| | Subject | Date | Text | Author | | Digital Divide Closing for African-Americans | 4/3/2006 | Digital Divide Closing for African-Americans
African-Americans are steadily gaining access to the internet,
signaling a narrowing of the "digital divide" that many experts had
worried would become a crippling disadvantage, writes the NY Times.
Civil rights leaders, educators and national policymakers have warned
that the internet was bypassing many blacks and Hispanics. But the
falling price of laptops, more computers in public schools and
libraries, and the newest generation of cell phones and handheld
devices that connect to the internet have helped more people to gain
access the internet.
One powerful factor attracting blacks and other minorities to the
internet has been the rapid evolution of the web into a cultural
crossroads - of work, play and social interaction. "What digital
divide?" basketball legend Magic Johnson retorted in an interview about
his online campaign deal with the Ford's Lincoln Mercury division.
A Pew national survey of people 18 and older completed in February
showed that 74 percent of whites go online, compared with 61 percent of
African-Americans and 80 percent of English-speaking
Hispanic-Americans.
| U2 |
| ... | 3/28/2006 | I feel it, thundering uncontrollably
Racing, never reaching the finish line
I try to grab hold of what is happening
Unable to get my baring, I inhale deeply
Releasing very slowly
Hoping the end will begin anew
As I gather my thoughts to renew my mind
My wounded heart would not release
The pain, The shame, from your intended blow
I cried out with a voice of reason
No answers return, tears streaming as fierce as Katrina
Never ending, increasing in strength like Rita
One last chance to repair the dam
I thrust my heart up towards the heavens
Suddenly, a still voice whispers
All is okay, wounded heart come in
Allow me to embrace you, caress you as such
Leaving behind the memories of much
What was, is no more, what is to come
Is now here, receive
Author Suki
| |
| A minister passing through his church | 3/26/2006 | A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day, Decided
to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle. The minister
frowned as he saw the man hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was kind a shabby and his coat was worn and frayed, the man
knelt, he bowed his head. Then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap, each time he
knelt just for a moment. A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear. He
decided to stop the man and ask him,"What are you doing here?"
The old man said, he worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time, For finding strength and power.
"I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away; as I
kneel here talking to the Lord, This is kind a what I say:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE
FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK
ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY."
The minister feeling foolish, told Jim, that was fine. He told the man
he was welcome.To come and pray just anytime.
Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks." He hurried to the door. The
minister knelt at the altar, he'd never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love, and met with Jesus there. As
the tears flowed, in his heart, he repeated old Jim's prayer:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE
FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK
ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."
Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn't come. As
more days passed without Jim, he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him, learning he was ill. The hospital
staff was worried, But he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them, Brought changes in the ward. His
smiles, a joy contagious. Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand why Jim was so glad, when no
flowers, calls or cards came, Not a visitor he had.
The minister stayed by his bed, He voiced the nurse's concern: No
friends came to show they cared.He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile; "the
nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that in here all the while
everyday at noon He's here, a dear friend of mine, you see, He sits
right down, takes my hand, Leans over and says to me:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, SINCE WE
FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN. ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY, I THINK ABOUT
YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY."
If this blesses you, pass it on. Many people will walk in and out of
your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
May God hold you in the palm of His hand and Angels watch over you. But
for those of us who are already His, He not
only holds us in the palm of His hand, but has engraved our names
there, and we are continually in His sight (Isaiah 49:16)
Please pass this page on to your friends & loved ones. If you aren't
ashamed. Jesus said, " If you are ashamed of me," I will be ashamed of
you before my Father."
If you are not ashamed, pass this on. But only if you mean it.
Yes, I do love God. He is my source of existence and Savior.
He keeps me functioning each and everyday. Without Him, I
will be nothing. Without him, I am nothing but with Him "I can
do all things through Christ that strengthens me." Phil 4:13
This is too good not to share -
So this is me ... Just Checking In | this is me |
| "The Secret is this: | 3/25/2006 | "The Secret is this:
I have learned there is little I can do
in my life that will make me truly happy.
I must depend ! on God to make
me happy and to meet my needs.
When a need arises in my life,
I have to trust God to supply
according to HIS riches.
!
I have learned most of the time
I don't need half of what I think I do.
He has never let me down.
Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."
The questioner's first thought was,
"That's too simple!"
But upon reflecting over her own life
she recalled how she thought a bigger house
would make her happy, but it didn't!
She thought a better paying job
would make her happy, but it hadn't.
When did she realize her greatest happiness?
Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren,
playing games, eating pizza or reading a story,
a simple gift from God
Now you know it too!
We can't depend on people to make us happy.
Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that.
Trust HIM!
And now I pass the Secret on to you!
So once you get it, what will you do?
YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!
That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!
But it's not really a secret...
We just have to believe it and do it...
Really trust God!
| |
| women | 3/17/2006 | | |
| ... | 3/1/2006 | | |
| It Is better To Be Alone, Than In The Wrong Company | 3/1/2006 | | |
| It Is Better To Be Alone, Than In The Wrong Company | 3/1/2006 | It Is Better To Be Alone, Than In The Wrong Company
Tell me who your best friends are, and I will tell you who you are. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights. “A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate – for the good and the bad. The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you. Consider this: Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere. With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships.
Author Unknown -
| |
| 12 Things The Negro Must Do For Himself | 2/27/2006 | 12 Things The Negro Must Do For Himself
by Nannie Helen Burroughs
(Circa Early 1900's)
1. The Negro Must Learn To Put First Things First. The First Things Are: Education; Development of Character Traits; A Trade and Home Ownership.
· The Negro puts too much of his earning in clothes, in food, in show and in having what he calls "a good time." The Dr. Kelly Miller said, "The Negro buys what he WANTS and begs for what he Needs." Too true!
2. The Negro Must Stop Expecting God and White Folk To Do For Him What He Can Do For Himself.
· It is the "Divine Plan" that the strong shall help the weak, but even God does not do for man what man can do for himself. The Negro will have to do exactly what Jesus told the man (in John 5:8) to do--Carry his own load--"Take up your bed and walk."
3. The Negro Must Keep Himself, His Children And His Home Clean And Make The Surroundings In Which He Lives Comfortable and Attractive.
· He must learn to "run his community up"--not down. We can segregate by law, we integrate only by living. Civilization is not a matter of race, it is a matter of standards. Believe it or not--some day, some race is going to outdo the Anglo-Saxon, completely. It can be the Negro race, if the Negro gets sense enough. Civilization goes up and down that way.
4. The Negro Must Learn To Dress More Appropriately For Work And For Leisure.
· Knowing what to wear--how to wear it--when to wear it and where to wear it, are earmarks of common sense, culture and also an index to character.
5. The Negro Must Make His Religion An Everyday Practice And Not Just A Sunday-Go-To-Meeting Emotional Affair.
6. The Negro Must Highly Resolve To Wipe Out Mass Ignorance.
· The leaders of the race must teach and inspire the masses to become eager and determined to improve mentally, morally and spiritually, and to meet the basic requirements of good citizenship.
· We should initiate an intensive literacy campaign in America, as well as in Africa. Ignorance--satisfied ignorance--is a millstone abut the neck of the race. It is democracy's greatest burden.
· Social integration is a relationship attained as a result of the cultivation of kindred social ideals, interests and standards.
· It is a blending process that requires time, understanding and kindred purposes to achieve. Likes alone and not laws can do it.
7. The Negro Must Stop Charging His Failures Up To His "Color" And To White People's Attitude.
· The truth of the matter is that good service and conduct will make senseless race prejudice fade like mist before the rising sun.
· God never intended that a man's color shall be anything other than a badge of distinction. It is high time that all races were learning that fact. The Negro must first QUALIFY for whatever position he wants. Purpose, initiative, ingenuity and industry are the keys that all men use to get what they want. The Negro will have to do the same. He must make himself a workman who is too skilled not to be wanted, and too DEPENDABLE not to be on the job, according to promise or plan. He will never become a vital factor in industry until he learns to put into his work the vitalizing force of initiative, skill and dependability. He has gone "RIGHTS" mad and "DUTY" dumb.
8. The Negro Must Overcome His Bad Job Habits.
· He must make a brand new reputation for himself in the world of labor. His bad job habits are absenteeism, funerals to attend, or a little business to look after. The Negro runs an off and on business. He also has a bad reputation for conduct on the job--such as petty quarrelling with other help, incessant loud talking about nothing; loafing, carelessness, due to lack of job pride; insolence, gum chewing and--too often--liquor drinking. Just plain bad job habits!
9. He Must Improve His Conduct In Public Places.
· Taken as a whole, he is entirely too loud and too ill-mannered.
· There is much talk about wiping out racial segregation and also much talk about achieving integration.
· Segregation is a physical arrangement by which people are separated in various services.
· It is definitely up to the Negro to wipe out the apparent justification or excuse for segregation.
· The only effective way to do it is to clean up and keep clean. By practice, cleanliness will become a habit and habit becomes character.
