February marks the month of romance! I vow to take myself and fall back in love with the woman I am; complete with dinner, spas, walks on the beach, painting, and poetry.
Here's an interesting thought:
In the bible it describes a woman as a help meet. A help meet is someone God created and designed for the specific purpose of fulfilling the plan and purpose of man. Since the man (Adam) was already manifested in the natural it has to be the female or the woman God created and designed. So God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man. Then God brought forth out of the man, woman his help meet (Genesis 2:21-22). She was brought to the man who named her woman and the marriage covenant was established between the male and female (Genesis 2:23, 24).
It is the way that God accomplished this that is so significantly important because it is here that God defined the role of the woman as man’s help meet not another man. Why the use of the rib? Why not another bone maybe a toe or finger? The significance of the rib is that it protects the lungs and the heart which are vital organs. The lungs house the breath which represents the spirit and the life force that is in the blood flows through the heart. Therefore the woman is not a friend, lover, and significant other, the object of someone’s affection, a baby factory or just a housewife. She is the protector of the spirit of the man, the heart of man which is the center of his life and she is also the gateway through which all that is in the man would come forth. This is why no man can take the place of the woman. No man can do what the woman does and it is that way by design.
The greater weight seems to be on the woman because of her calling yet she will be the one to suffer the most in the relationship because she rules with emotions as well as intellect.
Because we, as women, can get completely lost within our individual roles as a mom, a sister, a wife, a girlfriend, a daughter, a friend...we lose track of just how important it is to LOVE and I mean REALLY love ourselves.
So women, for the month of February, I invite you to take this journey with me. 28 Days of loving you! I'll be uploading love event's closer to February...I can't wait to see how this goes! And should you have some suggestions...please feel free to type them below.
Today is the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s infamous decision, Roe v. Wade. See top blogger's Justin Taylor's interview with Clarke D. Forsythe, J. D., Valparaiso University; M.A., bioethics, Trinity International University.
Begin by taking an inventory of potential natural skin care ingredients available in your cupboards and refrigerator. The most common items include citrus fruits, dairy items, sugar, salt, vinegars, aspirin, eggs, honey, oatmeal, olive oil and tea bags.
Decide on the natural skin care ingredients that best address your skin type and skin care issues. Oil skin types will want to focus on more astringent ingredients such as citrus and exfoliating salt or sugar scrubs while sensitive skin types will want to include more soothing items such as olive oil, dairy products and honey.
Develop a natural skin care routine that incorporates a cleansing, scrub, toning, and moisturizing recipe using the natural ingredients best suited for your skin type. A normal skin type might use a sea salt scrub recipe followed by a lemon juice toner and olive oil based moisturizer.
Start collecting natural skin care recipes and experiment with ingredients to determine which are best suited to address your skin care needs.
Most skin types benefit from regular facial steams and a weekly facial treatment. Try whipping up a 10 minute enriching moisturizing facial mask from an egg, a packet of unflavored gelatin, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil.
The Rev. Pat Robertson, on his CBN broadcast, offered his own explanation of the earthquake in Haiti:
"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it," he said. "They were under the heel of the French ... and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.' "True story. And the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal,'" Robertson said. "Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another."
If a televangelist comes on national television, with a following in the thousands, he or she ought to not offer insidious terminology about a country after a catastrophic natural disaster. How Pat Robertson knows such concrete terms of a demonic pack unless he had access to some ancient scroll in some private society somewhere is beyond me. (I’m not saying, I’m just saying).
When Robertson, with all genius, chose to describe a country blighted by devastation, “cursed” what images come to mind? The word “cursed” invokes images of voodoo and magic deified by an ethnic group. Language in itself can be confusing—what is the purpose of using misguided words? Did the “curse” take effect by a post-Colonial debt that no Western nation ever had to endure?
A free Haiti was hobbled economically from the start after not paying off their “independence debt” from France until 1947. After being defeated by Toussaint L’Ouverture, the French colonial powers who held Haiti demanded reparations in the form of 90 million gold francs for their freedom, (over $20 billion currently!) This ominous debt is what set the foundation for the massive poverty of the nation.
The recycling of Haitian francs between the French and the US is what paved the way for the Louisiana Purchase—otherwise known as the Vente de la Louisiane. The purchase included 14 states and 2 Canadian provinces which astoundingly expanded and enriched the United States. On the other hand, if the money was kept in Haitian hands instead of being thrown away as “reparation” I envision a more prosperous land.
What might have happened had the billions of dollars in gold not been exported out of Haiti but helped to build its infrastructure and education? What if the fallen buildings where built more sturdily, with earthquake defiant buildings, schools, and homes? What if Haiti was a country side with its forests intact ignorant to the term of deforestation? The current Haiti would have a substitute built on its hard-earned resources. A natural disaster could still strike, but the country would be equipped to survive nature’s blows and remain a land blessed by the fruits of the hard work of its people.
The most encouraging phrase I could hear was Bishop Charles E. Blake’s heartening words, “HAITI YOU ARE NOT CURSED.”
While 56% of American’s have the day off, 44% of Americans, under employers’ ideals somewhat synonymous with Jesse Helms and Ronald Reagan, are in their offices today answering phones, and scheduling meetings—another manic Monday.
But how should we honor a man who wanted to overturn the entire edifice so that ALL PEOPLE could practice, justice, charity, and love toward one another?
