Will Extreme Makeover Harper Family Lose Home?
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Personal Finance, Society & Culture
This seriously hurts my feelings. A very deserving family was chosen to receive a new house from ABC’s Extreme Makeover. The community banned together to demolish and rebuild a new four bedroom home for the Harper Family in Lake City, Georgia. Beazer Homes raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple’s three children and a home maintenance fund.
Less than four years later, the family could potentially lose their free home to foreclosure. After fifteen months the family put their home up as collateral for a $450,000 loan to invest in a construction business. On August 5th, the home is set to go on auction on the steps of the Clayton County Courthouse. Mrs. Harper says they worked out a deal with the bank to keep the house, but has plans to move because the family is being harassed. Understandably, the community is upset at what is taking place. Wouldn’t you be?
My question is, why in this economy would they put in jeopardy the one thing that was guaranteed? People came together to build them a beautiful FREE home in six days. All they had to do was cover the property taxes, maintenance and utilities. The kids even got scholarships to go to school! You can’t blame the banks on this one. If the community and local businesses hadn’t come together to help this family, then this wouldn’t be a story. We have to do better. I know too many poor people with no equity in their homes struggling to keep what they have. Getting your $450,000 hustle on at someone else’s expense is not cool. The Harper’s should be ashamed of themselves. I’d like to hear more of what they have to say about the situation they’ve placed themselves in.
Here’s a video of what the Harper’s stand to lose. This video is of the story on a local Georgia news station.
What the President Has Signed Into Law – March and April 2008
I know! I’ve haven’t been good at posting this every month, but I have a good reason. The purpose for this post is to inform you of the new laws and acts enacted by President Bush. It’s good to know what’s going on because some of them may benefit us as a people. It’s important for us to watch every step our government takes. We elect them, so we need to make sure they are doing their job. The laws I list are posted at whitehouse.gov. For a more unbiased version, I’d recommend doing additional research at govtrack.us. As always feel free to leave any additional comments.
I fell off from doing this the past couple of months, so I grouped March and April together.
On Thursday, March 06, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2571, which makes a technical correction to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, with regard to registration service fees for certain “minor use” pesticide.
On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2478, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in East Hampstead, New Hampshire, as the Captain Jonathan D. Grassbaugh Post Office.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2272, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service known as the Southpark Station in Alexandria, Louisiana, as the John “Marty” Thiels Southpark Station.
On Friday, March 14, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2745, which extends authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 through April 18, 2008; and
S.J.Res. 25, which provides for the appointment of John W. McCarter as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
On Monday, March 24, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2733, the “Higher Education Extension Act of 2008,” which temporarily extends programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 through April 30, 2008.
On Friday, April 9, 2008, the President signed into law:
President Bush Signs H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007
Read the Fact Sheet
On Friday, April 18, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5813, which extends many authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 for one week, through April 25, 2008; and
S. 550, which increases from 58 to 61 the statutory limit on the number of associate judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.J.Res.70 – Army Reserve Centennial Commemoration, which congratulates the Army Reserve on the occasion of its centennial anniversary.
On Thursday, April 24, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 1858, the “Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007,” which authorizes through fiscal year 2012 new and existing programs at the Department of Health and Human Services concerning newborn screening.
On Friday, April 25, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2903, Extends authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 for one week, through May 2, 2008.
On Monday, April 28, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 793, the “Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008,” which authorizes appropriations and makes changes to the Department of Health and Human Services programs that provide grants for State programs for: tracking and reporting of brain injuries; and brain injury rehabilitation.
BWB Official Photo
This is the official photo for the Blogging While Brown Conference. For it being the first year, the conference was well-planned I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend. I got in to blogging as a way to share information and viewpoints that I thought people would be interested in reading. That’s usually how most people get in to it.
The best thing about blogging is that your blog can be about anything you want. I use mine to write about what’s on my mind, while others may use it for business purposes. It really doesn’t matter. If you have something to say, a blog is a great way to get your message to the masses. It takes time and dedication, but it’s worth it (more personal satisfaction than anything). I’ve had some decent discussions on this blog and that’s what it’s all about.
If you weren’t able to attend, I’ve posted some photos on Flickr in my Blogging While Brown set.
Blogging While Brown – Day 3
We concluded the conference with brunch at the Sun Dial Restaurant in the Westin Hotel. Once again I was engaged in some good discussions with the bloggers who could make it. There’s nothing like good discussion and good food. Some of the topics we covered the most were politics and education. You can rest assure, I’ll be referencing a lot of the bloggers I met.
In attending this conference, I’ve rediscovered the purpose for my blog and look forward to the attending next year. This is just the begging of something bigger. I’ll be posting pictures in the next couple of days of some of the bloggers I met.
Check out the view from the Sun Dial Restuarant
Blogging While Brown – Day 2
Day two of Blogging While Brown was a day to remember. Not only were the workshops good, the side discussions were also on point. You had black people from all walks of life and experiences in one place sharing their ideas and viewpoints. I met a lot of passionate people who love their community and I am glad I had the opportunity to attend. We learned a lot, ate good and made what I hope to be some long-lasting relationships.
It’s not the same as being there, but I did manage to live stream and record some of the conference on Ustream. I’ve also included a link to the Ustream site if you want to get the code to embed it on your website. There were a lot of attendees who asked me about using Ustream. Just for you all, I’ll put together a small tutorial later this week.
Panel Discussion – Can New Media Work with the Old Guard and Old Media?
