Walk for Autism with Team Noah Knows
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Family, Health
Join Team Noah Knows! as we get ready to walk for our 3rd year with the Hosuton area WALKNOWFOR AUTISM SPEAKS to bring awareness, understanding and help the cause to cure autism.
Visit our team page to join and learn more about the event.
Date: Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Location: Reliant Park, Westridge Lot
Registration opens: 8:00am
Walk Start: 10:00am
Map: www.reliantpark.com/directionsandparking
Parking: On Site in Main Street Lot
Activities: Kid’s Activities and Family Fun!
Additional information: The walk route for the 2009 Walk Now for Autism is approximately 2 miles in length and will wrap around the many features of Reliant Park including the home of the Texans, Reliant Stadium, and the Astrodome. The walk will both begin and end in the Westridge Lot.
Parking will be free until 10:00am in the Main Street Lot. For maps and directions, visit www.reliantpark.com/directions.
Contact Kim Dixon at kim4child@sbcglobal.net for more 2009 team information and team t-shirt information.
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 09/26/09
Filed under: Blog Entries, Obama, Politics, Think Global
Recorded literally on his way back from the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, the President uses his Weekly Address to recap the progress made during the intensive discussions with world leaders. From an historic agreement to reform the global financial system, to groundbreaking commitments on reducing subsidies to fossil fuels worldwide, to unity in standing against threats to world peace – engagement produced tangible results in several areas.
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 09/19/09
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Obama, Personal Finance, Politics
With the next G20 Summit approaching in Pittsburgh, the President goes over the progress in stemming a global economic crisis. He discusses the impact of the Recovery Act, and pledges that “lobbyists for big Wall Street banks” will not prevent real reform for the future, including a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Obama Calls Kanye a Jackass
Filed under: Blog Entries, Entertainment & Sports, Laughable, Obama, Technology
I don’t know why politicians don’t understand that, NOTHING IS EVER OFF THE RECORD!!! Here is video from CNN’s Rick Sanchez reporting about an off the record comment from President Obama about Kanye West’s treatment of Taylor Swift at the MTV Awards. While Obama may have been correct in my opinion, he should have known the comment would get out. Shortly after it was made an ABC employee twittered the comment out to everyone.
Poor, poor Kanye. People can only take so much of his big Ego. I wonder if the President will invite him over for a beer.
Here we go. This is funny!
The Big Mobile on Campus Challenge
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Community, Education, Personal Finance, Technology
Here’s an opportunity for to get some scholarship money. I remember working on teams to get projects done and it can be a daunting task if you don’t have the right people. While I didn’t realize it at the time. the group projects I had to do prepared me for the corporate environment. Learning how to recognize people’s strengths and utilizing them for the benefit of the team can be the difference between a good application and one that was a waste of time creating.
Here’s more information on the Big Mobile:
What: The Big Mobile on Campus Challenge is a contest to create mobile applications. The contest encourages participants to develop innovative and creative mobile applications that enhance the student experience and improve the educational process. One grand-prize winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship presented at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado from November 3-6, 2009. Additionally, two runner-up winners will receive a $5,000 scholarship.
Who: Full time students and full or part time faculty and staff of accredited universities are eligible to participate. Participants can work on an application independently or with a team of up to four individuals.
How: There are three categories for the contest—mobile learning, mobile identity, and student system integration. All of these categories are meant to help participants create an application that enhances academic performance, builds campus community, and improves campus operations. The official contest registration form can be found at: http://higheredcontest.wireless.att.com
When and Where: The Big Mobile on Campus Challenge application deadline is October 15, 2009. The finalist applications are then reviewed by a panel of judges, who consider the overall concept of the application, the design implementation and quality, and the impact the application will have on the higher education community.
Memoirs of A 2009 Car Shopper
Filed under: Blog Entries, Family, Personal Finance
by Darrell Holmes
Note: In no way is this posting meant to be the comprehensive guide to how you should purchase a car. This is one person’s offerings of how he chose to go about purchasing a car. For more detailed information go to edmunds.com or Yahoo Autos.
At the end of 2008, I lost my job in outside sales. For the previous 8 years I had been blessed with the luxuries of having a company vehicle, expense accounts, cell phone, and company computers all included as part of benefits packages with different manufacturers’ I represented. As painful as it was to lose my laptop and cell phones, one of the most difficult adjustments was losing my vehicle. My wife and I were positioning ourselves to purchase something that we would own to accommodate our growing family, but the loss of my job and worst economic depression since the 1920s threw an obvious wrench in our plans. Things came around and here are seven thoughts I’d like to pass along that may help you in future car purchasing decisions.
