Local Elections

Hello everyone! As you know from my last blog regarding the senatorial election in Massachusetts I am not pleased with the direction of voter displeasure sweeping the nation. We must all be as diligent in our local elections as were are in the national elections. What happens in your community matters and you can make a difference! Please get out and vote in ALL elections! Here in Peoria, Illinois we have an important election coming up February 2, 2010. Positions on our local school board will be decided as well as many other key positions. Early voting is going on now! Don't wait. Check with the local election commission for convenient early voting hours. As a matter of fact I plan on getting my voting done today after my shift here at the radio station. Be diligent and make a difference, and it begins at home.


J

Election Nightmare

I kept holding out hope for yesterday's election in Massachusetts. I refused to believe that the seat held by the late great Senator Ted Kennedy could be taken by a republican, but I was wrong. There is so much anger and frustration directed at President Obama's administration and it is completely unfair. What are people thinking? What happened to having patience? Obama could not possibly undo eight years of decline in just a year. Yet some people have been allowed to be sucked in by the negative smear campaign of the GOP.

I have to question what liberals are doing. Democratic in-fighting and wishy-washiness is allowing the party to be distracted enough for the GOP agenda to move forward and that agenda is sick. The GOP agenda is to simply ruin President Obama by any means necessary. They have managed to create an atmosphere of fear and hate and if not checked could cause some serious problems in the near future. Now the hate mongering tea baggers will be even more encouraged to spread lies. The democrats must get their act together and learn what unity means, if not we'll see more repeats of this Massachusetts fiasco.

J

Stellar Award Winners

Congratulations to all the winners of the 25th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards! Special shout out to Pastor Hezekiah Walker for an amazing five wins! I wish I could have been there, but watch out, that is a goal for the near future.

J



THE WINNERS ARE:

Artist of the Year: Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship; Souled Out; Verity Records

Song of the Year: Mary, Mary, "God in Me" - The Sound, Columbia

Male Vocalist of the Year:Smokie Norful, Smokie Norful Live, EMI Gospel

Female Vocalist of the Year:Vickie Winans, How I Got Over, Destiny Joy Records

Group Duo of the Year:Mary, Mary, The Sound, Columbia

New Artist of the Year:Crystal Aikin, Crystal Aikin, Verity Records

CD of the Year:Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship; Souled Out; Verity Records

Choir of the Year:Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, Souled Out, Verity Records

Producer of the Year:Donald Lawrence & Daniel Weatherspoon, The Law of Confession Part 1, Quiet Water/Verity

Contemporary Group/Duo of the Year:Mary, Mary, The Sound, Columbia

Traditional Group/Duo of the Year: Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC's, Fall On Me, MCG Records

Contemporary Male of the Year:Smokie Norful, Smokie Norful Live, EMI Gospel

Traditional Male of the Year:Donnie McClurkin, We All Are One (Live in Detroit), Verity Records

Contemporary Female of the Year:Crystal Aikin, Crystal Aikin, Verity Records

Traditional Female of the Year:Dottie Peoples, Do It!, DP Muzik Group

Contemporary CD of the Year:Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, Souled Out, Verity Records

Traditional CD of the Year:Shari Addison, Shari Addison, Verity Records

Urban/ Inspirational Single / Performance of the Year:Mary, Mary, "God in Me" - The Sound, Columbia

Music Video of the Year:Vickie Winans, How I Got Over, Destiny Joy Records

Traditional Choir of the Year:Bishop Paul S. Morton & The FGBCF Mass Choir, Cry Your Last Tear, Light Records

Contemporary Choir of the Year:Hezekiah Walker and Love Fellowship, Souled Out, Verity Records

Instrumental CD of the Year:Ben Tankard, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Verity

Special Event CD of the Year:The Clark Sisters, J. Moss and Kierra Sheard, Silky Soul Music -A Tribute to Maze, Barantera Music Grou

Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year:Da' T.R.U.T.H., The Big Picture, Cross Movement Records

Children's Performance of the Year:Rev. Dr. Emory Andrews and Oxon Hill High School Choir, Amazing, Yrome Records

Quartet of the Year:Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC's, Fall On Me, MCG Records

Recorded Music Package of the Year:Denise Trotman, Donald Lawrence - The Confession Part 1, Quiet Water/Verity

Praise and Worship CD of the Year:Stephen Hurd, Times of Refreshing, Integrity Gospel

MLK Day

Once again President Obama is observing the King holiday with service. Not just lip service, but actually serving others at a homeless shelter. He was joined by his entire family. Kudos to the Obama family for being an example of service to us all. In honor of Dr. King I have posted the transcript from his acceptance speech for the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, a prize in which our current President received just a few short months ago. Enjoy and remember to keep the dream alive!

J

Acceptance Speech
Martin Luther King's Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, December 10, 1964
Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award on behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice. I am mindful that only yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, our children, crying out for brotherhood, were answered with fire hoses, snarling dogs and even death. I am mindful that only yesterday in Philadelphia, Mississippi, young people seeking to secure the right to vote were brutalized and murdered. And only yesterday more than 40 houses of worship in the State of Mississippi alone were bombed or burned because they offered a sanctuary to those who would not accept segregation. I am mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder.
Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize.
After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time - the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
The tortuous road which has led from Montgomery, Alabama to Oslo bears witness to this truth. This is a road over which millions of Negroes are travelling to find a new sense of dignity. This same road has opened for all Americans a new era of progress and hope. It has led to a new Civil Rights Bill, and it will, I am convinced, be widened and lengthened into a super highway of justice as Negro and white men in increasing numbers create alliances to overcome their common problems.
I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.
I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." I still believe that We Shall overcome!
This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.
Today I come to Oslo as a trustee, inspired and with renewed dedication to humanity. I accept this prize on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood. I say I come as a trustee, for in the depths of my heart I am aware that this prize is much more than an honor to me personally.
Every time I take a flight, I am always mindful of the many people who make a successful journey possible - the known pilots and the unknown ground crew.
So you honor the dedicated pilots of our struggle who have sat at the controls as the freedom movement soared into orbit. You honor, once again, Chief Lutuli of South Africa, whose struggles with and for his people, are still met with the most brutal expression of man's inhumanity to man. You honor the ground crew without whose labor and sacrifices the jet flights to freedom could never have left the earth. Most of these people will never make the headline and their names will not appear in Who's Who. Yet when years have rolled past and when the blazing light of truth is focused on this marvellous age in which we live - men and women will know and children will be taught that we have a finer land, a better people, a more noble civilization - because these humble children of God were willing to suffer for righteousness' sake.
I think Alfred Nobel would know what I mean when I say that I accept this award in the spirit of a curator of some precious heirloom which he holds in trust for its true owners - all those to whom beauty is truth and truth beauty - and in whose eyes the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.

From Les Prix Nobel en 1964, Editor Göran Liljestrand, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1965

Happy Birthday Dr. King!!

Everyone once in a while the question is raised as to the relevance of the King holiday. To that I say that Dr. King's holiday will always be relevant, especially as long as hatred and intolerance exists anywhere in the world. Dr. King's life of self-sacrifice for civil rights is an example to be followed. Last year President Obama declared the King holiday a day of community service. Let's follow in that tradition. I know we are still battling our own economic hardship, but the recent and ongoing tragedy in Haiti is tiny in comparison. Please make a donation and say a prayer for the survivors in Haiti. I can not imagine having my entire country decimated within minutes. I can't comprehend that level of devastation. Remember King and remember Haiti.

J

Sen. Harry Reid

Before you read any further, be forewarned that my comments will be controversial to some of you. I've waited a while to voice my opinion since the fallout from Sen. Reid's comments about President Barack Obama. Actually his comments were made while Obama was yet a senator and had just begun his quest for the White House.

