February 17, 2010

Lesson learned

As I watched the drama, it dawned on me that this process of learning does not end when we move away from our parents. It is a sequence that presents itself continually: Frustration. Lesson. Acceptance. Progress. Repeat cycle as necessary until [...]

February 16, 2010

Dad's love overcomes obstacles

Dad’s love overcomes obstacles

by Tyree Harris 

Four-year-old Amirya Skyler doesn’t know how lucky she is. Lying on her dad’s bed in a one-bedroom apartment murmuring “I love you” in her sleepy little voice, you’d never guess that she’s seen everything from drug addiction and abandonment to custody battles and adjusting to life with a man she [...]

February 15, 2010

Jesus Was A Jew

 

Jesus was a Jew. He spoke the Jewish language, lived the Jewish life, and was very active in the Jewish community. Jesus studied and learned the Old Testament in His growing years, as well as celebrated the Jewish feasts and festivals. It makes sense that Jesus would use the culture, language, and traditions [...]

February 11, 2010

Where Do the Words Go When a Writer Dies?

Yesterday as I took advantage of the weather and watched movies while the snow piled up outside I received a call that one of the more senior members of the Harlem Writers Guild had died. It was a shock because we assumed he didn’t make the last meeting because he usually went dancing the first [...]

February 3, 2010

WHEN YOU CAN'T SHOW THEM THE MONEY: HOW TO MOTIVATE AND APPRECIATE EMPLOYEES IN A RECESSION

WHEN YOU CAN’T SHOW THEM THE MONEY:
HOW TO MOTIVATE AND APPRECIATE EMPLOYEES IN A RECESSION

by Peggy Klaus

It looks like 2010 is off to a cautiously optimistic start. We’re told the economy is rebounding. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is above 10,000 points and many Wall Street banks are expecting a blockbuster year. On the flip [...]

February 2, 2010

Feeling The Warmth Of The Lights.

October 5, 2009

After about a 45 minute delay to try and actually get the lights working, we took the field for our first “real game” of the camp.  Jim let all his pitchers go longer than normal, about 2-3 innings a piece.  I hadn’t played a game at night in a few years, so it [...]

February 2, 2010

The End Justifies The Means.

October 4, 2009

A week from this exact moment, I will be on a plane making my way back home to New York.  Needless to say, I’m very excited about getting back into the Northeast to all my family and friends, as well as tackling this horrible economy and attempting to find a job.  Saturday was [...]

January 30, 2010

Mother Nature Keeps It Coming.

October 3, 2009

Today was supposed to be the start of an important weekend series, but Mother Nature showed how much that mattered to her by the amount of rain that was dropped from the sky.  We arrived at the ballpark around 11a and the infield looked like a lake.  The grass in the outfield and [...]

January 30, 2010

Unexpected Off-day.

October 2, 2009

When I woke up this morning and opened my shades, the weather looked fantastic, but as the day grew older, Mother Nature brought some hard rain.  Jim told us to come to the ballpark no matter what so we could figure out the next couple of days, so we arrived around 4p to [...]

January 26, 2010

Déjà Vu All Over Again.

October 1, 2009

As was said yesterday, today didn’t consist of any games or structured drills; we had the entire day to try and get better at whatever skilled we desired to work on.  So I took it upon myself to work on ground balls and my footwork around the bag at first base, then went [...]

January 25, 2010

A Bigger Breakthrough.

September 28, 2009

With week two underway, it has already gotten off to a better start than the first week.  We arrived at the ballpark about an hour later than normal, and our day included instruction in the morning, followed by batting practice and a game in the afternoon.  While we were taking BP, I saw [...]

January 25, 2010

One Week In The Books.

September 27, 2009

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a week since I flew into Chicago to participate in the SIB Fall League with hopes of landing a professional baseball contract.  While talking about it with other players today, everyone seems to be in agreement that this week has gone by very fast, but [...]

January 22, 2010

Lord Forgive Me For Joining This Gang

If I had known my life would turn out like this

I never would have joined a gang and taken such a risk

Being part of a gang seemed really exciting to me

But it was a mistake this I can finally see

It’s to late now I’ve already joined

I wish I had listened to my mother, I’m her only [...]

January 6, 2010

Our own little worlds

The mass of instant information that is the Internet and Mass Media could free each and everyone of us to become more informed and knowledgeable.  Then we could all come together as a new smarter, kinder society and deal with all of our problems in wise and wonderful ways.

But that’s not exactly what’s happening is [...]

