Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks operate 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit www.feedingamerica.org.

For every $1 you donate, Feeding America helps provide 10 pounds of food and grocery products to men, women and children facing hunger in our country. Please join the Kellogg Company and Causes as we take small steps towards creating BIG change. 15% of all donations made through Causes on June 18, 2009 will be matched and donated by Causes to Feeding America. Visit your Causes homepage and invite friends to take action. For more information you can visit the Facebook page or check out the website above.

What is Photo Phinish?

If you talk to the people I hang around most, the majority will say that I’m a pretty quiet, easy-going, kind of guy. I tend to not get upset about a lot of things and when placed in a situation where some would flip out, I try my best to remain calm, cool and collected. For a long time, I thought patience was one of my greatest virtues. But then I had kids…
(more…)

The blogosphere is full of mom bloggers who are very active and organized. So it was nice to see the blogger dads organize and come up with a place where dads feel comfortable visiting. From what I could find out, this is a fairly new site and was started by bloggers Pete Janelle and Joe Schatz. If you are a parent, you can join the community and get to reading posts like “What I Really Want for Father’s Day”. I’ve included an excerpt of what dad-blogs.com is all about:

(more…)

If it ain’t one thing it’s another. Even at the young age of 33, I’m on a small dose of pressure medicine. It runs in my family (with both parents), but I hope to kick the pill soon. I’ve been slacking on the exercising and I could get a little more sleep, but that’s something I’m working on. I’ll do better. I have people depending on me. Check out this article published on Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

source – www.chinaview.cn

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Xinhua) — Middle-aged adults who sleep fewer hours appear more likely to have high blood pressure and to experience adverse changes in blood pressure over time, according to a report published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Almost one-third of Americans have hypertension or high blood pressure, a condition that contributes to seven million deaths worldwide each year, according to background information in the article.

“Identifying a novel lifestyle risk factor for high blood pressure could lead to new interventions to prevent or reduce high blood pressure,” the authors write. “Laboratory studies of short-term sleep deprivation have suggested potential mechanisms for a causal link between sleep loss and hypertension.”

Sleep deprivation is associated with increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s stress response. Over time, this activation could contribute to high blood pressure.

Kristen L. Knutson of the University of Chicago and his colleagues studied 578 adults who first had their blood pressure and other clinical, demographic and health variables measured between 2000 and 2001. In 2003 and 2005, the researchers measured sleep duration by using surveys and wrist actigraphy, in which a sensor is worn on the wrist to record periods of rest and activity. Blood pressure, demographic and self-reported sleep information were measured again in 2005 and 2006.

Participants (average age 40) slept an average of six hours per night; only seven (1 percent) averaged eight or more hours of sleep. After excluding patients taking medication for high blood pressure and controlling for age, race and sex, the researchers found that individuals who slept fewer hours were significantly more likely to have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Sleeping less also predicted increases in blood pressure over five years, along with the onset of hypertension. Each hour of reduction in sleep duration was associated with a 37 percent increase in the odds of developing high blood pressure.

“Consistent with other studies, we observed higher blood pressure levels in men, particularly African American men,” the authors wrote. “Also, as described in a previous report from this study,

African American men slept much less than white women. These two observations suggested the intriguing possibility that the well-documented higher blood pressure in African Americans and men might be partly related to sleep duration.”

“In summary, the present study provides evidence for a link between the duration and quality of sleep and high blood pressure levels using objectively measured sleep characteristics,” they concluded. “Intervention studies are needed to determine whether optimizing sleep duration and quality can reduce the risk of increased blood pressure.”

Editor: Fang Yang

I was watching the Today Show and saw this segment about the Financial Cost of Cancer. It tugged on my heart because growing up my family faced a similar situation when my dad had a brain stem stroke. The financial recovery from dealing with this type of situation can last for years and it takes making some tough decisions to get out of it.

What happens to those who try to do the things “the right way”, only to find themselves in a situation of financial ruin? It’s all ready tough enough dealing with the fact that your loved one is sick, only to have the hospital creditors bugging you about their payment. We need some type of health care reform and we need it soon. People are suffering and no one seems to know what to do. President Obama has pledged to have some type of health care reform by the end of the year. But with trillion dollar deficits, I have a hard time seeing how it will get done. Maybe someday all Americans will have access to the same heath care benefits as those in Congress.

