KaaGee Notes

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers this evening jointly announced the following: In conjunction with finalizing the trade involving Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a 2018 1st round pick the Celtics acquired via Brooklyn, the Celtics and Cavaliers have agreed to modify the terms of the trade such that Boston will also send Miami’s 2020 2nd round pick to Cleveland.  The trade is now complete.

You're a daughter. The other day, a repairman came to our house to fix the air conditioner. When he came in, he didn't sit down on the couch and make himself at home. He went straight to the air conditioner and fixed the problem. But when my daughter comes in, she doesn't ask for permission to watch TV or get something to eat; she acts as though she owns the place. The truth is, she does. she's my daughter Everything I have is hers, and she's confidently bold in what belongs to her. It's easy to have the wrong image of ourselves. Rather than seeing ourselves as sons and daughters of God, too many times we've developed a slave mentality. We live as though we're at a disadvantage. We don't pray bold prayers, we don't believe for our dreams, and we don't expect good breaks. Some people don't think they deserve to be blessed because they've made too many mistakes, been through too much, or come from the wrong family. They may n...

The other day, I pulled out some stain remover to clean a little spot on our carpet. I noticed that on the bottle the directions read, "Get to the spot as quickly as possible, hopefully while it's still wet." Why? Because the longer it stays there, the more difficult it is to remove. Do you know that it's the same way with us? When anger, bitterness or offense comes, it's like a stain on your mind. If you allow it to set hour after hour, day after day, it's going to get harder and harder to remove. It's so much easier to forgive right when the incident happens. And it doesn't matter what the other person does, you can choose to forgive and give your mind a clean slate. In Ephesians six, the Bible talks about how we should put on the armor of God. One of the most important pieces is the shoes of peace. In the same way that shoes protect our feet, peace protects our spiritual walk. But I've found that too many people are going around spirit...

Cleveland Browns tight end Seth DeValve -- the first white NFL player to kneel during the national anthem -- says he demonstrated on Monday night to support his African American teammates. 12 Browns players in total knelt in a circle before Cleveland took on the NY Giants -- the players included stars like Jabrill Peppers, Calvin Pryor, Isaiah Crowell, Kenny Britt and Duke Johnson. But DeValve made the biggest splash ... just days after Michael Bennett said a white player kneeling would make the protest more effective. DeValve -- who's married to a black woman -- heard Bennett loud and clear and heeded the call. After the game, the Browns protesters explained their demonstration -- saying they wanted to come together as men to combat all the hate and injustice in the world.

The other day I answered a phone call, and the first words I heard were "Victoria, I have to tell you something, but don't worry about it." Well, my automatic response was to worry and think, What's wrong now? As it turned out, the problem was not so big, but I had to push pause for a moment and make the decision to not let my mind start to spin with worry. I had to give it to God and rest in Him, knowing He is in control of the situation and that He is fighting my battles for me. Did you know that the word worry comes from the Old English wyrgan, which means "to strangle?"  If we let them, worry and stress literally choke the joy out of our lives. So how are you handling worry? I worked with a woman whose military son had been deployed overseas in a very dangerous place. She was so worried for him that it began to affect everything in her life to the point where she could hardly function. I said to my friend, "Look, there's nothing you can do ...

by Victoria Osteen  You're familiar with the Golden Rule, right? Perhaps your mom taught it to you as a child. But did you know that the Golden Rule is found in Matthew 7:12, where Jesus says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." In the light of Jesus' words, we need to carefully choose the words we speak to others because the truth is that we are going to be a product of what we say. We are going to eat from the fruit of our lips (see Proverbs 18:21). Sometimes we just throw caution to the wind with our words, not thinking they're going to return to us! But what you say to and about others is going to affect you. When I was a young bride, I didn't start out weighing my words carefully. I was used to doing things the way I wanted them done, and I thought Joel should get with the program. I wasn't speaking to Joel the gracious words that I wanted him to speak to me. I'll never forget how God spoke to me o...

