Music Artist On The Rise ... Fred X

 

 

 

The South’s own Fred X released his highly anticipated single, Wonderful 11.11.14, which was a blissfully satisfying complication of acoustic sound and soothing vocals.  The song instantly affirms why the smooth singer, songwriter, rapper, guitar player and CEO of label Melanated Music has rapidly become one of 2015’s most exciting new artists to watch.

 

I discovered Fred X initially on Youtube.com , a channel composed of two luminous “feel good” tracks, Wonderful and Sail Away  introducing music lovers to X’s hypnotic sound – a place where John Mayar takes you to sway in the waters of the most captivating blues melody; where the intense sounds of musical freedom erupts over exceptionally laid vocals, engulfed in a voice capable of making you feel simply “Wonderful”.  The debut is a hypnotic testament to X’s core songwriting ability and his innovative production choices. 

 

 

 

Tax Refund Delays ... But Until October 2015??!!

 

Sources have claimed that their is substantial proof that exists that suggests that there is a high possibility that all 2015 tax refunds will be delayed (especially those lacking health care plans) until no sooner than October 2015.

 

This claim is  ...

 

FALSE

On 29 September 2014, the National Report published an article positing that the payment of federal tax refunds for 2014 would be delayed until October 2015:

Normally when you file your taxes whatever money is owed back to you is quickly repaid. The process of getting your money back has been made even quicker in recent years through the use of E-file and direct deposit of Federal tax rebates. But starting in 2015 Federal tax refunds for the 2014 fiscal year are going to take longer for Americans to receive. A lot longer.

The deadline to have your Federal taxes filed will remain April 15th, but under new directives issued to the IRS no refunds are to be issued before October 15th, 2015. This means that early filers who normally receive their refunds around the beginning of February will have to wait an additional 7 months longer than normal to get the money owed to them.

The National Report article used fabricated quotes from White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest and politician Rand Paul to make it appear like an authentic news story. Although there is no truth to the claim that 2014 tax refunds will be delayed until 2015, nearly 10,000 people had shared the article on Facebook within days of its publication.

The National Report is a fake news site whose (since removed) disclaimer page notes that:

National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental.

In addition to the IRS tax refund delay article, the site has published posts like "IRS Plans to Target Leprechauns Next," "Boy Scouts Announce Boobs Merit Badge," and "New CDC Study Indicates Pets of Gay Couples Worse at Sports, Better at Fashion Than Pets of Straight Couples."

Original article courtesy of: http://www.snopes.com/media/notnews/taxdelay.asp 

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/media/notnews/taxdelay.asp#q1MC3wdjw1PaaWCc.99

Tax Refund Delays ... Be Prepared

IRS Warns Of Delayed Refunds, Long Waits For Taxpayers & Possible Shutdown

 

 

 

 

With a week to go before tax season opens, taxpayers were already bracing for a potentially “miserable” filing season. It turns out that it could live up to the hype.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Koskinen has advised employees that the budget cuts will result in reduced services to taxpayers. In an email to employees sent earlier today, Commissioner Koskinen advised that “realistically we have no choice but to do less with less.”
What does that mean for taxpayers?

