to be published since the age of ten. He not only writes for X-Mag, but also is an active philanthropist, giving a great deal of his own income away to people in need. Check him out at www.NomegaStudios.com

Deacon Tyrone Goins - Spirituals

Deacon Tyrone Goins, a New York native, started out as a tough guy on the mean streets on NY and decided one day that his household would praise the lord. He now is an active Deacon at Faith & Family Church in Richmond, VA. and lead their food ministry, helping to serve dozens of needy families every month. Check out one of his messages at www.NomegaTV.com Search: Deacon Goins

Jaynee Sasso - Financials

Jaynee Sasso, a New York native, began as a little girl wanting to help those in financial need and that spurned her grow a keen interest in finances. Jaynee now helps people all across the east coast fatten their wallet and their bank statements prepared for the future. Check her out at  www.commonsensewaytowealth.com

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Dominique Cannon - Opinion Columnist

Dominique Cannon, also known as SymPhoene, is a 24 year old writer/poet representing Brooklyn, New York. Dominique is currently an editor for The Cool, and sporadically voices her opinions on her blog, Da Corner, about any and every topic possible.  You can check her out on Facebook, Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/technique84 ) and

The Cool website (www.enterthecool.com )