Recognition

 

Our Hialeah Campus library staff was recognized today by the City of Hialeah Mayor’s office for their participation in the 2018 Step Ahead Summer program!

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Dusty Rain: Poem

Dusty Rain: Poem

Dusty rain,

Bones in pain.

Is it worse than any other rain

Or windy hurricane?

The answer is no, not worse

Because of the natural force

That brings the light in the dark.

Fortunate, answers are embedded the mark

Right from the start,

By the mysteries of life.

Believe the prediction from the thoughtful housewife

That has perception of dusty rain passing on

With scientific influences of progression.

After dusty rain, 

Life continues running throughout the veins.

The vision of white crane

Dancing after the rain

Is carrying on the aftermath in lane.

So, do not blame

The dusty rain,

There is no any pain.

Tomshinsky@2024

Sunday Morning: Poem

Sunday Morning: Poem

On the summer day when the air is warm,

The early bird can keep the worm,

I will take the coffee

And the sweet gifts from honeybee,

And the honey bunny

Because it is lovely and funny.

Enjoy the Sunday morning,

May it never be boring!

Tomshinsky@2024

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Review on the poem on 7-21-24

On this sunny morn, when warmth fills the air, The early bird catches the worm with such care, Sipping coffee with gifts from the honeybee's lair, And the honey bunny's charm, so lovely and rare. May your Sunday morning be bright and adorning, With moments that keep life's journey from ever being boring!

(DB, 2024)

'Help Yourself' Lyrics

 

"Help Yourself" is more than just a catchy tune; it's an invitation to embrace self-reliance and pursue one's dreams. Jones's powerful vocals deliver the lyrics with a sense of urgency and conviction, urging listeners to take charge of their lives and not wait for others to hand them happiness.

The song's opening lines, "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain / If you want the sunshine, you gotta put up with the pain," set the tone for the empowering message that follows. Jones reminds us that life is full of challenges and obstacles, but it is also full of opportunities for growth and fulfillment.

The chorus of "Help Yourself" is a resounding call to action, urging listeners to take the initiative and create their own happiness. Jones sings, "Help yourself, I tell you, help yourself / You can do it if you really try / Help yourself, I know you can / You're the one who can make it or break it, baby."

Wise Owl: Poem

 

"Wise Owl": Poem

"I am so small

Like a bird," said the wise owl.

I am surrounded by time.

There is a clock

Ticking that nobody can see

To make ideas in the reality,

Make ideas to rhyme.

Look at the little frog,

He waits patiently to kiss me

At moments when the time is right,

After the nights full of dark

To send the wishes for days full of light,

Joy and happiness,

Laughs, smiles, and awareness.

Just one kiss:

Do not miss, please,

Will turn by magic the frog

For companionship

On the road

And great friendships,

Surrounded by nature

On the awesome adventure.

Tomshinsky@2024

Do Not Judge

 

A young couple moved into a new house. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing outside.

"That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better detergent.”

Her husband looked on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments. A month later, the young woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband,

"Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband replied, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so, it is with life … What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.

So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires.

"Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are."

~ Jonathan Kestenbaum

Purple Velvet Cake Recipe

 

Purple Velvet Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake Ingredients Breakdown:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons (or more) purple food coloring

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Decorations and Additional Elements:

Edible gold leaf (optional)

Purple sprinkles or edible glitter

Fresh berries for garnish

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Preparing the Cake Batter

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl, mix the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla until well combined.

Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until smooth and well blended.

Baking the Cake

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Making the Frosting

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy.

Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating on low until combined, then on high until fluffy.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

Assembling and Decorating the Cake

Once the cakes are completely cool, place one layer on your serving plate and spread a layer of frosting on top.

Place the second layer on top of the first, then frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Decorate with purple sprinkles, edible glitter, and fresh berries as desired. For an extra touch of elegance, apply edible gold leaf to the sides or top of the cake.

This Purple Velvet Cake recipe combines the classic velvet cake’s soft, moist texture with a modern, visually stunning purple hue. Perfect for any celebration, it’s sure to impress with its unique color, rich flav

The Dandelion

The dandelion is the only flower that represents the three celestial bodies of the sun, moon, and stars: The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moons, and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars.

The dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep.

Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine, and dye for coloring.

Up until the 1800s, people would pull grass out of their lawns to make room for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, malva and chamomile.

The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely toothed leaves.

Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant.

Dandelion seeds are often transported away by a gust of wind, and they travel like tiny parachutes. Seeds are often carried as many as five miles from their origin!

Birds, insects, and butterflies consume nectar or seeds of dandelion.

Honey from bees pollinating dandelions is quite delicious.

