"Who needs a royalty check?"

Do you remember Roxanne Shante? She was a rapper in the 1980's...a darn good one from what I remember. She was only 15 years old at the time, which always blew me away. Well, we know the obstacles that people who grow up with little to nothing have to overcome just to make ends meet, let alone attempt achievement of any kind. Please watch this 1 minute (give or take a few seconds) inspirational video segment below with commentary from Roxanne. This is the TRUE definition of success.

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed." -Booker T. Washington

Weighing in on Bill O'Reilly

Update 7:30pm - La Shawn Barber was on CNN this morning. This clip just says at all; I love her! I will comment more later. *Side note* Thanks for commenting, Tommy! I get excited to know my friends read this blog. :-)

CNN - Discussion about O'Reilly's comments

========================
I'm extremely limited on how much I feel comfortable saying about the current situation (due to my place of employment). O'Reilly got raked over the coals yesterday due to comments he made last week on the Radio Factor. I ask that you please listen to the entire audio clip for yourself. Please do not depend on some "Media Matters group" to give you the entire truth. Remember, whenever you're watching something where audio or video has been spliced and diced and presented to you, trust me, 98% of time there's a huge slant. Come on, now. Again, if you have an opinion at all on this matter, listen to the entire clip which I've linked below. Listen to it while you're working on cleaning or something.

The Radio Factor

Coming soon...

I'm doing research right now (in what little spare time I have) on the media coverage of missing persons. This topic has been discussed ad nauseum since I was a little girl, yet nothing seems to have changed. Sometimes talking about it (even if only 1 or 2 people are listening) can be a good start.

In the meantime, check out this article.

Ahmadinejad's take on things

Update (9/25/07 - 8:50am)

After reading Patterico's blog this morning I realize that I forgot to mention something. Look at this video to see the reaction of the audience (and the dean) once Ahmadinejad finished speaking. Unbelievable, these people.



========================

I've been ever so slightly annoyed over the past few weeks about the fact that the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was welcomed with open arms to speak at Columbia University today. Yes, Columbia University, home of the full-on assault on Jim Gilchrist, Minutemen Project co-founder, and several other minutemen a year ago. (See here for info).

A co-worker of mine came down to my work area and we watched the CNN coverage of Ahmadinejad's speech at my desk. We scoffed when President Bollinger stepped up to the podium spewing his BS. This is the same University president that didn't punish the students responsible for assaulting the minutemen that I mentioned above. Suddenly, Ahmadinejad was asked a question about the treatment of women and homosexuals in his country. I don't know what question he answered, but it wasn't that one. My co-worker and I gave one another knowing glances. Why did he avoid that question? So the person posed the question to Ahmadinejad again, "What do you have to say about your country's treatment of women and homosexuals?" His response? "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country." *Laughter* *Boos* My co-worker and I looked at one another wide-eyed! Ahmadinejad went on to say something along the lines of homosexuality being an US phenomenon. (Um, that's because homosexuals are stoned/hung in Iran...there are none left) But seriously, what say you, liberals? President Bollinger? Bueller?

Oh and never mind the fact that Ahmadinejad wants more research to be done on the Holocaust so that we can determine if it actually happened. ??????

Story [CNN.com]

Professor gives "Last Lecture"

This is an amazing story.

Many universities typically have what is termed a Last Lecture series, that gives professors a chance to give a lecture to faculty and students that implores them to hypothetically consider: "What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?".

What would you do if you knew you would not be here a year from now? What if you were completely healthy, but carried around with you the knowledge that you were dying? Well, look at Randy Pausch as a noble example. He is a Computer Science professor at Carnegie Mellon University and has been dosed with terminal cancer. He has three small children ages 5, 2, and 1.

This is not a hypothetical thought or lecture at all for Professor Pausch. First of all, if you are a parent, your greatest fear is the notion that you will never see your children again, let alone your soulmate! Couple that with the fact that Prof Pausch knows that in the near future his wife and small kids will have to go on without him. They will likely not remember him as times goes forward. Yet, he somehow had the courage and dignity to give a literal "last lecture" to the university a couple of weeks ago. He is expected to live for only a few more weeks, maybe months. God Bless him and his family; please keep them in your prayers.

Read the story here, and watch a few snippets of the lecture here.

Teen becomes millionaire due to MySpace.com

This is a reminder for us to NEVER let ANYONE tell us who we will never be, or what we can never become.