10. The Negro Must Learn How To Operate Business For People--Not For Negro People, Only.
· To do business, he will have to remove all typical "earmarks," business principles; measure up to accepted standards and meet stimulating competition, graciously--in fact, he must learn to welcome competition.
11. The Average So-Called Educated Negro Will Have To Come Down Out Of The Air. He Is Too Inflated Over Nothing. He Needs An Experience Similar To The One That Ezekiel Had--(Ezekiel 3:14-19). And He Must Do What Ezekiel Did
· Otherwise, through indifference, as to the plight of the masses, the Negro, who thinks that he has escaped, will lose his own soul. It will do all leaders good to read Hebrew 13:3, and the first Thirty-seven Chapters of Ezekiel.
· A race transformation itself through its own leaders and its sensible "common people." A race rises on its own wings, or is held down by its own weight. True leaders are never "things apart from the people." They are the masses. They simply got to the front ahead of them. Their only business at the front is to inspire to masses by hard work and noble example and challenge them to "Come on!" Dante stated a fact when he said, "Show the people the light and they will find the way!"
· There must arise within the Negro race a leadership that is not out hunting bargains for itself. A noble example is found in the men and women of the Negro race, who, in the early days, laid down their lives for the people. Their invaluable contributions have not been appraised by the "latter-day leaders." In many cases, their names would never be recorded, among the unsung heroes of the world, but for the fact that white friends have written them there.
"Lord, God of Hosts, Be with us yet."
· The Negro of today does not realize that, but, for these exhibits A's, that certainly show the innate possibilities of members of their own race, white people would not have been moved to make such princely investments in lives and money, as they have made, for the establishment of schools and for the on-going of the race.
12. The Negro Must Stop Forgetting His Friends. "Remember."
· Read Deuteronomy 24:18. Deuteronomy rings the big bell of gratitude. Why? Because an ingrate is an abomination in the sight of God. God is constantly telling us that "I the Lord thy God delivered you"--through human instrumentalities.
· The American Negro has had and still has friends--in the North and in the South. These friends not only pray, speak, write, influence others, but make unbelievable, unpublished sacrifices and contributions for the advancement of the race--for their brothers in bonds.
· The noblest thing that the Negro can do is to so live and labor that these benefactors will not have given in vain. The Negro must make his heart warm with gratitude, his lips sweet with thanks and his heart and mind resolute with purpose to justify the sacrifices and stand on his feet and go forward--"God is no respector of persons. In every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is" sure to win out. Get to work! That's the answer to everything that hurts us. We talk too much about nothing instead of redeeming the time by working.
R-E-M-E-M-B-E-R
· In spite of race prejudice, America is brim full of opportunities. Go after them!
Tell friends and Family to visit our "Positive Words" to view the passage on www.willisdacrooner.com
| |
| Bananas | 2/26/2006 | Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS:
Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Bon A petit!
| Bon A petit! |
| Wash Day | 2/26/2006 |
Now, this is really a cute one. . . .and I've not seen it before, either!! That is getting to be a rarity!!!
Monday
Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.
Tuesday
Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others.
Wednesday
Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.
Thursday
Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.
Friday
Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal
happiness for myself and all others in need of love.
Saturday
Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it
with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
Sunday
The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.
| |
| You with in you | 2/20/2006 | Soul is the witness of memoirs
Dispels the hints of blissfulness
Also it doles out the suds
Aligned as thousand line sof choirs
Its love that scares you most of all
Dont want to lose it any cost
Make the dough of You with in you
Bind it and build it dotn let it fall
You within you is the real you
Unseen but present everywhere
He has made it with special care
Words that touch teh heart are few
| Iram Afridi |
| The World Wide War on Working People | 2/20/2006 | This is Deep!
Has your paycheck gotten smaller, are you working longer hours for the same or less, have you been laid off or are afraid you will be? Do you have employer paid health insurance? If you do are you paying more of the premium, higher co-pays and deductibles? Are your parents taking bus trips to Mexico to buy their medications? Does your child suffer from asthma? Are your utility costs up? Does your company offer a retirement plan? Is it fully funded? Did you lose your retirement or a large part of it in the stock market crash? How old will you be when your Social Security kicks in 67, 69, 70? Will there be any benefits when you retire? Are you buried in credit card debt?
Did you have to tell your child they would have to borrow the money to pay for increased college tuition costs because the cash you got out of your home equity now has to go to keep your parent in a nursing home and the cost of both is going up? Did your local taxes go up even though services went down? Are there potholes in your street, are your children in bigger classes at school, do you think the only chance you have of financial security is winning the lottery? Are you worried about the gigantic bill we are sending our children and grandchildren in the form of $6.4 trillion dollars of national debt?