I have no issue, for the most part, with what Sen. Reid said. Shocking, I know. (LOL) The sad truth is that his remarks about Obama being more acceptable to the white majority because he has fair skin and no "negro dialect" is accurate. You may not want to outwardly agree with me, but deep inside you know it's true. I hate to say it and of course I would love for that not to be true, but we know we have not yet come that far in this country. Just look at all the detractors to this day that say Obama isn't an American citizen or that he is a Muslim. Watching footage from the tea bagger events is enough to make anyone cringe with all the openly racist signs on display for anyone to see. Yes, we have come a long way since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King who we will celebrate this coming Monday, but we can not wear blinders and ignore the distance we have yet to go.

Sen. Reid's comments were inappropriate and he should have known better than voice them. Some things whether true or not should not be voiced. However, I do not think he is a racist. IF you want an example of someone who is a racist, look no further than the likes of Rush Limbaugh who made ignorant remarks just today discouraging people from donating to Haiti relief efforts.

The part of Reid's comments that I find offensive is about the "negro dialect." That comment almost suggests that most people of color speak Ebonics and not the king's English. I beg to differ and am just one example of that remark being inaccurate.

So instead of throwing tomatoes at Sen. Reid, make this an opportunity to evaluate your feelings on the matter honestly. Ask yourself whether or not Obama would have as easily received your vote had he been dark complexioned and not have been the great orator that Obama is. I pose this question to people of color as well because we can be notorious self-haters which I do not begin to have time to address in this blog.

If you can honestly say that he probably would not have gotten your vote, then you need to evaluate your issues with race and deal with it. It's an opportunity to recognize a character flaw and fix it.

J

Time Usage

Do you ever evaluate how you spend your time? I'm talking about an honest discussion with yourself. Recently I had some problems with my Internet connection at home. It took nearly two weeks for my Internet provider to correct the issue. I didn't really think about it at the time but now in hindsight I realize how much I accomplished at home without that distraction.

I was in a rush to get to work today (pretty much the norm for me) and I forgot my cell phone. Like many of us today I have Internet access on my phone, plus a lot of games and etc. I found that I was more productive today without all the time spent checking my phone for incoming texts, email, and Facebook. (LOL) Have you ever done that before? I found it to be a life lesson. I also tend to spend countless wasted hours watching television.

I have to ask myself, what could I be doing with all that wasted time? First and foremost I could be spending time in prayer and meditation, further developing my relationship with the Lord. I could also be advancing the business I started last year which has been in limbo for the most part. I could also spend more quality time with family and friends, especially those that really could use some of my attention. You get the picture, the list of more important past times could be endless.

I am seriously considering simplifying my life. Now I can't promise that I will get rid of my cell phone, of course not. BUT, do I really need Internet access on my phone, or even at home? I have Internet access at both of my jobs. Do I really need to be watching two plus hours a night watching mindless television? I could certainly go without cable. It would be tough because my favorite channels are HGTV, Food Network and the Tennis Channel. I could do it.

Perhaps there are areas in your life that you can simplify as well. Let's think about that together. Please share your thoughts.

J

Something to Think About

Check this out.

J

Schultz PhilosophyThe following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions.. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of Miss America .
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3.. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

Easier?The lesson:The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care ..

Black Women & Marriage

I recently happened to catch a feature story on ABC's Nightline about successful black women and their struggle to find a man to marry. I was rather taken aback by the whole thing because it made career minded sisters who happen to not be married look somewhat unfulfilled and desperate. Although I am married, I still did not appreciate the implication or tone of the story. Why single out successful black women? The statistics listed made black women and the future of the black family seem dire at best, as if our race will go extinct because enough of us can not find suitable mates. Then of course comes the flood of stereotypes about there not being enough black men to choose from because the majority are either gay, in prison, a criminal, or beneath us. I was highly insulted as you can tell. The segment wrapped up with the suggestion that black women need to lower their standards and settle for less, or be rescued by a man of another race. Hmmmm??? I have nothing against interracial relationships but since when do we not get a choice in our preferences just as women of other races? I could go on and on about this topic. Please continue reading below. I found an article by a female blogger who also took offense to the story, although for different reasons. Also be forewarned that I do NOT agree with everything this woman has to say, but she makes a few interesting points.