1. Start shopping early.
As I mentioned before, we started looking at different options around 1 year in advance. Chances are the more time you spend researching your purchase before you actually buy the better your chances are of finding a car that fits your needs along with meeting your budget. Unfortunately, too many times we’re forced into making buying decisions by circumstances. If you’re currently having car trouble or anticipate you may be looking at a new car within the next 24 months it can’t hurt to start looking now. Manufacturers change and tweak models every year even sometimes discontinuing models. Still, starting early should give you enough options and offerings to help you decide what are needs and wants in a potential model. You should also begin saving money every month towards a potential down payment and CHECK YOUR CREDIT SCORE!
2. Make a list of needs/wants.
Very early in your car shopping experience you should sit down with any others who may have input on your purchase and decide what things are necessary for your future vehicle to have. Primary factors to consider first would be things like seating capacity, miles per gallon, manufacturer’s warranties, crash test ratings, what type of suspension is standard, engine performance, towing capabilities, resale values, and how well the vehicle performs in longitudinal satisfaction studies. If you are college-aged and not looking to grow a family any time soon you may not need an SUV that can seat 7 adults. That is, unless you coach a little league team and often take your players to games out of town. Conversely, you may be a parent of 8 children but you’re a divorcee who is also an empty nester. In this situation you may find that you only need a subcompact to get around town. In addition to these factors, keep current trends in the back of your mind without allowing those trends to supercede all of your other important points.
3. Compile a list of potential makes and models.
Lists, lists, and more lists! Trust me; these lists may end up saving you a couple thousands of dollars! Once you have made your list of must-haves along with wanna-haves you can start looking at a variety of makes and models. Chances are as you add and subtract to this “Model” list it will help you realize what is and isn’t important on your “Features” list. One note that I believe is very crucial in this part of your search is not to be a car snob. Give every model within the category of vehicles you’re looking at a serious look over. There are a variety of websites where you can research and compare similar vehicles all from the comfort of your laptop. Consider www.edmunds.com, autos.yahoo.com, autos.com, nadaguides.com, and consumerreports.com. You can also see videos online for a variety of vehicles in performance tests such as 0-60 timed takeoffs, 60-0 braking distance, slalom, etc. Everyone will take different amounts of time to do this search but there should be no rush in making this list. My own list started somewhere around 10 vehicles and we tried to scrutinize everything we could without standing in front of each vehicle every single day.
4. Begin narrowing down your list.
Now is a time when it becomes important to scrutinize every vehicle on your list with special attention on those at the top of your list. Read reviews about them online, ask other owners about likes and dislikes, spend some time at dealers paying attention to things like seating space and cargo capacity, etc. If you have the opportunity, spend a couple of weekends in rentals of models that you don’t know a lot about. It’s amazing how quickly a list of 11 or so cars can become a list of 3 just by doing earnest research. One note to keep in mind is to not be emotional about any particular brand or make. For most of us, we purchase a new vehicle with the thought of how that purchase will improve our lives. You owe it to yourself to not make that purchase based on a random thought or feeling that can easily change once you find a feature or shortcoming you didn’t anticipate or know about.
5. Make Your Final Top 3
Around 4-6 months before making your purchase you should have a Top 3 list. Each vehicle on this list should do an adequate job of meeting the needs you originally compiled. After you have made this list, you should begin researching purchase vs. lease, monthly payments, potential loan options, rebates and savings, etc. You should also consider factors such as “cost-to-own” which can vary considerably even among cars in the same category. Some websites consider variables like vehicle reliability and cost of replacement items like tires or airbags to create a cost-to-own ratio. This can be a valuable tool to compare vehicles against one another.
6. Setup Financing with a Financial Institution
This is where I part ways with some. I received a much more competitive loan offer from my local credit union than anything the dealer’s financing or even my bank was willing to offer. I always keep track of my credit score and knew about what type of rate I should expect. This will also give you more bargaining ability at time of signing.
7. Close the Deal
You’ve done the research. You know what you want, how much you’re willing to pay for it, and you’ve decided now is the time to get it. When you find yourself at the dealership on that fateful day remember that YOU have all the power. My own goal was to save as much money for my family as possible. I recognized and respected that car salesmen have families and must make a living as well. I know how much money the dealer had in the deal and how much they made. I am comfortable with where we settled which is the goal of any negotiation. However, to get to that point took us walking away from a deal once, getting competitive quotes from around 7 dealerships for several miles away, and going back to the original dealer once they agreed to our terms. One thing to keep in mind is to not be threatening or insulting. You’ll never get the deal or service you’re looking for by degrading the people trying to help you. Conversely, if you feel as though the dealer or salesperson is using tactics that you don’t agree with then walk away. You don’t owe them your business but they do owe you respect and honorable customer service.
