"Anger is the most impotent of passions. It effects nothing it goes about, and hurts the one who is possessed by it more than the one against whom it is directed."

--Edward Hyde Clarendon

It's not easy to deal with untruths and bad energy coming from others, but it can be a lot easier. I am as close as it gets to immunity from being affected by the negative thoughts of others, but I cannot say that I arrived at this place alone. I have a powerful saying that helps me combat these sorts of things, and it comes from a part of the Oprah 20th anniversary DVD collection (you know, the one my brother loaned away).

In an intimate chat with Maya Angelou, Oprah reminded her about a time when she was so affected and enveloped by what the tabloids were saying about her relationship with Stedman. As Maya added, Oprah was being "vilified" by the press with the common untruths and negativity one would expect from a tabloid. But Oprah told Maya that it was something she said that helped her to snap out of that place, and this is a message that I have carried with me ever since.

"You are not in that."

But what does that mean? It means that those untruths are untruths, and they have absolutely nothing to do with your spirit or your being--you just are simply not a part of it!

While I enjoy a good cardboard cutout, I am no expert. Not wanting to disappoint, however, I have rounded up a few sources that may help you, dear stand-up enthusiasts, locate the lifesize, paper version of the entertainment personality of your choice, such as this talking(!), motion-activated(!!) Luke Skywalker model:

I think Oprah and I know a certain little lady who would love this one, but I digress. ... On to the goods!

• Lifesize Celebrity Cardboard Cutouts:
  As they say on their website, "Congratulations! You have found the largest distributor in the world!" Fair warning, though: The Whitney Houston model (filed, curiously, under 'Americana') has been discontinued.
• Party Standups:
  These people seem to specialize in custom cut-outs (Get one for your sweetheart's next birthday! Nothing says I love you quite like that.) and ... GIANT CHECKS!
• BowlingShirt.com:
  These cool cats trade in '50s-themed cutouts. They have Marilyn in 6 styles!

Unfortunately, I was unable to find an online proprietor who deals solely with daytime TV judges in corrugated effigy, but barring any legal ramifications, I feel confident that you can get one custom made.

Jeffrey Gitomer's fun video of networking basics

Action Planning is one of the most intricate and important parts of creating a new life or career. Without a plan to drive your efforts, your attempts to change your life are much more difficult to achieve. Make no mistake about the fact that in order to succeed in any transition you must first be responsible for laying the foundation: planning.

In Susan Hanshaw’s book Inner Architect: How To Build The Life You Were Designed To Live”, Phase 4 Creating Your Plan the best tool to get started is Step 15 “Outline Your Training Process.”

Marketing Through Networking

One of the fastest and most effective methods to begin meeting people in the niche you wish to build your new career or life is via real world networking events and meetings

Webgrrls International

A great example of outlining your training process can be found at the networking group Webgrrls.com. Webgrrls provides meetings and events with the following benefits:

1. Networking: you meet people in your niche
2. Introductions: you give your 1 minute “elevator” pitch a mini marketing message business plan
3. Practice: you hone your public speaking skills by participating
4. Support: members support each other’s goals and help bring ideas forward
5. Synergy: many members have synergy within their action plans and training plans

5 Steps For Identifying Your Training Process

In Susan Hanshaw’s exercise you are given a practical method of evaluating your training process:

1. Get Clarity: Define details of your service or product, develop a profile of your job description, and list your job duties
2. Identify Areas for Development: review your job duties and list specific areas for development
3. Research: find training opportunities, options for training and learning, don’t limit your path to education
4. Buy In: Choose training programs that resonate with you, that excite you, and commit your efforts 100% to that program(s)
5. Complete Training and Credentials: realize your training will require concentration and sacrifice. Focus on the rewards of training rather than your sacrifices

Webgrrl Attendees With Expertise

1. Nelly Yusupova: Founder Digitalwoman.com a successful a website development and Internet consultant practice started in March, 2004. Nelly is also the CTO for Webgrrls.com and Manhattan chapter president. Contact Nelly Yusupova at nelly@cgim.com

2. Naomi Most: Naomi is the talented producer behind LittleMovingPictures.com and a well versed programmer with experience in Python, Perl, PHP, SQL, XML, C/C++. Naomi’s company is so busy and expanding that they are looking for a wide variety of professionals from copywriters to engineers. Contact Naomi at naomi@littlemovingpictures.com