Dandelion flowers do not need to be pollinated to form seeds.

Root of dandelion can be used as a substitute for coffee.

Dandelion is used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders. Tea made of dandelion act as a diuretic.

If you know dandelions, they’ll grow shorter stalks to spite you.

Dandelions are, quite possibly, the most successful plants that exist. They are masters of survival worldwide.

You Are My Sunshine

 

Interesting Facts About Books

 Here are some interesting facts about books:

1. Harvard University Library has four books bound in human skin.

2. Iceland tops the world in per capita book reading.

3. People who read books are less likly to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

4. In Brazilian prisons, reading a book can reduce a prisoner's sentnce by four days.

5. Virginia Woolf wrote all her books while standing.

6. The most stolen book is the Bible.

7. Roosevelt read an average of one book per day.

8. There are over 20,000 books written about chess.

9. Victor Hugo’s "Les Misérables" contains a sentence with 823 words.

10. Words like "hurry" and "addiction" were invented by Shakespeare.

11. If all the books in the New York Public Library were lined up, they would stretch 8 miles.

12. Leo Tolstoy's wife hand-copied the manuscript of "War and Peace" seven times.

13. Noah Webster took 36 years to write his first dictionary.

14. The Mahabharata is the only book or epic in the world with over 1,200 characters.

Influence of Music

"Birds are known as the singers of the animal kingdom but they also enjoy listening to the music of other birds. Elephants are musically inclined. They sway their trunks to the sound of music they like, and they will beat steel drums for their enjoyment. The best however is the cow. You can go into an empty cattle field and start playing an instrument. Those cows will come running to you. Music fascinates them. Music helps everyone and everything be at peace."

- Native Spirit's

The Way People View You: Story

 The way people view you.

Sometimes I think about the different characters I play in everybody’s story.

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I’m a terrible person in some people's narratives and a Godsend in others.

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And none of it has anything to do with the person I truly am.

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The lens that others view you through is colored by their upbringing, beliefs, and individual experiences.

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Some people see your bright personality as endearing and others see it as annoying.

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Some people think you’re weak and emotional and others feel safe to be themselves around you.

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Some people think you’re rude and selfish and others respect the way you stand up for yourself.

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Some people admire the way you take pride in the way you look, and others think you’re conceited.

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And none of it has to do with who you truly are as a person.

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What you have to understand is that you have no authority over how people view you so never try to control the way others see you because the only thing that truly matters when the dust settles down at the end of the day is what you genuinely see in yourself.

~Cody Bret

Riga, Latvia

 17 lesser-known facts about Riga, Latvia:

1. Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, located on the Gulf of Riga along the Baltic Sea.

2. The city's historic center, known as Vecrīga, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its well-preserved medieval and Art Nouveau architecture.

3. Riga was founded in 1201 by the German bishop Albert of Riga, making it one of the oldest cities in the Baltic region.

4. The city's name, Riga, is believed to originate from the ancient Livonian word "riga," meaning "loop" or "curve," referring to the bend in the Daugava River where the city is situated.

5. The Riga Cathedral (Rīgas Doms), originally founded in 1211, is one of the largest medieval churches in the Baltic states, known for its impressive organ and Gothic architecture.

6. Riga's Old Town is home to the House of the Blackheads, a historic building that was originally built for unmarried merchants and now serves as a museum and cultural venue.

7. The Latvian National Opera and Ballet, housed in a stunning Neo-Baroque building, is renowned for its performances and is considered one of the cultural landmarks of Riga.

8. Riga Central Market (Rīgas Centrāltirgus), one of the largest markets in Europe, occupies five historic pavilions originally built as German Zeppelin hangars in the 1930s.

9. Riga is known for its vibrant Art Nouveau architecture, with over 800 buildings in the Art Nouveau style, particularly concentrated in the district known as the "Quiet Center."

10. The Freedom Monument (Brīvības piemineklis), unveiled in 1935, is a symbol of Latvia's independence and sovereignty, located in the center of Riga.

11. The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia documents the history of Latvia during the Nazi and Soviet occupations, providing insights into the country's turbulent 20th-century history.

12. The Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, located on the outskirts of Riga, showcases traditional Latvian architecture, crafts, and rural life from different regions of Latvia.

13. Riga is home to several parks and green spaces, including Bastejkalns Park and Kronvalda Park, popular for leisure activities and summer concerts.

14. The Three Brothers (Trīs brāļi), a trio of medieval houses on Maza Pils Street, represent some of the oldest dwellings in Riga and illustrate the city's architectural evolution.

