Search Episodes (When You re Alone)

Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise - Announcement Reveal Trail...

Added 02/09/12
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Added 02/08/12
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Lap Band Success Stories And Pictures

[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 23:00:00 02/08/12
http://mylapbandsuccess.plus101.com ---Lap Band Success Stories And Pictures. "My Journey With The Lap Band Has Been Rough... In Fact, I Almost Took Matters Into My Own Hands, And Ended That Journey A few Years Ago... But the fact that I'm still here today -- slim and happy, is proof that it is possible to overcome, and end your emotional reliance on food, and get the body and life you've always wanted! Let Me Tell You My Story... It was the worst week I had since my surgery -- Thanksgiving week. I was at a point where all I was thinking about all day, was food. I had to actually fight to resist my strong cravings... I just wanted to take one bite of that turkey... just eat one piece of pumpkin pie! I just wanted to be able to taste some of the same things everyone else was eating! Not Only Was I Still Obese, But I Couldn't Even Enjoy My Own Life! My cravings were driving me insane, but I did my best to resist the temptation. When I got onto the scales that week, I was dumb-founded - My weight loss had stalled! All the agony and deprivation I'd suffered... was for nothing! I was so angry at myself for even putting me in such a low, pitiful state in the first place! I was to blame for the way I looked! I was frustrated and... I felt helpless! My Weight Loss Had Stalled... Ok, so maybe I needed another refill but nothing could improve my emotional state-of-mind... I became so disillusioned that I could not remember my reasonsfor wanting to lose weight, and how critical it was for me to resist my favorite foods. All I thought, was that the lap band was not working for me... and I gave in! I Was Once Too Embarrassed To Share My Story With Anyone, But I'm Telling It To You Today, So You'll Know That You're Not Alone!... I had lost all hope of losing weight, that I began to out-eat my band, and find ways to cheat it... One of my favorite foods before the surgery was french fries dipped in a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup. Since I couldn't have it after the lap band, I improvised... and blended it! I Would Actually Put Fries, Mayo And Ketchup Into A Blender... And Then Drink It! If you've ever fallen off the wagon then I don't have to tell you about theguilt that sets in after-wards... I'd drink it, then I'd feel guilty and start to cry... It would make me sick... but I did it anyway! I hated myself for doing it... but I did it anyway! When the scales began to creep back up again, I knew why... but I didn't know what to do about it! I felt like my life was in a tail-spin. The worst part was that I was just too embarrassed & humiliated to talk to anyone about it! Have you ever felt that way? To find out what happened next, scroll down! In an amazing twist of fate, find out how I found it easier to lose the last 132 lbs than it ever was to lose the first 60 lbs!" By April Cannon Lap, Band, Success, Stories, And, Pictures, Laparoscopic, gastric, Banding, costs, stomach, surgery, diet, successfull, Raisa Khan, April Cannon

Send Us ALL Your Movies! : Movie Quest 029

Added 01/17/12
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Jim Messina: 2011 Fourth Quarter Fundraising Update

Added 01/12/12
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On "If I were a poor Black kid"...

Added 12/28/11
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On "If I were a poor Black kid"...

