Thursday Thoughts

Good morning,
Grace and peace be unto you!

I love this picture from I am Hip-Hop Magazine.

First, examine the picture. What do you see? 

Next, I want you to consider the feelings it brings up in you. 

Finally,  I ask who inspires you to greatness? 

See, if nobody in your circle is pushing you to do more, think bigger and move in a new direction you need a different circle.  

Until Tomorrow

#liveBlessed

Tuesday Tools

Good morning,
Grace and Peace be unto you.

Today in Tuesday Tools I want to share with you something that you might not have known.

Lonnie George Johnson
October 6, 1949 (age 67)
Mobile, Alabama
Williamson High School
Tuskegee University
Engineer, inventor
Known forSuper Soaker

Johnson is an American inventor and engineer who holds more than 80 patents.

Johnson is best known for inventing the Super Soaker water gun, which has ranked among the world's top 20 best-selling toys every year since its release.

While doing work with the U.S. Air Force, he still had time for his hobbies. This is when he first thought of the Super Soaker (officially there is not a space between Super and Soaker). On October 14, 1983 he applied for a U.S. patent. On May 27, 1986 he received patent number 4,591,071. Initially it was called the “Power Drencher” when it appeared in toy shops in 1990, but after some tweaks and remarketing, it got its official name. Selling between $10 to $60 depending on the model, the Super Soaker took off, generating $200 million in sales in 1991. Shortly after making the deal for the Super Soaker with the Larami Corporation, Larami became a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. in February 1995. But being an inventor, Johnson came up with another idea: replacing the water in the SuperSoaker with a "toy [Nerf] projectile." In 1996, Johnson received patent US5553598 A for "Pneumatic launcher for a toy projectile and the like." These Nerf toy guns have generated millions for Hasbro and Johnson.

Unfortunately, Johnson discovered he was underpaid royalties for the Super Soaker and several "Nerf line of toys, specifically the N-Strike and Dart Tag brands." In November 2013, Johnson was awarded nearly $73 million in royalties from Hasbro Inc. in arbitration. According to Hasbro, the Super Soaker is approaching sales of $1 billion.

Thursday Thoughts

Good morning,
Grace and Peace be unto you.
Did you know?

Alfred L. Cralle (September 4, 1866 – May 3, 1920) was an African-American businessman.

Cralle was born in Kenbridge, Lunenburg County, Virginia in 1866 just after the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865). He attended local schools and worked with his father in the carpentry trade as a young man, becoming interested in mechanics. He was sent to Washington, DC where he attended Wayland Seminary, one of a number of schools founded by the American Baptist Home Mission Society to help educate African-Americans after the Civil War.

After his education, Cralle settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he first served as a porter in a drug store and at a hotel. In 1897, at the age of 30, he received a patent for the "Ice Cream Mold and Disher," a type of ice cream disher (a scoop with a built-in scraper). He later become an assistant manager in a local business association.

Cralle died in a car accident in 1920, survived by his daughter.

Lest we forget. This country was created off of the backs of African Americans.

And as always remember to... live Blessed

Monday Motivation

Good Morning, 

Wow, can you believe this is last day of February?  Time is flying by. I want to share this inspiration with you. I think this is a gorgeous picture of Ella Fitzgerald.  Such a powerful voice all the way to the end.

Are you inspired? The quote today says, where there is love and inspiration, you can't go wrong. What inspires you? If you don't know, today is the time to find out. You knowing and acting on your inspiration might just be the catalyst that the person that is watching you needs to get going. Did you know that everyone has a secret watcher. That person that might not ever say anything to you, but is constantly watching how you handle situations. Is your love showing? Are you leading, by example or are you sitting on the sideline complaining? Make sure that you allow the things that inspire you to guide you along the path designated by God.

As always...live Blessed

Friday Findings

Good morning
I have a picture to share with you this morning. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with this brother on most issues,  however I do believe we need to reposition ourselves and reassess the power that resides in us and around us through synergy created by us and the power of God.

Thursday Thoughts

Good morning Ks
Wow, can we really be this backwards Kansas? I'm going to just drop this here for you to check out. Personally I'm shaking my head.

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2016/02/15/1485629/-KS-Republicans:-Black-History-Month-May-Be-Too-Long;-Move-Bill-Prohibiting-Social-Justice-Education

And as always...live Blessed

Friday Findings

We made it to Friday Horray, 

Since this is Black History Month and Heart Month, I wanted to share some information with you. 

Heart disease & stroke is the No. 1 killer in women, and stroke disproportionately affects African-Americans. Importantly, African-American women are less likely than Caucasian women to be aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death.

Diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity and a family history of heart disease are all greatly prevalent among African-Americans and are major risk factors for heart disease and stroke. What’s more, African-American women have almost two times the risk of stroke than Caucasians, and more likely to die at an earlier age when compared to women of other ethnicities.

Here are a few unsettling stats:

• Cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 50,000 African-American women annually.
• Of African-American women ages 20 and older, 49 percent have heart diseases.
• Only 1 in 5 African-American women believes she is personally at risk.
• Only 52 percent of African-American women are aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
• Only 36 percent of African-American women know that heart disease is their greatest health risk.

The truth about high blood pressure

More than 40 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have high blood pressure, which is more severe in blacks than whites, and develops earlier in life. This little known fact is something that, if known and treated in advance, could save your life. 

African American Men: Take Note, while heart disease doesn't discriminate, your gender, race, ethnicity, and where you live can increase your risk. African American men are at the highest risk for heart disease. About 2 in 5 African Americans have high blood pressure, but only half have it under control.3 A recent article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine also showed that Americans aged 30 to 74 who live the Southeast—specifically, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia—are at higher risk of developing heart disease over the next 10 years than people who live in other parts of the country.4 Many of these states have a large African American population.

www.goredforwomen.org

Thursday Thoughts

Good morning,
My Thursday thoughts are in the form of a video. From the mouth of babes.

https://youtu.be/Pe5JSkUvj5c

Tuesday Tools

Good morning, 
In honor of black history month I will give you something on Tuesdays, for sure, and maybe on Friday's that will enlighten you.

So today we have some information from the root about Frederick Douglas. Enjoy
And remember as always...live Blessed

http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2016/02/google_doodle_kicks_off_black_history_month_honoring_frederick_douglass.html

I have also included a pbs piece about Douglass that links to other awesome information

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html

Tuesday tools

Good morning
I want to get black history month started off right so today I will share with you a list good reads. All of these books are African American authors, so of which you might not have heard of before.

I challenge you to pick up a book this week and get your minth off to a great start, with a great read.

http://www.goodreads.com/genres/african-american-literature

Monday Motivation

Good Monday morning,
Wow we are almost at the end of January. Can you believe how quickly time flies by?
Today is Monday motivation so I wanted share a quote with you from WEB DeBois. The quote in its entirety will be posted for you but I will give the essence.  Be ready at anytime to give up what you, for what you can become.

I thought this was a pretty profound thought. Change is hard, but neccessary is we are coming move into our purpose. Ask yourself am I living my best life? Look around at your circumstances.  Is this where planned to be? Do you even have plan for your life or are you letting life plan you? Don't be afraid of CHANGE. It's not a death sentence, but an opening to your future. 

Don't be afraid to embrace your future with open arms and ask God to guy your feet so that you stay in his will.  Be blessed my sister.  The old people used to say wear this world like a loose garment. Don't be too attached to anything because there is greater ahead. Wouldn't be ashamed if you held on to the little so tight that the greater had to be given to someone else.  
Remember...live Blessed