• Identity theft could increase. Despite the need for increased taxpayer protections against identity theft, the implementation of additional measures will be delayed. That’s bad news for taxpayers since, despite the efforts of IRS and other agencies to stem the tide of identity theft, scammers have grown more bold. TIGTA reported that telephone scammers, posing as IRS representatives, managed to steal more than $5 million from taxpayers last year. And as quickly as the scams are picked up, they change. IRS-Criminal Investigation has responded to what has been termed an “epidemic” of identity theft by ramping up investigations – but with wholesale cuts to IRS, expect those investigations to dip, too.
• Refund delays. It turns out that satirical piece on tax refunds making the rounds might have had some merit after all. According to the Commissioner, taxpayers who file paper tax returns may have to wait an extra week or longer to see their refund. In the email, the Commissioner didn’t specifically address whether delays would affect refunds for taxpayers who e-file, though a few weeks again he refused to say that refunds would not be delayed.
• Lags in correspondence. Those of us in the field have already become familiar with those letters from IRS that begin “We need more time…” It looks like those are about to kick up even more. With fewer employees on staff, IRS expects “lengthy delays” to answer correspondence.
• Fewer resolutions. Those taxpayers who have legitimate gripes but can’t find a resolution will be out of luck. The Commissioner says that the Taxpayer Advocate Service, normally the next step when cases aren’t resolved through normal channels, won’t be able to obtain a new case management system to oversee taxpayer hardship cases.
• Unanswered calls. Predictions weren’t terrific for answered call rates before. Now, the Commissioner is warning of “an even lower level of telephone service.” Specifically, he notes the “real possibility that fewer than half of taxpayers trying to call us will actually reach us.” Those calls that are answered, he says, “will face extended wait times that are unacceptable to all of us.”
• Shutdowns. Although the Commissioner wavered on saying yes to furloughs last month, temporary shutdowns look to be the case after all. The Commissioner indicated that the agency is planning for at least one shutdown this fiscal year; he suggested there might be two furlough days. There was no word on when those dates might be other than later in the fiscal year (read: not during tax season).
• Fewer Audit Closures. The silver lining – if you can call it that – is that the reduction in staffing means fewer taxpayer audits will be closed in 2015 (no word on how that will affect selection of new matters). Collections case closures will also be reduced. That might be good news for those under the audit gun but not so great for the Treasury. Commissioner Koskinen estimates that the government will, as a result, lose at least $2 billion in revenue.

Quite frankly, none of this information is earth-shattering. I think many of us – tax professionals and taxpayers alike – have been hoping for the best but bracing for the worst this tax season. It looks like we’re getting the latter.

Original Article by: Kelly Phillips Erb

Courtesy of: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2015/01/13/irs-warns-of-delayed-refunds-long-waits-for-taxpayers-possible-shutdown/

Tax season is still slated to open on January 20, 2015 (those pesky rumors suggesting the date has been pushed out further are just that: rumors). For the latest word on the 2015 tax season, keep checking back.

Living As A ... LEO January 2015

Leo
July 23 - August 22

Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac. These folks are impossible to miss, since they love being center stage. Making an impression is Job One for Leos, and when you consider their personal magnetism, you see the job is quite easy. Leos are an ambitious lot, and their strength of purpose allows them to accomplish a great deal. The fact that these folks are also creative makes their endeavors fun for them and everyone else. It's quite common to see a Leo on stage or in Hollywood, since these folks never shy away from the limelight. They are also supremely talented and have a flair for the dramatic. Warmth and enthusiasm seems to seep from every Leo pore, making these folks a pleasure to be around. They do love pleasure!

Courtesy Of: http://www.astrology.com/leo-sun-sign-zodiac-signs/2-d-d-66944

Leo Forecast for January 2015

By Susan Miller Courtesy Of: http://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/monthly/leo_full.php

This will be your year, dear Leo, for Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, is in Leo for the first time since August 2002 to August 2003. Jupiter spends one year in each of the signs he visits, and last year, on July 16, 2014, Jupiter re-entered Leo. The road is open and clear - you finally have all the elements you need to succeed on something you've long dreamed to accomplish, on any level, in any part of life. Jupiter will stay with you until August 11 of this year, giving plenty of time for you to take action on a dream dear to you. The time you have now with Jupiter is precious, for you waited twelve years to have Jupiter all to yourself, and it won't be until June 2026 to have this same trend again.

Jupiter will open doors for you now and give you outstanding favor from VIPs. It's time to dust off your wish list, for the projects you start now will begin to grow and blossom financially after Jupiter leaves on August 11, when Jupiter moves into the harvest sign of Virgo.

You are about to earn an abundance of cash in late 2015 through most of 2016, but it ALL will be directly related to the efforts you make between now and mid-August 2015. Opportunities will come to you from every corner, and it will be important not to spread yourself too thin. Choose the projects that are quintessentially "you" - projects that acknowledge your need for creativity, feed your soul, and that have the most future potential. You are unique, and your projects should be as unique as you. In 2016 you won't have to "settle" for anything in your life - you should stand up for yourself confidently and keep searching for your ideal situation, for with Jupiter at your side, if you insist on that, you will find it. 

