Announcing The Winner of the $100 Shell Gas Card

Jennifer Johnson in Smiths Grove, Kentucky

Ms. Johnson, we do hope you enjoy $100 of free gas courtesy of MySavvySisters.Com!

There are more great surprises and give-aways to be won! Send an email to mysavvysisters[at]aweber.com to SUBSCRIBE!

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Reader Mail: We Have The Right To Forgive Ourselves

Hello Te-Erika,

My name is Rev. Brenita Mitchell. I am a workshop specialist currently working with men and women with HIV/AIDS and recovering substance abusers. I recently facilitated a workshop with women living with the virus.

I created a role-play with a court scene that features a women named beautiful who was accused of having unprotected sex and costing the state and tax payers money. She plead guilty, and awaited her sentence. Finally, the jurors gave Beautiful a sentence of "forgiveness."



I wrote out the words to your self-forgiveness meditation on youtube (I cited your information) and had the women playing Beautiful read it when the judge asked her was there something she wanted to say. Well, the women playing Beautiful could hardly get through it without other participants holding her up. I just want to tell you that the words, deeply blessed all the women in the workshop, and tears poured out as Beautiful read them.

Thank you for writing such inspirational words. Funny, you just never know what God will use to bless, and God used your gift of words to bless a group of women that needed to know they have the right to forgive themselves and live a life free from shame, guilt and self-disgust. Thank you for sharing your gift for writing, and may God continue to bless and shine God's light on the work of your hands.

Blessings and Peace,

Rev. Brenita

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From The Publisher: Help Stop SOPA

If you visited our site yesterday, January 18th you may have been surprised to notice that our url redirected you toa website that shared information about a bill that is in front of Congress called SOPA. SOPA is an acronym for Stop Internet Piracy Act and on the surface it seems to be a good idea for those who create movies, music and other intellectual property because it would protect them from thieves who steal their creative work and profit from it.

However, the details of this plan move beyond the protection of intellectual and creative property. The details of this proposed bill call for any website that could possibly allow the infringement of a copyright to be closed down. This means that any website, including our favorite sites like Youtube, could be permanently shut down simply for creating the space that may possibly allow someone to infringe on someone else's copyright.

This hurts the dissemination of information and creativity that the internet thrives on. Just imagine how our advances in communication will be reverted back in time. We have all learned to adjust to the changes that the internet brought into our lives and many have learned to profit from them. If this bill passes, we will all have to go back to reading newspapers and waiting for someone to tell us the world news instead of watching and reading as our internet friends report it as it happens.

To help stop this bill you can visit AmericanCensorship.Org.

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Te-Erika's Blog: The Internet Is In My Hand

Ooooh Weeeee!!

My phone died this weekend.

RIP. =(

I was soo sad because my phone was the ish, baby! I have Metro PCS and I love it because it's only $40 a month and whenever my phone dropped and broke into pieces all I had to do was put it back together again and it worked! I loved my phone!

But I guess its true that nothing is permanent so after a year of having the BEST PHONE EVER I had to buy a new phone and I decided to go ahead and buy my very first smart phone.

$50 a month! Geesh! That's a bit much but guess what? It is sooo worth it because I now have THE INTERNET IN MY HAND.

Wooooow!

Like, they might just have to fire me at work because the internet AKA my BFF for life is right in my hands and I can't stop checking it.

I can watch Youtube videos!

I can check ALL my email accounts!

I can actually SEE the pictures people send me!

I can't believe I have been missing out for so long. I'm in love all over again.

I have the Samsung Admire. Ok, I know it's not the iPhone but hold up, I am an entrepreneur and I invest my money wisely so whatever, but THIS phone. OMG! I can do everything!

Now, if only it came with a pair of strong hands to rub on me and a vibrator.

A girl can only wish!

LOVE IT!

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EDITORIAL: I Have A Dream Too

By Christina Fermin
Politics & Society Columnist

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a revolutionary of his time. Dr. King is famous for his well known ‘I have a dream’ speech that spoke of equality and justice. If you have not heard his speech or do not know more than that famous line, I suggest you take 15 minutes and listen to his visionary speech (here). During that time Dr. King was fighting against oppression, intolerance and hate against blacks. Today we live his dream and we can celebrate equality amongst minorities, especially blacks. While we today live closer to Dr. King’s dream than we did in 1963, we still have ceilings to break and hurdles to go through.

