My Detox Plan, Join Me?

Well...I wasn't going to tell anybody, but I had to tell you! So, this was not a part of my "New Year's Resolutions" or anything but recently I looked at the things I was buying at the grocery store and realized that my eating habits have not been all the healthy lately. I wanted to change my eating habits to more healthier choices, but I don't want to "diet" because 1) I would feel deprived and 2) it would slow my metabolism down. Coincidentally, I watched this documentary via Netflix the other day called Hungry for Change. It covered everything from bad eating habits, to the danger of dieting, to healthy habits. I learned that juicing vegetables and fruits allows for us to consume more than we would normally consume to give our body's the proper nutrients, so we are not starving all the time. If we eat the right things we can be satisfied for a longer period of time, on less food. Also the documentary talked about excellent foods to help detox/cleanse the body such as green and raw vegetables, cilantro, spinach, cucumbers, nuts, omega 3 oils, etc.
 I knew I was going grocery shopping today so I said hey let's buy more green vegetables and fruits! I bought cilantro, cucumbers, spinach salad, nut and cranberry mix and made a nice salad with rasberry vinaigrette dressing! I also purchased some lemon, green tea, salmon, veggie/fruit juices, pre-cooked baked chicken and some other miscellaneous items. This is honestly, the healthiest grocery trip I've ever made and I plan to make it a habit. The salad was phenomenal and I'm planning on video documenting a taking pictures of my journey. Because I want a flatter, tighter stomach I am combining this with concise exercises such as squatting, towel knee lifts, leg lifts. Now I'm not promising some miracle, because I don't know how this is all going to go down, but I'm going to dedicate myself for the next 10 days and hopefully reach 25. I welcome you to do some research and join me. Maybe you are already a health guru and you already know these things and do them regularly, but unfortunately every household does not practice these habits regularly and some people, like me, have to train themselves to be disciplined. I'm really excited. They say it clears your skin, your breathe, and gives a glow to your skin. Sounds almost too good to be true, only time will tell :) Cheers with veggie juice!

Cornel West Believe's Presidential Oath on MLK Bible is Inappropriate

Cornel West is a very outspoken individual and activist. Nothing is wrong with being outspoken, but sometimes West's defensiveness can come off as "haterism." He believes that President Obama swearing oath with his hand on Martin Luther Kings Bible is offensive and inappropriate. I don't know if I agree with this, though I see his point. Do you believe that President Obama putting his hand on MLK's bible to oath into office, "tames MLK's prophetic fire?" as Cornel West says. Here's the video.

Catch Me If You Can, What You Didn't Know About the Real Man

I have just experienced ten total brain-freezes without having consumed anything cold! Yes, it's that serious...do you recall watching the 2002 Steven Spielberg movie, Catch Me If You Can, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks? I'm sure you knew this was based on a true story due to the timeline facts that appeared on the screen at the end of the movie...but I'm quite sure there are some things you probably didn't know about the real man himself.
His name is Frank Abagnale (picture to the right). He is now 64, living in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife and has three children (sons). All before the age of 21, this man created at least 8 false identities, and between the ages of 16 and 18 perpetrated as a Pan Am pilot, flying over 1,000,000 miles and to 26 countries! I don't think we can be mad at this guy because, though he committed some of the biggest frauds in history, he is a complete genius and did this all while still a teenager!

Isn't that a crazy thing to say...but perhaps I can make some sense of why we might cheer for him. After the Vietnam War, Americans' faith and trust in the U.S. government became completely diluted (as we protested the war and almost 60,000 of our young American men died) and this is where we began to see anti-establishment hero movies arise, such as the movie Bullet and Paul Newman's Hombre. Which means that we loved to see independent heroes taking on the bad guys because the federal and government institutions cannot be trusted...we still see a lot of these anti-establishment movies now. Catch Me If You Can, can arguably be one of those movies (aside from the fact that we also adore Leonardo DiCaprio so much)...so perhaps Americans still have sympathy for the underdog and hero who goes against authority (yeah...that's some of my American History in Film Class kicking in)! I digress.
In addition to pretending to be a pilot, Mr. Abagnale pretended to be a teacher of sociology by forging a Columbia University degree, a doctor for 11 whole months, and a Harvard-graduate attorney. Abagnale of course forged tons of checks and embezzled millions of dollars! He was so intelligent that he did not forge the checks but created them from scratch, including their routing numbers. When the U.S. finally caught up with him (in France), he was sentenced to only 12 years in the U.S. and ended up only serving less than five. The FBI recruited him to work with them to help find other check-forging frauds. In 1971, Abagnale even managed to escape the Federal Detention Center in Atlanta, GA by pretending to be from the Federal Prison Bureau. He eventually founded Abagnale and Associates, which is a fraud consultant firm that advises companies on fraud issues. He teaches at the FBI Academy. Recently in November 2012, he testified before the US Senate about the vulnerability of senior citizens to fraud.
This is only a portion of this man's crazily adventurous and nearly impossible life. One can only marvel at his intelligence. I am in no way condoning this type of behavior, but can only imagine what myself or one could do with a mind like that! I encourage you to read into his story, and/or purchase the book Catch Me If You Can. He has made several media appearances and even appeared in the movie as a French Police officer arresting himself--Leonardo DiCaprio! Brain-freeze! A musical came out of the same name of the movie and book, which received four Tony Awards nominations, and additional awards.
Sources: Salinger, Lawrence. Encyclopedia of White-collar and Corporate Crime. A-I, Vol I., pg 418
Abagnale, Frank. The Art of Steal (2001)

