The Flu

Sorry everyone I have had the flu the last few days, I'm getting better now and will begin blogging again shortly thanks for the patience.

Raquel Mclean

This week in review Ending July 17th

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony split after seven years of marriage. The couple released a joint statement "We have decided to end our marriage," they tell PEOPLE in a joint statement. "This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters." The couple has three year old twins.

                  

This weekend the U.S lost to Japan in the Women’s World cup final, The U.S held a strong lead but in the last minute Japan tied the game which brought the game to penalty kicks with Japan winning 3-1

Gold is at a record high and is expected to reach 1,700 an ounce by the end of the year, new highs for gold reached $1,594.90 per ounce this week, Silver was also gaining at $1.18 to $40.25 an ounce

Obama approval ratings for the week is job approval is 45%, Americans are split on if a agreement will be reach 49% says there will be a deal 47% say there wont be. If no deal is able to reached 56% say an economic crisis will result.

Box Office Weekend

1. Harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 makes history with a record opening day record of $92.1 million with a weekend total of $169 million rounding out the weekend
2. Transformers: Dark of the moon : $21 million
3. Horrible Bosses : $17 million
4. Zookeeper : $12 million
5. Cars 2 : $8 million

How to make candles from home

Making candles serves many purposes examples include designing a special event, gifts, home décor, and to enhance the mood of your environment. Making your own candles from home is easy and affordable. There are many styles and scents that you will use experimenting will make interesting and beautiful candles.

Step one

Choose your wax; there are many different types of waxes to choose from paraffin wax is the most common and waxed used and is recommended for beginners, Soy wax is also a good wax to use, Beeswax is an older candle making wax but it expensive, Gel wax is recommended for more experience candle makers.

Step two

Choose your candle supplies such as containers, wicks, coloring, and scents. Choosing the coloring and scents is the exciting parts as you learn and experiment on different variations and create different types of candles.

Step three

Choose how you will melt your wax, the oldest and most common way is to use a double boiler but many hobby shops now carry candle-making machines. Stir the wax periodically and as the wax starts to melt add coloring and scent.

Step four

Pour the melted wax into the container and let it sit for at least an hour, It often sinks in the middle and a second pour will be required so always make sure to save some extra wax. Let the candle cool completely to room temperature.

Step Five

Trim the wick to a quarter of an inch when it has completely cooled and enjoy your new creation.

Candle making is a very simple and exciting hobby, Safety measure always need to be followed, never leave hot wax unattended and keep an eye on temperatures to make sure wax does not overheat, make sure you choose a safe and clean environment to prepare your candles. In addition, never leave kids or pets around cooling candles

How to work from home in the customer service field

With today’s technology and advancing telecommunication options a lot more people are looking at telecommuting as an option. And the Customer Service area is a great start for people with little experience and also great for people at a senior level and with a little research and the tips provide here it can be done successfully.

1. Research than research some more, As working from home becomes more reputable there are also more work at home scams, Joining work at home forums and using goggle is a great way to save on valuable time and money.

2. Expanding on my above step joining a work at home forum is a great idea not only to check if a job is a scam but to also learn other’s experiences working at home and particular jobs, also since working from home can lead to a solitude feeling it also gives you virtual co-workers.

3. A couple of tips to finding job leads is using the forums you have joined, Craigslist, and Careerbuilder can be used successfully using caution for scams and the keyword Telecommute while searching. 

4. Having the correct equipment is very important for working from home especially when you're working customer service, While there are some chat customer service jobs few and between it will mostly be working on the phone so making sure you have a headset, up-to-date computer and a virus program installed, Different companies vary on what is required and you usually will know the requirements when you apply.

5. Make sure your work environment is clear of any distractions, kids and pets should not be in the same room that you're working in, Also the TV and radio should not be on. Having a separate room for work is recommended.

6. If it sounds too good to be true than it probably is , Most customer service jobs will not pay someone 5k a month for working one hour a day, The average salary of most customer services jobs are 8/hr – 14/hr and its unlikely you will get rich but it can be a reliable income.

7.Working from home is a job a good suggestion is to put on work clothes before a shift, make sure your environment is professional and to show up for your schedule, Working from home offers flexibility but it still is a job that needs to be taken seriously.

Erica Ford, Why this great woman deserves to win the hoodie award

 Raquel Mclean

I had the wonderful chance to encounter Ms Erica Ford on my quest to start working for Russell Simmons, She reached out to me and said why don’t you donate some time writing on gun violence and for peace, which I accepted, We talked on the phone and exchanged emails from time and time and as I got to know Erica I started to truly realize I was talking to a important and great person,

She is the president and CEO of Life Camp, INC an organization that started in 2002, It’s goal is to prevent violence in schools, the mission is to provide a second chance to youths 13-24 and teach at risk youths ways to avoid jail, gangs, substance abuse and dropping out of school.

Ms Erica is up for the hoodie awards tomorrow Wednesday July 13^th, it was started by Comedian Steve Harvey and it’s the only award show that honors businesses, religious and community leaders, churches and high schools for their contributions throughout the country. Voting times will be Wednesday from 6am-6pm

I had the opportunity to speak to several people in Ms Erica community on why she should win the hoodie award, Their stories at times were enlighten, Sad, Funny but always touching, I wanted to include in my blog the stories and why Ms Erica should win and help get her as many votes tomorrow as she truly deserves it,

The first person I spoke to was an Ms Ceillise Craig; she has been with life camp since she was 15 years old, almost 10 years; she first met Ms Ford in Jamaica Queens, When a school mate was killed and Ms ford went to the school to speak and attended the funeral Ceillise was actually going thru a dark period in her life and attempted suicide Ms ford was the first person to visit her, She would give Ms Craig rides to school and guided her on the right path, Ms Craig is now 24 years old and an aspiring lyricist and at a positive place in her life.