When it comes to love, if you are single, this year Jupiter will help you meet your one true love from now until mid-August. If you already have found the love of our life, you may now move to commitment and set the date of your marriage. If you are already married, or in an established relationship, you will find new ways to make your love deepen, grow, and flourish. This is, very simply, your best year in twelve, so make it count! 

Your residential (or other property) situation or, alternatively, your concern for a parent (or someone you think of as a parent), has been a pressing demand and continual distraction for you for more than two years. That situation will now settle down that Saturn recently left this area of your chart, December 23. Saturn, the culprit in this trend, will be back to Scorpio (the same thorny position) from mid-June to mid-September, and may bring up a rerun of the same issues. You have experience now, and you won't be thrown by anything you learn then. When Saturn says goodbye in mid-September 2015, he will not be back to your home and family portion of your chart until 2041, decades from now. As you see, demanding Saturn is leaving, and Jupiter, giver of gifts and luck, is now with you in Leo. Out with the bad, in with the good. This all means your outlook is doubly good in months ahead. 

On January 4, the full moon in Cancer 14 degrees (influential for an additional four days after the full moon), will light your twelfth house of privacy and behind-the-scenes activities. A secret that has been hidden, perhaps deliberately by someone close to you, is about to come to light. This full moon will be in an angry mood; the news won't be easy to take. This full moon will be in hard angle to Pluto in your solar sixth house of work projects, and also to Uranus in your ninth house of travel, legal matters, academia, publishing or broadcasting or the digital world, and international relationships abroad. You may get upset because you may find out that someone has been working at cross purposes to you, and hoping you'd never find out.

Other signs will feel this full moon more directly - they will have a harder time with it - but it's an angry moon that can cause tension, so do not have an overly packed schedule so that you can turn to take care of anything that might come up. You are an excellent manager, so you will know what you have to do, and you won't have a lot of time to take care of it. You will be able to put this matter behind you, so under no circumstances should you feel that you will "lose" anything in terms of reputation or anything else as a result. This is a very cranky full moon, but not an eclipse, and an eclipsed moon or Sun would have had a much stronger effect on you. Also, this full moon is falling in a cadent (weak) part of your chart, so it will not likely upset you as much as it would if it were lighting a different area. 

Mercury and Saturn will cooperate beautifully the day following this full moon, January 5, so logic and reason will prevail, despite the emotion that will swirl about you. Saturn will lend a very stabilizing, calming influence to Mercury, planet of thinking and perception. You can, and will, react the right way.

You will have to watch your health near January 4, for this is the last house of the horoscope (your solar twelfth house), an area known to be a place of rest, and you may feel quite drained by that period.

Mercury will go retrograde later, from January 21 to February 21, not a time to make any binding commitments, whether in love, in your career, or for anything else. It is not a time to buy any electronic items or any product with moving parts, like a car or kitchen appliance. Our judgment tends to be off during these phases, so don't rush into anything new. Instead, spend time working on projects already on your desk, and work to polish them up until they gleam. Sometimes in modern life, we are not given enough time to lovingly lavish detail on a project. Now, during this upcoming Mercury retrograde period, you will have the time, as things will get postponed and schedules change. Finesse this assignment, and it will bring you a career victory by May. This is true whether you are employed by others or self-employed. Mercury will turn retrograde on January 21, but I would like you to stay far away from that date, as you will feel the slowdowns and delays much sooner than January 21. Too often readers race toward that deadline of the turning date of Mercury retrograde, and then later wonder why things didn't go according to plan. If possible, make your biggest moves in the second half of February. My favorite day for you to act on big plans will be February 26.