[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 07:41:54 12/28/11
[ VIDEO ] Joe Hicks discusses the controversy over Gene Marks' blog post at Forbes entitled " If I were a poor Black kid ". Basically he asks, "Why can't white people contribute to the national dialogue on race and racism?" It does seem like a cop out to just tell someone that they have nothing to say because they're not a poor Black child so they can't relate in any way. I've had a white geography teacher in high school - GO FALCONS - who said that he could relate because he was poor. Of course the conclusion could be that he thinks all Blacks are poor, but that's only a thought and not necessarily based on reality. All the same Marks bounces off of a recent speech by President Obama in Kansas where he discussed the gap between the rich and the poor: > The President’s speech got me thinking. My kids are no smarter than similar kids their age from the inner city. My kids have it much easier than their counterparts from West Philadelphia . The world is not fair to those kids mainly because they had the misfortune of being born two miles away into a more difficult part of the world and with a skin color that makes realizing the opportunities that the President spoke about that much harder. This is a fact. In 2011. I am not a poor black kid. I am a middle aged white guy who comes from a middle class white background. So life was easier for me. But that doesn’t mean that the prospects are impossible for those kids from the inner city. It doesn’t mean that there are no opportunities for them. Or that the 1% control the world and the rest of us have to fight over the scraps left behind. I don’t believe that. I believe that everyone in this country has a chance to succeed. Still. In 2011. Even a poor black kid in West Philadelphia. It takes brains. It takes hard work. It takes a little luck. And a little help from others. It takes the ability and the know-how to use the resources that are available. Like technology. As a person who sells and has worked with technology all my life I also know this. If I was a poor black kid I would first and most importantly work to make sure I got the best grades possible. I would make it my #1 priority to be able to read sufficiently. I wouldn’t care if I was a student at the worst public middle school in the worst inner city. Even the worst have their best. And the very best students, even at the worst schools, have more opportunities. Getting good grades is the key to having more options. With good grades you can choose different, better paths. If you do poorly in school, particularly in a lousy school, you’re severely limiting the limited opportunities you have. And I would use the technology available to me as a student. I know a few school teachers and they tell me that many inner city parents usually have or can afford cheap computers and internet service nowadays. That because (and sadly) it’s oftentimes a necessary thing to keep their kids safe at home than on the streets. And libraries and schools have computers available too. Computers can be purchased cheaply at outlets like TigerDirect and Dell’s Outlet . Professional organizations like accountants and architects often offer used computers from their members, sometimes at no cost at all. You will see at the end of this posting links to several rebuts to Marks' comments. I will add my two cents just as Hicks and those other links have. I didn't go to the very best schools in Chicago. I'd say my old elementary school was an average at best school and my old high school - when I attended - was one of the worst. My marks weren't that great in elementary school but for some reason my marks in high school were often in the honor roll range. With that in mind though I consider that a fluke today. My time in high school wasn't a time to seek out options. I never thought of my grades as a ticket mainly because they were had too easy. It was never a challenge academically and who knows how that would've been weathered. The serious challenge was in college where I struggled to keep up. If only I had the tools back then that the young people have today to help me study and understand the various subjects. I wouldn't just be ahead of my peers but it would be light years ahead of them. But when I was in public school most of those tools did not yet exist. In spite of the nay sayers - and I will get to one in a moment - Marks isn't wrong. Make the best grades you can where you are take advantage of all the tools you can. Don't have a PC at home go somewhere to use one, especially the library. At that there are people at your school who if you establish a relationship with them will help you move forward. This nay sayer, well is making more of this than he realizes: > No believer in Bell Curv-ish nonsense about black intellectual inferiority, Marks makes clear that the children about whom he speaks are no less capable than his own kids. Of course, one wonders just how much of a compliment Marks really intends for this to be, given his strange habit of dissing his offspring, on more than one occasion, as rather unintelligent, unmotivated, promiscuous and even inclined to petty criminality. Not sure what kind of asshole says things like this about his children in print, but I suppose we can leave that discussion for another day. No doubt Marks would say that he was simply encouraging poor African American kids to take personal responsibility for their success. He might even say that by acknowledging unfair and unjust structural inequity (and even, indirectly, white privilege), he was doing so in a politically ecumenical way. Certainly Marks would perceive his words and intentions as quite different from those of right-wingers whose hectoring of the poor so often involves blaming those at the bottom of the nation’s economic hierarchy for their station in life. To Marks, poor black kids are not to blame for the position in which they find themselves, but they nonetheless hold the keys to their own liberation, and if they would simply follow his sage counsel they could surely make it, like anyone else: even the cerebrally challenged and oversexed spawn who slumber each night just down the hall from he and his wife. There is much one could say about Marks’s advice — rather typical bootstrapping fare about studying hard, coupled with a more modern emphasis on becoming a techie like him, and thereby, presumably, an irresistible college or job applicant — and most of it has been said already. Like, for instance, this piece , or this one , or this one , or maybe this one , all of which eloquently critique the privileged and naive mindset displayed by Marks, and explain how even when poor kids of color do everything right, the structures of society are too often set up to help them fail anyway. ... And it’s this last point that we might do well to explore further. Fact is, Gene Marks knows his readership at Forbes . He knows that it includes virtually none of the people to whom he is ostensibly offering advice, which means that he isn’t really giving them advice at all; rather, he is inviting his mostly white, mostly affluent audience to engage in a perverse moralistic voyeurism at the expense of impoverished African American youth, almost none of whom that readership will ever meet, and whom they will, in fact, go out of their way to avoid. He is offering a kind of secret white-male handshake to others in the club, assuring them that the problems of urban poverty are not theirs to fix, that they are off the hook as it were, and isn’t that a relief? That Marks may not be as vile in his desire to blame the poor for their status as some, hardly acquits him of the charge that by pandering to the biases of his readership, he has, with some 700-odd simple (and simplistic) words, managed to reinscribe all the worst of their prejudices, many of which one can see on grand display in the readers’ comments section of the original article. Make no mistake, Gene Marks’s column is contempt cloaked as compassion and bigotry dressed up as benevolence. And it can do nothing but contribute to the indifference and even antipathy towards the poor that those who rely on Forbes for insights already possess in ample supply. Starting with that last paragraph it's true, Forbes may not have a significant audience in poor inner city communities. Without having to purchase a subscription you can always go to a library to access past issues of magazines. Also with internet access you can access magazines as well and blog posts such as this one which surely don't require a subscription. As for Mr. Tim Wise who wrote the above excerpts, how is he going to call that man out for what he refers to his kids. Yeah it may be wrong to say your kids are very bright, but somewhere out there some parent is doing it. I also recognize that Marks is merely a commentator who is definitely using his platform to say what he wants to say. The main point surely Marks is making is that his children are not much different than poor inner city children. Just that they have different opportunities living in a different part of the Philadelphia area than the inner city children. Perhaps even different expectations from parents, perhaps different staff and different schools. He didn't write the "poor black kid" piece to denigrate his children. I think what he wrote was real. It shouldn't be impeached merely for that reason. That alone is weak! Although to Mr. Wise's credit he is at least has some suggestions for Marks to put his money where his mouth is. Marks could always help get the information out aside from using his platform at Forbes.

