A Cup of Knowledge

A Cup and a view thru a window .....

2011-06-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

East Hills in Grand Rapids Michigan ..... The 19 Windows Event

The local shops were decorated by local artists and judged by judges along with a People Choice award.

Take a moment to view.

kelly rae: DEMDACO Appreciation Week + the big deal giveaways...

2011-06-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

kelly rae: DEMDACO Appreciation Week + the big deal giveaways...: "I'm so excited about this week I can hardly stand it. It's been in the works and in my heart for a long time and I'm thrilled to kick it of..."

A Cup Of June!

2011-06-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Schools out !! Graduations .. June has arrived. as things wind down June has offered a time of a less harried life ... I took a stroll in the East Hills neighborhood and enjoyed the local spots architect ... It was a lovely day in June

A Cup of Knowing Your Value

2011-06-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Prompted by her own experience as co-host of Morning Joe http://www.morningjoe.msnbc.com/ Mika Brzezinski interviewed prominent women across a wide range of industries on their experiencemoving up in their fields. In these pages Mika shares the surprising experiences and inspiring advice of powerful people like presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett,comedian Susie Essman, writer and director Nora Ephron,Facebook"s Sheryl Sandberg, television personalityJoy Behar, and many ,many others. Knowing Your Value combines thesr womens personal stories with the latest research to adress why many women don"t negotiate their compensation, why aggressive negotiating usually backfires, the real reasons why the gender wage gap still persists, and what can be done about it.

Written in Mika's frank,funny, and self deprecating style, Knowing Your Value is a highly relevant look at the worth of women in the workplace, and a vital book for professional women of all ages.

"Assuming power is everything. YOU have to assume it....{don't} wait to be asked" ~ Tina Brown, cofounder and editor in chief of the Daily Beast and editor in cheif of New

Watch Mika on Morning Joe ..... monday thru friday morning 6-9 a.m.

Morning Joe is brought to you and Brewed by Starbucks......

A Cup of Wealthy Knowledge

2011-05-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

What a delightful day I had last week... I started out the morning having my hair cut at http://www.jeffreyrichardssalon.com/ and enjoyed a cup of their hazelnut coffee with my very talented hair stylist Carissa. The salon just moved to the new Wealthy street location.. .. so I decided to explore the surrounding shops and neighborhood. The Cherry Hill Historic location is what its called and its popping back to life.

I love how all the shop owners live in apartments above their stores. I went in to a book store Literary Life Bookstore and More, Inc. info@literarylifebookstore.com I met Zachary the young man who works at the bookstore .... what a wealth of knowledge I recieved from him about the bookstore, the books and events and the history of the building... he really had a passion for books .. and life.

As I left the bookstore I felt lifted ... as if I discovered a whole new part of the world ... right here in Grand Rapids... I walked down Wealthy street and enjoyed the gardens and houses and the beautiful architect that was put in to houses of a once past era.
I was ready for another cup of coffee and decided to try Rowsters New American Coffee shop on 632 Wealthy http://www.rowsternewamericancoffe.com/ ... what an amazing expierance I had ... It was unlike any coffee shop I had been in ... The Baristas brewed your coffee in a french press (with a filter) and you were given a cup with your ownd brewed pot of coffee... I sat in the cushy leather couch and enjoyed my rich and flavorful cup of coffee ... as I listend to the neighbor hood locals talking with the baristas I couldn't help but think that this is what live here must have been like 100 years ago...

As I walked back to my car I smiled and thought to myself what a timeless expierance and I have a little more Wealthy Knowledge!!!

A Cup of Pike Place Roast and ..... Onward

2011-05-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

"One customer, one partner and one cup at a time" ------- Howard Schultz chairman,president,and chief

executive officer of Starbucks.

In the new book by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordan....... Onward ( How Starbucks fought its life without losing its soul) out at Starbucks counters everywhere... tells the remarkable story of how he revitalized Starbucks in one of the great second acts of American business. We can all learn from his integrity and vision.

I have to say I love Starbucks ... it is truly my favorite and and I read the book I felt like I too have been a part of Starbucks history... when traveling the world as a flight attendant.. I always felt comforted .. were ever I was by the smell and taste of Starbucks... to the time in Philidelphia I spent as a barista at Starbucks. I have taken some pictures of my favorite Starbucks in Grand Rapids...
I love in the book Onward Howard mentioned " I couln't help but think about our baristas. About how Knowledge can bred passion. And about how our company had to do a much better job of sharing our coffee knowledge and communicationg our mission" I could not agree more ... knowledge breeds passion!!

