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.
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.
Texas TV TakeBack Bill Signed
Last week Gov. Rick Perry signed a new law requiring television manufacturers to take back and recycle unused television sets in an effort to keep toxic materials out of our landfills and water.
Why is this a big deal you might ask? One, because pollutants in the water is just nasty. And two, because I feel it’s important to take care of the environment and do what we can to keep it safe for generations to come. The small things matter and when they make it easy for us to recycle any type of item, we should take full advantage of it.
I grew up in a neighborhood where we had to work to recycle stuff. Crushing cans and loading the car with paper and plastic bottles was a family affair for us. We would take it up to the community recycling bin and make multiple trips during the day if we couldn’t pack all of it in on the first trip. Now, all I have to do is throw my recyclables in a bin and put it on the corner during our recycle day.
While the bill has been signed by the governor, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality still has to design rules to implement and enforce the law. Until then check out the articles below to learn who current offers recycling programs for electronics in Texas.
What Texas’ new television recycling law means for consumers
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 06/18/11
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Family, Life, Obama, Relationships, Society & Culture
I thought this video was a great example of what father’s job should be.
On Father’s Day weekend, President Obama reflects on his experience as a parent and discusses the challenges and necessity of being a good father.
Happy Father’s Day: Not Much Has Changed
Filed under: Blog Entries, Family, Life, Photo Phinish, Relationships
Today marks the ten year “anniversary” of my dad’s passing (interesting that it falls on Father’s Day). I was looking through some old photos and found this one of the two of us chillin’ in his favorite chair. I have a couple of photos like this with my boys and I hope when they look at them they’ll remember the love I have for them.
Before my dad had his first stroke, we spent a lot of time together. He’d take me to work with him during the summer, to choir rehearsals during the week and I’d always see him working in the church. I learned a lot about the value of hard work and eventually took on one of his favorite hobbies (photography). While I hated some of the sayings he used (“You got McDonald’s money”), I find myself using them with my boys. He had a definite influence on my life and I appreciate all the lessons he taught me.
I miss my dad and I wish he’d had a chance to meet his grandsons. I’m sure he’d love them as much as he loved me. It’s up to me to pass the torch and I’m going to make sure they learn some of the same lessons he taught me. That’s what it’s all about. Be it their dad or someone filling in the role, boys need a male role model. They need someone who understands the challenges they’ll face as men to prepare them for the future. My dad was tough on us and being a dad raising two boys in today’s society, the need for those life lessons that dad can teach are more important than ever.
I love my boys and it’s my job to make sure they get what they need to be successful in life. It starts with getting them a good education and understanding of who they are. It’s not an easy task, but I’m up to the challenge. I helped bring them into the world, so the least I can do is be their primary example of what a man should be.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads who know where I’m coming from.
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
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