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SERENA Williams in on the lookout for the man of her dreams. The tennis superstar — who split from rapper Common in April — says she’s keen to find Mr. Right.

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Serena Williams Looking For Mr. Right!

Faith is love taking the form of aspiration. –William Ellery Channing I have been studying positivity for months now. There are many days when I have tried to make myself think or feel positively and was completely unable to get out of my fear or pain that held me. What I have learned from those moments, especially in my relationships, is that when …

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Deep Breath, Open Mind

It’s not always easy to maintain your integrity in business relationships. In fact, it can be downright hard. Pretending In my old medical practice, which was filled with people of integrity, I realized that my integrity was being compromised every day. All day long I was expected to lie – to make up reasons why an insurance company might …

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Owning Your Integrity

What started off as the End of the Year Celebration for the Multi Age Group Program at Beecher Road School in Woodbridge, CT ended up becoming a forum on national educational reform. The Multi Age Group, or M.A.G. program at Beecher Road School is a special educational opportunity where students in grades one through four participate in learning events together. While the name focuses on the age grouping, there is much more to the program. Key highlights include an integrated curriculum where a topic is explored throughout the year in all disciplines. For example, this year, the students focused on bluebirds and invasive species. Last year, the focus was on water. The integrated curriculum also provides many opportunities for hands on learning. Other aspects include a strong focus on respecting all people. Instead of the dichotomy between teachers and students, education is focused on learners helping other learners, whether they be adult learners, fourth year learners or first year learners. To facilitate this, there is a strong effort to make the learning environment as democratic as possible. Students hold meetings to discuss important issues that they face. The End of Year Celebration started off like so many other end of year ceremonies. The students filed in as friends and family sat in the auditorium. They sang a few song; songs that the students chose. This was followed by individual performances. In introducing the first performance, Elizabeth said that she learned how to express herself in MAG. She then did an interpretive dance to the music of Alice and Wonderland. She received a hug from a classmate after her performance. The opening comment, the dance and the hug provide a good insight into the MAG program. Abby recited a poem by Shel Silverstein which brought forth another aspect of MAG: No teacher, preacher, parent, friend Or wise man can decide What’s right for you–just listen to The voice that speaks inside. Other students expressed sadness about leaving MAG. Yet the penultimate individual performance tied it altogether into the discussion of national educational reform. Daniela read a piece about MAG, Twenty Years Later. The twentieth reunion takes place as a pot luck dinner in the Beecher Road Cafeteria. It reflected a sense of sharing that both pot luck dinners and MAG exemplify. The MAG program has grown in such popularity that they have their own building. The students have gone on to great things as ball players, dancers, veterinarians, artists, and teachers. The underlying theme is that all of them are using their skills to make the world a better place. They have worked hard to help children with a Children’s Imagination Center. They have seen great success in addressing environmental issues. One of the students has gone on to become the first woman president of the United States. In that role she has worked to make sure that programs like MAG are available to students in every school in the nation. The students in MAG have been brought up in a trying time. They were born under the shadow of 9/11. Their country has been involved in wars during their whole life. There has been a crippling recession and an ecological disaster. Yet through all of it, Daniela’s words reflect a common belief of many MAG students summarized in a quote on the back of the program. “It will be what we make it.” The MAG program is a phenomenal success. It has helped students learn to express themselves, to dream, to work towards fulfilling their dreams, to help things become what they can be, if they make it. Will the dream of national educational reform based on ideas from MAG become a reality? If these students are any indication and hold fast to their dreams, it will. (Cross posted at the WOodbridge Citizen .)

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Woodbridge Students Discuss National Educational Reform

Normally children are being asked what they want to take up in college when they enter their first year in High School. Very few of them do not know what course to take. But when you ask my daughter, she’s definite that she wants to go into law school right after college graduation. She has high ambitions and wants to practice in the USA. She still has four years to go before doing lsat prep which is required when you want to go to law school in the US, Canada and Australia. I’ve encouraged her to study harder when she wants her dreams realized. I have to constantly remind her so that she does not go out of track and just continue to focus on her studies. I wish there weren’t too much distractions but what can I do? I’ll just have to be beside them and remind them all the time to focus.

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My Lawyer

She will star in In the Heights. Channing Hargrove American Idol alum Jordin Sparks is headed to Broadway to make her debut in In The Heights . The 2007 Idol winner will join the cast on August 19 as Nina Rosario. Jordin will play a 12-week-limited engagement with the show through November 14, reported MTV. Its always been one of my dreams to perform on Broadway, Sparks said. This is a …

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Jordin Sparks is Off to Broadway

You did it, follow your dreams and started his own business, and now reality hits. Income tax time is near and it is time to calculate taxes. You should.

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Understanding the self employment tax

Do you hate the thought of a budget telling you how and when you can spend your money? Then you have the wrong idea about budgets because a budget is actually something you make up about how and when you can spend your money. A budget is actually a tool you can use to help you achieve your goals and become the person you want to be.
There are plenty of websites and personal finance books out there that will help you put your budget on paper. But do you know why you need a budget? Do you know why budgets are mentioned in every personal finance plan out there?
It doesn’t matter if you make 6 figures and own your own home, invest in the stock market and drive a BMW or if you are barely making it on $30 grand a year and have your kids on medicaid. You need a budget!
A budget is actually a plan that you make to fund your dreams. Take your goals, your long term goals, your short term goals and everything in between. Figure out how much each goal is going to cost. (Yes, I recognize some goals do not require money. Great. But those are not the goals we are talking about here.) Figure out how much each will cost and when you need that money.

Figuring how much you need for a new car in two years or a cruise next winter won’t be that hard, but to figure out the cost for something like retirement or a second home, you may need to consult a financial planner.
Once you know how much money you need to pay for your dreams, you have to figure out how to save that much in the time period you have. Going into debt is not usually good. It gets you things in the short term, but in the long term it just costs you money and stress. You’ll probably need a mortgage on your home. You might need some student loans. Maybe you could take out an auto loan, but think three or four times before you take on any debt!
Once you have your dreams and their cost written down, find out where you are. Write down your income and all your expenses. Check your check book register and your credit card bills to figure out your expenses. You can find lists of possible expenses online, just google “make a budget” and you will find lots of examples. You’ll probably want to take 2 to 4 weeks to write down all your expenditures to make sure you don’t miss all the little things you spend cash on each day–those add up.

Once you know where you are, make sure you are not spending more than you make.
Now, look at your expenses and make sure you are spending your money on things that are important to you. A lot of times we don’t realize how much we spend on eating out, books and CDs, and clothing. How much are you spending on fuel? Can you find places you would be willing to cut back just by thinking about how that money could be used elsewhere? Make sure you are saving money, not only for retirement, but in your emergency fund as well (your emergency fund should have about 3-6 month’s living expenses in it).
Once you make sure you’re not overspending and you are paying for the essentials (food, clothing, shelter, transportation, retirement, insurance, and emergency fund), then start saving for your dreams! Each month as you put money away toward what really matters, you will find freedom in your budget and in living to become who you really want to be!