Think Before You Eat - Especially if You Are Considering Chick fil A

I am appalled at Chick Fil A and the posters they have put up - what is more appalling is the right wingers that say now they are going to eat there on a regular basis because of the company's stand on liberals and gays - too bad that the land of the free and the home of the brave has become the land of idiots.

Eight Goals the World Can Agree On

There are eight goals nobody can argue with, the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set out in 2000 and agreed to by 189 countries.  The target is to achieve all the goals by 2015.  Are the UN Millennium Development Goals achievable, or are they just another pie in the sky promise from politicians?  What makes these eight goals different is that they are being measured, that actual programs are being implemented around the world to achieve results.  Nobody can argue with the UN Development Goals, there is no political agenda other than helping people achieve a decent quality of life in developing countries.

The goals have not yet been met in most countries, but there is progress, increase in cultivation areas, abolition of school fees, debt relief, health services, reduction of AIDS, promotion of small businesses, housing construction and  sustainable living programs have been implemented in Africa, South and Central America, and Afghanistan.

In 2010, the MDG Summit presented an MDG Acceleration Framework which provides a systematic way for countries to develop and pursue their own action plans with the support and guidance of the UN.  The key is to ensure that governments address the needs of the vulnerable, particularly women, youth and children who are the most affected by poverty and lack of access to education, health care, jobs, and financial support.

Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

• Reduce by half the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day.

• Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Goal 2 Achieve universal primary education

• Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.

Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women

• Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.

Goal 4 Reduce child mortality

• Reduce by two thirds the mortality of children under-five.

Goal 5 Improve maternal health

• Reduce maternal mortality by three quarters.

Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• Halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

• Halt and reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability

• Integrate principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse the loss of environmental resources.

• Halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

• Improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020

Goal 8 Develop a global partnership for development

• Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.

• Address special needs of the least developed countries, landlocked countries and small island developing States.

• Deal with developing countries’ debt.

• In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent work for youth.

• In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.

MATTERS OF FACT

• 1.2 billion people across the world are hungry. Seven out of 10 of them are women and girls.

• Millions of children start school but eventually drop out — leaving school without basic literacy and numeracy skills.

• Women hold 18 per cent of seats in parliament.

• Every year, 536,000 women and girls die as a result of complications during pregnancy, childbirth or the six weeks following delivery. 99 per cent of them occur in developing countries.

• Two thirds of those living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of them are women.

• 1.2 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. The vast majority of them live in rural areas.

• Aid to the poorest countries falls far short of the 2010 target.

Challenges

The challenges facing the MDGs are numerous.

• While the share of poor people is declining, the absolute number of the poor in South Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa is increasing.

• Rapid reductions in poverty are not necessarily addressing gender equality and environmental sustainability.

• Lack of progress in reducing HIV is curtailing improvements in both maternal and child mortality.

• The expansion of health and education services is not being matched by quality.

MDG progress is also threatened by the combination of high food prices and the impact of the international financial and economic crisis. Sustained poverty and hunger reduction is at risk because of vulnerability to climate change, particularly in the area of agricultural production. Weak institutional capacity in conflict and post-conflict countries also slows MDG progress, and rapid urbanisation is putting pressure on social services.

Shakespeare - Entrepreneur Extraordinare

Found this great little tidbit on the web - Shakespeare had to find ways to make money and it wasn't easy but he managed it through a combination of business sense, and, of course, good writing. Shakespeare was not only a writer, he was an entrepreneur.

All I Can Be

When you wake up each morning

Say to yourself, today I’ll be all I can

And all I can be is all that I am

And all that I am is me

Take a look in the mirror

Say to yourself

I am beautiful, smart and strong

Affirm yourself

Love who you are

And the you you know you can be.

What is your dream for the rest of your life?

What is your burning desire?