I am sorry, a short but mighty sentence! If you wish to live long, don't joke with this short sentence, I am sorry. Do you know how many people who had gone to early grave because they neglected the therapeutic power of I am sorry. Most of the troubles in most homes are heightened because wives are too big to say I am sorry to their husbands and you can trust the ego of  husbands in saying same to their wives. Quarrel lingers between friends because no party wants to say I am sorry. Each says or asks, why should I be the first to say I am sorry? He or she would beat his or her chest and utter the ego phrase, a whole me! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the part of the world where saying I am sorry is a hard nut to crack while curses are easily unleashed. Welcome to the part of the world where people refer to a person who says I am sorry in a midst of a rift as a weaker sex: one who is not man enough; one who is foolish. Welcome to Africa where saying I am sorry is t...

Joel Osteen One time, Jesus was on the beach and saw a group of fishermen putting away their empty fishing nets. They had been out all night. Jesus walked over to them and asked if He could borrow their boat so He could push away from the shore and teach a large crowd of people that had gathered. Jesus had never met these fishermen before, but they allowed Him to borrow the boat. When He was finished, as a way to thank them, Jesus told them to launch out into the deep and they would catch a great number of fish. Now, these men began to reason it all out in their minds. They probably thought, "This man is a teacher. We are professional fishermen, and He's telling us how and when to fish. Doesn't He know this is how we make our living? We've been doing this for many years. We are experts in our field. We know when the fish are biting and when they aren't, and now is not the time to fish!" Friend, do you realize that sometimes you can know too much? Som...

President Trump said more about the protest which led to violent clashes and one murder over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia at a press conference Tuesday. He noted that there were "Neo-Nazis" and "white supremacists" among the crowd, and he condemned such groups, but he also appeared to support the original demonstration in favor of keeping a statue of Robert E. Lee that the city government plans to take down. Trump noted that the original demonstration was non-violent and had a permit from the city and said that violence broke out when left wing protesters attacked them. "I've condemned neo-Nazis. I've condemned a lot of different groups. But not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me, not all of those people were white supremacists, by any stretch," the president said. "Those people were there because they wanted to protest the taking down of a statue of Robert E. Lee. You take a look at some of the groups and you see,...

50 years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Loving -- Mildred and Richard Loving, who successfully sued the state of Virginia, forcing it to recognize their interracial marriage. That landmark case overturned laws against interracial marriages all across the country.

The 1947 educational film "Don't be a Sucker" was shared online in the wake of a neo-Nazi protest in Charlottesville, Va.

Nigerian protesters in Lagos and Abuja are demanding President Muhammadu Buhari either resume his job as president or resign, after more than 90 days of absence. Demonstrators have rallied in Abuja for three days, demanding action by the government, with many claiming Buhari's absence is unacceptable and harmful for the country. "We believe the president has become incapacitated and cannot continue in office, so we are calling for the President to either resume [to continue as president] or resign," Adeyanju Deji, founder of the online campaign #ResumeOrResign, told Al Jazeera. Charles, another supporter of the campaign, told Al Jazeera: "It's quite unacceptable that the leader of the most populous African nation in the world would leave the country and go sit down in the UK, on account of a health issue that is unknown to Nigerians." Some have also used the hashtag #ResumeOrResign. Buhari, 74, has been under growing pressure to disclose his sta...

President Nana Akufo-Addo has said Ghana lost about $3 billion in economic activities during the power crisis that hit the nation under the Mahama administration. Akufo-Addo who quoted figures from the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) said the country lost about GHc618 million in economic activity in 2014 alone which he said is “equivalent to 2 percent of GDP.” “Thus the four years of dumsor cumulatively led to a loss of more than $3 billion in economic activity and in the process thousands of Ghanaians lost their jobs,” he said at the second National Policy Summit on Trade and Industry held in Accra on Monday. He also said the Ghanaian industrial sector was drastically suffered within the period. “Regrettably the industrial sector has suffered one of the most significant setbacks in our history over the past few years. In 2014 for example, industry which in 2008, the last year of the government John Agyekum Kufuor, former president of the Republic h...

Historians and experts look at the role of slavery in the Civil War and its effect on the U.S. from Reconstruction through the present day. #Roots The Civil War In Four Minutes: Remembering the War

The backdrop of Saturday's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, was a plan to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the city's downtown. What’s the story behind such monuments and why do we continue to struggle with the legacy of the Civil War? Edward Ayers of the University of Richmond joins William Brangham to offer some historical context.