Breakout Stars of 2011

Added 12/22/11
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Breakout Stars of 2011

Added 12/22/11
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Havel the Dissident: A Legacy Worth Claiming

Added 12/19/11
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Havel the Dissident: A Legacy Worth Claiming

[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 20:00:00 12/19/11
Former President Havel addresses a European cultural congress on the economics of culture On a warm evening in 1991, a colleague and I found an out-of-the-way café in the old part of Prague. Two men with blank expressions stood outside. The interior was dim and close, with room for only eight or nine tables. The place was almost empty. Just a sleepy waitress, a bartender polishing glasses, and a single patron who sat alone drinking wine and chain-smoking cigarettes. The President of Czechoslovakia wasn't reviewing official papers. He was reading a book, a startlingly un-Presidential act to our American eyes. My companion, a neoconservative State Department official, already admired him for defying and defeating a Communist state. He'd impressed me by bringing a writer's sensibility and an affinity for true underground culture to his role as head of state. Václav Havel even tried to appoint Frank Zappa as his Minister of Culture. "We're not rock musicians," Zappa told a reporter back in the sixties. "We're electronic social workers." The State Department wouldn't let Zappa assume the post, but Havel had made his point to the Czech public by offering this apparatchik's position to the composer of songs like "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" ("Some say your nose, some say your toes, but I think it's your mind .") We never spoke to Havel that night. It didn't seem polite to offer anything more than the curt nod of acknowledgement any café patron gives another at that hour. But Havel spoke to us, to all of us. And on the occasion of his death, the real lessons of his life's work are in danger of being lost. Today we're told that the Occupy movement is too idealistic, too naïve. Naïve? Try Havel's words if you want naïve: "May truth and love triumph over lies and hatred." Think of that as the Velvet Revolution's "one demand." Portrait of the President as a Young Freak As millions of people know, the underground playwright Havel first made his political mark in Charter 77. That group was formed to defend the Plastic People of the Universe, a banned and imprisoned rock band working in the Zappa mold of musical dissonance and cultural dissidence. The Occupy movement is not on the cultural fringe, despite what its detractors say. But Havel's movement began as a Yippie-like creature of the underworld. Charter 77 rarely had more than a thousand members. It was a strange blend of political idealism and the hippie subculture where people proudly labeled themselves "freaks" to the conventional world. Despite its later alignment with economically conservative forces, it was more Allen Ginsburg than Alan Greenspan. And it was created to defend the Plastic People of the Universe, whose grating music makes Occupy's drum circles seem like a children's choir serenading the bored residents of a home for aging veterans. Words Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité - what wonderful words! And how terrifying their meaning can be! Freedom in the shirt unbuttoned before execution. Equality in the constant speed of the guillotine's fall on different necks. Fraternity in some dubious paradise ... Havel addressed the liberal democratic West on words in the 1970s, noting that the suppression of speech can give language enormous power: > I ... live in a country where a writers' congress speech is capable of shaking the system ... a manifesto served as one of the pretexts for the invasion of our country one night by five foreign armies ... a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than ten military divisions. When a system has become inflexible and is in danger of collapsing, what it fears most is words. Think about that the next time you see a phalanx of cops tear down a tent city on television. Havel had been burned by language, too: > The same word can at one moment radiate great hope, at another it can emit lethal rays ... true at one moment and false the next, at one moment illuminating, at another, deceptive. On one occasion it can open up glorious horizons, on another, it can lay down the tracks to an entire archipelago of concentration camps. And as we approach an election year that will be filled with the rhetoric of freedom, this observation still resonates: > The same word can at one time be the cornerstone of peace, while at another time machine-gun fire resounds in its every syllable. Control In 1975 Havel had the presumption to write directly to Czechoslovakian head of state Gustáv Husák with a few suggestions. There's more than a passing resemblance between the fear-driven Communist society Havel condemned in that letter and the financial anxiety many Americans endure today: > The technique of existential pressure is ... universal. There is no one in our country who is not, in a broad sense, existentially vulnerable. Everyone has something to lose and so everyone has reason to be afraid. The range of things one can lose is broad, extending from the manifold privileges of the ruling caste... down to the mere possibility of living in that limited degree of legal certainty available to other citizens. Today, one out of two Americans lives in financial insecurity. Even many upper-middle-class citizens live from month to month, just one layoff notice away from medical bankruptcy or home foreclosure. "Everyone has something to lose," observed Havel. Havel's description of his 20th Century Communist society echoes our own: > The more completely one abandons any hope of general reform, any interest in suprapersonal goals and values, or any chance of exercising influence in an 'outward' direction, the more one's energy is diverted in the direction of least resistance, that is, 'inwards.'" People today are preoccupied far more with themselves ... They fill their homes with all kinds of appliances and pretty things, they try to improve their accommodations, they try to make life pleasant for themselves, building cottages, looking after their cars, taking more interest in food and clothing and domestic comfort ...They turn their main attention to the material aspects of their private lives. Havel concluded that "Despair leads to apathy, apathy to conformity, and conformity to routine (political) performance - which is then quoted as evidence of 'mass political involvement.'" Ambition Havel understood the psychology of greed and power, too. From his letter to Husák: > If it is fear which lies behind people's defensive attempts to preserve what they have, it becomes increasingly apparent that the chief impulses for their aggressive efforts to win what they do not yet possess are selfishness and careerism. It is not surprising that so many public and influential positions are occupied more than ever before by notorious careerists, opportunists, charlatans, and men of dubious record. From Prague to Washington, from Moscow to lower Manhattan, the opportunities change. But human nature never does: > Seldom in recent times has a social system offered scope so openly and so brazenly to people willing to support anything as long as it brings them some advantage; to unprincipled and spineless men, prepared to do anything in their craving for power and personal gain; to born lackeys, ready for any humiliation and willing at all times to sacrifice their neighbors' and their own honor for a chance to ingratiate themselves with those in power. Technocracy It's a historical irony that those who claim they'll govern with the most efficiency usually wind up governing with the least effectiveness. Today corporate-funded politicians from both parties argue that the country should be led by "technocrats' who'll govern without messy "ideologies." That's a false premise Havel knew well. He called it the "process by which power becomes anonymous and depersonalized, reduced to a mere technology of rule and manipulation." Washington's technocratic "bipartisans" dream of a world where, in Havel's words, the "professional ruler is (seen as) the 'innocent' tool of an 'innocent' anonymous power ... legitimized by science, cybernetics, ideology, law, abstraction, and objectivity - that is, by everything except personal responsibility to human beings as persons and neighbors." Havel's Prague is our Beltway: > States grow ever more machinelike; people are transformed into statistical choruses of voters, producers, consumers, patients, tourists, or soldiers, (where) in politics good and evil, categories of the natural world and therefore obsolete remnants of the past, lose all absolute meaning (and where) the sole method of politics is quantifiable success. Havel condemned a system of state-orchestrated political theater, and the self-perpetuating failures of imagination which mistook the indifferent and pro forma participation of its citizens for genuine democracy. And he saw its universal nature: > (It) has a thousand masks, variants, and expressions. Essentially, though, it is the same universal trend ... the essential trait of all modern civilization, growing directly from its spiritual structure, rooted in it by a thousand tangled tendrils and inseparable even in thought from its technological nature, its mass characteristics, and its consumer orientation. "The contemporary concept of 'normal' behavior is," Havel wrote, "deeply pessimistic." Responsibility "I favor 'antipolitical politics,'" said Havel, "politics not as the technology of power and manipulation, of cybernetic rule over humans or as the art of the utilitarian, but politics as one of the ways of seeking and achieving meaningful lives, of protecting them and serving them." > I favor politics as practical morality, as service to the truth, as essentially human and humanly measured care for our fellow humans. None of us--as an individual--can save the world as a whole, but . . . each of us must behave as though it were in his power to do so. Decades later he said this to the leaders of Western countries: > Today, more than ever before in the history of mankind, everything is interrelated ... Because of this, the future of the United States or the European Union is being decided in suffering Sarajevo or Mostar, in the plundered Brazilian rain forests, in the wretched poverty of Bangladesh or Somalia. Havel had glaring faults. American neocons offered him small favors during his final rise to power. He reciprocated, consciously or unconsciously, by aiding their destructive military ventures and adopting their foolish economic policies. He succumbed to the politics of personality, both his own and those of the leaders who courted him. But it would be a shame if that's all the world remembered. Havel seemed unhappy in the role of leader. It's possible than he lost sight of his deepest insights, his truest gifts. It was the outsider Havel, the dreamer of the impossible, the surrealist and absurdist, we should remember. That's the Havel who can and should inspire dissidents everywhere. "Is the human word truly powerful enough to change the world and influence history?" he once asked. With his life and his words, Václav Havel gave us his answer. He showed us the power in each individual and the responsibility that accompanies that power. At his best, and above all else, Havel was a dissident outsider who realized his power and used it. Now it's our turn.