If you answers to one or more of these questions make you feel queasy, you are probably part of the rapidly disappearing middle class (median family income $42,400/year). 12.1% (34.6 million people) of the U.S. Population doesn't have to worry about those problems because many of those problems are beyond their financial reach because they fall below the poverty line of $18,392 ($353.69/week) for a family of four per year. One half of those families made less than $9,196 per year.
What you may not realize is that the conditions above are the result of the implementation of a worldview held by the rich and powerful, not only of this country but also of the whole world. It is likely that if we continue on our present path that America will not be any better off than most Central American countries. What does that look like? A Guatemalan friend once explained the income range in his country. He said "15% of our population is very rich, 15% are poor and the other 70% are very, very poor.
The best example of how trickle down economics works is an old joke about the three Scots, who made a pact that whenever one died, the survivors would pour a bottle of fine Scotch over the grave of the deceased. When finally one of them died the other two gathered at the gravesite with the agreed upon bottle. The one holding the bottle thought for a minute and than looked at the other and said "Do you think he'd mind if we strained it through our kidneys first?"
What is happening in the United States and around the world through the process of globalization is nothing less than class warfare. And guess what, it was the richest people in the world who declared war on the rest of us.
Understanding Capitalism
One of the biggest victories of the right has been to unify in most peoples minds the concepts of democracy and capitalism. Most Americans do not understand that democracy is a political philosophy and capitalism an economic one. Americans do not recognize that socialism for example is equally compatible with democracy. Or that mixture of capitalism and socialism are frequently successful such as in many European countries, Canada and other governments. In fact in America when life span, per capita income and child mortality rates are considered America ranks #6 right after five socialist democracies.
The reason conservatism and capitalism establish such a strong bond is that their social agendas are based on a lack of social change, a stability and control over the population and market place. The true capitalist doesn't attempt to change anything except if it leads to the opportunity for personal gain. In fact most capitalists are not interested in any change except when it produces the opportunity for profit. Just as a supply and demand market economy sees nothing wrong with $50 a sheet plywood and $6 per gallon gas in the face of an oncoming hurricane it looks at over population, war, health crises and famine as conditions to profit from not correct.
Capitalism is an economic view not a political one and as such has no interest in solving any problem unless it interferes with or creates profit. It has no ethic, no moral dilemma. In fact the wonderful thing about a corporation is that it has all of the rights and privileges of an individual but no moral liability for its actions. It is perfect for one thing, making money and the only way in can be harmed is by taking money away from it.
The Causes of the Current Class War
It has been obvious for some time to the world's scientists and to Capitalists who see information in the form of market projections, that a number of conditions are reaching critical mass and cannot be ignored.
Population Growth
The current population is 6 billion people and growing by 176 per minute, 10,560 per hour and 253,440 per day, 1,774080 per week, 7,624,544 per month, over 91million per year. This problem will not go away. It is already leading to widespread famine, war, pollution and other problems of cataclysmic proportions and will worsen if left unchecked.
The wealthy in this country and throughout the world are well aware that they can't have the unlimited growth in wealth and fulfill the promise of raising everyone up to an American middle class existence. We are 6% of the world's population and use 28% of its resources. At our current technological level of functioning it would take 2 ½ more earths to bring the world up to our middle class. Besides consumption, this high standard of living is very inefficient and produces vast amounts of waste. For example, the U.S. is 6% of the world's population and produces 24% of the world's greenhouse gasses).
Capitalists do not see any of this as their problem but what they do see is increased markets and an opportunity to use the increased demands to stifle environmental regulation, worker rights and do away from other "costs" that reduce profits. In addition the pressure on government for increased services represents opportunities for new revenue streams through the privatization of traditional areas of governmental function including the prosecution of war.
The great cry of free markets and downsizing government is nothing less than an all out take over of the common wealth and a direct assault on the general welfare for the profit of a few who see people only as human capital. People worried about basic necessities whether they are healthcare or food are happy to survive; they don't demand high levels of services or a quality environment.
The End of the Cold War
The end of the Cold War united the interests of the wealthy and powerful worldwide. The rich everywhere faced the same problems. Dreams of democracy and respect for humanity were breaking out everywhere (remember Tianamen Square). It was soon apparent that governments were no longer useful to corporations in protecting capitalism from communism they were now an impediment. Taxes, environmental laws, regulation for consumer protection, tort liability, civil rights compliance are all seen as limits to profit.
