Invisible Children

Please watch this. This video dispays just a small portion of what I was talking about in my last post.

Fall Out Boy - I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way Always Trying

Today I was just sitting at home bored out my mind, and decided to listen to music on yahoo! I clicked on a video by Fall Out Boy. I was actually a little reluctant to watch it at first. The song was ok, but the video has like almost nothing to do with the song. Part of the story line with the young Ugandan children who got torn apart was cute, but the rest of the video was SO serious. I was like, "What is this?" Intrigued, I watched the rest of it, and was just beyond belief! I mean, the video was so impactful, with the story line displaying love juxedaposed with war and violence, and then finally at the end it said visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com , and I said, "Ok, why not? I'll check it out." I thought it was just another one of them save the children in Africa causes, and it was, but this one really touched my heart. We all know about the stereotypical violence, war and bloodshed along the ivory coast in Africa (which many refer to Africa like it's all one big AIDS fest of dying people...I'm not trying to be mean; I'm just being real because we always only see one side of "Africa" the stereotypical version, but believe it or not, people: It's actually made up of MANY different countries with MANY different tribes and cultures of people. Just thought I'd throw that out there before you stereotype this message, too, including the one i'm about to tell you about the "invisible children" in Uganda, a country in the continent of Africa. I love the name of this campaign because it's so true. These Ugandan children are invisible in our busy and hectic lives. They are accross the Atlantic. "Not our problem," we say. And true, in America we do have a plethera of problems to deal with in regards to our own youth, but these invisible children in Uganda never even had the opportunities and chances that kids in America have.

Now here is your chance to help: Buy a bracelet. It's only $20 for you, but that twenty dollars means a future for a child who had not choice to begin with. They didn't ask to be born into a sate of turmoil all around them. Please support their mission. That's all I have to say.

I just couldn't sit on this incredible cause after seeing just a snippet of the things on their site. It's an opportunity to make a difference. I don't want to forget about the invisible children because they are there. Except now they are no longer invisible, thanks to the guys who started this campaign, but are you choosing to ignore them now that they are seen?

Snow! Snow! Snow! Let it snow....

Let it Snow!!
Last Thursday, March 7, balls off white powder puffs showered from the sky above. The air, fresh and awry from the recent 60 degree weather that hit the Dallas Fort Worth area earlier in the week, was marvelous, even breathtaking! = ) I took a few pictures outside at my apartments.

Driving back up to Denton from Dallas, I was confused seeing cars cover in fresh white snow going South. Where are they coming from, and where the heck am I going?" I thought. It can't be...

Twenty minutes later I was siting in stop-and-go traffic along I-35. It took me almost 15 minutes to go about 100 feet finally exiting off the slushy roadway congested with cars desperately tryin to make it home. Later sitting at home wrapped in my navy blue blanket and sipping on not chocolate, I watched the reporter on television shivering in his socks outside at the corner at Teasley lane near the mall. "I was just there," I said shaking my head watching the rediculous traffic. But I wanted to go outside.

So i went took a few pictures. Once I coming back in I called my roomates to see where they were at. They were stranded on the bus trying to make it home. Took an hour after I was on the phone with them for the bus to make it to a place only 5 minutes a way. Texans and snow. They just can't drive in it! ...at least not in Dallas.

Later I heard laughing outside, so I peaked out the window. Lo and behold I saw a guy an about 6-foot tall fat white boy in his boxers. What?! That fool was about to jump in the pool...
"Are you serious?!" lol People are cRaZy. Others around started a snow fight. As one of my roommates and her finace finally made it in, stepping though the slush pilled at the foot of our door. Crazy right? I had never seem it snow like this in Texas, and I've lived here over 20 years! I have to admit though, it was nice. It saved me from shaming myself in from of my international PR class where I was scheduled to give a presentation at 2pm. I was soo not prepared for that presentation. I did pray about it. I guess the snow was God's way of saving my skin. Lol! Also, I got to relax, drink hot choclate and catch-up on much-needed sleep. = )

Defecit. Could this get any worse?!

From the Dallas Morning News (DallasNews.com):

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/031308dnbusbudget.49d21664.html

Federal deficit swells to $263.3B
03:56 PM CDT on Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department says the federal deficit swelled to $263.3 billion in the first five months of this budget year as record spending during the period outpaced record revenues.
The department’s latest snapshot of the government’s balance sheets, released Wednesday, shows that the deficit for the budget year that began Oct. 1 was up a whopping 62 percent from the red ink of $162.2 billion for the corresponding five-month period last year.

