Monday, January 25, 2016

Hot Potato Topic January #4

Tackling a little tougher issue today my people. I agree all people have a right to life and determining what is done to their bodies we need to take a step back and see where some of our medical advances really come from. I will always love what Dr. Malcolm from Jurassic Park said, "Just because we can doesn't mean we should."
Now this article isn't to rain on the parade of those who party hard, and let their bodies do whatever feels right but abortion as birth control just sounds scary to me. I rather be more selective about whose magic wand I am going to play with. Was he that thick, long and veiny that you just lost control? But before ya'll start a food fight in the kitchen and play the rape, incest and all the other heart breaks we woman have to deal with just take a read at the article below. I want you to make an informed decision so you can be safe and know just what you might be opening yourself up to.
Looking forward to a robust discussion.
As always yours in the kitchen,
The Chef

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AP file image Margaret Sanger

The truth about Planned Parenthood

Here we go again. Planned Parenthood and the "fact-checkers" at the Washington Post are laboring overtime to dismiss concerns about the racial impact of the organization founded by Margaret Sanger roughly a century ago. Their latest target: E.W. Jackson, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, for exposing the racial motivations of Sanger's movement.
These critics need to re-check their facts. Elite bigotry was the fuel for the empire Sanger and her successors have built into a global force.
For decades, our culture of abortion on demand, at any time and for any reason, has adversely affected black women and their families. This is not ancient history. It is Virginia history, right now. The most recent abortion statistics for Virginia from 2011 show that while blacks make up 19.8 percent of the Commonwealth, they account for almost 42 percent of its abortions.
Planned Parenthood knows the statistics, yet they blame black women for the circumstances that lead to abortion -- that is, poor use of birth control. Leaving the subtle racism behind that assertion aside, it's deeply troubling that the persistently higher rate of abortions among blacks sparks only self-defense from the abortion industry.
 
Planned Parenthood has never confronted its founder's profoundly troubling history, instead annually presenting their most prestigious award in her name — the "Maggie." She is their modern heroine, but they ignore her unsettling record.
 
Historian Edwin Black presents a careful assessment of Sanger's ruthless career. In his history, "War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race," he writes, "Sanger surrounded herself with some of the eugenics movement's most outspoken racists and white supremacists." The most prominent was Lothrop Stoddard, a thoroughgoing bigot who wrote a book called "The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy." Sanger did not merely stand near Stoddard on public platforms, she invited him onto the board of her American Birth Control League.
 
In her book, The Pivot of Civilization, and throughout her career, she called for the elimination of "human weeds," for the segregation of "morons, misfits, and maladjusted" and for the sterilization of "genetically inferior races." She believed in mandatory segregation and forced sterilization of these inferiors.
 
Sanger did not merely dabble with such ideas and ideologues, she sought (and achieved) lifelong partnerships with the world's leading eugenicists. Is it any wonder that she agreed to deliver a speech at a rally of the Ku Klux Klan in Silver Lake, N.J.? In her autobiography, she admits knowing that the Klan terrorized black families with lynchings that began immediately after The Civil War. After her speech, she received and welcomed additional speaking requests from similar groups.
 
The KKK tortured and killed about 3,500 Blacks throughout its reign of terror. Planned Parenthood's abortion industry has killed millions — and the killing continues.
 
Was Planned Parenthood's Founder a racist? The facts speak for themselves. Even after World War II and the stunning revelation of abuses by Nazi Germany's eugenic sterilization program, she championed a high official in that program, Hans Harmsen, to be the president of International Planned Parenthood in postwar Germany.
 
Black concludes that "Sanger never lost ... her fiery determination to eliminate the unfit." And it is poor defense that she included many others besides African-Americans among those to be eliminated by abortion and coercion.
 
