What is Photo Phinish?

There’s a passage in the Bible that reads “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.” Psalms 19:1-6 NIV.

I made a promise to myself earlier in the year to spend more time outdoors when the weather got better. I spend the majority of my week in front of a computer, doing a job that I truly enjoy. But there are times when I get sucked in to my work and it’s easy to get stressed out when deadlines need to be met.

I’ve also found that achieving that home-church-work-life balance thing, is not such an easy task. One can easily get caught up in the rat race and lose focus of the little things. When that happens, it’s important that you take some time to step out of the race and notice the little things around you. You can take a minute or an hour. You can be by yourself or with a group of people. All it takes is a commitment from you to do it.

For the first time that I can remember I watched the sun set. I wasn’t at a beach on vacation and to be honest, it wasn’t even a planned event. I just happened to drive around the corner on my way home from work and thought, “that would make a good picture”. I never realized how fast a sunset occurred and I plan on seeing more from now on. The world we inhabit is an amazing place and there are many lessons about life in God’s creation. So take the time to stop, look and listen sometimes. You might be glad you did.

A friend of mine’s sister and her family are in need of some help and I thought I’d share it with the readers of this blog. Their son Nickolaus had a negative reaction to a vaccine and is very ill. My wife talked with Nickolaus’ mom and she urged her to be careful of who administered our child’s vaccination. I can’t imagine what this family is going through and with an eight month old, it gives us something to think consider. This is the first I’ve heard of this, so if you know of someone who can add to the vaccination discussion, please send them here to comment.

Here’s some background info on what happened:

In 2008, the number of vaccines that are given to kids is 36. There were only 10 required vaccinations 20 years ago. The chance of these vaccines having a negative effect on boys vs. girls is 5 to 1. Currently, it is affecting the immune system of our nephew which is causing numerous complications from his decline in speech and motor skills to his inability to fight off life threatening infections. Vaccination injury is an immune system issue which resembles the symptoms of Autism, so he is working with the Defeat Autism Now (DAN) group.

Right now, Baby Nickolaus is going through the Vaccine Injury Recovery Process which is expensive and not covered with this crazy U.S. Healthcare System.The Lewis Family has already spent thousands to get Baby Nickolaus well and will continue to do so…..We are asking any and everyone who reads this email to consider “Chipping In” as this journey is still not done.

I’ve seen the power of the blogosphere first-hand and know the compassion of the people who take the time to read this blog. If you are able, please take the time to donate whatever you can. On the Baby Nickolaus Effort Chip-In donation page there are some useful links and information on how to contact the family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

One of my biggest issues is staying organized. With all the I have things going on, I’ve had to come up with new ways to keep my life in order. This next year, instead of using a day planner, I plan on going online. I’ve tried to keep from going there, but figured why not give it a try. My day planner will be replaced with Google Calendar and for general day-to-day tasks I’m using a website called rememberthemilk.com (RTM). Google calendar and RTM work with well with each other and both will integrate with my Windows Mobile phone.

The problem with my day planner was that I seemed to never have it when I need it. It would be in the car or at home and I was bad about checking it every night. I’m hoping the online solution will work a little better because I’m always on the computer and I always have my phone with me.

My plan is to enter events, appointments and important dates in Google Calendar. From there I will use Google Calendar Sync to copy my dates to MS Outlook on my PC. Outlook will sync the dates to my phone when I plug it in to charge. Daily tasks will be entered into RTM. I like RTM because I’m able to enter tasks using their mobile website when I’m not on my PC. They also have an application that will sync the website to your Windows Mobile phone or iPhone. Whenever a task with a specific time is due I get a reminder text message an hour before the deadline. I’m also able to enter a task using the RTM Gmail widget (I use this all the time).

While I’m sure I’ll miss my day planner, it’s going to be interesting to see how this works out. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, so I’m sure it wont’s be too much of an additional hassle. What are you going to do to stay organized? Any tips are welcome.

Get Things Done with Google Calendar

There’s been a lot of debate over Sarah Palin and whether she can “do it all” as a Vice Presidential mom. It’s become a hot topic over the last couple of days, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before. My wife works and she has had this same discussion with other moms many times. Being the soft-spoken, politically-correct Democrat that I am, I tend to keep my mouth shut regarding the subject. But I do have my own opinion and after seeing Sarah’s speech I was inspired to write this little post.

Being raised in a Christian household, I was taught the Bible has the answer to any situation you can face. While it may not always give you the exact answer, through prayer and studying there’s enough to get you on the right path.