On Saturday hundreds of white nationalists, alt-righters, and neo-Nazis traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to participate in the “Unite the Right” rally. By Saturday evening three people were dead – one protester, and two police officers – and many more injured. “VICE News Tonight” correspondent Elle Reeve went behind the scenes with white nationalist leaders, including Christopher Cantwell, Robert Ray, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach — as well as counter-protesters. VICE News Tonight also spoke with residents of Charlottesville, members of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Charlottesville Police. From the neo-Nazi protests at Emancipation Park to Cantwell’s hideaway outside of Virginia, “VICE News Tonight” provides viewers with exclusive, up close and personal access inside the unrest. This episode of VICE News Tonight aired August 14, 2017 on HBO. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com

Today's Word with Joel & Victoria Have you ever been so in awe by something that you just couldn’t help but talk about it to everyone you know? Maybe you were excited about a new relationship, a job or the birth of a child. But nothing on earth can compare to what God wants to do in your life. He wants to amaze you with His goodness and overwhelm you with His love. He wants to do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever ask, think or imagine. He wants to do things in your life that you’ve never seen before. He wants to impact you in such a way that you can’t help but talk about Him! The key is that it starts with us. Our faith in God is what opens the door for Him to move and sets the blessing in motion. God has given every person a measure of faith. He has given us all the ability to believe and receive from Him. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. As you meditate on His Word and receive His promises by faith, He will move mightily on yo...

A white supremacist saying he's ready to die for his convictions and a political activist saying he's exposing evil were at an event that ended with one woman dead and at least 19 injured.

Three CEOs are walking away from President Trump. The chief executives of Merck, Under Armour and Intel all quit a presidential manufacturing council on Monday after Trump took two days to denounce white supremacy. Most notable was Kenneth Frazier of Merck (MRK), one of the most prominent black executives in the United States, who said the nation's leaders "must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy." The aftermath of the violence at a neo-Nazi and white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, represents the latest break between Trump, who sold himself as a businessman president, and leaders of corporate America. They have also loudly opposed him on immigration and his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.

Rebranding White Nationalism: Inside Richard Spencer's Alt-Right Richard B. Spencer greeted an audience of more than 200 at an alt-right conference in Washington D.C. last month with the cry, “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” He was met with enthusiastic cheers and Nazi salutes, and The Atlantic’s clip made headlines. In this documentary, we go further inside Spencer’s ethnocentric worldview to understand what his plans are for the so-called alt-right—namely, to bring white nationalism out of the shadows. "I don't see myself as a marginal figure who's going to be hated by society. I see myself as a mainstream figure,” he said. Spencer and other alt-right leaders see Donald Trump’s rise as the first step towards a whites-only state. "Our lived experience is being a young, white person in 21st century America, [and] seeing your identity be demeaned,” Spencer said. “I’ve lived in this multicultural mess for years and I’m trying to get out of it." A...

Friends described her as a passionate advocate for the disenfranchised who was often moved to tears by the world’s injustices. That sense of conviction led her to join demonstrators protesting a rally of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday. “We were just marching around, spreading love — and then the accident happened,” a friend, Marissa Blair, said. “In a split second you see a car, and you see bodies flying.” The authorities said Ms. Heyer, 32, was killed when a car driven by a man from Ohio plowed into the crowd. “Heather was such a sweet soul, and she did not deserve to die,” Ms. Blair said on Sunday. Others said Ms. Heyer, who lived in Charlottesville, spoke out against inequality and urged co-workers to be active in their community. “Heather was a very strong woman,” said Alfred A. Wilson, manager of the bankruptcy division at the Miller Law Group in Charlottesville, where Ms. Heyer worked as a paralegal. She stood up against “any type of discriminatio...

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Ghana’s central bank approved a deal that will see Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. take over the deposits and selected assets of UT Bank Ltd. and Capital Bank Ltd. after the two lenders failed to meet capital requirements. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will sell the rest of the assets to settle liabilities, Raymond Amanfu, head of banking supervision at Bank of Ghana, said by phone on Monday. UT Bank and Capital Bank’s licenses were revoked “due to severe impairment of their capital,” the central bank said in an emailed statement. “Their continuous operations would’ve jeopardized not only their depositors’ funds, but also pose a threat to the financial system,” Bank of Ghana Governor Ernest Addison told reporters Monday in the capital, Accra. The central bank, which wants to increase the minimum capital requirement for lenders, delayed the move to allow banks enough time to increase their capital adequacy ratios to 10 percent. The central bank in March gave nine lenders, including UT Bank...