DJango Movie:Conservatives Wage War

I did not realize til recently that the movie DJango has had a lot of negative talk from both Black comedians and activists, but moreso white conservatives. I saw DJango and I thought it WAS THE BEST MOVIE EVER! So Katt Williams appears to be mad because he was originally given the script (or so he says) and he is upset by how many times the "N" word appears. If that is even the slightest true, I am not paying HIM any mind, as he probably uses the "N" word more in a one hour stand-up show than the total some people have ever said that word in their lives. Spike Lee was hollering that its a bad movie....but Spike Lee seems to always fuss about thought provoking movies that he didn't write, produce or have a part to do with. He is infamous for criticizing everything Tyler Perry does.
Now movie to white conservatives who are going on strike about the movie. Quentin Tarantino is a mastermind....he created a modern day western in which a black man slave is the hero...he is set free, becomes a bounty hunter, and goes to the most dangerous plantation in all of Mississippi to save his wife. It is a genius movie....the truth is it brings back up a lot of issues we haven't seen in the movies in a very long time...some commentator said since perhaps The Birth of a Nation. I personally don't think it's been that long...I mean what was the purpose of Roots? Anyways, I do not think it's anything to be upset about. Slavery is the backbone of our American history (and so are Western movies) and without a doubt race is still an issue today. I mean President Obama has received so many death threats its not even the slightest funny and I just found out that someone actually shot gunfire at the White House from his car on Constitution Ave.
I will not continue on and on, but it is a movie worth seeing...it's educational, thought-provoking, and entertaining! It's a mastermind piece because there probably has never been in America's history a Black hero (who didn't die) in a Western style film! I may be over-exaggerating but that is so rare, and amazing to see! Below is an insightful news interview about the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2C0ZIAS4pM

Let Me Set It Straight and Lance Armstrong Vid Clips

Let me get something straight! I consider THIS to be a professional blog...it's not something I do for my health, or a website I created to look cute. With it being hosted on Blogger does not shoot it's credibility, as there are so many phenomenal and business websites on Blogger. I am Communications and History major. I am black totally out of my comfort zone a lot of times and when you are often out of your comfort zone it allows you to think...and think of things you otherwise would not think about both good and not so good.
I started this blog to talk about the things that are near and dear to my heart and also to inform about current issues and stories I think need to be told! Last week was absolutely terrible for me...I hadn't had one of those in a long time. You know...one of those weeks where NOTHING seems to go right? But I am refusing to allow that to be the case next week. One thing that I have learned, is that unfortunately sometimes the most hurtful things can be said and done by the ones closest to you....not your enemies necessarily. When the Lord tells me to do something...I go after it, with no hesitation and no regrets, because I know by heeding to His voice...I will be blessed and therefore be able to be a blessing....who knows, maybe one of my blog posts has and/or will one day save a life.
One thing I'm adamant about it not letting people walk or talk all over me...I am an individual, I am a human being with beautiful thoughts and ideas...just like you and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! I'm not perfect but I am going to do the very best I know how, to walk in His perfect plan for my life. I will grow tougher skin because the battle is already won! They...and myself included just have no idea what's in store in 2013.
I am not ashamed of this blog, and will never be! Now speaking of shame I'm sure you are familiar with the Lance Armstrong scandal...so no sense in beating a dead horse, but I wanted to share with you two links you may not have seen. CNN will come out with a documentary called "The World According to Lance." He also recently had an interview with Oprah and critics joke..."Will and Oprah moment help to revive Lance Armstrong, or is it to late," and they also made fun of Oprah saying that she did this purposely to increase viewership on her channel. I mean if my network was struggling...of course I would look for ways to increase viewership! Anyways, if you haven't seen them already you should check out these two clips about Lance Armstrong.

http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/17/cnn-updates-the-world-according-to-lance-armstrong-for-encore-on-saturday-jan-19-at-1000pm-etpt/

The Sisterhood Show Is an Embarrassment, False Representation

No, no no no no no NO! The Sisterhood is a completely HORRIBLE SHOW! I'm so tired of television it's not funny or cute anymore. I'm disappointed to see that the world of materialism and gossip has infiltrated the church...which First ladies in their right minds would agree to doing such a dramatic show. It's a terrible and false representation of what a Pastor's wife is like. A pastor's wife should not be gossiping and the serious and intimate topics they bring up in only the first episode are not only inappropriate, but in which they way they do it is unrealistic. In the first episode one of the pastors was teaching his young daughters who didn't look over 17 years old how to put a condom on and demonstrated with a banana and spilled out his sexual past. What pastor in their right minds would do this 1) on tv and 2) at all?!!! If it were a real Christian household he would be telling his girls to remain abstinent and wait for the man God provides for them. Then another pastor gives his wife handcuffs as a gift, and his wife on NATIONAL TV talks about their sex life. I'M DONE! I want to go on strike so bad...who is signing off, or turning a blind eye and letting buffoonery like this air?!
Christian women are to be loving, humble, non-gosspping and submissive to their husbands (Proverbs 31: 26, 1 Timothy 2)...I DONT KNOW WHAT THIS IS! These women are arguing, getting tattoos, showing skin, wearing 10 inch Nicki Minaj heels, gaudy jewelry. I'm done.....
Out of all the first ladies I've seen they are classy, dressed well and appropriately. Though I'm only 20, I have to say I do not like what I see in terms of these modern churches...they're looking too much like a club...flashing lights, flashy interiors. Give me an old school church, with wooden pews, a loving church family, women who cover up their chests, and sing with all their hearts not are stunning for a TLC Camera. From a 20 year old college student I am truly disappointed in these grown "Christian" women for even agreeing to doing this show. It's a complete and total embarrassment on the Christian community and on black women (media always finds creative ways to downgrade us). WHERE IS MY SHOW? LOL