Financially, you may see your expenses rise from January 12 to February 19, while Mars tours your solar eighth house of other people's money, ruling credit cards, mortgage, financial aid, taxes, bank loans, lines of credit, insurance, and similar money you may receive and also pay out to satisfy financial obligations. You may expect to have to write a large check in the second half of January, but if not, slow down spending on big-ticket items until you can see the lay of the land. With Mercury in retrograde, it would not be wise to spend for items that can be purchased later at any time. Items bought with Mercury retrograde never seem to deliver the satisfaction they promise at the onset, and that includes the purchase of (or closing of) a house. 

One day not to take any action that involves money would be January 19, when Mars will link to Neptune. You won't have all the facts and may make a very wrong decision. Neptune is known to fog facts and actions, so ask many questions. With Mercury about to retrograde just two days later, you will be in a highly unstable environment. I would prefer you make your biggest decisions in late February. Check financial statements carefully in case you were subject to identity theft.

Now let's turn to other elements in your chart. If you could see your horoscope map, you will see that most of the planets are situated on the Western part of the chart, putting the spotlight on partners. This indicates just how cooperative and conciliatory you will need to be this month to get results; don't be afraid to compromise now and then, for you will get to a great result if you do. You don't hold all the pieces of the puzzle now, but that seems immaterial - you may thoroughly enjoy the collaboration you will be making this month, and this will be true in work and in your private life. The new moon, January 20, in your partnership sector will open up a new era for your alliances. This new moon will be elegantly angled to Saturn, indicating plans you are making now for the future will have the strength of a sturdy old oak tree, with very deep roots.

You certainly have been focused on a partner, and with Venus in your relationship sector, your interactions should be as smooth as silk all month. Venus will remain in your committed relationship sector from January 4 to January 27. Yay! This holds true whether you are making a romantic or business relationship official soon - the point is, you will get along very well.

One of your most romantic dates will be January 13, when Venus and Uranus will be playing tag in the cutest way. Love will sparkle, especially if you are attached. (Admittedly, attached Leos will have the edge over singles in January.) The following day, January 14, will be equally wonderful, when Mercury in your relationship house will signal Uranus too. This same aspect will occur again, January 27.

If you did not travel for the holidays, January 10 to 17 would be an ideal time to go, or at month's end, January 24 to January 31. Bring your partner. When Mercury mixes with Uranus, spontaneity rules, so be flexible and go when the spirit moves you! If you have children, see if Grandma wouldn't mind doing some loving babysitting.

You will have another highly romantic day, January 23, when Saturn, now in your true love house, will signal the Sun, again in your committed relationship sector. Promises made will be promises kept, dear Leo. If you were going to get engaged, hold off until the middle to end of February, when Mercury will be regulated. You can act on Valentine's Day, which may be just what you had in mind.

In your career, you will be busy, continuing the trend that started in the third week of December when work demands were suddenly so strong they were bordering on insane. As you enter January, take things a little slower. It looks as though you will have to tie up details before you can move forward on new assignments. If you are in the middle of a project now (very possible), brace for new client input that may cause you to backtrack and reconfigure the plan when your client suddenly has an epiphany about ways you can make her project even better. Directives change, and we all have to remain flexible during Mercury retrograde periods, January 21 to February 11.

Here is a favorite day for you to put a gold star on, January 23, when the Sun your ruling star, will receive stabilizing vibrations from Saturn. Here is the perfect day to meet with an older, wise authority figure to talk about your future or to get advice. You'll have to be very realistic about any new venture you'd like to start to work on in months ahead. Saturn will have it no other way. Mercury is retrograde by now, so take time to think through your plans before you etch your plan in stone, and while you do, check all your assumptions. 

One day when you will do very well on the job, impressing everyone with your mastery over your material, will be Friday, January 30. This is when Mars will reach out to Pluto in a very friendly way, and this tells me you may make a nice sum of money as a result.

Secrets Of ObamaCare Exposed By '60 Minutes' ... A MUST READ!

^{'60 Minutes' Just Called Obamacare A Disaster...}

 

^{Here's What They Didn't Tell You}

 

 

 

60 Minutes on Sunday ran an eye-raising exposé of the health law’s many shortcomings — or as correspondent Lesley Stahl called the segment, “What Obamacare Doesn’t Do.”