15. Riga has a thriving cultural scene, with numerous theaters, galleries, and music venues, hosting events ranging from classical concerts to contemporary art exhibitions.

16. The Latvian Academy of Sciences, an imposing Stalinist-style skyscraper, offers panoramic views of Riga from its observation deck and is a symbol of Soviet-era architecture.

17. Riga hosts several annual festivals and events, including the Riga City Festival (Rīgas svētki), celebrating the city's culture and diversity with concerts, parades, and fireworks.

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Do My Best: Poem

"Do My Best:" Poem

It is okay to cry,

Clouds also cry

When they get heavy

And rain -

Tears of clouds

Called rain.

Try instead to smile,

Every mile

Continue to shine.

Summer rain

Only aim.

Summer rain

In my brain:

I am growing, I try,

I am learning, I try,

Do my best

To compresence!

Tomshinsky@2024

Statue of Liberty has a Face: History

 THE FACE OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

How did the widow of the creator of Singer sewing machines give the Statue of Liberty a face?

Isabella Boyer's life is like a thrilling novel. He was born in Paris, to a family of an African pastry chef and an English mother. Her name was Isabella, a beautiful name that should have been the foundation of a beautiful destiny. It quickly became clear that nature gave Isabella a special beauty.

At 20, she marries sewing machine maker Isaac Singer, 50, and after her death becomes the richest woman in the country. And it's no wonder she was chosen to be a model for the Statue of Liberty, because she embodies the American dream come true. After becoming a widow, Isabella began traveling the world, seeking new knowledge and exciting challenges, too young to be buried under mourning clothes.

She remarried to Dutch violinist Victor Robstett, who is a world celebrity and an earl, so Isabella also becomes Countess. Isabella soon becomes the star of showrooms in America and Europe and is invited to all global events. In one of them he met the famous French sculptor, Frederick Bartoldi. Bartoldi was very impressed by his trip to the United States, by the size of the country, by its natural resources, by the population there, and had already accepted the proposal to create a statue to symbolize the independence of the United States. The sculpture was supposed to be a gift from France in honor of the centenary of the country's independence. This is how the idea of a giant statue depicting a woman holding a torch in one hand and plates in the other was born, with the date of adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

Bartoldi was so impressed by Isabella's face that he decided to use it as a model for his sculpture. So, on Bedlow Island in the Gulf of New York, the Statue of Liberty was erected with the figure of an ancient goddess, but with the face of Isabella Boyer.

Isabella marries for the third time, at the age of 50, to Paul Sohege, a famous art collector.

He died in Paris in 1904 at the age of 62. She is buried in the Passy Cemetery.

But the statue with its face continues to rise above Bedlow Island, symbolizing America's first pride, freedom

The Little Prince

 Another classic from one of my favourite books of all time. We always need to be reminded.

The Little Prince

And what, exactly, is that metaphorical thorn for you?

“It's madness

to hate all roses

because you got scratched with one thorn,

to give up all dreams

because one of them didn't come true,

to give up all attempts

because one of them failed.

It's folly to condemn all your friends

because one has betrayed you,

to no longer believe in love

just because someone was unfaithful

or didn't love you back,

to throw away all your chances to be happy

because something went wrong.

There will always be another opportunity,

another friend,

another love,

a new strength.

For every end,

there is always a new beginning.....

And now here is my secret,

a very simple secret:

It is only with the heart

that one can see rightly;

what is essential is invisible to the eye."

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,

The Little Prince

Piglet

 "Piglet?" said Pooh.

"Yes?" said Piglet.

"I'm scared," said Pooh.

For a moment, there was silence.

"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Piglet, when Pooh didn't appear to be saying anything further.

"I'm just so scared," blurted out Pooh.

"So anxious. Because I don't feel like things are getting any better. If anything, I feel like they might be getting worse. People are angry, because they're so scared, and they're turning on one another, and there seems to be no clear plan out of here, and I worry about my friends and the people I love, and I wish SO much that I could give them all a hug, and oh, Piglet! I am so scared, and I cannot tell you how much I wish it wasn't so."

Piglet was thoughtful, as he looked out at the blue of the skies, peeping between the branches of the trees in the Hundred Acre Wood, and listened to his friend.

"I'm here," he said, simply. "I hear you, Pooh. And I'm here."

For a moment, Pooh was perplexed.

"But... aren't you going to tell me not to be so silly? That I should stop getting myself into a state and pull myself together? That it's hard for everyone right now?"

"No," said Piglet, quite decisively. "No, I am very much not going to do any of those things."

“But - " said Pooh.

"I can't change the world right now," continued Piglet. "And I am not going to patronize you with platitudes about how everything will be okay because I don't know that.

