TGIF- Comedian Steven Crowder – It Is Time To Laugh!

Dear Readers,

 

Seven full days of constant rain of biblical proportions. Yesterday I built a boat per the instructions of God to save myself and my family. Animals got on board simply and easily by marching two by two AND when it came to saving my family… the endless arguments, discussions, schedule conflicts and excuses! No one wanted to believe me the world was coming to an end, you know teenagers. Nothing was simple, nothing was easy…no one wanted to RSVP without confirmation the boat I built to save their lives wouldn’t interfere with their plans. 

 

They started to negotiate, wanting to bring their computers, iphones, ipads, ipod, itunes, Chipotle burritos, Dorritos – Cool Ranch flavor, was the boat wireless they asked? I kept insisting this is NOT how the story was suppose to go…no one was listening to me! So I started to scream… YOU IDIOTS God and I are trying to save your life but you know teenagers…

 

…God said (and I listened) save yourself and stop screaming you are giving me a headache of biblical proportions. God said there isn’t enough space on the boat for the Apple store…I said…but God how did you not plan/know for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 Apple posted revenue of $28.27 billion and net quarterly profit of 6.62 billion and God you know teenagers? Now I was starting to question this  antiquated boat, I wasn’t prepared for dial-up!

 

I wavered but did not break, I stood firm in my faith, never losing faith in God’s Will no matter what Apple posted for 2011 revenue. So I left on that seventh day of darkness and dankness of 40 degree Fahrenheit (for all my e-Canadian friends that would be 4.4 Celsius) and of course sailing off per God’s wishes…saving myself!

 

Pause…pause…I’m hitting the pause button on this ridiculous rain drenched story for the sun has finally come out! I received calls from five of my friends to ensure I saw the sun at 6:02 pm…giggling and giddy… I said, I did, I did…Hallelujah, Joy to the World!

 

For it is now time for singing, dancing and laughing on this wonderful Friday!

 

Laughing is my contribution to that lovely trio….will need a little help from my e-pals for the singing and dancing portion.

 

But for NOW (see below) cut and paste because this is too damn funny…My oldest child sent this to me while I was on my boat, thank goodness she didn’t give up her Apple products! Love you sweetheart you saved my post!

 

“Comedian Steven Crowder ‘Redistributes’ Children’s Halloween Candy in Political Spoof Video”

 

 

“In the redistribution of sugar wealth video, one child who had some candy taken away had this to say:

 

“Hey, dude that’s not cool. It’s not fun to take people’s candy. That’s my candy, I worked hard for it.”

 

When Steven Crowder pointed out that he had more than the child standing next to him, the angry youngster informed the comedian that it was “ok” to have more than someone else. The responses from other children who had some of their Halloween candy redistributed did not go along with the “fair share” endeavor quietly either.

 

One unhappy child even threatened to call the police because Crowder took something that did not belong to him. Steven explained that he was not stealing, just simply redistributing from those who have a lot to those who have less. The political theory did not impress the kiddos who simply wanted to keep what they had spent an hour earning.”

 

 

http://www.inquisitr.com/382621/comedian-steven-crowder-redistributes-childrens-halloween-candy-in-political-spoof-video/

 

Asklotta and staff will MIND YOUR BUSINESS today laughing with friends outside in the sun!

 

Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President and CEO

 

CBCorp

 

Mindful Timely Comments!

Dear Readers,

 

Since Halloween as been postponed until Sunday in my town due to hurricane Sandy… My lip snarled like “Snidely Whiplash” Ha! Now with a four day extension I’ve got more time to plot, more time to snarl at this orange and black holiday.  I must confess I started to think of ideas for this year’s Halloween costume with a ” six days of rain attitude” (as if you couldn’t tell) and came up with… H U R R I C A N E  

S A N D Y. YES you heard it here first, I am going as hurricane Sandy! That will be my costume!!!

 

Why not? How appropriate I thought. I would answer the door with a fan blowing on high behind me and a bucket of rain water that I would throw drenching trick-or-treaters with wind and water or at least the rain water would end up on the teenagers who show up at my door in sweatshirts and do nothing but mumble and hold out their hands….AND THEN…AND THEN…and then,  I read a comment from a reader…. 

 

…commenting on my post (10.31.12) “We Can, We Do…but Should We?”  

 

Dear Lotta –

Your blog today takes me to one of my favorite books, “The Hiding Place,” by Corrie Ten Boom, a true account of life in a concentration camp (interesting how your topic keeps taking me back to the holocaust). Corrie was there with her sister, Betsy. Betsy, a living ray of hope, faith and forgiveness, tells Corrie that she needs to be thankful for everything in her life — even as she lay on her hay platform bed that was infested with fleas. Huh? How could she possibly be thankful for these horrible, painful, fleas and flea bites? But Corrie gave in and thanked God for the fleas.