How to Thrift Store Shop for clothing:

Added 12/02/11
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How to Thrift Store Shop for clothing:

[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 02:35:59 12/02/11
FACT: Thrifting can be overwhelming: > What store do I chose? Once inside, where do I start? When should I go? Do I need cash? Because those thoughts can flood your brain, its understandable why many of you just don’t do it all. BUT if you don’t do it all, then you are missing out on a really invigorating shopping experience. I like to think of it as treasure hunting. Every time I go to a thrift store I walk away with an amazing, unexpected find, at a remarkably bargain of a price. Best of all…it’s recycling! > I started thrifting because I love fashion, but could never afford (without going into debt) to buy trendy and designer clothing. I learned from an old friend who was a fashion stylist and another friend who used to work at a thrift store how to navigate them successfully. Step#1: Before you even go into a thrift store you need to establish why you are going. (At least if you are a newbie.) This will prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed and frustrated. The best way to do that is to list what you need. If I don’t have something in particular that I am looking for, like a brown cardigan or sequins dress, then my strategy is to hit up certain things that I know that I will always need, like flowy work blouses. > Here’s my personal l ist of things that I always check when shopping at a thrift store: Leather Sequins Jewelry Dresses Blouses But I do recommend that you skip out on buying lingerie, bathing suits…you know items that get really personal. Step#2 Research thrift stores in your area. Each one offers something different. I categorize the in three ways: pure thrift, general thrift, and boutique thrift. Pure Thrift: usually bigger, warehouse stores. Sorted only by sections like women’s blouse and men’s blazers. And also sorted by colors. Some even just have big piles of clothes that you have to dig through. They are generally not sorted by brands or quality, so this is where you really can treasure hunt and really find “gold.” This type of thrift store is my preference. I find top brand names, clothing with tags on it, etc. Because they are minimally sorted, the prices are usually the cheapest. But you have to thoroughly check for quality, flaws, weird stains, etc. In the Southeast, Value Village is the best example. Also, oodwill Warehouse’s (not to be confused with standard Goodwill Stores) Other thrift stores are sorted a little more. I call these general thrift stores. You are familiar with their names mostly because of the charity they serve. These places have less selection and the prices can be about 100 percent higher and are conting ent on the brand name. Meaning, a dress that cost $4 at Value Village can cost anywhere between $5 and $10 depending on the brand name. Examples of these thrift stores are Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Next we have boutique thrift stores. Usually, these places also offer consignment items. (*Stay tuned for post on how to shop and sell at consignment stores.) Wanna know how the owners of these stores stock their shelves? They basically shop Pure Thrift Stores (see above). These stores don’t take donations unless they are top label brand names in mint condition, and most of the time, if it’s in that’s the case, they will either flat out buy it or co nsign it for you. So for all of their work, you can expect, cha-ching, higher prices for second-hand clothing. In your area, you can google “boutique or designer thrift store”. Consignment usually comes up next to the stores, but I just explained why above. Step#3 Once you determine which store type (see Step#2), research the nuances about that store. Does it have sale days? Does it open early? Is there a day that they get fresh shipment and stock the shelves? Do they have dressing rooms? Doing these extra steps will help you save more money and have an efficient shopping trip. More tips before you enter: * If you can, go early. Some thrift stores open as early at 7:30 am. * If possible, choose a sale day or a restocking day. * Dress comfortable…so you can easily try on clothes. *Even if there are no dressing rooms, if you wear comfortable clothes you can easily throw on items in the isle, run to the mirror to see if works for you. * E xpect to spend a couple of hours shopping, at least. Prepare for that. * Do you shop with friend? *I personally do better alone. I need to concentrate. If with friend, make sure they know the time that it will take. Also, what’s their purpose: to help dig or be second eye. Make sure you know because it’s not a typical shopping trip. Now, you’re ready to go inside. Step#4 Once inside: 1. Get cart if you can. 2. Pick a section…for newbies, I say look for just try two. For example, long skirts and blazers. 3. Then go through that section piece by piece. Touch them all! As you get better, you’ll go faster, and take on more sections. Remember you’re digging for treasures, and the best treasures are usually hidden. So dig, dig, dig! 4. Try on and make sure you like the looks you’ve selected. If you’re going vintage, are the sleeves from the ‘80’s? Do you like the look after all when it’s on your body? Is the number size that you know fits you too small after all? Is it ill-fitting? Can it be tailored? Trying on clothes is essential, especially in a thrift store . Again, if you don’t like it when you get home, you know that you won’t wear it and it will just eventually be donated back. Now, let me dispel a myth. “It’s a thrift store, so I shouldn’t have high expectations on quality and condition.” Absolutely not! Why would anyone ever want to put on trash? You don’t have to settle for that. I only buy things that are perfect for what I need at thrift stores. If it’s not, I put it back. You don’t have to resolve for less than wonderful: bad stains, tears, smells, etc. Now, if it is something you really love, like a great leather coat and you think that you can work with the imperfection, then buy it. You have to weigh the blemish to see if it is fixable, cleanable or mendable…or if it is something that you can live with. If it is something that you can fix, how easy is that challenge? Do you want to send it to a tailor? Well then how much will that cost you? Weigh the costs, if it’s not worth it, then leave it alone! Walk away. You won’t wear it and will end up donating it back. > My example: I am pretty handy with sewing simple projects, but I happened upon a sequins dress made in the ‘80’s. I almost passed on it, but a friend that was with me said…”You better not.” Now that I think about it, I should’ve bought all the sequins I saw that day…and there was a lot. I got the dress for $5. I spent $50 to shorten the hem. It was worth it, because sequins is impossible for the novice to work with, and I didn’t want to ruin the dress. The dress was my New Years Eve dress and it was amazing! With that… Thirft stores are great places you can take fashion risks , with minimal costs and potential loss. You can pull an inspiration outfit online or just happen upon something funky. Buy it and work with it at home. If it doesn’t work out…oh well…it only cost you a few bucks, right? Now it’s time to donate it back. My thing is that I love to repurpose outfits. Many of my shopping trips have been just to pick up things to repurpose. I may like the texture (leather), or the pattern of a dress (but plan to turn it into a blouse), I may find a dress but it’s too long, so I’ll shorten the hem; the same with sleeves. *Stay tuned for upcoming posts and videos on how to repurpose things. For families... Probably the best secret is taking advantage of thrift stores. Little kids, especially babies, get very little wear out of their c lothing. So scour the thrift stores for everything from packaged onesies to baby formal wear. You can find designer jeans and many things with tags still on. Now that you have your big bag of goods. Next…what to when you get home…. *Check my thrift store challenge video on my show Charlotte Today.

S03 E19: Gearing Up

Added 10/23/11
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S03 E19: Gearing Up

[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 01:16:27 10/23/11
Preparation is everything. This week, in anticipation of a certain special guest visiting soon, we're actually taking on some more academic subjects, between regular segments on popular culture. It makes, we hope, for a well-rounded experience, especially with Alissa's musical interjections. Speaking of which, its also time to bring back a lovely segment idea. *PLEASED TO MEET YOU Back in the early 2000s I still sought out Much Music, specifically The New Music and The Wedge, as my primary source for new and exciting music. I looked forward to hearing George Strombo and Hannah Sung introduce bands I'd never heard of, but that I knew I should. The first time I heard Rilo Kiley was watching their music video for Portions for Foxes from the album More Adventurous released in 2004. While the video's taxidermy metaphor was lost on me, it didn't matter; I was hooked. The close-ups of lead singer Jenny Lewis singing her naked-yet-commanding lyrics pulled me in instantly. From there, my former classmate and music pusher, Andrew Gulya, passed along a mix of music, including a few more tracks from More Adventurous. This only fuelled my fire. I began listening to their older albums (Take-Offs and Landings and The Execution of All Things) and became obsessed. It was the combination of catchy rock hooks and a strong frontwoman singing insightful and feminist lyrics that kept me coming back. But when Jenny Lewis released her first solo album, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat, in 2006, everything changed. Jenny Lewis emerged as one of my favourite songwriters. Lewis has released three more albums since then: Under the Blacklight with Rilo Kiley, Acid Tongue (solo) and I'm Having Fun Now, her most recent release as Jenny & Johnny with her boyfriend Johnathan Rice. Her heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics continue to compel me. PLAYLIST Adele - Rumour Has It Sam Roberts - The Canadian Dream Feist - Graveyard *Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes Feist - A Commotion Feist - Comfort Me Heart - Alone LINKS TV's Best Worst Very Special Episodes

Only in the Fullness of Joy Will You Know Who You Are - Changi...