Unfortunately, when it came to telling a complete story about the Affordable Care Act, there was a lot that 60 Minutes itself didn’t do.

That’s too bad, because the incredibly popular and venerable newsmagazine is a force for steering national conversation. And 60 Minutes acknowledged that the ACA has accomplished some good, like help 10 million uninsured Americans get access to care.

Here were six of my biggest sticking points with 60 Minutes — and an argument for how they could’ve presented them instead.

Too many issues, not enough time made for muddled storytelling.

Rather than dwell on positives like the nation’s historically low uninsured rate, 60 Minutes made the decision to focus on one author who thinks that Obamacare is an “outrage”: Steven Brill, a lawyer who’s written a book called “America’s Bitter Pill,” which traces the creation of the Affordable Care Act.

That’s a fair decision, because Brill does have useful insights to offer. His well-written book attacks the perverse incentives in the U.S. health care system, and tries to figure out why prices are so darn high. And like experts who eagerly anticipated Sunday’s episode, I believe it’s always useful to shine a spotlight on health care’s inherent problems.
But the story that 60 Minutes chose to tell was misleading. The program didn’t offer context for Brill’s arguments, or touch on the ways that the Affordable Care Act is working. Just like Brill’s other interviews and articles, it again confused the important nuance of hospital charges versus hospital costs.

And Stahl jammed in so many other hot-button issues — from hospital executive compensation to how drug prices are negotiated and even why some American patients have to pay full “charges” — that her 13-minute segment was ultimately all over the place.

Article Contributed By Dan Diamond courtesy of http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/01/11/60-minutes-just-called-obamacare-a-disaster-heres-what-they-didnt-tell-you/

Was Obamacare ‘an orgy of lobbying’ and backroom deals? Of course.

In one of the program’s more memorable lines, 60 Minutes quotes Brill’s comment that the Affordable Care Act was born from an ‘orgy of lobbying.’

 

No kidding.

To achieve unprecedented health reform, the White House and Congress made multiple deals to win the support of the industry. Insurance companies and hospitals were guaranteed more customers. Doctors were promised protections on payment reform, and so on.

This isn’t a secret to anyone who followed the negotiations or even read the news between 2009 and 2010.

And Brill knows exactly why this needed to happen. As his own book details, lawmakers through the decades could never achieve comprehensive health reform because they could never win the support of doctors and insurance companies. The industry’s entrenched interests always fought back, because legislators couldn’t give them reasons to stand down.

(And forget entrenched industry interests; American consumers in 2009 wanted to believe that their access to the family doctor wasn’t going to change overnight.)

So rather than junk America’s employer-based model, the Affordable Care Act was designed to sit on top of it. No expert would call the resulting law the platonic ideal of a national health care reform. Many policy wonks still credit the law for its big improvements.

And as economist Austin Frakt points out — because lawmakers deftly got the ACA passed, now they can steadily start pressuring the industry.

 

“To make eventual losers feel like winners, you’ve got to go slow,” Frakt astutely cautioned in the law’s early days. “To do otherwise spells immediate political failure.”

Obamacare controls costs better than Brill admits.

In the 60 Minutes segment, Brill ticked off a laundry list of priorities that he claims Obamacare failed to accomplish. From the transcript:

Steven Brill: It doesn’t do anything on medical malpractice reform. It doesn’t do anything to control drug prices. It doesn’t do anything to control hospital profits.

Lesley Stahl: So all the cost controlling side of this just went by the wayside?

Steven Brill: 99 percent of it.

But if Brill studied the legislation, he’d know: The law is a veritable smorgasbord of cost-control ideas.

“There are a number of features embedded in the ACA intended to control cost,” Martin Gaynor told me on Sunday night. Gaynor’s an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon who specializes in health care, and last year he served as Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics. (He’s also a fan of Brill’s reporting — just not on the cost-control argument.)