J


*Nightline Hosts Pity Party for Successful Black Women
More media fascination with successful black women, because they’re single
Published on January 3, 2010

I know I have to blog about something when I start getting requests from more than one person. So it was with a Nightline story, aired over the holidays, about black women who were successful in many ways - but, sigh, single. Gorgeous, accomplished black women were recruited to tell their stories, and the usual statistics were trotted out. You know the ones, about how there are not enough acceptable (Nightline's word) black men for all of the black women. Oh, and also, more black women than white women are single.
Nightline's pity party included a special guest - a dispenser of free advice about marriage to these wonderful women. Offering his services was a comedian and supposed "relationship guru" Steve Harvey - who, as Living Single reader Lisa slyly pointed out, has been married three times. (Thanks, Lisa!)

Jeanine, another Living Single reader, sent me a link to a blog post from Wise Diva. (Appreciate it, Jeanine!) About the comparison to the marriage rates of white women, Wise Diva asks, "So wait, are black women in some kind of Amazing Bridal Race with white women that I didn't know about?"
She also asks this, "I want to know, what is the fascination with single black women not marrying? What is it supposed to mean? Am I supposed to feel hopeful, panicky, ambivalent?"
Wise Diva is so right about the fascination. It has been going on for years. I noticed it when I was writing Singled Out, and included a section on the topic. Here's my take on the matter. Take a look, then share your thoughts in the Comments section, if you'd like.
From pp. 139-141 of Singled Out:
The lead-in to the feature story is promising. "Black women," Newsweek claimed, "are making historic strides on campuses and in the workplace." The story ticked off the accomplishments - more black women in college than ever before, more getting promoted in the workplace, names showing up on lists of officers of Fortune 500 companies. A photograph spread across two pages illustrated another success story: There were seven black women in the lab of just one veterinary school. "Today a black woman can be anything from an astronaut to a talk show host, run anything from a corporation to an Ivy League university."
How do single black women feel about their lives at this time of such inspiring successes? Author Ellis Cose wanted to know. He talked to a group of single black women who got together every Friday night. There was a big picture of them, too - four women (three of whom had downcast eyes and sullen expressions) and a cat. "The weekly gathering," Cose noted, "could easily be dubbed ‘the black, beautiful, accomplished but can't find a mate club.'" He also talked to a single mom who "warns her daughters that they may end up on their own," and to a professor and advice columnist who worries that she "will die in a room all by myself."
Cose first reiterated that the professional progress of black women was indeed impressive. "Long confined to menial jobs, black women are advancing faster than black men - and many whites - in education, income, and careers." However, Cose continued, the new black woman is looking "not only for recognition but for ‘models of happiness.'"
Will she find her happiness? "Is this new black woman finally crashing through the double ceiling of race and gender? Or is she leaping into treacherous waters that will leave her stranded, unfulfilled, childless, and alone? Can she thrive if her brother does not, if the black man succumbs, as hundreds of thousands already have, to the hopelessness of prison and the streets? Can she - dare she - thrive without the black man, finding happiness across the racial aisle? Or will she, out of compassion, loneliness or racial loyalty ‘settle' for men who - educationally, economically, professionally - are several steps beneath her?"
Cose ended his story with a projection of two possible futures for the new black women. In the bleak vision, "more and more black women will lead lives of success but also isolation." In what he called the more optimistic version, "black women are weathering a period of transition, after which they will find a way to balance happiness and success."
Ellis Cose is a serious, respected, and award-winning author and editor, who has written book-length treatments on topics such as race in America. But in asking whether the new black woman is "leaping into treacherous waters that will leave her stranded, unfulfilled, childless, and alone," his rhetoric is about as hyperbolic as anything to leap out of People magazine. In fact, his moniker, "the black, beautiful, accomplished but can't find a mate club," differs hardly at all from People's "Sure, they're rich and gorgeous. But that doesn't make it any easier to find a love that lasts."
Consider the choices Cose ascribed to the women of such great accomplishment. What are their alternatives to ending up stranded and unfulfilled? There is the guilt option: Maybe they can thrive, but meanwhile untold numbers of their black brothers are on the streets or in prison. There is also the rescue possibility: Out of compassion, they can lower themselves to marry those poor brothers. Then there is the set-up. We are led to believe that a free spirited alternative is about to be unveiled - "Can she - dare she - thrive without the black man..." - only to be let down. The thought is completed not with the possibility that successful black women can lead rich and full and happy lives without marrying, but instead with the option of "finding happiness across the racial aisle."
Think, too, about Cose's two visions. In one, black women end up successful but isolated. In the other, they end up balancing happiness and success. There is only one story here, and it is a familiar morality tale. Women's success in the workplace cannot bring happiness but needs to be "balanced" by happiness. Success is isolating. Happiness comes only from finding The One, and then creating a family. Without marriage or family, the black woman (indeed, any woman) will, as the advice columnist feared, ‘die in a room all by [herself].'
There were other stories that could have been told, but they were hidden in plain view. There was, for example, the story of the four women who got together every Friday night. Cose describes them as lamenting the relationship they do not have. He does not seem to notice the relationships they do have. He does not seem to appreciate that even if these women do wed, their friendships with each other are more likely to endure than are their marriages. These women are not isolated and they are not alone. He does not know, nor do they, that hardly anyone is less likely to be lonely in old age than women who have always been single.
It is also telling that even though it is the single black men who are on the streets and in the prisons, and failing to keep up educationally or professionally with the single black women, the hand-wringing in Newsweek is about the women. It is they whom we need to think about and wonder about.
[END OF EXCERPT]
[You can read the rest of the chapter here in Singled Out. The book also includes a Notes section where you can find the sources of the various quotes.]