Have a wonderful day!!! Onward

A Cup of May!!

2011-05-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day! Happy Cinco de Mayo!! This post is dedicated to all things May.

.. I love May.. everything is in full bloom.. the birds are chirping the flowers are blossoming.. everything is opening up again. Go out and expierance May ... Here are a few of May events and openings I have had the pleasure of attending and I also had the chance to learn more "Knowledge is Power" and stumble apon an unexpected coffee house. Enjoy May!!

I attended the Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan, Inc. Healthy Families Luncheon 2011 at Fredrick Meijers Gardens http://www.fredrickmeijergardens.com/ on Thursday May 5,2011. It was a very delightful and enlightning luncheon... I was invited by my dear friend Maureen Schuurman who is on the event committee. We had an enjoyable lunch ( I loved the ice tea) and the speakers did a wonderful job talking about the message of Planned Parenthood .. but I was impressed with the peronal story from Stacy and Ellie Grossman .. a mother and daughter who personally advocated to change comprehensive sex education in their high school.
As I looked down at the phamplet next to my plate I got goosebumps. it read "Knowledge is Power" Become an informed Advocate for Reproductive Health Care and Comprehensive Sex Education. Thats when I knew i had to write about this on my blog .. for that is my message as well " Knowledge is Power" I truly belive that...
For more information go to http://www.ppwnm.org/
After lunch I stayed and experianced the http://www.frederikmeijergardens.com/ and Sculpture park.Its a lovely place you will see the amazing pictures....
As my day went on I began to notice sighns of all things May...it was Cinco de Mayo day... The tulip festival in Holland runs thru May 17.. The Farmers Market on Fulton Street is now open... May till Christmas.
In the early evening I attend my two nephews Lacrosse games. William Tyler ( a senior) and William Spencer (a freshman) both at Catholic Central. The game was at Aquinas College.. a small but beatiful campus ... a great place to watch a lacrosse game.. as I walked around the timelss campus I stunbled apon a campus coffee house.. nestled in the woods... The Moose Cafe coffee house ... it was the quaintest little coffee house ... a place for the students to study and hang out... I had the choclate coffee ..I have never had choclate coffee before but it was unexpectionly good as well as my coffee house find.

I will sighn off now ... Have a wonderful Mothers day!! And look for all things May ... its a New Beginning!!!

A Cup of Truth and Fairness......

2011-05-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

I was listening to N.P.R. the other morning... i love the interviews that Diane Reemes has with authors on her show , I love the questions she asks them and the candidness of the interviews. Diane was interviewing James B. Stewart... the winner of the Pulitzer Prize ... and the author of Tangled Webs.. How False Statements Are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff...I always listen to N.P.R. in my car .. and its true what they say .. you don't want to get out of your car till the interviews over.

Lucky for Grand Rapids we have Schuler Books on 2660 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, Mi http://www.schulerbooks.com/ A local and Independent book store. Schulers is wonderful ... you could spend a whole day there .. they have books, music and childrens sections the Chapbook Cafe were they have breakfast , lunch and dinner and were I had the best!!! cappucinno ( served in a china cup) They have book bags ,hand creams and a lot of local events with authors and bookclubs taking place. There was a section devoted to books found on N.P.R. that is were I found James B. Stewarts book Tangled Webs....

Among the revelations in Tangle Webs:
Martha Stewart, convicted of false statements and conspiriracy,still maintains her innocence and claims she was prosecuted becouse she was a successful women.
Scooter Libby: convicted of perjury and conspiracy for his role in the Valerie Plame CIA scandel.
Barry Bonds: still maintaining his innocence while awaiting trail on ten counts of perjury and one count of obstructin of justice for lying about illegal steroid use.
Bernard Madoff: who pleaded guilty to perjury and false statements as part of his decades-long Ponzi scheme.

Drawing on these vivid,dramatic examples,, Tangled Webs explores the age-old tensions between greed and justice,self -interest and public interest, loyalty and duty. Using cases that touchalmost every aspect of American life...... media,politics,sports,business,law...Stewart shows how far-reaching perjurys corrosive influence is. At a time when Americans sem hungary for moral leadership and clarity, Tangled Webs reaffirms the central importance of truth.

Another area at Schulers was devoted to Fair Trade ... Fair Trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency,and respect. The system of exchange seeks to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system.

Why Fair Trade?........ Becouse...

It offers respect for the hard work of talented people.

