Paying the Bills

Well, I have to pay the bills. That is why I have chosen to sign up on several to pay-to-blog companies. I'm happy about my decision. I hope those who read my blog agree. I have found out about some really neat stuff that I would probably had never learned about if it were not for my pay-to-blog opportunities. Also, if any of you want to get in on the action, feel free to click on the review my post links that I post in the paid blog posts.
In the meanwhile, I'm learning to write ad copy--which is very exciting to me. I have always wanted to make commercials.
Also, don't forget to click on the lulu.com link to your right and buy my new books. Or maybe you can donate. Click on the paypal donate link and I will continue to delight you with my take on life.

The Women's Suffrage Movement will not be forgotten...

I want to re-introduce this subject to you because I think our society is forgetting all what women have been through to even have what is allowed us now.

...(Our) society severely challenged women's efforts to enter public

life. Through the 1890s, "scientific" reports were being

released which showed that too much education could seriously

hurt the female reproductive system. In 1905 former president

Grover Cleveland wrote in the Ladies' Home Journal that female

voting would upset "a natural equilibrium so nicely adjusted to

the attributes and limitations of both [men and women] that it

cannot be disturbed without social confusion and peril." In

retaliation, women set out to show that rather than disrupt the

social order, woman suffrage would instead maintain it.

Bringing their "natural" roles as mothers and nurturers into

the public arena, women would be able to impose a kind of

"civic housekeeping" upon the competitive and corrupt (male)

state.
Go read the rest of this document.

Children and Gardening

You want to know what happened when I tried to include my

family in my gardening project? Nothing, that is what happened.

They would not have anything to do with it. It was Mommy's

stupid thing to do alone. Of course, the few cherry tomatoes we

had from it were fought over but essentially, it was Mommy's

stupid thing and it's that way because it doesn't look good.

The garden looks abandoned.
Last summer, however, it was different.
People were stopping their cars to take a look. A watermelon

was stolen. I felt good about myself. I didn't feel guilty,

like now.
Following in the footsteps of my parents, I planted fruits and

veggies. I failed to realize how much space vining fruits and

veggies like Pumpkin and Watermelon, would take up. I had such

a small plot of land. It really didn't qualify as plot or land

because it was just a bare patch in the grass where it was too

shady to grow. I turned it into a garden.
The garden was a spectacle-that's why people were stopping and

staring.
The vines of a Pumpkin are very thick. The leaves are

huge-bigger than you hand. Neighbors would stop to chat to see

if they could get me to give them some of my sweet winter

collard greens. They figured I, an African-American female,

would grow something like that. (You know we all know how to

cook soul food and yes, these were other Black folk I was

talking to) They would advise me that the space was too small

for something like Pumpkin or Watermelon and we would stand and

stare at the garden in silence.
Looks of worry and disappointment would criss-cross their face

as we stood in the hot sun discussing the properties of

Pumpkin.
"They use it in spa treatments. I saw it once at a spa in the

North Loop," I would say.
Only a minute or so would go by before I set them straight.

They walked away knowing that they weren't getting any pumpkin

pie out of me.
It is sad that I, a decedent of Sharecroppers, would have such

a blue thumb.
That is why I thought if Mother can do it then so can I-but I

can't-not well anyway.
My 9-year-old boy helped me pick tomatoes for a salad once or

twice. Once he went out there alone to do it.
My autistic daughter,16, would have no part of the mini

harvests.
Maybe next year.

Ultimate Paintball

THIS IS A PAYPERPOST SPONSORED AD
I have always wanted to try paintball and I know a couple of

people who play regularly. The only thing standing in my way

was lack of gear. I stumbled across a website called Ultimate

Paintball. On the site, they had
paintball guns for sale

and even a paintball gun package where everything you would need, would be included.
Everything on the site is easy to find. However, they had one

particular
paint ball gun for sale that seemed easy to use and was in my

budget. I've seen what paint ball can do to clothes, coats etc.

so I want to be prepared!
The Ultimate Paintball site had all of the top-of-the line

names like Tippmann, Spyder, Smart Parts, Dye, Empire and

Draxxus.
So stop using the wrong equipment and getting paint on things

you may want to wear later. Go to Ultimate Paintball.