The corporate vision of the future also changed. Before the end of the cold war, one half of the market of the world had been largely unavailable to them. The increased market forced a change in strategy. To make a profit in the future is not to make a profit of $20 from the small proportion of the population in the industrialized world but to make a profit of a $1 from every person in the world. This view is no different from the 18th century British Mercantilist who imagined what great profits could be made by "just adding an inch of cloth to the shirttail of every chinaman,"
Democratic governments of informed populations get in the way, it's much easier to deal with totalitarian oligarchies that are willing to share in the profits and exploit the fearful, uneducated citizens they govern. That is why the marriage of American capital and Chinese Communist authoritarianism was made in capitalist heaven. Chinese Communist Capitalism is the wave of the future.
The Economics of Globalization
Capitalists are nothing but pragmatic. During the Irish potato famine grain and cattle exports were at an all time high. The Irish survived on potatoes but paid their rents in grain. When the potatoes rotted in the cellars and the Irish had to eat the grain instead of paying their rents the British landlords (who had stolen the lands from the peasants and rented it back to them) knocked down their houses and evicted them to clear land for more grain and cattle. Over a million, one in ten Irish starved, their mouths green from eating grass. Like all good capitalists the British then used their excess profits to buy the cheapest, most derelict ships they could find and robbed another million of their last farthing so that they could force economic deportation under the threat of starvation.
Not much has changed, agribusiness dumped cheap corn on Mexican markets after NAFTA forcing somewhere between 1.5-3 million Mexican farmers off from the land who could not compete. They then illegally immigrate to the U.S. where they lower demand and wages for American workers. With the land in Mexico now cleared of small farmers, industrialized mono-crop farming by multi national agribusiness companies like Con-Agra and Archer Daniels Midland move in and raise more cheap products, putting more farmers out of business in the next country. History repeats itself a win-win-win situation for Capitalists.
"Free Trade" treaties like NAFTA , CAFTA and the FTAA allow corporations to avoid environmental, and labor regulation, employing virtual slave labor, dumping of toxic waste without restriction and the corruption of local governments. To multi-national corporations global warming, resource depletion, pollution and the exploitation of humans are not concerns, just conditions to be exploited in the mad scramble for corporate dominance.
Globalization is the outgrowth of this strategy. It is about pitting poorer and poorer people against each other until people will kill each other just to have any job. American companies argue against tariffs on Chinese goods that are causing a huge trade debt and loss of jobs, stating that China is only taking jobs we already lost to Mexico and Malaysia. In the meantime we lost another 300,000 jobs to those countries. So while 13-year-old girls are making car parts in Mexico, programming jobs are going to India and the Chinese are virtual slaves producing cheap goods for Wal-Mart the multi-national corporations tell us how great globalization will be for us.
Corruption of Governments by International Policies
The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organization (WTO) operate in concert. Multi-national corporate interests dominate these organizations. They lend money to poor countries whose governments are dominated by elite economic interests. Often the conditions for loans include allowing Multinational companies to enter markets and compete with locals usually driving them out of business. The elite typically siphon off the loans through corrupt contracting and sometimes, outright theft, sticking the working people with the bill.
When the country is unable to repay its loans because there has been no improvement in the economy, the World Bank and IMF demand that in exchange for debt forgiveness or restructuring, the country submit to what is called "shock therapy". The countries natural resources are sold off to multi-national corporations, government services such as utilities, water are privatized and the country suffers the same disassembly as a bankrupt corporation by its creditors. Of course the wealthy and corrupt governments are unchanged, in fact they usually profit from this as well. They get a piece of the action. In addition, these corrupt governments usually negotiate Free Trade agreements. With bribes from multinational corporations or pressure from the U.S. government to sign Free Trade agreements supervised by the WTO, agreements can come before or after loans. These agreements prevent local or state governments from making business, labor or environmental rules that might impede companies from making a profit. In other words anytime the question is people vs. profits, profits win.
Corruption of American Politics
The fastest growing business in Washington D.C. has been lobbying. Both parties have become too dependent on corporate donations to make independent policy based on the needs of the people. The Republicans however have taken it to new heights. Starting a policy under Tom Delay where lobbyists who gave to both sides were denied access. The message was clear, if you want access to the Republican controlled Executive and Congress you give all the money to the Republicans.
In response, corporations have been able to write legislation to be passed, install its own people in regulatory agencies that supervise them, discount scientific information detrimental to there profits and consolidate the press under their control. In the eyes of corporations political parties are to be bought to change public policy to favor profits. Differences are to be exploited with fear so that free people will voluntarily give up their freedoms for the promise of safety. Corporations don't really care about abortion or gay rights, but they will fund those who are against such things if those voters will put in office people who will serve corporate interests.