We shouldn’t have to choose between doing what it takes to keep a loved one alive and food for our family. But it’s a sad reality of what people are having to do every day. What’s out there to help those who’ve been placed in this situation? If you know, feel free to share with us.

In part one of my Staying Organized series, I mentioned some of the ways I planned on going e-organized for the new year. It’s been fun and I’ve actually learned a lot about what it’ll take for me to better manage my time. Since the first post some things have changed, so I thought I’d update you on how it’s going.

To get a better plan with Sprint, I ended up renewing my contract and got the Blackberry (BB) Curve 8330. I was reluctant because I was so used to my Windows Mobile phone, but I quickly learned what the BB could do. Under my Google account created a calendar for myself, my wife, the kids, and church. Each have their own assigned colors and I can show/hide which I want to see at any given time. I also created a Google account for my wife, so she would have access to my calendars and the events I entered. I set up the browser on her phone to pull up the mobile Google calendar site when she opened it. That way she’d know what I had planned for the day (I always forget to tell her about stuff I need to do). I still use Google Sync to sync the Google Calendar with the BB calendar on my phone. Trust me, it works great.

I just recently listened to the audio book “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. With the tips in this book, I was able to find a way to fine tune my e-organization plan and add some efficiency to what I was doing. I changed how I used the The Remember the Milk (RTM) app I mentioned in the first post. I used the BB application they created to sync all of my tasks every hour from the website to the phone. Any task, big or small, goes in RTM and I assign date if it’s something that needs to be done soon. This works nice because it allows me to clear my head of all the “stuff” I need to do. It also gives me an organized repository where I can visually see the tasks that need to be done for the day. To make sure the list stayed current, I had to set a goal that all tasks for the day must be completed or rescheduled before I go to bed.

I’ve also started using an application called Evernote that allows me to access/capture ideas, notes and information from my PC or phone. But I’m going to save how I use this for another day because I’m trying to decide whether I’ll post it here or at Liberate Magazine.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I’d be interested in hearing your comments or questions. This may sound like a lot to keep up with, but for me it’s been working. My planner was never with me when I needed it, but I always have my phone. There is a slight learning curve in getting the system together, but the geek in me loves it.

I do have plans on going into each online app I use in more detail, but why do that now when I can have you come back for part 3?

In the world of blogging, you never know how people will react to something you post. Blogging has allowed me to meet a lot of great people and this is no exception. When the Johnnie & Crystal Moutra won the show, I have to admit I was pretty happy for them. Not only did they look like a good couple, the played the game the way it should have been played and earned the respect of everyone on the show. Even better, they were from my hometown, Missouri City, TX (the place where dreams come true), so you know I had to show them some love. Well, the post got picked up by some other sites and became pretty popular. Fans of the Moutras from all over the world left comments, one being from Johnnie’s mom. I contacted her and she put me in contact with Johnnie (thanks Momma Moutra).

I want to thank Johnnie and Crystal for taking the time to answer the questions. I’m hoping this won’t be the last you all get to hear from them on this blog. Also thanks to the folks at ABC for getting us set up. Season 2 of Here Come the Newlyweds will air Mondays on ABC at 9pm Central. I just watched the second episode last night and like season 1 will make for a night of good TV.

When my wife and I got married, everyone called us honeymooners for at least the first five years. How has life changed since the finale of “Here Come the Newlyweds? What have you all been up to?

We purchased our own home on the eve of Christmas. Lol, we moved out my mamas house, and moved not even 2 minutes down the street from my mamas. Other than that, we’re still working at the school (My parents own a private school, Bearrington School in Stafford Tx)……Crystal’s a great teacher (Pre-K 3)…….the children in her class are already reading! and speaking their numbers en espanol. I (John-John) am still the same ol’ silly, handsome, joke tellin’ self….I’ll never change.

According to the ABC website, the show was “all about relationships, the differences between men and women, and the universal issues that every couple must face”. Crystal, what did you learn about Johnnie during the show? Johnnie, same question.

