Interact with the Obama Administration Online
Filed under: Blog Entries, Obama, Politics, Technology, Twitter
The Obama Administration has done an amazing job in utilizing technology and this week is no different. Wednesday thru Friday, they will be hosting live discussions online covering topics that Americans are concerned about. On Monday the President will be interviewed LIVE from the White House on Google+ and Youtube.
Wednesday – Friday: Office Hours marathon of online question and answer sessions on Twitter
To participate, anyone can ask a question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat, and administration officials respond to questions in real-time via Twitter. Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive Twitter account. If you miss the live session, the full Q&A will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov to cross-post and Storify.com/WhiteHouse.
1/25: Answering general questions about the speech
All-day: Josh Earnest, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary
1pm: Mark Zuckerman, White House Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council
3pm: Dan Pfeiffer
1/26: Constituency focused sessions
10am: Veterans
- Matt Flavin, White House Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy
11am : LGBT
- Miriam Vogel, White House Senior Policy Advisor and Gautam Raghavan, Assoc. Director for Public Engagement
Noon : Women
- Racquel Russell, Special Assistant to the President for Mobility and Opportunity Policy and Avra Siegel, White House Deputy Executive Director for the Council on Women and Girls
Chromebooks for Education
Filed under: Blog Entries, Education, Technology, Think Global
Whenever technology can be used effectively in the classroom, I’m all for it. Information moves faster than it ever has and we live in a time where travel to a foreign land or historical landmark is only a click away. Enter the Google Chromebook.
Chromebooks are lightweight, mobile laptops built for the web that give students, teachers, and administrators a simple solution for fast and easy-to-manage computing. The applications on the Chromebook are all web-based which makes it easier for IT administrators to manage what the students can access. Teachers and schools can set up Google Apps for Education accounts that would allow them to manage their classroom and store documents online.
According to the video, the students see it as a new way of learning and it gives them a chance to learn beyond what the traditional textbook has to offer. I believe there is a per student monthly cost for the Chromebooks, but the best way to learn more is to attend the webinar today and on August 3rd for more information.
Introduction to Chromebooks for Education
- Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 11:00AM PT/2:00PM ET – Register
- Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 11:00AM PT /2:00PM ET – Register
What do you think? How beneficial do you think this would be to students and teachers?
Thoughts On Google+
Filed under: Blog Entries, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global
For those who don’t know, I’m a Google junkie. I use just about every Google service from Gmail to Google Voice on a daily basis, so I’m in “the cloud” in a major way. When the news about Google+ started coming out, my quest began to get one of the coveted invites (thanks @LiberateMag). While on the hunt for an invite I read posts from @Baratunde, @ScottBourne and other bloggers I follow, but I thought why not throw my two cents in the jar.
First off, I have to say I love the “Meet the Fockers” circle concept in Google+. The basic premise is that you can create and place people in “circles”, based on their relationship to you. For instance, I created circles for family, friends, blogger, photographers and tech. I find people who I want to follow and place them in a circle, so whenever they post something to G+ I see it. People can be placed in multiple circles and only you know which circle they’re in.
If they add you to their circle in return, they will be able to see whatever you post. I like this concept because it forces me to organize the people I add into groups giving me the option to decide who sees what. It’s not perfect, but G+ is still in beta and the current user base is really proactive in speaking out about changes they’d like to see.
The hangout is pretty interesting because it allows you to open a video chat session with up to nine people from your circles at the same time. If no one is online, you can invite other people to join. I haven’t tried hangouts out yet, but I may give it a try. I heard they can be pretty fun. I can definitely like to see some location based hangouts in the future.
Sparks is just a running feed of articles on the Internet that relate to a specific topic you choose. I have a tech spark and to be honest I rarely use it. I created a photography spark today, so maybe I’ll get more use out of it in the future. You can share sparks of interest to you with your circles.
The mobile app for G+ is pretty sweet. It gives you the option to instant upload photos and videos directly to a private folder in your account to be shared or kept for safe keeping. This my not be a feature everyone may want, but it’s pefect for me because it gives me a way of getting that stuff off my phone. Most of the time it’s something that I want to share anyway with friends and family. The mobile app also allows you to view your stream, use hangouts (in chat only) and posts photos/video from your phone.
Finally, one of the best things about G+ is that Tom from Myspace has an account! He’s really posting some interesting stuff and it’s good to see ol’ Tom in action again. To be honest, I’ve come across a lot of interesting people. As more people get access and start using G+, it’ll be interesting to see how well it’s adopted.
Is G+ a Facebook killer? Not right now. But it does have its place in the online social ecosystem. As Facebook and Google battle it out, this is bound to be an interesting summer in social networking. Stay tuned.