December 10, 2009

Totally Gross: The Gross Food Movement

Looking for something to help wind down at the end of a hard day clogging your arteries with Monster Pies? How about the McNuggetini? This festive drink (?) consists of a chocolate milkshake mixed with vodka, rimmed with barbecue sauce, and garnished with half a chicken nugget. “Hey bar-keep! Gimme a double will [...]

December 7, 2009

I’m Taking Up Golf!

I’m Taking Up Golf!

By Alan Caruba

I have a confession to make. I have never engaged in any sports activity demanding any energy. About as close to a sporting activity I ever got was shooting pool or as fancy folk call it, billiards. The English version is called Snooker. In my time I did a lot [...]

November 23, 2009

A look at Thanksgiving traditions

Although food is definitely a means by which we celebrate good fortune, I must note that nowhere is “stuffing oneself until sick” listed as a tradition. Quite the contrary, I would go so far as to say that uncomfortable, pained, hyper-expanded feeling that follows so many Thanksgiving celebrations actually detracts from the appreciative sense of gratitude one would hope to experience. Maybe, that’s one tradition we can drop this [...]

November 11, 2009

Locus of control

Watch what you say, it could become your life. Therefore, when we say, “I’ve lost my motivation,” it presupposes that motivation is some foreign entity residing in a distant land. Yet, we are the source of our [...]

October 29, 2009

More than being positive

Positive thinking is not blind, naive, magical wishing. I cannot rub a crystal ball, site solemnly my affirmations, and assume that all will go exactly as I foresee. It does not materialize nirvana. What it does is gives me a stake in my own outcomes; so my life becomes mine, for better or [...]

October 11, 2009

When You See Life as a Series of Moments in Time You Can Create More Positive Moments.

 

HOW I LEARNED THE PHILOSOPHY THAT LIFE IS A SERIES OF MOMENTS IN TIME.

Many years ago when I was struggling with the death and dying of my Dad our Family was blessed with a priest who would come to visit us often. Father York, a Catholic Priest, and my Dad was close friends [...]

October 7, 2009

I am outraged

People, please, can we take a breath? Let’s slow down long enough to step back from the brink and move distant from the precipice of righteous anger. Let’s put the “go-ahead-cross-this-line” bravado on the back burner long enough to hear what someone has to say before we puff up, poke our finger in his chest, and give him the piece of mind we think he [...]

October 7, 2009

Curing Depression

Carl Jung

Now here is another brain teaser for your therapist, or should I say mind teaser, the notion of curing someone with depression. Sadly, this is one of the most common causes of problems in marriages, and while we look for help from the professionals they take advantage of that vulnerability with a platform [...]

October 3, 2009

A Look Back: One Year of Independence

This month marks a rather large milestone in my life — it’s the official one-year anniversary of my real-world independence. This time last year, I moved into my apartment in Jersey City. Sure, I stayed in the dorms at Seton Hall University, but I always went home for the summer. This was different, though. This [...]

September 30, 2009

Rules for Being Human

Oh yes, once in a while, something great does cross my computer screen, and it’s worth telling others about. The RULES FOR BEING HUMAN, by Cherie Carter-Scott, fits that bill, consisting of ten brilliant lessons on how to manage your time on Planet [...]

September 30, 2009

I Woke UP This Morning

I have weathered a major storm in my life. It isn’t quite over, but I am now riding out the tail-end of [...]

September 23, 2009

An Effort Either Way

From the moment she entered the jet, I could tell she did not want to be there. In addition to apologizing each time her overloaded “Big Brown Bag” banged someone in an aisle seat, she was having difficulty navigating her excessive size down the skeletal-sized aisle.

I knew the other passengers were thinking, “I hope she [...]

September 19, 2009

Recession Got You Down? Get Creative.

There is a plethora of information about how bad the job market is — now more than ever. Workplace suicides have hit an all-time record in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2008, workplace suicides rose 28 percent to 251 from 196.

U.S. hiring outlook also took a dive, as employers [...]

September 16, 2009

The greatest writer

Everyone has someone in mind for this noble title, or perhaps they have too many, and can’t choose.  Well, let me put forward a name to you, and possibly expand your mind a little as to the worth and possibilities of writing.  I bet you know him.  After all, publishing over 60 books, selling 220 [...]

September 15, 2009

The Biggest Loser, Personal Finance, and You

I have a confession to make: I really do enjoy watching television. So imagine my happiness that NBC’s The Biggest Loser is premiering another season tonight at 8 p.m. EDT. Say what you will about the show — that it exploits overweight people, etc. — but I choose to look at it more optimistically. Essentially, [...]