Here’s a post from gotquestions.org regarding women in the workplace. I heard a similar response in a family ministry Bible study my wife and I attended a couple of years ago:

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For those who regularly read this blog you may have noticed I haven’t been posting in a while. There’s a really good reason for it. On Friday, May 2nd, my second son was born. Mom and big brother are well. Now it’s just a matter of adjusting to his schedule and getting myself back on track. I have some posts in draft mode that I need to finish up so be on the lookout for those and another podcast.

I’m a Leap Year Baby, so I only get to celebrate every four years, which means I got to do it big when it comes around. I made a pledge to stay away from my computer for a 24 hour period. No blogging, no internet, no e-mail, etc. I can count on one hand the times I’ve had to do that and most of the time it was for reasons beyond my control.

Shout out to all the Pisces out there. If you really want to show a brotha some love, check out this link or just leave a comment. Hey I ain’t too proud to beg.

Did ya miss me?

I guess every now and then something like this has to happen. I haven’t been able to blog this past week because both of my computers were acting up this week. My desktop is working fine now, but the laptop is still down. Because I’m always on one, I forget how much I rely on computers to get things done. I’m glad at least one is working.

I was watching the CNN Democratic debate last night and it was something to see an African-American and a woman fighting to become the presidential candidate. No matter who wins it, history will be made. The question was asked about the both of them being on the same ticket and as politicians do, they walked around the question and didn’t answer it. Change in America is needed and I hope they can move this country in a better direction. Only time will tell.

I also watched Broken Government: Health Care Critical Condition. I should have recorded it and watched it later because the stories were all too familiar. I know the media tends to dramatize everything, but there is a problem with our health care system. If you are middle-class, you are one illness away from being in the poor house. This happened to my family. My dad brought in the main portion of the income, but when he had a stroke, the entire household suffered. The medical bills were high and my mom did everything she could to make ends meet. You don’t get much help as a middle-class family and social security can only go so far. This was about twenty years ago and things still aren’t much better. This is a big issue that needs to be fixed soon.

Having been through that is one of the reasons I started this blog. I want to inform people of programs and services that they can use to get help. Why should I keep what I’ve learned to myself when others may be able to benefit from it?

I grew up listening to Bill Cosby. My dad had almost every album he put out and I remember sitting around the record player with my younger brother laughing at his comedy routine. I grew up on Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, the stories of him and his brother Russell and Buck, Buck. As a teen I watched Cosby Show and a Different World. And even as an adult, I watch Little Bill with my son. So I can honestly say, I had high expectations for the book Come On People and knew there would be a lesson for everyone who read it.

I have to admit, while reading it I received a lot of mixed messages. You can tell they were trying to get their point across without offending too many people. It was definitely a toned down version of Cosby’s usual rants about the black community and I feel a lot of what they wrote was common sense. But along with the criticism, they gave a lot of advice on things we can do to improve our lives and lives of those around us. The book included topics on parenting, health, finances, community involvement and personal responsibility.

The first chapter covers the topic of the black male (or lack thereof) and offers advice on some of the things we can do as men to benefit our families and the community. I thought this was a great way to start the book because I think the role and concept of a real black man has been skewed. They ask the question, “What’s going on with black men?” and encourage men to build on the legacy of the those in the past. They ask men to re-dedicate themselves to the family and rebuild relationships that may have gone bad in an effort to be with their kids.

I was also glad to see some advice in the book for ex-offenders. Those who are looking to change have a hard time after they are release and there is a word for them in various chapters of the book. No one in the book was free from criticism, but everyone received some advice. Black men, woman and kids can get something out of the book, but you really have to take it as constructive criticism. There’s a lot in this book to take in, so I thought I’d list the topic of each chapter. Each chapter has different subtopics that touch on different things we face as a people.

Chapter 1: What’s Going On with Black Men?
Chapter 2: It Takes a Community
Chapter 3: We All Start Out as Children
Chapter 4: Teach Your Children Well
Chapter 5: The Media You Deserve
Chapter 6: Healthy Hearts and Minds
Chapter 7: The High Price of Violence
Chapter 8: From Poverty to Prosperity

My overall opinion is that Come On People gives the same general message as every other book I’ve read regarding the black community. It’s going to be up to us to make a change in what happens in our community. Dr. Cosby tends to get a lot of flack for what he says. But sometimes we need to hear the tough words. I’m sure this book will catch a lot of criticism, but if he didn’t care about our community, I’m sure he could just sit on his mounds of money relaxing on the beach. Many may not agree with their methods in how the message is presented, but Drs. Cosby and Poussaint have gotten people to talk about the issues. While this book may not apply to the majority of people who read it, I hope it does move us to get out there and make a difference where we can. It’s going to be up to us to take what’s said here and us it to help empower others.