Don't fear the one world government,
fear the one world corporation
The rich are terrified of the masses, so it is better to pit them against each other. Encourage divisiveness over religion, culture, ethnicity, or race. People who don't buy into the great capitalist dream or even resist it are the enemy. The Muslim world (war on terrorism), socialist countries in Europe (Old Europe), indigenous and working people in Central and South America (war on drugs), and Africa (aids and evangelism) are being dealt with as we speak.
In America, fear is the weapon against reason. If you are afraid of your neighbor's religion, political leaning, sexual orientation, that your child is learning about evolution, then you have already bought in. What you really ought to be afraid of is as benign as your local gas station, your TV set, and the credit card in your wallet. Fear and the marketing of unneeded goods and services, these are the tools of your real enemies. The answer is simple peace and justice in every aspect of our personal, spiritual and political lives are the enemies of the corporate control. As Bob Marley once sang "WAKE UP AND LIVE".
| John Kelley |
| Smile, be happy life is great. | 2/16/2006 | | |
| positive words | 2/14/2006 | | |
| promise | 2/11/2006 | | |
| Love | 2/6/2006 | No one falls in love by choice, it is by CHANCE.
No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK.
And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by CHOICE | |
| This Pastor has guts!! | 2/1/2006 | Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people.
When Rev. Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your word says 'Woe to those who call evil good' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of _expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"
The response was immediate.
A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.
The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story", and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and whole heartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation Under God."
| |
| Single and Saved BELONGS TO SOMEONE | 1/25/2006 | ...this has happened to me more times than I care to remember. I am so grateful that the words that God has given me has traveled; however, with that said, the author of this poem (although it is not being forwarded in its entirety) is not anonymous. It is mine, Shellie R. Warren. I wrote it in October/1997 and it's featured in my book, Inside of Me: Lessons of Lust, Love and Redemption. I have enclosed the REAL version below.
I'm Single and That's All Right With Me
I'm single and that's all right with me
Tell me why is that a contradiction to you?
What makes you think that just because I'm an attractive woman of intelligence,
and over the legal drinking age, that I'm incomplete without a mate?
What makes you think that just because my conversations
quench the thirst of many parched from the ignorance of dull chit-chat
and just because when you talk I can respond on whatever the topic,
whatever the level, whenever the time,
that I've obtained my knowledge simply for your entertainment purposes only?
No, I'm single and that's all right with me
What makes you think that my present status is not a God-given right,
a woman's choice and a healthy decision?
Who told you that without a man something's missing from my life and if so what would that be?
Love?
I love myself
and more importantly, I love the Lord
He told me when I delight in Him that He would give me the desires of my heart
Security?
I have everything I need according to His riches in glory
Intimacy?
Now, how's a man gonna get to know me when he doesn't even know himself
See, my Father told me that I'm above a ruby's worth and a gem does not seek, it is sought, so why would I set myself out?
No, I'm single and that's all right with me
See, it's not that I oppose relationships, it's that I detest codependency
Girl, as a woman, I know it's not my role to chase after any boy who professes to be a man
Esther 2:14 states that I am to wait on my king, and when he's delighted in me, he will call me by my name
My Mama didn't name me Needy or Desperate
I am to be cherished, relished, valued and honored
It's not my job to convince him or convict him of that
My mate will already know it and consistently show it
He'll know that making love to me requires caressing my mind before fondling my body
And he'll stay on his knees daily, not just to adore me, but to praise the Lord for the virtuous woman that he found
So when you see me by myself, I'm not alone, I just know what I have coming to me
I'm single and that's all right with me
©Shellie R. Warren/1997
| Shellie R. Warren |
| To Kill An American | 1/25/2006 | " To Kill An American
>
>>You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was
>>actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper
>>an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
>>So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let everyone know what
>>an American is ... so they would know when they found one.
>>(Good on ya, mate!!!!)
>>An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, Swedish, German,
>>Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek.
>>An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese,
>>Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or
>>Afghan.
>>An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho,
>>Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native
>>Americans.
>>An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.
>>In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only
>>difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them
>>chooses.
>>An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will
>>answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to
>>speak
>>for the government and for God.
>>An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the
>>world.
>>The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of
>>Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to
>>the pursuit of happiness.
>>An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every
>>other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in
>>return.
>>When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago,
>>Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back
>>their country!
>>As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any
>>other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.
>>Americans welcome the best of everything the best products, the best
>>books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But they also
>>welcome the least.
>>The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your
>>tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the
>>homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built
>>America.
>>Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September
>>11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. We have been told
>>that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different
>>countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and
>>abetted
>>the terrorists.
>>So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did.
>>So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other
>>blood-thirsty tyrants in the world.