CNN story[Teen earns millions]

Bush's press conference

I'm watching it live on CNN.com. The press/media is getting in their typical jabs at his presidency, some of which are definitely warranted. But when he steps down, I will miss the way he puts those guys in their place when they try to bully him into answering a question the way they want it answered. :-)

In other news, there is a huge rally going on in Louisiana right now for the "Jena 6". Some people are referring to today, September 20 as Black Thursday. It's amazing to see how people can come together and bring a small town issue to one of national urgency. Good for them! We should all stand against racial injustice. Glad to see thousands of people walking the walk.

Story: [CNN.com]

Always looking for more

True story: Yesterday, I was at the grocery store with my kids after picking them up from school; my son actually requested a deli sandwich and some chips for a late afternoon snack, so I thought I'd treat him to his desires. When we got to the chips/pretzels aisle, I remembered that Lays has started making Kettle Cooked chips. I've always loved Kettle Cooked chips, and to get them I usually have to buy brands other than Lays or eat at a sub shop.

My FAVORITE chips are Salt & Vinegar. When I reached out and grabbed the bag of Lays Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar chips that was in front, it felt like it didn't have very many chips. I lightly squeezed the bag directly behind it and it felt as though its contents were greater than the first bag. So I quickly grabbed it and tossed it in the cart.

Once we got home, I made sandwiches for the kids, and let them watch one of their favorite shows while I prepped dinner. While dinner was cooking, I made a sandwich and chips for myself as well. I actually began to drool in anticipation of the turkey and swiss sandwich and Salt & Vinegar chips. I joined the kids, and bit into the first chip. It tasted extremely bland. I was confused by this. I bit into another and another and they were all lacking flavor. Are these chips faulty?? Did they forget to add the salt and vinegar during processing?? I ran to the kitchen and looked at the bag. It read "Lays Kettle Cooked Original Chips". Great.

So I even though I already had what I truly desired in my hands, I reached out and grabbed what I thought was the "next best thing" instead. I pray every evening and morning, and during reflection time before, during, or after prayer the Lord communicates to me clearly. I heard Him saying two things to me this morning:

1) If you ask Him to guide you, He will always be there with you, showing you the way. When He gives you something that you've asked for, your search is over. Stop looking for more before you've even taken the time to appreciate and enjoy what He's already given you.

2) Discernment is very important in this world. There are a lot of things that appear great on the outside or superficially. This includes people, places, etc...But once what's on the inside starts being available on the outside, you may realize that it's not at all what you thought it was initially. Let's remember to pray for discernment, especially if it's not a natural gift of yours. All that glitters isn't gold.

Autopsy doesn't go as planned

Check out this this Reuters story from Venezuela. You don't go until God says you go! :-)

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN149975820070917

Monday musings

It's 6:15am. I'm working from home today, as the kids have their checkup with the doctor late this morning. I'll try to get in an hour or so of work before the kids wake up. No Atlanta traffic to deal with today...the day is already starting out great!

So, OJ is in jail. 12 years late, but at least they're able to keep him imprisoned for something. Now he will be forced to get somewhere and just sit down and shut up. Book deals, and such. Solitary confinement without bail isn't punishment enough for the pain he caused.

The Emmy's aired last night. I tried to care, really I did. But I just couldn't bring myself to watch. I did see Katherine Heigl's acceptance speech, and she looked especially beautiful and sincere.

Fall is less than a week away. Thank God! As much as I love shorts weather, this summer was too much for me. My only regret is not going to a beach AT ALL! Not only was there just no time for that, but it was WAY too hot all summer long. The beach would have been just miserable, I'm sure.

I'm getting sleepy again. Maybe instead of working right now, I'll get in one more hour of sleep. :-/

Kathy Griffin's Acceptance Speech

I may as well weigh in. This has been aired and discussed for over a week now, so anyone reading this has already heard about it. No need for me to cite Youtube or a news site for the story or video this time.

For those of you who are saying, "I don't understand what the big deal is.", I'll try to sum it up in a way that you may be able to comprehend. If you're an atheist, please try not to tell Christians when and when not to be offended. If you're straight, please try not to tell Gays when and when not to be offended. If you're white, please try not to tell blacks when and when not to be offended...etc. Just sit back and continue happily living your offense-free life.

If enough people got their undies in a bunch over the Snicker's ad that aired during the Super Bowl that offended gay people, I think that it should not a stretch to understand how millions of people who worship and honor a particular God can be offended by a person that says on live television across the world "Suck it" to this same recipient of honor and worship.

Still confused? The following image may help. Remove the word Jesus from Kathy's speech altogether. Pretend that she said, "So suck it, Allah!". No, she would NEVER have said that (and the same people clueless about why Christians are offended would never have deemed this acceptable, either) Why do I say this? Because we know that the day after she said something like that her mom would be receiving a package in the mail in which the contents would be comprised of a videotape of Kathy's head being cut off by someone named Ahmed and a note explaining that no one is to insult their god. So yeah, people (including Kathy) understand what reverence is, they just know that they can get away with insulting Christians and that most Christians will turn the other cheek since it is a religion of love and peace.