*This article was found at www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single

Weather Alert

Be careful everyone and be prepared. A winter storm warning is in affect until Friday morning. We are expecting up to eight inches of snow in some areas. Please check on your loved ones.

J
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AMCST FRIDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORMWARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NOLONGER IN EFFECT. * TIMING...SNOW WILL DEVELOP WEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER EARLY THIS EVENING...THEN WILL SPREAD INTO EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS BY MIDNIGHT. MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY...BEFORE TAPERING OFF TO LIGHT SNOW BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. * ACCUMULATIONS...SNOWFALL OF 6 TO 7 INCHES WILL BE COMMON...WITH ISOLATED 8 INCH AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. * WIND...NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH BY THURSDAY EVENING...WITH GUSTS ABOVE 30 MPH. * IMPACTS...TRAVEL WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED TONIGHT AND THURSDAY...PARTICULARLY DURING THE EARLY MORNING COMMUTE. MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO DRIVE WITH CAUTION AND PLAN ON EXTRA TIME TO ARRIVE AT THEIR DESTINATION. AS WINDS INCREASE...SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL OCCUR THURSDAY NIGHT. TRAVEL WILL CONTINUE TO BE DIFFICULT...AS ROADS REMAIN SNOW-COVERED AND HAZARDOUS.

Food For Thought

I received an email with the following food for thought from WVEL's station manager, Rev. Robert Caruth. I thought it was definitely worth sharing. Thanks Butch!