3. Beth Rogozinski: Director, Marketing Communications for devicescape.com the leader in software for secure and seamless WiFi internet access. Beth has 10+ years of experience in Public Relations, media relations, media event marketing and planning. Contact Beth for all of your enterprise or individual WiFi access needs beth@devicescape.com

4. Erin Clark: Account Manager Eastridge InfoTech a technology staffing firm in San Francisco. Erin is a vibrant and well connected human capital facilitator who matches talented technologist with their desired positions. A active member of ebig.com and thinkhdi.com, Erin is a market leader and go-to source of information. Contact Erin at eclark@eastridgeinfotech.com

5. Gayle Uchida: Business Development Manager Gayle is a joy to meet and learn from in her work with Lighthouse-sf.com. Lighthouse For The Blind is a non profit organization focussed on education and awareness effecting the vision impaired community. Gayle has over 20 years experience in Silicon Valley as a business development executive and marketing professional. Contact Gayle at guchida@lighthouse-sf.org

6. Nihal ElRayess: VP Product Development for Adgregate Markets is “changing the dynamic of traditional banner advertising by aggregating micro-markets through fully transactional banner widgets.” Nihal is a powerhouse of energy, knowledge, and industry know how. A former east coast dweller, Nihal is happy to be back in the Bay Area. For any blogger, small business owner, or corporate entity utilizing Web 2.0 and social networking, Adgregatemarkets.com could be a very important part to a successful business plan. Contact Nihal ElRayess at nihal@adgregate.com

I was watching Oprah...again, and she had this girl on there, 12 years old, and she did this experiment to see if toilet water was really cleaner than some of the ice at restaurants. She went to 5 different fast food restaurants (she couldn't say which ones, somehow it was confidential), and she tested the ice through the drive-thru and at the soda machine on the inside, and the toilet water. She then tested all the samples and found out that in 4/5 of the restaurants, the toilet water had less bacteria than the ice!!! No next time you go to the drive-thru, you may want to reconsider ice in your drink! She did say they went back to one of the restaurants, and they did improve, but Oprah then said "The dogs KNOW!!"

One of the reasons I became a beauty blogger is because I hate the feeling of being intimidated and overwhelmed at the cosmetic counter.  My hope was to get familiar with how the industry works to overcome this fear.  And generally speaking, my experiences blogging have really helped.

I don't go to the mall often.  I have a learned aversion to shopping malls, and as much as I want to see the pretty packages and tubes of cosmetics, mall shopping is torture to me.  Another problem I have is with confrontation.  With my own children and husband, confrontation comes naturally.  But, with someone who I perceive as having authority, confrontation is another thing.  I have a very difficult time expressing a strong opinion.  This is particularly true when I desire to communicate my discontent or negative feedback.  Generally, if I don't like something, I will choose to avoid talking face-to-face with a real person about it.  I have "changing the subject when the tension gets high" down to an art. 

Recently, this trend has changed for me.  Now, when I meet people at the cosmetics counter, they have become my new allies in the quest for good beauty stuff.  Instant soul mates.  I usually ask them tons of questions and have a great time talking with them.  What product really stands out?  What is your favorite product?  Have you heard of this line?  Which line carries your favorite foundation?

And then there is today.  Today, I needed to shop at the mall.  I left my entire lot of children with my oldest and slipped out of the house!  Sweet childless freedom.  I casually strolled into the shopping mall. No stroller. No crowds. Just me in a big air conditioned space.  First I went shopping for some bare necessities, and casually stopped by the cosmetic counter at Dillards.  My Dillards experience proved to be so disappointing in comparison to the Sephora I visited last weekend in Vegas. 

I noticed a new line I hadn't seen before.  I walk over and dabbed some of their serum on the back of my hand.  I thought to myself, "Interesting consistency. Do I smell citrus?  Must have some alcohol in it too. Kind of reminds me of..."

Interruption!  

A cosmetic saleswoman with a bright white lab coat asked me if I needed assistance.  Another customer simultaneously asked the saleswoman about the Clarisonic Face Brush on display.  "As Mentioned on Oprah" the signs say around it.  The saleswoman gave the sales pitch for the Clarisonic Brush, quickly announcing, "This is the most amazing skincare item!"

When I responded, my troubles began.  I said, "Actually, I like it okay; I don't think it is all they claim it to be."

