Postseason.

So here is some of my bragging... i picked the winner of each of the division series correctly :). the only thing i missed was that the Yankees won in 3 games and not 4. bummer ;) heres some more predictions

ALCS
Rangers are winning on the road and they are going to win at least 2 at home this series. Josh Hamilton is going to start hitting and these Rangers will win by any means possible. Yes the Yankees are the ideal veterns but i feel like the Rangers pitchers will get in a groove and that will be plenty for their bats in a very hard fought series.
Rangers over Yankees in 7

NLCS
Now this is some great pitching: Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels against Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain. The big edge in this is Philly has much better bats than the Giants. In low scoring games the Phillies will easily find ways to score. i think they will display how hot this team is right now.
Philadelphia over Giants in 5

Chocolate.

choc·o·late 
–noun
1. a preparation of the seeds of cacao, roasted, husked, and ground, often sweetened and flavored, as with vanilla.
2. a beverage made by dissolving such a preparation in milk or water, served hot or cold: a cup of hot chocolate.
3. candy made from such a preparation.
4. an individual piece of this candy.
5. any syrup or flavoring made from this preparation or artificially imitating its flavor.


Chocolate is such a great snack. In the form of bars, ice cream, milk, candy, or even fountains. Chocolate is used in so many ways and many people use it in their daily diet too. But has anyone ever stopped to think about how the chocolate they are eating got to where it is now? Have they ever stopped to think about who's hands made this chocolate?


Friday morning, October 8, my family and i begin our car drive toward Havana, Illinois to attend my cousin's wedding. The car ride would last about 5.5 hours. i figured this would be a great time to once again pick up my book "Stop the Traffik" by Steve Chalke. It is about illegal trafficking of innocent people. These people are used to many things; they are mainly forced to have sex with strangers or work as slaves for farms or businesses. That is my very very brief summary of what "Stop the Traffik" is about.



When i picked up my book i began in chapter 5: BUY (A chocolate bar: just a harmless treat? But who picked those cocoa beans? Is there a darker side to your chocolate? Money to spend, choices to make - don't buy into the global trade of people.) So where does the very beginning of our chocolate in the U.S. take place? It begins with the farmers where people, mostly children aged from 6 or 7 to 13 (im sure there are places with younger and older people forced to work), are forced to farm the cocoa plant which is our chocolate.


This is slavery. These children are not volunteering to work. They are sometimes tricked into this trap by people promising a chance for an education or work with good pay. Mostly children in poverty-stricken areas are tricked into slavery. In some cases even the family can turn against these children.


May these REAL quotes from REAL people break your heart as they have broken mine.

"If you eat chocolate that isn't traffick free, then you've got blood on your teeth." -Rhys Ifans


"When you eat chocolate, you eat my flesh." -A boy, eleven, trafficked into the Ivory Coast to work on a cocoa plantation.



Is there chocolate that is slave free? Gladly i can say YES!!! Try searching Fair Trade Foundation on Google someday or visiting fairtrade.org.uk. Fair Trade is based on 4 principles: 1. Pay a reasonable prices to farmers that at least covers the cost of production and basic living costs. 2. Pay a premium that the farmers have to invest in their community. 3. Ensure that it is possible for farmers to be paid an advance to meet costs. 4. Contracts are long-term, which allows for planning and stability. i strongly suggest researching or gaining awareness about Fair Trade.

How can i tell if a product has been fairly traded? Well, thankfully fairtrade has an official mark (above) and it appears on products that are approved by Fair Trade. For a product to display the FAIRTRADE Mark it must meet international Fairtrade standards which are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International(FLO). These standards are agreed through a process of research and consultation with key participants in the Fairtrade scheme, including producers themselves, traders, NGOs, academic institutions and labelling organisations such as the Fairtrade Foundation. (fairtrade.org.uk)

"When Cadbury's and Hershey, and Mars and Lindt and Nestle and all of the others, produce chocolate that is traffick free, you cna be sure that they will be the first to put a little mark on those bars telling us that. If a chocolate bar doesn't say it's traffick free; if it doesn't say it's fairly traded it's just not. It's as simple as that." -Steve Chalke, Founder of Stop the Traffick


"The chocolate industry can give us chocolate that is sugar-free, fat-free, nut-free and additive-free... so why can't they proudly tell us it's slave-free as well?" -Ruth Dearnley, CEO of Stop the Traffik

Here are some what ifs im beginning to ask myself:
What if i decided to buy ONLY chocolate that has the fair trade mark?
What if i do not eat any chocolate unless i know that it has met the international Fairtrade standards?
What if the money i spent on chocolate was used for Teens In Need or People Being Trafficked across the world?

time for an update.

It has been quite a while since I last blogged. I am already in the 8th week of my senior year. ONLY 28 MORE!!! (i think) A lot has happened and is starting to happen.

First of all football started...YES!! Although I am not too pleased with my fantasy record, 1-3, it will turn around. The Bears are 3-1, a much better start than expected. And Illinois played half descent against Ohio State this last weekend. Yes football is pretty much awesome...Staying in sports: Baseball. The postseason begins today!! Predictions for the Division Round are as follows:

Yankees over Twins in 4 games
-You see I would love to see the Twins finally do something in my lifetime but I do not think its gonna happen this year. The Yankees are defending champs.

Rangers over Rays in 5
-I really love the Rangers and Josh Hamilton. Its a great story. I think they finally pull off a win although the Rays are very tough and always play their best.

Phillies over Reds in 3
-The Reds have struggled all season against the top teams. Philly is just now getting healthy and playing better than ever. I think they go on a run and demolish Cincinnati.

Giants over Braves in 4
-The Giants have great pitching, the Braves do too at times. The Braves have the better bats in this series. For some reason I think the Giants will win this series even though I think the Braves are better.

ENOUGH SPORTS!!!!!

Yes, I mentioned school earlier. Let us just say that this year is already flying by. Ive been super busy with college stuff and high school stuff. I will say it has been ok though.

ENOUGH SCHOOL!!!!!

Coming into the school year I figured my relationship with God would grow. I thought I would get into a schedule and therefore have a daily time for only God and I. It has been tough making that a habit thus far. Being completely honest with myself and God, I have definitely been indifferent about our relationship recently. Even though I have not struggled much thus far, I have put off being with my Lord and Savior. He deserves me. I haven't given me to Him completely. Its time i stop slacking, its time i stop dwelling on the past, its time i start desiring Him, its time i start living for Him.

NOT ENOUGH GOD!!!!!