“Duck Behind God, When The Crazy Starts Flying”

D (Dodge) U (underdeveloped) C (consciousness) K (kindly) – Iyanla Vanzant

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So, here is a fun cleaning games which will make the maintenance of your home more fun. And this way, your children will not make up false excuses to avoid the cleaning.

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If your kids are preschool-aged you can tell them to organise their toys but in a way that will attract their interest. So, you can label different toy bins with coloured stickers and tell them that each sticker is for a certain type of toy. For instance, the dolls will go in the box with the pink sticker or all of the soft toys will go in the one with the green sticker. At the end, give them a chocolate or some other candy as a price for their work.

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You an create special clean up kits for the child. The .99 cent store is a great help here. For example, you can buy a little bucket, place a pair of gloves, with a sponge or towel and an index card. On the index card you can place instructions for what you want to be cleaned. You can also make this a “Mission Impossible” theme as well. It will make it fun and the work will get done.

It can be summarized by these fateful words: “I’m staying just where I am; I don’t need to make any changes.”

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The reality today is that you must always be looking up and looking in – open to what’s happening around you and within you.  If you block out this vital information and refuse to process it and adapt appropriately to it, you’ll be blindsided, either by changes in your professional environment, or by shifts inside you that bring with them powerfully unsettling outcomes.  Getting blindsided really hurts and is hard to recover from (trust me on that).

How you can prepare and make 2012 the best year for your career is just aclick away.

Read how you can prepare for the best here.

What song do you think is missing from the playlist?  Why?

For years, people have been running around with bracelets that say: “What would Jesus Do?”

Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” But beware; appearances can be deceiving. This famous saying of Jesus isn’t telling us not to judge. Here’s the rest of the passage:

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

The problem isn’t judging; it’s failing to judge oneself by the same standard. Jesus calls us to examine ourselves and repent of our own sin before we approach someone who is in error or in sin. He tells us to take the speck out of our brother’s eye – in effect, to judge them after critically judging ourselves. In judging, rebuking, or confronting we must avoid being a wimp, a jerk, or a coward. Wimps sit quietly in the pews, shaking their heads and hoping sin and false teaching will go away by itself. They allow these to destroy lives, families, and churches without lifting a finger. Wimps are strong on love, but weak on justice. Jerks know they’re right and they’re proud of it. They don’t distinguish between real problems and minor disagreements and enjoy pointing out everyone else’s errors and moral failings. These folks are strong on justice, but weak on love. Cowards, unlike wimps, are willing to judge sin and false teaching but, unlike jerks, are unwilling to confront those at fault. They lack the courage to confront the problematic person or group and instead spread dissension and mistrust under the radar. The tragedy of the coward is they end up being just as poisonous as the very thing they oppose. He casts out teachers who prophesy falsely in His name yet gives mercy to the repentant tax collector. This is the way of Jesus. He is suffering servant and glorious king. He was not a wimp who just accepted everything, a jerk who looked down on others, or a coward who was afraid to confront.

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Nobody wants to create music simply to create music. With every lyric thats written or tune thought up there seems to be the hidden agenda to achieve fame and fortune. Today it is easier than ever to gain these lustful traits with the media. The world’s media, especially American media, has grown to be the single most powerful industry in the world in many different ways. The term “Pop” music which refers to the highest selling music is short for the world popular. This music as well as the musicians who create it are almost completely shaped by the media. It’s even now possible that through the mass presence of television channels like MTV and large selling magazines that musicians could be fictional and still sell millions of album or you tube a song can become popular in a day.  It’s the invisible trust that every person confides in mass media.

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When a 13 year old girl with one of the most annoying voices ‘sings’ some of the worst lyrics for any song ever written through some kind of mega auto-tune machine and it becomes an Internet sensation with over 60 million views on YouTube, it’s obvious that Etta’s gift of song will be lost.  Sixty million views on YouTube is a huge deal, even if you take into account the curiosity factor of people who just need to hear how bad the song is, it still wouldn’t add up to 60 million. There’s an obvious amount of people who actually enjoy this song in a non-ironic way, there are people out there who actually enjoy this song and love listening to it numerous times a day, which leads me to the whole point of this article.