"What I can do, though, Pooh, is that I can make sure that you know that I am here. And that I will always be here, to listen; and to support you; and for you to know that you are heard.

"I can't make those Anxious Feelings go away, not really.

"But I can promise you that, all the time I have breath left in my body...you won't ever need to feel those Anxious Feelings alone."

And it was a strange thing, because even as Piglet said that, Pooh could feel some of those Anxious Feelings start to loosen their grip on him and could feel one or two of them start to slither away into the forest, cowed by his friend, who sat there stolidly next to him.

Pooh thought he had never been more grateful to have Piglet in his life.

Image Credits Goes to the respective Author

A Sign at the Gym

 Recently, in a large city in France, a poster featuring a young, thin, and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It read: “This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?”?

A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman pictured on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym. She had a whale of a lot to say:

“To Whom It May Concern?

Whales are always surrounded by friends: dolphins, sea lions, and curious humans. They have an active sex life, get pregnant, and have adorable baby whales. They enjoy stuffing themselves with shrimp, playing and swimming in the sea, and visiting wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea, and the coral reefs of Polynesia.

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs? They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected, and admired by almost everyone in the world.?

Mermaids don’t exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of psychoanalysts due to their identity crisis. Fish or human would prove quite a quandary for even the most skilled of therapists.

They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them … where is IT? Therefore, they don’t have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store??

P.S. We are in an age when the media attempts to convince us that only skinny people are beautiful. I prefer to enjoy ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and good chocolate with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So, we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated, and happy.?

See you later, Alligator!

 

In a Cage

 "In a Cage": Poem

Today I woke up in the cage 

I 'd never was before.

Yet inside it,

I aged at least five years

And more.

I lived inside contingency

Never daring to get out,

Happy with a small, safe world,

No windows looking out.

Then you came,

And made a hole.

So, I could see beyond 

A miraculous new world

That I missed because of fears

To holding on.

I used to my caged home

Because it is my dome.

It will take time

To get out of the cage,

But I am ready for change.

Tomshinsky@2024

Till: Lyrics of the Song

Till: Lyrics to the Song

You are the reason to live

All I own I would give
Just to have you adore me
Till the moon deserts the sky
Till all the seas run dry
Till then I’ll worship you
Till the tropic sun grows cold
Till this young world grows old
My darling I’ll adore you

You are my reason to live
All I own I would give
Just to have you adore me
Till the rivers flow up stream
Till lovers cease to dream
Till then I’m yours be mine

"Let Them" Theory

 Are you familiar with the “Let Them” theory?

I’ll tell you the more I grow the more I am okay with accepting the “Let Them” in my own life and relationships. Even family can mistreat and disrespect you.

This is something that took me a very long time to learn. I used to tolerate a lot because I didn't want to lose people. I learned the hard way if they were really my people, they would never treat me like that. Don't make the mistake of being so understanding and forgiving that you overlook the fact that you're being repeatedly disrespected.

Let them be upset.

Let them judge you.

Let them misunderstand you.

Let them gossip about you,

Let them ignore you.

Let them be "right."

Let them doubt you.

Let them not like you.

Let them not speak to you.

Let them run your name in the ground.

Let them make you out to be the villain.

Whatever it is that people want to say about you, let them!

Kindly step aside and LET THEM.

The hard truth is they know how much they are hurting you. They just simply don't care. They did it knowing it could cause them to lose you. They did it anyway. People that love you care about how they make you feel.

The end.

Let them go.

There will be people that would rather lose you than be honest about what they've done to you. Let them go.

The lack of respect was the closure. The lack of apology was the closure. The lack of care was the closure. The lack of accountability was the closure. The lack of honestly was the closure. Let them go.

Make the decision to no longer sit at tables where you might be the topic when you get up. Let them go.

You can still be kind. You can even still love them deeply. But do it from the distance they created in their words and actions. Access to you is a privilege they have proven they can’t be trusted with. Let them go.

You don’t need to tell your side of the story. God already knows. Let God fight the battle for you. Let them go.

It’s taken me a long time to get here. Sleepless nights, countless tears, managing a range of emotions filled with anger, disappointment, confusion and deep hurt. Lots of self-reflection, self-preservation, deep prayer and seeking wisdom from those much wiser than me.

If you are struggling with this, please know you are not alone. We will never understand why hurt people hurt people. But we can do the hard work to grow ourselves. Because healed people do in fact heal people.

Don’t you dare let them steal your joy.

Don’t you dare let them steal your light.

Don’t you dare let them steal your peace.

You are in control of that.

Hold tight to what you can control and release your grip on what you can’t control….

Let them go.