For a very good overview of how to use Google+ check out this post from the Social Media Examiner. If you want an invite or would like to add me to a circle, here’s my profile. Don’t worry, I’ll be nice.
As always, I want to know what you think of the service. Let me know in the comment area.
Save Lives with Hands-Only CPR
The American Heart Association is running a campaign to teach everyone about a new way to save lives using Hands-Only™ CPR and the disco hit “Stayin’ Alive”. The song has the same beat as the proper rate of chest compressions during CPR – giving our CPR instructors an easy-to-remember teaching tool to equip millions of people with lifesaving skills.
The steps for Hands-Only™ CPR are simple. You can save a life by doing just two things: Call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest. To make sure you’re doing CPR properly, just remember to give chest compressions to the same beat as “Stayin’ Alive”.
For those like me who need a visual to help remember, the AHA created this hilarious video starring actor Ken Jeong (also a doctor). While a heart attack is no laughing matter, this technique can save someone’s life if done correctly. Here are a couple of facts from their website:
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
- 80% of victims of sudden cardiac arrest collapse at home.
- 92% of out–of–hospital victims die before medical help ever arrives.
- A willing bystander administering CPR can more than double a victim’s chance of survival.
White House Hosts First Ever Twitter Townhall 7/6
Filed under: Obama, Personal Finance, Politics, Technology, Twitter
This is what I love about this administration. They aren’t afraid of trying new things to keep voters involved. On July 6th at 2pm ET, the White House (@whitehouse), will be hosting the first ever Twitter Town Hall.
This is the opportunity for Twitter users to tweet President Obama questions regarding jobs and the economy. To submit your questions you must have a Twitter account and use hashtag #AskObama so they can track your question. On the 6th, President Obama will answer select questions in a live event moderated by Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and Executive Chairman.
If you’d like to try your luck in being a part of the live audience, you can submit your information to register online. For recent updates follow @townhall.
And for those who hate on the President no matter what he does, lets please be respectful during the event.
Teach Your Child to Hack @ DEFCON Kids
Filed under: Blog Entries, Education, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global
DEFCON, one of the largest gathering of hackers in the world will be having its first Annual DEFCON Kids, August 6-7, 2011 at the Rio in Las Vegas. There will be classes for kids ages 8 to 16 where they will cover topics like social engineering, how to open Master locks, Google Hack, code in scratch and communicate in code.
For the kids who are interested in learning how to hack, I think it’s a great idea (with the exception of the lock picking) to teach them in a closed environment where they can be monitored and encouraged to use their skill for good. Most people don’t consider cyber terrorism to be a big deal, but if you think how much we’ve come to rely on the Internet as a society, you’d realize the importance of this kind of conference.
Who knows, our next Internet security entrepreneur, CIO or cyber security specialist might be discovered. If done right, this can be a good thing. It’ll give these kids the opportunity to meet people with similar interests and teach them how to prevent others from falling victim to the not so nice hackers.
For more information visit www.defconkids.org.
Change
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Business, Community, Education, Entertainment & Sports, Family, General, Health, Laughable, Legal, Life, Monday Motivation, Music Reviews, My Thoughts, My Utterz, MyBlogLog, Obama, Our Rights, Personal Finance, Photo Phinish, Podcasts, Podcasts - Tha Brothas, Politics, Relationships, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global, Twitter
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on theotalks.net and I’ve had it on my task list to do this for a while. I’ve been debating it for some time, but I really think it’s time to start fresh. I’ve mentioned in other posts that blogging is hard work. If you’re not dedicated to the cause, you can easily suffer burnout. I’ve seen it before from some of my favorite sites and if you look at the last date I posted, you’ll see it here.
But despite the lack of posts, I still get a decent amount of hits and readers are still leaving comments on some of my older posts. I’m not the most prolific writer and I don’t consider myself to be well-versed in a lot of the stuff I blog about. But there’s something about this blogging thing that keeps sucking me back into it. I’ve grown to love the black blogger community and it has allowed me to meet some amazing people. There are a lot of people out there with some strong opinions about society and the world as they see it. Those are the people who I like to showcase and support.
I’m making some changes to the blog and what I blog about. I love the current theme and focus of theotalks, but I want to remove the restraints and give myself the opportunity to be all over the place. The new theme of the site is “Random thoughts about everything and nothing”. While it may be a little vague, that’s how I want to run the site from now on. My current theme of focusing on the black community is great, but there are so many other great bloggers out there consistently doing it. It takes time to put those posts together and right now, I’m at a different place in life.
So from here on out, expect the unexpected. As I feel moved, I’ll post about whatever is on my heart at the moment. I’ll also be showcasing some of my favorite bloggers and will work to get some of the guest writers back (you know who you are) to help a brotha out.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to start the podcast back up, but I might try my hand at video blogging. Only time will tell. Thanks to everyone who supports and reads this blog. It definitely keeps me motivated to stay at it.