You hold the future in your hands

Believe in Yourself

Believe in your dream

Believe in your powerful plan

Never give up, never say “I’ve done all I can”

Never say never, never say can’t

Never admit to defeat

There are no limits to what you can do

If only you believe

Know who you are

Know what you want

Build your life on positive thought

So when you wake each morning

And as you go through the day

Remember your dream and how special you are

Trust in yourself and have faith

Love yourself, faults, failures, and strengths

And tell yourself each day

I have a plan to do all I can and I can do it

I see the me I want to be and I can be it

I have a goal and I will achieve it

I have faith in myself and I believe it

I can look failure in the face and defeat it

I will take every challenge and meet it

I am all I can be, the best I can be

All I am is all I can be

And all I can be is ME

Ten Easy Ways to be Happy Each Day

It is in your power to be happy and to be at peace, with yourself and with the world.  Even in the face of negative emotions and events, you can maintain a level of happiness and peace within yourself.  It is not always easy, how can you be happy when you feel like your life is falling apart, when things are simply not going your way?   The fact of the matter is, you cannot be jumping up and down happy all the time.  But you can be at peace, you can have an inner happiness that will give you strength to overcome negativity and enjoy each day of your life.  There are a few basic, very easy things you can do to reach the peace and happiness within you, they don’t take a lot of time, and they will make each day happier for you.

1.       Give thanks each day for the good things in your life.  What things make you happy?  Who are the people you love?  What things are you grateful for?  Food, clothing, shelter, loved ones, a sunny day…give thanks.  Gratitude is a happiness maker, and no matter what, there is always something to be grateful for!

2.       Take time to meditate or pray each day.  If you don’t have a formal structure for meditation or prayer, at least take 15 minutes to sit quietly, even if it is with your cup of coffee.  Take 15 minutes to clear your mind, to think about your life, your day, your future.  There is a reason that prayer, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Chakra meditations have been around thousands of years-they work.  Take 15 minutes to find a bit of peace within yourself.

3.       Get some exercise each day.  Even if it is a simple walk around the block or a trip to the corner store, get some exercise, get the blood flowing.  You don’t need to go to the gym or start jogging (although that might not be a bad idea), simply get a bit of exercise each day.

4.       Smile.  This is really pretty easy, isn’t it?  Smile at strangers, smile at your family, it’s good for you and it’s good for them.  Smiling makes people happy.

5.       Tell yourself you love yourself.  OK, it feels a bit funny.  But do it.  Repeat it over and over again, at least 20 times, “I love myself, I love myself, I love myself…”.  When you start to feel negatively about yourself, rinse and repeat, “I love myself.”

6.       Forgive yourself.  Guilt is a sickness, feeling guilty about things brings you nothing.  Whether you feel guilty because of something that happened yesterday or ten years ago, forgive yourself, say to yourself, “I forgive myself.  That was the past and this is now and tomorrow is the future.  I have to live in the now and plan for the future, what is past is past.”  Face it, you cannot change what is in the past.  So give it up, give it up to the universe, to God, to whatever you believe in, but simply let go of it, as you would let go of a balloon in the park.  Let it go!

7.       Do something nice for someone else or yourself.  Simply do something nice, compliment someone on their work, help someone else, even if it is so simple as holding a door open or helping carry packages.  Be open to helping others, and you will feel happier with yourself and with the world.

8.       Keep a journal, even if you only jot down your feelings or your to-do lists, keep a journal and write in it each day.  You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write, simply keep a few notes about your day, your feelings, your goals, your plans.  Writing is cathartic and can help you feel happier and more at peace with yourself.  

9.       Listen to music or sing.  Music affects emotion.  Listen to music that makes you happy or makes you feel at peace, even to music that makes you nostalgic or sad.  Music can sooth the wild beasts of negative emotions.

10.   Eat regularly and drink lots of water.  Not eating makes you tired and grumpy.  You need to eat to have energy and eating healthy foods and snacks can be both pleasurable and healthy.  Drinking water washes out the impurities in your body and rehydrates you so you keep looking young.  Imagine every glass of water as a river of peace flowing through you.   

None of these things require much effort once you are in the habit of doing them.  In fact, they can make your life better, happier, and overall, much more enjoyable.  Even the most difficult of days can be made better by practicing these ten things on a daily basis.  They require no particular expertise or religious faith.  You don’t need to take any classes or much extra time.  Ten simple things anyone can do, regardless of age, location or financial situation.   

See the potential in every new day, enjoy life, enjoy who you are and the people you love.  Take care of yourself, body, soul and mind and remember that you are the greatest gift God has given you.