Today, Planned Parenthood eliminates more than 330,000 American babies every year. Almost 40 percent of those children are Black. E.W. Jackson is making a few people uncomfortable by pointing out a truth they would rather forget. He deserves the thanks of every Virginian. 
Dr. Day Gardner is Founder and President of The National Black Pro-Life Union.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Hot Potato Topic January #3

Hey my people, we're continuing on our theme to get ourselves together...finances, mind, now we turn to the body. For those of you counting your steps, more power to you. I on the other had like the less is more approach. But hey to each his own, right? Okay read on and get edjumacated! LOL
Yours in the kitchen,
The Chef 

10 Things to Stop Doing if You Want to Lose Weight

Lose weight faster with simple adjustments to your daily routine
girl with apple - Jamie Grill/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Avoid common diet mistakes to lose weight faster.  Jamie Grill/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy.
Are you beginning to think that you can't lose weight? Does it feel like all of your diet efforts backfire and cause weight gain? If you want to shed pounds, find out which common weight loss mistakes might be preventing you from getting the results that you want.  Then make simple changes to tweak your weight loss plan and slim down faster.

10 Things to Stop Doing if You Want to Lose Weight

  1. Stop choosing the wrong diet.  How often have you chosen a diet because it worked for a friend? Perhaps you were inspired by a celebrity spokesperson? A diet might be perfect for someone else, but their needs, their lifestyle, and their food preferences could be completely different from yours.
    Do this instead: Ask yourself five important questions about your diet history, medical background, and emotional support. The answers will help you to identify your specific needs as a dieter and help you to choose the best weight loss plan for you.
     
  2. Stop setting unrealistic goals.  Dieters are often highly motivated and full of excitement at the beginning of their weight loss program. It is often during this phase that they set unrealistic goals for weight loss. But high expectations can cause weight gain when lack of progress leads to lack of motivation.
    Do this instead: Learn how to set small goals that you'll actually reach.  These smaller steps provide a roadmap for your weight loss journey. As you reach each small goal you get a boost of confidence and you stay motivated on the way to your ultimate goal.
     
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  1. Stop using "lack of time" as an excuse.  One of the most common barriers to weight loss is the belief that you don't have enough time. One study found that 41% of women said "lack of time" was the reason that they didn't eat better and 73% of women said they didn't exercise because their schedules were too busy. The bottom line is that if you want to lose weight, you have to find a way to make time for healthy activity.
    Do this instead: Get out an old-fashioned paper calendar and find windows of time that are not consumed by absolute necessities. Then create a schedule for healthy weight loss activities. Pen in the most important tasks and schedule everything else around them. Don't be afraid to put other priorities on the back burner or ask for help (see item #4) so that you can take the time you need to make your health a top priority.
     
  2. Stop isolating yourself.  In a recent interview with Biggest Loser runner-up Hanna Curlee, she said that the most important thing she learned during her successful weight loss experience was to ask for help. "I was ashamed to ask for help," she said. "I could have called someone and reached out for help, but I thought I didn't have anyone." She realized later that she had friends and family who were willing and able to help her through her weight loss journey.
    Do this instead: Learn how to get diet support from family and friends. Take the time to identify your needs for yourself and then approach others for help. That way, you'll be clear about defining specific ways in which they can help. Find friends at work, at the gym, in your neighborhood or even at church.  You can also connect with me on Facebook for daily support.
     
  3. Stop underestimating your food intake.  Do you really count all of your calories? Remember that even tiny 25-calorie nibbles here and there throughout the day can add up. Snacks count, food from your dining partner's plate counts, and calories consumed during food preparation count. Your daily caloric intake might be significantly higher than you think.
    Do this instead: Use a food tracker like the one at CalorieCount.com. The website provides a great tool, and there is even a mobile app that will help you track every food that you consume. Make your entries more accurate by purchasing an inexpensive food scale. The tool will allow you to report the exact size of each portion you consume.
     
  4. Stop believing that "healthy" foods will cause weight loss.  Several studies have shown that people are more likely to overeat foods that they perceive to be healthy. One study at the University of Michigan found that when a food was labeled "organic," dieters ate more of it. The bottom line? Your "healthy" snack may cause unhealthy weight gain.
    Do this instead: Ignore front-of-package marketing and get your information from the nutritional facts label. Your favorite foods may contain a few healthy ingredients, but they may be too high in fat or calories to be part of your weight loss plan. Either eat them in moderation or trash the foods that are keeping you fat.
     