It provides a sustainable way of life for developing communities.

Fair trade is anti-slavery,anti-child labor.

It supports the conservation of the environment.

It empowers women and minorities.

For more resources,please visit: http://www.fairtrade/ and http://www.transfairusa.org/ and http://www.ftrn.org/

I really enjoyed my morning at Schuler Books ... so much to learn and so much to enjoy!! Have a wonderful first day of May... (my favorite month) Take care ... and live Fair:)

Happy Easter!! Enjoy the day!!

2011-04-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

A Cup of Soul and the Door Ways to the Path Of Knowledge......

2011-04-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Path of Knowledge.... begins with the desire to learn. Its not about being smart as much as being curious. The path of knowledge requires an open mind and the courage to question everything. It is often said that knowledge is everything on a spiritual level, and that couldn't be moore true... Knowledge creates awareness; its absense leads to ignorance and spiritual stagnation.

Searching for the Soul... What exactly is the Soul? And what does it do for us?.... The Souls purpose is to evolve, and wether we like it or not thats our purpose too. The soul gives you your individuality, your personality and your ability for abstract thought..... A Cup Of Soul would weigh as much as a cup of electricity, wich is nothing It exists as energy.

I love taking photographs of Red doors... I don't know what it is there is something open and inviteing about a red door... So when I saw the cover of this book in the spirituality section of the bookstore I was instintley drawn to it.. I was so glad I was.... Ainslie Macleods... The Instruction - Living the Life your Soul intended. Is a truley amazing book!!

    I remember at a very young age asking myself... Why Iam here? Why out of all the people in the world Iam me? And what is my purpose?
    In Ainslie Macleods... Instruction... it helps you to uncover the life your soul has planned for you...you have sensed your life has a deeper, more meaningful purpose- psychic Ainslie Macloeds spirit guides have given him a systematic approuch to uncovering who you really are... and the life your soul has planned for you... they call it The Instruction.... The Instruction will take you through 12 "doorways" to unveil the life planyour soul created before you were even born, including:
~ Your Soul Age: Determining how it shapes your beliefs and behaviors.
~Your Soul Type: Are you a Spiritualist? Thinker? Creator? What your soul type reveals about your true self?
   Its the age and type of the souland the degree to which we connect with it, that gives us all such radically differing views of the world.
Your soul influences where you live, your choice of friends and partners, what job you do, how you vote, who and what you worship, and where you stand on issues like stem cell research and abortion. In other words ... Everything.
      Why You See the World the Way you do..............
   In Ainslie Macleods Instruction..
2: The Door to Perception
Soul Ages: The source of your beliefs.
Before I discovered the source of our beliefs, I used to scratch my head and wonder why two people of similiar intelligence and education could end up being poles apart politically and socially.
Why would two people see the world so differently .. that one would be a right -wing Republican and the other a liberal Democrat.
Our beliefs both unite us and divide us. Theyre at the root of all our conflicts, whether religious, political,or ideolgical, and yet the will bring us together in places of worship and political and social organizations.
Ainslie Macleod has used his talents as a psychi to explore the soul and itseffects on human beliefs and behavior for more than a decade... Collaborating with elevated spirit guides, he developed the Instruction as a way to help each of us understand our own personal destiny. Originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, he now lives in Pacific NorthWest , he offers psychic guidance to clients world wide.. MacLeods is a faculty member at th Omega Institute, and a featured teacher on " oprahs Soul Series" to learn more about Ainslie got to http://www.soulworld.com/

   I thought it was interesting I found two articles on the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ one by Jonathan Weiler ... Global studies , UNC Chapel Hill posted April 15 ,2011 titled ... America's Personality- Based Political divided ... he explained how last week British researchers released the study suggesting intriguing differences in brain structure between liberals and conservatives. The study found that the anterior cinulate, the part of the brain dealing with complexity and uncertainty was larger in liberals than it was in conservatives. These findings track well with the book that he and Marc Hetherington wrote in 2009 Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics.. they adviced substantial evdence that the American political system has been increasingly sorting itself out along a basic personality dimension. We argued that less authoritarian -minded individuals have been gravitating toward the Democratic Pary and more authoritarian- minded indivduals to the conservative,the DemocraticParty, though much less coherent at its base (partly becouse non- authoritarians are a much smaller segment of the population than the authoritarians) sees the world in very differant terms. In that world view , threats to our well being are complex, multi- faceted and need to be adressed by inclusive rather than exclusive aprrroaches to problem solving. Futhermore, through this lens , the gravest threats come from reducing the world to simplistic good versus evil terms.
for more Follow Jonathan Weiler on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jonweiler