For instance, the health law has encouraged hundreds of hospitals to create accountable care organizations and participate in bundled payment pilots, which are two kinds of reforms designed to make hospitals and doctors more responsible to deliver high-quality care. They’re not all successful, but they’re helping federal health officials try and figure out what actually works to control cost rather than insist the entire industry adopt untested models.

“You can have differing opinions about how effective [the pilots] are likely to be, but it’s not like there isn’t anything in there,” Gaynor added.

And contra Brill, something very, very big is already underway: The government will eliminate nearly a trillion dollars in Medicare payments to hospitals over a decade.

Is Obamacare a looming disaster? Despite what 60 Minutes suggests, that’s unclear.

In his interview, Brill plays to historic fears and suggests that the ACA is setting the United States up for a major fiscal crisis.

“Good news: More people are gonna get health care,” Brill tells 60 Minutes.

“Bad news: We have no way in the world that we’re gonna be able to pay for it,” he adds.

But many experts disagree.

For one, the health system’s cost growth has been historically slow (slow growth = “slowth“) the past several years. That isn’t all attributable to the ACA, but bodes quite well for the law’s long-term fortunes.

“Evidence is growing that Obamacare’s reforms to Medicare are playing at least some role in the slowdown, so the law could very well end up a big plus for the country’s finances in the long run,” Loren Adler told me. He’s the Research Director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

And Adler points out that the decision to pursue coverage expansion may actually motivate reforms: We have even more reason to keep seeking ways to slow health care spending.

“The extent to which our federal spending is consumed by health care increases our exposure to the risk of continually fast-growing health care spending,” he says. “Therefore, Obamacare increases the imperative to get health care costs under control.”

Executive compensation isn’t the issue that we need to worry about.

60 Minutes seizes on a theme in Brill’s reporting: That health care executive compensation is supposedly a major problem.

For sure, we should perk up when a nonprofit pays an inordinate share of revenue to its leaders. But these aren’t churches and schools; health care organizations are now huge pillars of the American economy.

As the head of UPMC health system told 60 Minutes, their health care system is the largest employer not just in Pittsburgh; not just in Western Pennsylvania; but in the entire state. (UPMC employs 63,000 people.)

To steer his $12 billion organization, UPMC’s CEO gets paid about $6 million per year.

Is that a lot? Compared to the average American worker, sure. Compared to the average CEO salary in Pennsylvania — $4.4 million, according to the AFL-CIO — definitely not.

And $6 million per year is significantly less than salaries for CEOs who run comparable or smaller for-profit health care organizations.

For instance, the CEO of Universal Health Services, a Pennsylvania-based operator of for-profit health care organizations like George Washington University Hospital, gets paid more than $13 million per year.

Brill’s own knowledge gaps sometimes show.

Brill, by his own admission, knew nothing about health care finance and policy before writing a landmark cover story called “Bitter Pill” for Time magazine two years ago.

In that original article, Brill came to a simple conclusion: That hospitals are to blame for America’s high health costs, because they charge higher prices.

So his prescription at the time? Make things harder for hospitals.

“We should tighten antitrust laws related to hospitals to keep them from becoming so dominant in a region that insurance companies are helpless in negotiating prices with them,” Brill wrote in 2013.

Less than two years later, Brill’s completely changed his tune. Not only does he now think hospitals are the answer — we should give them even more power, Brill writes in his new book.

“My idea for how to fix Obamacare and American healthcare,” Brill now argues. “Let these guys loose.”

“Give the most ambitious, expansion-minded foxes responsible for the chargemaster even more free rein to run the henhouse—but with lots of conditions.”

Is Brill’s new argument stronger than his old one? Depends who you ask. Some experts contend hospital prices are just a symptom of America’s health care’s cost problems, not the cause. Others now warn that allowing health care organizations to amass more market power will let them pass even more costs onto consumers.

But either way, that quick flip-flop is a good reminder: Brill’s an author, not an economist, doctor, or trained health policy expert. Enjoy his reporting, but take his analysis with a grain of salt.

And remember: Health care’s exceptionally complicated. The industry’s problems can’t be explained in a 13-minute news segment — or even in 60 Minutes.

