BIG Hearts Can Make A BIG Difference!

While on a personal mission to save the world in my head, I use to think I had to be rich in order to help people. 

My problem was I wanted to help so many people at one time, which often kept me stressing over not having enough money to do it. I began to realize that my heart was just really big, and not having enough money shouldn't stop me from doing the little things that can make a difference.

Even if you're not financially well off, giving what you can is better than nothing. It can be as little as donating canned goods to a local shelter, or ten dollars for gas to somebody that needs it, a ride home from work, a compliment, a smile, acknowledging some one's hard work, or buying a homeless person a hot meal.

I know first hand about these things because between my spouse and I, we've done all these things and more but it always felt like it wasn't enough. So we'd play the lottery a few times, in hopes of hitting to have enough money to help needy people all over the world. 

Big dreams I suppose, but it never stops us from wishfully thinking about it. So until that magical day we'll be happy giving what we can, until we can really give what we want. You should do the same.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA

The COSTCO Racist Doll

In Greensboro, North Carolina, John Taylor and his wife Donna recently visited a COSTCO and couldn't  believe what they saw perched on the shelf for sale. 

A baby doll being hugged by a monkey with the doll's cap stating, "lil monkey!" The Taylor's have recently launched complaints with COSTCO corporate headquarters and although their efforts succeeded in getting the doll pulled from the Greensboro store, the doll is still for sale in Winston Salem and likely other locations within the state.

Why would a well known corporation like Costco jeopardize their reputation to sell such a product? How was this particular item even approved for sale? 

This product clearly sends the wrong message and should be discontinued immediately. Call the COSTCO headquarters and demand that this product be removed from their shelves without delay 1-800-774-2678. It's the "Cuddle Baby" product #404860.

The things that make you go hmmmm...

2009 LA

What About God's Grief?

Going in and out of one of my deep thoughts, I began to think of all the crime and corruption that takes place in the world. All the mass murders, robberies, discrimination issues, and so on and so forth. 

Just thinking about every episode that takes place breaks my heart. There are so many people that claim to believe in God, but then go out and shoot someone the next day. 

Hurting people is never okay, whether you do it physically, mentally or verbally.

Then I thought and what about God's Grief? We only see and hear a portion of the negativity that goes on in the world, but God sees everything, EV-ER-Y-THING!

Just knowing that should make most people stop, and second guess the nature of what they do before they do it. 

Knowing that you'd be hurting yourself and others is bad, but knowing that you'd also be hurting God should make it worse.

Can you imagine watching all the suffering, illnesses, deaths and corruption happening in every single person's life? 

It'd be enough to drive you crazy -- well if you have a heart it'd be enough to drive you crazy. 

But what about God's Grief? 

God has to endure every single thing, every single day! And although I'm grateful that God can endure all the pain for us, it still makes me feel bad that it even has to be that way.

To all out there that believe in God but continue to be vicious, evil, and hateful; STOP! Think before you lash out, and above all always remember that God is watching you.
 

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA

Does Passing a Drug Test Define You?

When hired for corporate positions drug tests aren't administered however, if you're hired at a McDonald's, a Target, or Walmart, drug tests are mandatory. Why?

Are drug tests only given to hourly workers because minorities make up the majority of the workforce? Wouldn't it make sense to drug test a person that handles huge merger deals, or a vice president that runs a banking institution, or what about our elected government officials? 

For years there were stories swirling that former president George W. Bush had abused serious alcohol and drugs -- specifically cocaine, but of course we'd never know because he didn't have to take a drug test after landing the most powerful position in the world! I think it's fair for a president to take a drug test. As a matter of fact, the harder the job the more it makes sense to take a drug test. 

Even former president Bill Clinton was known for smoking marijuana while in office, but that fact was widely overlooked and instead he was pinned for cheating on his wife!

Comedian D.L. Hughley (seen-r) once commented in his stand up comedy show that, "The more fu**ed up your job is, the harsher drug you should be able to use!" 

Hughley also stated that if you're a janitor you should be able to tie off every now and again. Now of course those are just jokes and no one is expected to take him seriously, but his point is taken.

If you're a cashier at a fast food restaurant there isn't to many things you can mess up, but being the president of a corporation you can bankrupt an entire company while causing thousands of people to lose their jobs behind a serious drug addiction. 

I've surveyed people in "hourly rate" positions or who had what is deemed "regular jobs," and asked them if they used drugs and if so, what kind and why? The response was overwhelmingly the same; marijuana was widely used and they either hated their jobs, or they were stressed from financial instability and depression which smoking for them helped to release their anxiety. 

Knowing the latter made me wonder if their financial and job situations were different, would this make them stop using drugs? And when affluent people use drugs are they only doing it for recreational activity, as they often bare no financial concerns?

Who knows but either way the argument still stands that corporate and government officials, should be drug tested just as hourly workers are; them being rich shouldn't be an excuse as it distinctly defines drug users as being your average Joe, and that isn't fair.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA

Do Wedding Coordinators Overcharge?

Have you seen the reality show on VH1 called, "My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding"?

In my search for something interesting to watch this is what I found. Basically, the show is geared towards really rich people who have incredibly lavish weddings. Dina (seen above) from the reality show 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey', had a wedding extravaganza so I watched because I was familiar with who she is. 

Dina's wedding was huge, I mean HUGE! There were 602 guests on her list and she admitted that she only knew about 20 people there. A buffet of food and deserts adorned the hall where she had her reception, and she even had the music group 'The Stylistics' personally perform for them.

This entire event didn't have a wedding party; not one bridesmaid, flower girl, groomsman, nada. However, Dina did have her daughter by her side. The wedding was well over one million dollars. 

