My Darling … yet to discover

August 17, 2015 JoJo Bayvel1 Comment

If you asked me what I wanted my darling a thousand times over it would be the same thing
I want a life filled with adventure, never letting the mundane and boring become a part of who we are,
My love, I want to explore the earth: in its entirety, every last crevice of you, the earth, the oceans and each little thing that the moon shines upon and my love, I want to explore this with you …

Darling if you had to ask me what would make my heart happy and what would make my soul come alive I would tell you this;Take my heart and hold it in your hand as though it was the thing that keeps you alive,
Guard it and guide it,
Treat it with the utmost and gentlest care, but never allow it to grow tired and still
As my heart sweet darling needs to be touched and whispered to: so that your heart too,beats with the fire of a thousand African sunsets.

My love if you want to know the secret to hearing my laughter erupting from the depths of my very being just know the answer lies in allowing me to be me,
for my love, my beauty lies not in the colour of my eyes nor the shape of my lips but rather in the way I live;
to feel free and alive;
And laughter, my love, is the way my heart sings, it allows you to pen lyrics to the sweetest melody your ears have yet to hear.

My darling if you want to know how to make your arms my safe haven then simply do this
Treat me my sweet sweet darling as though I were the most special and incredible gift;
hold me in your arms, unwrap each layer that encases my body, heart and soul but do this with care my darling as the rarest gifts need to be opened slowly and patiently in order to truly appreciate what lies inside the gilded paper,

My love, the answers to most of the questions your mind yearns to know are simple:
For darling they are the very questions you have had the answer to, since the beginning of your mortal time.

LinkedIn’s Q2: Revenue Up 33% From Last Year, Now Has 380 Million Users

August 1, 2015August 1, 2015 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

The future is looking up for LinkedIn, which reported 33 percent year-over-year revenue growth on Thursday, as well as a 21 percent yearly jump of members, to 380 million. LinkedIn generated $712 million in Q2.

LinkedIn is also having more success generating paid users. Premium Subscriptions revenue was $128 million, an increase of 22 percent compared to the same quarter last year.

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner discussed his company’s quarter:

“Q2 was a solid quarter for LinkedIn as we delivered greater member and customer value. We continue to execute against an ambitious R&D roadmap that has led to accelerated product innovation with new product rollouts throughout the remainder of this year. We also made progress working through transitions with our Talent Solutions sales force and the evolution of our Marketing Solutions business. Additionally, we have seen some early success integrating lynda.com.”

Other highlights from LinkedIn’s Q2, according to its press release:

Improved its flagship desktop and mobile product experience, leading to approximately 60% increase in year-over-year feed engagement, and search traffic growing meaningfully faster than overall member activity.
Further connected members with professional knowledge by surpassing more than 1 million unique long-from member publishers on LinkedIn, and launched a redesigned Pulse app for iOS and Android, delivering a more personalized news experience.
Further focused on helping members get hired. Unique visiting members to jobs-related pages improved approximately 40% year-over-year, while the recently launched Job Search app reached more than 3 million activations from approximately 1 million during the first quarter. In addition, the number of jobs on the platform also increased to nearly 4 million from approximately 1 million last year.
Closed its acquisition of lynda.com, adding to the LinkedIn platform 6,800 courses through 280,000 videos across five languages.

However, Wall Street was a little worried about how much of the positive movement came solely from its acquisition of Lynda.com. After an initial 14 percent spike, LinkedIn’s share value dropped nearly 5 percent.

Even with that, Business Insider reports that many analysts feel bullish about LinkedIn’s future. Wells Fargo Securities offered a positive statement about LinkedIn’s Q2:

“We favor LNKD’s position as the leading, global professional social network, where the company’s “clean signal” identity data powers connectivity to the benefit of members, corporate recruiters, and b-to-b marketers. We believe an expanding portfolio of products and international growth opportunities provides a ramp to multiple years of double-digit revenue growth and margin and earnings expansion.”