Article Contributed By Dan Diamond courtesy of http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/01/11/60-minutes-just-called-obamacare-a-disaster-heres-what-they-didnt-tell-you/

 Follow Dan Diamond @ddiamond

My Own Personal Feel Good Story Of The Week ...

Be The Positive Inspiration You Would Like To See In The World ...

 

 

A stranger (or at least a man I assumed to be a stranger) came up to me the other day, he said, "Excuse me Ms. Bean. Can you spare some change?" I said, "Why?" He said, "Hummmm, nobody has ever asked me that before. What do you mean why?" I said, "I mean, why exactly are you asking me for money? Most people give an explanation in advance - You hadn't even attempted." He said, "Why?" I stood there for a moment before responding quite honestly confused. I then said, "Because you're asking me for my money and if its going toward something negative then I will not be a contributor to such." He stood there for a moment - not confused but somewhat amused. He then replied, "If I told you it was for me to feed my 7 kids and they were sitting in the car around this corner hungry, would you give it to me?" I said, "Maybe if that were true - Is it?" He chuckled and said, "Nope! Don't need the Lord to strike me down over no over-priced alcohol." I then chuckled with him. He then said, "So what shall it be Ms. Bean - your mother told me you were a tough cookie?" I held his eyes for a moment, then asked, "Why do you drink sir?" He said, "Don't you wanna know how I know you?" I responded, "Does it really matter?" He said, "I guess not," then in pausing he took a deep breathe and begun again. "I drink to escape life, to chase away the pain of lose and to forget the sins I've committed." I asked, "So what when the alcohol is gone? What then? You keep asking the next lucky passerbyer for change?" He began laughing while saying, "I thought twice about asking you because your dad told me about you and your empowerment speeches." I laughed. He continued, "So what, you here to judge me too?" I took his hand and held his gaze and said, "No. Mike (by this time I had figured out who he was). Who am I to judge another? I will give you exactly what you ask for and that's change - every dime, nickel, penny or quarter in my purse you shall have it but the only thing I ask is that instead of indulging in alcohol, why not indulge in GOD. He will forgive, cure your ales and make you whole again." By this time we both had begun to cry. I released his hands and opened my purse and bent down to begin collecting every piece of change I could find for him - I will always keep my word. He then bent down beside me and held my hands to stop. He pulled me up and said, "You've done enough. Thank you." As I watched him walked away, I simply thanked GOD for working through me!!!! Change does not always have to come in monetary value ...............

Courtesy Of: Nannette Bean via https://www.facebook.com/nannette.bean.1

So I've Decided To Go Vegan ...

12 Things You Need to Know Before Going Vegan

 

 

 

Vegan diet must-knows

 

Veganism has come a long way: once reserved for peace-loving hippies, interest in a totally animal-free diet is at an all-time high, with celebrities like Bill Clinton, Alicia Silverstone, Jay Z, and Beyoncé leading the charge. But before you jump on the no-meat-eggs-or-dairy bandwagon, you should know what you're getting into. Here are 12 things to expect when you're going vegan.

 

1. You'll need a B12 supplement

Vitamin B12 occurs naturally only in animal foods, so you'll want to stock up on a variety of B12-fortified foods as well as a B12 supplement. B12 keeps the body's nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, so deficiencies can lead to tiredness, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss (the bad kind), nerve problems, and depression. To find out if you need to up your intake, ask your doctor for a simple blood draw.

 

2. …And maybe an iron supplement, too

Iron comes in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme, which makes up about 40% of the iron in animal foods, is easily absorbed by the body. Vegan diets contain only non-heme, which is less readily absorbed, so you may need to ingest more iron if you want to get the same benefit, says New York City nutritionist Christian Henderson, RD. Good vegan iron sources include legumes, sunflower seeds, dried raisins, and dark, leafy greens. Vitamin C-rich foods (think: red peppers, citrus, and broccoli) aid iron absorption.