Later it was found that the reason the guards didn’t enter Corrie and Betsy’s barracks to beat and torture this particular group of women was because of the fleas.

Need I say more?

 

Thank you for reminding me of all the appreciation I should be giving daily for there is always something and everything to be thankful for even after six days of constant rain. I truly needed your comment/reminder today of all days (God works in mysterious ways) to be thankful for everything in my life. It has now been six long days of non-stop rain in Cleveland with no hope of clouds clearing with a cease and desist any time soon today.

 

This all started last Friday when we got slammed by a storm charging from the West, without a pause button to push, by mid-day Monday the storm charging from the East (Sandy) slammed right up against us!  It has been relentless and I am quite desperate for some sunshine!  I feel as if I’m turning into a mushroom!!! 

 

Let me say it again, God works in mysterious ways! Your mindful timely comment with meaningful thoughts delivered me (back) to my sense of humor (without a bucket of rain water to throw) but yet instead filled with gratitude …I am grateful for MY problems, wouldn’t trade them for the world! My husband and ALL my children are safe…”Need I say more?”

 

Asklotta and staff will MIND YOUR BUSINESS today tossing my hurricane sandy costume idea and instead remaining in rain boots and a rain slicker drenched in full appreciation!

 

Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President and CEO

 

CBCorp

 

Bullying!

Dear Readers,

 

I have just returned home from a delicious lunch and a presentation on Bullying at one of Cleveland’s very beautiful private schools. I was invited to join other parents, faculty and educators from around the Cleveland area to listen and participate in a discussion regarding Bullying.

 

Cynthia Lowen (featured speaker) Educating The Heart: A Moral Compass. 

 

Ms. Lowen is the co-filmmaker of “Bully,” a feature documentary following a “year in the life” of America’s bullying crisis. She is also an award-winning writer and winner of the prestigious Discovery Prize. Ms. Lowen co-authored “The Essential Guide to Bullying: Prevention and Intervention,” published this month. Together with Lee Hirsch, the director of “Bully,” she also co-edited “BULLY: An Action Plan for Teachers and Parents to Combat the Bullying Crisis,” published September 25.

 

Ms. Lowen talked and showed clips from her documentary. There were times it was so very painful to watch her documentary – an eleven year old boy getting bullied that I literally had to turn my head. His school did nothing (assistant principal), I will never understand how an adult, an educator could do nothing.  Listening to the boy’s mother who was filled with pain and frustration, trying with the best of her ability to protect her son was overwhelming. It was so hard for the mother to understand why her son had put up with the Bullying for so long without saying a word.

 

But the Bullying did not just stop with this one sweet boy in Ms. Lowen documentary. Cyber bullying I think might be even worse on some level because many times the victum thinks they are communicating with someone (a friend) that ends up not (a friend) who they thought, everything turns ugly at the speed of sound…

 

Children are taking their own life because of the pain and humiliation brought on by Bullying…it truly has become an epidemic in America and we have to do something AND we need to do something NOW!

 

Ms. Lowen explained some of the many reasons why people do not seek help from Bullying

 

1) Afraid their life would be even worse if they got help

2) Fired from their job

3) Afraid the solution still will not stop the Bullying

4) The Bully has really made them feel worthless and not worthy of kind behavior

5) Shameful

6) Maybe they should just suck it up, it might not be as bad as they think

 

Our culture Ms. Lowen said has turned very aggressive with denigration as a form of entertainment… e.g. Simon Cowell on American Idol. His/the show’s popularity grew the nastier Simon became. T. V. commercials usual makes a fool out of someone and the Internet used as a tool to deliver blind punches to someone else’s existence.

 

Dealing with Bullying is not an easy task and should not be done alone….but hopefully with more and more awareness and education there will be more people willing to Unite… Stand up…Be Counted, stopping the insanity and the dysfunction of Bullying.

 

A couple of tips that might serve to be helpful:

 

1 – Meet with the school and make sure you know what kind of a resolution you want. If the bullying is happening on your child’s bus, ask for them to be removed. Ask for those children to be suspended from school. Request counseling for the bullies.

 

2 – Document your meeting. Who you met with, the day and time and the resolution. Send a copy to the school. the board of education and/or your school board.

 

3 – Bullying phone messages, emails, text etc., keep, show others and use in documentation.

 

4 – If the Bullying continues go to the police with all of your documentation. 