Homemade Sausage anyone?

Okay, I just made some homemade sausage in my new sausage

grinder. My Granny gave it to me. Right now it's boiling

because I don't know another way to cure raw meat. Okay, I just

checked the sausage and I overfilled one of them and the casing

has burst. It smelled like a Vienna beef hot dog but it didn't

taste like one.
I bought some cheap cuts of beef and pork and ground them in

the grinder. Then I mixed it all together with spices and tried

to re-grind it but that didn't work well so I disassembled the

tube on the grinder and pushed it through into the casing by

hand--literally. My hands have been covered in raw seasoned

meat for about an hour. I used bleach to wash them and bleached

all of the utensils before putting them into the dishwasher.

Also I added tofu. I wanted an all soy sausage but I didn't

know how to process that for the correct texture.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to make sausage better,

leave a comment.
Oh and Jamie Foxx

was particularly delightful singing with Rascal Flatts on the

41st Annual Country Music Awards Wednesday. He looked really

good too. I guess country music is in his blood seeing how he's

from Texas and all--I reckon.

I write for Helium and You can too!

Some parents luck out and find that they have a genius for a

child. Some parents who may not have an honor roll student

still manage to instill the value of learning and making the

most of each school day-these children are blessed. However

there are those who are just there languishing. Either they

have parents who never liked school themselves and unwittingly

(or wittingly) passed the distaste for classrooms on to the

child or the child is possibly in the wrong type of school.
Public schools are for every citizen K-12. Then there are

magnet schools where the pupil has to apply and possibly have a

specific strength like fine arts or math and science.
Charter schools are public schools as well but are looked upon

by many in the education community as less restrictive and more

supportive of students who find learning difficult in a

structured environment-like a neighborhood public school. There

is no tuition required of a true charter school. Fees should be

no more than what any public school needs for uniforms and book

rental. Charter schools get public funding from the respective

local school district.
Another type of school is the college preparatory curriculum

that may be found in day schools-where students go home in the

evening-or boarding schools. These type of schools usually

require a tuition. Financial may be available. Some of these

type of schools are same-sex campus and then some are co-ed.

Many of them are for high school students but there are some

across the country that are open to pupils as young as second

grade or possibly kindergarten.
Military schools are for the student who either wants to be in

the military in the future, attend a military college, need the

rigors of a military school or who come from a family who

attended military academies. They too require a tuition

usually.
Parochial schools are available in a variety of faiths, the

most popular being Catholic and Jesuit. Normally, there is a

tuition requirement.
There is a school for every pupil's need if you are willing to

make sacrifices and conduct a little research.

Who is the Good Shepard?

John 10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
1 "I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a

sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a

thief and a robber!2 But the one who enters through the gate is

the shepherd of the sheep.3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for

him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He

calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 After he has

gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow

him because they know his voice.5 They won't follow a

stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his

voice." 6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration

didn't understand what he meant,7 so he explained it to them:

"I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.8 All who

came before me* were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep

did not listen to them.9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in

through me will be saved.* They will come and go freely and

will find good pastures.10 The thief's purpose is to

steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich

and satisfying life.
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his

life for the sheep.12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf

coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don't belong to

him and he isn't their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them

and scatters the flock.13 The hired hand runs away because he's

working only for the money and doesn't really care about the

sheep.
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they

know me,15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So

I sacrifice my life for the sheep.16 I have other sheep, too,

that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They

will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one

shepherd. 17 "The Father loves me because I sacrifice

my life so I may take it back again.18 No one can take my life

from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority

to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For

this is what my Father has commanded."
19 When he said these things, the people* were again divided

in their opinions about him.20 Some said, "He's demon possessed

and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?"21 Others

said, "This doesn't sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can

a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God
22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of

Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.23 He was in the Temple,

walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade.24 The

people surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to

keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't

believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name.26

But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep.27 My

sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.28 I

give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can

snatch them away from me,29 for my Father has given them to me,

and he is more powerful than anyone else.* No one can snatch

them from the Father's hand.30 The Father and I are one."
31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.32

Jesus said, "At my Father's direction I have done many good

works. For which one are you going to stone me?"
33 They replied, "We're stoning you not for any good work,

but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God."
34 Jesus replied, "It is written in your own Scriptures* that

God said to certain leaders of the people, `I say, you are

gods!'*35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered.

So if those people who received God's message were called

`gods,'36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say, `I am the

Son of God'? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me

into the world.37 Don't believe me unless I carry out my

Father's work.38 But if I do his work, believe in the evidence

of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't believe

me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me,

and I am in the Father."
39 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and

left them.40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place

where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.41 And

many followed him. "John didn't perform miraculous signs," they

remarked to one another, "but everything he said about this man

has come true."42 And many who were there believed in Jesus.

Every one's Parents are getting older

My parents are getting older. Every one's parent's are getting older but I worry about things like Alzheimer's Disease. How will I know what to look for as they grow older?
I ran across this site called Alzheimer's Foundation of America.
I found out that the disease is not a natural part of aging and that it's more that just forgetfulness.
Memory loss--especially of recent events--forgetting where they put things and forgetting new information are signs of the disease. Confusion and struggling to complete familiar actions, such as making coffee, what to do to get ready for bed, i.e. brushing teeth are also signs. Also, having trouble finding appropriate words, completing sentences, and following directions are also signs. A big indicator also is poor judgment when making decisions. This along with
changes in mood and personality can actually cause arguments--further pushing parents and potential caregivers apart. Increased suspicion, rapid and persistent mood swings, withdrawal, and disinterest in usual activities and not being able to perform difficult tasks like balancing a checkbook, are also huge indicators.
I remember there was a time where my mother kept asking me if I took little odd things from the house or if I took $5 from her purse. During that time I was living in another city. She stopped asking me so I just thought she was being silly. However, mom often becomes quarrelsome. I thought maybe she was cranky from being diabetic. She said she had not had breakfast when I asked her if she ate. It was 1 p.m. and she was too focused on shopping to care. I have had to learn to ask mom questions in non-threatening ways in order to get a response and not an argument.
While I don't know how I will talk to my parents about this (they told me to mind my own business when I tried to help them with signing up for Medicare)I will however, support this cause.
I plan to shop for mom's holiday gift at the site's eStore. Dad too. Maybe this will open up the subject.
All of the proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, so it's a win-win situation and it will help me out of a tight spot.
Seeking a cure to Alzheimer's is important and making sure those who suffer from the disease get quality care is just as important. I think the holidays are a good time to give a gift donation or buy a gift from the eStore.
I'm going to do this because it's easy to mistreat someone who is suffering from this disease. They my exhibit the crankiness--which leads to arguments but it's scary to watch the people who raised you to brush your teeth every night go without toothpaste because they kept forgetting it at the store and then decide it isn't important. The only thing is that both of my parents are still living and what one forgets, the other one will remember--for sure. Because of this, it will probably be harder for me to figure out what is going on.

I no longer know how to jump rope

I know longer know how to jump rope or double dutch so don't ask me to play with your kids. Now that I have your attention please read this very interesting article on HIV and a man named John Kevin P.
John Kevin P. (not his actual name) comes from a family of three brothers and two sisters and of them; two of the five are living with HIV/AIDS.

Kevin P., for the sake of his family members, wants to keep his illness quiet, so Kevin is not his real name.

"When my sister was diagnosed it was before the disease had a name. She was diagnosed in 1979," he said.

Her only symptom, he said, was her boyfriend's unexpected death.