and in Bob Burnetts The Death of Bipartisanship

posted : 4/22/11

Were Bob statesPerhaps Republican dogmatism stems from their negative worldview. UC Professor Georg LakoffsMoral Politics postulates that Democrats see the world in positive terms... the "nurturant parent" model... and value collaboration and empathy. In contrast Republicans adhere to the "strict father " worldview, were life is dangerousand citizens must take a defensive stance and organize hierarchically, It could be could be that Republicans don't compromise becouse they view it as a sighn of weakness; they regard Democrats as wimps and fools who don't understand how perilous the US situation is. to read more go to www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/the

Ironically the Red Door way lead me to the cozy Cherie Inn 969 Cherry St. http://www.cherieinn.com/ One of my old time haunts Cherie Inn has been around since 1924 ... I love ther breakfast most of all and the old world charm... I cant help but remember the long breakfasts and conversations over the Cherie Inn hazelnut coffee (with a dallop of whip cream) with my dear friend Cheryl... Cheryl and I would sit in there for hours and our views couldn't be more worlds apart... we always laugh and say we agree to disagree... To me its fasinationing to learn the journy beyond these door ways... I recommend this book to those who seek greater spiritual well- being and a better understanding of their lifes purpose. Good Night everyone Sweet Dreams:)

A Cup of Suspense!

2011-04-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Almost everyday Iam at the D&W at Breton Village and I always stop to get a cup of my alltime favorite coffee!! ...... Alright.. I wont leave you in suspense any longer ... I have to admit my favorite coffee is Starbucks http://www.starbucks.com/ ... I love everything about Starbucks I have even worked at Starbucks when I lived in Philidelphia. The coffee is the best !! And the baristas are the friendliest!! My usual is the grande bold coffee with cream. And the cappichino. In the summer I like the shaken iced passion tea and in the fall the Chai latte... and I cant go a Christmas holiday without having the Egg Nogg latte.

My favorite gift to give is a Starbucks gift card and I love the mugs , coffee cups holiday gift packages and their brand new 40year anniversary loggo.

Right around the corner from the Starbucks counter at D&W is the bestsellar book stand were I grabbed my this weeks read. Mary Higgens Clarks ( the Queen of suspense)The Shadow of Your smile. http://www.maryhiggnsclark.com/ "With unexpected plot twists ,interesting characters, and a crisp narrative, Mary Higgens Clark once again spins another suspense of literary magic."

Well Iam keeping it short this week... Iam working on and very excited about my next weeks post " A Cup of Soul" Until then I will leave you in Suspense!! Have a Great week!!!

A Perfect Cup

2011-04-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

The perfect espresso can be reconized at first sight. The first thing you do with an espresso is look at it, and there are many things a trained eye can recogniat first sight.

The white china frame allows you to observe the surface of the crema more clearly. The surface of a perfect espresso crema has a subtle texture lined with light tiger stripes, is between 3 to 4 millimeters thick, and its color ranges from hazelnut to darker shades.This color is a real litmus test for quality.A darker shade or a dark brown hole in the middle indicates that the extraction time was to long,the grind was too fine or the temperature or water pressure were too high. Espresso with a sparse,light-colored crema indicates it was extracted for to short a time, that the water temperature or pressure were too low or the grind was too coarse.

This week I visited Mary Anns chocolates in Gaslight Village (http://www.maryannschocolates.com/) 2226 Wealthy SouthEast East Grand Rapids MI.49506 (616) 855-0055 Mary Anns motto .... Taste the sweetness,Enjoy the luxury,Savor the indulgence. Mary Anns is a fun and delightful sweet shop..And to my delight I found two amazing finds. Mary Anns carries Illy coffee (founded in 1933 by Francesco Illy and is based in Trieste,Italy. to learn more about Illy go to: http://www.illy.com/ I loved the coffee and I loved that they served it in china cups.Also at Mary Anns lots of chocolate bunnys and Easter candy ... I found Smittys Sludge... My Aunt Elenors family recipe... The Smith family has been enjoying this chocolate treat since the 1950s (you can top it on ice cream, fruit , or put it in your coffee) Peggy Reyers and Kathy Smith have starte Smittys Sludge company and now sell it at Mary Anns and other local shops.

