Romney's "Day One" Ad Creates Great Concern

The first Presidential advertisement from the Romney camp is less than one minute long; however, it raises a great deal of concern for anyone who has followed the three topics so proudly brought to the forefront in his political agenda.  Take a look, then read more.

The campaign ad, named "Day One", clearly outlines the fact that Romney would aggressively move forward to reverse three major "mistakes" made during the Obama Presidency.  But, upon closer observation, it just appears that Romney is speaking "out of both sides of his neck" attempting to please anyone who isn't keen enough to actually investigate his statements.

If the link is removed by Romney's campaign after they review the footage and reconsider the advertisement, you may still access the link by clicking here.

The first controversial change that Romney's ad promises to offer is the approval of the Keystone Pipeline.  The ad then goes on to imply that this will create "thousands of jobs that Obama blocked".  Truthfully, advisers on both sides of the political debate have already looked into this argument and both sides agree that the proposed 20,000 jobs that would be created by this project would be largely short-term, low paying jobs and the bulk of the funding for this project will benefit Canadian companies more than American job-seekers.  In the end, when the pipeline is complete, corporations would be positively impacted, but there is minimal speculation that this would create any economic boost to our economy or immediately lower our nation's dependency on foreign oil.  President Obama has rejected the current plan for these reasons and is diligently redrawing plans that will benefit more  Americans  and create a residual influx of economic growth for states impacted by his alternate pipeline route.

Free Your Mind: Challenge Some Things You Are Told

Today, a Facebook friend posted, "Did you know that only 25% of African-American homes have books in them?" This was hap-hazardly posted immediately after hearing a report read aloud by a leading radio host on a popular nationwide show. Of course, I offered my opinion because I believe this information is neither truthful nor accurate. We (as an American society) have to stop accepting everything we are told as truth without offering further investigation.

 

My premise for denial was based on the fact that these statistics made no comparison "across the board" to other households. In the age of the internet and hand-held computers, I question whether or not most households still stockpile printed encyclopedias, dictionaries, and a vast, printed literary collection. And, in comparison to other households, is 25% a relatively high number or not? To me, spouting half-facts is simply another way to allow half-truths to begin to undermine the mental frame work of a culture and, ultimately, cause seperation, fear, and self-doubt.

My written response to the Facebook post was as follows: What ever happened to thinking for yourself?

 

To put it nicely, I just don't believe that this is a complete statement. Please don't let someone who has never stepped foot in your community tell you what to think of your own reflection. This negative propaganda only further fuels the idea of division based on pre-conceived standards of excellence. 

 

Please realize that he (the radio host) is just reading a piece of paper that was handed to him by the same multimillion dollar companies that act as the dividing rulers in America. These companies keep their profit margins in line by making one class of people purchase coffee every morning and another class of people buy beer every night. If you begin to listen with your eyes and see with your ears, you'll notice that the commercials on his (and any other popular show) tell you how to think, what to buy, and how to limit your own potential.
 

When The Queen Is Ready, Her King Will Appear

I recently wrote a blog entitled Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Wife that applauded Steve Harvey's recent accomplishment on having written a book-turned-movie, but I also disagreed with the premise of his arguments.  I do not believe that women should ever "act like a man" because women play a role in society that is paramount in the survival of the family unit and society as a whole.  By suggesting that women take on male characteristics, even jokingly, is to also suggest that men become displaced in society.  In doing so, marriages and relationships would no longer be stable, and the theoretical "scales of balance" would forever be unjust.

In this blog, I would like you to get a clearer picture of what I was referring to when I said we needed to get back to more "traditional relationships".  With the added assistance of a beautiful, well-spoken author whom I admire, I invite you to look at this issue again and share your thoughts on the state of intimacy today.

Shanel Cooper-Sykes is a dynamic speaker.  Her website is dedicated to helping women find and create a better image of themselves.  Her eye-opening book, Stilettos In The Kitchen, further explores the beauty of being a real woman and suggestively lays a solid foundation for "getting your "ish" together" (or GYIT as she says) so that you can begin to attract the mate you desire into your life.

Although she speaks from the perspective of a woman in today's world, many of her lessons teach  transferable traits that should be embraced by all people.  Cooper-Sykes has created a series of instructional chats that allow her followers to experience her personality first-hand.  She is very methodical and logical in her approach to life and she accurately charts a path to success that can be applied to relationships, business, and life in general.

Act Like A Lady, Think More Like A Wife

I applaud Steve Harvey for his recent success with his best-selling book which has been turned into a movie.  It is a great thing to see so many people energized about reading and I am really looking forward to seeing positive depictions of my own culture on the big screen.  Hopefully, this movie will prove that we can be seen as actors of depth and greater caliber than what currently freckles the cinematic world today.

Even the video for the soundtrack of the upcoming movie has caught my attention.  Jennifer Hudson lends her amazing voice and charismatic personality to a five minute clip that accurately summarizes the message of the movie as she eludes one man and woos another.  I genuinely hope to see greater acting roles come from his movie, more writings from aspiring advice columnists and authors of color, and quite possibly, a return to sultry R&B that drives home messages about love, respect and fidelity.

When I first flipped through the pages of Harvey's latest literary triumph, Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, I reserved my comment because we all have our own opinions about what we would like to see become of our own relationships.  If, indeed, a woman is to find herself dating in a world of  men who have great disregard for them on an emotional scale, then she too must learn to defend herself from predators who mean her no good.  In my unsolicited opinion, Harvey is right in his approach to dating.

But - as there is always a "but" - if a woman is looking for a mate who truly exemplifies the traits of a real man, then she must be willing to put aside the "game playing" and learn to really act like a lady and think more like a wife.  

I say this because a return to old is necessary to correct the ills which exist in society today.  I was reared with the knowledge that two wrongs don't make a right and if  women of today think that men are thinking "wrongly" when it comes to long-term relationships, then why would they join in the misguided conceptualizations as this book title suggests?  Instead, it may be time to think long-term from day one.

How Often Do You Re-Evaluate Your Path?

From a more professional stance, I wrote a blog called, "How Often Do you Re-Evaluate Your Plan?".  This blog deals with the idea of growing a business through constant re-evaluation,

renovation and learning to adapt to changes in the economic environment in order to be successful.

Life is no different.  In order to maintain a positive stride in life and become progressively successful, you must set goals, chart a path toward accomplishing them, and repeatedly "check yourself" to ensure that you reach milestones within a set time frame.  Failure to do so will make you a stagnant under-achiever and life's rewards will continually pass you by.

Think about it.  Your employer offers you an annual review of your performance.  n doing so, they cite your strengths and weaknesses and reward you for positive, consistent behaviors.  A wise man would take this simple principle and apply it to life itself.  Instead of waiting for someone else to tell you what is good, bad, and in need of improvement, pick a date on the calendar and evaluate yourself on a monthly, semi-annual or annual basis.  Ask yourself simple questions and provide simple, realistic answers.

Where do you see yourself in one year?  In three years?  What steps are you taking to ensure that you reach your goals?  If you were to suffer a disability, how long would you (or your family) survive on your savings?  What training (educational level) do you need to achieve n the next year in order to be more marketable or worthy of a promotion?