The saleswoman shot me a look of surprise, and then beamed daggers at me.  "Everyone here loves the Clarisonic; it helps our serums really sink in, instead of just staying on the surface."

"Oh really.  Well, I am sure it does help exfoliate your skin."

"If you tried this, you would really see how it makes a difference."

"I have one of these, I used it for a while, and it is very nice."

"What kind of brush did you use?"

"One for sensitive skin and the other for regular skin."

"I meant to say, what kind of setting did you use on your Clarisonic brush? Low or high?"

"Gosh, I didn't realize there were two different settings."

"You must have had your brush on high!"

"Okay, thanks..." 

I wanted to stay and browse, but I didn't want to keep this conversation going, and I felt about 3 feet tall.  Why on earth do I let a salesperson or any person make me feel this way!?   I made some kind of excuse and got out of there.

Does this ever happen to you?  I guess I need more beauty blogging therapy.

1) Appearing on Oprah

or

2) Appearing on Sesame Street

Anyone can accomplish those other things if you just work hard enough, but you have to be really special and unique to be on Oprah or Sesame Street.

And here, to prove my point is Feist on Sesame Street.  How can you deny that that's the coolest?

Fast forward to adulthood--for some of us, not very much has changed. My brother "loaned" out our Oprah 20th anniversary DVD collection to the "sad" twins in his class two years ago, and my mom's still mourning the loss of her Back To Eden book, now almost a decade later.

When it comes to loaning things out, the metaphorical apple fell very, very far from the tree! I never had much of a problem getting things back from people. Because I was always prepared, I was always the target of habitual borrowers, frequently the one other students accosted when they needed paper for the pop quiz. I gave them the paper, and then I didn't have any paper!

Getting my stuff back hasn't been much a problem for me since middle school, thanks to some simple rules I've devised. They've worked for me, and they just might work for you, too!

If you've got an extra pen or pencil, I doubt you'll miss it, so go ahead and just give it to away! It's unlikely they'll remember to return it and if they do, you should be impressed!

If it's something important, write down. You've seen all my notebooks--make a note of the item and it's borrower on the date you expect for it to be returned.

If you're going to loan something that means a lot to you, don't! Don't loan anything that really matters. My family and I watch "Project Runway" over and over again, and all the time we're wishing it was Oprah!

Don't loan to someone that you could easily lose contact with.

You should not be afraid to ask for your stuff back. After all, it does belong to you, and you really want it! Be tactful and polite, yet firm. Take your life back...and your stuff!

Don't be afraid to say "no."

And if you're the borrower, I think one of the most important things you can do is to remember to return the borrowed item. If you've had it for some time, really impress the person who loaned it to you by letting them know that you're still using it, you really appreciate the favor, and let them know when you plan on returning it. The loaner may have forgotten altogether or just isn't questioning you to be "nice." Be the first to mention it--they'll think highly of you!

P.S. Another media mogul who used to be on the MPWomen list but is no more: Martha Stewart (MSO). She fell off in 2002 when she tumbled into her legal turmoil.

Click here to see video excerpts of a Most Powerful Women panel on leadership that we did in New York in May. The panel includes Ursula Burns, president of Xerox; Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon; and Ann Moore, CEO of Time Inc.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C Clarke

We are post-magic.

We are post-post-modern:  incredulity towards the metanarrative has become incredulity towards incredulity, and there is nothing left save inanity.

We are post-American - and we have long been post-European; now we are post-Western.   We are post-boom times; we are post-cheap food, and post-cheap oil.

We are post-Harry Potter, post-Spice Girls, post-Facebook, maybe even post-Oprah.

We are in the post-everything world, because our we cannot sit still anymore, and we cannot pay attention for more than 24 hours at a time.  We are not post-Pixar yet, but we will be next week.  We are post-ideology, and post-Chinommunism; we are post-everything but the Cloud.

May it long sustain us.

Obviously she is extremely confused and is just another new age propaganda artist like the man she supports for President of the United States of America.    Another Marxist, loser who benefits from the fruit of America and its citizens.  Another waste of space who claims to be a Christian, yet twists and molds the words of God into their own little version of reality and is not just against most of what the Bible teaches but is against our Great American lifestyle, as well.

Their shame of Americans being proud that we are blessed as a nation, by God, and are the greatest and most powerful nation in the world, only because of his grace.  Another of a group who are so motivated by racism, the hate for President Bush, and elitism, that they lose track of what is best for this country, but instead they only focus on what suits their wants needs and desires.