Today I have a new dream that I would like to share with you. A dream that I hope will stir something deep inside of you and open you up to the possibilities. I dream that we the people will stand to rise against the machine that represses us. I dream of equality amongst all people in the world to rise and stand up against injustice, repression and intolerance. I dream that the people will stand up to corporations that the supreme court has judged to be people. I dream that the banks will be brought to their knees and the people will gain their homes back and the illegal debt that we are held to will be deemed illegal and unconstitutional and all debt will be wiped clean.

I have a vision, that one day free energy will be released and the truth about life outside of planet Earth will be revealed. In this vision I see a world that cooperates rather than competes with one another. I see the drums of war being retired and all our children returning home to their moms, dads, husband, wives and children. I envision an age of peace, cooperation and joy. One day there will no longer be separation of classes, capitalism will deemed unsustainable and money will be seen as a means of oppression. Rather than work to stay alive, people will be allowed to live and dream and let live. Freedom will reign throughout the Earth and our age of glory will finally arrive.

In this vision, I see technology and the people cleaning up the Earth, restoring the forests and wetlands. Replenishing the oceans and renewing our drinking water. I see a century of destruction being reversed as best we can and the power of real technology being released, not to help us destroy the Earth, but the help in curbing climate change and greenhouse gases. I envision all of us to treat one another and all the species of this great planet with respect, love and equality. I envision starvation and human suffering to be unacceptable and something of the past. One day the truth about the few who rule will be brought to light and the robber-barons will be brought to justice.

I envision this dream everyday. I pray that the people will wake up and realize who the oppressors are. One day it will be realized that the American dream isn’t really a dream, its a fantasy that plays on capitalism surviving. The real dream lies within the individual to realize their potential in carrying out this dream. I dream that one day, televisions will be shut off, people will one day not go to work and instead, the people will go marching. Marching straight to the White House, Parliament, the Castles and corporate headquarters and shout: Your time is finished, we are here to establish peace, tranquility, equality, justice and the rights that you have denied. Will you take part in this dream?


About the Columnist
With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.

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3 Ways To Overcome Late Night Anxiety

It's the middle of the night. You can't sleep. You're being tormented by evil thoughts.

Every single critical word that has ever been uttered to you is replying itself over and over in your mind. The most hurtful words are the ones you've said to yourself. You're trying to rest, to stop the fluttering of your heart and to calm your mind but even those images that appear after your consciousness fades is alarming. It seems as though your entire being is being overtaken by demons intent on torturing you with threat of permanent failure and self disgust.

What can you do when the late night anxiety attacks become overwhelming?

1. Call the crisis hotline. You are in an emotional crisis when your problems seem bigger than any solution and your brain is pressing you to fix everything at once. It is during this emotional state that many consider taking action to end their lives and their problems once and for all. You do not have to allow things to progress this far. There are crisis hotlines available 24 hours a day to talk you through any emotional downturn.

Use them.


2. Stand up to the tormenting thoughts. Your negative thoughts are powerful. For some reason, the promise of failure and humiliation far outweighs the possibility of abundance and favor. These thoughts which can be viewed as demonic thoughts are not as powerful as you are. You can stand up to these thoughts if you are emotionally healthy by recognizing each thought and searching for an exception.

If the demonic thought is- No one ever likes me. I never get a second date.

Take a moment to remember the ONE time where this thought simply wasn't true. There are exceptions to every rule and you WILL find one.

Stand up to the thought by saying: That is not true. Bill liked me in 10th grade, in fact he loved me. I am loveable.

Find the exception to each demonic thought and say, "No, this isn't true."


3. Allow the turmoil to play out. This is the most difficult method to try to tame your anxiety attack because during the darkest hours of the night, the minutes roll by slowly and if you are not strong enough emotionally you will feel forced to take action to stop the thoughts which will become physically hurtful to you.

Our stressful thoughts of anxiety become physically debilitating and to ease the physical pain, we seek relief from drugs, alcohol or other self abusive methods.

If you can learn to ride the wave of the anxiety attack, understanding that it is just that, a wave. It is a moment in time. It is not permanent. It is not a defining moment in your life. It is not the end of your story.

Your thought at this moment do not dictate your future. These thoughts are a last ditch attempt to persuade you that you are not worthy to have the life of your dreams. The only time you will experience the images and thoughts you are having during your anxiety attack is right now.

These scenes, worries and fears will never play out in your real life.

Relax. This is the warped part of your movie where you get to see the alternate ending that will not come true. These anxious thoughts are not real. They are fiction. They are entertaining. They will pass.

This will be over soon.

Allow each thought to float in and to float out. Feel the emotion behind each scenario that is causing you anxiety. All of these feelings and thought will end. You will be even more clear when they do. You will be okay. These thoughts do not define you. These fearful scenes do not define your life. This is not real. This is a passing moment.