Crystal – That he still didn’t know me! Before the show I used to ask him all the to go shopping for clothes with me…..now we’re on national TV and he gets all the sizes wrong.
Johnnie – Women take too long… I could drop Crystal off at the mall in Houston, drive to Galveston, use the restroom for about 30 – 45 minutes ( #2), drive back, get gas, go back to the mall, and she’d still be trying on clothes…..I’m starting to wonder if she knows her own sizes.

During the final episode of the show, what was going through your mind before hearing the results?
(more…)

By Darrell Holmes

Back in May ’07 we blogged about the importance of being ecologically responsible with the energy and resources we use everyday;  “Necessarily Green“  That posting was probably a bit premature for some folks based on the limited response.  However, the blogosphere buzz over energy conservation is deafening now that the trend has become a paradigm shift and worldwide everyone rethinks the “carbon footprint” we leave.

Early during President Obama’s presidency he initiated special programs aimed at reawakening our bereft economy from it’s prime-lending hangover.  At it’s basics, the plan is to rebuild our economy with more financial stability while simultaneously infusing design and construction practices that are more earth-friendly long term.

For the un-initiated, a new website makes it easier for you to make your space(home or business) more energy conscious outside of just DVR’ing “Greenovate” on Planet Green.  Inergy Solutions offers energy efficient plumbing, electrical, and business solutions to anyone with web access.  Their press release and website are below.  Check out their website and let me know what you think.

U.S. Inergy Solutions offers every product needed for sustainable energy independence; enabling homeowners, businesses and commercial property owners to optimize their usage by reducing waste, increasing the energy produced from within, and implementing efficient energy consumption methods. Our goal is to provide practical, long-term solutions to existing inefficiencies in the present system(s) in the most user-friendly way possible.

• Save your hard earned cash by purchasing less energy from “The Grid”
• Increase dividends by eliminating capital expenditures
• Get the facts on the savings our solutions will generate
• Ultimately eliminate the dependence on costly, outside resources

• Solar Solutions
• Water Solutions
• Lighting Solutions
• Wind Solutions
• Green Building Materials
• Green Living

Each property has a unique path that can be taken to attain independence. This is why we offer many solutions that are thoroughly tested and built to withstand the natural elements. This includes CFL, LED and induction lighting, rainwater harvesting, gray-water filtration, photovoltaic solar panels, wind turbines, solar water heaters, and efficient generators just to name a few.

www.inergysolutions.com

I get these emails from a member of the church I attend and thought I’d share:

2 CORINTHIANS 4:17 In our life we are overwhelmed with ‘information’. But so often information isn’t what we need. What we need to face the challenges of life is ‘formation’, the shaping of our lives into the people God destined us to be. The responsibility for this formation belongs to the Holy Spirit, the living, active presence of God who is with us every second of every minute of every day, concerned with every detail of our development.

Paul writes, ‘Every detail works to your advantage…So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace’ (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 TM). Note the words, ‘we’re not giving up.’ Any time we want to move forward, obstacles are going to get in the way, and God’s Word teaches us that we should expect nothing less. The author HG Wells asked, ‘What on earth would a man do with himself if something didn’t stand in his way?’ Why did he say that? Because pushing against stuff strengthens our muscles! Each obstacle we overcome teaches us something new. We start shaping up, getting smarter and more confident. Check history, the greatest people were those who faced the most difficult challenges and found their true selves in the process!

I found out about Dallas South Blog via Google while searching for more information about Tavis Smiley’s visit to the Dallas area. I started reading the articles and was hooked on the very well-written, informative posts about the southern sector of Dallas. Due the fact that South Dallas had a large African-American population, the blog became my source of information for what was going on in the community.

Over the last couple of years, Dallas South Blog has grown into a popular online destination for those looking for stimulating political/social dialoug on a local and national level. This growth is largely due to the efforts of blogger Shawn Williams. But with growth, comes new oppotunities to take what you do to a higher level. This is where Dallas South News comes into play.

The Dallas South News will be a nonprofit organization utilizing technology, journalistic principles, and social media to empower and inform diverse communities.  It will provide news coverage in the areas of local politics, education, health, housing, as well as commentary on state and national politics. As with all nonrpofit organizations, help is needed to keep it running and there are three things you can do to get involved.

So, now that I’ve captured your attention, click here to learn more about how you can participate in the Dallas South News endeavor.