It is obvious that Most Liberals will extend their faith in such falsehoods as "Global Warming" yet they refuse and repudiate the written words of God.

The Democrat agenda includes supporting the right to Gay Marriage, Abortion, and any other sin against God, yet some DemocRats call themselves Christians?!?!?! How can they have it both ways?

Peace Love and Forgiveness? Tell that to all those sinners in the biblical past, who disobeyed God and were struck down for it. Liberals who are too modern and are too comfortable with their sins to accept the words of God and apply them to today's sin filled life styles which most of you are living, and supporting.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1399246&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

Your past life diagnosis:

Do you ever notice anything you do, that may be an indication of what you may have been in a past life??? For instance, my mother is under the impression she was hung in a past life because she hates having anything close to her neck. Supposedly, you can have upwards of 80 past lives, according to Dr. Brian Weiss, a well-known psychiatrist, he says "We've all been black, we've all been white, we've all been brown, we've all been red. We've been everything because we have to learn from all sides. … You have to learn from all sides, and that's part of our learning here on this planet."

While listening to the sermon, I was struck by another parallel:
In the opening chapter, Orpah and Ruth, being recently widowed, propose to leave their pagan homeland and go to Judah with their likewise widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. Shortly into their journey, Naomi stopped and insisted that the two younger women go back to their own familiar land and let Naomi proceed to Judah and suffer alone. It was rough for unmarried women back then. Really rough.

You know the story: Ruth refused to abandon her while Orpah decided to do what was prudent in her own eyes and return to her native land of Moab. Orpah went "back to her people and her gods." (Ruth 1:15) Who knows to what Godless debauchery she returned.

It seems that Oprah Winfrey has done the same thing as her near-namesake. Rather than proceed down that Singular, hazard-laden path of righteousness, she has appealed to her own intellect and sense of what is proper and led an opulent pagan life where god is all and in all. She appeared to walk the trail for part of the way, but when pressed, she turned back. She has, through what seems logical to her, concluded that there are many ways to get to "what YOU call god." Oprah has, I'm sure, at some point heard the Gospel. But she instead chose to live a lifestyle that on the outside appears beautiful, with the cocker spaniels, the flower-print throw pillows, the country estates, and the flourishing business. "Surely all this must be of God, right?" (The devil's distractions shine like diamonds! How else would he ensnare so many?)

Oprah has simultaneously demonstrated that it is, to her, more prudent to shack rather than marry. And to admonish others to do so as well. She has advocated single motherhood. She props up whatever guru-du-jour -- Eckhart Tolle, Rhonda Byrne, Gary Zukav, etc. -- to advance her own intellectual idea that anyone who claims to be god is God and that Truth is the individual possession of whoever sincerely believes something. Lately she has amped up her efforts in this area in her "Course in Miracles."

 And any God who says it is wrong is the only God who is not God!

I know it may sound like I don't like Oprah ( I think she has damaged men, though), I actually do. But as the point of our Ruth series is "Hope for the Hopeless," there is for Oprah and anyone swayed by her teachings hope yet.

I just thought the parallel was interesting...

Here's how it works -- in order to use a clip from "Grease" on TV, it must be licensed first from Paramount and then a fee needs to be negotiated with each of the actors. Pearl says Harpo skipped that crucial part.

He says when he asked for a reasonable fee from O's production peeps for a clip that was on "Big Give," they scoffed -- and called his residuals "found money." Thing is, residuals are much more than "found money" for Barry -- it's his livelihood. So when he saw "Summer Nights" playing on a TV in John Travolta's episode of "Give" -- without his consent -- he asked O's company Harpo for $7,500 for himself and three other Greasers in the clip.

That's when Barry says things got, well, Ken-icky.

This book is written by the same author as "No Country for Old Men". I haven't seen that movie, but it appears to also be good, so I assume that it should be taken as an endorsement for this book as well. Additionally, they are already in production of the move for "The Road", which enhances all book reading experiences when you get to see it come to life on the big screen.

Also, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, so apparently other people like it too. The only bad thing I can say about it is that I think I heard Oprah is a pretty big fan. I didn't know that Harpo was into post-apocolyptic adventure novels - maybe she is cooler than I thought.

Anyways - read this book.