It will be over soon. Wait and see.

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Te-Erika's Blog: Trying To Make It Happen

Hey.

I thought I'd take a little time out to share what it's like to run and organize the 'leading empowerment website for women.'

~sigh~ I love that tagline.

Anyway. It is my pleasure to spend the majority of my waking hours brainstorming ideas and then writing the creative, inspiring content you read everyday. I also enjoy researching awesome women on the internet and emailing them to ask them to be profiled so that you can learn how they made a success of themselves. When I'm not doing that, I am marketing The Rebuild Your Life Project through sending emails and making phone calls to anyone I can think of that may support this endeavor.

Last week I called the President of The United States to invite him to visit me at my restaurant and allow me to share about the Rebuild Your Life Project. I also called his advisor to invite her. I invite them both by email as well. I have reached out to the music artists whose music I used on my videos to invite them to publicly support this project and I have reached out to the people I believe would care about what I did.

So far, no one has written me back or even acknowledged me. I believe in The Rebuild Your Life Project. I believe it is important for women to know about what I did. When you watch the 95 videos you will be amazed that one person set out to achieve a goal, didn't hit it exactly, but persevered through and came out the other side alive. I became homeless on purpose. I overcame my biggest fear.

I'm a different person. I'm harder. I'm not as friendly. I don't care as much about others. I'm more stoic about life. I'm not as caring as I once was because I realized through this project that some people don't want or NEED saving. Some people, even though it seems that they need help, don't want your help.

I'm not into forcing my idea of an acceptable lifestyle on anyone, but for those who would like a hand up- I want to be there. The videos I made are that hand up. Along with the money I give away and the counseling I do, I am a one woman force for empowerment. I'd love to expand my team to include more writers and developers and board members but that will all come in time, I guess. For now, it's just me and my faithful writers who contribute to the site.

I do get some sort of joy out of all of this work yet, I am ready to move on to the next phase in life and I'm wondering if I am the thing that is holding me back. When I'm at work, I see the emotional involvement of those on my team and I try to get there too but it's difficult. I love serving, but its not my life, not like those guys. They're so cute. They take everything so seriously and are so into the restaurant lifestyle because it is important to them. I watch them and I wish I had finally found that place in life. I find myself watching the clock lately, waiting to go home and write. This isn't a good sign. Usually I am delighted to serve. I feel like my mind is somewhere else when I'm at work and I feel guilty about it.

Maybe this website and non profit is that 'place' for me. I do think of it night and day. When I'm daydreaming at work, I'm thinking about the next article I can write or the next resource I can give away to make a woman's life easier. I dream of promoting women's businesses and holding conferences and honoring women for their efforts at changing their lives and the lives of others.

I love women.

In a non sexual way of course.

I'm not perfect but I'm trying to make this into my career but it's hard because, well, I think I must be getting in my own way.

Today I read a quote by Rumi that blew my socks off. I made this image for it.

I decided that it's time to make a big move, a crazy one. I started planning for it too.

I swear, I'm always taking a risk and it seems that they never pay off. If my dreams come true, I will be the owner of the leading resource and news website for women. I will have the ear of every woman in the world. I will be the woman that every woman reaches out to for help and to learn what is going on in the world.

I want to be that woman, who creates change for women everywhere. I want to build neighborhoods and affordable housing, create jobs, enlist the help of women everywhere to join together. I want to help people find love within themselves and to be more mature and less fearful.

I want to say I'm sorry for all the times I have done wrong by giving more than anyone has ever given.

And, I want my sons to know that anything is within their reach.

But it's all a dream. Right now I'm sitting in my room with a bag of Oreos beside me. I'm trying not to eat them all but they look so tempting.

I have my bills paid a month in advance already. This feels good but I know that I can do more if I had the chance to make money doing what I'm really good at doing.

Oh, I have a friend. He's a man. An older man. Yeah, kind of like the one I met during the time I was homeless except this one has not expressed any kind of attraction to me. I have begun to think of him a lot because he likes to listen to my ideas.

When I told him that I want to meet with the President he said, "That's a good idea, let me see if I can make a phone call for you."

He always does that. He listens and he cares and he helps if he can. No, he's not trying to sleep with me. I can't imagine that he would even desire that. I don't know what he wants actually but I can hear the delight in his voice when I'm excited and I tell him about a new marketing technique that I've tried.

"You're amazing," he says to me.

Yeah. I am.

He's right.

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Compilation: The Best of Shit People Say Videos

January 2012 jumped off with a BANG as the latest internet video meme swept the world. It started with a video called Shit Girls Say, which was quickly followed by Shit Black Girls Say.