Barak Obama's Campaign For Change

Echoes of "Yes we can!" filled the auditorium at Fort Worth Convention Center on Thursday, Feb. 28 as presidential hopeful Barak Obama was scheduled to take center stage. Obama, a democratic nominee for president in 2008, came to Fort Worth to speak about his campiaign for change, and gave a speech of hope for thousands of American dreamers.
The crowd consisted of people from all walks of life, and all ready for something new. Currently as the only African-American in the U.S. Senate, Obama decided to run for president in the 2008 election with only a few terms of experience as a senator under his belt against political giant Hilary Clinton, New York senator and former first lady who had spent eight years in the White house. She's married to a former president, Bill Clinton who many regrarded as a great president, especially democrats . Despite his love scandal and near impeachment as a president, many believe that Clinton was still able to bring the United States to financial prosperity.

However, now his wife is in the hot seat. Can she do the same? Or can she do even better? Only time will tell. But at around 8:15 pm, Barak Obama took the stage at the Convenstion Center in front of thousands delivering his plans for the country.

Though the odds seem to be against his favor: him being Black, him having the least experienced of all the other candidates both democratic and republican, and people afraid of him being assassinated or not really sure if he could really deliver what he is saying, people still listen to him. He literally feeds off of the American people as he mentioned in his speech on Thursday. At one point as the crowd began to resound "Yes we can! Yes we can," in unison once again, he lifted the microphone to let it echo so that the American people (perhaps those who would be watching the 10 o'clock news later that evening) could hear how people are behind him. I believe this is what makes him a strong candidate. It's not necessarily because of his credintials or because he's the most experienced and he's had large significant results in the past for what he's done (if so, the media isn't reporting much on these things).

It's his ability to inspire people and stand up for real change and things a bit out of the ordinary for typical American politics. The fact that he may be able to rally an entire country behind him may be the very thing that allows him to be an effective president. Not only that, but also his determination to keep going and spur on despite threats, odds, and what the media says. And that's change we can believe in.

God culture

Today I was reading a note a friend of mine wrote on facebook about how 11 a.m. Sunday morning is the most segregated time of the week.I agreed that unfortunately this is the case. This is one part of the church that has always made me uncomfortable. Because when I read God's word about ONE body and ONE spirit and about how as a people God has reconciled himself to US, and then I see "US" split up in different groups segregated by our differences, our backgrounds and neighborhoods, it grieves me.

I've always believed in diversity and how God called us as a holy people to be set apart. It's hard enough these days to truly live a Christian life (not half-steppin) and not being ridiculed, being seen as narrowminded, and being accused of "judging" others. I think people just can't handle the truth because when someone speaks the Word of God, those words hold endless truth and life and shine light on the flaws that the person who hears them had been trying to hide. They look at the person speaking and think that they are judging them, but the fact of the matter is: they're already condemned (read John 3: 18-21, and it would hurt to go ahead and read John 3: 16 & 17 before it, just to put it in better context for you.) Hey, God says it better than I can (check it out):

19"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

John 3: 19-21

I'm going deeper into a subject that I could talk about literally for hours and hours, but the important things is what I spoke of in the beginning. UNITY. I feel like this is part of my life's purpose. I'm passionate about it. I'm passionate about bringing together Christian women from all over the world and that we can meet together with the commonality that Jesus Christs blood allowed us to be children of God. Period. I would definitely like to see this subject put out there more often.

And i feel like we, the people in the body of Christ, sometimes need to get over ourselves, our fears and our insecurities and come together under the LOVE of Christ. And yes, this would mean coming out of our "comfort zones", but ultimately, how does a comfort zone pale in comparison to growing stronger together in Christ and spurring each other on to have a stronger relationship with God.

Diversity

As African Americans I feel like we're constantly having to defend ourselves with the images that the media puts out on us, but I think if we just stand up, hold out ground and acknowledge that yes, some of our people have made mistakes, and though we have been oppressed for the longest, we can still stand up, hold our heads high, acknowledge our wonderful heritage and embrace it.

I wanted to post this video from an event hosted by UNT-NABJ called "And the Beat Goes On" that took place February 20. This day was not only the day that Barack Obama came into Dallas and spoke at the reunion arena (of which i could not make because I was at my internship =( but I watched it live online with no sound--yeah, I forgot my headphones, lol), but we (NABJ) also hosted this Black History event that reflected the different time period and highlighted the decades and how African Americans have evolved as a people. Check out this video...



Also, some thing I found on the YBJ Listserve: If Barak Obama receives the presidential nomination and wins, he may not be the only Black president this country has seen. Really! Read this article from DiversityInc.com there have been plenty of others who have had drops of African American ancestry in their blood...

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3085.cfm

I believe that Obama, whether he receives the Democratic nomination or not, is that change that we need to see, and the progress that will give other in the Black community hope, and that they can be somebody. And not just African Americans, but other races as well who have been oppressed and struggling to make a life for themselves.