The second hour of lavish weddings introduced a Japanese bride named Mina, who was marrying Leroy an African American medical sales associate. 

Although Mina was adorable, it was obvious that material things were the center of her world. She had to have the absolute best of everything, nothing more, nothing less. But I guess when you have a wealthy father you can afford to have anything you want. 

This bride wanted a wedding coordinator to the stars, she wanted an eight foot wedding cake designed by famous cake baker Sylvia Weinstock worth fifteen thousand dollars, and the cake was being flown in from New York City -- with two first class seats of its own!

She only wanted a gown by celebrity designer Vera Wang, and throughout the whole show she bragged to everybody about how much she paid for everything. Talk about not eating enough of humble pie.

After the bride paid a retainer fee of $20,000 dollars to meet with celebrity wedding coordinator Preston Bailey, she was charged a little over $500,000 dollars and that total didn't even include the flowers! My mouth dropped open for about three minutes.

The price included special pink screens, lighting, crystal chandeliers, table linens, twenty-four centerpieces (which were $50,000 dollars a piece), and extra decor and labor.

If you pay a wedding coordinator over half a million dollars for your wedding, basically everything you paid for you bought, right? After the wedding is over everything you paid for you should own, correct? 

Because after paying that much money I'd be walking out with those crystal chandeliers, linens, centerpieces, and the lighting! The crazy part is, people actually spend that kind of money to rent these items. 

But if you spend that much money you're not renting, you paid for those items and if not, the wedding coordinator is allowed to keep everything only to charge the next client a lot of money for something the previous client already paid for!? All I can say is WOW!

At the end of the show, Mina was disappointed that her dear wedding coordinator Preston Bailey, wouldn't be able to attend her wedding personally due to a "family emergency." Ha! I guess she didn't have enough celebrity status to get him there in the flesh?

The grand total for Mina's wedding was two million dollars! My mouth dropped open again for another three minutes. For that much money they better stay married FOREVER!

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA

New Credit Card Regulations Thanks to President Obama

Did you know new credit card regulations are currently in full effect? Below are three key important factors about the new rules.

1. When you sign-up for a credit card, the interest rates will never change.

2. When your signing up for a credit card be aware of how much your monthly payments will be, and you should receive monthly statements showing how long it will take you to pay it off, like a car note or mortgage payment.

3. The last and my personal favorite, if a person is under the age of 21, you must have a co-signer before you are allowed to receive a credit card.

When I was 18 years old and in college I was given all type of credit card applications, which later added to my future debt.  

President Obama believes a teenager should have a co-signer because at the age of 18, you're not mature enough to handle debt. 

Since it's obvious that credit card companies prey on young college students, I wonder if student credit card debt can be forgiven since it's considered predatory lending? 

Can you imagine if Obama's new policy was in full effect from the time you were 18 up until 20 years of age? That sure would've helped a lot of young people not fall into debt at an early age.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA

Why Is Killing So Easy?

Why is it that human life means nothing to some people? 

An innocent taxi driver was shot in the head, than robbed of the few dollars he had in his pocket. An innocent bartender was killed and robbed. A woman going for a morning jog was shot in the back, but wasn't robbed. Three people were killed in a movie theater. A mother suffocated her one year old son, brought him back to life using CPR and then suffocated him again until he died, then buried his body at a playground.

Two Georgia Tech students were shot and robbed, but luckily they survived to tell their stories. A mother picking up her son was allegedly shot by her mother-in-law. A doctor who was selling her condo invited the wrong person in to look at her home and was shot to death and robbed.

All day everyday killing is indeed a fact of life. It's something that's guaranteed to happen whether we want it to or not. It's a constant routine, much like us waking up every morning and brushing our teeth is routine. No one knows how to stop it and there are never enough eyes to properly protect people from harm. Everyday you walk out the door you have no clue if it will be your last day on earth. All you can do is hope and pray for the best.

Most people assume that killers are cold-hearted individuals either born crazy or raised evil. 

But what happened to these people that caused them to snap? What pushed their buttons to the point of no return? Does no feeling of empathy reside within them, from the moment they point the gun to the moment they pull the trigger, releasing death in a capsule and ending a life that had no right to be taken? 

I wish weapons weren't so easy to purchase. There should be restrictions put in place and thorough background checks issued. Like comedian Chris Rock once said, "Charge $5000 dollars for one bullet, that way there won't be anymore innocent bystanders." 

That sure makes sense doesn't it?

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA

Why Are Certain Men Praised Like God?

I have an honest question. I'm not trying to offend anyone or be disrespectful. This question is out of sheer curiosity. 

For those that believe in God we all know that God is love, God is perfect, God is the creator, and ruler of all things. No one can compare to God because God is the highest of the high; are you with me so far?

If you agree with the latter, then why do we praise the Pope as if he's God? The Pope is a mortal man just like any other man, so what is it about the Pope that makes him holier than others? I'm not comparing the Pope to pastors, ministers, rabbi's, or reverends, but many of these same "holy people" have proven themselves to not be as holy as we thought.

I've seen priests and pastors on the news pleading guilty to child molestation charges, fornication, and even the siphoning of church funds for their own personal gain. And only when they're caught do they cry out that they're "only human," and human beings make mistakes when most of them lived as if they were above all men. And as we all know, God doesn't make mistakes.

All I'm saying is we need to be mindful of who we put on pedestals, and make sure not to confuse men with the creator of all. We also need to take more responsibility in seeking truths that are kept from us, other wise we stand to be brainwashed forever.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

2009 LA