September 14, 2009

Six Steps to Budgeting Bliss

I’ve taken the lessons my mother has taught me about planning and budgeting and broken it down into six steps. Follow these to establish your personal finance plan, and you will have the foundation in place for success — no matter what small obstacles or larger life events may come your way.

Here are the six [...]

September 14, 2009

Strategically Placed

As I was driving recently the scripture from Esther came to my mind: 4:14 “…who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?” Of course that was Esther’s uncle Mordecai telling her that God may have allowed her to become Queen specifically because He knew [...]

September 8, 2009

Attending his first meeting

“I realized things weren’t going to get any better until I made them better. I’m tired of feeling bad all the time. I felt like I was trapped. I was always angry. I was ruining my relationships. It was just time. Any of the above; all of the above, you name [...]

September 6, 2009

Thrift Store or Saks Fifth Avenue?

Of all sins, sexual sin is the most physically rewarding and brings instant gratification, therefore making it extremely tempting. It is also based on a natural desire. However, this desire, this gift from God, must be used properly and in accordance with God’s will. We all want and need food, and God approves of our [...]

September 6, 2009

When Time Stands Still

When time stands still
All you can do is ponder,
And wonder how you got to where you are.
Could you have foreseen it?
Could you have prevented it?
Will you look back in sorrow
Or consider it a blessing?
You find no answers
But only long for the day
When time resumes.

September 3, 2009

It pays to be mean

Is it a problem that negative journalism is read, viewed, discussed more than positive reporting?  Well, more viewers means more money and as a race, it would seem that we are more attracted to the negative than the positive.

Just  a few nights in front of the TV around any election will demonstrate to the viewer [...]

September 2, 2009

Dark Shadows

It was the summer of 1967 and I was fifteen.  On the verge of being a woman but still very much a child, I had little knowledge of human relationships or why people behave the way they do.  Nor did I comprehend my own thoughts, fears, or frustrations.

My father was fifty and I hardly knew him.  [...]

August 28, 2009

Talk To Yourself

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” – Claude M. Bristol

Smooches, Ladies and Gentlemen! Today I would like to discuss affirmations. Just the fact that you are on this website means that you are seeking to improve your physical appearance. The [...]

August 28, 2009

Question: Is Marriage Dead?

Tim Kellis, author of "Equality: The Quest for the Happy Marriage"

I’m half way through my two month blog tour on relationships.  The stops have generally been both interactive and productive.  I’ve particularly like the stops where the topics were questions related to relationships.

I wanted to share one in particular, at the Long Relationships blog. [...]

August 27, 2009

Just Do It!

I spoke to my Aunt Ruthie recently. She just moved for the third or fourth time since my Theo Costa (Uncle Gus in Greek) passed away seven years ago. When I think about Aunt Ruthie a collage of memories comes to mind – she’s always been a very soft-spoken Southern [...]

August 26, 2009

Lessons from a child

They – whomever “they” are – have erroneously told us that confidence is acquired as the result of years on the planet. Yet, after observing this energetic, welcoming, unabashed toddler, I wonder; maybe self-assurance is our birthright – not the self-doubt with which we saddle [...]

August 20, 2009

“Brand New”

Today I arose in total victory! Yesterday was a very challenging day. It was very long and tedious to say the least. It was one of those days that I speculated if all the effort, diligence and dedication are worth the price of success. Usually, I am very strong and determined. But yesterday was the [...]

August 19, 2009

What really matters

After two months in the Andes, unable to “take it any more,” and losing all hope of rescue, Parrado and a teammate – adorned merely in jeans, t-shirts, and make-shift shoe shoes – trekked, hiked, crawled, and dragged themselves 70 miles down the mountain, eventually finding help, and rescuing the 16 remaining survivors. I know I was not the only person who pulled from its holster a cell phone. I tapped into it my wife’s number, and left a message telling her how much I love her and what a blessing she is in my [...]

August 18, 2009

Bela Kiraly, My Kind of Hero

Bela Kiraly, 1912 – 2009

Long considered a folk hero in Hungary, Bela Kiraly is the kind of man I admire. A general in the Hungarian army, he was sentenced to death four different times for sedition, spending 4 years on death row. Paroled in 1956, he led Hungarian freedom fighters against the Soviet [...]

August 17, 2009

Failure is a Process, “Not” a Detriment

I hear a lot about failure and struggles, and whether or not we should really be so discouraged when things don’t always appear to go our way. Well from my experience, I realize that it’s very easy to say such a thing, but when the going gets tough, it’s also very easy to lose hope, [...]