Then every person with a camera and an internet connection set out to paint a picture of what their culture, language or peer group says and does.

These are our pick for the best of Shit PEOPLE Say Videos.

#1 Shit Girls Say



#2 Shit Black Girls Say


#3 Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls


#4 Shit Jamaicans Say


#5 Shit Black Dads Say


#6 Shit Haters Say


#7 Shit Straight Girls Say to Lesbians


#8 Shit Spanish Girls Say


#9 Shit Niggas Say


#10 Shit New York City Guys Say



#11 Shit Single Girls Say



#12 Shit Girls Say To Gay Guys



#13 Shit New Age People Say



#14 Shit Bougie Black Girls Say





For My Savvy Sisters: Did I miss one? Which videos are the funniest to you and your friends?

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Miami-Dade Teacher Urges Parents to Opt Out of FCAT Testing

By Te-Erika Patterson

During a phone conversation with the school principal’s secretary, a concerned mother urges, “Make sure you place that letter in my daughter’s files. Make a copy and don’t lose it,” she says.

Monique Hardnett, the mother of 13-year-old Zykharia Price, an 8^th grade student at Lincoln Marti Charter School’s West Hialeah Campus has filed a request for her daughter to opt out of FCAT testing. According to the federal constitution, each parent has the right to override

The FCAT which has been the standardized test of choice for Floridians since 1998 has allowed the Florida school system to grade individual schools based on test results. These test results rate the educator’s effectiveness as well as determine how and if the student will progress in their courses.

Hardnett’s daughter Zykharia, who had been in private school since infancy, felt the sting of standardized testing when she entered her first charter school at the beginning of her 7^th grade year. After participating in FCAT preparatory testing she was placed in a class for students who were not expected to perform well on the FCAT.

“I want my daughter to get into a decent magnet school,” Hardnett says. “She can’t get in with a course load of classes that are remedial. Even her teacher told me that she does not belong in this type of class. At this point, I have decided that my daughter’s future will not be dictated by standardized testing. We are opting out.”

Opting out is exactly the message that Ceresta Smith hopes to deliver to parents this Saturday, January 14th, as she and members of the Joint Alumni Coalition, a group of professional alumni from historically black high schools in Miami-Dade, host a teach-in for opting out of high stakes testing. The teach-in is free and open to the public at the African American Cultural Heritage Center located at 6161 NW 22^nd Avenue in Miami at 4pm.

"The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right," says Smith, the founder of the Concerned Teacher Coalition. Smith is also one of the founders of United Opt Out National- the movement to end high stakes testing.

There are alternative ways to gauge a student's progress, says Smith. Students whose parents opt out may use alternative assessments such as a student’s portfolio or recorded scores from college placement tests like the ACT or SAT.

How To Opt Out of FCAT Testing

Step 1

Prepare a letter written to the school principle of your child requesting that your child opt out of standardized testing and the reasons why they will not engage in testing. To view a sample Opt Out FCAT Letter download here.

Step 2

Keep a copy of the letter for your personal records and present the letter in person to your child’s school administrative team. Take note of the date and time that you submit the letter for your own records. Request that the letter to be placed in your child’s permanent student files and that a copy of the letter be forwarded to the district manager of the school board.

Step 3

Follow up with the school principal to acknowledge receipt of the letter and to inquire about alternative activities for your child during the testing hours. No child may be forced to sit through the testing if they have opted out. Each school must provide an alternative activity for your child during the testing.

For More Information about Parental efforts to impact school legislation visit:

United Opt Out National

Save Our Schools

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Win A $100 Gas Card FREE! Enter Now!

For the month of January, 2012, My Savvy Sisters would like to ease the hearts of our readers by paying for their gas this month.

Enter to win a $100 gas card NOW!

To Enter:

1) LIKE our page on facebook.

2) Email a picture of yourself and your car to editorial [at]mysavvysisters.com along with a brief introduction of yourself. Please include: the city you live in, your favorite gas station brand and why you would appreciate help with your gas this month.

If you send in an email without joining our facebook community (or vice versa) you are disqualified from the competition.

3) You must be a woman with a vagina and female reproductive organs.



CONTEST ENDS: January 19, 2012

One (1) winner will be notified by email on January 20th and an announcement will be posted on MySavvySisters.Com on the same day.

Your participation in this give-away grants permission for your entry, including a photo to be used in future promotional materials for MySavvySisters.Com.