By the time the words GRID, (gay related immune deficiency) or, Slim (how researchers said the affected population in Africa referred to the disease), AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and more recently HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) were known, Kevin was had already been diagnosed.

In 1996 at the age of 46, he told his partner about the diagnosis. His partner was in shock when Kevin told him and got retested. Although they are still friends and his partner didn't become angry, he still moved out-of-state. He said he and his partner were having unprotected sex.

"I didn't think I was positive or my partner. The tests didn't always show in those days. The tests were not as sensitive and weren't always picking it up," he said.

Kevin said he wasn't bitter when he found out, he took it in stride. He looks at his disease the same way a person who has heart disease would, he said.

"These things are going to happen. It is to be treated as any other public health concern. Are you not going to have a breast exam because of the public stigma? --No," he said.

The 52-year-old gay, white male is a stroke victim and wants retain some anonimity as he, in his own way, educates others about the disease--which is easier now since he has become disabled after having a total of four strokes.

"My only recover is to be involved. The main thing I'm trying to do is get people to care.

But even with being involved he says there is a stigma attached to having the disease, which is why he stays within the realm of those who walk his same path.



"You have to understand, Palm Beach County is very unique were the only county in the state that has the health care district covers health care not just hospital care. A lack of insurance keeps them from seeking services," he said.

Wednesday June 27 is National HIV Test Day. The Palm Beach County health Department in conjunction with it's community health partners organized a number of sites starting June 24 to June 27 to test for the virus that causes AIDS.

Kevin said this would be the first year since his positive diagnosis that he won't be participating because of health concerns.

"We have seen 450 new HIV infections in each of the last two years. With the advances in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS people need to know their status to be able to take advantage of these advancements and control their health. It's better to know," PBC Health Department Director, Dr. Jean Malecki said.

Health officials said Palm Beach County is unique in that their numbers of HIV/AIDS are always high. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, over 230,000 Haitians live in Florida, making the state home to the largest Haitian population in the U.S., followed by New York. At one point, the Haitian community had been blamed for the high numbers but that has changed.

"It's not limited to the Haitian community. Statistically, there is no way of telling if the Haitian female or Jamaican or any other African-Caribbean race is being affected because statistics aren't broken down that way," Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the PBC Health Department said. The statistics show information broken down to White, Black, Hispanic, and other most times.

He said the most troubling fact is that there are 38 new HIV diagnoses each month.

A study conducted in 2002 by the PBC Health Department shows there are hot spots where teen pregnancy rates and risky sexual behavior are highest.

Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Pahokee, Belle Glade, West Palm Beach/Haverhill, Riviera Beach, Delray Beach, Canal Point, Boynton Beach, and West Palm Beach/Greenacres, are areas where women ages 15 to 19 are having babies and engaging in risky behavior.

Additionally, health department officials say women in their childbearing years are the fastest growing group of HIV positive patients. Studies also show in 2002, Black children accounted for 90 percent of the total pediatric AIDS cases in Palm Beach County and the state led the U.S. with the highest number of pediatric AIDS cases.

Estimates show that as many as 25,000 of the 100,000 HIV infected persons in the state don't know their HIV status, information from the Palm Beach County Health Department said.

Comprehensive AIDS Program South County Regional Manager Kai Johnson and Rose Joseph are two of three regional managers that will help coordinate the county testing this month. Johnson said beware of statistics because they don’t tell the whole story.

"At one time there was a large incidence of HIV/AIDS that began with the Haitian community but that hasn't really been true for a number of years now," Johnson said.

CAP statistics show in December 2002, an estimated 5957 blacks (includes African Americans, Haitians, Jamaicans and all Caribbean Islanders) were living with HIV or AIDS in Palm Beach County, representing 67 percent of all those living with HIV/AIDS in the county at that time.

Within the state, 1 in 46 Blacks are affected by HIV/AIDS and one out of 131 people living in Palm Beach County is living with HIV/AIDS.