The driver of the car, James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Maumee, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and failing to stop at the scene of a crash that resulted in a death. The woman killed was identified as Heather D. Heyer of Charlottesville. Witnesses to the crash said a gray sports car accelerated into a crowd of counterdemonstrators, who were marching jubilantly near the mall after the white nationalists had left, and hurled at least two people into the air. “It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Robert Armengol, who was at the scene reporting for a podcast he hosts with students at the University of Virginia. “After that it was pandemonium. The car hit reverse and sped, and everybody who was up the street in my direction started running.” The planned rally was promoted as “Unite the Right,” and both its organizers and critics said they expected it to be one of the largest gatherings of white nat...

After facing two days of criticism for his response to the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Trump condemned the attack in a statement from the White House.

"What Is Your Life's Blueprint?" Martin Luther King, Jr. Six months before he was assassinated, King spoke to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967. I want to ask you a question, and that is: What is your life's blueprint? Whenever a building is constructed, you usually have an architect who draws a blueprint, and that blueprint serves as the pattern, as the guide, and a building is not well erected without a good, solid blueprint. Now each of you is in the process of building the structure of your lives, and the question is whether you have a proper, a solid and a sound blueprint. I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life's blueprint. Number one in your life's blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you fell that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and al...

Everyday Thanks Post by Victoria Osteen Have you ever gotten tired of something? We all do. Every day we have to get up and go to work. Every day we have to make meals and try to keep the house clean. Every day we have to make sure the bills are being paid. And when we get really tired of it, we tend to vent and complain about our situation. It's interesting that after the people of Israel had been freed from slavery in Egypt, they started complaining about their hardships in the wilderness. One of their complaints was that they were tired of the manna, the bread that God provided miraculously for them every single day. They grumbled and complained, "Now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" (Numbers 11:6 NIV). That complaint got them thinking about the food they used to eat in captivity: "We remember…the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic" (v. 5). They let the food they had become tired of become more important tha...

The End to Faultfinding. [By Victoria Osteen] A faultfinder is defined as "a person given to harsh judgments and to finding faults." None of us want to wear that label, and none of us want to be around a faultfinder. But it's so easy to see what's wrong in a situation and what could be done better. It's so easy to see what's wrong with another person and how they could change for the better. Our natural minds tend to always gravitate to the negative, and it causes us to find fault. Today, you're going to have many opportunities to find faults because there's no perfect friend, no perfect spouse and no perfect job. Life is filled with imperfections, so we can't escape the fact that there will be much to criticize. What I want to suggest is that rather than enter into faultfinding, we figure out a way to be the solution to problems and not complain about problems, but find a way to act properly when we feel negative. You can't stop ...

Committed People [Joel Osteen] I have a friend who had an idea for a business, but he was turned down by thirty-one banks. Thirty-one experts told him it wasn't a good idea, it was a waste of time, and he would never make it profitable. But this young man wouldn't give up despite the closed doors. He believed in his idea, and he expected to make it a reality. When God puts a dream in your heart, it won't go away. You can push it down and try to ignore it, but that seed is still alive. Banker number thirty-two said he liked the idea, the funding came through, the business took off and has expanded all over the world, more than he could ever imagine. My question is, what would have happened if he had stopped at banker number thirty-one? Is there something you've been tempted to give up on, to take the easy way out, to slack off of—a dream, a relationship, a job? You may have a good reason to walk away, to back off and not be your best, but God is saying, "...

Be a Bucket Filler. [by Victoria Osten] I'm wondering today if you're a bucket filler. What's a bucket filler? It's a person who is making positive deposits of kindness and compassion in other people's lives, someone who is adding value to their lives. Or, are you a bucket dipper? Are you someone who through criticism and negativism is making withdrawals from other people's emotional banks, someone who is depleting the value of their lives? Another way to ask the question is this: Do you have a building mentality or a destructive mentality? That sounds pretty harsh, but our words and our actions have a tremendous influence on the lives around us. And we shouldn't underestimate the influence of the destructive mentality of today's media upon our own lives. Most of what we see and hear is about people who are at odds with one another, who are being destructive toward one another, and it does influence us. But we are separated from that. We a...