Lance Armstrong? Way to go media, what about Algeria? *Vent*

So he finally owned up to doping. Hopefully he is opening the path for all the others to "come clean" too. Doping in professional sports is common, we all know that and we have known it for a long time. What is the big deal? Now, you may be sensing that I do not really care about Lance or his mistakes, but that is only half true. I do care about him as another human being and with the recent news he has opened up his heart and put it out there for everyone to devour. I can respect how hard it must be for him to tell the truth about his career but I just know that had he made the right decisions in the beginning he would not be a crying shame today. It is all about choices. Boo hoo Lance, bad boy, let's move on.

Now, I have to wonder...the media is all wrapped up with Lance Armstrong, what important news are they leaving out? What else is going on in the world that they do not want us to know? On the Today Show this morning, I watched Lance talk to Oprah for 20 minutes. After the commercial they talked about a current travel warning in Mali for 1 minute. There is war there, do not go...OK. Have you checked out the recent list of countries not to travel too. The list is impressive and the dates are scary new....

Mali    01/18/2013
Niger    01/16/2013
Kenya    01/14/2013
Libya    01/02/2013
Haiti    12/28/2012
Central African Republic    12/28/2012
Somalia    12/26/2012
Nigeria    12/21/2012
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza    12/20/2012
Iran    12/07/2012
Mauritania    11/30/2012
Eritrea    11/29/2012
Congo, Democratic Republic of the    11/21/2012
Chad    11/21/2012
Honduras    11/21/2012
Mexico    11/20/2012
Yemen   11/19/2012
Saudi Arabia   11/19/2012
Cote d'Ivoire   11/16/2012
Burundi    11/08/2012

This is a partial list, taken from http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html. If you go to the link you can click on each country and it gives an explanation of why Americans should be cautious traveling to that region. Most involve terrorism, murder, human trafficking...ya know all the terms and issues that we do not hear everyday in our sheltered American life.

I am most surprised to see Haiti, Americans have been doing a lot of work there since the hurricane a few years ago. Kidnapping and murder are worries there.

There was a minute update on the hostage situation in Algeria, but nothing compared to the coverage Armstrong has received. What kind of a society do we live in when the media gives a doping celebrity more coverage then a hostage situation? Vent complete. Thank you for reading, I hope your brain is working ;)

Moral of this story is that you cannot rely on the media for the real news, you have to search for it yourself. Make the time, your rights, your life might depend upon it.

Keeping it real ~ Not for the squimish

Facebook gifted me with a post today about leading through actions and keeping it real and it has stuck with me. Not because it challenged my way but rather confirmed it. I have not always been true to myself; it was not until just a few years ago I realized my worth and began searching for my authentic niche here on Earth. Now I realize that I will always be searching as I will always be changing and growing, as humans should be.

It was my choice to share this journey to physical and spiritual health online and because I care about motivating and inspiring others; I have to continue to keep it real. The information I share with you in this blog is extremely personal, yet VERY common. I know I am not the only woman who has dealt with the hurdles that I've faced; but I am one of the few who are willing to 'put it out there' to strengthen ones self and others.

I am a firm believer that we live in a time where people all around the world are tired of being mislead, their spirits are low and overall are just unhealthy. In all aspects: physical, mental, spiritual, economical, political...things seem a bit out of control, yeah?! As an individual, you have no control over this. The only control you have is over your own actions. You can change the world by just being your true authentic self and by influencing the positive change you hope to see.

Now, with that said, I am also a firm believer that we live in a world where there is no candy coating to anything and that things just have to be called as they are. I understand that two people perceive things in two different ways but if it is shit, it is shit and I am gonna call it just that. Honesty is always the best policy.

This blog will be a blend of both these concepts; a blend of hope and reality. Up until now, I have kept the posts pretty light. I do warn you though there will be times (in the near future) where the vow to keep it real might get a little offensive or inappropriate BUT it is all in good fun ;)