• Duquesne University’s Mark Haas explains why an unprecedented era of aging in major countries around the world makes it likely the 21st century will once again be American. (If link doesn’t work: http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/497).

• The University of Naples’ Bruno Siciliano explains why the world needs a complete book of robots. (If link doesn’t work: http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/483).

• Syracuse University’s Mark Obbie explains why an engaged Congress is needed to put U.S. anti-terror policy on sound legal footing. (If link doesn’t work: http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/485).

• James L. Gibson of Washington University in St. Louis explains why encouraging judges to act like politicians is good. (If link doesn’t work: http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/495).

• And I explain why John McCain and Barack Obama should both support a truth commission on the human rights abuses of the war on terror. (If link doesn’t work: http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/487).

All that, and: why Oprah caused the downfall of American society; how environmental contaminants become hereditary illness; problem-solving courts that work; managing water, carbon and energy together in a time of climate change; biophilic design that brings the outside in; and an innovative whale warning system.

As this is my very last summer of doing what "I" want, I decided to do whatever I wanted, when I wanted.

For example, I tried watching TV...you know, turn on the TV in the morning and channel surf...watching whatever catches my fancy...ALL DAY LONG. I made it through one day of that. And even that was a struggle. Most of the time, I just had it on as background noise. There was really nothing on that I'd want to watch every single day. By the second day, even the noise was bothersome. So most of the day, I don't even have the TV on.

I do watch some. Like the baby shows on TLC. Well, I did. After a week of that, I was getting too much information about the whole childbirth thing. And every now and then, I'd catch Oprah when she was doing topics that was of interest to me. (No, I don't normally watch her. It's just a 'once in a while' thing.)

This Thursday, she reran one that I missed the first time around about child pornography.

What broke my heart was the fact he was such a normal kid...honor student, fresh-face boy.
Things happened slowly...innocently at first. They're patient...the pedophiles.
I could see ANY child, boy or girl, getting lured into that.

He was eventually helped by a journalist who accidentally stumbled into this dark world. Justin, being a computer expert, saved every single piece of communication he had with them...so maybe something can be done to them. (I don't believe in the death penalty...that's too fast and easy for evil people who hurt the helpless!)

The last thing Kurt Eichenwald, the journalist, said was that if any child/teen has a webcam in his/her room, TAKE IT OUT NOW.

I talked to B about it later. We both agreed that there would be no TV, much less a computer in Noodles' room. For his homework, there will be a desktop computer in the common area with the monitor facing the room.

Call me paranoid...but having accidentally stumbled on porn sites, (it's whitehouse.GOV!)...it's too easy for things you don't want influencing your child to get inside your home.

Which leads me to another...somewhat similar but totally different subject.

Virgin Mobile started a campaign to give clothes to homeless kids called "Strip2Clothe." (btw, don't type to for 2...guess what it was? Yup, porn.)

Now, I've never considered myself a prude. B tells me I'm a raging liberal. (I think I'm more middle of the road...but again, I digress.)

I've been reading other parent & other blogs about this site and their campaign. There were several people who were complaining that "Americans are so uptight about nudity. Kids are going to see what they are going to see. In Europe, the body is nothing to be ashamed of."

I don't have a problem with that. I certainly don't plan on avoiding museums with Noodles just because of the nekkid people.

However, I thought this campaign was...not immoral...just tasteless.
In their (Virgin) defense, they do specify no nudity. The one that I did watch was creative, in fact. (A boy did a 'striptease' with different photos of clothing held in front of him. His face is never shown. You never see anything questionable.) Still, the 'strip to give clothes' to teens!

With the Oprah show fresh in my head, I felt very uncomfortable with this campaign. And the fact that many hip companies were a part of it. Pedophiles that get off on watching innocent fun. (and yes, they could get their jollies anywhere...but googling 'teens stripping' or other such nonsense...isn't it asking for trouble?)

Am I a prude? Maybe I am more than I thought. But I won't be using their mobile phones.

Oprah's loyal fans were talking about this book in droves and I noticed how few Black men were involved in the conversation.   The approach we will take is a bit different, because we will take these concepts and make them relevant, related to how we live and real.  If 8 million people logged on to listen to Tolle and Oprah for 10 weeks, then I figured the brothers that I meet at the Image Kafe and elsewhere would definitely want to be part of this life changing opportunity.  So thanks Oprah!