 

Many times when meeting with teachers/principals/bosses/police all that gets communicated is your pain. Make sure you know what you want, ask for it and make sure you get it.

 

If the truth be told, Bullies always pick on those who are superior to them. For it is far easier for a bully to knock down others than it is to work hard to improve themselves into worth while human beings owning up to their faults, insecurities and choices.  But I will say it again…Unite…Stand Up…Be Counted and join the masses against Bullying! There is strength in numbers!

 

Asklotta and staff will MIND YOUR BUSINESS today reminding everyone to be kind to all for your actions have consequences!

 

 Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President and CEO

 

CBCorp 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Email from School

Dear Readers,

 

Below you will see an email I received on Sunday, Oct 7 at 2:24 PM from a teacher at my step-son’s school. It struck me as odd that this teacher had absolutely no faith that high school kids had the ability to check their emails (as they are suppose to do). It also struck me as odd the teacher was equally lacking in the ability to hand out consequences to students who failed to check their emails (as they were suppose to do). Then it went from odd to insane (in my opinion) for NOT lacking the ability to email parents with a reminder assignment. Lets face it, the consequence to failing to check email for that week was forgetting their putter, now come on….not exactly the worse life experience/consequence in life.

 

Please read the email below…. 

 

 

Sent: Sun, Oct 7, 2012 2:24 pm
Subject: Class Assignments

Parents – please pass on the message below to your child.  I sent the kids this same message, but too often they don’t check their e-mails.

 

Thanks – Mr. XYZ

 

Starting tomorrow, Monday, October 8^th “Y” block groups will report to the following areas.

 

Group One will report to the game gym for instruction in volleyball.

 

Group Two will report to the Field House for instruction in golf.  If possible please bring a wedge and putter to school for instruction.

 

Both Group One and Group Two have class during “Y” Block on Monday, October 8.

 

 

 

My question for today is…

 

…who else besides me thinks it is almost criminal not to teach teenagers their actions and/or lack of actions have consequences. 

 

 Personally I would rather teenagers fail a little in high school (without huge life altering consequences) then missing that important life lesson during a time when it can/should be supported by their parents. They will eventually go off to college/work without the basic skills (accountability) needing to succeed in a very competitive global world….college professors are not going to email their parents with reminders nor are their future employers. High School kids need to have a sense of ownership, pride and to be able to advocate for themselves. I believe if your child’s success/grades mean more to you than it does to them; it is not going to work! Eventually and most sadly your child will fail with even more to lose. 

 

Even though this teacher’s email as well as other emails from teachers are harmless in nature (no big deal) I feel the lack of expectation for the high school kids to do what they are suppose to do, actually sets them up for failure down the road….missing a teachable moment void of any positive learning experiences at one of the most important times and places in a teenagers life. It was bad enough with all the helicopter parents buzzing around but now we have helicopter teachers, ewww! 

 

If you have not already read the NYTimes article titled “What if the secret to success is failure?” by Paul Touch published September 14, 2011…Please a must read! 

 

I think this generation of high school students should be titled The Making of Marionette Puppets. 

 

Asklotta and staff will MIND YOUR BUSINESS today scratching my head wondering at what moment in time did schools start becoming afraid of teaching teenagers their actions have consequences? 

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President nd CEO

 

CBCorp

 

“What’s Wrong With My Hair?”

Dear Readers,

 

Below AOL from the Huffington Post regarding Gabby Douglas Hair …It originally struck me one way as, oh how I wish all girls would have Gabby Douglas attitude. But then it struck me in a different way (confirmed by her mother’s comments) which is the bigger story a story all about the perfect example of the ugly, the jealous and the stupid. 

 

LONDON — Women’s gymnastics all-around champion Gabby Douglas likes her hairstyle just fine, thanks.

 

The 16-year-old said Sunday she was a little confused when she logged onto her computer after winning her second gold medal in three days and discovered people were debating her pulled-back look.

 

“I don’t know where this is coming from. What’s wrong with my hair?” said Douglas, the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in team and all-around competition. “I’m like, `I just made history and people are focused on my hair?’ It can be bald or short, it doesn’t matter about (my) hair.”

 

Douglas uses gel, clips and a ponytail holder to keep things in place while she competes, a style she’s worn for years.

 

“Nothing is going to change,” she said. “I’m going to wear my hair like this during beam and bar finals. You might as well just stop talking about it.”

 

The bubbly teenager is the first African-American gymnast to win her sport’s biggest prize. She had no idea she was lighting up social media until she Google herself hours after winning her gold medal.