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/586451
Blogging While Brown: Two Workshops in 1
Secrets from a Media Insider – How to Make News and Make the News Work for You by Carmen Dixon
“Umoja” from a Black Blogger’s Perspective by Wayne Hicks
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/586623
Blogging While Brown – Day 1
Today was the first day of the Blogging While Brown (BWB) Conference in Atlanta, Ga. After getting settled in the room, Shawn and I checked out the BlackWeb 2.0 ATL Meet-up, hosted by Ketchum Interactive. We were told there would be a surprise guest and a live video stream would be available for those who couldn’t make it. After getting there we out the surprise guest was MC Lyte. Yes, THE MC Lyte (I could feel my boyhood crush coming back). Lyte was live on a conference call and she answered questions about her group Almost September and other internet projects (which she personally manages).
The meet-up was a major success and plans are in the making to have more events like this online. Afterwards we got to network with other fellow bloggers in the room and made our way to the BWB meet-up at the Fox Sports Grill Atlantic Station. It was nice to be in the presence of other black bloggers. If this was a sign of what’s to come tomorrow, I’m going to have a good time. We’re witnessing history in the making because something big is going to come out of this conference. There’s just too much knowledge being dropped for it to not happen. Stay tuned.
Now back to MC Lyte. Sorry, I couldn’t help it.
Arte y Pico Award
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Community, Education, Politics, Society & Culture, Technology
Earlier this month, the Electronic Village presented ‘The Arte y Pico Award‘ to this blog. I’m definitely honored because the Villager has one of the top black blogs out there and it is a testament to what online activism should entail. If you search my blog you will find a number of references to his site. He’s also one of the workshop presenters at the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta this weekend.
Here are the rules of the Arte y Pico Award:
- You have to pick 5 blogs that deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
- Each awardee has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
- Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
- Each award winner should provide a link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award
Here are five (5) blogs, in no particular order, that I think show Creativity, Fabulous Design, Interesting Material or Contribute to the blogging community:
- Black In Business – JD is one of the first bloggers I’ve gotten to meet in person. His blog is full of good advice for business owners and he’s open and honest about his views regarding our society. I’m always interested in seeing what he’ll post next. A good guy and a good site.
- Vanessa: Unplugged – Vanessa (I always want to call her V) has a blog that is very well written and designed. Her topics are right on point and most of the time we have the same views on things. I admire people who can write because it’s something I’ve been working on for a while. Another thing that got me hooked on her site was her commitment last year to blog every day for a year. That’s not easy to do!
- Dallas South Blog – Shawn is a fellow Aggie, but that’s not why I selected his site. If you want to know what’s happening in South Dallas, this is the blog for you. This is another site that is well-written and he stays on top of the issues that black people need to be concerned about. Even if you don’t live in Dallas, his blog is one you should definitely check out. He will be an attendee at the Blogging While Brown Conference.
- Black Web 2.0 – I like all things technology. This is one of the sites where I go to get my tech news fix when the need arises. Technology changes daily and there’s always something new to blog about. Angela and Markus are good at staying on top of the newest tech news and gadgets. When you visit the site you have to check out their podcast. They’ve gotten some really good interviews with some major players in the technology industry. They will also be presenting a workshop at the Blogging While Brown Conference.
- Geeky Cyber Mom – Geeks are cool and so is this website. Anyone who carries a 4-port USB hub in their purse is alright with me. I “e-met” the Geeky Cyber Mom on Twitter. Her blog is fun to read and very informative. She also manages another blog and podcast called Tales of a Single Parent which is equally as good.
So this is my list of bloggers that deserve the award. I have more I’d like to add, but the award only calls for five. Visit their blog and let me know what you think. Thanks again to the Villager for choosing lil ol’ me.
Free Obama Button
The folks at MoveOn.org are giving away new Obama buttons for free, as part of a massive national visibility campaign. If you want one, click the button below:
Blogging About Our Health
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Health, Politics
It’s been a while since I’ve featured a post and after reading one at martyblogs.com, I knew I had to share this one with you all. In a post called Black Men and Cancer, Marty gets on us about knowing our family medical history and taking cancer exams more serious. I’ve blogged about my health before and how I get annual physicals because my family has a history of high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. I agree with him 100% because we tend to have a thing with self-diagnosing and not getting the medical attention we need.
I also know a lot of people who don’t go to the doctor because they lack health insurance or don’t trust the doctor all together. But that’s something we need to get over soon because our health depends on it. There are many programs out there to participate in, but you have to do the research. If you search the blog, you’ll even see a couple posted here.
So brothas, it’s time to step up when it comes to our health. Sure there are plenty of things other than health than can take us out. But if taking care of myself keeps me here a little longer, I’m all for it. Check out the post and take heed to what Marty is telling us. Also check out this track from Nas’s new CD. He understands the health struggle as do I. Yes, there is profanity on this track.
Photo Phinish: Our Rights
Filed under: Blog Entries, Our Rights, Photo Phinish, Society & Culture
This is a blurry photo (they won’t let you use a flash) of the United States Constitution. On my trip to Washington DC I made this visit a priority because the last time I’d seen it, I was about five years old. This document and is its amendments are what governs our country and as an American citizen, it’s up to us to make sure it’s properly followed. But how many of us have taken the time to read what it says?
Sure, when it was written, we (black people) weren’t included in “We the People”. We had no input on what it said and we had to fight so these same laws would also apply to us. But today, the wording in the Constitution does apply to us and it’s up to us to have at least a general understanding of what’s in it. So when you get a chance, browse through it. Those before us sacrificed a lot and we owe it to them to make sure we know our rights.
And yes, I will be reading through it also.
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