The next person I spoke to was Ms Penny she has known Ms Ford for years but she started working with her in 2009 when her son was killed in South Jamaica in a triple homicide, She had to add that Ms Ford is a great inspiration for the community, She works countless of hours to improve the lives of youths and end gun violence and that Ms Ford deserves this award and that she and the whole community stands behind her.

The last person I spoke to was Mr. Danny Barber he is an employee for the New York Housing authority, He has known Ms ford for a year and has did many marches and rallies with her including; Stop the violence march, Mother’s day march and youth rallies, He says Ms Ford is a inspiration to the community and because of her the youths have met people they normally  would not had a chance to encounter in their everyday lives including Al Sharpton, The Attorney General and members of Obama campaign staff. And that Ms Ford gives youths hope and a reason to see a good future ahead of them.

As you can clearly see this is a great woman who has done so much work and has put forth tirelessly countless hours of effort to improve the lives of the youths in her community, The hoodie award was made for people like Ms Erica Ford, If everyone could take a second out their day tomorrow and vote for her it would help someone who truly deserves this award to be recognized for the hard work she has done for her community. Here is how you can vote for Erica Ford.

On Wed From 6-6pm Vote 4 Erica Ford  Best Community Leader on http://t.co/79y7vOE or text hoodie to 88656 and reply H3

This week in review ending July 9th

Casey Anthony was found not guilty on all charges besides four counts of lying to the police, Anthony was sentenced Thursday to four years in jail with time served and can be expected to be released as early as this week

Former first lady Betty Ford died at the age of 93, Wife of former President Gerald Ford (In office from 1974-1977) she overcame many obstacles such as addiction to drugs, alcohol and breast cancer to opening the betty ford center, and becoming one of the most beloved women of her era, Ford will be buried besides her husband Gerald Ford in Michigan at the Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.

Obama extends foreclosure programs for unemployed homeowners with an FHA mortgage from four months to at least a year, The unpaid payments be added to the cost of the mortgage and must be repaid with interest but with unemployment being one of the top reasons for foreclosures this will be a great relieve for many Americans.

JaMichael Brown was born in Texas at Good Shepherd Medical Center July 8^th at a whooping 16lbs and holds the title at the hospital for the biggest baby born there. He is in stable condition and under observation in the neonatal unit and expected to be release in the next few days.

Sean Kingston shot a music video this weekend just a few weeks after being released from the hospital in a jet ski accident that was near fatal, The Beautiful girls singer held a party at his Miami mansion last week and warned party goers on the dangers of jet skiing.

Box office results week ending July 10, 2011 Top Five

1. Transformers: Dark of the moon: spent its second week at #1 earning 47 million dollars
2. Horrible bosses: made its debut at #2 earning 28 million dollars
3. Zookeeper: made its debut at #3 with a respectable 20 million dollars
4. Cars 2: in its 3rd week placed #4 with 15 million dollars
5. Rounding out the top five movies of the week is Bad Teacher: in its 3^rd week earning 8 million dollars

Big Brother 13 Premiere

Ok last night was the big brother season 13 premiere and of course, I was super excited and as most of the America I could had cared less about the new players I wanted to see the duo teams from past seasons that they were bringing back.
Typical BB style they show the contestants getting their golden key and telling information about their lives that no one will care about nor remember unless they make a big enough impression on the show, Although I will admit Adam’s contrast of this big rocker person drinking martinis received a small chuckle from me.
Therefore, they arrive to the house and run in surprise in groups (get to the Will and Mike already) to claim bed and marvel at the house that has not changed much in 13 seasons. They sit around the circle and get to know each on the only day everyone will like each other, Julie comes and drops the first bomb of the night on them.
They will be playing as duos everyone of course is shocked because this game never ever has any surprises Julie goes away for a few minutes to let the news sink in and returns with another shocker six past houseguests are returning and a few minutes later the doorbell rings.
As I sat there with anticipation waiting for Will and Mike Boogie to walk thru the door I was like I was disappointed to see Rachel ( and her so annoying laugh and voice) and Mr. crybaby Brendan, to walk thru the door. As I screamed at the TV, The light bulb went off in my head of yeah they are saving the best for last.
Door bell rings again and America sweethearts Jordan and Jeff walks in and while I’m still waiting on Chilltown to walk thru the door I did have to say they are so freaking adorable, and while the Brendal duo received a chill reception the houseguest were excited to see them.
As everyone hugged and gushed over Jordan and Jeff the doorbell rang a last and final time, my heart is about to exploded at this point in walks Dick and an unrecognizable female behind him. Wait its Daniele looking very different while slightly disappointed I knew we are in for a wild season with Dick especially within minutes of being in the house he informs everyone him and Daniele have not spoken in three years (a ploy or true? Guess time will tell.
Now its time for the HOH competition the newbie’s are dropping like flies off the banana, In the end its Rachel on one banana and Dick and Daniele on the other , they strike a deal with Rachel to drop if she promises not to put them up Daniele is hesitant at first but she drops. Rachel is now the new head of the household (another week of that voice at least).
Julie appears and drops another shocker on the houseguest for the next four weeks the remainder houseguest who is not evicted will have immunity and cannot be put up. This changes the game play for most of the house as the first episode winds down Julie hints to the home audience that another shocker will be revealed on the next episode I can not wait let my summer addiction to Big Brother begin.