 

3. Your friends and family will ask a lot of questions

"People are very sensitive about their diets, especially when you challenge what they have always believed," says plant-based dietitian Julieanna Hever, RD, host of Veria Living's What Would Julieanna Do? "The best way to minimize conflict is to emphasize that you are going vegan for your own reasons and that it seems to work for you. In other words, make it about you, so nobody feels they need to defend their choices."

 

4. You'll have to find new protein sources

Every meal should contain protein, says vegan dietitian Valerie Rosser, RD. Proteins are the building blocks of life: they break down into amino acids that promote cell growth and repair. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get at least 0.8 grams of protein daily for every kilogram of body mass—that's about 54 grams for a 150-pound woman. The best sources of vegan protein include natural soy, lentils, beans, quinoa, and seitan, Rosser says.

5. You shouldn't replace animal products with junk

Swapping out meat for white bread, pasta, and other packaged foods sets you up for failure on the vegan diet, says Rosser. "It's not a good idea to trade in animal products, which contain protein, vitamins, and minerals, for processed foods that provide little nutritional value other than calories." The result: hunger, weight gain, and a grumpier mood.

 

6. Take it easy on soy-based products

In general, critics overstate the dangers of soy and the promoters exaggerate its benefits. Though scientists are still arguing over the effects of soy on cancer and heart health, one thing is for certain: "Consuming too much soy-based vegan 'meat' is arguably worse (than) consuming high-quality animal products," says Henderson. Meat substitutes are often highly processed and loaded with sodium and preservatives, so read labels carefully. The healthiest sources of soy are miso, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, and edamame.

 

7. You don't have to make the switch at once

You won't just wake up one morning magically vegan. It takes work, so it should also take time, Henderson says. "Start by adding more plant-based foods to your diet, while at the same time cutting back on animal products, especially those that are non-organic, and more importantly processed, refined foods. Making gradual changes and assessing how you are feeling along the way is key," she says.

 

 

8. Be prepared to read food labels

 

If you're serious about being vegan, checking food labels and verifying ingredients is a must. "Just because a food product is not glaringly non-vegan doesn't mean that it's suitable for a vegan diet," Rosser says. Casein and whey, which come from milk, are present in many cereal bars, breads, and granolas, while gelatin and tallow (also known as suet) are derived from meat. Then there's Natural Red 4 (also known as carmine, cochineal, or cochineal extract), which is a food coloring derived from the dried bodies of female beetles. Head spinning yet? The Vegetarian Resource Group's list of common food ingredients can help.

 

9. You may feel happier

Animals won't be the only ones happy with your vegan move. So will you. One reason why: Compared to vegetarian diets, omnivorous ones contain more arachidonic acid, which can spur neurological changes that drag down mood, according to a 2012 Nutrition Journal study.

 

10. You won't have to ditch your favorite restaurants

Just as veganism is becoming more popular, so are vegan options on just about every restaurant's menu. Word to the wise: Even if your item of choice looks vegan, tell your waiter about your dietary restriction to ensure that no animal products are used to make your meal (think hidden butter or chicken stock), Henderson advises. And if you are up for trying an all-vegan restaurant, check out veganrestaurantfinder.com.

 

11. It doesn't have to cost more

At $3 or more per pound, meat is one of the most expensive items in the grocery store, so saving big can be easy—even if you are buying more produce than ever. Save even more by swapping some of your fresh produce for frozen.

 

12. Plants might cover your calcium needs

The NIH recommends that adults between the ages of 19 and 50 get a minimum of 1,000 mg of calcium a day, but preliminary research shows vegans may be able to get away with less than that. A European Journal study found that when vegans consumed at least 525 mg per day of calcium, their risk of bone fracture was no different than that of non-vegetarians with similar calcium intakes. The key is eating a variety of naturally calcium-rich foods such as kale, bok choy, almonds, soy beans, figs, and navel oranges as well as calcium-fortified foods such as cereals, plant-based milks, and tofu made with calcium sulfate, Henderson says. Bonus: soy, leafy greens, and most fortified foods are also high in vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium.

 

 

Original Article By: K. Aleisha Fetters Courtesy of: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20773383,00.html