 

“I don’t think people should be worried about that,” she said. “We’re all champions and we’re all winners. I just say that it’s kind of, a stupid and crazy thought to think about my hair.”

-Huffington Post

 

But then a few days later her Mother Natalie Hawkins spoke out:

 

“How ignorant is it of people to comment on her hair and she still has more competitions to go. Are you trying to ruin her self confidence?” Hawkins told Fashionista.com. “She has to go out there and feel good about herself, and if she feels good about herself on that floor, who are you to criticize her? What have you done to help contribute to her dream, that you felt it necessary to put it out there so that she could see it.”

 

And Hawkins adds there’s more to why her daughter’s hair may look unkempt to the critics (who Hawkins assesses have mostly been African American women).

 

“She lives with a white host family and they don’t know anything about taking care of her hair,” said Hawkins. “And there’s no black salons in their area [in Iowa] –- not one. We had to work really hard to find a stylist to come and do her hair.”

 

“Gabby’s coach Liang Chow agrees. He told Hawkins — “She’s beautiful. You don’t need to change her hair. We need to focus on training. Hair is secondary.”

 

Here is the bigger story, Why does our society feel it is OK to criticize others for doing nothing wrong but yet a man who shoots innocent victims in a movie theater is called “an alleged shooter” commanding more respect then a hard working 16 year old girl who has sacrificed so much to represent her country with honor and dignity.

 

It is NOT OK for people to attack young girls about their appearance much less the ones who have made wonderful choices in life and who are doing incredible things to better their life and others! They put themselves out for the world to see without any guarantees?  Trying their hardest in front of millions to witness the slightest error and never to be forgotten, now that takes guts that only a few own! 

 

Let me make myself perfectly clear, it is NOT OK to say what ever you want just because it is on your brain, you need a filter between your brains and your mouth and people should rise up and protect others from the jealous, the greedy and the envious… This only comes from minds that hate! AND have no place in a (good and decent) society. Mean and critical words breaks hearts, rocks the once confident and jade the young…stand up, unite, do not tolerate the mean and nasty spewing from the entitled and spiteful.

 

AND by the way…

 

…Did I have the only Mother in the world that said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

 

Personally I never noticed any of the girl’s hair in any of the Olympic events (completely blown over by their ability and everything they did to get to this point) but now that I’m staring at their heads, I think Gabby’s hair and everyone else’s looks great! They all are incredible athletes with a job and a purpose and not one of their responsibilities entails caring about what their hair looks like (thank goodness!) 

 

Asklotta and staff is MINDING YOUR BUSINESS with wide accepting arms for all those who work hard at life, trying their very best to live a life with honor, dignity and completely un-entitled…regardless if they have any hair at all.

 

Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President and CEO

 

CBCorp

 

“I’m Not Surprised!”

Dear Readers,

 

Well who hasn’t been blown over by the Olympics these past few days? If you have not, please stop reading my post and go back to what ever people like you do!

 

But if you have been blown over (like me) by these incredible athletes please keep reading….

 

My Silent Investor called Monday morning at 6:30 (5:30 his time) and started talking about an impressive interview he saw the night before with the Women’s Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin. He went on and on about her composure, maturity (only 17 years old), she was grace under fire! I said, I am not surprised. He was a little taken a back by my comment, “What do you mean you’re not surprised?”

 

Well in order for Missy Franklin to have risen to the level she has (Gold Medal) she needed maturity, dedication, self-discipline, set priorities and goals well before that interview ever took place. A teenager does NOT rise to Missy’s level by having her parents “buying it” or making excusing for her or bending the rules for her. Quite the opposite…These highly successful individuals regardless of age but especially in teenagers do not arrive at this level because their older brother/sister was successful and was awarded the gold because of nepotism. Success comes from hours and hours of sacrificing, hard boring working and not taking the easy way out. Successful individuals and (teenagers) take responsibility for their mistakes and in spite of failures (discouraged) forges forward with 110% of effort.

 

Excuse me today for stating the obvious, successful teenagers are not the teenagers drinking with their friends or spending the night out because they are not able to drive home. Successful teenagers are not stealing prescription pain meds from their parent’s medicine cabinet nor are not lying and/or manipulating the truth (the system). 

 

Which brings me to the present and very impressive now…

 

The Women’s Amateur Championship is going on right now in Cleveland Ohio. I have the awesome experience of opening up my home this week to one of the participating woman amateur golfers, Emma Talley (18 years old) from Kentucky. Just graduated from high school and will be attending The University of Alabama (The top college golf team in the United States.)  She easily secured the coveted one and only spot available (Alabama golf team had only one graduating senior). Think about it, as the top ranked college golf team in all of America they had the top pick of the best of the best female golfers (thousands) and they picked Emma! Impressive to say the lease!