God Bless.
Theo
Once Again It’s On!
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Family, Health, My Thoughts, Obama, Politics, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global
Earlier this morning President Obama began filing papers to seek re-election for President in 2012. The first thought in my mind was “here we go again”. I was surprised the first time he sought election and shocked when he beat out the Clintons for the Democratic nominee. But watching him over the past couple of years has shown me Obama can handle the critics and is willing to complete the tasks he promises to those who elect him.
Sure we don’t have our American utopia critics felt he promised in 2008, but let’s remember the downward spiral our country was going in before he was elected. Money was being thrown all over the place to fund the Iraq war, the housing sector was trash and companies who were too big to fail were in the corporate welfare line waiting for their share of the taxpayers’ money. It wasn’t pretty and I til this day can’t understand why he wanted to run for office in the first place. But he won and the country has never been the same since.
Our previous president told us that holding the office of Commander in Chief is hard work and I agree. I couldn’t imagine having to be responsible for making decisions that affect millions of people, but I feel President Obama has done what he feels is best for America and deserves a second term. I feel confident that despite all the political bickering, he thoughtfully considers every decision and moves after he’s heard all the options. Yes, not every decision is effective. But what president, CEO or executive can make the claim that all of the decisions they’ve made have worked? In the end, he’s the one held responsible. So let’s give him four more years to see if the laws he’s implemented work.
Texas PTA Legislative Action Alert
Filed under: Community, Education, Family, Health, Politics, Society & Culture, Technology
I received this email from our PTA. Earlier this week during a youth Bible study class, one of the students asked us to pray for their teachers in Plano ISD. Over 400 of them were losing their jobs and 40 were just let go from her school that week.
This is sad and shows how much our representatives in Texas care about the future of our youth. While my kids might not personally benefit from all of these programs, there are a lot of kids who will. For those parents who might not have the money to send their kids to private school or get outside help for their kids, these programs and grants are needed. If you live in Texas, take a little time to call your representative and ask them to fund public education.
—————————————————————————————————–
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY
ASK HIM/HER TO FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION
IN HB 1
THE BUDGET BILL FOR 2012-2013
CALL TODAY!!!
What you need to know:
Friday, April 1, the Texas House of Representatives will vote on the budget for the next two years. The budget on which they will vote makes deep cuts to public education.
- HB 1 proposes giving $7.8 billion less to the Foundation School Program (FSP), the main source of funding for local school districts. This is 18% less than is required by current law.
- Depending upon how a local school district chooses to address this reduced funding from the state, Texas could expect layoffs of thousands of school employees.
- In addition to cuts to the FSP, HB 1 cuts or severely reduces funding for
- Reading, Math and Science Initiatives
- Pre-Kindergarten Early Start program
- Early Childhood School Readiness Grants
- Science Lab Grants
- Texas Advanced Placement Incentive Program
- Virtual School Network
- Middle School Physical Education Grants
- Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program
- Extended Year Programs
- Limited English Proficiency Student Success Initiative
- Communities in Schools Programs
- Student Success Initiatives
- High School Completion and Success Initiative
What you can do:
CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY
ASK HIM/HER TO SUPPORT AMENDMENTS TO HB 1
THAT INCREASE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
To find contact information for your state representative, visit http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us. Enter the requested information into the fields listed (this includes your street address and ZIP code) and then select “HOUSE” from the District Type pull-down field and click the submit button. You will be taken to a page that lists the name of your state representative as well as their Austin (512) phone number. This is the number you should dial to register your concerns about HB 1.
Partnership For A Healthy Texas Conquering Obesity
Members and Friends of the Partnership for a Healthy Texas -
Both the Steering and Legislative Committees have been quite busy of late reviewing legislation, serving as issue area experts and making sure the Partnership priorities are both promoted and reflected appropriately in the budget and in legislation. We appreciate your patience during our lack of communication.
We have developed two documents; one, outlining the bills that fall into the Partnership’s legislative priority areas and; another, outlining the bills related to obesity and nutrition that the Partnership is tracking (click on the links to download each in PDF format). Below, is a rough outline of the budget as it relates to our issues. As you are probably well aware, the Senate version of the budget is still being hammered out while the House will discuss HB 1 on the floor tomorrow.
We anticipate calling upon our membership more as the process moves along. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions.
TEA – HB 1
HB1 would cut $66 million from School Health and Safety, which includes implementation of coordinated school health, counseling and mental health, physical activity, nutrition, and health education, and health services. This is a 70% reduction in funding compared to the current budget.