The excitement starts with this book by joining our book club on Monday nights starting August 4, 2008 at 7:30PM.  To let us know email: ridtheego@gmail.com or call 281-728-5842.  We will start with Chapter 2 - Ego: The Current State of Humanity.  We encourage you to read Chapter 1 in also to get the full context and to get the full benefit of Chapter 2 with positive results.   We can always change the flow based on the interests of the group, so not to worry, we know everybody has to go to work the next day.  The location map is below.  Hope to have you as part of this special time for Black men in our country.

Please visit Oprah's website to see how this young boy was lured into being a porn star though his web came.

Another reason why SeeNoEvil gives parents, the parental controls, to monitor what their children are doing online,

Is it a full moon.........?

"The full moon has been linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents,  birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among other things"....from Full Moon.

The shit has hit the fan here. Trouble, trouble all around. And, the people causing all this seem to think that I am sane and grounded. Bwahahahaha That should tell you exactly how screwed up they are! Thinking that I can HELP them....PRICELESS!

I've got a lot of family matters going on. This is not all bad, though. I'm sure that I'll have a lot of material to write about shortly.

I probably won't be here for a few days. Unless I can summon Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew Pinksky, Dr. Suess, Dr. Spock, Dr. Oz (one of Oprah's favorite things/people) , Doc Holliday, or Dr. Feelgood to come and HELP ME!

Don't worry. Nothing that I can't handle and nothing that I haven't dealt with before. Now, gotta run. Have to bake another large shitcake for all my peeps!

Also, need to go into a mushroom induced trance and connect with my own personal shaman...Lucy In The Sky! 

I'll be back as soon as I can get Lucy to hand over a spell to put all this soul-draining people!

If she is not accomodating today, I'm gonna look up an Exorcist in the yellow pages.

PS I took that picture of Lucy!!!!

Although I managed to navigate through to the recipes section and found two other turkey burger choices, I could not find this list of ingredients.  But, sister friend assured me Oprah had encouraged viewers to enjoy and share the recipe.

Finally, thanks to the wonders of google, I found the details, and Bob's your uncle.  Created by Jeff O'Neil and served at the private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.  Will be on the menu in New York City, Chicago, and my dinner table.  (T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon, C = cup)

Ingredients
1/4 C scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 C celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced*
1/8 C canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 T salt
1 T black pepper
2 t chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest (yay! an excuse to use my zester from Sur La Table!)
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 C Major Grey's Chutney, pureed (good stuff - try it on chicken curry, too)

Sauté the scallions, celery, and apples in the canola oil until tender; drain and cool.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed items and all remaining ingredients.  Shape into eight patties, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so they'll retain their shape well on the grill.  Season the patties with salt and pepper before grilling, about 7 minutes on each side, and make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked.   You can also bake these in an oven or even a toaster oven (saves you heating the big oven in the summertime).  The original recipe recommends serving these with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney (yummy!) on toasted bread of your choice.

Now, don't let the fact that old Teddie Turkey up there happens to be packing a shotgun keep you from trying this yourself.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

*from a friend in culinary school - when dicing, do your best to make sure all the pieces end up the same size to ensure even cooking - and all this time I thought it was just for the prettiness!  dope slap.

Uranus in the 10th house shows that Angelina may have to take sudden breaks from her career in order to care for the needs of her children. She may also undergo a complete renewal in the way she thinks after having the twins. Look for Angelina to become more spiritual over time in regards to understanding the needs of her children. Don't be surprised if Angelina begins some new-age religion like Kabbalah or begins to undertake yoga in her quest to exercise her mind and her body.

With Jupiter in the 9th house, she will have an easy time teaching them how to speak another language, most likely French. She will also enjoy teaching them about different religions and opening their minds to different and unique ideas. However, these teachings will undergo considerable change and her children will learn how to fight for worthy causes. Uranus in the 10th house suggests that sudden changes in the career will take away from the children, which could cause them to spend more time with nannies than Angelina would care for as evidenced by Chiron in the 4th house.

Angelina may grow to feel somewhat guilty if the children turn out to be spoiled. She may indulge them with gifts and presents. Angelina has Venus in her 12th house, which shows a love of solitude and also is an indicator of secret love affairs, as evidenced by her relationship with Brad Pitt. Saturn on the cusp of the 7th house may mean that the children and Angelina have a hard time relating to each other. The twins probably are going to grow up being cared for more by nannies than Angelina. I'm not saying that she's a bad mother; I'm just saying that she's a busy mother.