Vincent Harding, one of King’s colleagues, once said, “A dangerous Negro, now a national hero. How shall we work with that?" In 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. was called the most dangerous Negro in the United States because he posed a threat to the very precious ideals that, unfortunately, continue to underwrite our socio-economic and political culture.
A national observance of Martin Luther King Day today leaves me feeling Shakespeare-like—to work or not to work? If we take the day off, are we observing King for the man he was and the amazing lengths he went for equality or by taking the day off are we domesticating his subversive message?
But God Made Me This Way is an article on Relevant Magazine's site adapted from Christianish by Mark Steele.
Here's an excerpt that caught my attention:
Sin separates us from God and from one another. Sin separates us from peace. Sin separates us from joy. Sin destroys family, relationships, community. Sin forges a wedge of hatred between cultures, denominations and political parties. Between interest groups, races and genders. Sin convinces us that we are right and everyone else is wrong and that this distinction is more important than love. Sin numbs a heart until it no longer yearns after people—and eventually no longer yearnsafter God
So here I am…enjoying lunch with good people in Culver City. The food is fantastic, the weather is just right—my idea of a lunch.
My colleague decides to ask for more hot sauce and 5 minutes later comes our bubbly waitress with a hot sauce bottle. I didn’t think much of it until I stopped my fork filled with delicious leafy greens mid air to stare at the “Not Osama” hot sauce.
Maybe, I’m just getting hip to this, however if this was a hot sauce that was in favor of the democratic party…why would the back drop illustrate some war ridden place in Saudi Arabia with Arabic writings that probably say, “kill or be killed”
Not only did I get a headache but I decided to do some digging. Turns out these fellas actually have a site calledHot Sauce Zone
Insidious indications of our President having ties elsewhere is so boring I don’t have enough energy to yawn anymore.
Driving into work today, I listened to Angela Burt-Murray, editor-in-chief , at ESSENCE magazine on the Steve Harvey Morning Show this morning speaking about ESSENCE’s hot topic of the day: “The Dwindling Black Marriage.” I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, seems we're always hearing that marriage is an endangered institution in the black community.
So what did I do? I took a look at ESSENCE’s site and I was impressed by the comments, particularly from the never spotlighted single black men. Here’s an excerpt from one in particular:
You love the TALK all the time, but you never discuss your weaknesses with your new man. "Larry, I have been single for awhile and I have a tendency to want to do everything myself. I just wanted you to know that early on. As we get to know each other, I'm sure I will relax a little and enjoy YOU doing some of those tasks and helping me out." Now when a man hears this EARLY ON in a relationship, he thinks, "Wow,that took a lot for her to ADMIT her shortcomings. This woman is real.
Although I appreciated this eligible (when I say eligible, I mean, sane, attractive, and successful) man’s insight, I kept going back and thinking--why are we re-hashing a subject that was already been spoken about, half-heartedly treated, and stepped over?
Oprah covered it when Harvey's bestselling relationship guide dropped earlier this year. CNN dedicated the vast majority of its first "Black in America" to this subject. Terry McMillan’s has always talked about these issues since the early 1980’s and to put the icing on the cake, the very first issue of ESSENCE’s coverline: "Black Man, Do You Still Love Me?" came out in the mid 70’s.
We can go back and forth over what the issues are however I’d like to see the dwindling rate of marriages centered towards an American issue and not shinning the spotlight on the black community.
This afternoon, Google announced in their official blog that it would no longer censor its Chinese search engine. After a careful eye and consideration of China's law after its launch in January 2006, a recent attack has made Google consider pulling out of Chine.
A “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” transpired last month on 20 top companies and as Google did its investigation, Google found that the attackers’ primary objective was accessing Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.
As a result of the attacks, Google has decided to reassess its presence in China. The Chinese government and Google have fought over censorship before, but currently the search giant does block certain results. Although the blog did not solidify any moves, implications are that the Chinese government had something to do with the attacks.
Google’s taking a lucid stand by not complying with China’s demands any longer:
“These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”
It will be interesting to see how the Google’s center stage showdown plays out. The robust search engine has taken a sophisticated stand using the beauty of technology. The debate to come is…when and how the tech community will be changed and how the transpiring event will lapse into the political world.
In an interview with Bill O'Reiley, Britt Hume expounds on his comment, "Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can be a great example for the world."
After serving as managing editor at Fox New for over 30 years, Britt Hume retired over a year ago because he wanted to pursue his faith. Here's an excerpt from an interview he did with The Hollywood Reporter
I certainly want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I’m not claiming it’s impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it’s a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you’re not really living it.
Although Hume has retired, he still serves as a Political Analyst. While many believe he isn't at the top of his game anymore, one thing is for sure--he's doing his job! Political analysts offer their insight, opinion and views on the topics at hand. As Deion Sanders once said on an NFL pregame show, “This game doesn’t matter. Both teams will be in the playoffs at the end of the season. But we will analyze it anyway. We are analysts. It’s what we do.” In Hume analysis, he encourages Tiger to step away from Buddhism and find true forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
In Buddhism there is no God and personal mortality is followed by reincarnations after better or worse "rebirths" depending upon merit attained in previous lives. Buddhism's goal in the attainment of Nirvana or enlightenment. In Christianity, you do seek forgiveness and redemption from a higher being, something not offered in Buddhism.
Some may disagree with what Britt Hume said, but those who seem to think he was falling off his game overall, Hume's analysis is much on point.