I’ve provided some links below, if you would like to read a few chapters from the book. If you’ve read it, then I’d like to know how you feel. If not, then it’s a book worthy of adding to your collection. I’ll be giving some additional comments of Come On People on the next podcast.

http://treasures.billcosby.com/pdf/ComeonPeople-pg77-88.pdf
http://treasures.billcosby.com/pdf/ComeonPeople-pg124-132.pdf
http://treasures.billcosby.com/pdf/ComeonPeople-pg168-174.pdf

In keeping with full disclosure, I did want to let everyone know the reason for this review was because I received a copy from Team Cosby. The only requirements were that I read and post an open and honest review in a month’s time. You can rest assured that I did just as they asked.

Today is World AIDS Day, which reminds us of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world’s health. In preparing this post I wanted to gather as much information as I could because AIDS is a serious epidemic in the black and international community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest. The reasons are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to some of the barriers faced by many African Americans. These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV).

When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have

• More illness. Even though blacks (including African Americans) account for about 13% of the US population, they account for about half (49%) of the people who get HIV and AIDS.
• Shorter survival times. Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS. This is due to the barriers mentioned above.
• More deaths. For African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death.

As alarming as these statistics may be, early detection through testing is the best way to control this disease that kills millions of people around the world. I’ve heard people say, “If I have it, I don’t want to know”. To them, I urge to change their mindset. Don’t be selfish. Take the test and take control. Be responsible because you’re not just putting your life on the line. You’re also affecting the lives of everyone who you’ve had unprotected sex with. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can get help.

If you don’t know where to go for testing, you can use you cell phone to text message your zip code to 566948 or visit www.hivtest.org.

You have the power to control this. The ball is in your court. All you have to do is shoot. Please take the time to review the links I’ve provided. It’s some important information and you might learn something that will save your or someone else’s life. Let’s spread the word and take control.

The Basics on HIV Infection and AIDS

How to keep from getting AIDS

Rapid HIV Testing Podcast (1 minute)

Rapid HIV Testing Transcript

HIV Transmission: Questions and Answers

African Americans & AIDS

HIV/AIDS among African Americans – Fact Sheet

2007 AIDS Epidemic Update

Fact Sheet – Key Facts by Region

Black AIDS Institute

by Darrell Holmes

The black athlete has held an unenviable place in Sports Americana. He is both respected and feared. Respected for his prowess and showmanship, no one can turn the conventional into the spectacular like him. Feared because his physical stature is only surpassed by the wily passion for competition housed in his eyes. It’s not co-incidence that sports that advertise the Black athlete are also the most profitable. And while America’s love affair with it’s “trophy buck” remains intact, there is no hesitation about periodically reminding him of his place in society.

The recent situations with Adam Jones, Mike Vick, Odell Thurman, etc. are very much of their own doing. Some of them haven’t been formally convicted of any crime, BUT ain’t nobody stupid. A lotta times where there’s smoke there’s fiyah, and these brothers haven’t done the best job of showing they’re candidates for Man o’ the Year.

CONVERSELY, anyone else think it’s ironic that every major villain in sports right now is Black? If it wasn’t for a corrupt, White NBA ref trapped in a gambling scandal, sports radio shows would still be denigrating NBA players for on-court violence, hip hop culture, and all things Ron Artest. Barry Bonds has had every shred of his life nitpicked apart as the media vultures devour his corpse. Michael Vick and Pacman Jones have both shown the ability to be amazingly stupid on their own accord. Still, the witch hunt for Black male pariahs to poster all over your local evening news is hitting an all new high. It almost reminds me of how they used to show the most crazed “colored” folk during on-site interviews when tragic events would happen. Only now the ante is upped because they bringing the po-po’s AND the feds with.

All colors of races have individuals who are frankly just bad people. A few years back NFL tight end Mark Chmura was caught giving an inappropriate post-prom party for his children’s babysitter. Bill Romanowski is a former NFL’er notorious for antics that would be considered assault off the field ranging from spitting in opponents faces to grinding parts of their bodies with his cleats. Hey, isn’t that the same thing Marcus Vick got chastised for a couple years back? Shawn Kemp is a horrible baby-making machine while Tom Brady spreads his All-American gene all over any model or actress willing to hear his Super Bowl stories. Barry Bonds is a liar that “cheats the game”, but THOUSANDS of MLB players knowingly and willingly took uppers for years with the near endorsement of the owners. Hell, Jason Giambi admitted to using steroids but he was given what amounts to one month of probation in the court of public opinion and has had no major threats of federal prosecution or audits from the IRS.

NOTICE: If you’re young, Black, and gifted know this. My parents always told me that as a person of color you’re going to have to do a little better than your melanin-deficient counterparts. That means that you might have to tell your weed-smoking, dog-fighting cousin he can’t live in your house in Atlanta because he always in trouble and he gone mess everythang up for you, your $130 million contract, and Black folks all over the country.