It's not that her children won't care about others in the world but if she spoils them, they could grow up to pity those in less fortunate situations, instead of approaching them with compassion. Don't get me wrong, I believe that Angelina is a sincere humanitarian but oftentimes, parents can misstep when it comes to their children or their children, out of spite, desperation, or attention, can turn out differently. Angelina has not resolved the issues with her father and according to Dr. Harriet Lerner, who wrote The Dance of Intimacy, when issues in our first family are not resolved, they often turn up in our second families.

Angelina could very well find herself with children that she raised right and turn out completely different. With Venus in the 8th house between them, she could find herself at some point, trying to buy their love but eventually, she will turn inward to look for answers. So, as long as she communicates clearly with her children and doesn't spoil them, they shouldn't have any MAJOR problems but this is just pure speculation.

Now, onto the twins' father, Mr. Brad Pitt. Jupiter is in the 4th house of family so the twins won't quite have the complicated relationship with their father as they will with their mother. Also, Brad is a Sagittarius and with the twins' having Sagittarius Rising, the stars are aligned in all the right places for them to be a close family.

What's interesting is that Saturn is placed in 2nd house between Brad and the twins. He'll have a much harder time giving them money as opposed to Angelina, who grow up in the Hollywood scene and is probably used to getting her way or what she wants. She'll instill these values into her children, which could irk Brad at times. Pluto here also sits in the 9th house and leads me to believe that the Pitt twins could very likely be home-schooled as opposed to their parents sending them to the horrible schools in New Orleans.

Uranus in the 9th house suggests that Brad will take a completely unorthodox approach to their education. Don't be surprised if they pull a Johnny Depp and decide to send their children to school overseas or home-school them. Perhaps the twins might even be sent to the new school that Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith are opening. Definitely look for him to take some unorthodox approach to their schooling.

Brad Pitt has Mars in the 1st house like Johnny Depp but doesn't seem to lose his temper as much with reporters. But with the children, expect him to be more a disciplinarian with them as they get older. All indications suggest though that any arguments will be smoothed over with presents and anything that the children want. This is dangerous, though because the children could grow up very, very spoiled as even Brad as a soft spot for wet tears and hungry eyes.

Lastly, he will encourage the children to explore their creative sides, as will Angelina but Brad must be careful not to raise them with the same devil-may-care attitude that a lot of Hollywood celebrities have. I mean, I'm sure that the Pitts are sincere in their humanitarian efforts but just as Oprah found out when the Hermes store in Paris refused to open for her, Americans cannot always get their way. As the twins' get older, they may find themselves retreating into private worlds as they find that foreigners are resentful of Americans, especially the children of famous Americans. They must be especially careful of this.

Okay, one last thing, what does 2008 hold for the twins? Lilith in the 12th house suggests that it wasn't an easy pregnancy for Angelina, as she had a cesarean and most likely was numbed by an anesthetic. Venus in the 8th house, by November, look for all of their paperwork, including wills to be rewritten to include the twins and their inheritance. If the Pitts haven't done this year, they should. Neptune in the 2nd house suggests that the public will fascinated with them as evidenced by the high number of glossies that were willing to pay top dollar for a picture of the two.

However, Saturn moves over into the 6th house next year and conjuncts Uranus in the 12th. Any sort of medication must be proceeded with extra care in order to avoid an adverse reaction in much the same way that Dennis Quaid's twins were affected last year. The upside of Lilith in the 10th house is that they will be the focus of many astrologers, writers and other media as the paparazzi scramble to get their picture. The downside of so many planets in the 12th house is that they could end up spending a great deal of time behind closed doors and even babies need sunlight. Babies also need the care of their mother and Angelina has a nanny handling them more than she is, this could also lead them to feeling neglected.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that all of their medication is carefully relegated, that any jokingly kidnapping threats are taken seriously and that any health problems are taken care of immediately. Unfortunately, whereas I think France, where the twins were born is a beautiful country, there's something in the way that food preparation is handled and in the drinking water that needs to be updated. In other words, they have great bottled water but almost have a medieval approach to the way they clean their food, even baby food. I personally recommend that the Pitts import all baby food from America. Next year will be an exciting year for the twins as long as the twins are given lots of sunshine, attention, love and care.