Added 10/15/11
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Only in the Fullness of Joy Will You Know Who You Are - Changing Beliefs

[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 04:50:59 10/15/11
2011-10-06 1st journal, Mayan day 4 Flint Transcript http://www.scribd.com/doc/68845997 Intro: You don't know who you are, do you? Can you really say that you do? Nor can I. I'm not claiming any special perfection, here or anywhere. We're all in the same boat. In the Oneness of all that is, we share. So, I often encourage us to follow our joy - to seek that out. Whatever brings that uplift of pure, simple happiness, find and indulge it - often. Soak that up. Words couldn't contain how beneficial this is, and not just to you, but to all Life. Your joy radiates out like a flame, like a sun, healing everything it can touch. For one thing, this raises your frequency, the overall energy signature of your consciousness. You've heard of the various bands of brainwaves, the alpha, beta, delta and such. Well, it goes deeper than just brainwaves. It goes right to the heart - and the heart of each cell. When you are tense and anxious, there is an action of closing up, of contraction, restriction. That's the energy signature of anxiety, which forms a part of most unhappy states, whatever they are - contraction. See this in contrast to the radiance, the effect of your joy. See how joy brings expansion, it brings a certain radiance, a shining. These are natural states. They are nothing we concentrate on and try to cause - they are natural effects of our feeling states. Now, be in heart, because we're headed for expansion. So anchor, within. Now, imagine yourself, not just as a body, nor even in a body - imagine the body as residing within you. Be the space. Expand out. Be sure to include in your expansion the other planes and densities or dimensions not seen with most physical eyes. Yes, some can see them - but not most. (Not yet, anyway ;) Okay, have you got that? Anchor in heart - see self as a point there...

Bof A To Lay Off 30 000 Employees In Spite Of Corporate Tax Br...

Added 09/13/11
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Bof A To Lay Off 30 000 Employees In Spite Of Corporate Tax Breaks

[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 00:00:21 09/13/11
Bank of America has made it official: They plan to lay off 30,000 employees to bolster their bottom line and keep stock prices high. Via Wall Street Journal : > We knew the Bank of America ax was going to fall, but we didn’t quite know the number. Today — after BofA CEO Brian Moynihan made no direct mention of job cuts during an investor presentation — the bank said it will cut about 30,000 jobs over the next few years. The job cuts are part of the first phase of a sweeping Bank of America efficiency drive. BofA said in a statement that attrition and leaving vacant jobs unfilled with be a “significant part” of the expected headcount cuts. That's a whole lot of attrition. As Laura Clawson over at Daily Kos points out: > Dealbook offers some insight into the lack of detail about 30,000 jobs and the emphasis on stock prices: Bank of America just isn't talking about it. When the bank's CEO described cost-cutting measures, he didn't even mention job cuts; that came later, in a statement that offered no specifics. Because to the big banks, jobs just aren't important. And financial reporters overwhelmingly go along with that. While I agree with that analysis, there's something else people aren't talking about here that jumped out at me from this Reuter's article: > The Moynihan speech "was pretty underwhelming. They need to address the bigger issues the bank faces ," said Jason Ware, equity analyst at Salt Lake City-based Albion Financial Group. Ware is exactly right. The whole "job cuts and attrition" thing is BofA's way of putting employees on the firing line for continuing mismanagement of their mortgage division. Reuter's again : > Yet it also has one big, fat albatross on its balance sheets: Countrywide Financial. Bank of America acquired Countrywide for $4 billion, a deal that has proven a huge headache not just in dollars and cents, but in terms of the bank's reputation. "Basically all the mortgages that Countrywide produced from 2004 to 2007 were excrement," Geracioti says. "The question is: What are Bank of America's liabilities from Countrywide? Some say $100 billion, others say, 'Who knows?' The liabilities could be ginormous. The government is hassling the bank in a big way." Bank of America has long held that Countrywide's problems were it own doing. But on September 2, the Federal Housing Finance Agency sued 17 firms - including Bank of America and Countrywide - for violations of federal securities laws in the sale of mortgage-backed securities. In an 88-page filing, the FHFA alleges that around 2005, top executives of Countrywide - which it labels as a "notorious mortgage lender" for its practice - "complained to each other at the time that BOA's appetite for risky products was greater than that of Countywide." You just have to love how these executives blame the government "hassling" Bank of America for their woes. Never mind that it's totally justifiable in light of how desperately they needed to be bailed out when it all came to light. Bank of America has a systemic problem that it's desperately trying to cover up: It holds billions in toxic mortgages. Those mortgages are probably legally invalid due to the sloppy paperwork/signature issues on many of them, and represent a large chunk of the mortgage scam that landed us in this mess to begin with. The only good thing to come out of this news is the shiny-bright message that corporate tax breaks do NOT create jobs. BofA paid no corporate income taxes in 2009 or 2010, they received a tax refund of nearly $1 billion in 2010. See how that works? No taxes and a big tax refund equals 30,000 lost jobs. Where is the money going? Well, let's see. In 2011 alone, $1,570,000 has been paid to lobbyists . How many jobs would that money have saved or created? They paid big cash bonuses to executives, too -- $900,000 in all, though they did manage to tie payment to stock prices, which have plummeted this year. In 2010, they spread around $1.3 million in campaign contributions, and those are just the ones we know about. How many jobs might that cash have preserved? It's really difficult for me to weep big tears over BofA's mortgage troubles, when they were of their own making and when they drove the engine that drove the crisis . If they're looking to cut costs, they ought to start by dropping executive pay to zero and resolving not to spend even one thin dime lobbying Congress or contributing to candidates. It would be a good start.

