rave: last day of 2008

"Another fresh new year is here...

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, and fear.

To love and laugh and give!


This bright new year is given me

To live with zest...

To daily grow and try to be

My highest and my best!


I have the opportunity

Once more to right some wrongs,

To pray for peace, to plant a tree,

And sing more joyful songs!"


By: William Arthur Ward

Happy New Years!  

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 | Tags: | 0 Comments  

rave: merry christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours.
May this holiday season be filled with
Peace, Joy & Love.

Love,
Brian, Mindy & Luca

Thursday, December 25, 2008 | Tags: , | 0 Comments  

rave: true meaning of christmas...hope


Life of Reilly
There are some games where cheering for the other side feels better than winning.
by Rick Reilly
They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.
It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name. "I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!" And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.
But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five—handcuffs ready in their back pockets—and marched them to the team bus. That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.

This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year. Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery—many of whose families had disowned them—wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.

So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fans—for one night only—cheered for the other team? He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote. "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan's office and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?" And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!
"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). "They started yelling 'DEE-fense!' when their team had the ball. I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'" It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. "We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. "You can see it in their eyes. They're lookin' at us like we're criminals. But these people, they were yellin' for us! By our names!"

Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.

After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us." And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.

As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home—a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player. The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."
And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they'd never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.

Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it's nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.

Hope.
courtesy of espn.com

Tuesday, December 23, 2008 | Tags: , , | 0 Comments  

rave: great music + cofee = saves lives all at the same time


I’m sure you’ve seen RED special edition products that, when bought, the manufacturers donate a percentage of the profits to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Now, there’s more to (RED), and more ways to help! Their new weekly digital music magazine, (RED)WIRE, launches today. With each issue, you’ll receive exclusive music from artists around the world, and people living with HIV in Africa will receive the medicine they need.

“Sign up now and get two free issues.”:http://www.joinredwire.com/

How it works:Every Wednesday, you’ll receive your new music via the (RED)WIRE player – which also places each song automatically in your iTunes. All music is yours forever, since they are unprotected digital files. You’ll be able to play them on your computer, iPod as well as burn them to CD or DVD.

It’s all only $5 per month (that’s about what you’d pay for iTunes music anyway in a month!) and half your membership fee goes to buy medicine to keep people living with HIV in Africa alive.

What you’ll receive:


  • You get an exclusive song from a major artist.
  • A song by a showcased artist.
  • A fun or inspiring piece that’s not music—a short video of someone telling a story, a slideshow of great photography, someone reading something they love.
  • And frequent updates from Africa—a window into the culture of the people getting the medicine.

“Check out (RED)WIRE here!”: http://www.joinredwire.com/

“Shop PRODUCT(RED)”: http://www.joinred.com/Shop.aspx


ALSO don't forget to stop by starbucks today. This holiday season, they are offering a trio of delicious (STARBUCKS)RED EXCLUSIVE beverages*. When you buy any one of them at participating stores in the US and Canada, Starbucks gives 5 cents directly to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Beginning in 2009, Starbucks will offer customers new ways to do something good every day – so watch this space for more delicious opportunities!

*(STARBUCKS) RED EXCLUSIVE Holiday beverages are Espresso Truffle, Peppermint Mocha Twist and Gingersnap Latte. They are available at participating stores in the US and Canada between November 27th 2008 and January 2nd 2009.

Monday, December 01, 2008 | Tags: , , | 0 Comments  

rave: world AIDS day 2008

Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Lead - Empower - Deliver.

December 1 is World AIDS Day; a time to celebrate the many lives saved by HIV prevention and treatment programs. It also serves as a reminder that we all must do more—as individuals, communities, and as world citizens—to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Around the world, 33 million people are living with HIV with nearly 7,500 new infections occurring each day. An estimated 3 million people are now receiving antiretroviral treatment in low and middle-income countries.

In the United States, CDC estimates that about 1.1 million people are living with HIV. These numbers will most likely increase over time, as antiretroviral drug treatments extend the lives of those with HIV and more people become HIV infected. As expected, as the number of people living with HIV grows, so does the opportunity for those with HIV to pass on the virus to others.
Protecting Health
CDC currently estimates that approximately one in five persons living with HIV in the United States is unaware of his or her infection and may be unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. Since anyone can be at risk for HIV, CDC recommends that adults and adolescents between the ages of 13 and 64 years of age be routinely screened for HIV infection in healthcare settings. Pregnant women in the U.S. should be screened for HIV infection as part of their routine prenatal testing.

Once tested, individuals can take steps to protect their health or, if infected, they can gain access to health-sustaining treatments and care, and help prevent the spread of the disease to others.
On this World AIDS Day 2008, we all need to commit to expanding the reach of effective prevention efforts to those at risk and those living with HIV in order to stop the further spread of HIV in the United States.

What Can You Do?
Wherever your work, or whatever you do, you can join CDC and its partners in supporting World AIDS Day. Your support will help end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Individuals can:

  • Get tested for HIV. To find a testing site center near you, visit hivtest.org or, on your cell phone, text your zip code to Know IT (566948).
  • Participate in the Facing AIDS campaign. Take a picture of yourself wearing a red ribbon and add the photo to the "World AIDS Day 08" Flickr group*, your social network profiles, Twitter, blog, and/or Web site before December 1. Leave it up for at least a week.
  • Stand up against stigma, racism, and other forms of discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.
    Donate time and money to HIV/AIDS organizations.

Organizations are encouraged to:

  • Promote World AIDS Day in your organization. Useful materials are available at hivtest.org
  • Encourage employees to get involved in World AIDS Day.
  • Educate staff about HIV/AIDS.
  • Develop HIV/AIDS policies for the workplace.

World AIDS Day Resources:

Podcasts and Online Videos

Web Sites

More Information

for more information about World AIDS Day 2008, please visit the official World AIDS Campaign website.

information courtesy of the CDC.gov website.

Monday, December 01, 2008 | Tags: | 0 Comments  

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