Because You’re My Mom

August 1, 2015August 1, 2015 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

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Because you are my mom you loved me before I was ever seen
You thanked God for this miracle, this little human being
So exciting, yet fragile it all must have seemed to you then
Hearing my little heart beat inside you, now life begins

Because you are my mom no pain was too great for you to bear
Now you’re a mother and I your child with joys and pains to share
And so into this world my life began each breath now on my own
One day we will look back at just how much I’ve grown

Because you are my mom you worried for me within your every bone
You finally let go of my little hand to take my first steps on my own

Because you are my mom you showed me through the years
To care about others and their feelings and the things that they hold dear

Because you are my mom you taught me right from wrong
Understanding that my faith in God will forever keep me strong
Showing me that being my own person is the only tool I’ll need
When morals and values are your foundation to succeed

Because you are my mom you loved me enough to also be my friend
You would be right there in ways that no one could see or ever comprehend
When there was no way I thought you could ever understand
There you would be, non-judging and willing to lend a hand

Because you are my mom, God’s gift to me was you
As your daughter I will always love you and promise to be true
I thank you for so many things and will try to never make you sad or blue

Because you are my mom, and one-day I will be a mother too
I pray I never forget all that you’ve been through
I am your daughter and in your image I am proud to be
By the grace of the Lord you were created, and then I came to be

Sharing This Sobbing – Rhinos in Africa – Received this poem from a 13 year old boy who wishes to remain anonymous.

July 29, 2015 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

*I am Cecil.

Naturally I am powerful.
Yet the situation was such that I am not longer alive.
Alive to hunt, alive to live, alive to be African.
I am not Cecil. But I am Africa, An Africa for you to kill, obviously.

I am every rhino and elephant that you tear apart.
I am the Ivory ripped from their faces, for you to consume.
I am rhino and elephant. I am Cecil, I am Africa.

I am sorry that we can’t defend the defenseless against people with weapons used to attack.
I am sorry that we can’t bring Cecil back.
You’ve killed Cecil.
You’re killing Africa.

I am not Cecil.
I am Africa.
I need help.*

Donate to help High 5. Give $5. Save Big Cats.

Big cats in the wild are disappearing at an alarming rate. In fact, within your lifetime, lions in the wild could disappear forever. In support of World Lion Day (August 10), we’re raising money to preserve big cats—like lions—and their habitats through National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative.

Your donation, no matter how small, will make a very real difference in the lives of these majestic creatures. From building livestock enclosures to save snow leopards in Nepal to combating lion snaring and poaching in Zambia, the Big Cats Initiative provides on-the-ground conservation and education support to preserve big cat populations worldwide.

National Geographic is a nonprofit organization driven by a passionate belief in the power of science, exploration, and storytelling to change the world. Together we can make a difference. #5forBigCats

Sixty Seven Minutes for Madiba

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 JoJo BayvelLeave a comment

Watching Long Walk to Freeedom today, and remembering this iconic man who gave up everything to free our country and its people.

A man who suffered so cruelly at the hands of the very people he was able to forgive so easily. Aside from Jesus who gave His life for us with a promise of eternity, I doubt that we will ever witness, at least not in our lifetimes, a human being with as much courage, honor, pride, humilty, strength and compassion as that of Madiba. Legendary is not fit to describe our Madiba as the way he lived and loved and what he achieved far outweighs the meaning of this word.

Tomorrow we celebrate his life by giving 67 minutes of our time to helping others. Wether it be for animals or humans, we as South Africans stand together, united again by this hero, in an effort to help those less fortunate. It is perhaps something we should do on a weekly if not daily basis but it is nonetheless a day that will make a difference in so many lives. Both to those being helped as well as to the helpers.

Madiba, in a time where South Africa is fraught with violence and corruption. Where the very things you hoped for … peace and no hatred, are but a distant dream. Where there is not only hatred among white and black but upon black on black and white on white. We have become the antithesis of what you fought so hard for and for this I weep….
And yet Tata because of you and your legacy we will unite tomorrow in peace. All races, tribes, cultures, creeds and colours; to honor you and try and live up to an nth of what came naturally to you on a daily basis.

Madiba your words and actions , remain forever in our hearts and minds … Perhaps a mere whisper in some and a lot louder in others … Your voice spoke volumes, your words healed hearts and your struggle saved a nation.