MM224: Google Buys Zagat, Twitter Wins, iPhone 5 Launch Date

Added 09/09/11
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MM224: Google Buys Zagat, Twitter Wins, iPhone 5 Launch Date

[LESS INFO] 9 VIEWS | ADDED 23:04:36 09/09/11
It's been a week of crazy rumors with the iPhone 5, but do we know the launch date? Plus, big Google buys another company and Twitter's huge milestone makes it a winner! This episode is proudly brought to you by Avis.com ! Simply use our promo code to save 10% off any rental car you need. If you want to check out our other awesome discounts and coupons, click here . Google Buys Zagat? Earlier today, Google announced they've acquired Zagat , the leading customer review publishing company on restaurants and bars. So why would Google buy a book company? Just wait until you see Google's plans to integrate local reviews on the moxiest bars and restaurants in cities all across the world. Twitter's Big Milestone is Moxie Twitter has been a lesson in unbelievable success. Just 5 years ago, no one even knew what this 140-character maximum social network was let alone how it would change the world forever. Check out the latest milestone that Twitter hit, this week, and some very awesome statistics that will blow you away. If you're not following us on Twitter, click here . iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup: Launch Date? As promised, we continue to give you the latest and greatest rumor roundup on the iPhone 5 . It's all but certain that the iPhone 5 will be coming soon and we may have the launch date! According to several "inside sources", we may even know when it will be announced as well as released for sale. Details inside. Plus, the picture that's gone viral that make be the first published iPhone 5 photo ever! Subscribe to the Moxie Mo Show Below: iTunes (HD Version) | iTunes (Small iPhone Version) Zune (HD Version) | Zune (Medium Version) Moxie Mo Show iPhone App 3.2 | Moxie Mo Show iPad App 3.2 | Moxie Mo Show Blog MeVIO Network | Blinkx Network | Blip.tv Network Moxie Mo Show YouTube | Moxie Mo Show Facebook

A Closer Look At Herman Cain 2012

Added 07/26/11
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A Closer Look At Herman Cain 2012

[LESS INFO] 33 VIEWS | ADDED 23:47:45 07/26/11
In the 2012 election, the voters must know their options inside and out. Herman Cain seems to speak as a true blue constitutional realist at first glance, but the Reality Report does not conclude without a closer look. This is Gary Franchi with a thorough policy view of the GOP nomination hopeful, Herman Cain. Cain is Tennessee born, Georgia raised, and finished his masters in computer science at Indiana's Purdue University. Since then, he's taken the roles of a talk radio host, national columnist, author of four books, CEO of Godfather's Pizza, CEO of the National Restaurant association, and even Deputy Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City . He is staunchly against abortion and gay marriage But what is his express plan for the country if he were the commander in chief? Here he is in a group of New Hampshire supporters speaking on the proper role of government. http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28041/herman-cain-on-the-proper-role-o 0:05-:025 "Provide for ... ... the free market system." It seems simple enough, but what does that mean for his economic policy? http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28042/herman-cain-on-the-o-reilly-fact From 2:03- 2:09 "That is correct. I would lower the... ...cap gains rate to 0." http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28043/herman-cain-on-the-economy-let 0:48- 1:21 "My proposal is ... with the American public" Cain goes on to unveil his five phase economic plan. He proposes to #1.Lower the TARP corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% and lower individual income tax rates... #2." take capital gains to zero... #3. "suspend taxes totally on foreign repatriated profits.. #4. "give every worker in America a 6.2% raise by providing a real payroll tax holiday for a year for the employee and the employer." #5. " make tax breaks permanent or indefinite. He is also an avid supporter of the fair tax replacing the tax code, and wants to repeal the 16th amendment. On The O'Reiley Factor, Cain expounds on how he believes his plan will pay for the national debt. http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28042/herman-cain-on-the-o-reilly-fact Cut 1: "But how do you get the 14 tril. + debt down... ...going in the right direction." 2:14- 2:57 Cut 2: "But Bill ... ... your revenue stream is going to drop." 2:30 - 4:16 So all in all, Cain claims to be small-business focused and plans to eliminate the debt by fast pennies rather than slow dollars. But with the handling of money comes the handling of major foreign policies as well. How would he deal with our current situation? http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28046/herman-cain-on-israel-our-frien 0:04 - 0:47 "First of all that is very complicated... you're messing with the United States of America." You realize that saying you will have a plan in the future is not a plan, right? And even if there were a plan, it would not be your choice alone as the executive branch. The constitution gives war declarative powers to congress. Do we want another Libya? Or in today's case, another Yemen? http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28047/herman-cain-s-nancy-pelosi-momen 0:00-0:50 So once he's been advised by the same people who advised Bush and Obama, then he will know. I'm relieved. Foreign cautions aside, the Middle East by and large holds the energy economy over the world's head. Here's how Herman Cain foresees his response. http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28048/herman-cain-on-energy-dependen 1:06 - 1:41 "Drill baby, drill. ... to become energy independent." Ok, maybe we’ll go back to foreign policy. Immigration: http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28049/herman-cain-s-immigration-plan 0:47 - 1:10] "I know we can build a fence... and yes, Mr. President, it will have alligators in it." If he has no direct plan for the debt, no real plan for his steps in the Middle East, and no mention of relieving the energy crisis besides drilling, he will need that fence to keep us in (if he can pay for it). But among the most appalling of all is his prior support for TARP and his skittish nature to answer about the Fed. Tarp: http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28050/herman-cain-supported-the-tarp-b Source http://004eeb5.netsolhost.com/hc133.htm 0:18-1:02 "No, I do not. ... the time to debate.. decisions." Do the American people want a president who can so boldly compromise the free market for a plan whose execution he was ignorant of? What does that tell us when Cain can tell us one thing today, and in his column say, "Wake up, people! Owning a part of the major banks in America is not a bad thing. We could make a profit while solving a problem.." America is waking up. And we see and question who is in the system for the status quo. The Fed: http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28051/herman-cain-discusses-the-federa 1:50 - 2:12 "Here's a suggestion .... They will." Herman Cain has a history of working at the Federal Reserve before. However his comments are quit curious that he once said this about auditing the fed before his run for office. http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28052/herman-cain-on-the-federal-reser So which one is it, Herman? Are you pandering to Ron Paul's audience or are you pandering to the Fed? How can you say on one hand that auditing would be a waste of time and money, and praise Ron Paul's efforts to audit on the other? Perhaps your run for office changed your mind. In any case, we gave Mr. Cain the platform to speak clearly on the issue of currency and here is what he said. http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28053/election-2012-herman-cain-on-wa 3:48 – 406 “The reason that the federal reserve… of Kansas city.” We know your past in the Federal Reserve, and we also know that because of it, these kinds of debts are inevitable as the dollar weakens with every major printing. And that doesn’t help congress, but it usurps it from its constitutional powers. My concern is your sincere respect for the constitution. Especially when you say things like this: http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28054/herman-cain-opposes-construction 2:50 - 3:00 "The people ... have the right to do that" http://rtr.org/videos/23102/28055/herman-cain-needs-to-reread-the 0:24 - 0:33 "For the benefit of those... ... life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." And for the benefit of those accusing others of ignorance, that was the Declaration of Independence. The United States needs a President who really knows the constitution. You cannot swear to uphold what you do not know. Only one candidate has wholeheartedly dedicated his career to the protection of the constitution, and that is Ron Paul. For the Reality Report, I'm Gary Franchi.

