Be A Part Of Change

This e-mail was sent to me and I challenge all of us to become more than passive spectators ... we have to facilitate the change we desire.

President-Elect Obama is hard at work getting this country back on track, but he’s counting on all of us to get involved.

I just signed up to learn more about the presidential transition, and I thought you might want to do the same.

Just visit http://www.change.gov, and enter your e-mail address in the top right corner.

32 Ways to be a Champion in Business by Magic Johnson

In the me first, chest pumping and egocentric era of professional sports, it is truly refreshing to experience Earvin "Magic" Johnson's continued success and commitment in Urban America.

Magic's enterprises and business partnership have 1) revitalized the landscapes of several downtrodden urban areas including Compton, California and Harlem, NYC; 2) demonstrated that the underserved urban areas are ripe for business growth and investment.

Not to mention, Magic's ongoing commitment to health and HIV issues in America.

Now, Magic has authored a book called 32 Ways to be a Champion in Business.

Click Magic to read reviews.

For more info see videos on sidebar.

Holiday Season Words of Wisdom

This current Holiday Season finds many of us fraught with economic fears and anixeties: Are our jobs secure?; Can I pay my mortgage?; What happen to my 401K? These are a few of our pressing questions.

However, each Christmas and New Years offer us an opportunity for reflection, redemption and reconnection. Hence, I found this words from The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, so relevant.

There is no greater power in the Universe than the power of love. The feeling of love is the highest frequency you can emit. If you could wrap every thought in love, if you could love everything and everyone your life would be transformed...

I send my holiday cheer and blessings to all. Be joyous, reflective, thankful and safe. Peace, Ben

Diabetes Type II - Updated Diet Info

People with Type 2 diabetes on a high-fiber diet kept their blood sugar under better control when they ate foods like beans and nuts instead of the recommended whole-grain diet, researchers have found.

This report is from today's New York Times... to read the entire article click this link - diet update.

The media flip on Obama

I can't believe how people can turn against you so fast. People, and the media will build you up and then they will tear you apart. ... I read this from the Huffing ton Report letters to the editor and I could not agree with it more, as it presently applies to President-Elect Obama. There is still more than a month before his inauguration and I expected the haters from the loony right to vehemently and unfairly attack Obama. We all expected Rush, Sean, O'Reilly et al to go crazy (they are) but for main street press, I am a little bit surprised and disappointed.

Depression Help

Please read Seasonal Blues post first. This is the follow-up post that directs readers to finding free or inexpensive depression treatment. Remember: Life is too wonderful and short to live it under the cloud of depression!

Go to this link depression and you will find free and inexpensive medical treatment information - traditional and alternative; a listing of self-help groups; a link to non-profit foundations that help patients pay for drugs and services; and, directions on how to apply for government assistance.

For example, the author, Nancy Schimelpfening, reports:

There are several herbals and nutraceuticals on the market that are reputed to work well as antidepressants and anti-anxiety treatments. They are inexpensive and do not require a prescription. St. John's Wort, melatonin, Kava Kava and Valerian have all been very effective for me personally.

In particular, she identifies Kava Kava herb as personally effective for treating her anxiety disorder.

In summary, as with all medical advise, speak with your trusted medical physician before any treatment.

Seasonal Blues

I have a good friend who experiences a deep depression during the holiday season each year. This year's harsh and troubled economy has made his depression more severe. He, usually an upbeat person, becomes moody, despondent and anti-social. Several different times I have suggested therapy and shared with him my positive and somewhat liberating therapeutic experience. His response is to inaudibly mumble, yeah maybe I'll see so one. He never does. Neither do the millions of blacks who silently suffer from depression.

Terrie M. Williams, author of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting, poignantly states:

In the African-American community, there's a tendency to hide or ignore symptoms of depression, which include sadness, energy loss, feelings of worthlessness, thoughts of death or suicide, change in weight, and oversleeping or difficulty sleeping. That tendency means missed opportunities to hit the disorder with effective treatments, including talk therapy, antidepressant medication, or both. More than 20 million people in the United States are clinically depressed.

There's an entrenched negative stigma in our community regarding therapy. I remember, as a college sophomore experiencing an acute depression, I was told by many of my peers, at a small tight-knit HBCU (Historical Black College and Universities), I was feeling the blues because I did not have Jesus in my life.

As Psychology Information online explains:

Depression is a "whole-body" illness, involving your body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.

We advise a person with a broken leg, high blood pressure or diabetes to see a doctor ASAP. It's time we overcome our phobia, machismo and ignorance of the importance of our mental and emotional health.

In my next post we will examine effective and affordable depression treatments.

Bush tired

Can January 20th, 2009 come fast enough? Why? Because we need a full time president and it is quite evident that President Do-Little is not up to the task of lifting a finger for Main Street America.

Case in point, while the country is losing over a half-million jobs a month, our auto industry is collapsing and mortgage foreclosures are at record levels, where the blank is our 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Resident-in-chief dumb-dumb? No where!

Remember his warp speed mode offer to his Wall Street cronies - the super rich - a no question asked 700 billion dollar bail-out? His bail out terms did not even compel these financial giants to offer Main Street mortgage help.

Where is the stimulus package for the less than super rich? The answer, grin and bear it until Barack Obama takes the oath. As we speak, W is content to ride out the clock like all is well.

Remember the immediate aftermath of September 11th, W just sat there with that deer in the headlights look. Remember Katrina, the worst national natural destruction storm in the history of our country, W did not want to end his vacation, so he did a fly by.

At this time, I will always remember the W standing for the worst ever!