My Book I read this week was by Danielle Steel http://www.daniellsteel.com/ I had a very busy week this week so I decided to keep it light. I have always Enjoye reading Danielle Steel and I think I have read all her books . They are light and easy and the take you away for a short time.But the thing I like most about Danielle Steel is her books always have a message. Her book Big Girl Steele celebrates the virtues of unconventional beauty while exploring deeply resonant issues of weight, self image, sisterhood and family. Victoria never thought she fit in with her Perfect family Big girl or not she discovers that herself.The take away message from Steels Big Girl is... Celebrate your victories. Celebrate your Dreams... Celebrate Yourself......

Have a Great week everyone and Celebrate YOU!!!

Speak your Knowledge

2011-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

On saturday I had the sheer pleasure of exploreing all delights of Global Infusion ( 143 Diamond Ave. SE,GR http://www.globalinfusion.net/ ) An eclectic Fair Ttade marketplace featuring handcrafted goods from around the world. And myself being curious about the world found a gem... with their selection of over 200 bulk teas ,herbs and spices. Coffees from around the world,books chocolates coffeemugs and bags..I could have spent all day in Global Infusions not only enjoying my extra hot ,extra dry cappicchino.. but also learning about coffees and teas from around the world.... I met an amazing customer who was purchasing a tea brewer.. and she shared with me her knowledge of the differant teas ,were they come fom..their history ..She said I used to think tea was tea but the more I understood about she said she began to understand its value... Knowledge is power!! I couldnt agree more I said ...that is what my blog is about.... As I left Global Infusions I could here her passing her tea knowledge on to other customers ... I was very impressed ..she was not afaid to speak her knowledge....

                      This week I read two books were two fabulous women were not afraid to speak their knowledge....

                       The Shock Doctrine by: Naomi Klein
The rise of disater capitalism ... Naomi challenges the myth of the most dominant ideology of our time...Milton Friedmans free-market economic revolution as a peaceful global victory. Friedman and his followers have repeatedly harnessed terrible shocks and violence to implement their radical polices. The Shock Doctine is one of very few books that help us understand the present.
    Naomi Klein is an award winning journalist autor and filmaker....
to learn more about Naomi Klein got to    http://www.naomiklein.org/

                      Fair Game   by Valerie Plame Wilson

An unvarnished account of the personal and international consequences of speaking truth to power... Her career in the CIA included extensive work in couterproliferation operations to ensure that enemies of the Units States could not threaten America with weapons of mass destruction. ... Only to come home and be met by the ultimate betrayal of her country.. Valerie also shared the expierance with post partum depression after the birth of her twins. http://www.postpartum.net/ ( Postpartum Support International) Largest worldwide network of education, support, and advocacy and referral information.

Starting Out with a Cup of Courage

2011-03-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi! On Saturday I stoped by two GREAT finds!! And they are right next door to each other on Lake Drive .. in Grand Rapids Michigan. At Marie Catribs Iwas met by Marie herself (warm and Friendly) handing out her Gluten -free treats. I decided on a Cup of her Cinnamon Hazelnut coffee. It was delicous!! Marie gets her coffee from Traverse City Michigan... and it is a Free Trade Coffee. ... Then I stopped next door into Carol Roeda Studio... Carol is a local Artist who uses hand painted metal and magnets to decorate anything in your home ( scrapebooking on the wall) I found maney inspireing things from bookmarks ,bags,cute coffeemugs and a beebar hand lotion.. that I LOVE (it smells like vanilla) Thank You Marie and Carol.. Iam all set to settle down and enjoy my current book iam reading... Fair Game .. A biography by Valerie Plame Wilsons historic and unvarnished account of personal and international conseguences of speaking knowledge to truth. Enjoy the photos... and Enjoy your day

Welcome!!

2011-03-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to ... A Cup of Knowledge ... Iam just getting started. I feel Knowledge is as powerful as a first cup of coffee. I love the first sip of a cup of coffee (steaming hot with real cream) As much as I love opening the first page of a new book. So I thought I would combine two of my truly favorite things on my ( Mary Bs) blog.Iam curious about the world , and what makes life worth living. To understand something (knowledge) takes away the fear ... wether its people , cultures, politics enviornment,relationships or th afterlife. So sit back grab a extra hot ,extra dry capucchino (my favorite) As we begin the journey of discovering books, authors, journalists, bookstores, and local coffees (I live in Grand Rapids, Mi) and coffees from around the world. I thought it would be fun to feature everynow and then .. a luxury handcream, sassybook bag, cute coffee mugs ... seriously a girls got to have style on the path to knowledge !!!