  5. Stop sitting all day.  Non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, is a fancy term for all of the non-exercise movement that you do every day. It can account for up to 15-30% of your total calorie burn. If you spend your day sitting at a desk or your evenings lying on the couch, the calories you burn from NEAT will be minimal.
    Do this instead: Learn how to burn calories without exercise.  Boost your NEAT all day long.  If you have a desk job, get up every hour and walk to the restroom on a different floor, refill your water, run an errand on foot, or climb the stairs in your office building. If you like watching television at night, fold laundry or dust furniture instead of just lying on the couch.
     
  6. Stop overestimating your exercise activity.  Many people who want to lose weight join a gym. But you actually have to go to the health club to burn calories. And your workout time is only the time you spend exercising. It should not include the time you spend in the locker room, parking your car, and chatting with friends.
    Do this instead:  Invest in a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate estimate of your workout time. There are quite a few models on the market, so compare prices to find one that fits your budget. A heart rate monitor not only lets you know how hard you are working, but most models will measure your "time in range" to let you know exactly how many minutes you can count as exercise.
     
  7. Stop compensating for exercise by eating more.  It is normal for your appetite to increase when you begin to exercise. A common weight loss mistake is to indulge in extra snacks and treats as a reward for the workout. But eating those treats can cause weight gain.
    Do this instead: Plan a healthy, low-calorie snack to eat right after you exercise. Combine a healthy lean protein with a carbohydrate to satisfy your hunger and replace nutrients lost during the workout. A glass of skim chocolate milk works well and tastes decadent enough to feel like a treat.
     
  8. Stop expecting major results from minimal change. There are certain facts about weight loss that smart dieters learn after a while.  One of the them is that dieting is difficult.  Of course, you'll see ads for popular weight loss pills that claim to help you lose weight without any effort.  And many trendy fad diets make the same promises.  But those products and plans don't work.
    Do this instead: Embrace the truth that weight loss is hard, but don't let the difficulty of the process deter you. The things that are most valuable in the world - like your health - deserve your consistent effort. So instead of getting frustrated, celebrate small accomplishments to stay focused. For example, if the scale isn't giving you the weight loss results that you want, then celebrate the fact that you ate a well-balanced diet during the day and remind yourself about the health benefits you gain from eating well. Your exercise plan may not be resulting in weight loss yet, but it may help you sleep better at night and feel better during the day. Look for and acknowledge the little perks along the way.
  9. Stop compensating for exercise by eating more.  It is normal for your appetite to increase when you begin to exercise. A common weight loss mistake is to indulge in extra snacks and treats as a reward for the workout. But eating those treats can cause weight gain.
    Do this instead: Plan a healthy, low-calorie snack to eat right after you exercise. Combine a healthy lean protein with a carbohydrate to satisfy your hunger and replace nutrients lost during the workout. A glass of skim chocolate milk works well and tastes decadent enough to feel like a treat.
     
  10. Stop expecting major results from minimal change. There are certain facts about weight loss that smart dieters learn after a while.  One of the them is that dieting is difficult.  Of course, you'll see ads for popular weight loss pills that claim to help you lose weight without any effort.  And many trendy fad diets make the same promises.  But those products and plans don't work.
    Do this instead: Embrace the truth that weight loss is hard, but don't let the difficulty of the process deter you. The things that are most valuable in the world - like your health - deserve your consistent effort. So instead of getting frustrated, celebrate small accomplishments to stay focused. For example, if the scale isn't giving you the weight loss results that you want, then celebrate the fact that you ate a well-balanced diet during the day and remind yourself about the health benefits you gain from eating well. Your exercise plan may not be resulting in weight loss yet, but it may help you sleep better at night and feel better during the day. Look for and acknowledge the little perks along the way.
Sources:
G. A. Kline, S. D. Pedersen. "Errors in patient perception of caloric deficit required for weight loss-observations from the Diet Plate Trial." Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Volume 12, Issue 5, pages 455-457, May 2010.
Veronique Provencher, Janet Polivy, C. Peter Herman. "Perceived healthiness of food. If it's healthy, you can eat more!." Appetite Volume 52, Issue 2, April 2009, Pages 340-344.
Jonathon P. Schuldt., Norbert Schwarz. "The "organic" path to obesity? Organic claims influence calorie judgments and exercise recommendations." Judgment and Decision Making, Vol. 5, No. 3, June 2010, pp. 144-150.
Welch N, McNaughton SA, Hunter W, Hume C, Crawford D. "Is the perception of time pressure a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity among women?." Public Health Nutrition. 2009 Jul;12(7):888-95.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Leichelle's Storybook