J


Taking Care of You
Drink plenty of water.Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.Eat more fruits and vegetables and eat less that is manufactured in processing plants.Avoid eating food that is handed to you through a window.Live the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.Play more games.Read more books than you did in 2009.Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.Sleep for 7 hours.Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Your Outlook
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.Don't overdo. Keep your limits.Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.Dream more while you are awake.Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.Forget issues of the past. Don't remind others of their past mistakes.Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.No one is in charge of your happiness except you.Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.Learn a new word every day.Smile and laugh more.You don't have to win every argument.

Your Relationships
Call your family often.Each day give something good to others.Forgive everyone for everything.Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.Try to make at least three people smile each day.What other people think of you is none of your business.Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Your Life
The worst promise you can break is one made to yourself.Do the right thing!Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. The best is yet to come.When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.Your Innermost Self is always happy. Follow it.No matter how you feel, get up, dress up

Cold Weather Safety Tips

We are in the middle of a deep freeze right now and I thought I would do a little research on how to keep healthy and safe in such frigid temperatures. Please read below and keep yourself safe! Remember to check on others, especially the elderly, to ensure that they are adequately warm. All the following information was found at www.cdc.gov/disaster/winter.

J

When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can become a challenge. Extremely cold temperatures often accompany a winter storm, so you may have to cope with power failures and icy roads. Although staying indoors as much as possible can help reduce the risk of car crashes and falls on the ice, you may also face indoor hazards. Many homes will be too cold—either due to a power failure or because the heating system isn't adequate for the weather. When people must use space heaters and fireplaces to stay warm, the risk of household fires increases, as well as the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Exposure to cold temperatures, whether indoors or outside, can cause other serious or life-threatening health problems. Infants and the elderly are particularly at risk, but anyone can be affected. To keep yourself and your family safe, you should know how to prevent cold-related health problems and what to do if a cold-weather health emergency arises.
The emergency procedures outlined here are not a substitute for training in first aid. However, these procedures will help you to know when to seek medical care and what to do until help becomes available.
What Is Extreme Cold?
What constitutes extreme cold and its effects can vary across different areas of the country. In regions relatively unaccustomed to winter weather, near freezing temperatures are considered “extreme cold.” Whenever temperatures drop decidedly below normal and as wind speed increases, heat can leave your body more rapidly. These weatherrelated conditions may lead to serious health problems. Extreme cold is a dangerous situation that can bring on health emergencies in susceptible people, such as those without shelter or who are stranded, or who live in a home that is poorly insulated or without heat.

Prepare for extremely cold weather every winter—it’s always a possibility. There are steps you can take in advance for greater wintertime safety in your home.
Prepare Your Home for Winter
Although periods of extreme cold cannot always be predicted far in advance, weather forecasts can sometimes provide you with several days’ notice. Listen to weather forecasts regularly, and check your emergency supplies whenever a period of extreme cold is predicted.
If you plan to use a fireplace or wood stove for emergency heating, have your chimney or flue inspected each year. Ask your local fire department to recommend an inspector, or find one in the yellow pages of your telephone directory under “chimney cleaning.”
Also, if you’ll be using a fireplace, wood stove, or kerosene heater, install a smoke detector and a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector near the area to be heated. Test them monthly, and replace batteries twice a year.
Your ability to feel a change in temperature decreases with age, and older people are more susceptible to health problems caused by cold. If you are over 65 years old, place an easy-to-read thermometer in an indoor location where you will see it frequently, and check the temperature of your home often during the winter months.
Insulate any water lines that run along exterior walls so your water supply will be less likely to freeze. To the extent possible, weatherproof your home by adding weather-stripping, insulation, insulated doors and storm windows, or thermal-pane windows.
If you have pets, bring them indoors. If you cannot bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure that they have access to unfrozen water.
Checklist
Insulate walls and attic.
Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows.
Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside.
Insulate any water lines that run along outer walls (water will be less likely to freeze).
Service snow-removal equipment.
Have chimney and flue inspected.
Install easy-to-read outdoor thermometer.