>>But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans
>>are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the
>>embodiment
>>of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit,
>>everywhere,
>>is an American.
| Australian dentist |
| Smart Words | 1/23/2006 | * Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the
statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the
middle of it.
* Drive carefully! It's not only cars that can be recalled by their
maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was
probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a
warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you
won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the
world to one person.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once .
* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty
and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors,
but they all have to live in the same box.
" A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
| Me |
| God Said No | 1/6/2006 | I hope that you can get the effects on your computers! The words are great, but the movements of the faces add a lot....
I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
THIS DAY IS YOURS DON'T THROW IT AWAY
May God Bless You,
"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world"
"May the Lord Bless you and keep you,
May the Lord Make his face shine upon you,
and give you Peace.....Forever"
"Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them,
but you know they are always there
| I C |
| Some Inspiring Thoughts | 1/4/2006 | Anger is a condition in which
the tongue works faster than the mind.
You can't change the past,
but you can ruin the present
by worrying over the future.
Love...and you shall be loved.
God always gives His best to those
who leave the choice with Him.
All people smile in the same language.
Everyone needs to be loved...
especially when they do not deserve it.
The real measure of a man's wealth
is what he has invested in eternity.
Laughter is God's sunshine.
Everyone has beauty
but not everyone sees it.
It's important for parents to live
the same things they teach.
Thank God for what you have,
TRUST GOD for what you need.
If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow,
you have no today to be thankful for.
Man looks at outward appearance
but the Lord looks within.
The choice you make today
will usually affect tomorrow.
Take time to laugh, for it is
the music of the soul.
Patience is the ability to idle your motor
when you feel like stripping your gears.
Love is strengthened by working
through conflicts together.
.
Harsh words break no bones
but they do break hearts.
To get out of a difficulty,
one usually must go through it.
We take for granted the things
that we should be giving thanks for.
Love is the only thing that can be
divided without being diminished.
Happiness is enhanced by others
but does not depend upon others.
For every minute you are angry with someone,
you lose 60 seconds of happiness
that you can never get back.
Do what you can, for who you can,
with what you have, and where you are.
| Inez |
| HANDY LITTLE CHART - God has a positive answer: | 12/29/2005 | YOU SAY GOD SAYS BIBLE VERSES
"It's impossible" All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
"I'm too tired" I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
"Nobody really loves me" I love you (John 3:16 & John 3:34 )
"I can't go on" M y grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9
"I can't figure things out" I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"I can't do it" You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)
"I'm not able" I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)
"It's not worth it" It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )
"I can't forgive myself" I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
"I can't manage" I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)
"I'm afraid" I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)
"I'm worried and frustrated" Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)
"I'm not smart enough" I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)
"I feel all alone" I will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
| |
| life | 12/21/2005 | | |
| 5 ways God Uses Those Things That We Call "Problems" in our Lives | 12/21/2005 | Five Ways God Uses Those Things That We Call "Problems" in our Lives . . .
The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you - depending on
how you respond to them.Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants
to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent
their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring.
Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:
1. God uses problems to DIRECT you.
Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often
point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to
get your attention? "Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us
change our ways." Proverbs 20:30
2. God uses problems to INSPECT you.
People are like tea bags...if you want to know what's inside them, just
drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith with a problem. What
do problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you
should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your
faith, and this will give you patience." James 1:2-3
3. God uses problems to CORRECT you.
Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a
child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably
learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of
something...health, money, a relationship... by losing it. "It was the best
thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to
your laws." Psalm 119:71-72
4. God uses problems to PROTECT you.
A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being
harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing
to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His
unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent
to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually
discovered. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. . . Genesis 50:20
5. God uses problems to PERFECT you.
Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far
more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to
God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with
you into eternity. "We can rejoice when we run into problems... they help
us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us
and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and
faith are strong and steady." Romans 5:3-4
Here's the point:
God is at work in your life - even when you do not recognize it or
understand it. But it's much easier and profitable when you cooperate with
Him.
"Success can be measured not only in achievements, but in lessons learned,
lives touched and moments shared along the way." | |
| Saved & Single | 12/19/2005 | What makes you think that just because I am
an
Attractive woman of Godly intelligence
That I'm incomplete without a mate?
Who told you
that
Without a man
Something's missing
From my life?
And if so,
What would that be?
Love?
I love myself
And more importantly
I love the Lord
He told me that when I delight in Him,
He will
give me the desires of my heart
Security?
I have everything I need according to His riches in glory.
Intimacy?