Etta sang about life, pain and love. Even in the midst of her personal drama of men, money, questionable actions and tragedy you are left with the fact that this woman wanted to sing about the truth, no matter how hard, sad or lonely. The song  “At Last” is a song of desperation from a woman who has known more bad men than good.  When you listen to her voice on that song you are left with the feeling that no matter what she was a brave woman fighting  through to the frontier of  claiming her man.  When was the last time you heard a song like that? The powerhouse singer, known as “Miss Peaches,” lived an eventful life. She first hit the charts as a teenager, taking “The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)” — an “answer record” to Hank Ballard’s “Work With Me, Annie” — to No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1955. She joined Chess Records in 1960 and had a string of R&B and pop hits, many with lush string arrangements. After a mid-decade fade, she re-emerged in 1967 with a more hard-edged, soulful sound. Throughout her career, James overcame a heroin addiction, opened for the Rolling Stones, won six Grammys and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite her ups and downs — including a number of health problems — she maintained an optimistic attitude

Rest in Peace Etta… Rest in Peace

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Note from writer: Please note the word “great” here is used as description meaning huge. I was using a line from an old 1920′s  song lyric as follows, “the silence will be great my friend, the silence over edge.. the missing you will create a void, from which I will walk the edge, the silence will be great my friend while I am missing you. no one can replace you because the silence will be great.”

Newt Gingrich recently created a stir over statements linked to race, receiving criticism for linking food stamps specifically with the African American community. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), came to Gingrich’s defense, saying the NAACP was being “a little too sensitive” about the comments. He also added his own analysis on how to get minorities “off the liberal plantation and out of the liberal barrio.”

Gingrich’s comments were part of his general campaign theme of “paychecks vs. food stamps.” Since the start of his campaign, Gingrich has repeatedly called President Obama “the finest food stamp president in American history.” The moniker struck some as racist, a charge Gingrich refuted. Last Thursday, however, Gingrich said he would take his message to African Americans directly.

“Now there’s no neighborhood I know of in America where if you went around and asked people would you rather your children have food stamps or paychecks, you wouldn’t end up with a majority saying they’d rather have a paycheck,” Gingrich said. “And so I’m prepared, if the NAACP invites me, I’ll go to their convention and talk about why the African-American community should demand paychecks, and not be satisfied with food stamps.”

The NAACP was quick to respond, pointing out that most people on food stamps are white and that most work and earn a paycheck.

“It is a shame that the former Speaker feels that these types of inaccurate, divisive statements are in any way helpful to our country,” said NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous. “Gingrich’s statement is problematic on several fronts, most importantly because he gets his facts wrong.”

Gingrich defended himself by saying that the “elite media” was distorting his intent. “I am for conservatives going into the poorest neighborhoods of every ethnic group and helping every American have a chance to pursue happiness,” Gingrich said.

Land was asked about Gingrich’s remarks during an interview by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. Land discussed his experience at the first summit on faith-based initiatives in 2001, an event co-chaired by Rick Santorum. Land said that at the meeting, African-Americans and Hispanic leaders at the summit supported faith-based initiatives were “off the liberal plantation and out of the liberal barrio.”

“About 80 percent of the people that came were African-American and Hispanic. And I heard them all day say faith-based initiatives [are] an opportunity for us to get off the liberal plantation and out of the liberal barrio, and [to] have people who actually live in the zip codes that have problems make the decisions about what’s best for the people in those zip codes,” Land said.

Conservatives including Allen West (R-Fl.) and Pat Buchanan have used the phrase “liberal plantation” because they allege Democratic leaders are keeping African Americans in their control through either welfare programs or propaganda.

Slate’s David Weigel, who heard the Gingrich’s statement in person, said Gingrich’s comment was taken out of context and was newsworthy only because it was the first time Gingrich said he was going to take his food stamps vs. paychecks message directly to black voters.

“The way I heard this was that Gingrich, who spent years being attacked as a racist…was pre-empting any arguments about his motives,” Weigel said. “He was aiming for a nerve with Republicans who frequently ask why black voters, suffering from an unemployment rate that’s twice the national average, like Barack Obama so much.”

Read: 5 Foods That Age Your Brain

Fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, mackerel, sardines and bluefin tuna, protect against inflammation and are good for the brain. Fish is also a good source of protein instead of red meat, which is laced with the kind of fat that gets you into trouble in the long run in terms of stroke and brain maintenance. Research has shown that virtually any disease process will involve an “oxidating reaction” that causes cell damage.

In the last two years, research has indicated that high levels of insulin released by your body in response to high glycemic foods can eventually contribute to the presence of Alzheimer’s plaques in the brain. Additionally, eating habits which increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes — including the consumption of high glycemic foods — also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Red wine has been touted as being good for the heart and circulation in general, and more recently, there has been proof that one component of red wine may prevent the development of Alzheimer’s.

Red wine has been touted as being good for the heart and circulation in general, and more recently, there has been proof that one component of red wine may prevent the development of Alzheimer’s.