In addition to the 70% reduction in School Health and Safety, HB1 would end the state’s investment in:
- Prekindergarten grants and Early Childhood School Readiness programs (down $223.3 million), meaning 144,000 fewer children would benefit from quality-assured public prekindergarten and school readiness programs each year
- Middle School Physical Education grants (down $20 million), resulting in 425,000 middle school students no longer having access to programs proven to increase performance on Fitnessgram physical fitness assessments and with demonstrated positive correlation with TAKS Reading and Math scores
- Life Skills Teen Parenting (down $19.7 million), meaning that 26,000 pregnant and parenting teens will have supportive services for graduating high school and learning healthy parenting skills
- School Bus Seat Belt grants, reduction of $10 million that would have gone to assist school districts acquire school buses with three-point seat belts
- Communities in Schools (though $9.7 million in federal TANF funds remain). 64,000 fewer students at risk of dropping out of school each year would no longer receive services that connect them to community resources that supports their success in school and beyond
The HB1 proposed cuts would be on top of reduction already made to the TEA budget in the current biennium:
- $2 million cut to the Education Service Centers that provide technical assistance for implementing coordinated school health
- $3.5 million cut to Communities in Schools
- $41,000 for School Lunch matching
- $850,000 for AVANCE family support
DSHS cuts
- Community-based obesity prevention (HB1: 53% cut equaling $15.6m to all chronic disease prevention, SB1: same)
- WIC Nutrition Supplements and Farmer’s Markets (HB1: $33.5m cut, which is 25,500 fewer recipients on monthly WIC Nutrition caseload, a 1% caseload cut, SB1: same)
TDAg budget recommendation:
There is a rider in the TDA component of the budget supporting the Texas Department of Agriculture’s capacity to coordinate existing farming resources and expand the Farm-to-School program by raising the Department’s full-time equivalent employee cap. This will allow the Department to create a Farm-to-School Coordinator position that will not require any appropriation of state funds. This coordinator position represents an opportunity to support the health of Texas children in a Legislative Session where cuts to children’s health services are endemic. A Texas Department of Agriculture Farm-to-School Coordinator position would additionally help support the growth of Texas farms, increase the availability of quality of food in Texas schools, and create valuable opportunities for nutrition education amid a costly obesity epidemic.
Carrie Kroll
Partnership for a Healthy Texas Chair
March 2nd – Fund Texas’ Future Day
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Community, Education, Family, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global
I received this email from the local PTA in our district. As everyone might know, Texas is having some budget issues and education is one of the areas needing to make some major cuts. It’s funny how our politicians claim to care about the future of our kids and then force the school system to get rid of teachers and cut funding.
I’m sure we’d definitely see some results if this were a debate on raising taxes. Our priorities are so messed up. Please spread the word about March 2nd. We can’t let them get away with this and it’s going to take a unified effort to let them know we won’t stand for it. Don’t let them put Texas’ future on the back burner.
Read below for more information.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Dear Board, APs, CPs and Past Presidents,
In response to the numerous phone calls and emails regarding our position on funding education, Texas PTA is sponsoring a grassroots one-day event on March 2. The email below is scheduled to go out to our membership tomorrow and again next week, describing this email event and how the grassroots members can get involved by contacting their representative. Please use this email to help get the word out about this event or to answer any questions that may come your way. And, as always, please do not hesitate to contact Texas PTA with any questions.
Thank you!
March 2 – Fund Texas’ Future Day!
Dear Public Education Advocates,
Forward this email to everyone in your community who cares about Texas students!
It’s the biggest crisis in Texas history. Nearly five million Texas students need our help. Texas PTA is proclaiming Wednesday, March 2, as “Fund Texas’ Future Day.” It’s imperative we make sure our “house is in order” – the Texas House of Representatives in Austin, that is. Please light up cyberspace by emailing your state representative on Wednesday, March 2.
Find Your Representative
Use this website to find your representative:
http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us
Once you’ve identified your state representative, use this format for his/her email address:
First name (dot) last name (@) house (dot) state (dot) tx (dot) us
Then utilize the points below that will most influence your state representative.
Please personalize your message, but here are some important points to include in your email to your state representative:
- Texas PTA’s legislative position is that funding public education is a priority.
- Regardless of what your campaign promises might have been, there are nearly five million reasons for you to look at all sources of funding to protect public education.
- Cutting funding to public education is not acceptable.
- The Rainy Day Fund and all revenue sources should be considered to fund Texas’s future.
- Texas children are our future.
- Texas businesses cannot thrive without an educated workforce. The economic viability of our state is directly related to the education of our children.
March 2 is the day for PTA to take over cyberspace and let our voices be heard to protect our future – Texas students!
In addition, beginning March 2, Texas PTA encourages all schools to include the message, “Fund Texas’ Future” on their marquees.?
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