President Obama’s Weekly Address – 07/30/11
Filed under: Blog Entries, Personal Finance, Politics
Compromise on Behalf of the American People
President Obama urges both Republicans and Democrats to take action to avoid defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history.
Funny how all of a sudden raising the debt ceiling has become a big deal. When the previous Republican administration started handing out dollars for the war and banking industry, no one had anything to say. The debt to be handed down to our children wasn’t as big an issue because we had more important things to do.
I have never seen a bigger group of babies than the ones who serve in Congress today. Each group wants their way and when they don’t get it, they fold their arms and storm out of the room. What’s the big deal with putting a balanced deal together where both groups get something they want and lose something they want to keep. Is putting a deal together really that complicated or are they making it harder than it should be? This is politics at its worst and the American People are the ones who are going to suffer in the end. Maybe their paychecks should be the first thing put on hold if a resolution is not met before the deadline. But then all they’d do is get money from lobbyists and special interest groups. Oh well.
Playing “chicken” with the economy is not a good thing to do right now. I honestly thought Boehner would be more open to working things out. Guess I was wrong.
Take Control
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Society & Culture
If you can control a man’s thinking, you don’t have to worry about his actions. If you can determine what a man thinks you do not have worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he is inferior, you don’t have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told and if you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you don’t have to order him to the back door, he will go to the back door on his own and if there is no back door, the very nature of the man will demand that you build one. – Carter G. Woodson.
60% of Texas students disciplined by expulsion or suspension
For some reason, this quote from The Mis-Education of the Negro really stuck with me. Sometimes we forget how powerful the mind really is. We’re born into the world as blank slates and our life experiences build who we will eventually become. I hate to see articles like the one above because after a while the students and community start to accept these actions as the norm. It’s at this point where their thinking can be controlled by their surroundings.
In reading books on slavery, I always wondered why a plantation full of slaves allowed one person to control them. They easily outnumbered their slave owner, but never came together to overtake him. This is what happens to some communities and it’s only when the people have had enough, that they make up their mind to change their situation.
Save up to 80% with Kindle Textbook Rental
In college, I remember going to the campus bookstore and spending a couple hundred dollars on books. Some of the books I still have, but most were sold back or given to someone else who could use them. It’s truly amazing how fast things change because students today have some real options that can save them money.
For certain textbooks, they can rent them for up to a year, paying only for the time they need it. They’ll have the option of downloading it to one of the free Kindle reading apps for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android device, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, or Kindle. Since you aren’t getting a physical copy of the book, they are able to offer a deep discount on the rental price
For kids like me with limited funds on financial aid, this would have been an easy decision for me to make. The fact that I could carry around multiple books on a single device would have been great for those cross campus treks I had to make to class. But my college days are over, so I guess I’ll have to get over it.
Save up to 80% with Kindle Textbook Rental
Just to be fair, Barnes and Noble also has a college textbook rental service, so give them a try if you’re a fan of the NookColor like me.
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 07/23/11
A Bipartisan Approach to Strengthening the Economy
President Obama discusses the urgency of Democrats and Republicans coming together to take a balanced approach to cutting the deficit to strengthen our economy and secure our future.
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?
President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Health, Obama, Society & Culture
On July 13, 2010 the White House released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was the country’s first roadmap to addressing the domestic epidemic. In recognition of this important milestone, the White House created the video below and a pdf update of their implementation strategy.
We may not think of this as a really big deal, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2006, black men accounted for two-thirds of new infections (65%) among all blacks. The rate of new HIV infection for black men was 6 times as high as that of white men, nearly 3 times that of Hispanic/Latino men, and twice that of black women.
So think about that as you watch the video.
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.
The Wiggles Experience
So last week my wife and I took our boys to the Wiggles concert. Before kids, I used to laugh at parents who had to watch the videos and listen to songs all day long. Six years later, I find myself singing these same songs with my kids and wondering what toppings I’d like on my Wiggly Waffle.
The Wiggle Experience was definitely one to remember. As expected, there was lots of singing and dancing to all the different songs from the Wiggles’ repertoire. But what impressed me most was the number of dads in the audience. I’m always impressed with how fatherhood has changed over the years. There was a time when you couldn’t drag a guy to an event like this, but I saw dads just like me, dancing and singing right along with the kids.
All the time, I was thinking “the things I do for these boys”. And to close out the night, my youngest made a personal request to hear ALL the same songs over again on the way home (thanks Rhapsody). I never would have seen myself doing something like this before kids, but it makes me happy to see them happy. They had fun and we got to spend a memorable event with them. Creating memories. That’s what it’s all about and that’s why I do things I never thought I’d do.
The only downer was Jeff (the purple Wiggle) was missing for the first time in 20 years. They said he’d had surgery to add a pacemaker and was doing fine. Get well Jeff!
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.
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