 

Emma is delightful, sweet, hardworking, respectful and humble with an adorable sense of humor! AND last but certainly not lease an incredible golfer. She talks about what she needs to do to improve, is thankful for all her opportunities and knows it is all on her shoulders the work that needs to happen. It has been a pure joy to have Emma participating in one of Cleveland’s Golf Tournaments but especially it has been an honor for her to be a guest in my home. And may I add, the best guest I have ever had!

 

After a conversation with her Dad you understand right away why Emma is such a success.  The youngest of four children she started playing golf at 12 years old (the only one in her family) This is not a teenager who is only doing what is mandatory; this is a teenager who is doing everything and then some!

 

In my opinion what makes this all more of a success story, golf was not introduced (pushed. forced, influenced) by her parents. This is all Emma!

 

Nov. 11, 2011

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama women’s golf coach Mic Potter signed one of the nation’s best players to a letter of intent on Thursday with Emma Talley inking with the Crimson Tide.

 

Talley hails from Princeton, Ky., where she was a three-time Kentucky State High School Individual Champion. She qualified for the 2011 United States Open and is ranked third in the class of 2012 in the Polo Junior Golf Rankings.

 

“Emma is a great junior player, and is ready to step in and assume a leading role on our 2012-2013 team,” Potter said. “She has competed at the highest level of not only junior golf, but having played in this summer’s U.S. Open, professional golf as well.

-Alabama Crimson Tide

 

“If she weren’t an amateur who was just months away from starting her college career at Alabama, Emma Talley would be “in the money” at this weekend’s U.S. Women’s Open in Kohler, Wisc.”

-Alabama Crimson Tide

 

 

Asklotta and staff is MINDING YOUR BUSINESS today in complete and total awe and amazement of Emma Talley!

 

Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President and CEO

 

CBCorp

Tis the (Graduation) Season – Last But Certainly Not Inconsequential

Dear Readers,

 

 

Below is just an excerpt from the brilliant graduation speech titled “you are not special.”  To read the entire article please go to the link below.

 

“…We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement.  We have come to see them as the point — and we’re happy to compromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect that’s the quickest way, or only way, to have something to put on the mantelpiece, something to pose with, crow about, something with which to leverage ourselves into a better spot on the social totem pole.  No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it…  Now it’s “So what does this get me?”  As a consequence, we cheapen worthy endeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about the application to Bowdoin than the well-being of Guatemalans.  It’s an epidemic — and in its way, not even dear old Wellesley High is immune… one of the best of the 37,000 nationwide, Wellesley High School… where good is no longer good enough, where a B is the new C, and the midlevel curriculum is called Advanced College Placement.  And I hope you caught me when I said “one of the best.”  I said “one of the best” so we can feel better about ourselves, so we can bask in a little easy distinction, however vague and unverifiable, and count ourselves among the elite, whoever they might be, and enjoy a perceived leg up on the perceived competition.  But the phrase defies logic.  By definition there can be only one best.  You’re it or you’re not.”

 

http://www.newser.com/story/147969/finally-grads-get-good-advice-you-are-not-special.html

 

 

Please continue to read for this article I came across in the Huffington Post was not only worthy of a post, at least on my blog but the final example of how graduations have turned in to a season instead of just an event in one’s life! Just one more perfect example of the graduation stupidity – Norman High School class picture in the yearbook “allegedly shows teens genitals.” In this moment I am truly grateful I am not that girl’s mother. The student apparently is “lifting her graduation gown exposing her genitals.”

 

I guess this girl thought there was something special about her “girl parts” or at least something special about exposing them in her yearbook. I wonder if she will still think so in 30 years? Hmm doubtful!

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/yearbook-photo-lake-norman-high-school-genitals_n_1543023.html?

 

 

All of this nonsense is why I call this time of year… a season! It seems as if all the grandeur of the season has more to do with  “attention whore” personalities and the truly great (something special) seem to go unnoticed. The truly successful remain humbled with feelings of; more to learn, more hard work to be done and more contributions to be made (this is not a time to relax!) 

 

So to the truly great (not the over inflated “midlevel”) I stand in your honor, clapping for what you have done and look forward with great anticipation of what you will do!

 

Asklotta and staff will share our thoughts while MINDING YOUR BUSINESS as the graduation season comes to a grand finale.  

 

Hip hip hooray!

 

Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!

 

 

Kindest regards,

 

Asklotta

 

President and CEO

 

CBCorp