Little Youssif

By now, you have probably heard the horrible story of the little Iraqi boy that was burned alive by masked men. He survived this torture, but the burns to his face are so severe that he is completely disfigured. His family doesn't have the money to afford reconstructive surgery.

Well the story was run on CNN and CNN.com over the past month. So many people heard about this story, and were so touched that they poured out their love and support to Youssif and his family. So much so, that his reconstructive surgery is completely paid for. I heard all about this story about a month ago and felt sadness for this little boy.

However, this morning when I first arrived at work, I happened to glance up at the television while the story was running on CNN. I didn't realize that it was the story about Youssif at the time; all I saw was a little boy from behind running down a hallway. His mannerisms were strikingly similar to my little munchkin baby boy at home, and it made me smile. I watched for a while, and then he turned around to face the camera. I realized that it was Little Youssif. Tears stung my eyes immediately. It took me associating him with my own child before the reality of it all hit me. He's just a baby...an innocent baby who probably loves trucks, and swings and slides on the playground. Sweet little boy. The whole process will probably take about a year, according to doctors. Keep him in your prayers!

Story [cnn.com]

No "Video of the Week" today

I'd rather spend today reflecting on how blessed I am to have life. To have another day to be the best that I can be. To have another day to spend with my husband and kids and my doggies. To have the opportunity to influence others in a positive way.

I'm not at the CNN Center today. I'm at a different campus in a training seminar. At the moment, I'm on my lunch break and I'm sitting on the top floor of a building looking out of the window with a clear view of downtown Atlanta. In fact, I'm right downtown, but I'm looking out at Interstate 75/85 with the typical mid-week business of traffic and our lives in general. Exactly 6 years ago today, 2,996 people lost all opportunity to be with their loved ones, fulfill their dreams, make this world a better place. As I sit here on the top floor of this building and look out at the skyline, I think of what it must be like to have your entire life robbed of happiness in one fail swoop. As numb as we tend to become as human beings, I think that it's impossible to be non-reactionary when hearing and seeing events from 9/11. In fact, each year Q-100 FM plays a montage of events from the tragedy of that Tuesday morning 6 years ago. And each year, I think I'll be able to listen to the exact same montage without feeling so emotional. After 6 years, it's just as painful to hear as it was the first time. The same words, screams, confusion and anguish that occurred that day still live with us, and that will never change.

Please keep the loved ones who were left behind in your thoughts and prayers today. This will be about as rough as life gets for anyone.

We will not forget.

Whoopi's Debut on "The View"

Everyone knows that I hate "The View". I've made it pretty clear in my rants here on this blog. The best thing that could have happened to this show was the addition of Whoopi Goldberg to the panel. Yesterday morning was her first day on the show. No, I don't agree with most of her political and moral ideals, but I love that fact that she's silent when she needs to be silent and speaks up when she needs to speak up. I haven't seen her out of control with anger that someone doesn't agree with her opinion, which makes for an excellent television co-host.

She weighed in on how she felt about the infamous Michael Vick situation. I agree 100% with her comments. My husband and I were talking about how interesting this country is. People sit around and yawn, even defend, a living, breathing baby being mercilessly killed during gestation, but they are UP IN ARMS over dogfighting. We love to sit around and judge things that we don't understand. "If I don't understand it, it must be wrong because I said so! Oh, but there's nothing wrong with this other thing because I understand it and I said so!" Hell is going to be a crowded place, indeed.

Here's video from CNN.com of Goldberg's comments. Very glad to see you, Whoopi.

Whoopi raises interesting point

One year ago today...

Steve Irwin was killed almost instantly after being pierced in the chest by a stingray while off the coast of Queensland. I can still remember the feeling of shock upon arriving at CNN that Monday morning and hearing the news.

His legacy lives on through his daughter, Bindi.

Video Clip of the Week

One of the best, most underrated movies I've ever seen. I can watch it over and over and never tire of it.

The Butterfly Effect, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart

I've included a video set to the song "Been A While" by Staind, which is on the soundtrack and includes poignant scenes from the movie.

I need to get out more...

As in out of this country. I don't ever get a chance to see anything different. It's always the same thing every single day. The same old tired topics, the same old mindsets. There are so many things out there that I am so unaware of and lack understanding of.

This is a great country and all, but I just want to see more. I want a broader perspective. I want to be around different people every now and then. I want a bigger mall!! :-) Check this out:



Apparently this will be the largest mall in the world once it is complete. And you know how I love my palmettos and palm trees. :-) They'll have the best of everything!