Video: Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation

Added 07/18/11
125 Views

Video: Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation

[LESS INFO] 125 VIEWS | ADDED 17:17:34 07/18/11
Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation [Speaks in Lakota] Greetings. I shake each and every one your hands in a good way. My name's Galeson Eaglestar, I'm from the Oglala Lakota Nation from South Dakota, and some people are probably wondering why somebody from South Dakota is here supporting a very critical matter regarding a burial site, a cemetery, that is being considered to be desecrated, in the name of parks and recreation. I have been there off and on in the last 60 days since I came from South Dakota, and I've done a lot of soul searching and praying, in the time that I have been there. And its very, very sad. I've shed a lot of tears for my sisters, and for the people. I pray for the City of Vallejo, and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District as well, and the people, the leadership. And I can't even fathom why these human beings decide to desecrate sacred burial sites in the name of developing a park, so that the people, the human beings can walk on these desecrated graves. I don't understand, as a human being. But I, I continue to pray, every day. For the human beings, for the betterment of mankind. That these gravesides be left alone. I know the spirits of those ancestors are there. I know they're cryin' out, just like we are, today. I'm only one in this world, but I like to think that instead of a parking lot and a bathroom, and the paved trails, a plaque could have been developed there in the name of our ancestors. We can't...[Mayor: Your time is expired. You have three minutes, when that red light blinks, your time is up.] We can't stop the people from walking those walkways as it is in its natural form. I think it should be left alone like that. Nobody's been complaining about the way it is now. [Mayor: The light is blinking. OK, so your time is up.] ...so I hope that people can understand where we're coming from. Thank you very much, that's all I have to say.

Video: Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation

Added 07/16/11
22 Views

Video: Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation

[LESS INFO] 22 VIEWS | ADDED 06:05:00 07/16/11
Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation [Speaks in Lakota] Greetings. I shake each and every one your hands in a good way. My name's Galeson Eaglestar, I'm from the Oglala Lakota Nation from South Dakota, and some people are probably wondering why somebody from South Dakota is here supporting a very critical matter regarding a burial site, a cemetery, that is being considered to be desecrated, in the name of parks and recreation. I have been there off and on in the last 60 days since I came from South Dakota, and I've done a lot of soul searching and praying, in the time that I have been there. And its very, very sad. I've shed a lot of tears for my sisters, and for the people. I pray for the City of Vallejo, and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District as well, and the people, the leadership. And I can't even fathom why these human beings decide to desecrate sacred burial sites in the name of developing a park, so that the people, the human beings can walk on these desecrated graves. I don't understand, as a human being. But I, I continue to pray, every day. For the human beings, for the betterment of mankind. That these gravesides be left alone. I know the spirits of those ancestors are there. I know they're cryin' out, just like we are, today. I'm only one in this world, but I like to think that instead of a parking lot and a bathroom, and the paved trails, a plaque could have been developed there in the name of our ancestors. We can't...[Mayor: Your time is expired. You have three minutes, when that red light blinks, your time is up.] We can't stop the people from walking those walkways as it is in its natural form. I think it should be left alone like that. Nobody's been complaining about the way it is now. [Mayor: The light is blinking. OK, so your time is up.] ...so I hope that people can understand where we're coming from. Thank you very much, that's all I have to say.

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Video: Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation

Video: Galeson Eaglestar, Oglala Lakota Nation