August 14, 2009

My Kind of Hero: Bernard Loeffke, Major General USA (retired)

Bernard Loeffke, Major General USA (retired), Physician’s Assistant, visionary, warrior. My kind of [...]

August 13, 2009

Act like an Entrepreneur, Even If You Aren’t One: Bragging and Branding Your Way Through the Recession

Act like an Entrepreneur, Even If You Aren’t One:
Bragging and Branding Your Way Through the Recession

by Peggy Klaus

Anxiety is running rampant. Everyone is feeling it—anxiety about job security (or lack thereof), anxiety about the current economic climate, anxiety about the future of the country and even the world. You probably don’t need a career coach [...]

August 7, 2009

Remember, The Ark Was Built During a Drought

I saw a sign on a church billboard driving down the road this morning. It said, “Plan Ahead… Remember, The Ark Was Built During a Drought”.

Immediately I thought to myself, what an amazing statement! How true does that message relate to our current times? Noah had a message from God; which became a dream he [...]

August 5, 2009

Changing the view

I stood on my head today. Well, that’s not exactly accurate. Actually standing on my head would require a level of flexibility and dexterity not possessed by yours truly as my feet cannot even reach that big ol’ noggin of mine. Besides, even if they could, why would I choose to stand on it? It [...]

August 3, 2009

Daily Impressions

Your daily walk throughout your life leaves an impression in the sand wherever you may go. From the lowest of the low, to the highest of the high, you will always still leave impressions. You may not know it, but you affect everything around you just with your presence.

What kind of presence do you [...]

August 2, 2009

Where’s Obama’s Birth Certificate

Last Friday, I drove to the airport and on that drive, I listened to a discussion on this topic.  After I heard all the “facts” in detail, clearly, this issue is racial and driven by a political agenda from the idealistic, far right that cannot stand anybody that does not [...]

August 2, 2009

Blessings

Our life is a gift from God, and is one of our greatest gifts. Therefore, we may feel compelled to live our lives with the idea of giving back to God by sharing our gifts with the world, thereby we bless God. But the idea that we have within our own power the ability to [...]

July 22, 2009

25 Scary Facts About Brainwashing

Amber Johnson from OnlineCourses.org http://www.onlinecourses.org/ sent me the article, below, and felt it might be of interest to our viewers:

25 Scary Facts About Brainwashing
Although there are a lot of unfounded myths and conspiracy theories about brainwashing, it is still considered to be a very serious and scary mind control technique. As a student, you’re used to [...]

July 15, 2009

On the (Butter)horns of a dilemma

Here I sit, having face-time with the perennial decision of any dieter, “Do I or don’t I?”

Somebody said that foods made with salt, sugar, and fat are the most irresistible. Why not just call them what they are, “baked goods?” I am practically captive to their doughy gooey pull; Homer strapped to the mast, [...]

July 14, 2009

Houston, We Have a Problem!

Remember Apollo 13? Commander Jim Lovell made the famous words “Houston, we have a problem”. The air that the astronauts were breathing was becoming extremely toxic due to an explosion that damaged the command module. It was only a matter of time before the unspeakable was imminent. Flight Director Gene Kranz was in charge of [...]

July 13, 2009

Thinking from the End

You know if there is anything that I’ve learned in life about having a plan, is that the end is the root of all beginnings.

Think of a ship about to leave its port. For some strange reason the captain of this ship has foolishly not charted its destination. The ship leaves anyway. But where is [...]

July 12, 2009

Military ‘Food’ for Thought, America vs. China

 Is China a danger to the world? This is a topic I have wanted to write about for some time. I suspect my motivation for writing this comes from being sent to Vietnam to fight in [...]

July 10, 2009

Start a Business? Are You Ready?

 

    Do you plan to give up your job and start a new business of your [...]

July 8, 2009

Sshhh….Listen

“Sometimes we turn to God when our foundation is shaking, only to find out it is God who is shaking it.” ~author unknown

If your foundation is shaking; if your life is struggling with whatever obstacles you see as impeding the way of life you believe you should be living… Then Pause… listen quietly… listen [...]

July 5, 2009

Am I Ready to Start a Business? 10 personal questions to ask yourself before you commit

 

     No, we won’t begin with “Do you have a master’s degree?” Although education does matter, higher education is not a requirement for starting or succeeding in a new business. In fact, according to a 1992 United States Census Bureau report, [...]

July 5, 2009

Should I Write My Life Story?

Nearly 81 percent of people say they have a book inside them. It’s in their hearts, minds, and soul; but unfortunately, it never seems to develop in pen. Most of these people feel their life story or an event in their life is worthy of becoming a book—and they may [...]