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EDITORIAL: 2012- The Beginning of Something Greater

By Christina Fermin
Politics and Society Columnist

"All moons, all years, all days, all winds, reach their completion. Measured is the time in which we can know the benevolence of the Sun. Measured is the time in which the stars look down upon us." ~ Popol Vuh of the Quiche Maya

Just as the seasons change, everything flows through a cycle, including the Earth, planets and sun. December 21, 2012 will mark the completion of a grand cycle, a 25,625 year cycle in which the sun and all the planets synchronizes with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy as the Mayan understood it.

The Mayans were one of the most sophisticated civilizations to live during their time. They studied the sky, stars, sun and moon. Understanding numbers best, they created this complex calendar, something they hoped future generations would find and use; use to prepare for what they understood and predicted would come. They understood that this 25,625 year cycle in which our solar system makes one complete loop around the center of galaxy. This large cycle, is known as a galactic day. This galactic day is divided into five cycles of 5,125 year cycles. December 22, 2012 is nothing more than the first day of our galactic morning into the sixth sun (or cycle or world).

According to the Mayan as of 1999 we began leaving the end of our fifth cycle and began preparing for the sixth cycle. The period between 1999 and 2012 is suppose to be the “The time of no time.” A short intense evolutionary period inside of a grand cycle where mankind is suppose to understand the world we live in. It is during this time period where we either continue the negative path of destruction, hate, war, chaos and fear where we will most likely destroy ourselves and our planet. Or we can wake up and become consciously aware and begin to respect our planet, each other and realize we are all parts to the whole, where we can move closer to the next stage.

2012 is not a year to fear, but a year to embrace, love and be passionate. The end of the world does not come, but the beginning of something greater will begin. If you have not done so, this is the year to look within. Look deep inside yourself and decide what it is that you want out of life. Do you want to continue towards the negative path of debt, fear, destruction, war, bigotry, hate, pollution...Or do you want freedom, love, peace, abundance, acceptance, unity? This is the year where you must decide and in deciding unite with each other. The easier path is always going to be the path that you are on and continue to walk down, the more difficult is the latter, but the payoff is more grandeur.

As you continue through your daily routine, moving on with life as it comes to you, remember that choice you must make and don’t forget to be fully conscious when deciding because your participation can mean we go one way or another. This is the year where we will meet critical mass or this will be the year where we continue with more inaction, while we allow the negative forces around us to continue their destructive behaviors which will destroy our planet. Let us co-create something wonderful, a future where suffering is unacceptable, abundance is everywhere and we can live in balance and harmony with nature and the universe.



About the Columnist
With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.

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10 Things Every Mom Should Teach Her Daughter

10 Things Every Good Mom Should Teach Her Daughter

1. Wipe your vagina from front to back.
This will save you the annoyance of many bacterial infections.

2. You are the prize in any relationship. Your attention must be won, not given freely. Your body is a treasure. Allow your suitor to show their worth to have and to hold you. You are the prize. Get what you want or don't accept anything at all. No compromising. You are the prize.

3. You are not an imitation. No one needs to guide you. You don't need to copy anyone. You aren't in a race with anyone else. Your journey is your own and you should choose to live it by your own expectations. Have fun with life.

4. You are worthy to be loved. You deserve love. You have love because you ARE love.

5. Wear a signature scent. Every woman should have a certain scent that is associated with her. When she walks by everyone smiles. When she leaves, a trace of her presence lingers. Your signature scent can change over time but it is important to be that woman who loves herself enough to pamper herself with oils and fragrances.

6. Manicures, pedicures, eyebrows and waxes are signs of a well groomed woman who cares about herself. Learn how to do your own pedicures.

7. You always get it right. There are no mistakes. Trust yourself.

8. Be your own boss. Working for others is something you do while you earn your formal education. After that period, time should be spent figuring out multiple ways to earn a passive income. Passive income is income that you do not work for, it is consistently flowing to you through investments or products that you create and sell. Wise women make money with their 5 senses.

9. Nothing MUST happen in order for you to be happy. You can look forward to a certain age, life milestone or event with but please understand that if none of those expectations come to pass, you can still live a marvelously happy life. You don't need anything to happen to be happy. You can decide to be happy with what you have because there is no prescription for a happy life; You create it.

10. Please yourself first. It is your life and your priority is to please yourself first. You can listen to your parents or your friends and try to please them by following the path they show you but they are only offering advice based on their own vision and expectations for your life. Their vision is not as important as your own. You have permission to step outside of the box, define yourself and live life in a way that makes you feel proud of who you are. If you are pleased with yourself, you are a success.

For MySavvySisters, what other advice do you wish all mothers would tell their daughters? Please reply in the comments.

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