Finally…
Remember, to start researching early and often, search based on your needs first and the cost second, and make sure that the salespeople meet you where you need to be. If you do get financing from the dealer, don’t get fooled by numbers tricks like 66 or 72 month financing. Everyone’s financial situation is different, but if you need anything more than 6 years to pay off a vehicle consider finding a vehicle that satisfies your needs in a lower price range. Remember, most powertrain warranties will only cover 5 years. Do you really want to continue paying money on a car several years after you no longer have warranted coverage?
Most of all, ENJOY your car search. There are few joys similar to bring home a brand new car, particularly one that you know you got a great deal on! Happy shopping!
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 09/12/09
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Business, Family, Health, Obama, Politics
The President discusses a staggering new report from the Treasury Department indicating that under the status quo, around half of all Americans under 65 will lose their health coverage at some point over the next ten years. He pledges not to allow this future to unfold: “In the United States of America, no one should have to worry that they’ll go without health care – not for one year, not for one month, not for one day. And once I sign my health reform plan into law – they won’t.”
Support the AHA Heart Walk Dallas 2009
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Family, General, Health, Society & Culture
Okay, this is a quick last minute petition to support the American Heart Association’s Dallas Heart Walk 2009. I’ve participated in the event and think it’s a worthwhile organization to support. For those who do not know, heart disease and stroke is very prevalent in the black community and events like this help raise money for research and improving treatments to combat these diseases.
I’m sure you know someone who has high blood pressure, diabetes (sugar) or high cholesterol. The American Heart Association is dedicated to helping people learn how to control and improve their quality of life by reducing the number of deaths from coronary heart disease. If there’s anyone who’s down for that, it’s me. My dad died of a stroke at the young age of 57. His first stroke happened in his early 40s. When I do walk in Heart Walk, I do it for him and my family. I do it because I understand what heart disease and stroke can do to a family. I do it because I want to bring awareness to others who may not know how they can prevent it.
If you would like to donate, please follow the link here. Donations can be accepted at any time throughout the year. If you are interested in walking in Heart Walk, I’ve provided some information below. For additional information, you can visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on the event website.
The Dallas Heart Walk is Saturday, September 12, 2009. The Opening Ceremony starts 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 9:00 a.m. The Dallas Walk will start at Victory Park (at American Airlines Center), 2500 Victory Avenue, Dallas, 75219 and will take a path through downtown for a total distance of 3 miles. Parking is free at the American Airlines Center in Lot F, Lot E and the Platinum Parking Garage. If you want to take the rail, the Red and Blue Line will be running to the American Airlines Center. DART passes are available from your Heart Walk staff person in limited quantities. DART passes will be acceptable for use on the light rail, buses and the TRE.
The President’s Remarks to Students In School
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Obama, Society & Culture, Technology
For the curious and those who are not allowing your kids to go to school because the President is speaking tomorrow, here are the prepared remarks from the White House website. After reading it, I’m sure your opinion won’t change because the President will still encourage your student to do well in school and make their mark in society. I personally don’t see the big deal about it and I hope someone reading this post who disagrees will explain to me why they feel the way they do. If it were a Republican president, it wouldn’t both me because my four year old has yet to make up his mind about which political party he’s going to vote for when he becomes of age (slacker). And even more important, I still have time to mold his mind and show him the direction I want him to follow when it comes to politics.
I’m sure Obama is not trying to brainwash your child to become a Democrat. Believe it or not, he’s a positive role model for a lot of young kids around the world. Americans should be happy about the speech because it takes one more excuse away from those intolerant inner-city kids. I applaud the President for not backing down on giving the speech and removing the part that upset his opponents. Who knows, maybe it will inspire some kid to begin his quest to be the President. I’d like to hear what the kids have to say about the speech.
How to Watch (SOURCE)
- The President’s message will be streamed live on WhiteHouse.gov/live, and broadcast live on C-Span
- Downloadable video of the speech will be made available on this page later that day as it becomes available
- For school districts hoping to access the satellite feed, it will be available beginning at 11:00 AM (EDT) using the following coordinates:
- Galaxy 28/Transponder 17, Slot C (9 MHz)
- Uplink Frequency 14344.5 Horizontal
- Downlink Frequency 12044.5 Vertical
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 09/05/09
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Obama, Personal Finance, Politics
With Labor Day approaching, the President commits to rebuilding the economy so that a lifetime of hard work leads to a comfortable retirement, and explains his proposal to help to get there.