Resveratrol can be found in red wine, the skin of grapes, and pomegranate juice.

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In calling for earth and heaven to “ring with the harmonies of Liberty,” they could speak out subtly against racism and Jim Crow laws—and especially the huge number of lynchings accompanying the rise of the Ku Klux Klan at the turn of the century. In 1919, the NAACP adopted the song as “The Negro National Anthem.” By the 1920s, copies of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” could be found in black churches across the country, often pasted into the hymnals. In 1939, Augusta Savage received a commission from the World’s Fair and created a 16-foot plaster sculpture called Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. Savage did not have any funds for a bronze cast, or even to move and store it, and it was destroyed by bulldozers at the close of the fair.

The lyrics are ones  of empowerment

Lift every voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith
that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope
that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way
that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path
thro’ the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from a gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam
of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places
Our God where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world
we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

During and after the American Civil Rights Movement, the song experienced a rebirth, and by the 1970s was often sung immediately after “The Star Spangled Banner” at public events and performances across the United States where the event had a significant African-American population.

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In Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the song is sung by the audience and students at Maya’s eighth grade graduation, after a white school official dashes the educational aspirations of her class

In 1990, singer Melba Moore released a modern rendition of the song, which she recorded along with others including R&B artists Anita Baker, Stephanie Mills, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, and Howard Hewett; and gospel artists BeBe & CeCe Winans, Take 6, and The Clark Sisters. Partly because of the success of this recording, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” was entered into the Congressional Record by Del. Walter Fauntroy (D-DC),^[3] as the official African American National Hymn.

he Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (The Black National Anthem) at Jerusalemskirken (Church of Jerusalem) in Copenhagen, Denmark [Europe] as a part of our Northern Scandinavian Tour in February 2010.

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1. Make your own CHEER UP book. If you’re experiencing lots of days of feeling down, you might benefit from creating your own “Cheer Up” book. Create a list (like this one) of every activity you can think of that will cheer you up. Type it up, add some pictures, print it out, and have it bound.

2. Breathe. Deep breathing is a relaxation technique that releases tension from the body and clears the mind. You tend to breathe shallowly or even hold your breath when you are feeling anxious. Many people do this and are not even aware of it. Shallow breathing limits your oxygen intake and adds further st

3.Water. Drink some water. Mmmmm…water. Dehydration can cause a variety of problems, including imbalances in your noggin. So fill up a glass with that clear liquid and take it down. While you’re at it, why don’t you take a multivitamin just for good measure? Don’t stop at that one glass. Be sure to have a few through the rest of the day.

4. Hugs. If a friend or loved one is available, go snag a hug from them. You have to give a hug to get one. Sometimes all we need is a good old fashion hug. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the “bonding” hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease. Touch also releases two feel-good brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine.

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5. Play with a dog. If you don’t have one, go get one! When I say play, I mean really play. Get down on the ground, chase her around, throw her “ball” and have a good old time. You’ll be spreading some love, exercising, and making both you and her feel better.

6. Caffeine. Go get a soda or coffee (iced or hot). Caffeine is a natural mood enhancer. J Not only does it taste good in coffee and soda and make you feel better – it also helps to get out of the house to get some fresh air. For a couple dollars, this is a cheap and pleasurable pick-me-up.

7. Call a friend. Open up that cell phone, and start going down the contact list. If you’re not willing to call them (unless it’s a professional contact), then maybe you should delete them. Family members and friends should be available to support one another. A good old-fashion chat will add a new perspective on life in general, and it might provide some pleasant distraction from whatever is getting you down.

8. Watch a funny movie. If you have the time, slip in one of your favorite comedies or go rent one. And when you get to the funny parts, give yourself permission to laugh and laugh hard. Laughter is very good for you, especially when you don’t think you can.

These should lift your spirits right up! Commit to just 15 minutes, and you’ll be surprised how much you’ll want to keep going after your 15 minutes are up.

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While you are doing all that listen to  this:

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The GOP presidential candidate clearly said, “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money,” during a recent campaign stop in Iowa.

But Santorum denied ever making the comment during an appearance on “The O’Reilly Factor,” The Huffington Post reports.

“I looked at that, and I didn’t say that,” Santorum told O’Reilly. “If you look at it, what I started to say is a word and then sort of changed and it sort of — blah — came out. And people said I said, ‘Black.’ I didn’t.”

And, even if he was referring to “blah people,” from which demographic do they come? Is this racial category (if “blah people” are a race at all) on the U.S. Census?

Give us a break, Rick.

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