July 4, 2009

Ready to be Coached?

Having a coach guide you in the commitment to do, change or test specific thoughts, habits or behaviors and then have you report on them is a sure-fire way to improve your follow-through. Accountability automatically improves performance and results.

[...]

July 1, 2009

Brittany’s first steps

Dinner had finished so they retired to the living room, leaving the pile of plates and cups in the sink. After all, dishes will wait, your daughter’s potential first steps will not. [...]

June 30, 2009

3 Steps to Wholeness: Think, Speak, Act

Words contain power. In fact, Proverbs 18:21 tells us “death and life are in the power of the tongue” and science is confirming that truth. God created everything that exists by His Word (Genesis 1). We are the only creatures who can use our words as He does, by speaking them intentionally. These thoughts, beliefs and spoken words then become expectations. [...]

June 30, 2009

Mustard Seed Faith

As Christians we know that faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). So, faith is a thing – a substance. It’s not a substance like a chair or a car. It is not a visible, solid, or at least what appears to us as a solid, substance. But it is a substance none-the-less. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus Himself tells us we need only faith the size of a mustard seed. The principle of sowing seed is basic in [...]

June 25, 2009

Some of what we do is obvious

Sitting at my usual table, at my usual coffee house, at the usual time, I’m not sure I “read” my newspaper, per se. I glance at an article, absorb a few lines, and then give myself the luxury of letting my mind drift. From this process come ideas for speeches or columns. It’s also one [...]

June 10, 2009

Ending the dysfunctional relationship

Just stay off the scale, leave it alone, shut the emotional door behind, and walk into the distance? What a concept. Skip all the fussing and frustrations associated with the ups and downs of my daily weight and lead a normal healthy life? Could that be possible? Can I do [...]

May 31, 2009

Stupefying America

Stupefying America
By Alan Caruba

If you have a suspicion that many of your fellow Americans are too stupid to trust with the great affairs of this nation, you might just be right, but you might not know why.

Take a look at the choices television offers. Do you ever wonder why shows featuring stupid people or animated [...]

May 28, 2009

The Magic of a 90 Day Blitz to Achieve Your Goals

Mary Ellen shares’ tips on how to change your Life in 90 Days. If you have a Goal you have been struggling with learn the 5 Steps for Success or the MAGIC of the 90 Day Blitz. We will spell out the word MAGIC to help you remember the steps as follows:
Momentum
Adjustments
Growth
Inspiration
Commitment

Whatever, your Goal, To [...]

May 25, 2009

Revelation Duh Moment

Don’t you just love a duh moment? You know the one. A light bulb flashes on in your brain and you cannot believe how ignorant you’ve been. Suddenly a bit of wisdom or knowledge shines forth in your little head and you are both amazed and ashamed. Amazed because you know the knowledge sat there [...]

May 20, 2009

Where does Success begin?

This is not merely an ethereal discussion without real-life implication, similar to “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.” These terms we toss about: “success,” “failure,” “victory,” “defeat;” manipulate us emotionally; and it is what we feel – far beyond what we think – that drives action. Therefore what we choose to say matters to the highest [...]

May 19, 2009

SOBRE LOS COMENTARIOS DE LECTOR

¿Participar o no participar? ¿Comentar o no comentar lo que leemos en los blogs? ¡He aquí el [...]

May 19, 2009

Racism- When Things Stay the Same

Imagine growing up in a privileged environment where your skin color, your ancestry, your hair texture was never a part of how you made friends and influenced people. You were at the top of your class because you were the best, not because of affirmative action or the fact that your father made the most [...]

May 11, 2009

Non-Fiction Writing—Avoiding the I, Oh and You

When new authors write non-fiction, they will often base their subject matter on personal experiences. One mistake commonly made, is the over use of the word “I” in the beginning of sentences. “I know this because I’ve been there, done that.” Or, “I did it this, or that way.” Over [...]

May 10, 2009

Wrong Direction

Wrong Direction
by David Leonhardt

A father and his son, a young adult, were driving to the cottage. The father was worried, because his son had fallen into companionship with people who might lead him astray, and he was trying to help his son see that it was time for him to take his life a little [...]

May 8, 2009

Relationships Advice: Transference Causes Divorce

 

 

 

Equality: The Quest for the Happy Marriage

Here is the most significant point made in the entire book, transference causes divorce.  This one single point can probably do more than any other to motivate couples to learn how to move their relationships in the right direction.  And for the first time ever on a public [...]

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