Now, how's a man going to get to know me
When he doesn't even know who he is in the Lord
See my Father told me I'm above a ruby's worth
And a gem does not seek
It is sought
I'm single and that's all right with me
See,
it's not that I oppose relationships
It's that I detest co-dependency
As a woman
I know it is not my role
To chase after any man
Esther 2:14
reads That I am to wait on my king and when he's delighted in me. He will call me by my name.
My Lord does not intend for me to be needy or desperate.
I am to be Cherished, Relished, Valued, and Honored,
It's not my job to convince him
Or Convict him of that,
My mate will already know it
And consistently show it
And he will stay on his knees daily
Not just to adore me
But to praise the Lord for
The virtuous woman he has found
So, when you see me by myself
I'm not alone
I know what I have coming to me
I'm single and saved, and right now that's all I need to be!
| Author Unknown |
| Remember My Birthday????!!!!!! | 12/14/2005 | As you well know, we are getting closer to my
birthday.
Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I
think that this year the celebration will be repeated.
During this time there are many people shopping for
gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV
commercials, and in every part of the world everyone
is talking that my birthday is getting closer and
closer.
It is really very nice to know, that at least once a
year, some people think of me. As you know, the
celebration of my birthday began many years ago.At
first people seemed to understand and be thankful of
all that I did for them, but in these times, no one
seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family
and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but
they don't know the meaning of the celebration.
I remember that last year there was a great feast in
my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious
foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates.
The decorations were exquisite and there were many,
many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to
know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of
honor and they didn't remember to send me an
invitation.
The party was for me, but when that great day came, I
was left outside, they closed the door in my
face......... and I wanted to be with them and share
their table. In truth, that didn't surprise me because
in the last few years all close their doors to me.
Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the
party without making any noise. I went in and stood in
a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who
were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at
everything. They were having a great time.
To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red
wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling
Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all
the children ran to him, saying : "Santa Claus, Santa
Claus"... as if the party were in his honor ! At 12
midnight all the people began to hug each other; I
extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and
.... do you know . no one hugged me.
Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened
them one by one with great expectation. When all had
been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one
for me.What would you feel if on your birthday
everybody shared gifts and you did not get one ? I
then understood that I was unwanted at that party and
quietly left. Every year it gets worse.
People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the
parties and nobody remembers me.
I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter
into your life.
I would like that you recognize the fact that almost
two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my
life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only
want that you believe this with all you heart. I want
to share something with you. As many didn't invite me
to their party, I will have my own celebration, a
grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a
spectacular party.
I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am
sending out many invitations and there is an
invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to
attend and I will make a reservation for you and write
your name with golden letters in my great guest book.
Only those on the guest list will be invited to the
party. Those who don't answer the invitation, will be
le ft outside.
Do you know how you can answer this invitation? it is
by extending it to others whom you care for...
I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this
year... See you soon .... I love you !
- Jesus
| Jesus |
| Lovely Story called "The Big Wheel" | 12/12/2005 | The Big Wheel
In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone. The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared.
Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they
would scramble to hide under their beds.
He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.
Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings,
but no food either.
If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that
time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they
looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.
The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our
small town. No luck.
The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I
tried to convince whomever would listen that I was willing to learn or
do anything. I had to have a job.
Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of
town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel.
An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of
the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night. I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.
That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we
all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big
Wheel.
When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent
her home with one dollar of my tip money--fully half of what I averaged
every night. As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my
meager wage.
The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and
began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again
every morning before I could go home.
One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and
found four tires in the back seat. New tires! There was no note, no
nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up
residence in Indiana ? I wondered.
I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his
mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't
enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids.
I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some
old toys. Then hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the
Big Wheel. These were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state
trooper named Joe.
A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and
were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just
sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and knee led in the front facing the back seat.
Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was hole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.
As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the
most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.
Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they
all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....
THE POWER OF PRAYER. I believe that God only gives three answers
to prayer:
1. "Yes!"
2. "Not yet."
3. "I have something better in mind."
God still sits on the throne, the devil is a liar. You maybe going
through a tough time right now but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that you cannot imagine.
Please pass this to people you want to be blessed.
This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we
receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another. Here is the prayer:....
Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and email buddies
reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Amen.
| R C M Jr. |
| Thoughts for US all | 11/16/2005 | Positively
The right kind of association leads to
The right kind of temptation,
The right kind of temptation leads to
The right kind of imitation and
The right kind of imitation leads to Salvation.
Remember Negatively:
If we have the wrong kind of association
We have the wrong kind of temptation
If we have the wrong kind of temptation
We are led to the wrong kind of imitation
Which leads to damnation.
(Seek God in The Highest). | encourager Hunter |
|
|