Prepare Your Car for Winter
You can avoid many dangerous winter travel problems by planning ahead. Have maintenance service on your vehicle as often as the manufacturer recommends. In addition, every fall:
Have the radiator system serviced, or check the antifreeze level yourself with an antifreeze tester. Add antifreeze, as needed.
Replace windshield-wiper fluid with a wintertime mixture.
Replace any worn tires, and check the air pressure in the tires.
During winter, keep the gas tank near full to help avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines.
Checklist
Keep your car fueled and in good working order. Be sure to check the following:
Antifreeze
Windshield wiper fluid (wintertime mixture)
Heater
Brakes
Ignition
Emergency flashers
Exhaust
Tires (air pressure and wear)
Fuel
Oil
Brake fluid
Defroster
Battery
Radiator

Winter Weather Checklists

Stock up on emergency supplies for communication, food, safety, heating, and car in case a storm hits.
Communication Checklist
Make sure you have at least one of the following in case there is a power failure:
Battery-powered radio (for listening to local emergency instructions). Have extra batteries.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio receiver (for listening to National Weather Service broadcasts). See www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr for more information.
Find out how your community warns the public about severe weather:
Siren
Radio
TV
Listen to emergency broadcasts.
Know what winter storm warning terms mean:
Winter weather advisory: expect winter weather conditions to cause inconvenience and hazards.
Frost/freeze warning: expect below-freezing temperatures.
Winter storm watch: be alert; a storm is likely.
Winter storm warning: take action; the storm is in or entering the area.
Blizzard warning: seek refuge immediately! Snow and strong winds, near-zero visibility, deep snow drifts, and life-threatening wind chill.

Food and Safety Checklist
Have a week’s worth of food and safety supplies. If you live far from other people, have more supplies on hand.
Drinking water
Canned/no-cook food (bread, crackers, dried fruits)
Non-electric can opener
Baby food and formula (if baby in the household)
Prescription drugs and other medicine
First-aid kit
Rock-salt to melt ice on walkways
Supply of cat litter or bag of sand to add traction on walkways
Flashlight and extra batteries
Battery-powered lamps or lanterns(To prevent the risk of fire, avoid using candles.)

Water Checklist
Keep a water supply. Extreme cold can cause water pipes in your home to freeze and sometimes break.
Leave all water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
Keep the indoor temperature warm.
Allow more heated air near pipes. Open kitchen cabinet doors under the kitchen sink.
If your pipes do freeze, do not thaw them with a torch. Thaw the pipes slowly with warm air from an electric hair dryer.
If you cannot thaw your pipes, or if the pipes have broken open, use bottled water or get water from a neighbor’s home.
Have bottled water on hand.
In an emergency—if no other water is available—snow can be melted for water. Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will kill most germs but won’t get rid of chemicals sometimes found in snow.

Heating Checklist
Have at least one of the following heat sources in case the power goes out:
Fireplace with plenty of dry firewood or gas log fireplace
Portable space heaters or kerosene heaters
Check with your local fire department to make sure that kerosene heaters are legal in your area.
Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water.
Use electric space heaters with
automatic shut-off switches and
nonglowing elements.
Keep heat sources at least 3 feet away from furniture and drapes.
Never leave children unattended near a space heater.
Have the following safety equipment:
Chemical fire extinguisher
Smoke alarm in working order (Check once a month and change batteries once a year.)
Carbon monoxide detector
Never use an electric generator indoors, inside the garage, or near the air intake of your home because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
Do not use the generator or appliances if they are wet.
Do not store gasoline indoors where the fumes could ignite.
Use individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords to plug in other appliances.

Cooking and Lighting Checklist
Never use charcoal grills or portable gas camp stove indoors—the fumes are deadly.
Use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns.
Avoid using candles.
Never leave lit candles alone.

Happy New Year

I hope all of you have a blessed and prosperous new year. Here's to a year of fulfilled dreams.

J