Free reads, stories and various writings. Share your comments and please visit my website. There you'll find information on my books for sale and updates on new releases.
http://leichellestorybook.blogspot.com/

Monday, January 4, 2016

Hot Potato Topic January Week #1

Happy New Year! Happy New Money!
Whew we made it through now let's take an opportunity to get it right! Okay my people I am posting an article that will help us get it together and keep that way!
Until next time,
The Chef

Don’t Be Scared: Get Started Improving Your Financial Life

By:

If you’re just getting started organizing your financial situation, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, or even be scared to take a peek at your spending. But it doesn’t have to be hard, and you’re reading this because you’re no longer scared. You’re ready to get your finances in order.
So let’s discuss some steps you can take to get heading the right direction financially. I’ve put together a quick list of 4 things you can do today that will cover some of the basics and motivate you to make more advanced money moves in the future.

Create a Personal Net Worth Statement

To take the steps towards a better financial life, it’s good to understand where you are currently. I like the idea of a personal net worth statement. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Just break out pen and paper, or spreadsheet, and create two lists: things you own (car, house, bank accounts, investments, etc.) and things you owe (credit card debt, mortgage, etc.).
Now subtract the things you owe from the things you own. That number is your personal net worth. Keep in mind that this is your baseline. Knowing that number alone doesn’t do much for you. You need to make it move in a positive direction. For me, this can be done the easiest by increasing savings or decreasing debt.
Next Steps: Increase savings by setting up a periodic direct deposit from your paycheck to a separate savings account. Start with a small percentage and don’t overwhelm yourself. If you need to decrease debt, investigate plans to legitimately reduce your debt.

Review Your Expenses

Now let’s get into the fine details of your monthly spending. This can be a real eye opening experience. The best way to get to this type of information is to download your checking account data and categorize the individual expense items. A program like Quicken or Mint.com will help you do this quickly.
Once you see where you are spending your money, you’re probably going to say a couple of things:
  1. I’m paying for stuff I don’t use
  2. I’m spending too much on certain categories
The items in #1 should go now. Call up the company and get rid of the expense. The items in #2 take a little more work. For those items that are recurring and price-fixed in nature, see if you can negotiate a lower payment. A good example would be your cable TV service.
Next Steps: Now that you know where you are spending your money, you can begin the process of reducing those expenses. I like to use a simple budget. You don’t need to develop a budget for every category where you spend your money. Focus on the discretionary spending: clothes, dining out, personal care, entertainment. Those are usually some of the more controllable expenses on my list. Yet, I find that I can pretty easily set a budget in these areas and not feel like I’m sacrificing too much.

Check Your Credit Report

Next, I would suggest a quick review of each of your 3 credit reports. The only truly free place to get this done is at annualcreditreport.com. Visit that site, skip through all the advertisements, and download your free credit report. Review them for accurate information. If you see any accounts that you don’t recognize or errors, do some research and contact the bureaus to have the errors removed.

Take Advantage of Your Employer’s Retirement Benefit Options

Many people never even get started with their employers retirement benefits. And that’s a shame because there’s usually at least some free money to obtain. I’m talking about the 401K matching contribution. Unless you have a very good reason not to, you should at a minimum be contributing enough to your companies 401K to get the match. This is a great way to get started with retirement savings.
Next Steps: Also look into any stock option plans that they might have available. If you don’t understand how they work, ask your human resources or benefits department. There may be some risk-free opportunities here to earn a little extra money.
Hopefully those 4 things will get you headed in the right direction. You’ll find that once you get going in each of these areas you’ll be motivated to do even more and really improve your money management skills.
This is a guest post by Phil Taylor from the personal finance blog PT Money.
 photo credit: delphwynd